After recruiting the Wind Cavalry.
Xiao Jing's gold and supplies had taken a major hit. His funds had dwindled to 45 gold, and he had five warhorses left, which he kept for personal use and to reward his most diligent subordinates.
Part of that 45 gold had to be used to pay the salaries of his troops, while the rest was earmarked for purchasing grain.
In other words, although he was sitting on a 'huge sum,' he didn't have much liquid capital.
After all, the Soldier Terracotta Warriors and Wind Cavalry were puppet soldiers; if you couldn't pay their wages, their loyalty would become questionable.
...
A peaceful week passed.
Arid Mountain Village's Refugee Attraction Scroll had long since expired, but the number of refugees arriving from nearby areas hadn't decreased. In fact, it was growing.
This cast a shadow of unease over Xiao Jing's heart.
By questioning the refugees, he and Guo Yun learned that they had all been forced to wander after their own villages were destroyed by Taiping cultists, which eventually led them to Arid Mountain Village.
The signs of Taiping chaos were already apparent, and Xiao Jing had a premonition that the Yellow Turban Rebellion was about to erupt.
Because of this, he had intensified patrols around Arid Mountain Village over the past few days.
He even sent out many 'old hunters' skilled in tracking to scout the distribution of villages in the vicinity of Arid Mountain Village.
The emergence of the Yellow Turban chaos also forced him to postpone his plan to organize a caravan to Shanwu City to buy grain in bulk.
After all, he couldn't guarantee a safe return to Arid Mountain Village after purchasing the grain from the city.
Meanwhile, after nearly two weeks, the players on the forums were slowly starting to adapt to life in the world of "Warfare."
Aside from a few ambitious individuals, most players chose to become lifestyle players rather than war-focused players. After all, not everyone had the same kind of fortuitous opportunities as Xiao Jing.
In addition, some new faces had appeared on the Lord Rankings.
Second: Zhenguan Xiongbin, Shuchuan Village
Third: Yangzhou Tianxia, Fishing Village
Fourth: Yueye Zhui Chitu, Liang Province Village
Aside from these players, the fifth through one-hundredth spots remained blank. That only four Lords had emerged in nearly two weeks showed just how rare and difficult Village Creation Tokens were to obtain.
The Hero Rankings, on the other hand, had quite a few heroes listed.
However, Xiao Jing's Zhou Cang was still ranked first. The other heroes were all extremely unfamiliar, not historical military figures.
...
"How has the village been these past few days?"
Xiao Jing asked, seated in the newly renovated Lord's Residence, looking down at Guo Yun.
"My Lord, the number of refugees has been increasing steadily. The village's population has now surpassed 1,000, and we are facing a severe grain shortage."
Guo Yun said, his voice laced with worry.
"If Commander Zhou hadn't been leading the Soldier Terracotta Warriors to hunt beasts in the mountains for meat day and night, and if the villagers weren't able to gather wild vegetables and other mountain goods, I'm afraid..."
Hearing this, Xiao Jing felt a headache coming on.
Ever since Arid Mountain Village was founded, the food problem had been a constant thorn in his side.
"Lord Li, have you scouted out any larger villages or towns nearby?"
Xiao Jing turned his gaze to Li Ye, who was responsible for the village's security and intelligence.
Li Ye hesitated before replying, "I previously scouted the nearby settlements of Da Liu Town and Xiahe Village, but they both rejected our request to purchase grain!"
Da Liu Town and Xiahe Village were both relatively large and prosperous settlements near Arid Mountain Village, each with populations of over ten thousand.
After speaking, Li Ye quickly added.
"However, Da Liu Town seems to have witnessed our village's army and, intending to build a good relationship, gave us 2,000 units of grain for free."
'They just gave us over 2,000 units of grain for free?!'
Xiao Jing was surprised, but on second thought, it was to be expected.
After all, although Arid Mountain Village's population was small—just over 1,000 people even after taking in so many refugees...
...its military strength was extremely formidable. It had 200 Soldier Terracotta Warriors (produced in the Secret Realm), 30 Wind Cavalry, and even a powerful general like Zhou Cang.
The other towns might be able to handle 200 Soldier Terracotta Warriors, but when heavy cavalry like the Wind Cavalry appeared before them, they had no choice but to try and curry favor, regardless of their true feelings.
The thought flashed through his mind and was gone, but Xiao Jing's brow quickly furrowed again.
'Over 2,000 units of grain isn't nearly enough. That's only enough to last Arid Mountain Village for three to four days!'
Sighing internally, Xiao Jing turned his gaze back to Guo Yun.
"Guo Yun, have the village's fields been planted? How long until we can expect a harvest?"
Guo Yun calculated mentally for a moment before quickly replying.
"My Lord, after two weeks of reclamation, the village now has over 1,200 mu of farmland. The first crops planted should be ready for harvest in about two weeks."
"So, if we can just hold on for another two weeks, the food crisis will be resolved?" Xiao Jing asked.
"That's right!" Guo Yun said respectfully. "Not only that, we should even have a surplus!"
'Hold on for another two weeks?'
Xiao Jing felt a sense of helplessness.
To be honest, Arid Mountain Village's finances were in decent shape. Not long ago, they had established contact with the Tam Tribe through the basic shop and conducted some trades, which had significantly eased their financial situation.
But they lacked grain. The grain shortage was extremely severe.
Of course, this was a common problem faced by most factions in their early stages of development.
Moving on, Xiao Jing asked, "Guo Yun, what is the output from the salt and iron mines the village discovered?"
In recent days, the village had attracted a large number of refugees fleeing the Taiping cultists. To Xiao Jing's pleasant surprise, two of these refugees were special talents.
Liu Jing and Xi Yun, one a former salt mine laborer for the Great Han and the other a prospecting expert for the Great Han.
The former Great Han salt mine laborer was quite straightforward. After joining Xiao Jing, he directly revealed the location of an abandoned, government-owned salt mine, earning himself a small fortune.
The iron mine, on the other hand, was discovered accidentally by Xi Yun while he was prospecting for gold around Arid Mountain Village.
Upon hearing the question, a grim look appeared on Guo Yun's face.
"The iron mine is limited by our technology. It's quite difficult to excavate, and we can only produce 200 units per day!"
"And while the salt mine is rich, it's coveted by the nearby towns. After we took control of it, Xiahe Village has refused to give up. They constantly send puppet soldiers to harass us, so our output is very low—only 120 units a day!"
Hearing this, Xiao Jing's brow furrowed, and he began to pace around the hall.
'Xiahe Village?!'
he muttered to himself.
Li Ye had specifically reported to him about Xiahe Village before, so he had some impression of it.
The town had a population of over 50,000 and nearly a thousand soldiers, making it the largest town in Shanwu County and quite powerful.
Although they were intimidated by Zhou Cang and the Wind Cavalry, Xiahe Village had not given up on the salt mine, which they saw as a way to 'get rich quick'.
'The Yellow Turban Rebellion hasn't broken out yet, so I can't openly confront the Great Han Dynasty Court. My hands are tied!'
Xiao Jing felt a sense of helplessness.
His current military strength was more than enough to conquer the nearby villages and towns, but he didn't dare to act.
Right now, although the Great Han was corrupt, it still held sway over the realm. If he truly dared to wantonly conquer the nearby villages, the Great Han Dynasty would put him in his place in an instant.
After all, the Great Han border army stationed in Yanmen Commandery to defend against the Alien Races was not to be trifled with.