RPAGF Chapter 262 World of Famous Works 51
Chapter 262 World of Famous Works 51
Sun Wukong chuckled, started the car, and continued westward.
In any case, with Tang Sanzang's tacit approval, the group of master and his disciples were finally able to drive to the Western Paradise to retrieve the Buddhist scriptures.
The advantages of having this vehicle are quite obvious. Besides not having to walk, Bajie and the others don't have to worry about finding a place to stay at night; they can just snuggle up in the vehicle and get a good night's sleep.
Moreover, only one person needs to drive, while the others can do whatever they want in the car.
Pigsy is lazy by nature. After his initial enthusiasm for the car faded, he didn't even touch the steering wheel. On the contrary, Little White Dragon Ao Lie was very enthusiastic about driving.
He used to be Tang Sanzang's mount, the White Dragon Horse, but now he's become everyone's personal driver.
While Tang Sanzang and his disciples continued westward, Lin Xiaoqian was also busy.
She returned to Chang'an, closed the restaurant, and took Mo Ying and Jiang Shuang to the west to find Zhuang Damao.
As for Master Xuanpin, he did not go back with her. This story begins after Patriarch Bodhi learned that the two of them had blown up Mount Ling.
Bodhi did not react to the two men blowing up Mount Ling.
However, it is said that a message came from the Buddha's side, saying that he wanted to meet with Bodhi outside the Thirty-Three Heavens.
The implication was clear: although I schemed against your disciple, he was completely unharmed and even broke through to the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm. So how can you compensate me for the destruction of my Spirit Mountain? You must give me an explanation.
Beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens lies a chaotic space separate from this realm.
Saints like Tathagata and Bodhi are capable of destroying the heavens and the earth when they fight. Fighting in this realm would easily harm innocent people. Therefore, the area beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens is the place where these great beings 'spar'.
Telling someone directly that you want to meet them outside the Thirty-Three Heavens is tantamount to saying, "I want to fight you."
Upon hearing this, Xuanpin jumped up immediately: "That bald monk, he schemes against people and he still thinks he's right. Let's fight! Are we afraid of him? This old man hasn't had a good stretch in a long time. This time, I'm going to beat him to a pulp. If I can blow up his sacred mountain, I can blow him up too."
Bodhi remained calm, instructed his disciples to guard the mountain gate, and then left with Xuanpin.
Before leaving, Xuanpin excitedly said to Lin Xiaoqian, "Disciple, wait for your master to bring you back some good stuff."
They don't look like they're going to fight; they look like they're going to buy things.
Lin Xiaoqian was naturally not worried that her master couldn't beat Tathagata. Putting aside everything else, her master was two people, while Tathagata was only one. How could they not win a two-on-one fight?
But she still stuffed all the technological weapons she was carrying into Xuanpin's hands, clenched her fist, and said, "Go for it, Master!"
After her master left, Lin Xiaoqian immediately teleported back to the restaurant, tidied up, and headed west.
At this time, Zhuang Damao was leading his army to garrison the border that originally belonged to the Kingdom of Ü-Tsang, but now belonged to the Tang Dynasty.
The newly conquered Ü-Tsang Kingdom was very close to the Tang Dynasty. The people of this country were deeply influenced by the Tang Dynasty. They knew that the Tang Dynasty had developed rapidly in recent years, with high grain yields and steam trains. They were very envious and wished they could join the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, it was not too difficult to subdue them.
However, the situation in the Western Regions was troubling Zhuang Damao.
The western regions were shrouded in yellow sand, making conditions extremely harsh. Moreover, trains had not yet been built to this area, making the transportation of supplies very difficult.
The Western Regions are home to many countries and ethnic groups, with significant differences in culture, language, and religious beliefs. However, when faced with powerful external threats, they often unite to resist foreign enemies, making it difficult for the Tang army to gain the support and cooperation of the local people.
Zhuang Damao could have taken it down directly with cannons, but he didn't want to do so for the time being.
In Zhuang Damao's eyes, who came from Earth, although the Western Regions were not yet part of the Tang Dynasty, the people and their lives were still different.
The people of the Western Regions are all our own people, our compatriots. They are just temporarily stranded abroad and haven't had time to return to their motherland. How can we point cannons at our own people?
Moreover, the Tang Dynasty is now developing rapidly and is in short supply of people everywhere. It is the time when we need people to build our country. If we kill them all, where will we find people to build a beautiful Tang Dynasty?
Ideally, the Western Regions should be reclaimed without losing a single soldier.
After listening to Zhuang Damao's words, Lin Xiaoqian thought for a moment and came up with an idea.
The environment in the Western Regions is harsh; what is the most lacking there?
It's a water source!
They could start by using the land of Ü-Tsang as a model, digging karez wells to turn the desert into an oasis, and then planting high-yield crops. Meanwhile, they could also have a railway built from Chang'an to this side to transport more goods and commodities.
She refused to believe that those small kingdoms in the Western Regions wouldn't be tempted by water resources, high-yield crops, trains, and goods.
Want these things? Sorry, they can only circulate within the territory of the Tang Dynasty.
In any case, Lin Xiaoqian's warehouse has all kinds of equipment, whether it's for exploring the location of groundwater or for digging wells.
Moreover, she had planned to dig karez wells here from the beginning, so she brought everything with her.
Zhuang Damao and the others thought it was a good idea, and after discussing it, they began to prepare for the karez well project.
Lin Xiaoqian, Mo Ying, and Jiang Shuang split up, each taking equipment and a group of people to survey the water source.
Zhuang Damao then went to the official sent by the Tang Dynasty to manage this land and asked him to help organize manpower to dig a well.
Although there are well-digging machines, it's impossible to rely on them for everything. There are still many tasks that require human intervention, such as transporting the excavated soil and clearing stones and debris from the well. Moreover, after the well is dug, it needs to be lined manually to prevent it from collapsing.
With the help of high technology, the water source was quickly identified, and the next step was to dig a vertical well.
The people of the former Ü-Tsang Kingdom, now belonging to the Tang Dynasty, were organized by the government to come to the upper reaches of the water source. Right now, they are pointing and discussing the machine that Lin Xiaoqian brought.
"What is that lump of iron?"
"I heard it's a device that can find water sources... yes, that's what it's called."
"Looking for water here? That's impossible. I've lived here for decades, and we've dug wells to a depth of over ten meters, but we haven't seen a single drop of water. At first, when I heard that the government had organized people to dig wells, I thought they had found a new water source, but it turns out to be here. Sigh! Isn't this just a waste of time?"
They are now citizens of the Tang Dynasty. In order to show their goodwill and better integrate into the Tang Dynasty, many people who know the situation here said to the officers and soldiers in charge: "Hey, sir, there is no water here, so don't waste your energy."
The officers and soldiers leading the team had been instructed by their superiors to follow Lin Xiaoqian's instructions in all matters concerning well digging, and to treat Lin Xiaoqian and his team as their superiors.
After hearing their words, the officers scratched their heads and looked at Lin Xiaoqian, "Miss Lin, this..."
The crowd was so loud, how could Lin Xiaoqian not hear them? She smiled and reassured them, "It's alright."
Then she strode up to the people and said loudly, "I know you have lived here for generations and know more about this place than I do. But I know that there is a lot of cool and sweet snowmelt hidden in this land beneath my feet."
A dozen meters is nothing; typical karez wells are dug to a depth of tens or even hundreds of meters.