Chapter 472: The First Time I Had to Play the Villain
Chapter 467 of "The Great Ming in the Box" unveils a new twist: Hejin County!Shi Jian was racing through the town with over fifty garrison soldiers, shouting desperately,... See what happens!
Hejin County!Shi Jian was racing through the town with over fifty garrison soldiers, shouting desperately, âFellow Villagers, come with us! Leave Hejin County! Head for Longmen Ferry! Wang Jiayinâs roving rebels are coming! Evacuate as fast as you canâŚâ
The Titanic Deity ran alongside them through Hejin County.
Li Daoxuan had always thought himself a homebody. Yet, ever since he could âshare sensesâ with his statue, heâd felt a newfound restlessnessâan urge to wander outside.
Perhaps no recluse is truly a recluse at heart. They merely retreat indoors for lack of worthy distractions outdoors. Once they find something more enthralling than home, they venture out.
The Titanic Deityâs silicone body looked indistinguishable from a real person unless closely examined. Dressed in ordinary clothing, he blended perfectly. No one mistook him for a monster as he roamed the streets.
Heâd come sightseeing, but stepping into Hejin reshaped his mood. The streets, ravaged by Bu Zhan Ni, grieved him. Scorched houses scarred the view; hungry commoners crowded every corner.
Most villagers, hearing Shi Jianâs cry, hurriedly packed and fled. Outside the walls, officials guided them toward Longmen Ferry, where theyâd build Water Fortifications to safeguard themselves.
But a handful refused to budge.
They sat in ruins, eyes vacant, spirit extinguished. Escape felt meaningless. Dying by a rebelâs blade or by starvationâwhat difference did it make?
Li Daoxuan approached Shi Jian and whispered instructions.
Shi Jian ordered his soldiers to change their plea. Soon, new voices echoed through the alleys: âGo to Longmen Ferry! Relief grain awaits! Everyone gets fed! Those building the Water Fortifications will receive wages!â
This promise breathed life into the vacant-eyed refugees. With work and food as prospects, fleeing mattered. Better that than a rebelâs sword.
Another wave of villagers abandoned Hejin.
But a stubborn few still refused.
They trusted neither the officials nor the garrison. Shi Jianâs soldiers? Liars, each one.
âOfficials giving us free grain? Impossible!â
âExpect pay for building forts? Dream on!â
What to do with such folk?
Shi Jian was frantic!
His fifty soldiers were equally baffled. Persuading the defiant was alien to them.
The officers regrouped around Shi Jian and the Titanic Deity, muttering, âWhat now? Five hundred wonât leave. Theyâd rather gamble rebels wonât come than trust us.â
One voice snapped, âCaptain Shi, letâs leave them! Save ourselves!â
Thud! Shi Jian punched the man flat. âAbandon them? How dare you! Their distrust is our faultâthe uniformâs shame. Now you want to quit? Never!â
The fallen soldier wiped blood from his lip, silenced.
Another asked, âBut how do we move them?â
Panic seized the group; plans eluded them.
Shi Jian hesitated, gaze turning to the Titanic Deity.
The deity climbed an intact rooftop, scanning the half-ruined county below. Destroyed, he thought. Even without rebels returning, survival here is grim. Without clearing and rebuilding, hardship looms.
Forced migration was the only escape.
He called down to Shi Jian, âKnow the tale of the Flying Peak?â
Soldiers nodded. âJigong knew a mountain would crash a village. He begged the villagers to flee. When they refused, he snatched a girl and fled with her on his back. Villagers chased him beyond their homes. Then the peak fell, crushing the village.â
Li Daoxuan said, âRemember that tale. In dire times, extreme measures, however cruel, bring righteous ends.â
Shi Jianâs eyes lit with brutal clarity. âI see! Iâll steal a girl! Kin will hunt me!â
Li Daoxuan: â!!!â
Did he just seek sanction to kidnap? Li Daoxuanâs eyes rolled. âMust a girl be stolen? Can nothing else stir them? You are officials! Act the tyrantâshow them your vicious side!â
Shi Jian gasped, understanding dawning suddenly. Of courseâweâre officials! Weâre supposed to be monsters!
He and his fifty men hardened their faces, approaching the remaining villagers like wolves. âAll of youâto Longmen Ferry! Obey, or lose your heads! Iâll claim theyâre bandit chiefsâ skulls.â
The threat exploded like black powder. Defiance collapsed instantly. Five hundred souls joined the exodus toward the ferry.
More than ten thousand refugees from Hejin County dragged their families toward Longmen Ferry. Weeping, wailing, enduring miles of hardship, they braced for darker days ahead.
But shock struck them upon arrival at the ancient ferry dock.
A colossal freighter stood moored. Porters unloaded grain while a foreman yelled at the refugees: âStop gaping! Help unload this grain! Weâll feed you!â
Doubt lasted less than a second. Hunger ruled minds.
The refugees surged seawards. Sudden energy filled the docks. Elderly and weak, women and children, lit fires to cook ten thousand meals. Young laborers heaved sacks as tides rolled.
Finally, the last batch arrivedâthe five hundred reluctant souls âpushedâ into flight.
They expected enslavement, torture by officials. Instead, they saw bustling workers and steaming pots filling the air with noodle-rich fog.
The defiant five hundred gaped. âDidâŚdid the officials speak truth?â
Shi Jian shed his fearsome mask at last, sighing with exhausted relief. âTo save you fools, I had to play the villain for the first time in my goddamn life. FuckâŚâ