Chapter 210: The “sacrifice” Of City-building
At sea, a fleet of twenty dilapidated wooden 300-ton waste ships, totaling twenty vessels, was moored beside an island. The Horned People bound the giant beasts on the island and towed them into the water.
These giant beasts resembled triceratops. A wooden triangular shackle was fitted over all three horns at once. Then groups of ropes were tied outside the three horns to thicken them, so the wooden shackle blocked by the knots wouldn’t slip off, similar to a screw being drilled in and secured with a nut below. Reins were then looped over this wooden shackle, with the reins attached to both sides of the boat head.
The Horned People drove them into the water to tow the warships, just like putting reins on cattle and horses.
Once the triceratops entered the water, their knees swelled like bullfrogs inflating their abdomens, absorbing large amounts of water to form bulges; water flowed into the storage cavities in their hind legs and sprayed out from the hoof hearts, assisting the giant beasts in swift travel across the sea.
These giant beasts were originally very docile, eating only plants, and had evolved the ability to dive into the sea and migrate to avoid hunters. But as the power of the Evil Moon in the sky permeated them, they gradually turned into war beasts. Soon after, they became engineering weapons for the Horned People to siege and capture cities at sea.
When the Horned People previously raided Feathered Tribe city-states, they used these giant beasts to breach many Feathered Tribe city-states and plunder within the cities. Now, a total of twelve such giant beasts appeared, all blessed by the Evil Moon earlier, as many juvenile beasts had been forcibly matured. These forcibly grown juveniles differed from the original species; they were bloodthirsty.
The triceratops advanced like cattle and horses, while Silver Horn on the boat head used electricity to stimulate the triceratops to charge toward the predetermined target “Ding Ling City.”
Ten-meter-long sea beasts rose and fell in the waves, their hoof hearts spraying water backward like turbofans.
Silver Horn, standing on the boat head battered by sea waves, sensed the giant beast’s irritability. He knew the giant beasts would grow increasingly hungry and harder to control, and after his subordinates exhausted their fresh water, they would need blood to satisfy themselves.
Several days ago, Silver Horn had targeted the newly built city of Da Yao in the North. That new city was still mostly a construction site.
Now, Silver Horn obtained intelligence from the upper god’s blessing that the Yao Person army corps had left their new city; thus, the Silver Horn leader, upon receiving the news, led the Horned People to this place to “eat.”
Feathered Tribe fishermen patrolling the sea surface immediately reported: “Stinky sampans are coming!”
…Seagulls transmitted the message, took away the fried dough sticks…
At the construction site of the new city, ramming earth city walls were being built block by block; this coastal new city was called “Ding Ling City” on the Southern Border map, but here in the Feathered Tribe homeland, to make it grounded, it was called Yang Zhao City, because sunlight shone here earlier each day compared to other Feathered Tribe city-states, hence Xuan Chong named it thus.
In the 2nd year of the Tong Zheng Calendar, November, Xuan Chong was establishing a constitution and erecting a stele in the city. The Inscribed Text standardized this city’s “charter.”
Unlike the binary political system of lords and subjects in Feathered Tribe city-states, Xuan Chong established three power institutions: City Lord, Port Lord, and Village Elder Group. Designs were made for military, economy, and culture.
Xuan Chong precisely divided power into three portions based on interest modules, then deployed methods of “exerting influence” for each portion of power.
1: The City Lord controls military strength. Every generation of City Lord must receive military education in Fen Xing City before returning to Ding Ling City to take office!
Each City Lord, upon completing studies at the military school, uses the carried City Lord seal to mark two graduation certificates, then brings back one certificate symbolizing “qualified military ability” to home. This necessary process is equivalent to “golden urn drawing lots.”
Of course, Xuan Chong did not expect “formalist legal principles” to tightly bind this overseas isolated force. Xuan Chong recruited City Lords from places like Ding Ling City to learn military techniques, providing a foundation for their “rule.”
The professionalism of the “military” discipline highly relies on communication. In other words, marginal areas lacking “communication” often have severely backward military.
Yang Zhao City’s current native population is only four or five thousand; within a century, the population ceiling is estimated at a hundred to two hundred thousand, plus species stratum segmentation and too small a circle. It is insufficient to produce systematized military talent and must rely on Fen Xing City’s circle.
If contact with Da Yao is severed and they have not integrated into the Feathered Tribe noble circle, their military system will degenerate to tribal levels matching their size within two generations. — Tsarist Russia was like this; its own noble circle was too small, highly dependent on communication with Central Europe to ensure iteration speed of its military theory system, not weaker than the Ottoman Empire.
Xuan Chong simultaneously grants the City Lord a rank identity, which is an iron ticket into the Martial Hall circle. While City Lord disciples study, they can recruit some poor family classmates from Southern Border into their ruling institutions, maintaining military progress.
Xuan Chong engaged in perspective-taking: Ding Ling City is isolated overseas, in a “few among many” geopolitical state relative to other cities; how to maintain its own “civilization level” not falling behind surrounding areas? This can only rely on ties with the Yongji Pass General’s Mansion.
The situation is similar to Sicily; without Europe’s communication advantage, not only military, but industries, economy, and political governance would all be overwhelmed locally.
2: Ding Ling City’s commercial teams must be organized.
Now, Ding Ling City’s significance to Da Yao’s Lingnan is that Lingnan’s trade routes won’t solely head to Da Yao’s northern inland; they can also go to sea. At that time, large numbers of Da Yao Merchants will follow the route southward, eventually spontaneously forming an unofficial “Yao Person Street” here in the South.
Xuan Chong: “Rather than forming an ‘unofficial’ settlement on others’ turf, while my military reach extends here and my word carries weight, now directly officialize the ‘Yao Person Street’ and let them have a seat at the table.”
If the “Yao Person Street” is not officialized, Da Yao Merchants here in the future will become “milk cows that only silently explode gold coins.”
Xuan Chong: “They must have a voice! Even if the City Lord Mansion doesn’t listen, they can speak to the Southern Border military group in the North.”
When the City Lord Mansion’s military group infringes on the interests of Yao Person merchants within Ding Ling Ocean waters, and the Southern Border military group must use military means, they need their own eyes and ears. (Ding Ling Ocean is recorded in Da Yao ancient texts for the southern great ocean.)
3: For regional culture, establish a Village Elder Association, which doesn’t need to center on Yao Person bloodline.
Ding Ling Ocean is a place where Yao People have no interest in farming; Xuan Chong now conscripting able-bodied men can’t gather many households.
Xuan Chong will recruit local Feathered People for farming, organizing these Feathered Tribes into clans according to Da Yao’s ritual system.
Based on his shallow social science knowledge, Xuan Chong believes: In industry and commerce city development, conflicts between “natives” and “outsiders” will arise, i.e., incoming merchants will also conflict.
In Ding Ling City’s future ruling class, elites in “military” and “commerce” will favor “Da Yao upper kingdom” outsiders, so the Village Elder Group will favor natives planning for Feathered People.
Xuan Chong: “Contradictions objectively exist. Now with the army still here, everything is suppressed. Like when the Three Treasures eunuch went to Southeast Asia, how obedient the Southeast Asia tribes were, but later this contradiction was incited by outsiders, leading to exclusion and massacres.”
But when Western colonizers later weakened, why weren’t they massacred? Was it because they did less evil? No! It was because they left behind a “Western-style adjudication mode.” So whenever local contradictions arose, they immediately sought Western-style adjudication, believing these adjudications correct, and subconsciously assigned the task of “making sacrifices for the greater good” to Northern Chinese Merchants in the “resolving contradictions” mindset.
Previous life experience: If you prioritize the greater good without establishing an adjudication mechanism, the mechanism’s logic will be “sacrifice you” to lubricate operations.
In his previous life’s era, the world’s densest fleet was stationed there, with military scale comparable to the Three Treasures eunuch’s fleet. But Luzon still recognized second-rate court adjudications from thousands of miles away; that’s the pros and cons of soft power.
Xuan Chong complained: “Those law scholars, studying foreign humanities, eating empty pay for decades, accomplished nothing on this project!”
Now leaving clan culture in Yang Zhao City is to establish Da Yao’s adjudication mechanism; even the distant Yongji Pass General’s Mansion must maintain cultural adjudication authority.
Top-down “education and indoctrination”: Xuan Chong built a Literary Depths Pavilion here, collecting Da Yao’s articles and classics, then selecting civil officials, prioritizing those willing to study Da Yao classics.
Bottom-up “folklore”: All local clans must farm to support enough people, then arrange Heaven Worship Ceremonies; after the ceremony, clans engage in “contest” activities.
For example, activity one: Each clan sends people to carry stone lions in street parades! Whoever gains the upper hand organizes the “enforcement team” on the commercial street this year.
Activity two: Dragon boat races. Whoever wins decides the dock rules.
These activities rely either on a clan having enough young men to dominate or the young men uniting to take first place. All reflect the clan’s true local strength. — For later international relations scholars, the biggest headache is distinguishing local influence in a region; here, Heaven Worship activities concretize local forces for “rule by man” operations.
Xuan Chong: “Through ceremonial contests at Heaven Worship, avoid unnecessary blood fights, preserve internal harmony, and prevent outsiders from exploiting gaps.”
Winners at the “Heaven Worship Ceremony” receive a Dragon Head Staff as a token from Xuan Chong’s General’s Mansion; the Dragon Head Staff can legitimately name and expel a merchant group.
Yang Zhao City will have large numbers of ships here in the future, including Da Yao’s and Feathered Tribe city-states’; but all ultimately feed on Da Yao’s interest line, as Feathered Tribes previously had no such shipping lane, opened by Da Yao’s southward silk and porcelain.
Rule-breakers will inevitably appear, severity not distinguishing Feathered Tribe or Yao Person, but if Feathered Tribe rule-breakers go unpunished, Yao Person merchants absolutely won’t follow rules!
Better to stuff in a Da Yao-rooted set first than let natives seek Feathered Tribe rules later.
The history teacher was grading students’ test papers on the formula-solving process for “cultural output,” “military output,” “economic control,” and the final answers, marking and scoring.
…Solidify bases, cunning allies…
Griffon City, in the rebuilt castle, Prince Lu Er Ge also received news of some Horned People heading east.
At the sturdy oak table, he pointed at the exquisite map inlaid with gold thread, at Yang Zhao City’s location: “You mean these horned livestock are heading for our ally?”
A noble attendant beside him said: “Some Horned People went north with Silver Demon Horn. That Golden Demon Horn seems to be leading another group of ships toward our nearby city-states.”
Prince Lu Er Ge tapped the table with his long-nailed finger and said: “Ka Wu, talk to our ally. As for if they request help? (He paused) Hiding his calculating thoughts, he calmly said: ‘Tell them our fleet is searching for Golden Demon Horn.'”
Griffon City’s characteristic unit compared to other Feathered Tribes is domesticated griffins; however, Yao People now in the griffin jungle rely on Guiche with Immortal Binding Locks to mass-capture griffins, making Griffon City nobles somewhat exclusionary. In their culture, taming griffins is an honorable noble act. Yao People’s actions are too utilitarian, lacking necessary respect for such “noble” creatures. (This cultural difference is like previous life’s companion animals vs. livestock cultural ideology dispute.)
This noble named Ka Wu accepted the order, then went to the city-state’s griffin cages and mounted his mount.
The griffin flapped its wings, stirring up a gale as it soared into the sky. The griffin’s wings were golden, gleaming in the sunlight, because they were silk wings.
In the clouds, Ka Wu looked at his griffin’s twin wings; his impression of Da Yao was good.
Just as hooves need horseshoes, after long magical civilization development, Feathered Tribes installed artificial aids on griffin-like mounts to enhance “lift.”
For example, inserting cloth with “inlaid gemstone” craftsmanship between griffin wing feathers to enhance wing control over surrounding air. Under gem magic control, surrounding air solidifies like jelly, making it easier for wings to gain lift and climb.
This cloth is made of fine dense cotton; high-end fine cotton is embroidered with mithril threads to increase magic permeability between gems, but cotton is relatively heavy and burdensome when wet from rain.
But since silk arrived in Feathered People city-states, it immediately replaced old cotton wings; silk is lighter and naturally conductive to magic without mixing mithril threads. Even in rain, it doesn’t become too heavy from moisture. It’s the perfect material Feathered Tribes dreamed of; thousands of years ago, only occasional silk trickled into Southern Border, but now with Da Yao merchant groups, inflow has increased tenfold, still far short for upper nobles to equip their elite corps.
This, Xuan Chong hadn’t fully anticipated; the silk he input was a noble upper-layer necessity for Feathered Tribes.
This led to, despite his repeated delays, Feathered Tribe noble strata still harboring dovish views toward Da Yao.
…Military deception…
Perspective back to Xuan Chong: He indeed dispatched the main force north, to the “Ding Ling City” defensive gap known to Silver Horn.
Xuan Chong did this because the army had been away too long; large troops indeed needed to return; Ding Ling City’s northern sea route was unstable, unable to support so many returning, so they took the land route opened through the thorny area, returning the same way.
Over a thousand troops with large and small wagons carrying massive supplies looked like the main force withdrawing north.
In reality, Xuan Chong left some elite troops in the South, waiting for Silver Horn to bring his sampan troops to deliver heads — when Silver Horn thinks Yao Person troops are few, but actually enough elites remain to fight him.
Four Guiche were robbing griffins’ nests in the northern jungle, snoring loudly in sleep.
Xuan Chong now fighting Horned People wasn’t worried about insufficient combat power, but the sea being too open, making information acquisition difficult.
So as long as fishermen provide intel on the vast ocean, this battle won’t be hard.
This month stationed in Ding Ling City, focusing on internal affairs, Xuan Chong gathered a group of Feathered Tribe fishermen who devotedly patrolled the sea transmitting messages for him; the fog of war had been lifted.
Silver Horn at sea thought he had the element of surprise, while Xuan Chong was like an orange cat crouching at the cave mouth waiting for the mouse to poke its head, awaiting his adventure.
After the half-built ramming earth wall foundation, drums sounded; the cavalry captain in the stable put down his materials upon hearing, and the halberd soldier captain playing dice in the military camp also dropped his cards, hurrying toward the White Tiger Hall where the main banner was.
Xuan Chong began deploying based on the new military situation. Facing all non-commissioned officers, Xuan Chong promised: “In this battle, one merit point per five bandits.”
Everyone paused, because previously wiping out Horned People was very easy, one merit point per twenty Horned People; now suddenly raised, they didn’t know what this “happiness” implied.
Sure enough, Xuan Chong’s next words: “However, I have a condition. That is, for every merit point you earn, you must leave a seed here with the Feathered Tribe women I select.”
Everyone’s faces showed bitterness; Xuan Chong: “No need to worry, not making you stay permanently. For permanent stationing here, I’ve already written home; family will send some guys to garrison ten years; you just leave seed then go back. As for over the next decade or so, if your seeds show promise studying in northern Fen Xing City, you must pay attention.”
The generals looked at each other, then said: “Understood.”
As people who had campaigned with Xuan Chong for years, they knew his strategy of “leaving bloodlines in foreign lands,” so now they were prepared. To leave successors for Da Yao here.
