Chapter 80: Visitors From The Southern Domain
In the eighth month of the 32nd year of the Shu Tian Calendar, as commercial investment increased, Fen Xing City began enclosing land for expansion.
The original fortress was located on the southern side of the new city as a defensive stronghold, and directly north of the fortress, a new city was built, with the outer city walls already laid out, using roasted wood as the framework for ramming earth.
People and horse cart caravans coming from inside Yongji Pass saw this strange city wall arrangement and all showed puzzled expressions. While waiting to enter the city, everyone got off the carts, fanning themselves with straw hats while craning their necks to look at this foreign-style wall fortress.
The new district of Fen Xing City did not build walls according to Da Yao’s standard city requirements, with all ramming earth heights not exceeding one person’s height. However, watchtowers over three zhang high were set up between the ramming earth walls.
This was not only due to transgression, but also because it did not suit the local water and soil. The massive rainfall in the south made vegetation extremely lush, and Central Plains-style ramming earth city walls would be destroyed by dense shrubbery here in just a few years, unless pure stone city walls were used, but that would make the cost too high. Fen Xing City was no longer a frontline now, and the walls were only needed for area isolation to facilitate capturing thieves.
Regarding this, Wu Fei recalled “Robinson Crusoe” from his previous life, where on a deserted island, he built this kind of defense by selecting specific trees to plant, forming neat hedges to achieve a wall-like effect.
Thus, the new city walls planned by Wu Fei were a hedge system similar to those of French peasant farms.
The price was moderate, requiring only regular trimming, which was no problem; firewood in the city was a kind of resource these days.
And on the city’s central axis was a hall whose specifications clearly exceeded those of a marquis’s mansion.
The base of this hall was piled with stone and lime. The gaps between stones were so tight that a needle could not fit through; the artisans had put considerable mind into it, and this craftsmanship made the value of the building far exceed that of its materials.
The artisans’ dedication was spontaneous. The rumor of “being selected by the Sacred Fire” had spread unhindered throughout the entire southern region. Many tribes in the southern border had begun to enshrine Wu Fei’s living shrine.
This made Wu Fei, as a Da Yao military official, somewhat embarrassed; the various pacification departments he had set up in the southern border imitating the prefecture and county system had the important task of clearing “licentious worship,” but now the “licentious worship” was himself.
Xuan Chong perused history: During the process of Hua Xia civilization spreading from north to south, northern bureaucrats representing central authority tried to establish the faith of “Haotian Supreme God,” but in the specific operations of education and indoctrination in the south, they could not change the southern habit of worshiping many gods. After sweeping away a batch of old ones, the local people would enshrine capable governing bureaucrats as new gods. Finally, during Eastern Wu, the ruling class had no choice but to acquiesce to the southern polytheism status quo, compiling “Three Religions Record of Gods” and then establishing a standard that only gods who had merit for the people and state altars could be worshiped.
Wu Fei discovered he was being worshiped as a god and felt he needed some divine status. Those shameless “plunder strategies” in the southern border earlier, though from him, now needed to be restrained.
Wu Fei, who was calculating: What did it matter whose name the southern border bore in the past? My army marching south could say “I am a barbarian too,” but now this has become my prestige, so of course I cannot let my soft power assets be damaged. — In Wu Fei’s eyes, all the southern border tribes were now his assets, and he needed to treat the cattle and horses a bit better.
Under the ideology of divine right of kings, the people’s superstition toward rulers was heaven-granted. If he discarded it, today’s fanaticism would turn into collective pushback against “perverse actions.”
Especially that group of investors from inside the pass, forced by his big stick to frequently invest in workshop industry, needed to always remember: the cattle and horses they used in Fen Xing City were his (Wu Xiao Que’s). Merchant caravans, following local customs upon entry, also lit incense at Wu Fei’s living shrine.
…So many things that they couldn’t be finished…
While Wu Fei was building the Fen Xing City General’s Mansion (actually similar to a colonial governor’s mansion), he was calculating his various chips in the southern border, trying to find and eliminate possible hidden dangers before leaving.
Now, for the southern border’s economic system, the Wu Family Army used the “monopoly system.” A new “Tea and Salt Government Office” was added, beginning to implement the previous salt and iron distribution.
On the list provided by the Security Bureau, the business status and family lists of 35 distributors were all green. (Blue is newly joined for observation, yellow is untrustworthy, red means they must die.)
The current system had no major issues; in this region’s rugged terrain, a few safe main roads could be easily monopolized by the officials, allowing the officials to collect huge taxes through this.
But the system heavily relied on the official monopoly of transportation routes; once the road system became as prosperous as in the Central Plains, Jiangnan, and other places, such systems would collapse under various “private sellers.” For example, in his previous life, before the plateau railway was built, one iron pot transported up could be exchanged for a yak. After the railway was built, everything changed.
The Tea and Salt Government Office would divide areas based on trade interests between various tusi, with mutual supervision. And it would stimulate the tusi to build branch main roads leading to the trunk roads. Similarly, once these roads were successfully built, military strength could also intervene in these areas.
In the current southern border, Wu Fei had no interest in beating these kids who had put down their weapons and squatted with heads in hands. He only hoped the kids would thoroughly obey, farm, and make money for him.
Inside the General’s Mansion, Wu Fei checked a document requiring each tusi tribe to pay regular tribute, and heirs to follow Da Yao’s ritual and law system, coming regularly to the General’s Mansion for enfeoffment confirmation.
“Let war end and long-term peace and stability begin.” Wu Fei said sonorously to his city.
…System: Turn page…
Just as Wu Fei was preparing in the entire eighth month to convey enfeoffment orders to the many tusi of tribes north and south of the Ling River, a northbound merchant caravan happened to arrive.
To be precise, this merchant caravan’s northbound journey was accidental; their giant eagle ark flying ship encountered wind deviation during exploration, drifting north and unable to control its course, “just happening” to land in the north. After encountering southern border native tribes, these feathered people traveling merchants found that the tribes here all believed in a fire bird totem and all claimed to belong to a great lord called the “King of the Fire Bird,” so they continued north and stumbled into paying tribute.
On the marketplace city tower of Fen Xing City, Wu Fei looked at Cang Meng, who was leading the Feather Tribe merchant caravan, and asked him, “Is it really such a coincidence?”
This southern Feather Tribe master did not blush or skip a beat as he said to Wu Fei, “You bear Heaven’s Mandate; many things cannot be refused.”
Wu Fei observed the Feather Tribe merchant caravan. Their caravan used floating wood sailboats to transport goods, and such sailboats were towed by giant eagles with a wingspan of ten meters.
Gemstones were embedded at key positions on the flying ship, looking like rivets, but with yao calculation flickering on them, obviously serving a role similar to the jade discs of wooden ox and flowing horse.
The Feather Tribe was the southernmost race in the southern border; previously, during Wu Fei’s external investigations, related intelligence was very scarce. As for Da Yao’s southern border records, only ancient texts from a few hundred years ago recorded: this tribe sailed out to sea eight hundred li east along the Ling River, then three thousand li south past reef groups, found the southernmost land to build a city and establish a country, which was far beyond Da Yao’s force radiation range.
While Wu Fei was reviewing the foreign land guests outside the city, the Feather Tribe merchant group that came to “pay tribute” was obviously shocked by this northern civilized city beyond their imagination.
Because the Southern Ling River they had contacted earlier was extremely backward, their perception was that the northern lord worshiped by this tribe was actually just a larger tribe.
Excited Feather Tribe recorders on the flying ship: The factories, buildings, and streets in Fen Xing City were not something barbarians could have; it was full of artistic and civilized atmosphere, abruptly appearing in the savage north, and this city was just a tentacle of the even stronger northern empire in the south.
Ten minutes later, this Feather Tribe member prostrated to Wu Fei in broken Da Yao language, using terms like “Northern Domain Sacred Fire King,” of course such terms were not officially translated equivalently by Wu Fei’s side, merely replaced with General.
However, the recorder beside Wu Fei, a disciple of a pass inner noble family, paused this tribute ceremony and then admonished Wu Fei.
His admonition mainly was: to make Wu Fei clearly tell these Feather Tribe that his title in Da Yao was the rank of “Far-reaching Ting Marquis”; the southern border tribes might not understand and use “wrong” appellations, but Wu Fei absolutely could not wear the laurel crown offered by barbarians.
Due to the admonition being too agitated and improper, Wu Fei had him removed from the scene. But in the subsequent dialogue with the Feather Tribe merchants, he still corrected their wording error, stating that he was a marquis enfeoffed by Da Yao.
Wu Fei was a pragmatist: The practical value of titles was to enhance regional mobilization power. Wu Fei’s prestige in the southern border was already sufficient now, so there was no need to use the titles given by barbarians; instead, he needed Da Yao’s legitimate title to increase his influence across Da Yao’s entire territory, so in case of conflict, he still had to preserve Da Yao’s title.
The Feather Tribe merchant caravans immediately changed their address, calling Wu Fei “Respected Marquis,” knowing they could not figure out Da Yao empire’s system, only that Wu Fei, as the substantive lord, possessed wealth and army, making him nobler than them.
The Feather Tribe’s tribute was of high value, presenting sea dragon teeth with magic patterns, gold thread wood, and various feather crowns made from exotic birds. For this first diplomacy contact, Wu Fei had no unethical idea of “glass beads for gemstones.” Wu Fei, who was always calculating, commented on this: Whether the return gift is truthful involves national character.
The Feather Tribe received brocade woven from the finest silk from Lingnan. The silk was classified into multiple types according to the silkworm varieties’ five elements attributes, also able to bear “yao calculation” magic items. The silk products used in geographical gazetteers everywhere were this material, and besides, different embroidery patterns on the brocade could respectively form unique effects like heat avoidance, water avoidance, smoke avoidance, etc.
Thus in this realm, silk items, even when transported across oceans to other places, were hard currency like real gold.
The silk Wu Fei sent out was awarded by the Imperial Court to the Wu Family; Wu Fei currently had less than a hundred bolts, now pulling out fifty. In addition, there were Daoist arts props like ghost worker orb lamps that could contain star energy.
Sure enough, the feathered people who received the tribute immediately knew it was extraordinary! Not only because of the silk’s splendor, but he also saw rare expressions on the accompanying Da Yao bureaucrats beside Wu Fei.
The Feather Tribe merchants were very shrewd: Knowing they didn’t understand, but understanding to look at the trading party’s retainers’ faces; after seeing the surprised expressions on the bureaucrats beside Wu Fei, even if they didn’t know the value for a moment, they understood this was also a fine product in Da Yao, and sending such fine products back to the Feather Tribe kingdom would surely win the kings’ favor.
The feathered people who received “courtesy” let down their guard, believing they had received goodwill from this powerful lord, and thus began further dialogue.
…Cang Meng performed translation…
Due to very friendly communication, this “envoy group” under Wu Fei’s occasional generous rewards gradually revealed their northbound adventure story bit by bit; through this diplomacy, Wu Fei completed the southern edge of the current world map.
That is, south of the southern border’s hundred tribes were man-eating trees, harsh environment, a thousand li of uninhabited wasteland. For the Wu Family Army whose base was in Da Yao, there was no longer possibility of southward expansion.
Wu Fei still calculated in his mind according to the supply formula: Within one hundred kilometers there must be a city of several thousand people to sustain a five-to-six-hundred-man combat team for expedition. But now, no village in a thousand kilometers to the south, such jungle depths were like vast ocean. At most, only one or two exploration teams could be maintained.
…Xuan Chong: What exactly is in the south?…
While Wu Fei was pondering how to start “Great Tang Western Regions Record” mode exploration.
System: “First stage classroom task completed.”
Xuan Chong paused, and after seeing the system credit points credited to him, felt somewhat wistful.
The “Southern Border Special Military Operation” question, assigned several years ago, he had almost forgotten, and now it was finally over?
Xuan Chong quickly recovered; that meant other tasks, no movement in these years, but actually were still under assessment.
…What is outside the map?…
Xuan Chong picked up a golden leaf. He picked up this leaf because he liked it at first sight. The Feather Tribe merchant who offered this gift immediately explained the leaf’s origin. This leaf was called “Shuo Jin Wutong” leaf. It was plucked by the feathered people from a powerful being’s territory during their northbound journey, originally intended to bring back to their kingdom, but now offered in his hands.
However, while Xuan Chong was thinking about other system-assigned tasks he might have forgotten, his fingertip idly used “strong oxidation” firelight to ignite this wutong leaf. In an instant of fingertip touch, the golden leaf actively fluctuated, then softened as if alive, imprinting on Xuan Chong’s wrist like hot gilding.
Xuan Chong hurriedly scratched at it with his hand, for two reasons: first, tattoos were not good; second, this leaf was too pretty, too effeminate on the wrist.
The wutong leaf seemed to sense Wu Fei’s thought and shifted to the shoulder.
…The bright red at the fingertip continued penetrating into the golden wutong leaf…
A long cry came from the horizon. The Feather Tribe envoy group became unnatural upon hearing this sound, as if thieves caught by the victim. Stammering in the one or two Da Yao words they had just learned, trying to narrate “evade” and “the comer is very powerful.”
However, Cang Meng, the master serving as Feather Tribe translator, raised his head to look at a colorful light quickly drifting from afar, murmuring, “Finally here.”
And Wu Fei beside him keenly noticed Cang Meng, who was out of place with the panicked Feather Tribe envoy group.
Seeing Cang Meng’s expected expression, Wu Fei walked forward and asked him, “Master, can you explain to me what’s going on?”
Cang Meng looked at Wu Fei and knelt on one knee: “My lord, the great Ming Zun is coming to sign a glorious millennium contract with you.” His tone carried reverence, because he was now fully certain of the “Heaven’s Mandate.”
In Fen Xing City at this time, colorful light lingered in the sky. The Feather Tribe envoy group, considering themselves thieves, were already slumped on the ground.
However, the master of that rainbow light in the sky ignored them, converging the light and descending toward Wu Fei. The accompanying Guiche in the city suddenly took off, abruptly stopping at a hundred zhang from this colorful light. This Guiche seemed to sense intense crisis, unfolding all nine heads in full alert.
And this time, Wu Fei clearly saw what the colorful light was: a massive peacock, far exceeding Wu Fei’s impression of normal peacock size. Its wingspan was ten zhang; excluding the light, this peacock’s body was slightly smaller than Guiche’s, but including tail feathers, far exceeded it.
Moreover, the slight tremor in heaven and earth mountains and rivers could interfere with the mountain river yao calculation system; Guiche was obviously inferior to the peacock in magic attributes.
Before the peacock descended on the city, its magic energy dragged twenty li; upon landing, part of the energy fell on the mountain top outside the city, demonstrating the effect of each type of energy.
When opening its tail, the peacock’s back feathers displayed five colors! Red feathers ignited grass and trees upon touch; green tail wings revived dead wood; black wings froze lake surface upon sweep; white wings cut down thick-as-arms trees like sword light. As for the earthy yellow wings, upon touching the ground, no matter how lush the vegetation, they raised yellow sand.
This Great Peacock disdainfully glanced at Guiche, of course ignoring the human race in the city even more, but upon seeing Wu Fei, it suddenly showed human-like joy.
Immediately after, the peacock gently floated to Wu Fei’s side, its two long legs and dinosaur-like claws elegantly landing two steps from Wu Fei, exposing its blue abdomen to him.
Wu Fei unleashed his strong oxidation energy level, fingertip emitting red light.
However, just as Wu Fei tensely watched the colossal being, this peacock’s head crest folded submissively like a fold-eared cat, tail feathers fanning out to the extreme.
The peacock rubbed its tail feathers against Wu Fei, as if expecting something. Dinosaur-like sharp claws pawed alternately two steps from Wu Fei, but in small steps not daring to get too close.
Wu Fei intuitively understood the meaning, so he walked to the side, jumped slightly, and mounted the peacock. The peacock raised its head, using energy to stabilize Wu Fei; Wu Fei only felt himself sucked onto its back, steady and secure, then with a thought, rose into the air with the peacock.
The Feather Tribe then looked at Wu Fei with awe belatedly.
Obviously, to form a bond with such a Sacred Bird meant his bloodline’s nobility and power was no less than the mightiest hero king of the Feather Tribe kingdom in their cognition.
