Chapter 52

Standing before the stone tablet in front of the feudal lord’s residence, Chu Tian upgraded Xia Town to a Level 2 town.

Although the requirements for a Level 2 town were much more complicated, comprising the renovation of client villages, Chu Tian managed to fulfill all the requirements for a Level 2 town before the first historical warfare began.

“Player, now that your town has been upgraded, your area of jurisdiction will encompass the nearby Level 3 village, Xiaozhu Village. You can choose to merge with, destroy, or avoid Xiaozhu Village.”

Chu Tian was faced with another choice after he decided to upgrade Xia Town.

When Xia Village was upgraded to a Level 1 town, it was not directly adjoined with Xiaozhu Village yet. However, as Xia Town continued to expand, it was inevitably faced with the problem of merging different territories.

“Merge.”

Chu Tian made Xiaozhu Village an area under Xia Town’s jurisdiction, which meant that there would be no more Xiaozhu Village.

The territorial area of Xia Town began to expand. Along the Yi River, it was expanded to Xiaozhu Village in the North, forming a larger town.

[Territory]: Xia Town (Level 2 town)

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

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

[Specialties]: Crude celadon (Level E specialty), crude bronze mirrors (Level E specialty), rice wine (Level D specialty), freshwater fish from the Yi River (Level D specialty), Shandong garlics (Level D specialty), find raw silk (Level C specialty), fine silk cloth (Level C specialty), top-grade lonicera (Level B specialty)

[Population]: 8021/10000

[Popular sentiment]: 75

[Public security]: 78

[Level of prosperity]: 3107/8000

[Administrative efficiency]: 21/100

[Agricultural efficiency]: 34/100

[Economic efficiency]: 36/100

[Cultural efficiency]: 24/100

[City defense works]: Mid-grade rammed earth walls (4.5 meters in height, 6.5 meters in base width. Defense power of soldiers on city walls +2, can effectively reduce damage inflicted by arrows.)

[New constructions]: Level 2 guild hall (increases chances of merchants and trading contingents stationing in the territory), Level 3 courier station (increases speed at which messages are conveyed)

[Client villages and towns]: 2/6 (Shangbi Village, Yunlai Village)

Chu Tian was more or less surprised. The overall economic efficiency of Xia Town was greatly enhanced due to the merger with Xiaozhu Village, and the population had skyrocketed to 8000 people at once, fulfilling the population requirement for upgrading to a Level 3 town.

In other words, if the level of prosperity was raised and the other requirements were fulfilled, they would be able to upgrade to a Level 3 town soon.

The amount of Xia Town’s client quotas had increased to six, only two of which were being used at the moment.

Immediately, Chu Tian made Lingyan Town, which was occupied by Chu Tian’s forces, into a client of Xia Town. This gave Xia Town one town and two villages, for a total of three client territories. Lingyan Town had also taken control of three client villages, which meant that Xia Town now had control over one town and five villages.

The Eastern Han was slightly different from other civilizations.

The basic territorial principle of the Vatican region was “the clients of my client aren’t my clients”, whereas the Eastern Han upheld the principle “every inch of land under the sky belongs to the King”.

As a feudal lord of the Eastern Han, Chu Tian could just as well take control of the villages under the jurisdiction of Lingyan Town through it, even allocating the client villages of Lingyan Town under the direct jurisdiction of Xia Town at will.

In other words, regimes differed from one civilization to another, so the extent of control on the client territories was also different.

The two new, randomly added constructions were a Level 2 guild hall and a Level 3 courier station. The guild hall was an economic building, used to attract merchants and trading contingents to congregate in Xia Town. The Level 3 courier station could establish branch stations in the client territories and used horses to convey messages. After being upgraded to the highest level, the courier station could deliver urgent messages from up to 800 miles away.

Due to the complete takeover of Xiaozhu Village, Xia Town possessed many more new constructions now. Among them, Chu Tian was most concerned about the Level 3 mulberry farms, textile factories, and dye houses, which had formed a complete line of silk production that began with silkworm-breeding and went all the way to dyeing. Silk was a precious thing, one that was not in any way inferior to a gold quarry, bringing in a stable sum of income every month.

Xiaozhu area, which was prosperous in terms of economy, would very likely become the future market area of Xia Town.

After the merger, the coverage of the city walls still lay within the original core region of Xia Town. When an invasion took place, they could either fight against the powerful enemies outside the gates of the town, or temporarily give up the region beyond the city walls and hide within the city itself. However, that indicated a worst-case scenario- if no aid came from the outside, a city under siege would most likely perish.

“Ding! You are the 21st feudal lord in the Eastern Han to upgrade your town to Level 2. You have received a golden recruitment order.”

The 21st Level 2 town?

Chu Tian remembered that Xia Town was the 52nd Level 1 town, but it was now ranked the 21st Level 2 town. It’s ranking was going up.

Another golden recruitment order was in hand now.

Lingyan Town had been taken over by Xia Town. Thus, the Grade 1 light cavalry and the Grade 2 elite light cavalry recruited by the Level 2 cavalry camp of Lingyan Town could be put to use now.

[Army type]: Elite light cavalry

[Status]: Grade 2 cavalry

[Attack power]: 13 [Defense power]: 6 [Speed]: 21

[Skills]: Mid-grade reconnaissance, low-grade riding and archery, low-grade speed-riding

[Characteristic]: A thousand riders sweeping across the hill (Level E characteristic, when a hero of the cavalry line takes command, total attribute +1)

[Wages]: 3 taels/ month

[Mandatory equipment]: Low-grade warhorses (silver-level), knives and swords

The elite light cavalry had to be equipped with low-grade warhorses, which were more expensive than ordinary warhorses. Ordinary warhorses were not even within the scope of grading, but low-grade warhorses were.

Being short on low-grade warhorses, Chu Tian did not train Grade 2 cavalries. He could utilize the Level 2 pasture of Lingyan Town to cultivate ordinary warhorses or low-grade warhorses later on.

Rearing horses was a skill, and it took a certain period of time to raise a pony to a warhorse. Chu Tian could also purchase warhorses from other places to be bred in the Level 2 pastures, as centralized management could reduce the expenditure required for rearing horses. As far as Xia Town was concerned, saving the cost of horse-rearing was equivalent to an extra sum of income.

Xia Town, along with Yunlai Village and Shangbi Village, had a population of 11,000. Combined with Lingyan Town and its three client villages, which consisted of 6,000 people, there were 17,000 people all together.

According to the 1:17 ratio, Chu Tian thought that it was easier to provide for a thousand professional soldiers.

In the first historical warfare, “Riot of the Yellow Turbans”, those who could afford to send a thousand professional soldiers would already be considered great feudal lords, which only a handful could manage.

Cavalries could not be treated the same as infantries and archers. The cost of raising a cavalry alone would cover the cost of several infantries.

“Ding! Achievement system- the follow-up series of ‘Enrich a Country, Strengthen an Army’ has been unlocked. You have completed the Level D branch achievement, ‘Three Thousand Households’, and are rewarded a construction drawing of the hall of loyalty (Level 5).”

Chu Tian browsed the achievement missions and found out that there was a series of achievements called “Enrich a Country, Strengthen an Army”. The first mission in this series, “I am the Lord,” had been completed while building the village, and “Three Thousand Households” was one of the follow-up missions.

Currently, the achievement system consisted of three great series achievements: “Enrich a Country, Strengthen an Army,””Chaotic Times,” and “Civil Ministers and Warriors”, which corresponded with territorial development, external expansion, and collection of heroes.

The hall of loyalty turned out to be a Level 5 construction drawing, which was of higher status than the Level 3 fish market that Xia Town currently had. If the hall of loyalty was built, not only would it bring about special effects, it could even increase the prosperity level of Xia Town, helping it strive to become a Level 3 town.