Li Dao Xuan's vision followed Gao Yiye, San Shier, and Feng Jun as they stepped into Heyang County. Feng Jun had just set up a banquet in the county yamen to receive them, and the three were eating with decent mood and decent appetite, the kind of rare calm that felt suspiciously like it was about to get ruined.
Then it did.
A fast horse burst straight into the county office like it had a personal grudge against architecture.
The rider in white robes jumped down before the horse even fully stopped. Bai Yuan.
He did not even bother with formal greetings. His urgency was so sharp it practically had its own sound effect.
He rushed past the front hall, failed to find Feng Jun, and went straight into the backyard like he owned the place. He arrived at the banquet table and blurted out,
"Lord Feng, we are in trouble. Confirmed report. Wang Jiayin's fleet is moving. They are about to attack Qiachuan Dock."
The chopsticks in Feng Jun's hand did a full betrayal. They dropped.
His face froze for half a second, then his nose immediately started bleeding as if his body had decided it was the appropriate emotional response.
Bai Yuan did not even pause.
"In short, please gather all village and town militias immediately and head to Qiachuan Dock. I will go notify Cheng County militia to reinforce as well."
Feng Jun stood up so fast his official robe almost filed for retirement. He sprinted out while shouting over his shoulder,
"Understood. I will mobilize everyone right now. Sir Bai, Cheng County is yours."
Bai Yuan finally noticed Gao Yiye and San Shier sitting there. He blinked, slightly surprised.
"Oh? You two are also here in Heyang County?"
Gao Yiye smiled calmly.
"Yes. Dao Xuan Tianzun is here too."
That one sentence flipped Bai Yuan's entire emotional system into "upgraded mode."
He immediately looked up at the sky like he was reporting to customer service.
"Reporting to Dao Xuan Tianzun, Bai Shui Wang Er has returned safely. He is currently at Qiachuan Dock."
Li Dao Xuan, somewhere above the world, felt a small spark of relief. Good. Wang Er was one of his "internal units," the kind you did not want to see get deleted mid-battle.
Bai Yuan continued rapidly, like someone speed-running a disaster report.
"But it was not an easy return. He went to persuade Wang Jiayin to join Gao Village Family, but failed completely. Wang Jiayin refused. Then Zhang Liwei and Wang Guozhong even tried to kill him. Fortunately, Wang Er had already prepared a backup plan and executed a golden cicada shelling maneuver. He stole a small boat and escaped at maximum speed, arriving at Qiachuan Dock about an hour ago."
Li Dao Xuan narrowed his thoughts slightly.
"So persuasion failed, meaning Wang Jiayin will proceed with the original plan. He will attack Qiachuan Dock. That fleet will arrive soon."
Bai Yuan nodded hard.
"Yes. That is exactly why I was about to return to Gao Village Family to ask Instructor He to reinforce."
Li Dao Xuan cut him off immediately.
"No need. That round trip is just burning time for fun. I will bring He over directly."
Bai Yuan cupped his hands.
"Thank you, Dao Xuan Tianzun."
Li Dao Xuan looked at the situation in his mind and felt something slightly annoying.
Qiachuan Dock was still not fully inside his "map view range." Meaning, this battle was going to be one of those annoying "fog of war" fights where your troops are out there but your screen is black. Very bad feeling. Like watching your own units go into a dungeon without mini-map.
And the worst part was simple. If something went wrong, he could not even jump in and fix it instantly.
That was unacceptable.
He needed insurance. Real insurance. Not "hope-based defense."
Then his mind flashed back.
Wang Jiayin's fleet had once been blasted back at Hequ County by Western cannons used by the Shanxi general. That thing was basically a ship deleting machine when placed correctly. Coastal artillery. Anti-ship battery. Pure violence in stationary form.
And Gao Village Family had already received steel tubes a few days ago.
So… question was simple.
Did they already build the cannon or were they still emotionally discussing it?
Li Dao Xuan tapped "Gao Village Family" in his mind.
The world flipped.
His vision snapped back to the base area, expanding to his full operational range of 1000 meters by 600 meters. Barracks, Firearms Bureau, cavalry camp, all visible at once like a real-time strategy map.
Then he did not waste a single second.
A paper appeared in the sky.
Clear command.
"Full army deployment. Reinforce Qiachuan Dock."
Instant reaction.
Cavalry first.
Zao Ying's cavalry unit moved like someone pressed turbo. Over a hundred riders exploded out of formation immediately, led by her core one hundred and twenty former bandits who had fully upgraded into elite cavalry. The new recruits scrambled onto horses behind them, desperately trying to pretend they were also born for speed.
Spoiler: they were not.
Infantry next.
Cheng Xu's troops moved with disciplined panic. They grabbed supplies, picked up ammunition from the Firearms Bureau, and ran. Fast. But still infantry speed. Meaning they were basically participating in a long-distance moral exercise rather than a race. It would take them at least a full day to reach Qiachuan Dock.
Li Dao Xuan thought silently.
Roads. We really need roads. Preferably roads that can carry something that is not "human suffering on foot."
Then he shifted his attention to the Artisan Well.
And paused.
Two cannons.
Already built.
Standing there like they had been waiting for a dramatic introduction.
Stainless steel finish. Heavy presence. Silent confidence.
For a moment, Li Dao Xuan actually had to respect Gao Village Family's production speed.
Then he understood immediately.
Right. He had basically outsourced the hardest part, the barrel. The craftsmen only needed to assemble accessories like wheels, ignition covers, handles, and then match it with cannonballs and powder packs.
So from their perspective, it was not "building a cannon."
It was more like "assembling a very aggressive metal question mark."
Still.
There was a problem.
No trained artillery crew.
Meaning these things were currently in the category of "very expensive confusion objects."
Li Dao Xuan decided.
No time for training arc.
We take.
He raised his hand. Infinity Gauntlet activated.
A golden giant hand appeared inside the Artisan Well.
The craftsmen immediately reacted like they had seen a miracle update patch.
"The Tianzun has descended! What is he taking this time?"
With his other hand, Li Dao Xuan carefully lifted the cannons and placed them into the divine palm, like moving models on a game board. From below, it looked like the cannons simply decided to obey gravity in reverse and ascend into godhood.
He then lifted the crate of cannonballs.
Placed it neatly.
Firearms Bureau Chief Xu Dafu quickly ran out with a group of workers and placed the pre-packed gunpowder charges into the hand as well, like very serious people feeding a giant invisible machine.
No one asked questions.
Everyone just optimized logistics in silence.
The giant golden hand rose into the clouds.
And disappeared.
Then Li Dao Xuan shifted vision again.
Back to Heyang County.
Bai Yuan was preparing to leave. Gao Yiye looked at him and casually added,
"The militia assigned to protect me, one hundred men. Since the situation is urgent, take them too. They are Gao Village Family regular militia. Combat strength is higher than Heyang County militia. Among them are Flat Rabbit and Zheng Gouzi… well, those two are there too."
She paused slightly.
"If we exclude those two, overall combat strength is still quite reliable."
Bai Yuan immediately shook his head like a man refusing a suspicious software update.
"No. Absolutely not. If Qiachuan Dock cannot hold, we can retreat to the county. That is acceptable. But your safety is top priority. I cannot take those troops."
In short: he trusted the battlefield more than the idea of losing Gao Yiye for even one second.