Xiao Hei No.1 slowly sailed into the military dock and came to a stop.
It had returned to replenish ammunition and fuel.
Steamships were formidable in battle, but they burned coal quickly and had to return to port frequently for resupply. In this regard, they could not compare to wooden sailing ships. As long as there was food on board, a sail-driven vessel could drift at sea for a year or more.
Yao Xingjuan grabbed E'zhe by the collar and hauled him off the ship, giving him a light shove forward.
The two special service guards who had long been waiting at the dock rushed up immediately, one on each side, eyes fixed on E'zhe.
Over the past few days, E'zhe had "gone missing," and the incident had nearly scared them out of their wits. In name, they were his protectors; in truth, they also bore the responsibility of monitoring him. Losing the Mongol Khan would affect Gaocun's long-term plans.
They had almost cried from fear.
Now that he was back, they finally breathed a sigh of relief—but their eyes refused to leave him.
E'zhe scratched his head awkwardly. "Sorry. I just wanted to get on the ship and have some fun."
The Water-Combat Specialized Tianzun walked over from the side and gave him a light kick on the backside.
"You're only ten years old. If you want to play, at least choose something normal. Boarding a pirate ship for fun? Do you have a death wish? If you had spent that time studying at the Naval Academy instead, it would have benefited your future far more."
E'zhe immediately behaved, listening obediently. He didn't dare act mischievous in front of Tianzun.
At that moment, two sailors carried down a large basket from the ship and waved from afar.
"Tianzun! Tianzun! We found some rare, delicious fruit!"
Delicious?
The moment he heard that word, Li Dao Xuan's head snapped around.
"Sugar apples! And top-grade large ones at that!" Li Dao Xuan was overjoyed.
Heroes fall for beauty; Tianzun falls for good food.
At the sight of something tasty, he dashed forward in a single stride, grabbed one from the basket, split it open skillfully, and scooped out the flesh.
Delicious!
He was a native of Chongqing. In the past, if he wanted to eat sugar apples, he could only order them online.
As for modern fruit—everyone understood the situation. To survive the long logistics chain, farmers and merchants had to pick fruit while it was still unripe.
Sorting, loading, transporting—ten days or half a month later, it would finally reach the city, still not fully ripe.
Retailers would then artificially ripen it before selling it to consumers. Naturally, the flavor suffered greatly.
For modern city dwellers, tasting fruit that had ripened naturally on the tree was almost like chasing a dream.
Now, eating a naturally ripened sugar apple, Li Dao Xuan felt utterly satisfied.
Yao Xingjuan, E'zhe, and the others gathered together and whispered quietly.
"As expected, the ancients were right to place tasty food on the offering table. Immortals really do love to eat."
The war correspondent who had sailed with them did not join their whispering. She stepped forward, bowed deeply to Li Dao Xuan, and said:
"Master, we have established basic trust with several indigenous villages on Yizhou Island. They no longer regard us as enemies, but welcome our arrival."
Li Dao Xuan smiled. "Very good. There's no need to rush. The more anxious we are to bring them into our embrace, the more likely we are to resort to forceful methods. And then we would become no different from Western marauders."
The correspondent asked, "What should we do next?"
While chewing the fruit, Li Dao Xuan replied with a smile, "Mountain-and-Sea Economy."
"Mountain-and-Sea Economy?"
He nodded. "Yizhou is not just an island. It is surrounded by the sea and also filled with mountains. That makes it an ideal place to develop both mountain and maritime industries. We can guide them to cultivate agricultural products in the mountains and harvest seafood from the sea. In exchange, we provide necessities such as grain and cloth for their mountain goods and sea goods."
"Trade," he continued, "is the fastest way to build channels of communication."
"Through trade, we export our culture while also absorbing theirs. Gradually, cultural integration forms, then ethnic integration. As they understand us more, and we understand them more, barriers will disappear. Eventually, there will be no distinction between us and them."
The correspondent suddenly understood. "This is the same method used with the ethnic minorities in Sichuan."
"Exactly!" Li Dao Xuan said with a smile. "For all our compatriots, we must adopt this approach. Under no circumstances should we use military conquest, slaughter, or intimidation. Otherwise, we would become the very people we despise."
The correspondent glanced at Yao Xingjuan and lowered her voice. "He can't handle that kind of work, can he?"
Li Dao Xuan spread his hands. "No, he's not suited for it. But that's not a problem. The Central Plains have already been pacified. Soon, our manpower will be greatly freed up. At that time, we can dispatch many talented administrators here. Before the main force arrives, let Yao Xingjuan continue making small disturbances."
In truth, Li Dao Xuan was also teaching his disciple. Everyone in the News Department was his "Tianzun student." Once she understood, she would incorporate these ideas into her reporting and broadcast them through the "television," allowing everyone to hear them.
Before long, Xiao Hei No.1 had completed its resupply. Coal, gunpowder, shells, food, fresh water—all fully loaded once again, ready to set sail.
E'zhe looked longingly at the ship, clearly hoping to sneak aboard once more.
But this time was impossible.
Yao Xingjuan, the two special service guards, and even Tianzun himself were staring at him.
The little boy finally did not dare act recklessly again and obediently remained ashore.
Yao Xingjuan bowed deeply to Li Dao Xuan. "Tianzun, I shall depart once more."
Li Dao Xuan nodded. "After using the steam paddle ship for some time, what are your impressions?"
Yao Xingjuan quickly replied, "Our ship is excellent in every way, except that it needs constant coal resupply. It must operate centered around supply ports and cannot travel too far."
Li Dao Xuan nodded. "In fact, even sailing ships must constantly replenish food and water. The Westerners took over a hundred years of continuous expansion—establishing supply ports and gradually extending their operational radius—before they could appear here. In this regard, we still have a long road ahead. Work hard."
Yao Xingjuan seemed to understand something. "I will do my utmost."
He turned and boarded the ship, calling out orders as he did so.
"This voyage, keep your eyes sharp. While harassing the Dutch, also search for places suitable for building supply ports. Our destination is the entire ocean of the world. We must not be satisfied with just this stretch of sea."
The young sea raiders roared in unison.
"Arrr!"