Chapter 541 - 543: Sailing Ship
Chapter 541: Chapter 543: Sailing Ship
"Master Tu Zhong, didn’t that man just now resemble one of the hermits who serve our King?" Just as the doubt took root in Tu Zhong’s mind, someone beside him voiced it aloud.
Tu Zhong replied, "I don’t know. I’ve never seen them, only heard of them.
I’ve never heard anyone who returned talk about such a formidable master being here. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have dared come on this trip, even if it was just to earn a living."
"Quiet! Keep moving!" Following the harsh shout, no matter how many more questions they had, they had to swallow them and endure.
When they finally arrived, all they saw was a wide, empty field overgrown with weeds.
And when their escort announced, "We’re here," their hearts filled with a mixture of confusion and fear.
It was a natural execution ground, a place where you could simply dump the bodies.
"Don’t just stand there! Get to work clearing the weeds from this ground."
Tu Zhong served as the translator for the group. Bearing the hopes of all the men, he approached apprehensively and asked, "Sir, may we ask why you’ve brought us here...?"
The man in charge, Households Commander Xiao, pointed to the vast, open space. "Our Great General is merciful and does not wish for more bloodshed. He has spared your worthless lives so that you may atone for your past mistakes.
See this wasteland? If you want to eat, you will complete your daily tasks.
In a moment, someone will announce the rules. Your accent is a little strange, but you’ll do as a mouthpiece. From now on, you will be responsible for explaining everything to them.
Now, stop standing around. Get moving, or you won’t even have a place to rest tonight."
Tu Zhong’s face turned ashen. "But our Prince Zuo is being allowed to return. If you detain us here, how will you explain this to our Prince?"
Households Commander Xiao laughed. "You mean that life-clinging, death-fearing Prince Dongyi? I’d advise you not to get your hopes up.
Tomorrow at dawn, he’ll be returning to the Eastern Yi under the escort of our Great General. And you? You’re nothing but the slaves he abandoned here to pay for his crimes.
Your Prince Zuo himself said that since you’re so loyal to him, you should think of his needs. And once he’s back to living in splendor, he’ll surely never forget your sacrifice."
"Impossible..." Tu Zhong breathed.
Households Commander Xiao savored the look on his face. "If you were in his shoes, you might have run even faster. Now, stop wasting time. Go explain it to them and get moving. Immediately."
Households Commander Xiao went over to direct his soldiers, positioning them at key sentry posts.
’This group of men needed to get to work, and quickly. All the roots and rubble here had to be cleared out within two months.’
Tu Zhong was instantly swarmed by the other prisoners, all of them clamoring to know what he had learned.
When Tu Zhong relayed what Households Commander Xiao had said, a cacophony of angry curses erupted from the crowd.
"No wonder. That animal Teng Shang only took the officers from the main family lines. He really did treat us like disposable pawns."
"We’ve been utterly loyal, fighting to the death for him all these years. To think this is how it ends..."
"Now that we’re trapped here, what’s going to happen to our families? Do you think he’ll treat them well when he returns?"
"What are you dreaming about? The moment he’s back on his throne as the high and mighty Prince Zuo, a new batch of loyalists will flock to his side.
He’ll have long forgotten us, the men he sold out. You’re hoping he’ll be good to our families? We’ll be lucky if he doesn’t have them all killed to tie up loose ends."
"He wouldn’t do that, would he?"
"Hah. I don’t know about your families, but if my wolf cubs ever find out that Teng Shang sacrificed me, they’ll do whatever it takes to get revenge."
"Santian, you’d better pray your sons remain ignorant of our fate here. Otherwise, they’ll just end up as a few more ghosts."
"You son of a bitch, are you cursing me...?"
"You’ve got such a short fuse. I’m just speaking the truth.
Did you really think that when the time came, he would show you any mercy for old times’ sake...?"
...
As Households Commander Xiao gave out orders, he kept an eye on the arguing prisoners. Seeing how flushed and furious their debate was, he knew his words had hit their mark.
’These men had always been confident they would return to their homeland. Now that he was shattering that belief, piece by piece, he wondered if they would remain as loyal as the previous batches of prisoners.’
＆
Watching the ship they had personally supervised launch into the water, Jin Qianqian and Ancient Wen Heng clenched their fists in excitement.
It was the first ship they had ever helped build, and now it was about to hoist its sails for a long voyage.
"I’ll have our experienced sailors take her out to open sea for a trial run right away," Zhou Shixiong said, his own eyes gleaming with excitement as he gazed at the vessel. It was twice the size of the bandits’ ships.
’If this merchant ship is a success, then with a few modifications, it could be converted into a warship. This is how progress is made, one step at a time.’
This represented a huge leap forward for the Rong Dynasty’s shipbuilding technology.
’Thinking of how foreign powers blockaded their shipbuilding technology, Zhou Shixiong wanted nothing more than to put his hands on his hips and laugh in their faces. They could do it, even without any help from them.’
As hundreds of people worked together to push the ship into the water, easing it slowly into the deeper section, everyone on the shore leaped and cheered in excitement.
The behemoth before them dwarfed the nearby bandit ships, making them look completely unremarkable.
"Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful!" The onlookers on the shore were at a loss for words, able to do nothing but repeat their praise.
The more sentimental among them even began to wipe away tears. They had suffered so much over the years. If not for their deep attachment to their homeland, the constant harassment from the bandits would have driven them away long ago.
Ancient Wen Heng turned to look at the broadly smiling Jin Qianqian. "So? Feeling a sense of accomplishment?"
Jin Qianqian watched a man on deck waving a flag in triumph. "This is what it feels like to love your country. Next time, we have to build an even better and sturdier ship."
Ancient Wen Heng replied, "No need to rush. But this ship will have to be requisitioned first. Can you bear to let her go?"
Jin Qianqian said, "Of course I can’t. After all, it was built with real silver, and it represents all of our hard work.
You have to talk to Brother Zhou. Tell his men to be careful with her."
Ancient Wen Heng replied, "You don’t need to say a thing. Brother Zhou and his men will take good care of this treasure."
’Jin Qianqian believed him. The ship was certain to attract a lot of attention now, and everyone would be even more dedicated and meticulous in its upkeep.’
"So, are the men taking her out all experienced sailors? Do we have enough people?"
Ancient Wen Heng replied, "That’s all been taken care of. You could say that right now, as long as they’re not on special duty, every man in the barracks can swim a full lap.
It might not look like many men right now, but by tonight, everyone will be in position."
’Jin Qianqian laughed at herself for worrying over nothing. It seemed that no matter what she thought of, they had already prepared for it far more thoroughly.’