Chapter 68: Inviting Lord Bai
Chapter 66 of "The Great Ming in the Box" starts the action: The entire Gaojia Village fell into chaos again!Villagers ran around completely aimlessly.However, this time the... Find out what happens!
The entire Gaojia Village fell into chaos again!Villagers ran around completely aimlessly.
However, this time the situation was much better than the last.
At least the villagers knew to prepare war supplies.
No one knew whether stones and oil worked for night fighting, but they prepared them anyway.
Two blacksmiths rushed back to their blacksmithâs shop and brought out the armor they had made in recent days.
Most of the female villagers in the village had been weaving cloth these past few days; although they slacked off a bit when Thirty-Two was awayâafter all, the diligence of laboring folk from our dynasty was no exaggerationâeven with slacking, their efficiency remained impressive, leaving plenty of cotton cloth in the village. So, the two blacksmiths gathered some skilled and nimble-fingered women to help thread the previously forged iron pieces together.
There were eight sets of cotton armor.
Compared to those fancy iron armors, this actually suited the current Gaojia villagers better. Iron armor was too heavy, and without proper military training, the villagers would feel overwhelmed and immobile if worn.
But cotton armor was light, so the villagers could bounce around freely while wearing it.
âZheng Daniu, hereâs a set for you! Youâre the main fighter.â
Zheng Daniu grinned widely.
âSave one for Gao Chuwu since heâs also a main fighter. For these others, come forward, a few of the strongest young menâŚâ
A woman dashed over from the side and pushed a thick bundle of cotton cloth on Li Da: âBlacksmith Li, I still have a bundle I hadnât passed on yetâthe bandit army wonât come for a few more hours, so see if thereâs time to hurry and make one more armor set.â
âBlacksmith Gao, I have extra cotton cloth too.â
In less time than half an incense stick burns, the two blacksmiths collected several more bundles of cotton cloth.
The two were about to rush off to expedite armor-making, when suddenly an awkward, melodious female voice spoke: âI⌠here⌠also have cotton cloth.â
On hearing this voice, everyone froze and turned to lookâactually, it was the Saint Lady.
Gao Yiye cradled a big bundle of cotton cloth in her hands and said guiltily: âI⌠wove a bit tooâŚâ
The crowd snorted dismissively!
Thirty-Two had been gone for two days, and the Deity hadnât manifested either, leading to chaos and disorder all over the villageâeven the Saint Lady neglected her proper duties.
Never mind; it wasnât the time to mock the Saint Lady now. The two blacksmiths quickly dashed into the blacksmithâs shop, rounded up the other village blacksmiths, women who could thread needles and sew, and with a whole day still ahead, they might just manage to hastily produce a few makeshift sets in time.
A big crowd rapidly got to work on the cotton armor.
Gao Chuwu left the Gaojia walled house and strode speedily toward the Bai Family Fortress. He only knew the rough direction, not the exact spot, but it was fine as long as he inquired politely.
Along the way, he stopped anyone he met to ask. Once, he even asked a group of bandits. Those villains whipped out their knives in a flash, but before they could swing them, Gao Chuwu sprinted away over ten metersâleaving the bandits utterly confusedâhow could he run that fast in this severe drought with everyone starving?
Where others took two hours, Gao Chuwu needed just an hour and a half.
The Bai Family Fortress came into view.
To their eyes, it looked surprisingly busy, like one big construction site.
Bai Yuan wore a flowing white robe, standing straight with hands clasped behind him, like a refined gentleman, supervising his staff, tenant farmers, and nearby hired villagers as they repaired the fortress wall that the Supreme Bright King had damaged earlier.
On the grounds outside the Bai Family Fortress, a large group of young men clutched long sticks and practiced a thrusting move.
After returning home, Bai Yuan rebuilt the militia. This time, he spent more money and recruited more people, swearing to protect Bai Family Fortress and prevent bandits from breaching its walls again.
Seeing his men train diligently, Bai Yuan felt inspired and shouted, âBring me a bow!â
A servant promptly handed him a light bow.
Bai Yuan drew an arrow and shot it toward a straw dummy nearby, hitting its face dead center.
âHahaha! The âArcheryâ skill from the Six Arts of Gentlemen has returned to meâhahaha! Restored, wonderfully restored!â
Just as he rejoiced, a simple and honest voice yelled from afar, âLord Bai! Lord Bai!â
Turning around, Bai Yuan spotted the caller. âAh, isnât that from Gaojia Village⌠Gao⌠Gao Shiwu? Gao Wuwu? Gao Yi? Gao Er? Gao San? What exactly is your name?â
Gao Chuwu dashed toward him. âGao Chuwu!â
Bai Yuan nodded. âYes, yes. I remember clearly. Youâre Gao Chuwu. Whatâs the matter? You look quite exhausted.â
Gao Chuwu panted quickly, âBandits are planning to raid Gaojia Village tonight. Third Lady is no warrior, so we beg Lord Bai for aid.â
Bai Yuanâs face immediately darkened. âDamned brutes! Gaojia Village once saved me. Their business is mine nowâfailing to repay kindness violates the ritual of gentlemen. This is what we call âreciprocity.â I hold the âRitualâ art from the Six Arts in great esteem.â
âBring two horses!â
Servants arrived promptly, leading two fine horses.
Previously, Bai Yuan had fled with his family in a carriage. But with Bai Family Fortress secure now, he didnât need to bring them along. Traveling by horse was faster and more comfortable. âGao Chuwu, do you ride?â
âNo!â
âThen hug the horseâs neck and hold on tight.â
Gao Chuwu stammered, âHuh? Holdâ?â
Bai Yuan mounted and said to his servants, âGuard Bai Family Fortress as trained. Await my return.â
âAs you command, Lord Bai!â the servants chorused.
Watching Gao Chuwu clumsily climb onto the horse and grip its neck, Bai Yuan chuckled. He held Gao Chuwuâs reins in one hand, his own in the other, and nudged the horse sharply with his heels. âLetâs ride!â
Both horses burst forward together. Once they picked up speed, Bai Yuan tossed Gao Chuwuâs reins to him. From then on, Gao Chuwuâs horse followed Bai Yuanâs steed instinctively. Mounted and racing intensely, two man-horse pairs galloped furiously toward the village.
Horses moved leagues faster than human legs. Gao Chuwu took three hours running to Bai Family Fortress, but they returned to Gaojia Village in just ninety minutes. When the village walls came into view, it wasnât even noon yet.
Meanwhile, Li Daoxuan tinkered with a surveillance camera setup. He had much to handle: the anticipated night battle needed prime viewing. Multiple HD cameras required installation, night surveillance alerts had to be activated, and everything demanded painstaking calibration.
He polished the glass walls meticulously, positioning each camera for wide coverage from diverse angles. This way, he could later edit a high-quality battle documentary. Just as he finished adjusting the camera group, two horse specksâno larger than finger segmentsâappeared near the village. Li Daoxuan murmured in delight, âHow adorably tiny. Ah, so Mr. Six Arts, Bai Yuan himself, has arrived.â