"I've come here today specifically to make you repay a favor. You owe me, and it's time to pay it back!"
Xu Xie felt that his purpose was not pure, and combined with what Mu Ye said, he deduced that Mu Ye had returned from the sea.
He almost subconsciously associated Makino with the pirate crew.
He didn't ask, because Makino had deliberately revealed it. If he said it aloud, he was afraid it would anger him.
The current Sanliangzi is clearly not the same fourth junior brother he knew. He has become extremely radical since the death of his second senior brother.
"Now that things have come to this, I don't know how to advise you, but if repaying your favor can ease your resentment towards the Great Jin... Western Jin, I will do anything."
These words were spoken.
Mu Ye immediately stared intently at him: "Since you're already in the Northern Hu and Xiongnu, do you still want to be a dog for the Great Jin?! Have you forgotten how they treated us in the past?"
"Has the leader of the Mohist school fallen so low as to be a coward who dares not even seek revenge for old or new grudges?"
Xu Xie remained silent. After avoiding the question, he said, "Although the current emperor of the Western Jin Dynasty has not yet ascended the throne, all within the four seas submit to her. The fact that she is already the ruler of a superior country is an undeniable fact."
"It cannot be changed. Moreover, her regard for the Mo family is different from that of the retired emperor, and her treatment of the Mo family members is also..."
Makino didn't want to waste her time on him.
He interrupted him: "Alright, I won't interfere in your affairs anymore. Give me the sniper rifle you made."
Xu Xie remained silent.
Makino was getting impatient with his occasional silences.
"Third Senior Brother."
Xu Xie had no choice but to turn around and go inside to get a long, cylindrical box, which he then handed to Mu Ye himself: "Since you're back, why don't you stay with me? As long as I have food to eat, I'll never let you go hungry."
Then, in response, Makino smiled and punched him squarely on the nose.
Xu Xie immediately collapsed to the ground, his nose bleeding profusely.
Makino opened the door and quickly left the area.
It took Xu Xie a long time to get up. He covered his nose, his fingers dripping with blood, and sighed, "Junior brother has gone astray, and I, as his senior brother, bear the responsibility."
"But if you dare to claim to be a disciple of the Mohist school while posing as a criminal, I will not forgive you!"
"Sanliangzi, you'd better watch yourself!"
No, it's Makino!!
Meanwhile, the port of New Tianjing was bustling with activity, as civilians gathered at the shore, pulling ropes to guide the entire ship into the inner harbor. Everyone was helping voluntarily, lightening the burden on the pirate warships that the Imperial Guard had painstakingly transported back.
"Men, hurry up and pull him!"
"Women, go to the back, don't stay in front, or you might fall into the water."
"All you grown men, stand at the front and don't take up space!"
"Pull!"
"Heave-ho! Heave-ho! Heave-ho!" The deafening roar of their power filled the air. The people, gazing at the colossal creature, several meters long, couldn't help but marvel at the pirate gang's strength. They also deeply admired the Imperial Guards and Xie Bing, who had bravely charged forward and sacrificed their lives against such a massive beast.
"My God, how did our soldiers manage to bite through something so huge?"
"This is a mountain."
"Those pirates must have been standing up there, randomly bombing our men. Damn pirates!"
"We managed to capture such powerful weapons; our Imperial Guard and Xie's troops are truly formidable!"
"That's right, the fine men of our Great Jin will never lose to foreign tribes!"
Before long, officials from the five major departments of the Ministry of Works arrived and began to board the ship to study it.
Fortunately, eleven ships were recovered. Nine of them were superships of the same model, so dismantling just one ship would yield a lot of information. The other two were the small warship Scott from before.
His ship was easier to distinguish, except that it had a Com cannon mounted on its gun emplacement.
Under Wei Gong's leadership, the Ministry of Works began hammering and tinkering on the ships from the shore, attempting to repair one. The five gates had a total of three hundred people, each with their own assigned tasks.
Repairs and copies were being made simultaneously, especially by Aza, who would draw up plans immediately after taking a look, and ships that he appraised were processed very quickly.
This prompted many officials from the Ministry of Works to consult Aza. Aza immediately began teaching them the basics: "First, you need to look at its displacement and its sailing power..."
"The reason why iron floats, I think, is because..."
"Also, its stove burns firewood, but we have coal here that we could try. And that stove is very special; I'll take it apart in a moment. You can see that its original shape is very similar to a sealed kettle."
Aza taught very quickly, and many officials benefited greatly from it.
A group of people were teaching in front of a crowd of onlookers, attracting many children to listen. Aza saw a little girl, about seven or eight years old, in the crowd who was even drawing his pictures on the ground.
The one drawn with pebbles is even better than his.
Aza's eyes lit up immediately: "What a promising talent!!"
A little boy sneaked onto the boat nearby, but was quickly caught. The boy cried and shouted, "Let me go! Let me go! One day I want to go to sea like my dad! Sir, please let me get used to the boat first. That way I won't get seasick when I ride it again."
The Ministry of Works official said helplessly, "This ship is not one that ordinary people can afford to ride on."
“What’s there to worry about not being able to sit? If you make more, we’ll have enough to sit on!” the little boy said very seriously.
The official, faced with the innocent child, was momentarily at a loss for words. He couldn't very well criticize the child by saying something like "different social status."
A figure quickly stepped out from the crowd, agreeing with the little boy: "Little brother is right. As long as there are enough boats, anyone can go out to sea in the future."
Xie Lanzhi stood smiling in the crowd. The official immediately put down the little boy and was about to kneel down when Aza noticed her arrival and quickly got up.
Xie Lanzhi immediately waved her hand and said, "Alright, alright, you all go ahead and get busy. Don't get distracted."
The official hastily bowed and slunk onto the boat. The little boy wanted to go with him, but hesitated because of the official's earlier attitude, and stopped in his tracks.
At this moment, Xie Lanzhi nudged the little boy's shoulder, causing him to take a step forward: "Go on. In order for you to be able to go to sea when you grow up, you must learn about the structure of this ship."
"As long as there are more ships, I guarantee that everyone, whether rich or poor, can get on a big ship."
Upon hearing this, the little boy happily ran forward. His figure, bathed in sunlight, seemed to represent the future.
The little girl also looked on with envy at the little boy.
The next moment, Aza picked up the little girl, placed her on the deck, and let her see.
Xie Lanzhi seemed somewhat surprised: "Aza."
She looked again at the little girl and rushed towards the warship to join the little boy without hesitation. Her pupils narrowed slightly as she watched the sunlight shine brightly on the two children.
Her eyes softened instantly: "The bright future of this country may be closer than I imagined."
Aza scratched his head and said, "The Marshal shouldn't mind if I send that child, right?"
“Children are the future.” Xie Lanzhi turned her gaze away and gave him clear agreement: “Regardless of gender, we should continue to value them. Regardless of poverty or wealth, we should create fair opportunities for these children to move forward. Only when their steps do not stop will the future and potential of this country be limitless.”
Azar looked at him with disbelief.
Isn't this the very philosophy that the Mohists have always upheld? He never imagined that the idea of equality for all could be accepted by someone from a family of military generals with a distinguished lineage.
Aza suddenly burst into tears, and he couldn't help but lower his head to wipe the corners of his eyes.
He didn't come to the wrong place. The Great Jin Dynasty, no, the Western Jin Dynasty, was truly different.
The Western Jin Dynasty was completely different!
The life that the Mohists had always longed for was finally about to arrive!
The appearance of Xie Lanzhi greatly encouraged the officials of the five major cities, and many common people saw the legendary Marshal Xie for the first time.
Seeing Marshal Xie's kind and gentle appearance, completely unlike the fierce and menacing figure described in the rumors, the people were immediately deeply impressed by this young and amiable marshal.
Xie Lanzhi also appeared.
The five gatekeepers performed a great service this time, repairing a warship that wasn't so badly damaged. And under Azar's command, the warship was ready to sail.
Xie Lanzhi allowed Aza to sail the boat to Weidu and then back.
Then, she turned to look at the expectant and envious eyes of many people in the crowd, especially the little girls. She took one girl's hand and asked her parents if she could go up and play. Her parents could come along.
The parents readily agreed, feeling that their child was incredibly fortunate to have been chosen.
Xie Lanzhi smiled and said to them, "What a clever little girl."
Even after getting her parents' permission, the little girl still cautiously asked Xie Lanzhi, "Can I bring my older sister and younger brother along?"
Xie Lanzhi agreed.
After all, a warship can carry more than three thousand people. With Xie Lanzhi's permission, the officials opened the ship's doors for the children, and many parents rushed aboard with their children in to join in the fun.
The warships were suddenly overflowing with people.
Xie Lanzhi also went up.
Under Aza's command, the warships gradually sailed out of the port of Xin Tianjing and headed towards Weidu, arriving in Weidu in just one hour.
On the way back, they caught the sunset over the inner harbor, which was the first time many locals had ever seen. They realized that the sunset over the sea was so beautiful.
As many children gazed at the sunset, their eyes were drawn to the horizon. Many looked on with curiosity, wondering: Where does the sea end? Are there people like them living on the other side? And how big is the sea? Is it bigger than the sky?
A tiny seed quietly took root in the hearts of these children.
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2022-02-25 21:02:28 and 2022-02-26 20:57:46!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Jiuyan (5 bottles); Jieyan (2 bottles);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 227 Domestic and International Situation
After the five thousand pirates were captured, Marilyn took the initiative to approach her superior, Xi Tong.
We hope that Si Xitong can release the pirates from Anluo and make compensation.
Si Xitong did not agree. This was because the Western Guard had already discovered that out of the five thousand pirates, only one hundred had not committed murder.
He was taken to the west side of the city and beheaded last night by Xie Bing. As for Jack, he wasn't lying; he didn't kill any civilians, but he was still guilty.
Now that Marilyn is actively asking Jack for herself, it has caught Si Xitong's attention.