S-level Mission: Yellow Turban Rebellion

Night fell, and the bright moon hung on the branches.

The villagers who had gone out to collect resources during the day gradually returned to Dragon Village.

Zhang Lao walked over to Long Chen with his cane and bowed, saying, "My lord, today we collected a lot of wood and stone from the mountains. In addition, we found quite a few game animals!"

"Good! You've all worked hard today. After you return, make sure to rest well!" Long Chen replied with concern.

"Not at all, my lord. Without your kind actions, providing us with food and saving our lives, we would have already perished in these troubled times. You've built a village for us, giving us a place to call home, which we lacked before. So, if my lord has any orders, we will unquestionably follow! Isn't that right, everyone?" Zhang Lao said as he turned to the villagers behind him and shouted.

"Yes! Without our lord, we would have perished in these troubled times!"

"My lord, whatever you ask me to do, I will do it!"

"My life belongs to my lord!"

Seeing the gratitude and loyalty of the villagers, Long Chen felt like he was already in another world, and in this world, the villagers of Dragon Village were his subjects. He was determined to help these subjects live comfortable lives, provide them with homes, and ensure they had everything they needed.

"Don't worry, my fellow villagers! As long as I have food to eat, there will be food for all of you!"

The applause was thunderous.

In turbulent times, what mattered most? Naturally, it was food. Being able to eat a full meal was the greatest dream of these simple folks. Moreover, in this world, Long Chen didn't just provide them with food; he also gave them houses, giving them a home.

From this point on, the villagers' sense of belonging to Dragon Village was unparalleled and their willingness to contribute to the village's development was at its peak.

Everyone was willing to put their all into the development of Dragon Village. This led to a very high level of efficiency when collecting resources, especially given the limited number of workers available.

The villagers began to return to their homes to rest. Long Chen took the opportunity to tally up today's resource harvest.

Territory Resources: Wood - 1250, Stone - 1200, Iron Ore - 305

This was quite good. The villagers had collected more than a hundred wood and stone and several dozen iron ores today, which was already a considerable achievement considering the limited workforce.

Tomorrow, he could start selecting young and strong individuals to establish the guard unit. This would be his first military force in the game. Just thinking about it got Long Chen excited.

Now would be a good time to use the (Blue) Barracks construction blueprint and the (Green) Arrow Tower construction blueprint. Since these were system rewards, they only required sufficient materials to construct.

Long Chen chose to place the Arrow Tower at the entrance of the village.

A green light radiated from the blueprint and illuminated the designated location. The words "Eight hours" appeared in the void. The construction would be completed tomorrow morning.

Next, he constructed the Barracks near the back of the village.

First, this area was quiet and had low foot traffic, making it suitable for military training. Second, it was close to the mountains, allowing for frequent hunting, which would train the soldiers in real combat. Third, it would be beneficial for training troops suited for mountain warfare.

This decision was made because of Long Chen's background. The Yangzhou region had many hills and forests, making it home to numerous mountain tribes. These mountain tribes excelled at mountain warfare and would become a significant threat to Sun Quan of Eastern Wu in the future.

If Long Chen wanted to unify Yangzhou in the future, dealing with these mountain tribes would be a significant challenge. Therefore, he demanded that his infantry be well-versed in mountain warfare.

In the Art of War, it was often said that to succeed in battle, one needed to master timing, location, and strategy. The terrain and topography were essential, and these features would be advantageous for Long Chen.

Suddenly, a metallic sound interrupted Long Chen's thoughts.

"Game Announcement: The Yellow Turban Rebellion is intensifying! S-level mission to eliminate the Yellow Turban Army is now available. The more Yellow Turban soldiers you kill, the more rewards you will receive. The higher the level of Yellow Turban soldiers you kill, the greater the rewards!"

This metallic voice spread to all the game players in the Huaxia server.

The announcement in the game's forums stirred a wide range of opinions.

"The game developer must be kidding, right? I don't even have the ability to protect myself, and they want me to eliminate the Yellow Turban Army!?"

"Agree with the person above!"

"I second that!"

"Haven't you all heard the announcement? It's specifically for lord players, those who have established territories. We don't have land, so how can we be lords?"

"This game is ruining my youth!"

...

At the same time,

Luoyang City,

Imperial Palace,

Emperor Ling of Han finally lifted his head from his beauty, his face pallid, and an aura of death emanating from him.

He had been gradually consumed by the allure of beauty, and his vitality was fading away.

Ultimately, he entrusted the crucial task of saving the country to the robust and plump butcher general, He Jin.

He dispatched three renowned generals of the late Han dynasty, Huangfu Song, Lu Zhi, and Zhu Jun, each leading their respective armies to completely annihilate the Yellow Turban Army.

Inside Luoyang City, two young men, one wearing yellow robes and the other in black, gazed into the distance where the flames of war were rising in the east.

"The Yellow Turban Rebellion is erupting, and the nation is in danger. The common people are suffering!" said the one in yellow robes with sorrow.

"The Yellow Turbans are just a rabble; they are not worth worrying about. The real problem lies in what comes after..." the one in black mused, gazing into the distant darkness through his deep eyes.

.....

In a distant region in Zhuojun,

Three sworn brothers formed a bond under the lush peach blossom trees. Their oath echoed through the skies, reaching the heavens!

The Yellow Turban Rebellion was causing many heroes to rise to prominence.

This was destined to be the beginning of turbulent times!

...

Time flew by, and without realizing it, over half a month had passed.

During this period, Long Village had rapidly developed into a prosperous state. The village had almost reached its population limit, close to 500 residents.

This growth was largely due to Long Chen's reputation for benevolence, attracting many refugees seeking shelter in the village.

Long Chen was more than willing to accept these refugees because, in troubled times, the population was the greatest wealth, and it was essential for the development of his territory. Furthermore, building a refuge for refugees in turbulent times was an act of benevolence.

It made sense both morally and rationally.

In addition, Long Chen's army had completed its first training cycle.

Under the effect of Long Chen's (Dragon and Phoenix Among Men) talent, the soldiers improved rapidly, thanks to the 30% boost to all attributes.

The army now consisted of 150 soldiers, forming a small military unit.

After training with the soldiers, Long Chen returned to his room, exhausted.

He opened his territory panel.

...

Territory Name: Dragon Village

Territory Level: 1

Territory Resources: Wood - 5,000, Stone - 5,000, Iron Ore - 2,000

Territory Population: 498/500

Territory Army: 150/150

Territory Food Supply: 3,000

Territory Upgrade Requirements: Wood - 2,000, Stone - 2,000, Iron Ore - 500

.....

The current issues were quite clear. One problem was that the territory's population had nearly reached saturation. If the territory was not upgraded soon, they would be unable to accept more refugees coming to Dragon Village. This would result in a decrease in their reputation. Furthermore, rejecting so many people would be detrimental to their future development. With the ongoing Yellow Turban Rebellion, refugees were plentiful. But once the rebellion was quelled, it wouldn't be as easy to attract them.

Therefore, upgrading the territory was the top priority. Fortunately, their resources were abundant, and upgrading to a level 2 village was well within reach.

The second issue was the food supply. There was hardly any food left, maybe enough for two more months, considering the continuous influx of refugees. To mitigate this, Long Chen had to visit Shunxingde to purchase food. Shunxingde was the store run by Fan Wei, the merchant who gave Long Chen a hidden quest. Their relationship had grown closer, and they had collaborated multiple times. Fan Wei primarily dealt in Shu brocades and specialty products from Yizhou to make a profit.

However, Fan Wei had extensive connections and could help with negotiating for food as well. It was a chance to haggle for a good price. In addition to buying food, they could go hunting in the nearby hills. This would serve a dual purpose, training their troops and obtaining game.

The final point was income generation. They needed to develop agriculture in the village to become self-sufficient. However, this required a substantial population, and currently, they were in the early game phase, mainly focused on resource gathering. Once the village reached level 2 and the population increased, they could allocate some villagers to focus on agriculture.

With these thoughts in mind, Long Chen wrote down his plan on paper.

After considering all these factors, Long Chen accessed his character sheet. Over the past half month, his training with the soldiers had earned him substantial experience, and he had reached level 15. He had five attribute points to allocate, and he decided to invest all of them into his Strength attribute.

[Name]: Long Chen, Alias: Jue Ming

[Position]: Village Chief

[Title]: None (Reputation: 180)

[Level]: 15 (Max level: 100)

[Strength]: 35 (Limit: 80)

.....

[Endurance]: 15 (Limit: 70)

....

[Charm]: 100 (Influenced by the "Dragon and Phoenix Among Men" talent)

[Equipment]: Blood-Drinking Blade (Blue Superior)

[Wealth]: 1,090 silver taels

...

The next day, Long Chen sought out Zhang Lao and informed him of the plan to upgrade the village. Zhang Lao was overjoyed and expressed his disbelief at how fast Dragon Village was developing into a medium-sized village. Long Chen emphasized that it was the enthusiasm and hard work of everyone that had made it possible.

Zhang Lao praised Long Chen's leadership and benevolence, saying that they, the low-born refugees, were grateful to have a leader like him. They were willing to give their all for Long Chen.

After entrusting the village upgrade to Zhang Lao, Long Chen quickly headed to Xia Cai County to discuss procuring food. Unbeknownst to him, a group of individuals had their eyes on him.

In a secluded forest outside Xia Cai County, several rugged-looking men with their heads wrapped in coarse cloth were watching Long Chen as he entered the county. One of the men said, "The fish has arrived. Go report to the big boss!"

"Understood!" Another thin, tall man responded.