Chapter 334: Build the Boats First
The prison had outgrown its walls.
The original site simply couldn't hold that many people anymore.
By now, Li Daoxuan's field of vision had expanded far enough to cover part of Huanglong Mountain. After a brief calculation, he made a clean decision.
The new prison would be built inside the mountain.
More than seven thousand captives, escorted by Cheng Xu, were marched into a valley deep within Huanglong Mountain. The moment they looked down into it, their faces changed.
The terrain felt… familiar.
Too familiar.
It looked almost exactly like the valley where they'd been surrounded and crushed by the militia—just with two extra exits.
Camping in a valley like this was idiotic.
Everyone knew that.
Cheng Xu raised his voice. "Open your eyes. Dao Xuan Tianzun intends to turn this valley into your prison."
"Watch carefully. This is what heavenly authority looks like."
The captives were confused.
Then two enormous golden hands reached down from the sky.
They radiated layered, prismatic light.
The moment they appeared, several captives fainted outright.
Li Daoxuan had always been gentle with the common folk of Chengcheng County. He never frightened people without preparation.
But these were different.
These men needed fear.
Fear reduced management costs.
Fear kept his people alive.
The golden hands seized a colossal boulder and slammed it into one valley exit. With a thunderous crash, the opening was sealed. Then the hands gouged out a massive pit, and a celestial river poured down, filling it into a deep pond.
The captives turned deathly pale.
This wasn't strength.
This was rearranging the world.
The hands worked again—stone, earth, debris—sealing another exit. Then another. Soon, every opening was blocked except for the narrowest one.
From the sky descended a gate of absurd scale.
It slammed into place at the final exit.
The valley became a closed prison.
As a finishing touch, the hands gently placed two small fortress towers on either side of the gate.
The captives' faces went completely white.
"Go in," Cheng Xu said calmly. "You'll be living here for the next several years."
The labor reform prisoners filed into the valley without resistance, crouching low like animals that had learned where the knife lived.
Lao Nanfeng led more than six hundred former border troops in with them.
Mixing six hundred hardened soldiers with seven thousand former bandits was dangerous.
Lao Nanfeng knew that.
And smiled anyway.
Cause trouble, he thought. Please.
The more you stir things up, the faster I earn merit. The faster I earn merit, the sooner I walk free.
Li Daoxuan watched them disappear into the valley, then surveyed the stretch of Huanglong Mountain now within his sight.
This place was excellent.
High mountains. Deep forests. Arteries in every direction.
West led to Luochuan.
North to Yichuan.
East to Hancheng.
South toward Baishui, Chengcheng, and Heyang.
A natural base.
Not using it would be stupidity.
The only issue was vision—he still couldn't see the entire mountain, just the southern section.
But even that was enough to begin.
Seven thousand labor reform prisoners would dig, carve, and build until the bones of a base emerged.
He shifted his view back to Gao Village and had Gao Yiye notify Shansier to begin detailed planning.
Just then, a procession arrived from the east and entered the village.
Li Daoxuan paused.
The leader looked familiar.
County magistrate robes.
He focused.
Feng Jun—magistrate of Heyang County.
Feng Jun had entered Chengcheng County from Zheng Village, carrying Fei Shan Hu's head. He planned to pass through Chengcheng and deliver the trophy to the provincial governor in Xi'an.
But along the way, he was stunned.
Fields were green.
Wildflowers grew freely.
No sign of drought.
By the time he reached Gao Village and saw its bustle, he was so shocked he forgot what to say.
Only his nose kept bleeding.
Then he spotted a familiar face.
"Sir Bai! Sir Bai!" Feng Jun called out joyfully. "What fortune—to meet you here!"
He hurried over. "A few days ago, with your help, we wiped out Fei Shan Hu's gang." He lifted the box in his hands. "Heyang County is finally at peace. I'm on my way to Xi'an to personally deliver this to the governor."
Bai Yuan smiled mildly. "I'm glad I could assist."
Feng Jun looked around the village, bewildered. "This place…"
"This is Gao Village," Bai Yuan said. "Long protected by Dao Xuan Tianzun. The people live well here."
"Don't worry," he added lightly. "Heyang will receive the same treatment soon."
Feng Jun nodded blankly, understanding nothing.
At that moment, Gao Yiye approached, still dressed in white from the memorial rites.
Bai Yuan immediately stepped aside and bowed, yielding the center without hesitation.
Feng Jun froze.
Why was he stepping aside for her?
Gao Yiye smiled. "Greetings, Magistrate Feng. I am Gao Yiye, wife of the Li household here."
Feng Jun glanced toward the distant fortified manor and understood.
A great family's matriarch.
"Madam," he said carefully. "How may I be of service?"
"My husband wishes to ask you something," Gao Yiye said. "Heyang County borders the Yellow River. Is there a major dock there called Qiachuan?"
Feng Jun nodded. "Yes. Qiachuan Dock is Heyang's most important trade port. In good years, merchant ships from all directions gather there—goods piled higher than men."
Li Daoxuan felt genuine joy.
So it was true.
Qiachuan Dock existed.
He still couldn't see that far east yet, but once his reach expanded just a little more, he could extend his hand into the Yellow River.
And then—
His thoughts filled with images of boats.
Simple boats.
Ugly boats.
Plastic boats.
Floating steadily downstream.
Chapter Trivia:
Valley Prisons: Natural valleys were historically used as detention zones because terrain reduced manpower needs more effectively than walls.
Fear as Administration: Early regimes often relied on a single overwhelming display of force to lower long-term control costs.
Yellow River Trade: Docks like Qiachuan connected inland agrarian zones to salt, cloth, and grain markets. Control meant leverage.
Boats Before Ideals: Infrastructure always precedes ideology. Whoever controls transport controls survival.