Li Dao Xuan's mind was still filled with tiny people sailing boats, the whole scene playing out in absurd clarity, and he was just about to enjoy it a little longer when Feng Jun suddenly shook his head and let out a long sigh.
"Although we do have Qiachuan Wharf over there," Feng Jun said, "it has basically fallen into ruin over the past year."
Li Dao Xuan frowned in confusion. "Ruined? With a wharf like that, merchants should be rushing in from the wealthy Jiangnan region, shipping grain here and making enormous profits. One boat alone should earn them a fortune. Why would it fall into ruin?"
Gao Yiye found it strange as well and quickly relayed the question.
Feng Jun sighed again, his expression turning bitter. "Madam may not know this, but last year when Hu Tingyan was still the Shaanxi Provincial Governor and Wu Zhiwang was the Yansui Governor, the two of them reported the bandit uprisings to the court. Soon after, Wu Zhiwang died of illness and Hu Tingyan was dismissed. His Majesty then appointed Yang He as the Grand Coordinator of the Three Borders. Around the same time, the court issued an order forbidding grain shipments into Shaanxi."
He paused, then continued with a helpless smile. "Once that order came down, the grain merchants stopped coming. And without grain, no one wants anything else either. Over time, Qiachuan Wharf has not seen a single merchant ship."
Li Dao Xuan blurted out, "What the hell?"
Gao Yiye was just as shocked, and before Li Dao Xuan could say anything, she hurriedly asked, "Why? There is a drought, so why would the court forbid grain from entering Shaanxi?"
Feng Jun replied, "To prevent bandits."
Gao Yiye frowned. "What does preventing bandits have to do with blocking grain shipments?"
Feng Jun spread his hands. "Grain enters Shaanxi, gets sold to the common people, and then the bandits rob those people. In the end, the grain falls into the hands of the bandits, feeding them and giving them the strength to rebel."
He quickly added, seeing their expressions darken, "This is what the higher-ups say, not my own opinion. Officials like me who are actually stationed in Shaanxi know very well that this kind of thinking can only come from someone whose head has been slammed in a palace gate."
Li Dao Xuan fell silent.
Gao Yiye also said nothing.
Bai Yuan, however, had clearly seen enough of the court's nonsense over the years and reacted far more calmly. He shrugged lightly and said, "If the bandits cannot get grain, they will all starve to death and stop rebelling. The logic is flawless. Truly admirable."
Feng Jun forced a bitter smile. "This is not something a mere seventh-rank county magistrate like me can resolve. Please forgive the embarrassment."
Li Dao Xuan spoke again, his tone decisive. "Heyang County needs help."
The moment he spoke, Gao Yiye understood immediately. She turned to Feng Jun and said, "Magistrate Feng, Gao Village Family happens to have a considerable amount of grain on hand. We are willing to provide some of it to relieve the suffering of the people in Heyang County."
Feng Jun's eyes lit up instantly. "Truly?"
Gao Yiye blinked. "Magistrate Feng, your nose is bleeding again."
Feng Jun casually wiped his nose, smearing blood across his face as if it were nothing, yet his expression quickly regained clarity. Instead of celebrating, he immediately asked, "If you give me grain, what do I offer in return?"
After the initial surge of joy, he had snapped back to reason with impressive speed. Even with blood running down his face, his mind remained sharp.
Gao Yiye smiled. "We do not need material goods. We only ask that you issue an administrative order to construct several roads, following the same approach used in Cheng County."
Feng Jun let out a soft sound of realization. He had long heard rumors that Cheng County was carrying out large-scale road construction, though he had never known the details. Now it all made sense.
He thought to himself that Liang Shixian dared to do it because he had support from Gao Village Family supplying grain, and if Liang Shixian dared, then why should he not dare as well.
Building roads and bridges was, after all, a great act of governance. If even this required hesitation, then what was the point of being a magistrate?
"I have no objections," Feng Jun said firmly.
Gao Yiye nodded. "Then it is settled. Magistrate Feng, you may proceed to Xi'an to report your duties. When you return to Heyang County, please visit Gao Village Family again so we can discuss the details."
"Agreed," Feng Jun replied.
His mood improved instantly. For over a year, he had been harassed by Fan Shanyue's bandits while receiving no real support from the court, and the trade routes had even been cut off, leaving him with no hope for Heyang County. Now, someone had suddenly stepped forward to help him, and the relief was almost overwhelming.
"By the way," Bai Yuan added with a smile, "since Magistrate Feng is heading to Xi'an, you might as well take our train for part of the journey. It will save you quite a bit of time."
Feng Jun blinked. "Train? A cart that runs on fire?"
Bai Yuan chuckled. "You will understand once you try it."
A few minutes later, Feng Jun boarded the small train running from Gao Village Family to Cheng County.
With a loud whistle, the train surged forward, racing toward the county seat at sixty kilometers per hour.
It was Feng Jun's first time riding such a bizarre machine, and he went from excitement to shouting, then to uncontrollable nosebleeding, and finally collapsed from blood loss.
By the time they reached the county seat, his attendants had to spend quite some effort reviving him.
Meanwhile, Li Dao Xuan had already shifted his focus to a new project.
Ships.
Even though the Yellow River had not yet entered his field of vision, it was only a matter of time. If he wanted to make use of it, then ships had to be prepared in advance.
He picked up his phone and called an old friend, Cai Xin Zi.
"Hey, Old Cai, it has been a while since I asked you to custom-make something. This time I want a few cute, compact riverboats. Make sure they are for inland use, not ocean ships."
Cai Xin Zi laughed. "Boat models? I have plenty of those here already. Why bother making new ones? Just come and grab a couple."
"I do not want ordinary remote-controlled models," Li Dao Xuan replied. "I want the kind that can be operated from inside the boat. Inland boats, inland boats, inland boats. I am saying it three times for a reason."
Cai Xin Zi went silent for a moment, then sighed. "You have been eating those mushrooms again, have you not? I still remember that ridiculous solar cart you made. It was barely the size of a finger joint, and you were already trying to install a braking system and steering controls. I have to admit, that was impressive in a very disturbing way. And now you want to build boats?"
He paused briefly before continuing, "Fine, what systems do you want this time?"
"Steering is a must. Power system too. And maybe transformation..."
Before Li Dao Xuan could finish, Cai Xin Zi exploded.
"The first two are fine, but do not even mention transformation. Absolutely not. Throw those mushrooms away before they kill you."
Li Dao Xuan laughed. "Do not reject it so quickly. Boats are large enough that turning them into transforming machines should be easy. Toy stores are full of transforming robots."
"Transforming is easy," Cai Xin Zi shot back, "but controlling it afterward is the problem. Let me make this clear. Those settings you see in Gundam where people control giant machines with mental power and a couple of sticks are completely impossible. Completely impossible. Unless Musk successfully develops brain-computer interfaces, there is no way to achieve that. And if it cannot be controlled, then transforming alone is completely useless."
Chapter Trivia :
Grain Bans: Historical bans on food transport often worsened rebellions by starving civilians first.
Roads as Power: Roads aren't infrastructure—they're control, speed, and taxation disguised as charity.
Early Trains: Even primitive rail shocked first-time riders, with records of fainting and illness.
Engineering Reality: Transformation is cheap. Control is expensive. Civilization advances only when control catches up.