137 Emergency Intelligence

"Excellent!"

The Qiang chieftain laughed heartily. He had long been familiar with Little White Village. If it were not for the coalition of seventeen villages led by Little White Village, the Sword and Tripod Village, which the Qiang tribes had secretly supported, would not have collapsed so quickly.

Though Sword and Tripod Village was finished, he had no intention of pursuing the matter further. Times change, and the wise adapt to circumstances. Even Little White Village, the premier village in Liangzhou, had taken the initiative to approach him, indicating that the villages across Liangzhou had long since grown disaffected with the imperial court. This made him even more confident about launching a rebellion. Furthermore, Little White Village actually carried a personal confidential letter from Zhang Jiao; who knew how deep their connection truly was?

Others might not know who Zhang Jiao was, but he, Beigong Boyu, knew very well. This man possessed profound and mysterious Daoist arts, his sect was teeming with powerful individuals, and his followers were everywhere across the land—truly terrifying to the extreme. Since Zhang Jiao was going to raise an army across the world and shoulder the immense pressure of the imperial court single-handedly, he, Beigong Boyu, would naturally seize the opportunity to accomplish great things in Liangzhou.

Beigong Boyu laughed boldly, "Ha, ha! Brave warriors, since your village chief has sent you to deliver this vital secret letter to my tribe, let us discuss matters of cooperation. Who among you is the leader?"

Spring and Autumn Young Hero had already received Zhan Xiaobai's instructions and immediately said, "I am Spring and Autumn Young Hero, an elder of Little White Village. Authorized by our village chief, I am in full charge of this cooperative negotiation. Our village chief asked me to deliver this important confidential letter to the Great Chieftain, firstly to let the Chieftain know our sincerity, earn your trust, and obtain a token from you so that we may report back. Secondly, we hope to receive some support from your esteemed tribe."

"Oh, very well then. I greatly appreciate your sincerity. I understand the meaning of the Great Teacher, and it shall be carried out without fail."

Spring and Autumn Young Hero and the members of the Light and Darkness Team felt a sudden jolt in their hearts. The Great Teacher? Could the letter just now be from Zhang Jiao? None of them had read the confidential letter, nor had they heard from Zhan Xiaobai what information was inside. They had assumed Zhan Xiaobai wrote it himself.

Beigong Boyu personally drafted a letter and handed a Qiang token to Spring and Autumn Young Hero, "This letter is written in my own hand, and this token is an important keepsake of my tribe, sufficient to let the Teacher know our sincerity. Please deliver them to the Great Teacher. The day he raises his troops will be the day I respond."

Spring and Autumn Young Hero carefully stored the letter and the Qiang token.

Beigong Boyu continued, "Since this matter is settled, let us discuss the cooperation between my tribe and your village. Normally, if player villages wish to cooperate with my tribe, they must present a pledge of allegiance—assassinating an important imperial official to prove their capability and credibility. However, since you now possess the personal confidential letter of the Great Teacher, this procedure is waived. Since your village wishes to cooperate with my tribe in raising a joint army against the imperial court, what kind of support do you hope to receive from my tribe?"

Zhan Xiaobai had not instructed Spring and Autumn Young Hero on the specific details of the negotiations, only telling him to handle things as he saw fit. Therefore, Spring and Autumn Young Hero had to make his own decisions on the spot. An idea quickly came to mind, and he said, "When raising an army, military might is naturally of the utmost importance. Otherwise, how can we survive when the imperial court comes to encircle and suppress us? Therefore, we hope to obtain some warhorses from your esteemed tribe to form a cavalry unit."

Beigong Boyu thought for a moment and asked, "How many do you need?"

Spring and Autumn Young Hero thought rapidly. Back then, the Qiang tribe had expended a great deal of supplies to support Sword and Tripod Village, even giving away a medium-sized village upgrade blueprint. Given Little White Village's current strength, the Qiang would surely agree if he asked for more horses and supplies.

He gritted his teeth and made an exorbitant demand: "Five hundred!"

Beigong Boyu was startled, then burst into laughter, "You—you young man, do you know how much grain and fodder it takes daily to feed five hundred warhorses? A single ordinary warhorse consumes eight catties of coarse grain and twelve catties of fodder a day. Five hundred horses mean four thousand catties of coarse grain and six thousand catties of fodder every single day. Even for my tribe, feeding five hundred warhorses is no easy task. Most of our warriors use ordinary horses rather than standard warhorses. Even if I wanted to give your Little White Village five hundred warhorses, I fear your village would completely collapse in less than three days, without the imperial court even needing to lift a finger."

Despite the exorbitant demand, Beigong Boyu began to appreciate the young man somewhat. Anyone who dared to ask for five hundred warhorses right off the bat must possess great ambition.

Spring and Autumn Young Hero was dumbfounded. He had thought of everything except the issue of grain and fodder. Where on earth would they get the consumption for five hundred warhorses?

Even the people behind Light and Shadow couldn't help but chuckle.

Spring and Autumn Young Hero said sheepishly, "I failed to consider this thoroughly. Please, Chieftain, tell me, how many would be appropriate?"

"Warhorses are extremely precious and cannot be given away casually. For the sake of the Great Teacher, I will gift you ten Level 30 ordinary warhorses. Upon your return, you must first build stables. Soon after, I will send men to deliver them to you, along with ten sets of complete harness and ten plow oxen. These items are gifts free of charge. If you want more, you must purchase them with coin. Ordinary warhorses cost twenty strings of copper coins each, and plow oxen cost three strings each."

Spring and Autumn Young Hero clicked his tongue in amazement. Twenty strings for one? Damn, Little White Village's entire treasury would probably struggle to buy even one. This Qiang tribe was essentially gifting Little White Village two hundred and sixty strings of copper coins. Spring and Autumn Young Hero and the others felt extremely satisfied.

Remembering another matter, he asked, "I wonder if your esteemed tribe has craftsmen you could spare? We hope you can gift a few craftsmen to Little White Village to help us develop weapons and armor."

Beigong Boyu agreed, gifting four craftsmen to Little White Village: two Qiang bow and arrow craftsmen who could craft Qiang longbows, and two Qiang leather armor craftsmen who could craft Qiang leather armor.

"When everything is fully prepared, I will send someone to notify you to raise your troops. You will only need to respond."

***

Spring and Autumn Young Hero and the others successfully concluded their negotiations with Beigong Boyu. Beigong Boyu had Spring and Autumn Young Hero sign and press his fingerprint on an agreement.

Spring and Autumn Young Hero hesitated for a moment before leaving his signature on it. He wasn't too worried; even if this signature fell into the hands of the imperial court, it would be easy for Little White Village to sever ties. He would simply take full responsibility for the matter himself.

The thin Qiang man, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, seeing that they had settled everything, now spoke up in a flattering, ingratiating whisper, "Chieftain, sir~, as for this, this humble one wonders what reward..."

Beigong Boyu chuckled and instructed his subordinates to take the thin Qiang man outside to receive his reward.

The thin Qiang man followed eagerly to collect his reward, but upon seeing it, he was deeply disappointed. The reward was merely one sheep and one string of copper coins. He couldn't help harboring secret resentment: *I expended so much effort to bridge the connection for you, and you give me such a meager reward?! Damn it, if you are unrighteous, don't blame me for being unfaithful! What name was it they mentioned? The Great Teacher? Right, that fellow, Beigong Boyu, and Little White Village are all plotting rebellion.*

He sold the sheep, tucked the copper coins into his pocket, and rushed through the night to Wuwei City, intending to report to the Administrator of Wuwei Commandery that someone was plotting rebellion. Entering the city, he found the Administrator's Manor, only to be driven away with clubs and spears by the guards at the gate. He then ran off to find the Inspector, but couldn't even find the entrance.

***

Spring and Autumn Young Hero, Behind the Light, and the others left the Qiang tribe, carrying the confidential letter, the Qiang token, and the cooperation agreement, and set off back to Little White Village. On their return journey, they were amazed to discover a herd of several hundred Level 30 wild horses roaming the grassland.

"Boss Young Hero, can those wild horses be captured?"

"Let's go!"

As soon as they approached the wild horse herd, it was instantly startled and galloped off into the distance. They tried to give chase, but failed to catch up, and could only sigh in frustration.

"Forget it, we'll talk about it later."

***

Little White Village.

Zhan Xiaobai and the others remained in the village, continuously supervising production and quietly awaiting changes in the situation. They occasionally heard of small-scale skirmishes breaking out among player villages, but these quickly subsided without the warfare spreading. The drought continued to worsen, but the anticipated war did not break out immediately.

Zhan Xiaobai, Sword Tyrant, Autumn Water, and others analyzed the situation and concluded there was likely only one reason: it was currently the harvest season. None of the villages dared to act rashly for fear that the flames of war and destructive activities would ruin the crops they had planted, which would truly lead to a collapse without a fight.

On May 25th, the harvest officially began. Early that morning, at Zhan Xiaobai's command, Li Asan immediately directed nearly 550 farmers from both Little White Village and Wutong Village to head out into the fields and rush to harvest the grain into storage. Within just a single morning, all the grain was harvested and safely stored in the granaries.

Little White Village's 492 mu of crop fields yielded a total of 19,188 catties of grain. Wutong Village's 96.3 mu of crop fields yielded 3,755 catties. All the grain was stored in Little White Village's granary, with a small portion kept in Wutong Village's warehouse. Most of the farmers were concentrated in Little White Village, with only a few remaining on standby in Wutong Village to rapidly repair various buildings.

The granary attached to Little White Village's administrative courtyard [capacity: 10,000 catties] could not hold it all, so another courtyard was built next to it to house newly constructed granaries for grain storage, accompanied by enhanced security measures, including a newly dug well within the courtyard for fire prevention and security.

Daoist Wu of the Grass Temple suddenly rushed over in a panic, finding Zhan Xiaobai, who was personally supervising the construction of the granaries, and shouted, "Village Chief, something terrible has happened!"

Zhan Xiaobai asked curiously, "What terrible thing?"

Daoist Wu hurriedly replied, "This Daoist observed the celestial phenomena in the dead of night and discovered abnormal signs in the heavens—extremely subtle ones. After three hundred and sixty cycles of repeated divination, I have finally reached a conclusion: a massive upheaval in the heavens is imminent!"

Daoist Wu's words almost choked Zhan Xiaobai with anger. With months of drought, even an idiot knew a major change in the weather was coming. Did that really require observing celestial phenomena?

Zhan Xiaobai amusedly asked, "Daoist Wu, did your observation of the celestial phenomena yield any other conclusions?"

Daoist Wu shook his head, "No. Even though I know a heavenly change is coming, as for how it will change, my cultivation is too shallow to calculate it. Perhaps the Village Chief has some profound insights?"

Intent on toying with him and pointing him toward a "bright path," Zhan Xiaobai said, "Then I suggest you stand out under the blazing sun for two double-hours, and you will understand precisely how the heavens are changing."

***

Daoist Wu was baffled. Was this another method of Daoist cultivation? Oh well, he had nothing else to do; he might as well try it right away.

Before Daoist Wu had a chance to test Zhan Xiaobai's "new method," Li Asan hurried over to report once more, his face beaming with joy as he shouted, "Lord, wonderful news! All twenty wells in our village have been successfully dug, and to my surprise, one of them is gushing sweet spring water! This is an auspicious omen from the heavens! This old man has never witnessed such a heavenly sign in all his life."

Zhan Xiaobai was surprised. "What is sweet spring water used for?"

"What? Sweet spring water?" Daoist Wu exclaimed in pleasant surprise, grabbing Li Asan by the arm. "Old Li, you can't be serious?!"

Li Asan immediately retorted angrily, "Daoist Wu, would this old man lie to you?!"

Daoist Wu was overjoyed. "Old Li, take me to see it immediately! This is a rare treasure!"

Li Asan hurriedly led Zhan Xiaobai and Daoist Wu to view the well that was gushing sweet spring water.

The well was located not far from the Grass Temple. Many players and NPCs were already gathered around it, cheering in joyous surprise. A well-sweep had been erected, and people were busily drawing buckets of water to drink.

"Wow, drinking a mouthful is so refreshing!"

"It actually restores stamina directly! This water is too overpowered!"

"Brewing tea with this water will be exceptionally delicious," the Tea Master praised after taking a careful sip of the spring water by the well.

When Zhan Xiaobai, Li Asan, and the others arrived, the crowd quickly made way.

Zhan Xiaobai looked into the well, where clear, icy-cold spring water was bubbling up continuously. He quickly drew a bucket of the well water to inspect it directly, and was immediately stunned.

*Sweet Spring Water: Supreme-grade subterranean spring water. Consuming it directly restores +2 stamina.*

The effect was truly miraculous. Drinking a few sops could directly restore stamina—even more powerful than steamed buns or rolls.

Seeing Zhan Xiaobai struck dumb with astonishment, Daoist Wu hastily snatched the bucket from his hands and took a large gulp. Immediately, he became so ecstatic he began dancing about, "It truly is rare sweet spring water! This water aids in expelling illness and boosting vital energy, and it is immensely beneficial for cultivation! Haha! My Talismanic Incantation Grand Art finally has hope of being successfully mastered~."

Clutching the bucket of sweet spring water, Daoist Wu scurried back to his Grass Temple to study his spells. The spells he knew were extraordinarily complex, encompassing all manner of Daoist arts and talismans; it was only a pity his cultivation was far too shallow for him to put the good spells into practice.

As Zhan Xiaobai was considering how to handle the well, A-Fei rushed over with several players and reported urgently, "Big Brother, I've discovered critical intelligence."

Zhan Xiaobai asked, "What intelligence?"

Seeing the complex mixture of players around, A-Fei quickly pulled Zhan Xiaobai aside to a secluded spot. "Big Brother, regarding the sixteen villages you ordered us to keep under close surveillance, important intelligence has just been uncovered from one of them by Little Zhuo and his team."

A player stepped out from behind him—it was none other than Little Zhuo, Little White Village's expert scout for gathering classified military intelligence.

Little Zhuo cupped his fists in report, "Boss Little White, I discovered that one village has already established contact with a certain Qiang tribe. They appear to want to acquire machinery such as axles and catapult ropes from the Qiang tribe. However, the specific progress is kept under tight confidentiality, so I wasn't able to find out clearly."

"Which village?"

"Tiger and Leopard Village!"