Since Binsheng had already spoken with such certainty, Gao Yiyi no longer had any objections. He reached out and shook Binsheng's hand.
"Then this glorious yet extremely difficult mission will be entrusted to you."
Binsheng straightened his back.
"We guarantee we will accomplish the task entrusted to us by our leadership."
His ten subordinates spoke in unison.
"We will never fail the expectations of the village committee."
Yanzi pouted unhappily, her lips sticking out in protest, but she did not say a single word against the decision.
Binsheng turned to her and gently took her hand.
"Thank you, my wife."
Yanzi blinked. "What are you thanking me for?"
Binsheng smiled softly.
"Usually you like to act stubborn with me and insist I listen to you. But when something this big happens, you did not oppose me even once. You simply stood there worrying quietly. If a man can marry a wife like this, what more could he possibly ask for?"
Yanzi blushed instantly.
"Hey, what are you saying in front of everyone? Now they all heard it. You are making me embarrassed."
She shook free from his hand and ran away as fast as she could.
Gao Yiyi chuckled.
"Alright, let us talk about the serious matters. Binsheng, what kind of support do you need from the village committee? Just ask."
Binsheng answered without hesitation.
"We only need one thing."
"Oh?"
"A set of Great Iron Wagon blueprints that are convincing enough to pass as real."
Gao Yiyi blinked.
"Hm?"
Binsheng explained calmly.
"When we originally came here, our mission was to steal the blueprints for the Great Iron Wagon. After we arrived, all contact with Jin was cut off. Over there they probably believe we already failed our mission."
Gao Yiyi immediately understood.
"So if you return with the blueprints, you can claim that you spent all this time infiltrating us and finally succeeded in stealing them."
Binsheng grinned.
"Exactly. That way the eleven of us can return openly to Jin territory. Moving around will become much easier. That is why I said this mission is not nine deaths and one life, and not even five deaths and five lives."
He tapped the table lightly.
"It is one death and nine lives."
Gao Yiyi raised his thumb in admiration.
"As expected. You professionals really do think differently."
Binsheng laughed.
"Just wait for our good news."
Gao Yiyi clasped his hand firmly.
"Return safely. That alone will count as a tremendous achievement."
---
Liaodong – Jinzhou
This city had originally belonged to the Ming dynasty. But after Liaoyang and Shenyang fell into Manchu hands, Jinzhou and Lüshun also slipped into their control.
During the Tianqi era, the city had changed hands repeatedly between Ming and Manchu forces.
But by the eleventh year of the Chongzhen era, the city firmly belonged to the Qing. Ming no longer had the strength to even touch it.
The Qing soldiers responsible for defending Jinzhou were extremely nervous these days.
Only a few days earlier, news had arrived that Dandong had fallen and the Three Shun Kings had been killed.
The defenders of Jinzhou were terrified.
They understood very well why Dandong had fallen.
Strange Great Iron Wagons had appeared on the Mongolian grasslands, sweeping across them like monsters. The Qing banner cavalry had been beaten badly, and even the long-time Qing ally, the Khorchin tribe, had been crushed by those wagons and forced to submit to Ming.
No one in Jinzhou knew when a fleet might suddenly appear to attack their city, just as it had attacked Dandong.
At dawn, the sentries on Jinzhou's walls spotted something on the sea.
A battered merchant ship drifted toward the coast.
It looked like it had survived a brutal battle. Arrows were stuck all over the hull, several parts of the deck were burned black, and the sails were full of large holes.
A ship damaged like that should never have been able to sail at all.
Yet somehow it staggered forward.
With a scraping sound, it ran aground on the beach outside Jinzhou and stopped.
Eleven men jumped off the vessel and began waving wildly toward the city walls.
The defenders shouted nervously.
"Who are you?"
The leader among the eleven raised his voice.
"Ujen Chaoha agent… Binsheng… requesting immediate report to your superiors. Inform them we have successfully completed the 'Jiang Gan Steals the Book Operation.'"
The ordinary soldiers at the bottom level had obviously never heard of any "Jiang Gan Steals the Book Operation."
They looked utterly confused.
Still, the message was passed up through the chain of command.
When it finally reached the highest officer stationed in Jinzhou, the reaction was instant.
The moment he heard the words "Jiang Gan Steals the Book Operation," he leaped to his feet.
"What? Quickly. Bring them into the city immediately!"
The gates of Jinzhou were opened, and soldiers rushed to the beach to escort Binsheng and his companions inside.
But Binsheng pointed back toward the wrecked merchant ship.
"The blueprints we stole are inside the ship. Please send more men to help move them."
The soldiers were puzzled but obeyed.
When they entered the cargo hold, they froze.
The entire hold was filled with paper.
Stack after stack after stack of drawings.
One soldier picked up a sheet and glanced at it.
His face instantly turned blank.
The drawing showed a strange stick-like object, sketched again and again from multiple angles.
"What… what is this?"
Binsheng snorted coldly.
"My advice is that you should not know. The higher the level of this secret, the closer you stand to death."
The soldier jumped in fright and immediately put the paper back.
Soon large numbers of soldiers began carrying the drawings out.
Each man hugged a thick bundle of papers.
The ship's hold was filled with so many blueprints it felt endless.
After a long time of hauling, the ship was finally emptied.
Meanwhile, a warehouse inside Jinzhou had become completely packed with paper.
Every soldier who helped carry them felt uneasy, worried they might now be silenced for knowing too much.
The commander of Jinzhou hurried over to Binsheng.
"You actually succeeded. The higher command believed you were all dead."
Binsheng cupped his fists.
"It was nine deaths and one life. We endured humiliation and hardship to finally steal the blueprints. Ming pursuers fought us several times at sea and nearly destroyed us. Fortunately heaven favors our great Jin, and we managed to return alive."
The commander waved his hand.
"Not Jin. We are called Qing now."
Binsheng froze in exaggerated confusion.
"What?"
"When you were carrying out the operation, our Great Jin renamed itself the Great Qing."
Binsheng scratched his head, pretending to be stunned.
"Ah? Ah? Really?"
The commander did not bother explaining further.
"In any case, the Great Qing is currently facing a crisis. Your return could not have come at a better time. Once these blueprints are delivered to the emperor, he will be extremely pleased. I will arrange transport immediately and send you to Shenyang."
Without hesitation he ordered a large number of wagons.
The enormous stacks of blueprints were loaded onto them.
More than ten carts were required before everything could be transported.
The commander did not understand why so many drawings were necessary, but he did not dare question it.
Soon a long convoy departed Jinzhou.
Binsheng and his companions traveled with the wagons full of blueprints, heading toward Shenyang.
Along the road they saw Qing soldiers everywhere digging trenches, piling stones, building low walls, and creating all sorts of strange obstacles.
Clearly, they were desperately trying to prepare defenses against the terrifying Great Iron Wagons.