102. Map of the Jiang Clan’s Soaring Phoenix Village

After consulting with the elders, Zhan Xiaobai decided to meet the NPC Pei Yuanshao in person. For one thing, he wanted to find out why Pei Yuanshao had summoned him; for another, he hoped to ask Pei Yuanshao for a favor.

At the third watch of the night, Zhan Xiaobai, the Young Hero of Spring and Autumn, A Fei, and more than a dozen players serving as guards made their way through the darkness to a small river crossing three miles away. Pei Yuanshao was already waiting on the opposite bank with Cheng Jian, the second-in-command of the mounted bandits, and several underlings.

They crossed the river by raft, and the two groups finally met.

The NPC Pei Yuanshao burst into hearty laughter. “Village Chief Xiaobai, you certainly have courage. You dare come meet an old bandit chief like me—a man who kills without blinking—even in the dead of night. Aren’t you afraid something might happen?”

Zhan Xiaobai stepped forward with a smile. “How could I refuse when Chief Pei summoned me? Though we are not well acquainted, I do trust your character. May I ask what important matter prompted you to seek me out?”

“Good. Then I’ll get straight to the point. We’ve plundered too much grain these past few days and have nowhere to store it. It’s becoming a real nuisance. So I’d like to borrow your granary. We’ll deposit grain at the beginning of each month and collect it at the end. What do you think?”

Zhan Xiaobai froze. Pei Yuanshao wanted to borrow his granary? Could something like that really work?

The Young Hero of Spring and Autumn hurriedly whispered, “Big Brother, this benefits us and harms us in no way. I think you should agree.”

Zhan Xiaobai nodded. In any case, it would cost him nothing and involve no risk. It merely meant setting aside a small extra space within the village. He agreed at once.

Pei Yuanshao was extremely pleased. The village chief was indeed a man who understood the times. He had accepted this troublesome arrangement without requiring any persuasion.

“Excellent. You’re refreshingly straightforward. In that case, I offer you my thanks! Old Pei owes you a favor today, and I will certainly repay it in the future. I’ll send some of the grain over tonight.”

Pei Yuanshao cupped his hands in gratitude and turned to leave with his men.

Seeing him depart, Zhan Xiaobai grew anxious. His own matter had not yet been settled. He hurriedly called out, “Chief Pei, I have a favor to ask. Could you help me with a small matter?”

Pei Yuanshao reined in his horse and burst out laughing. “A debt incurred in spring is repaid just as quickly! What is it? Tell me. If there’s anything old Pei can do, I’ll certainly lend a hand.”

“It’s nothing major,” Zhan Xiaobai said. “I want to send a shipment of goods to a village a hundred miles away, but there are too many villages along the route, and I’m worried something might happen. So I’d like to ask Chief Pei to transport it for me.”

Pei Yuanshao was about to agree immediately, but then he thought of White Peak Village’s strength. It was by no means weak among the surrounding villages. Why would they be afraid of being robbed? There had to be something unusual about this shipment.

With a measure of caution, he asked, “What sort of goods?”

Zhan Xiaobai explained, “A shipment of ordinary materials—animal hides, timber, ore, medicinal herbs, and the like. They aren’t worth much individually; there are simply too many of them, making them difficult to transport on foot. Since Chief Pei has a large number of horses at his disposal, I hoped you might help me move them. The entire shipment can be delivered in a single day, so it won’t delay you.”

“If they really are just ordinary materials, helping you transport them is no great hardship. We can consider it repayment for the favor of borrowing your granary. Then neither of us will owe the other anything.”

Zhan Xiaobai was delighted. “Many thanks for your assistance, Chief Pei. I’m in a hurry to deliver the goods. Would it be all right to set out tomorrow morning?”

Pei Yuanshao agreed and departed with his bandit underlings. As they were leaving, the second-in-command, Cheng Jian, gave Zhan Xiaobai several arrogant snorts and shouted threateningly, “You’d better be careful! If even a pound of grain goes missing, I’ll hold you accountable!”

Only then did he spur his horse into a wild gallop.

After Cheng Jian had gone, A Fei spat disdainfully. “Hmph! What’s he so proud of? Back then, we beat him until he was utterly routed, fleeing for his life with his tail between his legs! Now that he’s found himself a powerful boss, he dares to swagger again.”

Zhan Xiaobai chuckled and led the people of White Peak Village home. They hastily put up a temporary shed in the administrative courtyard to serve as a grain warehouse.

That very night, the mounted bandits delivered the first thousand pounds of grain, which they stored inside White Peak Village.

The next day, before dawn, one hundred and fifty mounted bandits loaded the large shipment of raw materials that White Peak Village had prepared and set off for the Jiang Family Village, a hundred miles away. Zhan Xiaobai rode alongside them on a relay horse, personally accompanying the goods to complete the transaction.

The mounted bandits’ intimidation was truly formidable. Whenever the villages along the route heard the thunder of their hooves and saw the clouds of dust rising behind them, they immediately shut their gates. Not even the shadow of a player could be seen in the wilderness, much less anyone daring to attempt a robbery.

By the time the bandit group reached the Jiang Family Village, the entire settlement had already been alerted. Its gates were closed, and every militia member stood ready within the wooden palisade, armed with spears and bows. Nearly five hundred militiamen would not be enough to launch an attack, but they were more than sufficient to defend the village.

Worried that a misunderstanding might arise, Zhan Xiaobai asked Pei Yuanshao to halt two miles away. He went ahead alone to explain the situation to the Jiang Family Village.

The old village chief, Jiang Huai, personally climbed the watchtower with several militia captains to observe the approaching stranger. When he saw Zhan Xiaobai, he was deeply astonished. First, he could not understand where Zhan Xiaobai had obtained so many cavalrymen. Second, he felt a measure of fear toward them. He shouted, “Village Chief Xiaobai, why have you brought such a large force of cavalry to my Jiang Family Village? Is there some grudge between our villages that requires such a show of force?”

Zhan Xiaobai put on a little act and deliberately avoided explaining the cavalrymen’s true origins. He merely called out, “Old Chief Jiang, you misunderstand! These men are only helping me transport raw materials. I’ve arranged for them to wait two miles away, so you may rest assured. Our two villages are allies, and we would never take any action against your village.”

The old chief relaxed slightly, though he did not dare let down his guard. “So that is how it is. This old man misunderstood. Village Chief Xiaobai, simply place the raw materials beneath the wall outside the village. I will send people to collect them.”

Zhan Xiaobai nodded and returned to where Pei Yuanshao was waiting two miles away.

“Chief Pei, unload the raw materials outside the village wall. The people inside will handle everything else.”

Pei Yuanshao gazed at the Jiang Family Village in the distance. Its defenses were so orderly that he could not find a single place to attack. Even approaching the village would be extremely difficult. There were too many basic watchtowers within the inner perimeter, and they covered every blind spot.

He could not help feeling shocked. “What is the origin of this village? How did it establish such impressive defenses?”

Zhan Xiaobai put on another little performance and smiled. “It is an allied village. I’ve brought this large shipment of raw materials to exchange for goods with them.”

Pei Yuanshao nodded approvingly and replied courteously, “I see. No wonder White Peak Village ranks among the strongest in the Longyou region, with a village this powerful as an ally. Very well, let’s unload the goods.”

Pei Yuanshao did not dare bring his men and horses any closer to the walls of the Jiang Family Village. Instead, they unloaded the goods beyond the range of the basic watchtowers. Then he bid farewell to Zhan Xiaobai and withdrew swiftly, intending to force the villages along the route to offer up their grain.

Only after the mounted bandits had completely disappeared did Old Chief Jiang Huai lead nearly a hundred people out of the village. Some began carrying the goods, while the rest remained on guard.

Jiang Huai walked toward Zhan Xiaobai and laughed heartily. “Village Chief Xiaobai, you truly keep your word. In only three or four days, you’ve gathered all the goods. I’m impressed!”

“Not at all,” Zhan Xiaobai replied with a smile. “Please have the old chief count everything. There should be exactly one hundred strings of coins. In addition, there are fifteen hundred pounds of grain and two hundred pounds of high-grade iron ore. As for the thousand units of timber, that is somewhat troublesome. I can only bring people to deliver it tomorrow.”

The old chief did not want the cavalrymen appearing near the village again, so he hurriedly waved his hands.

“That won’t be necessary. A thousand units of timber are worth no more than one or two strings of coins, and the transportation cost would probably exceed the value of the wood itself. We can make up the difference in a future transaction.”

He took a blueprint from inside his robe and handed it to Zhan Xiaobai.

“This blueprint belongs to you now, Village Chief Xiaobai.”

Zhan Xiaobai accepted it excitedly. At last, he had obtained the upgrade blueprint. He looked down at the design.

“Blueprint for Upgrading a Small Village into a Medium Village—Jiang Clan Soaring Phoenix Village Design.”
Designer: Jiang Jiong.

“All medium-grade buildings may be constructed. The village’s various functions will increase dramatically. The special effects possessed by the original small village will be retained.

“Requirements for Use:
1. Construct fifteen basic buildings with different functions.
2. The village chief must be level twenty and possess thirty reputation points.
3. One hundred villagers.
4. One upgrade blueprint.

“Effect: This blueprint was specially designed to strengthen defenses. Its overall defensive effectiveness is thirty percent higher than that of an ordinary medium village.

“New Additional Special Effect: Grants one special building [???].”

=============

Answers to Three Questions

1. Regarding the fact that it is currently March of the year 180, while the Yellow Turban Rebellion will not occur until the year 184, leaving a gap of four years:

There is no need to worry about this. Baili has already devised a good solution to the problem. The answer will be revealed in later chapters. The time remaining for the villages to develop will also be condensed to roughly one year, so White Peak Village’s upgrade mission will become extremely urgent.

2. Regarding the upcoming plot:

In another chapter or two, the small village will be upgraded into a medium village. After that comes the second volume of this book: The Warlords of Liangzhou.

The various plotlines will fully unfold: the rebellion of the Qiang and Di tribes in Xiliang, the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the imperial court’s suppression campaign, the players’ development, and the fierce battles that will erupt between player villages competing for the limited town positions. All of these plotlines will begin at the same time.

The stage of this volume will encompass the entire Xiliang region. The NPC warlords will all take part in the heated development, territorial struggles, and battles.

3. Regarding VIP access:

It is expected to be released this weekend, and the update rate will naturally become much faster. Everyone, please prepare your starting-point VIP access within the next two or three days; otherwise, you will miss the exciting content!

Baili!