Chapter 133: Storage Cellar

Whether the Defense Post can truly repel the fierce evil remains to be verified.

The group continued forward and soon saw a cluster of buildings amidst the desolation.

Combining the circular earthen building design drafted by Wen Gu with the military forts of the North, and following surveys by professionals, all available construction forces were mobilized. Paired with the latest type of Three-in-one Cement upgraded by Qingyi Daozhang, this Defense Post was built in less than half a year.

Viewed from the outside, it is a cylindrical structure; the lower part has no windows, while the upper part has small windows.

The person in charge of the post was already waiting outside.

Leading them was an acquaintance of Wen Gu—the former Patrol Guard Division Vice Commissioner, now the temporary Post Chief of the Defense Post, Cheng Xu.

Cheng Xu had previously made a major error while leading a mission and was nearly kicked out of the core circle of Xinzhou by Lao Zhao.

To save himself and prevent being marginalized, Cheng Xu set his sights on this first Defense Post and even specifically sought advice from Wen Gu.

Compared to their last meeting, Cheng Xu looked darker and thinner, but his spirit was still holding up.

Having gone from a high-and-mighty Patrol Guard Division Vice Commissioner to a grassroots lackey in the eyes of many, he showed no signs of dejection. He was like a taut, resilient bow, holding back a surge of energy.

When he botched the job back then, Cheng Xu did not throw a tantrum or refuse to leave Xinzhou City; instead, he immediately chose to come to the front lines to oversee the construction of the post. In the eyes of Zhao Shaozhu, Cheng Xu still possessed strategic vision and was a smart man.

After some exchange of pleasantries, Zhao Shaozhu's team split into two parts; one part remained outside, while others followed him inside.

As they walked inside, Wen Gu carefully inspected every part of the post. He did not interfere with the conversation between Zhao Shaozhu and Cheng Xu, but he did not stray too far either.

When out and about, the security force around his cousin was the strongest, and Wen Gu still cherished his own little life.

The interior of the post was somewhat cluttered, but overall, it was mostly built.

The craftsmen paused briefly to salute, then continued their work at Zhao Shaozhu's signal.

Unlike ordinary laborers, the craftsmen drafted to participate in building the post had previous experience building military forts at the border.

There were also circular military forts at the northern border, and these local professional master builders found it easier to understand the earthen-building-style sketches drafted by Wen Gu.

The introduction of new materials improved construction efficiency. As long as labor, building materials, and food supplies kept up, the construction was quite fast.

However, from what could be seen, there were not many people here.

Up ahead, Post Chief Cheng was explaining to Zhao Shaozhu: "When construction first began, the main labor and military force were drawn from Shuo City. Now that the weather is getting hot, the burden on Shuo City is heavier, and the main structure here is complete with the construction period nearing its end, so most of them have been withdrawn."

Wen Gu diverted his attention to listen to the voices of the craftsmen and laborers, distinguishing different accents. Most of the craftsmen were from the North, while the laborers doing pure manual work were from both the South and the North.

Over the past half year, Lao Zhao had poached many experienced craftsmen from other factions.

They were doing a good job; he could stand to poach a few more!

Post Chief Cheng pointed to a well protected by a roof: "The post has two wells. This one is the common type, and that one over there is the water-pressure well that Ward Chief Wen mentioned—"

When choosing the specific location for the post, they had also invited professionals with extensive experience in well-drilling to confirm the site; it had to have water to maintain independent operation.

In the vast area near Li Mountain, this might be the only place suitable for drilling a well.

Post Chief Cheng led them to inspect the compartments inside the building: "The walls in the lower section are thickened. The bottom two floors are mainly warehouses, the Kitchen, and stables, while people live in the rooms above—"

Zhao Shaozhu chatted with Cheng Xu for a while, then called Wen Gu over. When it came to the understanding of the Defense Post, Wen Gu, as the initiator, was better at clearing up doubts.

Zhao Shaozhu was very serious about understanding this post. He had read Wen Gu's proposal and sketches, and he highly valued the linkage mechanism described therein.

The Defense Post was similar to a combination of a military fort, a post station, and a watchtower; it could operate independently while possessing defensive, linked-warning, and communication functions.

Using visual or auditory warning signals brought by Wolf Smoke or Fire Powder, it could transmit real-time emergency developments.

Wen Gu discussed the key points of defense work with them for a while, as well as the linkage mechanism that Zhao Shaozhu valued, and then looked forward to the work after the crisis: "If the post can hold out through this summer, we can set up a tent in the sheltered area outside during the autumn and winter seasons this year. When merchant caravans and refugee groups are active, we can earn some tea money—"

More importantly, it was conducive to collecting news from passersby.

"People who can survive in this world and still move about outside have extremely strong defenses—"

They might not be willing to enter the interior of the post for fear of being trapped and killed inside.

"But in the open space outside, they would certainly be willing to trade goods for some urgently needed tea and dry rations."

Zhao Shaozhu nodded: "This area is indeed short of water."

Post Chief Cheng also felt it was feasible.

Trading for goods was good, of course, but if they could trade for useful intelligence, that would be even better.

The latest developments from all sides, whether from outside Xinzhou, the South, or the North, were extremely valuable even if they were just a little bit!

Once operations matured, the post itself, aside from possibly needing a little support for energy when supplies were scarce, might be self-sufficient most of the time.

The more he understood, the more confident Zhao Shaozhu became. He walked out of the room, his gaze sweeping over every part of the building: "Rigid on the outside and flexible on the inside, hollow in the middle and bright on the outside."

"This is the eye of Xinzhou, and also the scales and armor of Xinzhou!"

One or two posts might not be obvious, but what if there were many?

That would be an entire, fully armed Xinzhou!

In this chaotic world where Plague Ghosts run rampant, this would be the safest place!

More people would make their choice!

The light in Post Chief Cheng's eyes grew brighter. From the young master's attitude, it could be seen, and it was confirmed once again, that the Zhao Family indeed had extremely high expectations for this Defense Post!

As long as this place could withstand the test of actual combat, his wish to return to the core of Xinzhou's power was just around the corner!

He would rely on this place to make a comeback!

Zhao Shaozhu's team stayed at the post for one night to rest, then turned back the next day to go to Shuo City.

Now that the weather was getting hot, accidents could happen at any time, so any action had to be fast; they could not stay outside for too long.

Last year, Wen Gu led a small team of people fleeing from the South to the North, slipping past the edge of Shuo City without entering.

This time, following Zhao Shaozhu's team, he took a rough look.

Unlike Xinzhou City, which was closer to the border and still maintained a ward-and-lane structure, Shuo City had the common inner and outer city layout.

There were not many pedestrians on the streets, and even if there were, they came and went in a hurry with grave expressions.

Everyone knew that the season when the weather turned hot was a time of crisis, and one should minimize going out!

The residence arranged for Zhao Shaozhu in Shuo City was not at the county government office.

"Not far from the county government office, there is a courtyard; it doesn't look like much from above, but there is another world underground!"

Zhao Shaozhu said to Wen Gu.

Although it was his first time coming here as well, he had mastered more information.

Naturally, he had to carefully inspect the place where they would be living for the next three months.

The above-ground portion indeed looked like just an ordinary wealthy household's residence; having seen wider, more luxurious mansions, he did not care for it.

A steward led the way in front, opened a room door with the keys he carried, and then pushed open a secret door: "Shao-zhu, this is the entrance to the Cellar!"

A cellar is nothing rare; what is rare is a Storage Cellar!

The steward spoke with respect and vividness, introducing: "Several hundred years ago, this place was the fief of a certain feudal prince."

The feudal princes of that time held real military power and could be regarded as local emperors.

"This is a storage-style cellar built by that feudal prince, used to store grain, ice, and weapons, among other things."

Wen Gu followed him inside; the underground was indeed wide, like an underground palace, and the walls were sturdy enough.

The border region suffered many wars and dynastic changes, and this place had been affected by the flames of war many times; the surface had long since lost its original appearance, but the underground was preserved relatively well, though few people knew of it.

"A hundred years ago, a wealthy household in Shuo City discovered this place, bought it, built a house on top, and hid underground during times of war.

The house was passed down from generation to generation and was constantly renovated and maintained." The steward also shared some local gossip.

However, Zhao Shaozhu had no interest in that; he looked at the cellar: "It cost a fortune."

Whether it was the feudal prince from hundreds of years ago or the wealthy household that took over later, both had spent great effort here.

Even a wealthy household near the border was actually this rich?

The level further below the cellar had an Ice Cellar, and there was more than one ice chamber. One could feel the cold air from over there even from a distance.

The steward said: "Ice was stored during the winter and kept locked up. A cellar chamber was opened today, and the people from the Kitchen transported ice out from inside."

As he spoke, he had someone bring a piece of ice, place it on a Tray, and hand it to Shaozhu.

"It is all the cleanest ice!"

Zhao Shaozhu only glanced at it casually; he had no interest in the Ice Cellar, as the Grain Cellar was what he needed to inspect as a priority.

There were more cellar chambers used for storing grain, mainly used to supply Zhao Shaozhu's troops and for reserves in the city.

The Granary that supplied the army with grain was not here.

The cellar chambers used for storing grain had doors and locks that were all specially customized; it would take a lot of effort to smash them open without a key.

In this day and age, the importance of grain goes without saying, so naturally, it had to be stricter in this regard.

Besides the storage chambers for grain, the Storage Cellar also had a Weapon Warehouse and even a backup Kitchen.

The ventilation, lighting, and flues were all designed by specialists.

There were even hidden Fire Walls here; in the cold winter, the nobles could enjoy warmth in the cellar while avoiding the chaos of war.

The person who designed the house for the feudal prince back then was also of the craftsman level that would have been strictly vetted by the nine clans.

Several places had Bright Tiles replaced with Glass; it was installed discreetly and could not be seen from the outside, but it allowed for more light in the basement.

Once the steward left, with only Wen Gu and Zhao Shaozhu, the cousins, present, there was no need to be too guarded in their speech.

"The original owner of the house had no fame elsewhere, but they must have been a local tyrant in the past, right?" Wen Gu asked.

"They certainly had quite a few criminal records, but the state of the world was unstable, and the other party took the initiative to offer up the residence and cellar—so bygones were bygones," Zhao Shaozhu said.

The original wealthy household offered up the cellar and also provided a batch of stored grain in exchange for the whole family moving to Xinzhou City, where it was safer.

If they had not taken the initiative to bring it out, they might have been able to hide for a while, but they might not have been able to hold onto it; it was better to offer it up from the start in exchange for more benefits.

"Many of the people in their family survived, and they exchanged it for a nice residence; besides that, they also obtained a farmstead, hired a few laborers to manage the farmstead, and could continuously send grain to the city."

They did not have to worry about food or drink, and they hid in the city when there was danger; as long as Xinzhou City did not fall, there was nothing to worry about.

The original owners had their own trade-offs, but now, Wen Gu looked at this storage-style cellar; it was indeed a good place for avoiding danger.

"No wonder the original family was able to survive the initial chaos. This place really has a sense of security."

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