"Didn't they say Shanxi was crawling with bandits?"
Bin Sheng frowned as he looked around. "Then why are they building roads on this scale?"
They kept moving west. Mile after mile, the same sight greeted them. Freshly leveled ground, stacked stone, timber laid out in neat rows. Everywhere they passed, roads were under construction.
This did not look like a province ravaged by rebellion. It looked like a place where people had rolled up their sleeves and decided to get to work.
"It seems our intelligence is badly outdated," someone muttered. "Still, this trip into the Great Ming is already worth it. Even if we fail to steal the heavy armored car, updating our information alone will be a major gain."
The group quietly observed and memorized everything they saw, committing the scale of construction in Shanxi to memory.
After days on the road, they finally reached Taiyuan.
Just outside the city, a strange vehicle caught their attention. A sign on its side read "Route 101." The vehicle itself was broad and boxy, clearly different from carts or wagons. It moved without horses, gliding forward in near silence under the sun.
"A heavy armored car," someone whispered excitedly. "This must be the one General Dorogon mentioned."
Bin Sheng shook his head after a closer look. "No. It doesn't match. It's larger than described, and there are no mounted weapons. It isn't armored either. Those windows alone would make it easy to attack."
He paused, watching it roll past.
"This is just a passenger vehicle. Like a carriage, only bigger. It's not meant for war. We need to find the real thing."
Dressed in rags and deliberately looking miserable, they lingered by the roadside, openly discussing the strange vehicle. Their appearance drew attention at once. The driver slowed, then stopped beside them.
"You people," he asked, "are you refugees?"
"Yes," Bin Sheng replied without hesitation. "The Manchu invaders took our homes. We had no choice but to wander."
The driver had once read A Soldier from the Dalinghe Border Garrison. Hearing the word "Manchu," his expression darkened instantly.
"Damn those Manchu invaders," he cursed. "May eighteen generations of their ancestors rot. And the Han traitors who side with them, may their mothers be defiled."
Bin Sheng and his men exchanged glances, completely silent.
Being cursed straight to their faces, and having to swallow it, was humiliating. Bin Sheng's fists tightened, anger burning in his chest. But discipline won out. A spy could not afford to lose control.
The driver calmed down slightly and waved a hand. "You lot look pitiful. Go find some work. Shanxi has no shortage of jobs now. As long as you're willing to put in effort, you won't starve. If you have skills, getting rich isn't hard."
"Thank you, brother," Bin Sheng said respectfully. "By the way, that vehicle of yours looks impressive."
The driver grinned. "Of course it is. This was bestowed by the immortals. It's the Rooster Star Deity's solar chariot. Every morning, he uses it to wake the sun and get it moving. Dao Xuan Tianzun borrowed it so we mortals could enjoy it too."
Bin Sheng felt a dull ache bloom in his temples. He had no idea what nonsense this man was spouting.
He forced a calm expression. "So this vehicle isn't man-made?"
"Man-made ones exist too," the driver replied casually. "Go wait at Taiyuan South Gate Railway Station. The man-made version will arrive in half an hour."
Bin Sheng's heart leapt. What he had expected to be a difficult search had yielded clues almost effortlessly. Their Jiang Gan Steals the Letter operation was already halfway there.
The group entered Taiyuan city, asking for directions until they found the Taiyuan South Gate Railway Station.
Just as they arrived, a train was pulling in.
A long whistle echoed through the station as the massive iron beast rolled to a stop. For those used to such sights, it was nothing special. For Bin Sheng and his team, newly arrived from beyond the passes, it was overwhelming.
He and his ten support members stood frozen on the platform, staring at the train in stunned silence for a long time.
"What are you staring at?" a platform attendant laughed as he walked over. "First time seeing a train? You must be from out of town. Don't worry, I looked just as stupid the first time I saw one."
Bin Sheng snapped back to himself. "This… this was made by human hands?"
"Of course," the attendant said proudly. "Built at the forging factory in Gao Family Village."
A deep sense of awe filled Bin Sheng. He had never seen such a colossal machine beyond the passes. Its transport capacity alone was terrifying.
Still, he did not forget his mission. He put on a curious, harmless expression.
"A forging factory in Gao Family Village," he said. "Amazing. Can that factory also build smaller iron vehicles?"
The attendant chuckled. "You mean automobiles? Those are made at the Chang'an Automobile Factory in Xi'an."
Bin Sheng nearly laughed out loud. Everything was falling into place.
"If a vagrant like me wanted to work there," he asked, "would they take me?"
"As long as you're willing to work hard, they'll hire you," the attendant replied.
"How would I get there?"
"Take the train from here to Puzhou. From Puzhou, transfer to the train bound for Xi'an. Get off at the Chang'an Automobile Factory station. The factory gates are right there."
"Thank you, brother."
Under various pretexts, Bin Sheng and his ten-man support team purchased tickets to Puzhou, boarding the train one by one.
The journey left them stunned.
From Taiyuan to Puzhou, the iron beast carried them effortlessly. What would once have taken days of hardship passed in comfort.
The experience cracked open their understanding of the world.
"Has the Great Ming really become this powerful?"
"With transport like this, how could we ever fight them?"
"Don't panic," someone whispered. "As long as we steal the blueprints, we can counter them. At worst, it will be heavy armored car against heavy armored car."
They arrived in Puzhou only to learn that the day's trains had stopped running. The next train to Xi'an would not depart until noon the following day.
With a night to spare, they decided to observe the city.
As they exited the station and stepped into Puzhou, the roar of an engine echoed down the street. A small cargo truck, loaded with goods and pulling a trailer, rumbled past them.
Every head turned at once.
In their minds, the same thought formed. The size was right. With armor added, this would match General Dorogon's description perfectly.
As the truck disappeared down the road, their eyes were still fixed on it.
"What an incredible machine."
"The cities of the Great Ming are unbelievably prosperous."
"And those lights," someone added quietly. "They're not oil lamps. They're far too bright."