Chapter 343: I Shot Him Dead at the Bow of the Boat

Li Daoxuan’s vision was rapidly expanding.

After causing a rainfall in Heyang County and transporting large quantities of grain there, which made the common folk feel secure, many light dots rose up, and the Rescue Index soared swiftly.

Just as he had discovered before, saving lives gave few rescue points, but improving people’s livelihoods brought in large amounts of rescue points.

The common folk had obtained grain through labor, and after seeing the Four Sea Dragon Kings bring rain, it gave them hope for survival—so of course the Rescue Index had to shoot up.

Soon, Li Daoxuan’s northern vision expanded deeper into Huanglong Mountain, while his western vision had already passed Chengcheng County and could see the “Yaotou Kiln” to the west, soon approaching Bai Shui County.

His eastern vision had already encompassed the entire Heyang County and continued expanding eastward toward the Yellow River.

Li Daoxuan pressed the “north, south, east, and west” button on the box all day long, wanting to see the Yellow River as soon as possible, but impatience was useless—just like math problems you cannot solve, the rescue points did not come.

Finally, in his vision, he found a small river called Xiadang River, which could merge into the Yellow River. However, due to years of severe drought, the Xiadang River was almost dried up, with only a little water left at the very bottom of the riverbed.

Li Daoxuan’s ship model was too large and could not sail in that paltry amount of water.

Well, the idea of using a small river to reach the Yellow River was dashed; he could only obediently wait for his vision to expand more.

…

The sky gradually darkened!

Feng Jun, Bai Yuan, and Zhang Yuanwai stood at Qiachuan Port, watching the turbulent waters of the Yellow River roll past.

Although a great drought plagued the land and smaller rivers had all dried up, the Yellow River remained over two miles wide, with its mighty waters surging eastward in an endless show of power.

Due to the strong current, most upstream sections of the Yellow River were unsuitable for ports, but at Qiachuan Port, there was a small backwater bay resembling a human stomach, where the waters were relatively calm; thus, it had become the famous Qiachuan Port.

In good years, many ships would arrive from downstream, bringing grain and all sorts of luxuries from the prosperous Jiangnan region, benefiting the people of Heyang County.

Feng Jun pointed at the desolate port: “Look, there aren’t even two ships at the port now.”

Bai Yuan nodded; only a few little fishing boats could be seen at the port, with no merchant vessels in sight at all, making it quite a lonely scene.

Feng Jun gestured at the surrounding terrain, then furrowed his eyebrows: “This bay has gentle currents, making it perfect for the bandit navy to land. If Wang Jiayin’s navy arrives, it would be quite troublesome. Instructors, do you have any ingenious plans?”

Zhang Yuanwai shook his head: “This is beyond me, let Brother Bai speak.”

Bai Yuan rushed with pride, as the Deity had already given instructions before he came, so he showed no panic. He pointed to an open area above the port: “We can summon plenty of porters to build a small fortress on this open land. Station a militia in the fort, equipped with cannons, firearms, bows and arrows, rolling logs, and throwing stones… place the entire port within the fortress’s firing range, and the bandit army won’t land so easily.”

“Building a fortress on flat ground is easier said than done?” Feng Jun said. “It requires large amounts of stone, just quarrying rocks will take considerable time, and stacking them is skilled work.”

Bai Yuan smiled: “Lord Feng is overthinking it. Our Gaojia Village possesses a marvel called cement. You saw it when you visited us last time, didn’t you? Cement can be used for road construction or building houses. Our craftsmen in Gaojia Village already have ample experience in cement construction; just transfer a few to guide the porters of Heyang County to start work, and within days we can erect a cement fortress here.”

Feng Jun was delighted, but immediately frowned again: “Even if the fortress issue is solved, cannons, firearms, and such are hard to manage. I’m not the Shanxi commander-in-chief and don’t possess Western cannons.”

Bai Yuan said: “Well… leave that problem for me to find a solution.”

Feng Jun thought to himself: Just who are you? How can you handle this too? Oh, I understand—you must have some connection with the new Provincial Governor of Shaanxi, Liu Guangsheng, and can borrow Western cannons from Xi’an Prefecture.

Thinking this reassured Feng Jun somewhat; if Bai Yuan really could borrow cannons from Xi’an, how powerful must be his official connections? With a man like this helping Heyang County, the county would surely be stable.

Bai Yuan said: “In any case, before the fortress is built and the cannons and firearms arrive, we can only protect this port with manpower. Brother Zhang, since Heyang County is your area, we must temporarily rely on your men guarding this place.”

Zhang Yuanwai clasped his fists: “Rest easy, Brother Bai. I’ll gather my two to four hundred militia to temporarily station here.”

Zhang Yuanwai hurried off.

Feng Jun also said: “I’ll entrust this matter to you both. I must return to the county town to handle other affairs.”

Bai Yuan responded: “Lord Feng, please proceed as you wish.”

Feng Jun then departed.

Only Bai Yuan and a group of his personal attendants were left at Qiachuan Port.

He stood by the Yellow River with his hands behind his back, wearing a mysterious smile.

One attendant whispered: “Master, why are you laughing?”

Bai Yuan chuckled: “I was thinking, the Deity clearly intends to save all under heaven, and the Yellow River can lead to half the realm. In the future, Qiachuan Port is definitely our launching point for saving the world.”

The attendant said: “Uh, master may be thinking a bit too far ahead.”

Just then, an attendant on high lookout urgently shouted: “Master, trouble! A large fleet of ships has appeared on the northern waters!”

This startled Bai Yuan greatly: “Is Wang Jiayin here already? So fast? Damn, we haven’t deployed anything yet.”

He quickly climbed to high ground and scanned the northern river; indeed, a flotilla of little fishing boats interspersed with a few merchant vessels was sailing toward Qiachuan.

The attendant asked: “What to do now?”

“What else can we do?” Bai Yuan said. “With just our few, we can’t stop the bandit landing. Withdraw quickly; go back and fetch our troops.”

He had only thirty attendants with him; no match for the bandit force. He hurried west, putting some distance from the water’s edge, then suddenly thought of something, heh-chuckling to a stop.

The attendant asked: “Master, why aren’t you running?”

Bai Yuan said: “Though we can’t fight head-on from a distance, there’s still a chance to sneak a shot. I’ll aim from the shore at the fleet in the water. Before the bandit chief lands, I’ll shoot him dead at the bow of his boat; perhaps they’ll get scared and not dare come ashore.”