OBS Chapter 87 Titi Village
Chapter 87 Titi Village
In autumn, various construction projects in Mittal Village are progressing steadily and in an orderly manner. The village's central square is being expanded in full swing, and the original narrow dirt square has been leveled and compacted.
Surrey led a group of craftsmen to measure and mark the lines according to the pre-planned blueprints. The main road and branch roads were excavated at the same time. Stones and timber were neatly stacked on both sides of the road. Servants and laborers were busy with their respective duties, and the scene was bustling with activity.
Just as Vijay was squatting by the roadside, gesturing and pointing at the open space in front of him to Surrey,
"Shiva, bless me! Master, I'm back!" Kara, who had gone out to gather information about Titi Village, returned home exhausted.
Kara, without taking a break, went straight to Vijay's side.
At this time, it had only been about ten days since he took on the mission and left.
The fact that Vijay didn't have to wait long is enough to show that Kara is exceptionally capable and efficient.
Kara, who had been traveling for days, had clothes covered in dust and boots filled with mud. Her face showed the weariness of her journey, but her eyes were bright.
"Master, I have lived up to your expectations and have thoroughly investigated all the details of Titi Village."
Vijay glanced at him with a hint of surprise at his confident tone. He put down his charcoal pencil, got up, and walked to a makeshift wooden bench under a shaded canopy to sit down.
Vijay gestured for Kara to sit down and drink some water.
"Thank you for the gift, Master!" Kara said with delight, picking up the bowl and drinking the water in one gulp.
"Master, I've gone through a lot of trouble, and I've finally managed to enter the heart of Titi Village as a merchant!" Kara was indeed very sensible, knowing not to explain the process that Vijay had no interest in, and directly presented the result to Vijay.
"Master, the village chief of Titi Village is a Kshatriya!"
The first piece of bad news is...
Vijay's hand, which was holding the water, stopped in mid-air. Although he had expected this, he was still somewhat disappointed.
If it's a Kshatriya, the problem is more complicated than I expected!
Kara didn't keep Vijay in suspense for long; her next sentence dispelled the worry that had just arisen: "However, this Kshatriya is very old, his health has deteriorated to the extreme, he has been bedridden for many years, and his body is so frail that he can hardly get up and move on his own. He is no longer able to manage the daily affairs of the village!"
"The people currently in charge of Titi Village are the descendants of this Kshatriya. However, they are all offspring born from inter-caste marriages and are restricted by caste rules, inherently possessing only Vaishya status!"
That's it!
After a moment's recollection, Vijay understood the meaning of those words.
This is also the tragedy of those impoverished Kshatriya descendants!
Although one can use their status to collect huge dowries from the women of wealthy merchants, the status of their offspring will naturally be downgraded.
"Kshatriya's wife was said to be the daughter of a wealthy merchant in Mohenjo-daro, but she has been dead for many years!"
This is good news; at least Titi Village can no longer obtain any benefits from its maternal home.
No wonder!
Vijay seemed to understand why Titi Village had ended up in this state.
Those administrators, who were not destined to inherit their fathers' Kshatriya caste, were able to smoothly inherit everything in Titi Village by taking advantage of their biological fathers' status.
However, it was precisely because these children bore the empty title of Kshatriya descendants that they looked down on the Mittal family, who had only risen to prominence through trade and were merely of Vaishya descent.
That inexplicable sense of superiority that arose from the bottom of his heart was the real reason for his successive decisions to build dams to cut off the water source, ignore the negotiators sent by Vijay, and act arrogantly and rudely!
Kara paused, noticing Vijay's listening expression, and continued, "Old Kshatriya was not born into a prestigious family and did not have a powerful clan to rely on."
"It is said that in his early years he was a close bodyguard of the previous lord of Harappa, fighting alongside the army in numerous battles and achieving several crucial victories. In a fierce battle, he was severely wounded, suffering a permanent injury. The lord, grateful for his service, granted him this riverside land as his retirement fiefdom. Titi Village was gradually built up on this fiefdom, and its history is even shorter than that of Mital Village!"
So that's how it is. No relatives, no support!
"That's great news!" Vijay sat up straight.
"I even went to Harappa to inquire about this Kshatriya!" Kara's surprise for Vijay didn't stop there; he continued to boast, "The result was, nobody knew him!"
This seems quite normal!
Vijay nodded, seemingly lost in thought.
Although he was a Kshatriya, there were at least a hundred Kshatriyas in the entire city of Harappa if you counted them carefully.
It's not unimaginable that a Kshatriya, who has no powerful family connections and no outstanding myths to his name, would disappear after a few decades of seclusion.
In that case, if the negotiations fail, you'll have a lot more room to maneuver!
Kara only provides an explanation, without analysis.
"There's one more thing," Kara added, though now with a hint of hesitation, "Master, when I was in Titi Village, I felt that the village was somewhat different..."
"What's different?" Vijay was somewhat dismissive. It was just a traditional village; what could be unusual about it?
"I saw many villagers practicing martial arts, both the elderly and children. In their spare time, most of them were training their bodies, practicing hand-to-hand combat and short-range weapons... It seemed like they had a lot of discipline!"
"Forging the body?"
"How many people did you see in their village?" Vijay asked another crucial question.
This problem did not stump Kara either; his observations were meticulous: "I saw about a hundred Shudras and a dozen or so Vaishyas!"
Dalit was certainly not included in the category of "human"...
But if all of them were martial arts practitioners, and if even one-fifth of them were warriors, that would be a formidable force.
"You did a good job!" After hearing the full information, Vijay raised his hand in praise: "Go find Bim and collect 10 gold coins!"
"Shiva, please protect me!" Kara immediately moved aside and knelt down on the ground, her joy was genuine!
Vijay even saw that in the "Management" stat, Kara's 50 points of loyalty suddenly jumped by 9 points, barely reaching the passing mark of 59!
What a waste of a guy!
Vijay's purpose of rewarding him handsomely was not truly achieved, which was quite regrettable.
Regardless of his loyalty, Kara is truly a rare talent!
What a pity!
After seeing Kara off to receive his reward, Vijay sat alone in the pavilion, carefully reviewing all the intelligence. The overall situation in Titi Village was largely in line with his previous predictions, except that the fact that the entire village revered martial arts was slightly unexpected. However, this variable was not enough to disrupt the already finalized negotiation plan.
Vijay immediately began arranging preparations for the follow-up visit, first specifically mentioning Vaishevasu.
Before becoming a slave, this person must have been a good merchant. The system shows that he was proficient in local prices and gift purchasing, and had a deep understanding of the preferences of the upper nobility.
交涉（1/5）、投机（3/5）、口才（2/5），皆是冠绝全村。
Vijay instructed him to set off immediately for Harappa to purchase valuable gifts suitable for the Kshatriyas. Spices, fine silks, exquisite copperware, and aged fruit wines were all included in the purchase list. The gifts had to be substantial and presentable, sufficient to uphold the weight of the visit.
Then he appointed another Vaishya Gopal, who was eloquent and skilled in social interaction, to deliver a formal visiting card to Titi Village. The card made no mention of the water dispute and only stated that Vijay admired the old Kshatriya predecessors who had fought on the battlefield and wanted to pay homage to the sages, thus lowering their guard.
Vijay should at least show some courtesy.
Gopal was extremely efficient in delivering the visiting card, and within a single day he received a reply that the other party had agreed to meet him.
Even the words in his reply revealed a hint of arrogance, which really annoyed Vijay.
The morning after receiving the approval letter, Wei packed his belongings, took three or four quick-witted and adaptable personal servants, and boarded an oxcart loaded with gifts, slowly setting off towards Titi Village.
Driving off the main road from Mital Village, one can see the remarkable achievements of the village's recent development.
The previously chaotic dirt paths have been uniformly repaired, the surface has been compacted and leveled, and oxcarts can now travel smoothly and steadily without bumping or hitting anything.
Along the way, we passed a newly built Dalit settlement. It was a far cry from the dilapidated mud shacks that used to be everywhere. Rows of bungalows built of mud and wood were neatly arranged, with clear divisions and a well-organized layout. It looked no less impressive than a typical village and did not resemble a Dalit dwelling at all.
It was daytime, the workday, and the settlement was deserted; there were no Dalits loitering around in other villages.
This is exactly what Vijay wanted to see!
He went to great lengths to provide Dalit with better conditions, not to support these idle people!
The oxcart continued for another two miles, and a border post that was beginning to take shape came into view. The rammed earth walls were paired with wooden fences, and many Dalits were carrying stones and piling up earthen walls. Under the overall command of a Shudra foreman, the division of labor was clear: digging soil, piling stones, and repairing the foundation were all assigned to specific tasks, and the work was busy but not chaotic.
Judging from the basics, this sentry post is not very big, only a few dozen square meters in area, and it is expected to be about 20 meters high, which is enough to meet the basic defense function.
This is enough for Vijay's desired effect!
When the Shudra guarding the sentry post saw Vijaya's oxcart in the distance, he immediately put down his work and hurried forward to greet him.
Vijay stopped and casually inquired about the progress of the sentry post construction and the daily living conditions of the laborers.
The foreman reported everything truthfully, from ensuring sufficient building materials reserves and timely distribution of labor rations to the expected completion date of the sentry post.
In comparison, Vijay realized that these servants were obeying his orders rather than acting recklessly, which pleased him greatly.
"Well done! Here's a reward for you!" Vijay casually tossed a gold coin, offering words of encouragement and consolation. "Keep it up, and don't forget!"
This unexpected reward startled Shudra, who seemed to have never imagined receiving such a gift. He immediately knelt down and showered the reward with praise.
Vijay just smiled, then bid farewell to the sentry post. The oxcart continued forward, slowly driving out of the territory of Mital Village and into the land under the jurisdiction of Titi Village.
Upon entering the territory of Titi Village, the surrounding landscape immediately changes.
As a traditional village, Titi Village has a longer history of farming. The degree of reclamation of the entire field is far higher than that of Mital. Looking around, the fields are neat and orderly, with the previously harvested rice fields spread out in a continuous stretch, and the rice stubble left neatly on the soil.
A few ragged Dalits from the lower class bent down in the field, picking up stray ears of wheat and dry rice stalks.
But even these ears of wheat and rice stalks didn't seem to belong to them.
Vijay saw a Shudra overseer holding a long leather whip standing guard on the edge of the field, his eyes fierce, occasionally raising his whip to scold the working slaves, and shouting angrily at anyone who was slow to move.
He ordered the Dalits to put what they had collected into the bag in front of him.
Vijay could not comment on this.
Because that's the norm.
The overseer spotted Vijay and his entourage of foreign oxcarts from afar and immediately became highly vigilant. He kept his eyes fixed on the group, but dared not step forward to stop them because he did not know their origins. He simply stood there and watched the group walk away.
The deeper you go into the heart of Titi Village, the more frequently you see strict control measures in the fields. Apart from the vast farmlands, you can hardly see any other buildings such as workshops, markets, or new residential villages along the way.
As we traveled along the river near the main body of Titi Village, a simply constructed dam finally came into view.
The entire dam was hastily constructed using only mud and gravel, with crude workmanship and no rigorous construction methods. The Dalit settlements located downstream of the dam were even more filthy and chaotic, with sewage flowing everywhere. Dilapidated thatched huts were densely packed along the riverbank, with people, livestock, and miscellaneous items piled up haphazardly, creating an extremely harsh living environment.
Is this river water still usable?
Vijay's vision went black as he stared at the filth and garbage that had flowed into the dam, and he felt so overwhelmed that he could hardly breathe!
This mistake must be corrected as soon as possible!
Vijay frowned as he looked at the filth, and made up his mind.
The oxcart eventually entered Titi Village. The entire village has a simple and unpretentious architectural style, with no luxurious mansions and mostly low mud-brick houses.
Vijay met the eldest son of the old Kshatriya in the courtyard at the entrance of the village. This robust man was pampered and was one of the few obese people Vijay had seen since he came to this region.
Dressed in a Vaishya robe of the finest materials, with several maids standing beside him, constantly serving various exquisite snacks, he slightly raised his eyelids and looked Vijay and his party up and down with disdain. His arrogant aura was even more intense than that of Kshatriya Lirosh of Harappa.
Vijay jumped off the oxcart, clasped his hands in prayer, and asked in a friendly but questioning tone, "Brahma above, is that the head of Titi Village over there?"
In contrast, the fat man showed no courtesy whatsoever. He sized Vijay up and down before sharply questioning him, "What is the purpose of your Mital's massive construction of watchtowers along the border? Are you secretly coveting the land in my Titi village?"
This is paranoia!
Although this was not the original intention of building the watchtower, it is not impossible to change its purpose!
This attitude was indeed a bit excessive. Before Vijay could speak, his servants were ready to stand up and defend their master.
After all, they had just witnessed Vijay's generous reward and were looking for an opportunity to use it!
"Is this the way Titi Village treats its guests—so aggressively?"