Li Daoxuan was still lost in thought, his mind full of little people sailing boats back and forth, happily conquering rivers.
Then Feng Jun sighed and shook his head.
"Qiachuan Dock does exist," he said. "But over the past year, it's basically been abandoned."
Li Daoxuan snapped out of it. "Abandoned? With a dock like that, merchants should be rushing in. Transport grain from the wealthy southern regions, sell one boatload and you'd make a killing. Why would it be abandoned?"
Gao Yiye relayed the question, equally puzzled.
Feng Jun let out a long breath. "Madam may not know this. Last year, when Hu Tingyan was still Shaanxi's governor and Wu Zhiwang was commander of Yan-Sui, the two reported rampant bandit activity. Shortly after, Wu Zhiwang died of illness, Hu Tingyan was dismissed, and the court appointed Yang He as Overseer of the Three Borders."
He paused.
"At the same time, an imperial order came down: grain was forbidden from entering Shaanxi."
Li Daoxuan froze.
Then swore.
"Damn it."
Gao Yiye was stunned. "Why? There's a great drought. Why would the court ban grain shipments?"
Feng Jun answered with one word. "Bandits."
Gao Yiye frowned. "What does that have to do with grain?"
"If grain enters Shaanxi," Feng Jun explained, "it reaches the people. The people then get robbed by roaming bandits. In the end, the grain feeds the bandits, making them stronger, more energetic, and more capable of rebellion."
He saw their expressions darken and hurriedly added, "That's what the people above say. Not me. Any official stationed here knows this logic only exists if your head was slammed in the palace gates."
Silence.
Then Bai Yuan, already numb to imperial reasoning, spread his hands.
"As long as the bandits can't steal grain, they'll starve to death and stop rebelling. The logic is flawless. Truly admirable."
Feng Jun gave a bitter smile. "This isn't something a seventh-rank official like me can fix. Please forgive the farce."
Li Daoxuan spoke calmly. "Heyang County needs help."
Gao Yiye understood immediately. "Magistrate Feng, Gao Village does have surplus grain. We're willing to provide some to relieve the suffering of Heyang's people."
Feng Jun's eyes lit up instantly. "Truly?"
Before Gao Yiye could answer, she noticed something else. "Magistrate Feng… your nose. It's bleeding again."
Feng Jun wiped it. Blood smeared clean across his face, splitting it in half. He didn't care. The excitement vanished just as fast, replaced by sharp calculation.
"If I accept grain," he asked carefully, "what do you want in return?"
At least the man still had a working brain.
Gao Yiye smiled. "No goods. Just an order. Build roads—several of them. Same method as Chengcheng County."
Feng Jun blinked once, then understood.
He'd heard rumors. Massive road construction next door, even during disaster years. Now the answer was obvious—grain support.
If Liang Shixian dared to do it, why shouldn't he?
Repairing roads and bridges was proper governance. If even that required hesitation, what was the point of holding office?
"No problem," Feng Jun said decisively.
"Excellent," Gao Yiye replied. "Please go to Xi'an and complete your report first. When you return to Heyang, visit Gao Village again. We'll discuss the details then."
"Agreed!"
Feng Jun's mood soared. For over a year, he'd fought bandits alone, cut off from aid, trade strangled by policy. Hope had vanished.
Now someone was offering him a way forward.
"Oh, one more thing," Bai Yuan said with a smile. "Since you're going to Xi'an, you can ride part of our train. It'll save you a lot of time."
Feng Jun blinked. "Train? A cart that burns fire?"
"Sit once," Bai Yuan said. "You'll understand."
Minutes later—
Feng Jun boarded the small train from Gao Village to Chengcheng City.
The whistle screamed.
The train surged forward at sixty kilometers per hour.
Feng Jun screamed too.
Excitement. Terror. Nosebleed. Blood loss.
He passed out.
By the time they reached the city, his attendants spent quite a while reviving him.
Meanwhile, Li Daoxuan was already studying boats.
The Yellow River wasn't in his field of vision yet—but that was only a matter of time. Boats needed to be prepared in advance.
He made a call.
"Old Cai," Li Daoxuan said cheerfully. "Long time no custom orders. I want to make some cute, kawaii boat models. Inland river boats, not ocean ships."
Cai Xinzi laughed. "Boat models? I've got tons. Why make new ones? Just come pick a few."
"I don't want normal remote-control models," Li Daoxuan said. "I want the kind you can operate from inside. Inland boats. Inland boats. Inland boats. Important things said three times."
There was a pause.
"You eat mushrooms again?" Cai Xinzi sighed. "I still remember your solar car—the fingernail-sized one with brakes and steering. I was already impressed. Now you want boats? Fine. What systems do you want this time?"
"Steering, obviously. Power system, obviously. Transformation—"
"NO."
Cai Xinzi roared.
"The first two are fine. The word 'transformation' is absolutely forbidden. Forbidden. Throw away your mushrooms. Stop eating them. You'll die. You will die."
Li Daoxuan protested. "Why so fast to reject? Boats are big. Making them transform into robots is easy. Toy stores are full of them."
"Transformation is easy," Cai Xinzi snapped. "Controlling them after transformation is impossible. Those anime settings where you pilot robots with thoughts and two sticks? Impossible. Unless brain-machine interfaces succeed, it's fantasy. No control means transformation is useless."
Li Daoxuan sighed.
"…So no transforming boats?"
"No."
"…Fine."
He paused.
"Then just make them sturdy."
Chapter Trivia :
Grain Bans: Historical bans on food transport often worsened rebellions by starving civilians first.
Roads as Power: Roads aren't infrastructure—they're control, speed, and taxation disguised as charity.
Early Trains: Even primitive rail shocked first-time riders, with records of fainting and illness.
Engineering Reality: Transformation is cheap. Control is expensive. Civilization advances only when control catches up.