Chapter 151: Mountain Fort Affairs
Chapter 151: Mountain Fort Affairs
September 25, 2017
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Inside the mountain fort, Wang Jun was reporting on the progress of various projects to Lu HaiKong, focusing on those that Lu HaiKong was particularly interested in.
"The construction of the fort wall has been initially completed, but subsequent maintenance and reinforcement work is still required. We estimate that an additional thousand laborers will be needed for this task."
The fort wall was of utmost importance among all the projects, and it was the one Lu HaiKong was most concerned about. Its completion meant that Lu HaiKong's fort would have an ironclad defense, a lifeline for the entire settlement.
Moreover, the fort wall not only served as a lifeline for the fort but also played a crucial role in fostering a sense of security among the residents. The towering wall visibly brought a sense of safety and joy to the people.
"Additionally, the road construction in the pasture area has already commenced and is halfway done. With the current progress and the manpower already allocated, we should be able to complete the road before the start of spring."
Wang Jun had previously accompanied Lu HaiKong and Wang Shou to survey the grassland behind the basin, and he knew how delighted Lu HaiKong was when Wang Shou suggested building a pasture for cattle and horses. He also understood the importance of this pasture for the fort's future.
As soon as the fort wall was erected, Wang Jun immediately allocated a significant portion of the fort's manpower to this project.
Lu HaiKong was more concerned about the second piece of information: "Are the materials for the pasture ready?"
Wang Jun furrowed his brows slightly. "They are ready, but the area beyond the mountain road is no longer within our fort's territory. It seems we have no way of extending the pasture outside."
"It's not a problem. Our fort has already reached the pinnacle of a medium-sized mountain fort. With a final push, we should be able to upgrade it to a large-sized mountain fort before spring."
Lu HaiKong's eyes gleamed with determination. His fort had met almost all the requirements for upgrading from a medium to a large mountain fort. The only remaining criterion was to be the sole medium-sized mountain fort within a hundred li radius.
In other words, Lu HaiKong needed to eliminate all other medium-sized mountain forts in the vicinity, including large ones, or at least ensure they were in ruins during his fort's promotion. Only then could his fort be recognized as a large mountain fort.
This wasn't a difficult task for Lu HaiKong. Although he had never personally left the fort, he had a team that frequently ventured out to other forts in the region. Within a radius of several dozen li, nearly all forts had been subdued by Lu HaiKong's team. Now, the only obstacle to his promotion was a single large mountain fort.
Previously, Lu HaiKong hadn't had the opportunity to deal with this issue, but now it was time to remove this final hurdle.
Regarding military matters, Wang Jun didn't delve further, instead continuing his report: "Zhang Wen has compiled a preliminary record of the residents' information and the fort's architectural details. Currently, our fort has a total population of fifteen thousand four hundred and thirty-one, among whom one thousand three hundred possess basic skills, thirty-two have intermediate skills, and only two have advanced skills."
Perhaps due to the nature of the mountain fort, Lu HaiKong couldn't access any territory management modes. While the fort could accommodate residents, there was no record of them, and Lu HaiKong couldn't gauge public sentiment or other aspects through the system. Consequently, he had to rely on manual methods to gather information about his fort.
"Hmm, there are actually two skilled professionals? One is Wang Shou, and who is the other?" Skilled professionals were precious human resources, and Lu HaiKong had no reason not to be concerned.
"The other one is Li Juan, an elderly woman who has mastered advanced tailoring skills. She can make clothes and cloth shoes. She has already opened a tailor shop in the territory." Wang Jun knew that Lu HaiKong would definitely ask, so he had already gathered all the information about the other person.
Hearing this, Lu HaiKong couldn't help but frown and asked somewhat reluctantly, "Can she only make clothes? Can she make battle armor?"
"Zhang Wen has already looked into it. No, that elderly woman hasn't learned how to make battle armor. Currently, she can only make clothes and such."
"Alas, it's a pity to finally have a skilled professional, but it's a skill like this, which is barely useful." Lu HaiKong said regretfully. "Go on."
Wang Jun looked at the next report he needed to deliver, and his expression darkened: "Black Wind Fort has sent word. The Wang Family's third batch of grain has arrived, but they have raised the price by another 30%. Wang Ti is asking whether we should accept this transaction."
The Wang Family was the force behind the cavalry that had come to Black Wind Fort to find Li Xiong. After that meeting, they didn't return to Black Wind fort but came directly to the mountain bandit camp to meet with Lu HaiKong.
During that meeting, Lu HaiKong established a trade relationship with the Wang Family, who supplied various goods like grain and cotton robes at twice the market price.
In reality, if he could avoid it, Lu HaiKong wouldn't spend the extra money, but at the time, the fort's walls weren't complete, and the risk of exposure wasn't worth taking. Plus, the fort needed the grain, so he gritted his teeth and made three transactions with the Wang Family.
Each transaction was worth several tens of thousands of gold, and over three transactions, they had made at least 100,000 gold from Lu HaiKong.
"Three transactions, each with a 30% price hike. They've taken a lot from me. But for now, I can't afford to worry about it. This transaction will at least stock us with grain for half a year. The pasture should be able to support us by then. It's just money, so let's give it to them."
Lu HaiKong said through gritted teeth. Despite not lacking the 100,000 gold, being treated like a fat sheep by anyone was no fun. Thankfully, he had overcome the financial crisis, and the gold mine was now profitable, bringing in tens of thousands of gold monthly. Plus, he had the confidence to not worry too much about this expense.
Wang Jun's next report directly addressed Lu HaiKong's financial confidence.
"Also, Dian Wei will likely deliver a batch of gold tomorrow. With this batch, we have already extracted 20 tons of gold ore from the mine. However, the blacksmithy lacks skilled labor, and the main smith's skills are too low to process more than a few hundred pounds daily. With spring now here, should we temporarily close the mine until we process this batch?"
(End of Chapter)
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