Wang Er turned to the militia.
"Fellow militia mbers," he announced, "you co from all walks of life, each with your own skills. Fighting isn't your primary talent; you're far better at getting work done."
The militia chuckled in agreent.
"That's right, that's right."
Wang Er continued,
"Now, Tianzun has a crucial task for all of you. We need to initiate a rapid construction effort in the Micang Mountains, establishing multiple mountaintop outposts, signal towers, and all the accompanying transportation and logistical systems…"
Upon hearing it was Tianzun's command, everyone's enthusiasm surged.
"Understood!" they declared.
"Excellent," Wang Er affird. "You understand this aspect better than I do. I ask that you begin planning imdiately. If there's anyone here with expertise in this field, step forward now to propose a plan."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a middle-aged militiaman stepped forward from the ranks, carrying a hand crossbow and looking decidedly less like a fighter. As he walked, he unslung the crossbow and tossed it aside. Then he removed what appeared to be a helt from his back and placed it on his head—
Only then did the others realize it was not a helt at all, but a Blue Hat.
The surrounding militian gasped in astonishnt.
"Good heavens, a Blue Hat! A senior technician! What are you doing serving as a militiaman?"
The Blue Hat chuckled.
"Defending our ho and nation knows no status."
He approached Wang Er, snapped a salute, and declared,
"Designer from the Gao Family Village Architectural Institute, reporting for duty."
Wang Er produced a stack of papers—a concise topographical map of the Micang Mountains sketched by observers from a reconnaissance hot air balloon.
"Here's the map," he said. "Have a look."
The architectural designer took the map, studied it for a mont, then pulled out a pen and swiftly drew several circles.
"Here, here, and here… we can build outposts in these locations, each designed with living space for fifty soldiers, and signal towers erected on their roofs…"
He then drew several lines.
"These will be roads. We need to construct these routes to connect each outpost, allowing our vehicles to deliver supplies and deploy troops as quickly as possible."
Wang Er exclaid,
"We're truly fortunate to have you! You've produced a plan so swiftly."
He raised the plan high.
"Workers, do you see this?"
"We see it!" the workers shouted back.
"Brothers from all trades, let's roll up our sleeves and get to work!" Wang Er rallied. "Before the second wave of bandits arrives, we must establish a defensive line that blocks their entry into Shaanxi—a line even more formidable than the Great Wall itself."
The crowd roared,
"Hoo-rah!"
Wang Er's gaze swept toward Mi Chuang Jiang.
Startled by Wang Er's imposing stare, Mi Chuang Jiang flinched.
"What do you want? Don't kill !"
"You've seen the map in my hand, haven't you?" Wang Er asked.
Mi Chuang Jiang stamred,
"I've seen it, uh… but I don't understand it."
Wang Er pointed to the lines on the map.
"These are roads. They need people to build them."
Mi Chuang Jiang instantly grasped the aning and quickly offered,
"My n will build! All my n will build the roads!"
Wang Er nodded.
"Work diligently on the roads, put in good labor, and you can soon beco decent people again."
With the economic construction phase now in full swing, Wang Er imdiately felt like an idiot; he understood nothing about it.
Just then, the Blue Hat stepped to the forefront, waving a hand.
"Cent Factory Militia! Imdiately scout for a suitable site here and prepare to build a temporary cent factory to supply cent for the Micang Mountain outposts!"
A group of militian eagerly stepped forward.
"We're from the cent factory!"
"Are the brothers from the furniture factory here?"
"We are!" a group of carpenters shouted, stepping out.
"You, quickly cut so timber and construct a few wooden outposts for temporary use…"
"Yes, sir!"
"Militian from the pig farm, textile factory, and ss hall, you are responsible for everyone's als."
"Alright!"
Tens of thousands of militian sprang into action, each expert in their own field. Every individual took charge of the work they knew best, and the workers from Gao Family Village were exceptionally skilled at large-scale, organized production.
In this regard, they had already far surpassed everyone else of this era.
The Prefect of Hanzhong had initially thought he could lend a hand with such internal affairs, but to his surprise, these militian didn't need his assistance at all. They quickly divided themselves into work groups and plunged into their various tasks.
The Prefect of Hanzhong simply stared, bewildered.
He suddenly realized he wasn't even as competent as the man wearing the Blue Hat.
The great, whistling trains, which had just been transporting soldiers, now suddenly switched to hauling production materials. All sorts of manufacturing and construction tools were brought in by the trains and distributed to every worker.
The workers laid down their weapons, picked up their tools, removed their helts, and donned Yellow Hats, even breaking into song:
"Oh, the liberated zones!"
"Oh, the great production!"
"The army and people mobilized together, oh!…"
The Micang Mountains suddenly buzzed with more activity than Hanzhong Prefecture itself—
anwhile…
A fleet of ships slowly entered Japan's Nagasaki Port.
The great pirate Mang Er—ah, no, the great rchant Zheng Zhihu—dressed in rchant attire, a smile on his face, disembarked and strode onto the docks of Nagasaki Port.
At this ti, Japan had already begun tightening its mariti policies. In another year, they would enter a period of national seclusion that would last for over a century, until Western "black ships" forced them open and initiated the iji Restoration.
Of course, even during its seclusion, Nagasaki Port would remain open.
Consequently, Japanese rchants flocked to Nagasaki, eager to embrace this last free trading port.
Zheng Zhihu was quite a renowned figure here. The mont he stepped off the ship, a local rchant approached, speaking in Chinese.
"Brother Mang Er, what brings you to Nagasaki?"
Zheng Zhihu laughed heartily.
"I've brought a batch of excellent goods."
"Excellent goods?" The local rchant's face imdiately flushed with excitent. "What kind are they? Bring them out so we can all get rich!"
With a flourish, Zheng Zhihu pulled out a bottle of seafood soy sauce, then with another swift motion, a bottle of 53-proof Dao Xuan Tianzun Special-Blend Liquor. Another flourish produced a piece of Xilankapu brocade, followed by Chengcheng embroidery, Want Want Snow Crackers, Kiss Star Jellies, and Dove Chocolates…
Each item he produced was stranger and more outlandish than the last.
Yet, to the seafaring rchants, these utterly absurd items, while certainly peculiar, were far from unacceptable.
rchants of the Age of Exploration would accept almost any bizarre, never-before-seen commodity. As long as it tasted good, looked attractive, or proved useful, there was no rchandise they wouldn't take.
The local rchant examined the curious goods, then sampled a few. His expression instantly shifted.
"Eh? Eh? Brother Mang Er, these goods you've brought this ti… they're magnificent!"
Zheng Zhihu chuckled.
"Hehehe, let's be clear, they won't be cheap."
"Price is no issue," the rchant declared. "The more you charge , the more I can charge the daimyō and samurai! Hahahaha!"
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