105 The Governor's Special Envoy

On the evening of March 1st, in Wuwei, at the office of the Governor of Liang Province.

Geng Bi, the Governor, sat in his study, reviewing official documents with a heavy expression. In a mere two months, his jurisdiction of Xiliang had erupted with dozens of Qiang rebellions, ranging from Jincheng Commandery to Jiuquan Commandery. The minor incidents resulted in casualties, while the major ones led to the destruction of entire villages and settlements. Every commandery in Xiliang had dispatched large numbers of troops to quell the rising sparks of rebellion and had executed a batch of insurgents and troublemakers. Yet, a fresh urgent report had just arrived from the frontier: a drought in the northern desert was driving the Xiongnu to constantly push south, harassing the borders and plaguing the common people.

With rebellions unceasing and the scourge of war rising again, it was truly a case of misfortune never coming singly.

Geng Bi rubbed his temples and set the documents aside. These damn barbarians were causing trouble every few days, never letting him have a moment of peace. How was he supposed to report the state of the province to the Situ’s office in the capital at the end of the year? This would surely tarnish his political record! It seemed he would have to urge the commandery captains to impose stricter controls on these Qiang people.

"Report!" An attendant entered the study, looking somewhat pleased. "My Lord, good news from the Administrator of Wuwei Commandery. The villages under his jurisdiction are developing prosperously. A player-run village in Longyou has been upgraded to a medium-sized village, becoming the first of its kind in the world. It has gained widespread fame and has won a fine honor for our Liang Province."

"Oh? Such a thing has happened?"

Geng Bi was astonished. A village had upgraded so quickly and had even taken the top spot. He had not held high hopes for the villages in his province; after all, the land in Xiliang was barren and grain production was scarce, making development far more difficult than in the Central Plains. He would have been satisfied just to see them in the top hundred, let alone the top ten—let alone first place.

This news was truly unexpected, and it was a clear testament to excellent administrative performance!

He hadn't heard such good news in a long time, so he laughed heartily. "Excellent! Send my orders: post public commendations in every city in Liang Province, establishing this village as a model for all villages in our commanderies. Furthermore, award them ten bolts of silk and ten stones of grain. Additionally, bestow upon their village chief one Level 30 Green-Steel Sword and a full set of Level 30 Light Armor."

"Yes, my Lord! I shall see to it at once!"

...

A day later, in Xiaobai Village, Longyou. Visitors arrived in an endless stream.

Li Asan had finished arranging the farming affairs and, following Zhan Xiaobai's instructions, had worked through the night to build several wooden huts (each housing 30 people) to begin recruiting new NPC residents. He also rushed the construction of a medium-sized inn to allow players to store items and provide better accommodations for visiting NPC guests.

Zhan Xiaobai was in the courtyard, discussing the organization of players within the village with Jian Ba and Qiushui.

There were no fewer than 4,000 to 5,000 players stationed in Xiaobai Village, and there were at least 100 private player organizations of various sizes. However, the system had only provided 15 slots for recognized groups. This meant that the majority of organizations would be eliminated or merged, and those that remained would become very powerful.

Jian Ba was somewhat worried. "The more fragmented the player teams are within the village, the harder it is for them to coalesce, which is actually more favorable for us as village administrators. We can easily win them over or drive away the few teams that intend to cause us trouble. But once a player team becomes massive, if trouble arises, the problems will not be so easy to solve..."

Zhan Xiaobai looked at Qiushui, wanting to hear the opinion of his "Head of Security."

"Qiushui, what do you think?"

Qiushui smiled. "Currently, the largest player organizations are mainly the 'Hot-Blooded Family' and the 'Righteous Gang,' with about 200 members each. The other organizations have only around 100 people, or even just four or five forming their own cliques. At this scale, they don't pose a threat to us yet. After all, the four of us elders directly control nearly a thousand players; maintaining stability is not a difficult task. But if an organization of over 500 people emerges, it will be hard to manage. Small organizations also have many problems—those groups of three or five don't have much individual capability, but they are very good at causing trouble, frequently fighting and brawling, and refusing to follow the village rules."

Zhan Xiaobai fell into deep thought.

If the organizations were too small, they were scattered and difficult to manage, placing a heavy burden on village security. If they were too large, he worried about them becoming bloated and burdensome. He had to find a proper way to solve this problem.

Jian Ba had many affairs to attend to and excused himself.

Seeing Zhan Xiaobai lost in thought for a long time, Qiushui couldn't help but speak her mind. "Big Brother Bai, are you worried that if the player teams merge, the village will face problems? Actually, the probability of that happening is not high... If you don't want any team to become too powerful, maintaining the status quo is also a good idea."

Zhan Xiaobai snapped out of his thoughts, shook his head with a smile, and said, "The system wouldn't add a player organization system for no reason. Merging the players within the village is a necessary step; it concerns the prosperity of our village. Alright, I have already made my decision. Once the harvest is in, I will make the announcement. Don't worry, go back to your work."

Seeing that he had already made up his mind, Qiushui prepared to leave. As she walked outside the courtyard, she suddenly saw a player running over in a hurry.

The player saw Qiushui and shouted urgently, "Elder Qiushui, government troops! A large unit of imperial soldiers is approaching from the west! It's unclear if they are hostile, but they are moving very slowly; it doesn't look like they are here to fight."

Qiushui quickly returned to inform Zhan Xiaobai.

Zhan Xiaobai was surprised. Accompanied by her, Jian Ba, Chunqiu Shaoxia, A'Fei, Li Asan, and hundreds of curious and puzzled players, he went to the village gate to watch.

They saw hundreds of imperial cavalrymen, all above Level 60, flying the Great Han banners and approaching the village slowly under the command of an NPC Colonel. Their solemn military bearing and full armor instilled a sense of oppression and deep killing intent in the players of Xiaobai Village.

If such an army were to attack a player village, there would be no need to even draw their blades. A single charge would be enough to trample all the players in the village, crushing the entire settlement into ruins under their hooves. Fortunately, these NPCs were imperial soldiers and would not attack a player's village without cause.

The cavalry stopped not far from the village. Several dozen high-level NPC cavalrymen escorted a mounted civil official and a supply wagon loaded with goods to the wooden gate of Xiaobai Village.

Seeing this, Zhan Xiaobai stepped forward, bowed, and asked, "I am the village chief of Xiaobai Village. May I ask, my Lord, what brings you to our village?"

The NPC official looked Zhan Xiaobai over and smiled. "You are Xiaobai? Not bad, young and promising! I am an attendant from the Governor's office of Liang Province, here under the orders of the Governor to bestow an award upon you."

Zhan Xiaobai was startled. An attendant? That was a high-ranking assistant to a provincial governor. How had such a high-level NPC official come to a rural village?

The official produced an official decree and read it aloud: "Decree of the Governor of Liang Province: Xiaobai Village of Longyou has developed prosperously, becoming the first medium-sized village in the world, serving as a model for all villages in our commanderies. Special rewards: ten bolts of silk and ten stones of grain. To Village Chief Xiaobai: one Level 30 Green-Steel Sword and a full set of Level 30 Light Armor."

"I thank the Governor for his grace!"

Zhan Xiaobai smiled and had Li Asan lead people to take the silk, grain, and equipment to the warehouse. He hadn't expected to receive benefits from the stingy provincial government for becoming the first village in the world. This small batch of items was worth at least 100 strings of copper coins. In particular, the full set of light armor and the weapon were items that players currently had no way of crafting themselves or obtaining from hostile NPCs.

Li Asan was incredibly excited; he had never seen such a high-ranking official in his life, and he hurriedly directed the NPC farmers to move the goods into the warehouse.

After bestowing the rewards, the NPC official continued unhurriedly, "Village Chief Xiaobai, besides these, I have several administrative orders here. Listen carefully."

Administrative orders? Could these be NPC government quests?

Zhan Xiaobai's heart skipped a beat, and he listened respectfully.