Chapter 463: Deity Prize Guessing Festival
Chapter 458 of "The Great Ming in the Box" starts unveiling mysteries: Chen Ergou had eaten his fill of steamed buns, gaining strength, and followed Qi Cheng... Keep reading!
Chen Ergou had eaten his fill of steamed buns, gaining strength, and followed Qi Cheng to the prison gate. There, a large group of young adult men had already gathered.He suddenly noticed something interesting.
Although the prison originally held seven thousand people, young adult men numbered only a bit over two thousand. That meant five thousand were elderly and weak, women and children.
The newly arrived surrendering bandits, though only three thousand in total, had young adult men making up halfâone thousand five hundred.
As an old bandit, Chen Ergou immediately understood what this implied.
It meant the seven thousand had been captured after losing a battle, with many young adult men dying in combat, creating this odd ratio.
His own group had surrendered directly as âpacified rebels.â Only their leader and close followers were executed; most young adult men survived untouched, so they balanced evenly with the elderly and weak, women and children.
Combined, both batches of young adult men approached four thousand in number, already a considerable force.
At the front of the labor offenders stood a man dressed unmistakably as a prisoner, yet radiating authority like a leader. He climbed onto a wooden platform and shouted at the nearly four thousand labor offenders behind him: âThe old-timers know the drill! Newcomersâyou lot of fifteen hundredâdonât recognize me yet, do you?â
âMy surname is Chen. I served as a captain in the border army in Guyuan. Everyone here calls me Captain Chen. When General Nan Feng left prison, he entrusted this place to me.â
âListen well, you new trash! Iâll be blunt: In my eyes, each of you is a source of merit, especially the troublemakers bullying fellow inmates. Cause all the fuss you wantâjust know, if I catch you, itâs a simple rule: beat!â
âBeating you earns me creditâmight even get me out sooner.â A grin spread across Captain Chenâs face. âThatâs why I love pounding troublemakers half to death.â
Hearing this, Chen Ergou chuckled quietly and whispered to Qi Cheng, âThis guyâs trying to play prison boss.â
Qi Cheng replied, âHeâs not pretending; he is the boss.â
Chen Ergou asked, âIsnât he afraid someone stronger might beat him down?â
Qi Cheng explained, âThere used to be someone tougher, but he got released. Now Captain Chen rules. Best not mess with him.â
Chen Ergou said, âIâm not much of a fighter. Iâll stay clear. But Liu Liuâs gang has its bruisers. Heh, mark my wordsâsomeoneâs about to step up.â
As soon as he finished, a burly man with thick limbs pushed through the new surrendering bandits, glaring fiercely: âCaptain Chen? Trying to flaunt power in front of us newcomers? Perfect! I want to prove my might to you old foxes.â
The brawny man also mounted the wooden platform, announcing loudly: âIâm Captain Wuâthatâs what they called me in the army!â
Captain Chen laughed. âWhich unit?â
Captain Wu answered, âNingxia!â
Captain Chen mocked, âOh! The Ningxia border army.â
Captain Wu declared proudly, âIâm not scared of your Guyuan border army!â
After that exchange, no more words were needed.
Both men rolled up their sleeves and prepared to fight.
The ruckus drew the guardsâ attention. A new guard moved to intervene, but an old guard blocked him, chuckling: âLet them battle. Prisons need a leader chosen by fists. Stopping them now would split them into two factions, fighting nonstop. Let them hash it outâonce a winnerâs decided, theyâll be easier to control.â
The new guard finally understood: So thatâs how it worked.
As they spoke, a masked Militia SoldierâInstructor Heâdashed up the wall, carefully holding a small wooden carving of the Deity.
The guards blinked in confusion. âInstructor He, whatâs this?â
Cheng Xu urged, âQuick! Clear the best viewing spotâthe Deity wants to watch the show.â
Everyone gasped: â!!â
Cheng Xu gently positioned the wood-carved Deity on the prime viewing perch atop the wall. Its wooden eyes rolled around, and its mouthâlike a Lu Ban puppetâsâswung open. Its voice lacked the tones of clay or silicone sculptures, instead creaking like worn strings and woodwinds, melodious and drawn-out: âThe Deity Prize Guessing Festival begins now! If you guess the winner correctly, youâll share a Xizhilang jelly.â
Xizhilang jelly was a ârare immortal realm delicacyâ the Deity rarely bestowed. Acquiring it meant riches, even without tasting it. Merchants once sold a Deity-bestowed Xizhilang jelly to Xiâan, where Qin King Mansionâs steward bought it for a fortune.
The villager who sold it struck gold overnight!
Such treasures were worth fighting for.
Cheng Xu spoke first: âI bet Captain Chen from Guyuan wins!â
Fang Wushang said, âMe tooâCaptain Chen!â
Zhong Gaoliang shouted, âCaptain Chen!â
The guards chanted, âWe back Captain Chen!â
The militia soldiers roared, âAll in for Captain Chen!â
Zheng Daniu piped up: âYou all picked Captain Chen? Then even if he wins, the prize will be split too thin! Winning big means betting big. Iâm going for Captain Wu from Ningxiaâif Iâm right, the whole Xizhilang jelly is mine!â
The wooden Little Deity rattled with glee: âHa! Exactly right! Much more fun this way. Boring if everyone bets on one horse.â
All bets were now placed.
The fight began below.
Fists and kicks slammed in a âthud-thud-thudâ volleyâboth men hailed from the border army, both captains, equally skilled. But Captain Chen had thrived in Gaojia Village for years: well-fed, well-rested, well-exercised, far stronger than the worn-out, wandering Captain Wu.
In fewer than ten moves, Captain Chen swept Captain Wuâs legs out, sending him crashing down. Captain Chen hammered the downed man with rapid punches, battering his face swollen as a pigâs. After that, Captain Wu yielded meekly and staggered off the platform.
Most onlookers along the wall had bet on Captain Chen. Winners erupted in cheers. Only Zheng Daniu howled, clutched his head, and flopped onto the ground: âOh no! My treatsâgone!â
With the labor offendersâ hierarchy settled, Zhong Gaoliang sprang into action. Guards and militia escorted the four thousand labor offenders out of labor valley.
They walked barely any distance before reaching Bai Family Fortress.
Their task? To build the railway between Bai Family Fortress and Gaojia VillageâŚ
As the new labor offenders watched, a massive electric small train hurtled toward them, hauling car after car of road construction materials. Terrified speechless by this kaleidoscopic monstrosity, they stared silently.