Chapter 618: The Rescue Arrives
Chapter 608 of "The Great Ming in the Box" opens showing developments: Bang!Bang!Distant firearm shots rang out one after another.Bai Yuan wielded divine gunmanship, each bullet claiming... Keep reading!
Bang!Bang!
Distant firearm shots rang out one after another.
Bai Yuan wielded divine gunmanship, each bullet claiming one enemy, daring to assist Jiang Cheng from far away.
As for Bai Yuanâs subordinates, they fell short. Their marksmanship wasnât as precise, fearing accidental harm to allies. They dared not fire from excessive range, requiring closer approach. Thankfully, their electric boats sped like thieves.
A hundred meters closed in mere seconds.
Soon, the boats entered their effective firing range, and the Militia Soldiers opened fire.
Firearm reports sounded sporadically, water bandits dropping one after another.
The chief fierce bandit jolted in alarm. Glancing back at the approaching large cargo ship, his first thought was: âOfficials are here!â
Though the white-robed figure at the bow didnât resemble government troops.
No matterâescape first!
The bandit chief bellowed, âRun away!â
The remaining forty-some water bandits scrambled down the slope.
Ascending this high slope proved troublesome, but descent proved simple. A swift slide brought them to the waterâs edge, leaping onto boats. Oars churned as they fled opposite Bai Yuanâs direction.
Bang! Bai Yuanâs shot felled another bandit. Raising his head, he roared, âPursue!â
Just then, the Deity embroidered with golden thread rumbled a sentence upon his chest: âRescue the civilians atop the slope first.â
Bai Yuan jolted awake. Right! These civilians had endured days trapped thereâcold, starving, nearing collapse. Their immediate rescue took priority over chasing petty bandits.
Abandoning pursuit, he maneuvered the large cargo ship alongside the slope.
Hundreds of civilians stared at the vessel with desperate hope.
Bai Yuan swept his arm: âBoard in line. Stay calm. We possess multiple vessels; more approach shortly. Order ensures everyone survives.â
At these words, the slope erupted in ragged criesâcenturies of relief shuddering through the crowd.
Flat ships from Gaojia Village entered the disaster area one by one.
The floodwaters still hadnât receded. Land stood as isolated islands. Civilians clung to each outcrop, hollow-bellied and desperate. Many had been stripped of all possessions by water bandits.
Their homes drowned, fields obliterated, the meager gold and silver carried with them plunderedâlifetime savings vanished instantly. Left in absolute destitution.
For some, the will to live had snapped. Eyes turned glassy and vacant, questioning existence itself.
Witnessing this, Bai Yuan and the Militia Soldiers felt their spirits dim.
âWithout our arrival⌠these souls faced certain death,â Bai Yuan lamented. âSuch suffering! Scarce recovered from drought, now deluge descends. Is survival forbidden?â
The Deity embroidered with golden thread sighed gravely: âTrue calamity lies in governmental neglect⌠officials indifferent to life and death among their people.â
Bai Yuan stood rushing with pride: âExactly! This land borders Luoyangâs northern outskirts. Logically, official rescue fleets shouldâve sailed from Luoyang days ago. Yet these islanders remain abandonedânot one relief vessel dispatched. Herein lies the true tragedy.â
His expression darkened further. âThis worthless government must be overthrown. Change the emperor himself.â
At his words âchange the emperor,â Li Daoxuan couldnât help but think: Bai Yuan still embraces feudal mindset. His son, Young Master Bai, raised under political thought lessons, likely embraces⌠newer ideas.
For exampleâŚ
Letting the people rule themselves?
Never mind, it was best not to mention that, talking about it was a bit too early.
Gaojia Villageâs cargo ships were extremely busy, endlessly circling through the âvast seaâ of Mengjin District, rescuing common folk from isolated islands one by one and transporting them to the outskirts of Hengshui Town upstream, which wasnât flooded.
The common folk had lost everything, and many were dazed and bewildered, thinking to themselves: Even if I escaped, I wouldnât survive.
But when they got off the boats, they discovered that Gaojia Village Militia had already set up a large area of rain sheds outside Hengshui Town. Beneath the sheds, large pots were placed with food cooking inside.
The common folk rescued ashore by the cargo ships could immediately get a hot bite to eat.
Moreover, that food wasnât casual thin gruel with wild vegetablesâit was hot, warm noodle soup. Drinking one sip warmed the stomach instantly, refreshing the whole person.
Fearing that just drinking noodle soup wouldnât relieve hunger, steamed buns were also handed out nearby.
The refugees ate steamed buns and drank noodle soup, bite after bite. After several mouthfuls, their inner fear and panic were finally eased considerably.
âLord Bai, you are our reborn parents!â
âLord Bai, thank you for saving our lives!â
A crowd surrounded Bai Yuan, kneeling and bowing, making Bai Yuan keep explaining: âDonât thank me, it was the Deity who sent me here. You should thank the Deity.â
âThe Deity? Who are they?â
So the militia had to brief them a bitâŚ
The militia were busy from dawn to dusk and from dusk to dawn.
The food brought on the ships soon ran short. Fortunately, Gaojia Villageâs second batch of cargo ships sailed over during a time of light wind and light rain, bringing in large amounts of food again.
The refugee camp in Hengshui Town quickly gathered a crowd of over ten thousand people.
EveningâŚ
Another cargo ship sailed back from outside, carrying over thirty refugees again. Hungry to the point of exhaustion, they collapsed weakly to the ground as soon as they got off.
Thanks to a group of ârefugee volunteersâ organized by Jiang Cheng, they were helped under the large shed, and noodle soup was held up and fed to them bit by bit. Only then did this group finally revive.
Bai Yuan squeezed in from outside the shed and patted Jiang Chengâs shoulder: âBrother Jiang, how about these people now?â
Jiang Cheng raised his head, traces of relief on his face: âThey survived.â
Bai Yuan nodded.
Just then, a servant from Bai Family Fortress ran over from the distance: âLord, the officials are here.â
Bai Yuan frowned slightly: âThe officials finally reacted?â
Jiang Cheng spat and said: âThey definitely didnât come to provide disaster relief. They just saw that over ten thousand refugees are gathered here in Hengshui Town and sensed itâs âunsafe,â so they sent people to investigate.â
Bai Yuan snorted, unwilling to speak.
But he had to deal with it despite not wanting to speak, so he took Jiang Cheng and walked out to meet them.
Just as they stepped outside the refugee camp, they saw a small unit of soldiers approaching. Dressed in Ming Dynasty military uniforms, looking overbearingly arrogant to the extreme, they stood at the refugee campâs entrance and shouted loudly: âWhatâs going on here? Why are so many common folk gathered?â