Shanwu City, the County Captain's Residence.
The County Captain, Zhao Ming, listened to his subordinate's report with a dark expression.
"Are you telling me a trading partner named Wild Mountain Village has appeared among the city's shops?"
Zhao Ming cut off his subordinate, his voice tight with suppressed anger.
The clerk nodded. "That's right!"
"What's going on?"
"I was wondering the same thing. How could a tiny village get its hands on shop blueprints, my lord...?"
Zhao Ming's brows furrowed. He interrupted the clerk, asking,
"Did you warn the village?"
"I did, but they don't seem to have taken it to heart. They haven't dismantled it!"
Zhao Ming stood up and paced, deep in thought. Suddenly, as if struck by an idea, he asked,
"Still no word from the Huo brothers?"
"None! We lost contact a few days ago, and they haven't responded to our secret signals!"
The clerk hesitated, then ventured a guess. "My lord, do you think... could the Huo brothers have taken the treasures and run?"
"Run?!" Zhao Ming sneered. "Heh, would they dare? No, the Huo brothers must have met with an 'accident'!"
Zhao Ming laughed coldly. "Shop blueprints are exceedingly rare. A few days ago, I had the Huo brothers intercept a disobedient merchant caravan. They seized a lot of treasure, and the blueprints were among the haul."
"I was originally going to let the Huo brothers lie low for a while, but I never expected this... Heh, the nerve! To think a tiny village like Wild Mountain Village would dare to steal from me, Zhao Tianwang!"
Hearing this, a ruthless glint appeared in the clerk's eyes as an idea formed. He made a vicious suggestion.
"My lord, let's mobilize the county militia at once and eliminate these troublemakers!"
"No! A major event is upon us. We can't mobilize the county militia. It would alert that old bastard!" Zhao Ming shook his head, rejecting the clerk's idea.
He paced the hall for a few steps, then, as if another idea came to him, he said:
"You go and contact those Taiping fiends. Leak it to them that Wild Mountain Village has 'great treasure'! Given their greed, they'll do our dirty work for us."
"Yes, sir!"
...
Wild Mountain Village, Wind Cavalry Barracks.
Xiao Jing gazed at the Wind Cavalry encampment before him, a thrill of excitement running through him.
After so many days of hard work, he could finally recruit some Wind Cavalry.
"Village Chief, all the materials have been prepared..."
After directing the villagers to place the iron, wood, and warhorses needed to recruit the Wind Cavalry into the encampment, Guo Yun spoke respectfully to Xiao Jing.
Xiao Jing snapped out of his reverie and nodded. "Then let's begin recruitment!"
"Yes, sir!"
Guo Yun glanced at the nearby Wind Cavalry encampment with a hint of awe, then quickly ordered the villagers to fall back.
Barracks were not a common sight for natives like them.
Moreover, this Wind Cavalry encampment before them radiated such a powerful aura.
Some of the less-worldly villagers might have seen it as just a simple barracks, but Guo Yun knew better.
In his youth, he had traveled to the national capital, Luoyang, and witnessed the foundational barracks of the Great Han—the camp of the Great Han Iron Cavalry. Yet even that camp hadn't radiated an aura as oppressive as the one before him now!
That was why he was so reverent!
Because the Village Chief was truly no ordinary person!
Before long, Guo Yun had directed all the villagers away from the Wind Cavalry barracks, leaving only Xiao Jing and Zhou Cang.
"My Lord!"
Zhou Cang was also daunted, but what he felt more was excitement.
After all, Xiao Jing's strength meant more opportunities for him to achieve great things. Their interests were one and the same.
Perhaps one day he might even have the chance to command this army of what were obviously elite soldiers.
"Good!!"
Xiao Jing nodded and confirmed the recruitment order in his mind.
In an instant, a flash of white light was followed by the CLANKING of machinery.
"CLOMP! CLOMP! CLOMP!"
Moments later, Wind Cavalry on warhorses emerged from the barracks.
Thirty units of Wind Cavalry lined up in a row before Xiao Jing.
These Wind Cavalry were fully armored, and even the warhorses beneath them were clad in thick plates of mail.
They were tall, with skin the color of dark, woody grey. Only the core in the center of their chests glowed with a faint red light.
"Battle-soldier Feng Yi, at your service, My Lord!"
The lead Wind Cavalryman dismounted, his voice carrying the distinct, metallic 'CLANG' of a puppet as he saluted.
"Excellent, excellent, excellent!!!"
Xiao Jing repeated his praise, unable to hide his excitement.
"My Lord, this unit type is so strong. Could I...?"
Zhou Cang's eyes had lit up the moment he saw the Wind Cavalry. With his skill, he could naturally tell their potential far exceeded that of ordinary troops.
Thus, he was captivated by them. His voice held a trace of sheepishness as he expressed his desire to lead the Wind Cavalry.
After all, what general doesn't love Cavalry?
What's more, these Wind Cavalry were heavy cavalry, the elite of their kind.
There might only be thirty of them, but on the battlefield, he was confident he could lead them to crush an entire army...
Xiao Jing shook his head, denying Zhou Cang's request.
Zhou Cang's own command ability wasn't particularly strong; his traits were more geared toward boosting his own power rather than his troops'.
Besides, Zhou Cang was already in command of Wild Mountain Village's Soldier Terracotta Warriors. It wouldn't be appropriate for him to lead the Wind Cavalry as well.
Xiao Jing planned to command the Wind Cavalry himself.
[Unit Type]: Wind Cavalry
[Initial Level]: 15 (0/3000)
[Class]: Puppet Soldier (Special emotionless unit: Morale is constant (morale-reducing/boosting tactics and traits are ineffective against it)), Heavy Cavalry
[Potential]: Second-Rate (Blue, +1 free Attribute Point per level)
[Attributes]: Might: 21, Martial Intent: Not Unlocked, Morale: 8
[Hundred Schools Arts]: Horsemanship Proficiency, Archery Proficiency, Basic Military Formation
[Martial Arts]: None
[Traits]: 1. Rider of the Wind (Purple): Passive. Speed +80%, stamina consumption -50%. In high winds, Might +5.
2. Cavalry God (Purple): Removes weakness to archers. When charging, combat strength +20%.
3. Undying Puppet Soldier (Gold): One of the Mo family's greatest creations. As long as the puppet core remains, the unit cannot die, but requires time to restore its condition.
4. Weak Intellect (White): As a puppet, its intelligence is low and its loyalty is extremely high, but it can only comprehend simple commands. The Martial Intent attribute cannot be unlocked.
[Evaluation]: Despite its simple mind, you cannot deny its power...
Xiao Jing glanced at the Wind Cavalry's stats again.
He marveled once more at their strength.
'Recruited with 21 Might right off the bat, giving them Tier Two strength. Who else can compare?'
After he decided to command the Wind Cavalry himself, their unit appeared on his status panel.
[Commander]: Xiao Jing
[Unit]: Wind Cavalry
[Strength]: Tier Two (Average Combat Power: 21+3)
[Number]: 30
[Average Proficiency]: Recruit (Level 15)
[Upkeep]: 1800 Copper Coins/month
[Morale]: 8 (Max 10, morale is high)
[Applied Traits]: Valiant and Skilled in Battle (Strength +3 (15%), provided by Xiao Jing)
Under the effect of Xiao Jing's trait, the Wind Cavalry unit's Might reached 24. With so many of their own traits stacked on top of that, not even a typical Tier Three unit would be a match for them.
But after the excitement faded, a sharp pang of pain took its place.
'Are the Wind Cavalry strong? Yes, absurdly so. But that strength was bought with a mountain of money!'
Thirty units of Wind Cavalry had cost a full 60 gold, 30 warhorses, and a large amount of wood and iron.
With that much money, if he had trained villagers into units like 'Village Militia', he could have trained at least a thousand. But for the Wind Cavalry, it only netted him thirty units.
'Still, it's a good thing that units like the Wind Cavalry, despite their high upkeep, don't consume food. Otherwise...'
Xiao Jing shook his head, thinking.
He had originally hoped the basic shop would solve the village's food shortage, but he hadn't expected Shanwu City to be so unwilling to cooperate, and the Tam Tribe didn't produce grain either.
As a result, the village's food shortage remained unresolved.
'Looks like I'll have to organize a caravan to Shanwu City soon...'