My Cultivation Starting From Archery
/ My Cultivation Starting from Archery Chapter 74 – Chapter 74 Chapter 74 Great Wall
Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Great Wall Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Great Wall Great Wall.
It was the utmost priority for any ancient regime.
The Central Plains, as an agrarian civilization, had the ferocious nomadic tribes of the grasslands as their greatest enemy.
Before the Great Wall was built, barbarian cavalry would frequently invade the south to plunder every year.
Moreover, since these were small-scale cavalry, highly mobile, they would simply raid and kill, then leave, leaving no options for defense.
It was not until the appearance of the Great Wall that the stomping of horse hooves was halted.
Now, if the nomadic tribes wanted to raid, they had to pay a tremendous cost.
They either had to attack cities or traverse mountains and ridges on foot.
The former required a heap of human lives, while the latter, even if successful in plunder, meant being chased down to death without the aid of warhorses.
Thus, under immense pressure, originally scattered tribes of the grasslands began to unify gradually, eventually forming several powerful alliances to collectively confront the nations of the Central Plains.
And, contrary to many people's impressions,
the Great Wall was not a drain on resources; rather, it was a significant saving on national defense expenditures.
Chen Sansi, while perusing the “Great Flourishing Book,” had once noted that during the Kaiyuan Period, an official had presented the Emperor with a cost analysis.
The details were too complex to recount thoroughly, but in summary, compared to the expenses of maintaining a large military presence, building the Great Wall saved a full ten times the resources.
Po Yang Territory was surrounded by mountainous terrain, difficult and steep.
The range that cavalry and large armies could advance was not vast, roughly two hundred li, and the Great Wall perfectly covered this range.
Leaving the Thousand Households heading north, it wasn't far before one could see a structure resembling a giant python.
“Commander Chen, you've worked hard.”
Zhao Kang introduced the work details, “In ten days, Commander Feng's men will come to replace you, and only then can you rest.”
From now on, these three commanders would rotate responsibility for the surveillance duties of the Great Wall.
More than a hundred individuals began to relieve those on duty.
Changing guards alone was a massive task, hence the ten-day rotation to improve efficiency.
Chen Sansi, riding the White Swan Horse, patrolled along the Great Wall.
Once the guard change finished, he also climbed the stairwell up the wall.
The Great Wall stood about seven meters high, with a base width of six meters and a top width of five to six meters.
Every ten li, a signal tower was set up, and each signal tower would have five soldiers stationed.
Two hundred li of the Great Wall was exactly enough for one district under Commander Chen.
It might seem that such a long stretch guarded by only a hundred men was too few, but in reality, it was entirely adequate.
The primary function of the Great Wall was to block horses, slow down attacks, and transmit information.
Once an enemy was spotted, they would immediately light the beacon fires.
As the beacon fires lit, all the soldiers of Po Yang Thousand Households would react with utmost speed, completing the entire process in less than half an hour.
Additionally, this location was not a main battlefield, and the population of barbarian tribes outside the city was not large, so the situation was generally secure.
Since it was the first day, Zhao Kang also left veterans at each signal tower to pass down their experience, explaining surveillance precautions and various uses of the signal fires.
Signal fires were not simply about lighting a fire and being done.
It was a complete intelligence system.
With four types of beacon devices — fire, lights, smoke, and flags — and their complex combinations, they could convey detailed intelligence.
For instance, how many enemy troops were approaching, from what direction, and so on…
Seeing it in books and seeing it in reality were entirely different concepts.
“Ten days.”
“We need to stay here for ten days straight.”
As a general, Chen Sansi had to lead by example and could not afford to be lazy.
But he would not waste time either.
In a watchtower, the soldiers would take turns resting.
Thus, Chen Sansi took the night shift all through the night, took the opportunity during the day to rest by riding back to the camp to help in the infirmary, and as for sleeping, he only slept three to four hours each day. Thankfully, the spirit brought by “reading” helped him withstand it.
By the end of ten days,
Chen Sansi had almost spent the three hundred silver pieces given by his elder martial sister, and with the powerful effects of the Spiritual Grain, his proficiency nearly reached mastery in Bone Strengthening Skill!
[Skill: Undying Golden Snake Spear. Upper (entry-level)]
[Progress: 410/500]
“This is still under the situation where the toxins of the Spiritual Grain cannot be rapidly resolved.”
“If there were actual combat, the progress would be even faster!”
There's no need to worry about progress being too fast and noticeable.
Chen Sansi had specifically inquired.
Just in the Eight Camps he knew of, there were two who were advancing faster than himself.
First, was Supervisor Sun.
Second, was the youngest son of Supervisor Sun who had passed away.
The rest were surely there; one would only know after asking Sun Li when he had the time.
Apart from the Eight Camps, the Capital City surely had plenty, and so did the other major forces.
So to say,
the speed of the advancement in cultivation was indeed astonishing, but it still fell within the scope of genius, and to add to that, he was also mistaken as having the Nine Dragon Body—it was entirely plausible.
For now, there was no need to exhaust efforts to hide his level.
The feeling of rapid progress was largely due to the remoteness of Po Yang Territory.
“Clang!”
Chen Sansi let out a breath and put down the long spear in his hand.
It was another night of vigil, and the East brightened with the first light of dawn.
He stood on the city wall, gazing into the distance.
These ten days had been very peaceful.
No one had appeared on the grassland.
He actually wished that a small group of cavalry would attack, so he could hone his spear technique in real combat and aid in absorbing the energy of the Spiritual Grain.
But such things could not be forced.
Fortunately, after such a long period of continuous effort, he was about to master Medical Skill, and eating more Supplemental Medicine would have the same effect.
At about 5 a.m to 7 a.m.,
Households Commander Feng came punctually to change guard.
Chen Sansi rode the White Swan Horse and returned to camp with his fellow soldiers.
Lately, riding the horse back and forth, together with personally feeding the horse, had also improved his proficiency, and his Horse Control skills were about to advance to the next stage.
[Skill: Horse Control (entry-level)]
[Progress: (150/200)]
He was curious, after all, the horse was a means of transportation; he wondered to what extent it could be enhanced.
Upon returning to the military settlement, Chen Sansi headed straight for the pharmacy; however, at the entrance to the camp, he encountered a familiar figure.
Wang Zhi had returned from visiting his family in the Prefecture City.
“Stony.”
Wang Zhi grinned, revealing his teeth as he jovially approached, “How's it been lately? I mean, which Selection Officer has come?”
“The young master and young miss of the Lord Governor.”
Chen Sansi dismounted his horse and said, “Right, Miss Sun was looking for you.”
“They…”
Wang Zhi tentatively asked, “What did they say?”
“Miss Sun said she does not know you. Hundred Households Wang, did you change your name?”
Chen Sansi said, “You asked me to plead on your behalf, but you have to tell me what you did in the past, right?”
“I…”
Wang Zhi showed a distressed expression and chuckled bitterly, “Stony, I've changed my mind; you don't have to speak for me. If you ever see the Supervisor again, don't mention me, just say the Cultivation Technique was something you found on the street.”
With those words, he hurriedly walked away as if fleeing.
“?”
Chen Sansi was baffled.
So afraid of the Sun Li siblings?
If Wang Zhi truly had a serious crime, he wouldn't still be alive.
It didn't add up.
Unable to figure it out, he stopped pondering and went straight to the pharmacy.
“Households Commander Chen doesn't rest at all.”
The Medical Officer Jiang was frightened.
This young man was seemingly unafraid of working himself to death.
“I dare not rest.”
By now, Chen Sansi was familiar with the tasks, and he began sorting the medicinal materials and adding water to simmer the medications for the military officers.
In addition, he possessed the skill of Never Forget.
Every medicinal material that appeared in the pharmacy, its utility and pharmacology were all remembered by him, as were all the formulas and secrets of the Supplemental Medicine brewed in the pharmacy.
Finally.
The panel fluctuated.
[Skill: Medical Skill (entry-level)]
[Progress: 0/500]
[Utility: Master pharmacology, Recognize Medicine on sight]
[Recognize Medicine on sight: For ordinary medicine, see and immediately decipher the formula]
Source: Webnovel.com, updated on N𝘰vgo.co
Chapter end
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