Chapter 188: Battle Achievements in Hand, Can Farming Also Produce a Marquis?

"You guessed perfectly," Zhao Xing said with a smile and a nod.

"It really was stolen?!" Han Bing, usually expressionless, clearly showed a look of shock.

"How could a Grade 7 defense of a Netherflame Warship be breached?" Wang Ji was also surprised.

"Zhao Xing isn't foolish. How could he fight head-on? Of course, he ambushed them when they weren't expecting it... he's best at that," Han Bing said.

"Han Bing, why are you slandering my good name out of nowhere?" Zhao Xing retorted. "How can a military quartermaster's actions be called an ambush? Their spell range isn't as wide as mine, so you can't blame me for ambushing them."

"Exactly! Do you even understand what a military quartermaster does?" Wang Ji said indignantly. "See, Brother Zhao, he just slandered me like that too."

"What are you all talking about? It's so lively. I could hear your voices from afar," Long Xiao said, jumping down from the Netherflame Warship.

"Greetings, Captain Long.""Good to see you, Sir Long."Han Bing and Wang Ji saluted in unison.

They were noticeably more polite when facing Long Xiao.

"We were guessing how this Netherflame Warship came to be here."

Long Xiao said, "Oh, that. On the way here, Zhao Xing discovered a group of foreign tribes attacking a garrison town, so he and I followed them."

"They were a group of Sand people, but Zhao Xing and I took care of them."

Wang Ji asked, puzzled, "Such a large Netherflame Warship—did the garrison commander just hand it over?"

Long Xiao snorted, "The garrison commander... never mind, let's not talk about him."

He remembered that Zhao Xing had already become sworn brothers with Chen Lu, so it wasn't good to say too much more. But in Long Xiao's mind, Chen Lu was an incompetent person.

"In short, he suffered significant losses. If it weren't for us, his body would have been cold. So he was too embarrassed to claim spoils of war, but Zhao Xing, being kind-hearted, insisted on giving him a tenth."

Zhao Xing shrugged. "In a warzone, more friends mean more options."

Without Chen Lu, it was uncertain how long it would take for the Netherflame Warship to arrive, and there were too many potential accidents with dispatching personnel back and forth.

Giving Chen Lu a tenth only referred to a tenth of the contents of the storage room, not a tenth share of the Netherflame Warship itself.

Zhao Xing now had some minor achievements. He had also started to emulate Old Chen by becoming an angel investor.

Helping Chen Lu was just a side venture.

The Great Barbarian Pacification War had attracted many powerful talents from the Great Zhou. He also planned to focus investments on those talents who would rise in the future; this was a very important part of his future plans.

"Let's go inside and talk," Long Xiao said.

"Engineer Wang, please arrange personnel to receive the Netherflame Warship. This thing is ours from now on," Zhao Xing said. "Also, for the people Chen Lu sent, give each of them a small compensation fee according to their official rank."

"Alright," Wang Ji said, rubbing his hands. "I'll go personally."

He had long been impatient. He had only ridden a Grade 5 warship once, and he had never even entered its internal core cabin.

Zhao Xing said he would give it to him to use, and he was happier than if he had married a wife.

And the Netherflame Warship was an exotic version!

Wang Ji had seen everything, but he truly hadn't seen this.

"Be careful once you're on board! If you damage a single component, I'll eat it!" Wang Ji shouted. Replacing missing parts for this thing was much harder than for Great Zhou warships.

"City No. 92 was built to county-level specifications."

"Previously, it was only half-built, but yesterday, they started expanding the outer city, planning to designate the original section as the inner city."

"Here's the list of principal officers for each department. The Engineering Department has the most personnel, followed by the Agricultural Department. There were originally many martial artists, but Liao Rulong's continuous deployments have resulted in the Martial Department now having fewer people than the Agricultural Department, with priests and strategists being the fewest."

"This is the list of officials for each department."

On the way to the city lord's manor, Han Bing was also briefing Zhao Xing on the situation of City No. 92.

Although the city was small, all five departments were complete.

Combined, the five departments had about five thousand personnel.

Among them, engineers and agricultural officers accounted for seventy percent, martial artists for twenty percent, and priests for ten percent.

There were only a few strategists, who could be disregarded.

As for their strength, it was neither good nor bad.

The list Han Bing provided included the training records of officials from various departments.

Excluding Wang Ji and Han Bing, no one else had completed training with an A-grade evaluation.

There were thirty-five people with a B-grade evaluation, ten of whom were B+, but they were not from the same cohort as Zhao Xing.

In summary, compared to the period in Cloud City, although the total number of personnel had doubled, the number of geniuses had decreased.

However, this was normal; the strong ones had all been drawn to the front lines by Liao Rulong for battle.

Of course, this didn't mean the supply city was weak.

The overall strength level surpassed that of Cloud City, as the city's grade was evident, with over fifty officials from various departments holding Grade 7 or higher ranks.

If the Sand people had chosen to attack God-Might Army's City No. 92, they might have been repelled without Zhao Xing or Long Xiao needing to intervene.

Now Zhao Xing was the main commander of City No. 92, but he actually didn't have many things to consider.

"For the outer city expansion, follow Engineer Wang's plan; no need to change it," Zhao Xing said. "As for the principal officers of the other three departments, call them over for a brief meeting to report on their task progress."

"However, the tasks for the Agricultural Department need to be adjusted."

"Alright, tell me how to change them."

Changing the Agricultural Department's direction right away implied that Han Bing, as its principal officer, hadn't been performing adequately. Only Zhao Xing could get away with this; anyone else, and Han Bing would have cursed them out.

"Let's discuss it after the meeting later. I still need to sort out the items on the Netherflame Warship," Zhao Xing said. "You'll know later."

"Okay, I'll go make the arrangements," Han Bing said, getting up and leaving.

Long Xiao sat in a chair, eating fruit and watching Zhao Xing make arrangements.

He was not part of City No. 92's martial officer hierarchy. After a short rest, once the Yin God in the temple relayed the front-line position, he would go to join Liao Rulong's main army.

The civet cat stood on the table, gnawing away with relish. It ate even faster than Long Xiao, almost one bite per piece.

After finishing, it meowed at Zhao Xing.

"You're certainly comfortable," Zhao Xing said, waving his hand and pulling out a plate of Grade 4 fruits from a bamboo chest. "We're here to fight, and you're here to enjoy yourself."

"Aotian, ignore him, eat," Long Xiao said with a smile, feeding the fruit to the civet cat.

Zhao Xing shook his head and began to take out his earth mirror to check his military merits.

Since the Netherflame Warship had entered the interior of City No. 92, it was already within the range of the temple.

Furthermore, on the Garrison Army's side, Chen Lu had already reported the situation to the Military Realm through the temple.

Therefore, the Military Realm had already made a judgment on this battle.

Chen Lu and all surviving officials had varying amounts of military merits deducted, according to their official ranks.

Among them, Chen Lu had the most deducted—his efforts of over half a month, accumulating more than 30,000 military merits, were directly reduced by 22,000!

Chen Lu's superior, the Garrison Army's main commander fighting on the front line, Li Que, also had 10,000 military merits deducted as a result.

Why? Because Li Que had deployed too many combat forces to the front line to attack foreign tribes, neglecting the defense of the rear city.

If he hadn't withdrawn so many... Garrison Army's City No. 109 might not have been breached even if Zhao Xing hadn't come.

Therefore, how fiercely a commander can fight depends on the stability of the rear. If it's unstable, you might earn merits one moment only to have them deducted the next, rendering your efforts futile or even resulting in a significant loss.

"Chen Lu and the others had their merits deducted, but Long Xiao and I gained merits."

Zhao Xing looked at the information in the earth mirror.

Being inside the city, the earth mirror could also receive messages from the Military Realm via the 'Heavenly Engineering Workshop' base station.

God-Might Army Quartermaster Zhao Xing, on the 21st of June, 17th year of Jingxin Era, you defeated the Sand Tribe's sneak attack, killed one Grade 7 enemy, and saved Garrison Army's City No. 109. You gained 15,000 military merits.

Killing unranked foreign tribes earned a uniform 1 point of military merit.

Killing Grade 9 enemies earned 10-40 points of military merit, corresponding to four tiers: official, subordinate, high, and low Grade 9.

Killing Grade 8 enemies earned 100-400 points of military merit.

Killing Grade 7 enemies earned 1,000-4,000 points of military merit.

Killing Grade 6 enemies earned 10,000-40,000 points of military merit.

The above are the standard military merit calculation criteria. These can sometimes fluctuate, and special circumstances might even lead to breaking these limits.

Capturing, subduing, and obtaining intelligence also yielded military merits.

However, for now, the Military Realm awarded relatively low military merits for these types of actions.

This was because the current stage of the war was relatively low-tier, and its primary objective was to decimate the Southern Barbarians' basic combat strength, thereby reducing the probability of them producing high-tier combatants. Therefore, killing was the main focus; capturing and subduing were not primary goals, so the merits awarded for them were naturally low.

As for intelligence, battlefield personnel were at most Grade 6 or below; what significant intelligence could they possibly provide?

With the Creation Disk in existence, the value of obtaining military merits through intelligence was also very low.

"Killing a Grade 7 yielded 4,000 points. Some of the minor soldiers killed by Long Xiao were attributed to me because I provided cover for him; the value of those minor foreign soldiers was roughly equivalent."

"Saving the city, 10,000 points. This is equivalent to transferring a portion of the military merits deducted from the Garrison Army officials to Long Xiao and me," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

Long Xiao received a little over 20,000 military merits; he had more kills.

However, in the 'saving the city' category, Long Xiao received the same 10,000 points as him.

The amount deducted from Chen Lu's side was far greater than the merits Zhao Xing gained, which was done to prevent any manipulation of military merits.

"If I handed over the Netherflame Warship, my military merits would skyrocket, potentially even propelling me into the top hundred of the Grade 7 rankings."

"However, handing it over wouldn't be worth it."

Keeping the Netherflame Warship was more beneficial for Zhao Xing. As for military merits, he had many opportunities to earn them.

For instance, military merit tasks.

Logistics units had their own exclusive method for calculating military merits.

One didn't necessarily have to kill enemies to earn merits.

For example, Wang Ji led people in constructing cities.

Completing a Grade 1 city earned 100,000 military merits.

Completing a Grade 2 city earned 200,000 military merits.

Currently, City No. 92 was a Grade 3 city under construction and not yet fully completed.

If completed, it could earn 500,000 military merits.

However, the Military Realm would also settle merits in stages, with all participants receiving a share.

In half a month here, Wang Ji had already accumulated fifty to sixty thousand military merits, placing him within the top ten thousand among Grade 7 personnel.

Engineers earned merits for building cities, and also for defending them.

If enemies attacked and the city was successfully defended, military merits would be calculated. But if it failed, merits would be heavily deducted.

Additionally, merits could be earned for crafting or repairing equipment for front-line troops.

Tasks were divided into 'primary duties' and 'general tasks.'

Killing enemies earned merits based on headcount and grade. Engineers could also earn merits by killing enemies; this fell under additional general tasks.

If you did it, you earned merits; if not, it was fine.

If a primary duty was assigned and not completed by the deadline, military merits would be deducted.

Some tasks could be repeated, such as the engineers' 'Spirit-Breaking Crossbow Bolts' and 'God-Breaking Crossbow Bolts,' Sky-Net, and World-Breaking Lapis Beads.

These were consumables!

At the current stage of the Great Zhou's rapid city assaults, various armies had a huge demand for these items, making them almost infinitely farmable.

Even if you produced enough for your own army, you could still continue to craft them for military merits, provided it didn't affect your 'primary duties.'

This was because the 'Logistics Envoy' would rationally allocate resources among the various armies.

When the Logistics Envoy's ship arrived, excess treasures could be directly transported away and supplied to other armies.

Needs varied at different times, and tasks were not immutable.

It was the same for agricultural officers.

"Currently, daily tasks mostly involve producing 'vital energy replenishment' food."

"Soldiers need large quantities of food to replenish their physical strength and recover vital energy."

"But as time passes, with the emergence of bug witches, poison witches, and blood witches in the Southern Wastelands, the demand for detoxification and blood-replenishing medicinal ingredients will surge!"

"Furthermore, entering extreme regions of the Southern Wastelands, such as the 'Purple Cloud Swamp,' where the air is filled with highly toxic miasma, ordinary Grade 4 detoxifying pills won't last long. Only elixirs made from 'Heavenly Heart Grass' can sustain for an extended period."

"Also, when attacking the 'Fire Demon Tribe' of the Purple Dragon Royal Court, the Fire Demons live in an environment filled with fire poison. They are accustomed to surviving in such places, but the soldiers of the Great Zhou suffer from acclimatization issues."

"Fire-resistant robes made from Earthfire Lotus became the most cost-effective Grade 4 combat robes... The Military Realm's general and basic tasks for agricultural officers were all about these items, and the military merits awarded were exceptionally high."

Zhao Xing recalled scenes from his previous life when analyzing the 'Emperor Jing's Barbarian Pacification' case.

"These types of items will surely be in great shortage; I must prepare in advance."

The Four Great Royal Courts of the Southern Wastelands were not without combat strength, but they retreated step by step in the early stages, intending to use the Southern Wastelands' environment to impede the enemy.

Agricultural officers cultivating plants were linked to almost all professions. For the Engineering Department manufacturing equipment, various types of wood were indispensable.

The yellow paper and incense for priests, and the magical robe materials for weavers were also similar.

It could be said that agricultural officers were upstream for most professions.

"I remember in this Great Barbarian Pacification War, several agricultural officers, relying on their keen judgment of front-line reports, cultivated large quantities of critically needed materials. As they kept cultivating, they found themselves ennobled as marquises."

Zhao Xing muttered, "Perhaps I can also follow the path of my teacher's ancestor."

Tian Yan's title of Marquis Tian was inherited from his ancestors.

His ancestors were granted the title of Duke after the founding of the dynasty because they fought alongside the Founding Emperor and were excellent at farming.

Why did Zhao Xing tell Han Bing to adjust the Agricultural Department's direction as soon as he arrived at City No. 92?

Because he clearly remembered when certain materials would be scarce. When he simulated Emperor Jing's Barbarian Pacification case in his previous life, these were all essential details to remember.

Failing to remember these things would significantly reduce the chances of victory.

"Besides farming, there are many ways to earn military merits, even including looting."

Zhao Xing got up and walked outside the manor gates.

At this moment, in the square, the Netherflame Warship had already flown to the Heavenly Engineering Workshop's grounds.

However, all the spoils of war in the storage room had been left behind, and Wang Ji was leading people in categorizing them.

"Among the looted items, there were large quantities of herbs, food, and materials for crafting equipment."

"Once these items are submitted, I'll gain quite a few more military merits."

Zhao Xing smiled.

Many of the items stolen by the Sand people were materials on the task list.

With the ready-made materials here, submitting them would naturally complete the tasks instantly.

Long Xiao didn't want these items and gave them all to Zhao Xing.

Firstly, he was too lazy to bother with these trifles; killing a Grade 7 enemy alone could earn him one thousand to four thousand military merits.

Secondly, martial artists had relatively few 'general tasks,' so even if he submitted the captured goods, he wouldn't gain many military merits. If converted into merits based on 'spoils of war,' their value wasn't high.

He simply gave them to Zhao Xing to handle.

"Zhao Xing, it's all sorted," Wang Ji said, running over. "Among the items stolen by the Sand people, there are 14,532 finished pieces of armor and equipment, mostly Grade 2 and 3, with only about ten Grade 4 items."

"There are a total of 53,462 semi-finished items, including various medicinal herbs, ores, equipment materials, and magic robe materials. These are mainly Grade 3, with very few Grade 2 and 4."

Zhao Xing looked at the list and nodded, saying, "Set aside a tenth of these items and send them to Chen Lu of the Garrison Army. This is what I promised him."

"The rest of the finished products should be placed in the internal treasuries of each department for emergencies. If any department encounters a very difficult 'primary duty' and faces a critical shortage, these can be used as a stopgap."

Wang Ji nodded, his respect for Zhao Xing growing further.

These were Zhao Xing's personal spoils of war, yet he was willing to put them into the internal treasuries of various departments for reserve. His vision was truly grand.

"As for the remaining semi-finished materials, particularly those related to the agricultural officers' primary and general tasks, allocate them to the God-Might Army's internal treasury and the transfer depot. These will be used to submit for my personal military merits. I've been absent for almost a month before arriving, so let me complete all the military merit tasks I can," Zhao Xing said.

He wouldn't reserve anything related to agricultural officers; his own needs had to be met first.

"Understood," Wang Ji immediately complied with Zhao Xing's request.

Zhao Xing, meanwhile, opened his earth mirror to view his military realm tasks as a quartermaster.

As Wang Ji sent people to archive the items,

Multiple task completion notifications appeared in the earth mirror:

God-Might Army Zhao Xing, you completed the 'Cultivate Sweet Spirit Grass' task (3,000 portions), gaining 6,000 military merits. This task cannot be submitted again this month.

God-Might Army Zhao Xing, you completed the 'Cultivate Aconite Fruit' task (1,000 portions), gaining 1,000 military merits. This task cannot be submitted again this month.

God-Might Army Zhao Xing, you completed...

There will be another update today, expected at 2 PM. Also, I'm recommending a friend's book, "Mythical Heavenly Engineering"; the portal is below.

Everyone can go take a look and leave a mark.

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