Chapter 547: Chihu Ridge, Zhang Yiqing’s Unease |
Evergreen Valley lies to the south of Mo'ao Mountain, stretching north to south. The entire valley is over 200 kilometers in depth, with an average width of about 40 kilometers from east to west.
Qinghua City is at the northern valley mouth, while the Bone-Erosion Path is at the deepest southern end. These two places, one north and one south, sandwich the entire Evergreen Valley region in between.
For this campaign, Caiqiu mobilized a total of 200,000 troops. Qinghua City alone certainly couldn't muster so many, so forces had to be mobilized from the four major prefectural cities and even from multiple locations within Caiqiu Town itself.
Two hundred thousand soldiers converged from all corners of the land, first assembling at Qinghua City, then entering Evergreen Valley, marching south all the way to the Bone-Erosion Path. Only after finally passing through the Bone-Erosion Path and reaching the Southern Foothills territory could they formally engage the Xia troops.
The speed of an army's march is influenced by many factors, such as the size of the force, the environment, climate, road conditions, whether there are any Trickery methods enhancing it, the strategic planning level of the commanding generals, whether the soldiers have regular training in this aspect, and so on...
Among the numerous factors affecting marching speed, roads are undoubtedly the one with the greatest impact.
With the strength of the Warmth Realm, most surfaces in the Ice Abyss likely wouldn't hinder them much even without any roadwork. However, an army is a collective organization, unlike individuals. You can't just let all the soldiers run wild like untamed horses.
Furthermore, during a march, it's not just people moving. Provisions, fodder, equipment, and all military supplies are the real bulk, and in a way, these things are more important than the soldiers themselves. Any problem with them is a major issue, so no carelessness is allowed.
Military supplies are generally loaded onto human-pulled carts, which imposes even higher demands on the roads.
With bad roads, the marching speed naturally struggles to pick up.
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In the central region of Evergreen Valley lies a north-south trending mountain ridge. A massive oval-shaped peak rises high at its northern end, resembling a tiger's head. The middle section winds and undulates for over twenty miles, like a slightly arched tiger's back. The southern end features a curved depression, like a long tail, hence the name Red Tiger Ridge.
Located in the central part of Evergreen Valley, Red Tiger Ridge naturally isn't particularly famous. Its entire territory comprises five villages: Tiger Head, Iron Hill, Central Valley, Lower Hill, and Tiger Tail Village, all distributed along the western side of the ridge.
Perhaps the most well-known aspect of Red Tiger Ridge is that when Qinghua City initially planned and built the official road in Evergreen Valley, the endpoint coincidentally was set here.
The road Qinghua City was willing to spend effort conscripting laborers to build was of extraordinary specifications. The various types of timber, stone, and iron materials consumed during construction aside, the Prefectural Guard Army was routinely dispatched for maintenance, representing no small investment.
Investment is for returns. Qinghua City building roads ultimately aimed to extract resources. Generally, where the road was built signified where the Feudal Town's Administration Office extended its jurisdiction.
Although Red Tiger Ridge only had five villages, being located at the official road's endpoint unexpectedly made it the trading hub for all villages in the southern Evergreen Valley region. So, while its fame was limited in the north, it was a resounding name in the south.
Especially the southernmost Tiger Tail Village. For all villages in the south wanting to purchase better cultivation resources or barter goods, coming here was basically a necessity.
The villages in southern Evergreen Valley were already neglected by Qinghua City, weak in strength, and couldn't offer any scarce resources. Coming to Tiger Tail Village was, to put it nicely, a trade; to put it bluntly, it was begging.
Since everyone coming to Tiger Tail Village had favors to ask, Tiger Tail Village's status naturally rose accordingly. They might be nothing in the north, mere ants in the eyes of Qinghua City, but in the eyes of the major southern villages, they were the undisputed overlords.
Under such circumstances, how comfortable the life of Tiger Tail Village's leader, Zhang Yiqing, was didn't require much guessing.
Tiger Tail Village had a population of eighty thousand. In terms of population size, it was definitely one of the largest villages in Evergreen Valley. The largest surnames in the village were Hu and Zhang.
Originally, the Hu clan's power overshadowed the Zhang clan's. The previous leader had been surnamed Hu. However, the situation changed completely ten years ago when Zhang Kuang, the head of the Zhang clan, became a Deputy Commander-in-Chief in Qinghua City's Prefectural Guard Army.
Under Caiqiu's military system, a Commander-in-Chief commanded an army of two thousand men. These two thousand were divided into four battalions: Front, Center, Left, and Right, each with 500 men. The Front, Left, and Right battalions were led by three Battalion Commanders respectively. The Center Battalion was the most special; nominally under the direct command of the Commander-in-Chief, but since the Commander-in-Chief was the army's leader, he naturally wouldn't spend too much effort leading it directly. So, the Center Battalion was usually managed by the Deputy Commander-in-Chief.
Zhang Kuang's experience was also legendary. His deeds were already widely known throughout Tiger Tail Village, and even many people in the other four villages of Red Tiger Ridge had heard of him.
He made a name for himself young, breaking through to the Warmth Realm at eighteen. His Martial Arts talent was extremely high, and his aspirations were not ordinary. He went to Qinghua City early to seek his fortune. In his early twenties, by chance, he caught the eye of a noble and entered a wealthy household as a servant.
Legend has it that Zhang Kuang worked diligently and without complaint in the noble's mansion for over ten years. Seeing his reliability and loyalty, the noble gave him an opportunity to participate in the selection for Qinghua City's Prefectural Guard Army.
When the opportunity came, Zhang Kuang seized it. That year, at thirty-four, he not only successfully passed the selection but did so with a ranking in the top ten. Upon entering the army, he immediately started as a Team Leader.
In the following decade, Zhang Kuang performed exceptionally well in the army. Coupled with the noble's support on the side, his strength grew increasingly powerful, and his rank climbed steadily—from Team Leader to scout, to Deputy Battalion Commander, to Battalion Commander, until ten years ago, he was promoted in one leap to Deputy Commander-in-Chief, successfully joining the army's upper echelons and even entering noble status. From then on, he became a notable figure in Qinghua City as well.
When one person attains the Way, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.
The Zhang clan, originally an obscure small family in the village, continuously eroded the village's authority as Zhang Kuang's status rose. Ten years ago, when Zhang Kuang was promoted to Deputy Commander-in-Chief, the Hu clan patriarch was so frightened he directly handed over the leader position.
And at that time, the one who took over the leader position was Zhang Yiqing.
Zhang Kuang had over thirty grandsons. Zhang Yiqing was one of them, and moreover, one who wasn't particularly valued.
Think about it. With Zhang Kuang's current status in Qinghua City, if he valued someone, why would he send them to a small place like Tiger Tail Village? Arranging a position in any Qinghua City government office would be more comfortable than living here.
So, when Zhang Yiqing first came to Tiger Tail Village, he was unhappy.
But no matter how unhappy, he could only obey the family's arrangements.
The Zhang family was originally an unknown small household in Tiger Tail Village. But ever since Grandfather Zhang Kuang entered noble status and gained a firm foothold in Qinghua City, the Zhang clan stepped onto the stage and began emulating the ways of the wealthy and powerful clans in Qinghua City.
Him coming to Tiger Tail Village was, to put it bluntly, managing the family's external assets for them. Tiger Tail Village's annual income was only about two hundred thousand taels. After deducting the portion submitted to the Administration Office, at most fifty thousand taels remained.
The Zhang clan hadn't been prosperous for long and couldn't compare to other wealthy families. Even a mosquito's leg is meat, so naturally they had to secure it, hence sending a Direct Clan Member over.
Zhang Yiqing came with resentment, constantly thinking about returning to Qinghua City. How to return? That depended on his performance.
Since he was managing the family's external assets, to go back, he naturally had to deliver a report card satisfactory to the clan head—that is, Grandfather Zhang Kuang.
To put it simply, he had to send more money back to the clan.
Previously, it was only fifty thousand taels per year. Then he would send back more, and increase it year after year. Only then could he attract his grandfather's attention.
With this mindset, naturally, as soon as Zhang Yiqing arrived at Tiger Tail Village ten years ago, he racked his brains to make money.
Tiger Tail Village itself had no special products. Its biggest source of income was trade with the major southern villages.
Tiger Tail Village relied on the official road to travel to and from Qinghua City, purchasing finished cultivation resources from the city, and then exchanging them for relatively precious basic resources, as well as iron, coal, and other materials from those southern villages.
The problem was, those southern villages were even poorer and weaker. The types and amounts of resources that could be extracted from them annually were basically similar. How could you increase production out of thin air?
Zhang Yiqing was a man with ideas. Soon, he thought of two methods: human trafficking and base status commission.
Human trafficking is easy to understand: procuring somewhat attractive young men and women, or able-bodied adults, from southern villages, introducing them into slave status, then selling them to city brokers, who would resell them to wealthy households in the city.
As for base status commission, it used gaining status as bait, luring people into base status, then introducing those who entered base status to places in the city or various locations in Evergreen Valley needing labor. He could then take a commission from the money these people earned.
Both methods were somewhat prohibited. But Evergreen Valley itself wasn't valued by the Feudal Towns. Moreover, even for entering slave or base status, the vast majority of the black households in Evergreen Valley were eager for it. Occasionally, there were minor troublemakers, but as long as they were dealt with properly, nothing would happen.
Thus, Zhang Yiqing's goal of increasing revenue was truly achieved.
In the first year, Tiger Tail Village's income increased by twenty percent, rising to sixty thousand taels. Each subsequent year saw an increase of about ten percent. Last year, the 299th year of the Caiqiu calendar, the annual income surprisingly reached as high as one hundred and fifty thousand taels.
You have to understand, this was after deducting the portion submitted to the Administration Office, the profit belonging solely to the Zhang clan.
A threefold increase in ten years. Zhang Yiqing's performance was evident to all, and his status within the clan naturally rose higher and higher each day. Finally, the year before last, he caught the eye of Grandfather Zhang Kuang, who gave him a promise: serve one more year, and the clan would send someone to Tiger Tail Village to replace him.
As for his new arrangement, it was to enter Qinghua City's Law Enforcement Squad.
Learning of his grandfather's arrangement for him, Zhang Yiqing was ecstatic.
The leader of Tiger Tail Village sounded good, but compared to Qinghua City's Law Enforcement Squad, it was nothing.
His cousin, Zhang Yiping, served as a Captain in the Law Enforcement Squad. Every month, just his regular salary was five hundred taels, not to mention the extra perks he skimmed. His annual income was at least over thirty thousand taels.
It was true that he earned the clan one hundred and fifty thousand taels a year, but that was the clan's money. The portion that reached his hands was at most seven or eight thousand taels. Adding what he usually skimmed for himself, his annual income barely broke ten thousand taels.
Income was secondary; the key was status!
Entering Qinghua City's Law Enforcement Squad, even as an ordinary member, meant being a minor official of the Feudal Town, having an official position. That meant being a cut above others everywhere. As long as you didn't foolishly offend the high officials and nobles, you could rest easy from then on.
With his grandfather's guarantee, for this final year, Zhang Yiqing naturally worked even harder, forcibly raising the income by another twenty percent.
At the end of last year, he waited for the clan's summons, his eyes almost wearing out from anticipation.
But the result wasn't the summons. Instead, on the first day of the new year, he welcomed the personal arrival of Grandfather Zhang Kuang!
"Caiqiu is launching an external military campaign. Speed is crucial in warfare, everything seeks swiftness. But the official road in Evergreen Valley was only built to your location. Upon learning this, the City Lord flew into a rage, directly dismissing the chief administrators of the Administration, Civil Affairs, and Finance Departments, appointing three new ones. The three new department heads formulated a new plan overnight, conscripting laborers throughout Evergreen Valley to first clear snow paths for the army's southward march..."
The news Grandfather Zhang Kuang brought made Zhang Yiqing tremble with fear.
The chief administrators of Qinghua City's Six Departments were figures even greater than Grandfather Zhang Kuang. City Lord Cai Yunzhou dismissed them just like that. Caiqiu was launching an external campaign, the army was marching south. Against whom?
Although he was confused by these messages, he ultimately grasped the key information: Cai Yunzhou was furious because the official road in Evergreen Valley was only built to Tiger Tail Village.
Regarding the construction of Evergreen Valley's official road, Zhang Yiqing actually knew a little. Heard earlier that City Lord Cai Yunzhou had planned it for the entire territory. But later, because the Finance Department said there was no money, and the chiefs of the Administration and Civil Affairs Departments said Evergreen Valley was barren land, spending large amounts of money and provisions to build an official road was unnecessary, even Cai Yunzhou couldn't override them. As a result, it was only built halfway, stopping at Tiger Tail Village.
Now, encountering a major event, Caiqiu launching an external campaign, the incomplete official road causing inconvenience for the army's southward march, Cai Yunzhou's fury was obviously understandable and reasonable.
But dismissing three department chiefs in one breath was a bit too exaggerated.
Zhang Yiqing later learned the reason from Grandfather Zhang Kuang.
Caiqiu suffered a major loss externally. Heard they fought with a southern Feudal Town called Great Xia, losing over a hundred Sun Manifestation Level experts, even causing the Fang Bo to lose face.
Hearing this news abruptly, Zhang Yiqing was stunned.
The Four Feudatories of Mo'ao Chuan had fought wars in the past few decades, but losing over a hundred Sun Manifestation Level experts in one go was a first.
No matter how uneasy he felt, he could only first follow his grandfather's instructions.
To be precise, it wasn't just his grandfather's instructions.
As soon as Zhang Kuang arrived, the people sent by Qinghua City's three new department chiefs came right after. And the orders they brought were exactly as his grandfather said: have them urgently conscript laborers, clear snow paths, and prepare to receive the army.
Zhang Yiqing naturally threw himself into this matter quickly. Starting from the first day of the new year, he urgently and frantically conscripted village laborers. As for the surrounding four villages, they had already been notified one by one.
Red Tiger Ridge produced eighty thousand laborers in one go. Only after Zhang Yiqing truly immersed himself in this task did he discover that the entire Evergreen Valley was in motion.
On the night of the second day of the new year, just after they finished clearing the snow paths, Caiqiu's southward marching army arrived immediately!
The noisily crowded army of two hundred thousand marched swiftly forward. Seeing that majestic and grand military bearing, combined with the news his grandfather mentioned, Zhang Yiqing's heart clenched violently.
For Caiqiu to prepare so solemnly, how strong must that Feudal Town called Great Xia be?
The key point: over a hundred Sun Manifestation Level experts, and they just killed them like that. Could these two hundred thousand troops ensure a stable victory?