I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 1077 is truly a coincidence.

The world of the Great Han Dynasty was so vast that even the first emperor of the Great Han Dynasty might not have been able to conquer it if the steam age had not arrived.

Even though Zhang Chen and his party traveled on a slow, green train, it took them a full month to reach their destination, passing through hundreds of cities along the way.

However, when Zhang Chen set foot on this land, he was completely stunned, because he was all too familiar with this place: Goulan County!

Where is Goulan County? It was the territory of the former King of Pingbian, and the county where Zhang Chen lived as a child.

"Based on the magnetic field of the world, this place is indeed Goulan County, and it's not far from Xiaoli Village where I used to live." Zhang Chen sat in the train, looking at the huge city stretching for hundreds of miles outside the platform, with countless high-rise buildings and ancient buildings, looking antique and elegant, as if he had returned to the ancient times.

The architectural style has changed; it no longer resembles the ancient buildings but has a completely new look.

"This place is Loulan, a vital city of our Great Han Kingdom, also known as Goulan County in mythology. It is said that 2,300 years ago, it still retained its original appearance from the ancient times. Unfortunately, the Huangtiandao Rebellion broke out, and its leader at the time shouted, 'Are kings and nobles born with special privileges?' before attacking and burning Goulan County to the ground. Later, the Great Li Dynasty spent 300 years rebuilding Goulan County, and it has remained one of the cultural centers of our Great Han Dynasty to this day. However, with the development of the Industrial Revolution, the new Great Han Dynasty established its capital in the south, and this place did not receive policy support, so it gradually lost talent and its population gradually decreased. Even so, this place is still one of the most populous areas in the north of our Great Han Dynasty." Bai Ziling was a history buff and knew that Zhang Chen was interested in history, so she explained it to him from the side.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen looked surprised, a hint of deep emotion in his eyes. Just as he was about to say something, the guard in charge of the transport suddenly appeared at the door and blew his whistle, attracting the attention of all the prisoners in the carriage.

"All prisoners in this carriage, stand up! You have arrived at your destination! All prisoners, disembark in order!" the warden shouted from the carriage.

Bai Ziling became visibly nervous upon hearing this, her delicate fingers gripping Zhang Chen's sleeve. Zhang Chen smiled at this and said, "Don't worry, I always keep my word! Have you forgotten my secret?"

Bai Ziling felt somewhat relieved upon hearing this, and then followed Zhang Chen out of the train.

As soon as he stepped outside the train, a heavy, industrial-era smog hit him, making Zhang Chen's breath catch in his throat.

Then everyone in the carriage got off, and the warden, holding a roster, said to the crowd, "I will now take attendance. When you hear your name called, say 'Here'."

The guard began taking attendance, and soon all two hundred people in the carriage had been counted. After confirming that the number was correct, the guard said to all the prisoners, "Next, all of you will be sent to the Daxing Mountain Range to cut timber and be responsible for clearing wasteland and cultivating the land. Once you get there, you must reform yourselves well. If you perform outstandingly, you may be granted a reduction in your sentence."

"We were indeed assigned together." Bai Ziling was overjoyed upon hearing the guard's words.

In this unfamiliar place, being with Zhang Chen was her only sense of security. She felt a little fortunate that Zhang Chen had also made a mistake and that someone was there for her. Otherwise, she would have been all alone in this unfamiliar place and would probably have cried herself to death.

It was still winter in the north, with a cold wind blowing in the sky. The guard didn't want to stay in the cold wind any longer, so he waved to the guard who was waiting in the distance: "The men have all been counted. You sign here, and our handover is complete."

The guard who came to take over was a man with a thick beard and bulging muscles. Zhang Chen glanced at the man's muscle lines and realized that he had trained, but his cultivation level was not as high as Zhang Jun's. This man had only mastered the hidden strength.

The guard took the roster but didn't sign it immediately. Instead, he turned to the line of prisoners and said, "I am your new guard. I will be taking attendance again. Everyone whose name is called should respond with a shout."

Zhang Chen looked at the bearded man. This man was meticulous and insisted on handling everything personally. Even if the guards personally called out names in front of him, he still didn't trust him.

Zhang Chen looked at the guard again and saw that the guard's face darkened immediately, but he didn't say anything. He just stood aside with a cold face and waited for the handover.

After the bearded man finished taking attendance and confirming that everyone was accounted for, he signed the handover document. Then, his eyes swept over everyone: "I am the ward of Group 18 of Daxing Mountain Ridge. My surname is Liu. You can call me Warden Liu. From now on, I will be responsible for all your assessments and work arrangements. Now, everyone, line up in two rows and follow me out of the station."

After giving an order, the junior guard with a gun slung behind him stepped forward to guide the crowd into a line, and then the group walked out of the station.

Once everyone stepped off the platform, they saw five large trucks lined up outside, with armed soldiers standing around them. "Everyone, men and women, board the trucks separately!" Inspector Liu ordered.

There were quite a few female prisoners in the crowd.

Upon hearing this, Bai Ziling looked at Zhang Chen with a nervous expression. Zhang Chen patted her arm to comfort her, saying, "Don't be afraid. Have you forgotten my methods? No matter how far away you are, I can still keep an eye on you."

Hearing Zhang Chen's words, Bai Ziling felt a little relieved. As the large group of people boarded the vehicle, Zhang Chen's gaze swept over the crowd, and a look of surprise appeared in his eyes. He saw that dozens of young people who were not wearing shackles were also mixed in with the crowd and boarded the vehicle.

Wang Gong seemed to see Zhang Chen's doubts and said, "There is a shortage of jobs in the city now, and it is not easy for college graduates to find jobs. In order to prevent these people from being idle all day and causing trouble for the country, there is a trend of college students going to the countryside. The country is calling on those educated youth to go to the countryside. This is just the beginning. More people will go to the countryside later."

Zhang Chen was stunned upon hearing this. Wasn't this just like the "educated youth going to the countryside" from his previous life?

Indeed, this was an unavoidable trend in the steam age!
Zhang Chen's predecessor had a stable job and didn't pay attention to outside affairs, so he was unaware of this matter.

Looking into those bright, energetic eyes, the prince sighed softly, but said nothing more. Instead, he silently shrank into his clothes to avoid the cold wind.

More than fifty people were crammed into the back of the truck, very crowded, but they weren't afraid of the cold wind outside. Zhang Jun was trying his best to protect Wang Gong. The group of people huddled together in the truck to keep warm. Meanwhile, Liu, the warden, was sitting in a car, responsible for supervising from the back to prevent anyone from taking the opportunity to escape.

Behind them were more than thirty guards with guns slung over their shoulders. The group was crammed into a vehicle for escort, with the guards supervising from behind.

With the roar of truck engines, five large trucks drove off one after another, heading towards the wilderness far from the city.

Soon the vast Loulan disappeared without a trace, leaving only the bumpy road and the boundless wilderness.

The cold wind in the sky was like a knife, the sun was covered by dark clouds, and snowflakes began to fall. In just one hour, the snowflakes were already as thick as a palm, covering everyone in the car in a white blanket. Only the mist they breathed out drifted in the air, which looked quite spectacular.

The truck drove further and further into the desolate landscape, and the snow on the ground grew thicker and thicker. At this point, Li Bai complained, "Where are we being sent? Is it going to some remote, uninhabited mountain forest?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jun said, "Deep in the mountains and forests is impossible, but being exiled to the foot of those mountains and forests to mine them is possible. Those mountains and forests are uninhabited areas, containing unknown minerals and valuable trees, all of which are urgently needed by the Great Han right now. Those mountains and forests are very dangerous, infested with wolves, insects, tigers, and leopards. What we need to do is mine those mountains and forests. For every kilometer of land cleared, it will count as a merit for all of us. Then we can atone for our crimes and reduce our sentences."

"How do you know so much?" Li Bai looked at Zhang Jun in surprise, his eyes full of astonishment.

Zhang Jun smiled and said, "I asked around before I came."

“Digging in the barren mountains is very dangerous. Not to mention the wolves, tigers, leopards, and various poisonous insects in the mountains, the steep terrain alone causes many people to die every year. We need to take care of each other when we get there,” Zhang Jun said to the group, trying to win them over and encourage them to stick together for mutual support. However, no one responded to Zhang Jun’s offer. Zhang Jun’s eyes showed a hint of disappointment, but he didn’t say anything more.

Two hours into the journey, the north wind grew stronger and stronger, and the snow on the ground became thicker and thicker. Just then, the truck suddenly roared and then abruptly stalled, causing the truck to shake violently in the snow. The driver jumped out of the truck and shouted anxiously, "Inspector Liu! Inspector Liu!"

Hearing the shout, Officer Liu, who was sitting in the car, rolled down the window: "What is it?"

"The truck has broken down!" the truck driver reported anxiously.

Upon hearing this, Inspector Liu's expression immediately changed. The car had already been traveling through the snow for four hours, and they didn't know how far they were from Loulan City. If it broke down in the snow, they would have to call someone to repair it, which would take at least eight hours round trip. Moreover, with such heavy snow, it was still an unknown question whether the car could even make it out of the snow. If they were not careful, they would get stuck in the mud, and everyone would be trapped in the wilderness. Who knew how many people would freeze to death in the cold wind all night? At that point, his job as an inspector would be over, and he would definitely be dismissed from his post.

(End of this chapter)