Chapter 38

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation

Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

[Territory]: Xia Town (Level 1 town)

[Feudal lord]: Chu Tian (Grade 4 Bugeng)

[Jurisdiction]: Langya Nation, Xu Prefecture, Eastern Han

[Specialties]: Crude celadon (Level E specialty), rice wine (Level D specialty), freshwater fish from the Yi River (Level D specialty)

[Population]: 2021/5000

[Popular sentiment]: 79

[Public security]: 81

[Prosperity level]: 534/3000

[Administrative efficiency]: 15/100

[Agricultural efficiency]: 31/100

[Economic efficiency]: 19/100

[Cultural efficiency]: 17/100

[Military score]: 1652

[City defense works]: Low-grade rammed earth city walls (4.5 meters in height, 5 meters in base width, defense power of soldiers on city walls +2, can reduce harm inflicted by arrows)

[New constructions]: Level 2 arsenal (stocks weapons, armors, attack appliances and defense appliances, can reduce damage rate of weapons), Level 3 archers’ camp (can recruit professional archers)

[Client village]: 0/4

…

Due to the high military score of Xia Village, it was directly rated as an important military town by the system, so two military constructions were added.

Unexpectedly, there was a Level 3 archers’ camp that specially recruited professional archers.

Infantrymen trained in the infantry camp were able to shoot arrows too, just like how the infantry could fight on water on boats. However, there would also be a decline in their attributes.

Similarly, archers could engage in close-quarters combat, but their combat power would not be as strong as the infantrymen.

The drawing of a Level 3 archers’ camp cost at least 100 units of silver, which also saved him the construction materials and expenses.

As for the Level 2 arsenal, it was also a practical construction. It served to reduce the damage rate of weapons, which was equivalent to saving the cost of their maintenance.

Currently, the weapons and forage of Xia Village were stored in the same warehouse. From now on, it would have its own arsenal to house the weapons.

Chu Tian didn’t want to take the military route of the Spartan civilization in the beginning. However, in order to defend himself amidst the raging chaos of the world, he had no choice but to develop powerful troops.

“Ding! Feudal lord ‘I Just Want to Farm’ has requested to merge his own territory with yours. Your territory ‘Xiaozhu Village’ will become the client village of ‘Xia Town’, and you would lose the right to your lordship. Please consider the consequences with caution before making your decision.”

Xia Tianliang received the merger request from Chu Tian.

“I accept.”

“Ding! You have lost your territory, ‘Xiaozhu Village.’ Please choose your developmental goal again.”

“Civil minister.”

Xia Tianliang had lost her feudal lord identity and had chosen to become a talent in internal affairs, one of the civil ministers.

The biggest beneficiary was Chu Tian, who received an intact, undamaged, Level 3 village. The development of Xiaozhu Village was surprisingly very impressive.

[Territory]: Xiaozhu Village (Level 3 village)

[Feudal lord]: Chu Tian (Level 4 Bugeng)

[Jurisdiction]: Xia Town

[Specialties]: Fine raw silk (Level C specialty), fine silk cloth (Level C specialty), Shandong garlics (Level D specialty), crude bronze mirrors (Level E specialty)

[Population]: 1721/2000

[Popular sentiment]: 82

[Public security]: 70

[Level of prosperity]: 491/500

[Administrative efficiency]: 13/100

[Agricultural efficiency]: 17/100

[Economic efficiency]: 35/100

[Cultural efficiency]: 15/100

[Military score]: 895

[Value of blessings]: 10/100

[City defense works]: Wooden fences, cob walls

[Existing constructions]: Level 3 rice shops, Level 2 spawn shops, Level 2 private banks, Level 3 commerce centers, Level 3 mulberry gardens, Level 2 textile factories…

Xiaozhu Village had placed its focus on economic development, whereas Xia Town was inclined toward military and agriculture. The two happened to complement each other.

Although the military strength of Xiaozhu Village wasn’t great, their prosperity level followed right on the heels of Xia Village due to its booming economy. The fact that Xiaozhu Village had Level C specialties surprised Chu Tian greatly.

Raw silk and silk cloth were inexhaustible mountains of wealth.

The capital-amassing ability of the private banks and the purchase proficiency of the commerce centers could promote the economic development of the territories.

“Xiaozhu Village is about to be upgraded to a town. I didn’t expect you to be willing to merge with Xia Town,” Chu Tian stated, somewhat surprised. The development of Xiaozhu Village was by no means inferior to his own.

Xia Tianliang spread her hands in a seemingly helpless gesture, “No matter how prosperous the economy gets, without enough strength to defend ourselves, we’ll still get gobbled up by someone else. The Song Dynasty was prosperous in terms of economy, right? Wasn’t it bullied by Jin, Liao, Yuan, and even the Western Xia too? You are the feudal lord of one of the largest territories in Xu Prefecture and you happen to be right beside my village,so what other options do I have?”

“Erhem…”

She made it sound as though Chu Tian was a big evildoer who bullied neighboring villages.

In fact, the chances of merging with other feudal lords peacefully weren’t that high. Xiaozhu Village only accepted the merger because it didn’t have the capacity to retaliate. In the future, if he ever encountered ambitious feudal lords, he supposed they would either be at daggers drawn, or they would have to form an alliance.

Merging with Xiaozhu Village had resulted in tremendous benefits. The total prosperity level of Xia Town had risen to 1025, which helped make it third place in Xu Prefecture.

If the two leading feudal lords hadn’t had more than client villages, he could have achieved an even higher rank.

The feudal lord of Xiaozhu Village had switched from Xia Tianliang to Chu Tian as well. Meanwhile, Chu Tian had appointed Xia Tianliang as the chief of Xiaozhu Village.

Chu Tian could interfere directly with the development of Xiaozhu Village now, or he could instruct Xia Tianliang to take the development in the direction he intended, which was like appointing his armies. After all, it was impossible for the feudal lord to take care of each and every territory under his jurisdiction.

If he had to do everything by himself, he would pass away before he triumphed, just as Zhuge Liang did.

“I’m heading back to Xiaozhu Village now. What other commands do you have for me, sir feudal lord?” Xia Tianliang taunted him on purpose.

“Dispatch a hundred fit young men from Xiaozhu Village, I want to train all of them into professional soldiers,” Chu Tian gave his very first order to his client village.

“Sir feudal lord, why do you need filibusters? If we carry on with that, the economy will probably be compromised.”

“There’s a water village 10 kilometers to the South of Xia Town, which I want to destroy. I also intend to attack Level 3 villages in the vicinity. A Level 1 town has four quotas for client villages, and Xiaozhu Village has only occupied one of them. In other words, there are three more villages I can conquer.”

“I will comply with your command, sir feudal lord.”

After getting to understand Chu Tian’s purpose, Xia Tianliang showed her support.

The other Level 3 villages might not be willing to surrender, and even if they did, they might not be loyal… Unless he had great military power that would make them succumb sincerely.

“You don’t have to address me as sir feudal lord. We were once allies, after all. This can be considered a privilege of yours, for having contributed Xiaozhu Village.”

“Yes, sir feudal lord.”

Chu Tian could only respond with silence.

Before Xia Tianliang returned to Xiaozhu Village, she made a special trip to the Level 4 fish market as she was very interested in the economy of Xia Town. She found out that the fish market, which could accommodate several hundred stalls, only had a few dozen fishmongers from Xia Town.

“It can’t just be a building without publicity. Let me help you think of ways to attract residents from nearby villages, towns, and cities here.”

Upon seeing the desolation of the fish market, Xia Tianliang immediately thought of ways to help Xia Town invigorate its trading.

“A Level 3 commerce center has two quotas for establishing branches, one of which has been established in Langya City. I’ll have the commerce center establish the other one in Xia Town. The private bank has one branch quota as well, so we’ll build a branch in Xia Town to help you accumulate wealth from the public.”

Upon listening to Xia Tianliang’s detailed plans, Chu Tian realized that he had stumbled upon another genius in business after Li Kui, who was a genius in agriculture and law.