Chapter 171: The Southern Barbarians Have a Witch, and the Might of Heaven Descends

The flood season of the Canglan River is from April to July, and is divided into major and minor flood seasons.

Zhao Xing left Shiyang Cave at the end of February, crossed the river on the seventh day of March, and arrived in Yuncheng after the Waking of Insects.

After that, he spent another five days reporting Shao Wanjie, the scourge, and then enjoyed himself for three days at Shao Wanjie's house.

The Inspection Office of the provincial capital sent people to deal with Shao Wanjie, and it only took two days from beginning to end.

Xia Jing and his group of warriors arrived in Yuncheng on March 16 to take up their posts.

The mechanical engineers, agricultural officials, priests, ritual practitioners, and doctors were added in batches, and by March 21st, they were basically all there.

As for the seventh-rank officials of each department, they will be filled on March 18th.

The list of heads of each department is as follows:

They are Duan Ren, the magistrate of Yuncheng County, and the seventh rank lower
Yuncheng County Lieutenant 'Xia Jing', 7th rank lower (temporary)
Yuncheng County Priest 'Shen Mingyu', Rank 7 Lower
Yuncheng Dushuiling 'Zhao Xing', rank 7 (temporary)
Yuncheng Sigongling 'Wang Ji', rank 7 (temporary)
Yuncheng County Medical Assistant 'Yuan Yang', Rank Eighth Upper (Provisional)
In the above five departments, in addition to the chief officers, there are also a number of assistant officers of the eighth and ninth ranks who are either added or replaced.

Among them, the chief official of the temple, Shen Mingyu, was not transferred, so his rank was not temporary.

Duan Ren was not from Shiyang Cave Heaven, but was transferred from somewhere else by Jiutian Yingyuan Mansion.

All those who are temporarily appointed are basically the reserve forces within Shiyang Cave Heaven.

From March 16 to March 19, Zhao Xing, Xia Jing, Wang Ji, Yuan Yang and others had been holding banquets. They were not for eating, drinking and having fun, but mainly for getting to know people.

Because there are more than 2,000 officials from various departments sent this time, even if the chief officer is familiar, there are many others whom he does not know. Therefore, in the past few days, they have been holding meetings under the pretext of having meals.

On March 20th, the four chief officers Zhao Xing, Xia Jing, Wang Ji and Yuan Yang met again, and brought with them assistant officers from each department, such as Han Bing, Che Shihai, Zhang Jie, Chen Fang, Hu Bing, Zhang Yi, Cao Shuang, etc., all of whom were of the eighth rank.

There are fewer people this time, but most of the leaders of Yuncheng, except Duan Ren and Shen Mingyu, are here.

All the previous banquets were held within each department, but now Zhao Xing, Xia Jing, Wang Ji, and Yuan Yang met together, and brought along the eighth-rank assistant officer, obviously to discuss what to do next.

Zhao Xing planned the content of the meeting in advance, and Zhang Yi, the master of ceremonies, presided over it.

This way of deliberation is rather unique, but those present are basically used to it, because Zhao Xing conducted large-scale exercises in Shiyang Cave in this way, with meetings of chief officers, expanded meetings of assistant officers, and main rules of discussion, which is quite efficient.

Zhang Zhong, Jiang Xi, and He Fengnian were also brought here by Zhao Xing. They saw so many chief officers gathered together, and it was Zhang Yi, an eighth-rank priest, who spoke first. They found it very interesting and immediately pricked up their ears to listen carefully.

"...Everyone in the five departments, the specific tasks of each profession are different, but the general direction is the same."

"The only ones who have the highest number of missions are the officials who originally had Class A treatment in the Ten Sun Cave Heaven. There are forty-six of them in Yuncheng."

"There are many missions and more detailed military intelligence. I have compiled all the information in the past few days. You can open the first document on the left side of your desk and take a look to see if there is anything wrong or missed." After Zhang Yi finished speaking, he returned to his seat and sat down.

According to Zhao Xing's request, the first content of this meeting was to summarize the intelligence of the personnel in each department and share the task content.

Warriors, agricultural officials, mechanical engineers, ritual practitioners, and priests all have different tasks.

People are here, but if they can't work together and their mission goals are not consistent, there is no way they can help each other.

Zhao Xing also picked up the document to check. Although he had done similar ring tasks in his previous life, it might not be the same this time.

But after taking a quick look at it, he felt relieved.

In the third ring of tasks, although the tasks of each profession are inconsistent, the assessment standards and task directions are all related to war and pacifying barbarians.

"Brother Xia, Brother Chen...you have to kill thirty eighth-rank barbarian soldiers before you can pass the third round with an A-level evaluation?" The first things Zhao Xing looked at were the tasks of Xia Jing and Chen Fang, the A-level geniuses.

"Yes." Xia Jing said, "If you want to get the highest evaluation, the percentage of middle and late Lingqiao aliens among the eight grades cannot be less than 50%. "

"We from the Qinglong Division can fight one against a hundred. Killing this number of enemies is actually not difficult." Chen Fang said, "A qualified C-level evaluation is to kill two people in the Lingqiao realm. What do you think is difficult about this? The main thing is that we are afraid of not being able to kill them."

Zhao Xing nodded.

Yes, now it is just war preparation. Both sides are just training and testing the waters. There has been no large-scale conflict, and the difficulty lies in not killing so many people.

Although Jiutian Yingyuan Prefecture is located south of the Canglan River, this buffer zone is still far away from the fortified areas of the southern barbarian countries.

If you want to kill the enemy, you either have to go deep into enemy territory or rely on luck.

If you are lucky, you can complete the task quickly without going deep into it. If you are unlucky, you may not even encounter it within half a year.

"Our doctors' mission is a bit more complicated." Yuan Yang said, "For the third-ring mission, the score is based on the casualties among officials and civilians in the battle."

"I must treat the wounds inflicted on the officials and civilians of Yuncheng City due to the battle. The more casualties there are in the battle, the lower my evaluation will be."

Cao Shuang also looked at the doctor's assignment and felt confused: "If there is no battle and no one dies, wouldn't you be able to get the highest evaluation just by lying down?"

Yuan Yang said: "The ideal of a doctor is to let the medicines on the shelf grow dusty, but in reality, this is impossible."

"The barbarians from the south occupied the upper reaches. They launched natural disasters against the Jiutian Yingyuan Prefecture in the lower reaches. The diseases brought by the natural disasters were very horrible. Even if the officials could withstand it, the people could not. At that time, I would have lived longer."

"Besides, it is impossible for you warriors not to go into battle and kill the enemy."

Wang Ji stroked his shiny forehead and said, "There are many things to do at Tiangongfang, such as repairing and replacing city defense and siege equipment, and constructing magic arrays. Sigh... the most difficult thing is the work assigned by the Minister of Agriculture. The mess in Yuncheng has not been fixed for many years. I am afraid that my head will go bald again."

The workload of Sino-Agricultural Supervisor is huge, after all, water control is the top priority. Most of the third-ring tasks Wang Ji got were centered around Sino-Agricultural Supervisor's water control deployment.

Zhao Xing smiled and bowed, "I'm sorry, Mr. Wang. I'll ask Yuan Yang to prescribe more hair growth medicine for you next time. If you want to eat something good, just tell me, and I'll get it for you!"

"Can you find a southern barbarian woman for Mr. Wang?" Hu Bing joked. "Mr. Wang has mentioned this idea before."

"Get lost!" Wang Ji said with a red face, "I never said anything like that. You even watched Zhang Jie poop before."

"Engineer Wang!" Zhang Jie was anxious. "Why are you saying this for no reason?"

"Hahahaha!" The small living room was suddenly filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

"Silence! Everyone has gone off topic!" Zhang Yi slapped the table solemnly, "The meeting continues, and we will start the second topic."

The first topic is direction determination, and everyone’s task direction is consistent.

The second issue is where to start.

Zhao Xing spoke first: "Yuncheng is adjacent to the Canglan River, and many tributaries flow through it. Water control should be the top priority."

"We must keep the enemy out of our country, so we can't let the southern barbarians steal our home."

"Once a natural disaster hits Yuncheng and causes serious damage to Yuncheng, then all your tasks, including mine, will be ruined. Therefore, preventing and controlling Yuncheng is the top priority. Do you agree?" "I agree." Xia Jing took the lead in expressing his opinion. Zhao Xing's third ring mission is to deal with the flood season of Canglan River and natural disasters. If the Sinong Supervisor is unable to spare his hands, Xia Jing, without the military Sinong, would never dare to enter Fengming Mountain to kill the barbarians.

Without Zhao Xing, the military minister, what would they eat? Even if Xia Jing, the county lieutenant, also had the responsibility to protect Yuncheng, he would certainly support it.

"I agree." Yuan Yang was the first to express his opinion. If the natural disaster cannot be prevented, his third-ring mission will also be ruined. After the natural disaster, epidemics will be everywhere. If Yuncheng is really hit by a natural disaster, he can also pack up and leave.

Wang Ji naturally agreed, because his mission was strongly related to Zhao Xing's mission. Putting Zhao Xing's mission first meant putting his mission first.

"Agree." The others also agreed.

Zhang Yi expressed his concerns: "I am not the chief officer of the temple, Shen Mingyu is, and Liu Jingwen is not the county magistrate. If he and I join forces with our subordinates to sideline Shen Mingyu and Duan Ren, it would be against etiquette and might lower their reputation."

Everyone's eyes were also turned to the young man who was sitting upright below, wearing a tall crown and scholar's clothes.

Liu Jingwen is a courtesy cultivator, a military strategist. He was not very good during training, and was not even treated as a Class B in Shiyang Cave Heaven, but only a Class C. However, during the last large-scale exercise, he acted with Zhao Xing and Xia Jing. There were many people sent by courtesy cultivators, but Liu Jingwen was the only familiar person among the "wise and tactical generals".

At the end of his training, Zhang Yi entered the Four Saints Academy of Priests.

But the ways of these two people must abide by "etiquette". Zhao Xing and Xia Jing can be bold and reckless, but they cannot. If they do something out of the ordinary, the power of their magic will be reduced. It goes against the etiquette in their hearts, and in serious cases it may even lead to a regression in their cultivation.

"This is a small problem." Xia Jing said, "Just let them hand over the government affairs to you two."

"Will they?" Liu Jingwen hesitated. "Shen Mingyu is fine. He was negligent in the Shao Wanjie case. He can't do anything in Yuncheng. Duan Ren was just transferred here to take up the post."

"I will do it if I say so." Xia Jing chuckled, "I forgot to tell you that Duan Ren was a clerk in the 241st year of the Dingxin calendar, and was promoted to the ninth-rank county magistrate of Huangyan County in the first year of the Jingxin calendar. He was not promoted to the rank for the previous five years, but after serving in Huangyan County for another three years, he was quickly promoted to the lower eighth rank and transferred to another place."

Everyone was confused, Xia Jing then said:

"Huangyan County is my father's fiefdom."

Everyone: "..."

"Damn it, Brother Xia tricked me!" Chen Fang slammed the table.

"Brother Xia, why didn't you tell me earlier that Duan Ren was once your vassal?"

"Report! Someone is cheating!"

"Brother Xia, if you don't want a protector, then you should take him with you?"

"Great, you've already anticipated that you'll be a county lieutenant. With a county magistrate, you'll be able to quickly gain control of military and political power wherever you go."

"This boy cannot stay here for long!"

"Brother Xia should be punished by eating a stone mackerel fruit!"

"Ugh... Zhang Jie, I really want to tear this mouth apart!"

"Oh my god, I didn't say that. Chen Kao was imitating me! You know that this kid got full marks in language class."

"quiet!!"

Zhang Yi leaned over the table and cast a spell to quiet everyone down.

Zhao Xing couldn't help but laugh when watching this scene.

Why did he want to recruit Xia Jing? Because even a Class A genius can have a guardian-like existence.

Given Xia Jing's background, he has a wider range of choices. The transfer of Duan Ren would not have been arranged so smoothly if Xia Jing was not the eldest son of a marquisate.

My father Xiahou...this sentence carries weight wherever he goes in Pinghaizhou!
Just when Zhao Xing was discussing the overall plan for Yuncheng.

Three thousand miles to the south, somewhere in the Fengming Mountains.

The clouds dissipated, and the light illuminated a group of huge stone buildings below.

In the center of the building complex, there is an intricately carved stone palace. Outside the palace are two statues of humans with animal heads holding walking sticks, which look solemn and imposing.

The palace was full of a heavy feeling, and next to the palace were many animal-skin military tents. Many strong barbarian soldiers were patrolling with sharp weapons in hand, and many exotic beasts were imprisoned in the camp, with roars coming one after another.

From time to time, people wearing totemic robes and with mysterious patterns painted on their faces walked among them, bowing their heads and chanting spells.

Whenever these people passed by, the barbarian warriors on both sides of the road would stop and salute with expressions of utmost respect.

Because these people are the most honorable "witches" in the tribe.

As the wizard operated, a faint light emanated from under his feet, and lush green grass suddenly grew in the barren underground.

Soon, barbarian soldiers came to harvest the grass and use it as food for the exotic beasts.

One of the young wizards was wearing a black forged robe, a feather-decorated helmet, and a black cloak of the same style as the robe tied behind his back.

He exuded a noble temperament and walked into the huge stone palace in the middle.

When he walked in the passage of the megalithic building, the entire space seemed to be breathing, presenting a wonderful and ancient charm.

After a moment, the young wizard arrived inside the palace. The interior was spacious, with only a throne shining with purple light, and a huge figure on the purple throne.

The young wizard saluted respectfully: "Greetings, Envoy Cang."

"Summon the clerk." The figure on the purple throne spoke, his voice as loud as a bell. "The Divine Mountain has issued an order that the witches of the Hana tribe are responsible for the divine power coming to the Nine Heavens Yingyuan Prefecture. This must be completed within one month."

As soon as he finished speaking, a ray of light shot out from the handle of the throne, and the purple light condensed into a map, and the shadow of the map passed before Zhao Qi's eyes.

"Remember?"

"Remember." Zhao Qi looked up and carefully examined the map, then lowered his head and touched his chest. "The Hana tribe will definitely live up to the order of the envoy of God."

"Swoosh~" The purple figure turned into a stream of light and flew out of the passage together with the throne, disappearing into the sky in the blink of an eye.

Zhao Qi quickly copied the map, and then found the Great Zhou version of the Jiutian Yingyuan Mansion map for comparison, and then his eyes fell on a certain place on the map.

"Cloud City." Zhao Qi muttered silently. "The target area for launching the natural disaster attack is here."

　The second update will be at around 12:30 at the latest.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)