Chapter 358: A Cannon Is Just a Large-Sized Firearm

Gao Yiye: “I had the Deity watching over me, so how could it not be safe?”

Bai Yuan: “The Deity himself was very busy.”

Just as the two were talking, Li Daoxuan spoke: “Yiye, tell Bai Yuan that the reinforcements from Gaojia Village were already on their way. Also, the artisans’ well had produced two cannons, and I brought them over to hand over to him.”

Gao Yiye was overjoyed: “Mr. Bai, the Deity has come…”

After hearing this, Bai Yuan was delighted: “It was good that the reinforcements were coming. As for the cannons, they could not be given to me directly here. The people of Heyang County did not yet know the detailed deeds of the Deity. If a giant hand descended directly from the sky, it would scare all the people in the county town senseless.”

Li Daoxuan: “Yes, we should not frighten them. So, you needed to go out of the city, to an uninhabited place outside, and then I would put the cannons down.”

Bai Yuan: “Okay!”

He and Gao Yiye quickly ran out of the city with a militia of over a hundred people. Thirty-Two, who had no combat ability, also came along to spectate. The group arrived at a faraway place outside the city. They looked left and right: no one was there. Here, they should not frighten the civilians.

Only then did Li Daoxuan put down the two stainless steel cannons.

The two cannons were very heavy. Moreover, a large basket of cannonballs was also extremely heavy, along with several packs of bombs. Handing this over to the militia was indeed a troublesome matter.

All over a hundred members of the militia sprang into action. Dozens of them pushed and pulled the cannons. Several held the cannonballs. Several cautiously carried the bomb packs. They returned to the county town.

Just as everyone reached the city gates, they saw County Magistrate Feng Jun also running back. He was followed by family servants, government runners, and a large militia force. He had organized the militias from all the villages and towns of Heyang County at the fastest speed.

The two sides met at the city gates. From afar, Feng Jun saw the two cannons being pushed and pulled by the militia in one glance, and he could not help but be startled: “Oh my, Mr. Bai, where did you get these cannons?”

Bai Yuan chuckled: “Didn’t I say last time? The matter of the cannons could be left to me to find a way.”

Feng Jun thought carefully: indeed, there seemed to be such a thing. At that time, he was surprised to hear Bai Yuan say he could get cannons. He did not expect this guy to actually be able to get these things. Very impressive! He did not know how strong his backing was; perhaps even the Provincial Governor gave him face.

But… the color of these cannons was a bit odd.

The Western cannons Feng Jun had seen before were all pitch black, or that green-black mixed color of copper and iron. How come the cannons before him were shining silver? What strange material were they made of?

Bai Yuan: “Lord Feng, now was not the time to circle around the cannons. We needed to quickly take the cannons and the militia and head to Qiachuan Port. That was the important matter.”

Feng Jun was rushing with pride: “That’s right! Let us hurry up and depart.”

His militia force here was numerous. Moreover, they had oxen, horses, mules, and such. With a few oxen, they could pull the two cannons forward. The cannonballs and bomb packs could all be placed on carts pulled by horses or oxen. It saved quite a bit of manpower.

A large crowd prepared to head southeast.

Bai Yuan turned around and said to Gao Yiye and Thirty-Two: “The two of you should stay here in Heyang County. There was no need to personally run to the battlefield and face danger.”

The two also knew they were useless in the fighting and did not argue about it. Gao Yiye said: “Please bring along the hundred-member militia guarding me. This was also the Deity’s meaning.”

Hearing it was the Deity’s meaning, Bai Yuan could not oppose it any longer: “Then, Saint Lady, be very careful.”

Bai Yuan and a hundred Gaojia Village Militia members, plus the 1,500 member Heyang Militia brought by Feng Jun, marched grandly toward Qiachuan Port.

The straight-line distance from the county town to Qiachuan Port was over thirty li. It still took half a day to get there.

Feng Jun felt a bit uneasy in his heart. He was not very confident in the militia under his command. Wang Jiayin had fifty thousand subordinates. How could they fight this battle? He had no idea at all.

Bai Yuan said with a laugh: “Lord Feng, there was no need for nervousness. Look, we had two cannons. Following the example of the Shanxi Provincial Governor, they could set up the cannons at the port and fire randomly at Wang Jiayin’s fleet. They could sink a few of his ships, and those villains would retreat by themselves.”

Hearing this, Feng Jun relaxed slightly: “What Mr. Bai said was right; we had two cannons.”

Then he suddenly felt something was not right.

“Mr. Bai, it seemed to me that these people around you were the guards from the Saint Lady’s side. Among these people, was there anyone who knew how to operate cannons?”

Bai Yuan: “Um!”

Feng Jun: “You got the cannons, but didn’t borrow any artillerymen?”

Bai Yuan: “Well…”

Seeing his expression, Feng Jun knew it was bad: “Mr. Bai, with only the cannons and no artillerymen, what use were they? Finished, finished! Now it was all over.”

Bai Yuan waved his hand: “Do not panic! A cannon was merely a large-sized firearm. Its usage method could not differ much from a firearm’s. I am proficient with firearms; at a distance of a hundred paces, I could shoot Fan Shanyue with a firearm. How could I not know how to handle a cannon?”

Feng Jun said nothing, only silently shedding two streams of nosebleed.

Bai Yuan: “Lord Feng, why were you suddenly having a nosebleed? Didn’t you only get one when your emotions fluctuated?”

Feng Jun: “My emotions now were fluctuating greatly! Who could hear what you just said and not have their emotions fluctuate? Was there anyone? Was there? Was there?”

Bai Yuan: “…”

The two marched while awkwardly chatting. Half a day flashed by, and Qiachuan Port arrived.

At that time, at the port side, the cement fortress had just started being built. It was still far from completion.

But a long wooden wall had already been constructed. It was made of whole tree trunks, deeply inserted side by side into the ground. There was no time to build space atop the wall for the defending soldiers to walk on; it was just a single-layer wall. It was formed into a semicircle to enclose the waterside area of the port.

It resembled the modern Huanghe Hukou Falls, where a long wall surrounds the entire water outlet part to prevent visitors from seeing it.

Zhang Yuanwai from Xia Zhuang was stationed behind the wall with four hundred militia members.

Additionally, Bai Shui Wang Er, White Cat, and one hundred Wangjia Villagers were stationed nearby.

Moreover, there was a large group of laborers, numbering in the thousands. Some were responsible for road construction; others were responsible for building the cement fortress. The whole area near the port presented a noisy and bustling scene.

When Feng Jun and Bai Yuan’s people arrived, nearly four thousand people jostled at the port side. The scale was quite large; at the small port shore, heads were densely packed like ants.