Zhu Cunji rolled his eyes.
"What does your failure to recruit local militia have to do with me, this heir-apparent?"
Lian Guoshi could only give a wry smile.
"Without local militia, this humble official's troops are insufficient."
Zhu Cunji continued rolling his eyes.
"Where's He Renlong? Isn't he the Commander-in-Chief of Shaanxi?"
Lian Guoshi replied,
"He is currently in Henan."
Zhu Cunji snorted.
"Oh, so He Renlong runs around everywhere, leaves you without troops, and now you come to seize my road-building workforce? Absolutely not! No, no—this heir-apparent will never agree to that."
Lian Guoshi was left speechless.
Zhu Cunji suddenly remembered something.
"Isn't there a Major Luo Xi who's quite reliable? He should be in Shangnan County, right? Why don't you just go rely on Luo Xi and be done with it?"
Lian Guoshi forced another bitter smile.
"Major Luo Xi has already been promoted by His Majesty to Garrison Commander of Shangnan County. Shangnan County is now under Lu Xiangheng's jurisdiction. This humble official can no longer command him."
Zhu Cunji shook his head like a rattle drum.
"I don't care. No matter what you say, I, this heir-apparent, will not give up these local militia. They're workers hired with my own hard-earned silver. Losing even one would affect my road-building project."
Lian Guoshi felt a wave of helplessness wash over him…
What was he supposed to do?
Just then, his trusted subordinate suddenly rushed over and shouted excitedly,
"Governor! Good news—excellent news!"
Lian Guoshi said,
"Speak."
The subordinate replied,
"Wu Shen and Shi Kefa have somehow gathered a large group of trained recruits. They're waiting outside Xi'an's city gates for you to inspect them."
Lian Guoshi exclaimed,
"Oh? Trained recruits found by Wu Shen and Shi Kefa? Where did they find them?"
The subordinate smiled mysteriously.
"You'll know once you see them."
Left with no choice, Lian Guoshi mounted his horse again and rode back along the railway track toward Xi'an.
Outside the city, he saw two thousand trained recruits already lined up in neat formations, standing in disciplined silence, waiting for his inspection.
The man leading them was sturdy and sharp-eyed, clearly not someone to trifle with.
Seeing Wu Shen and Shi Kefa present as well, Lian Guoshi hurriedly asked,
"Gentlemen, these trained recruits… where did they come from?"
Wu Shen laughed.
"Ha! These men were once rebels. They followed Wang Jiayin. During the battle at Hequ County, they were captured by us and later escorted back to Shaanxi by Sir Shi."
Shi Kefa continued,
"This humble official sent them to Huanglong Mountain and settled them in the valley. They farmed and labored there for several years. Now, every one of them is a law-abiding, upright citizen."
As they spoke, both men wore faintly proud expressions.
Back then, Wu Shen had provided the funds, and Shi Kefa personally escorted thirty thousand people on a grueling journey spanning thousands of li, traversing countless dangerous paths.
In the end, those tens of thousands of former rebels settled down peacefully and never rebelled again.
Although much of it was thanks to Gao Family Village's support, Wu Shen and Shi Kefa's contributions were undeniable.
Looking at these "successfully reformed" men now, both naturally felt pride welling in their hearts.
Wu Shen sighed deeply.
"Back then, people called me Wu Ten-Thousand, and even now they still remember those hundred thousand taels of silver. Today, those silver coins have finally borne fruit. I, Wu Shen, have not failed the empire."
Lian Guoshi asked cautiously,
"So… these trained recruits… are willing to come out and help?"
At that moment, the leader of the two thousand men stepped forward and spoke loudly,
"My name is Flying Rat of Hengshan. I was once a major general under Wang Jiayin. Today, having turned over a new leaf, I lead two thousand local militia to reinforce the Governor. We swear to block the rebels from entering Shaanxi and protect our hard-won happy lives!"
Lian Guoshi was stunned.
Why does this man speak so fluently? And so… formally?
'Hard-won happy lives'—this phrasing sounds strangely familiar…
Suddenly, realization struck him.
He had heard it on Gaojia News.
Every evening after dinner, the Divine Mirror in Xi'an's central market square broadcast Gaojia News on schedule, and the anchors often used phrases like:
"Our hard-won happy lives,"
"Fields of hope heavy with golden grain,"
"A beautiful future lies ahead."
Lian Guoshi could practically recite a few lines himself.
Unable to resist, he asked,
"Do you often watch Gaojia News?"
Flying Rat answered without hesitation,
"Every single day."
Lian Guoshi nearly reached out to shake his hand, delighted to find a kindred spirit.
"Ah—no, no, I almost got sidetracked," he quickly refocused.
"It is excellent that you are willing to join the local militia and serve the imperial court. I will immediately arrange for weapons to be distributed."
"No need," Flying Rat replied calmly.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun has already arranged weapons for us."
Lian Guoshi blinked.
"Huh?"
Following Flying Rat's gesture, he looked toward the nearby train station.
A massive train was unloading cargo. Crate after crate of firearms and basket after basket of military rations were being carried down and stacked neatly along the platform.
A logistics captain from Gao Family Village, holding a manifest, hurried over and thrust it into Flying Rat's hands.
"Flying Rat! Weapons and supplies for two thousand men. Please sign here."
Flying Rat took the pen, scribbled a crooked "ya," pressed his fingerprint, and handed it back. The logistics captain immediately vanished.
Lian Guoshi sucked in a sharp breath.
Something about this felt deeply strange… but he couldn't pinpoint what.
Still—troops were troops. Better than none.
Thus, Lian Guoshi set out for Shangnan County with 1,500 imperial soldiers and 2,000 local militia.
Once on the road, the difference became painfully obvious.
His own 1,500 imperial soldiers wore tattered uniforms, carried battered weapons, ate sparse rations, and trudged along with shattered morale.
Behind them, the 2,000 local militia marched in clean uniforms, their weapons pristine, rations plentiful, spirits soaring.
It was absurd.
Who were the real regular troops here?
Lian Guoshi almost wanted to draft a memorial, compiling all the strange sights he'd witnessed in Xi'an and submit it to the Emperor.
But recalling the Emperor's temperament, he sighed again.
"Forget it… better not invite trouble upon myself."
The journey from Xi'an to Shangnan County spanned roughly four hundred li.
Lian Guoshi drove his troops relentlessly, pushing them day and night.
The first half went smoothly enough, but as they neared Wuguan Pass, something began to feel off.
The roads around Wuguan Pass had become inexplicably smooth and wide.
Perfectly paved cement roads—who could have built such things?
Astonished, he followed the road all the way to the foot of Wuguan Pass.
There, he discovered a massive complex labeled:
"Wuguan Cement Factory No. 1."
Countless laborers were carrying sacks of cement out of the factory, transporting them southeast.
Completely bewildered, Lian Guoshi followed the flow of people—and soon saw a massive construction site ahead, where endless streams of laborers were frantically building roads…