Chapter 433: Finding a Cultured Man
Chapter 428 of "The Great Ming in the Box" kicks off with: Not only Bai Yuan wanted to hear about the news from Shanxi, but Li Daoxuan... Continue reading!
Not only Bai Yuan wanted to hear about the news from Shanxi, but Li Daoxuan also did. He quickly stuffed a chicken wing from the Desert Wind Sand Chicken into his mouth. As he chewed, he listened to the captainâs report.The captain chattered away, recounting everything that had happened at the ancient ferry dock to Bai Yuan in great detail.
Li Daoxuan heard every word clearly from above.
Bai Yuan commented, âExcellent. The captain of Bu Zhan Niâs fifth squad died by our hands. Ah, Bu Zhan Ni is truly our old âfriend.â Our clashes have spanned from Chongzhen Year One up till now. Hah, it suddenly came to mindâback then I launched missiles bestowed by the Deity, making Bu Zhan Ni and Wang Zuogua howl for their parents. Ha ha ha ha!â
Hearing this, Li Daoxuan recalled memories flashing through his mind. Bu Zhan Ni was indeed an old adversary they had fought numerous times. Captain Ye Bu Shou of his Seventh Team had been killed by Cheng Xu, Second Captain Dian Deng Zi had been whisked away by Gaojia Village, and now Fifth Captain Old Zhang Fei had fallen at the hands of Old Nan Feng. This net of connections was growing larger and larger. Ha ha.
The captain continued, âWhen I sailed back, Boss Xing hadnât returned yet after going to Jie Pond for salt. But before she left, she mentioned a requirement: the residential area at the ancient ferry dock needed planning. The locals shouldnât be allowed to build houses haphazardly; chaos will inevitably unfold later. But every man sent to Shanxi this time is simple-minded! No one can manage this. Gaojia Village must dispatch a literate man.â
Li Daoxuan heard this and found it most reasonable!
Urban planning was a vital component indeed.
Gaojia Village had never been properly planned previously. He had fixed earlier problems arbitrarily when he pleased, moving things with his âmountain-relocating, sea-shiftingâ abilities.
But Shanxi must not be handled so carelessly.
As their designer, he supposed he should do some work. Ah, he hadnât touched his drafting software in over three years⌠cough⌠skills decay if unused for a mere three days. Complex designs were likely beyond him, but planning a residential area for a small ancient ferry dockâthat was manageable.
He would design it himself, then delegate the task to a cultured man to oversee the workâŚ
Once the captain finished his report, he returned to his ship to rest.
Bai Yuan flung an arm wide, loudly commanding, âLogistics troops, get moving! The Shanxi expeditionary force had just fought a battle using much ammunition. We need to resupply them with more gunpowder and lead bullets! The warships also need gunpowder and cannonballs replenished. All of you, move! Now! Now! Now! And grainâsend several boatloads⌠Ahem! And vinegar! The Deity bestowed vinegar upon us! He even emphasized: In Shanxi, man is iron, noodles are steelâa meal without vinegar brings gnawing hunger. If Shanxi people canât get vinegar for too long⌠theyâll rebel!â
At that, he suddenly paused: Eh? Could it be that ten out of six Shanxi people followed the bandits this time⌠because they hadnât drunk vinegar for years? Terrifying⌠truly terrifying! It seemed abstaining from vinegar indeed led to rebellion.
Bai Yuan waved at the porters and shouted, âShip more vinegar across!â
Thus, Qiachuan Port became busyâŚ
Li Daoxuan busied himself too. He powered on his computer and launched the drafting software untouched for so long, beginning his design.
Given Ming Dynasty technological constraints, tall buildings were entirely unrealistic. Cement houses over two or three stories wouldnât be sturdy enoughâany higher risked becoming dilapidated structures. Underground drainage systems were unnecessary as well; lacking the capability to build sewers fit for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, ordinary drainage ditches would suffice.
With that mindset, designing became remarkably simple.
A few quick strokes drew the basic layout of a grid-patterned small town. Several wide pathways bisected the center, partitioning neighborhoods proportionatelyâŚ
Before long, it was completed!
He printed the design on a small sheet of paper and placed it in Bai Yuanâs palm.
Bai Yuan bowed deeply, accepted the paper, and rolled it into a scroll.
The designing was resolved easily. But dispatching a cultured man to manage the ancient ferry dock suddenly became a significant challengeâŚ
A cultured man in Gaojia Village⌠Where could one be foundâŚ
Li Daoxuan tapped the region marked âGaojia Villageâ outside his enclosure, shifting his perspective back.
No sooner had he returned than he spotted oneâDian Deng Zi Zhao Sheng.
He had just emerged from the Main Fortress of Gaojia, clutching a silver ingotâhis recently awarded âSpecial Prizeâ for external assignment.
As it turned out, Zhao Sheng had been âdispatchedâ to Heyang County lately, teaching locals to use fertilizer and cultivate new crops.
âDispatchâ such as this deserved pay, naturally. The village treasury approved a silver ingot as his special bonus, which just happened to be distributed that day.
Zhao Sheng happily cradled the silver ingot, beaming as he dashed toward Gaojia Business CircleâŚ
Li Daoxuan watched him start running⌠and realized something was amiss.
Sure enough, after ascending the small slope of Gaojia Business Circle, Zhao Sheng suddenly heaved, panting sharply for quite some time. He dared not run further and moved slowly instead. It took him a prolonged walk to reach the clinic entrance.
An Old Doctor sat inside. Zhao Sheng respectfully offered his newly acquired prize: âDoctor, I have come againâŚâ
The Old Doctor shook his head with a chuckle, feeling Zhao Shengâs pulse: âMr. Zhao, I told you: No silver needed. Since you never accept payment aiding villagers, how could I take yours? The couplet at my clinic door was written gratis by you!â
Zhao Sheng retorted, âThough your consultation may be waived⌠those medicinal herbs must be reimbursed. Their purchase from gatherers cost you silver! I cannot use them without compensation.â
Relegated to acceptance, the doctor took the silver: âMr. Zhao, your wheezing ailment is asthma, a chronic condition. It cannot simply be cured with one decoctionâinstead, it relies on tonic treatment.â
Zhao Sheng nodded obediently.
The Old Doctor swiftly wrote a prescription and handed it over: âTake daily as prescribed. Interruption is impermissible!â
Zhao Sheng unrolled the paper and observed⌠failing to recognize a single character.
He plummeted face-down onto the ground: âDoctor! Why do I feel wholly unlettered every time I look at your writings?!â
Old Doctor expressed confusion: âMy script is exceedingly legible! What character displeases you?â
Zhao Sheng pointed at two symbols: âWhat are those?â
Old Doctor replied: âMa Huang!â
Cold sweat trickled down Zhao Shengâs face: âWhy did ma huang turn out looking thus?â
He pointed to another pair: âAnd thoseâŚ?â
Old Doctor stated: âXing Ren.â
Zhao Shenâs astonishment grew: âHad you not said âapricot kernels,â Iâd never have recognized themâbut now you mention it, maybe they do resemble the charactersâŚâ
He clutched the prescription, gazing 45 degrees at the heavens: âHeavens! Why must doctors scrawl such illegibly?â
Hovering nearby, Li Daoxuan manifested a colossal poster expressing: âThis question also bewilders me.â