Hearing the system prompt, Lin Mu knew that both the strategy and tactics this time had been a success!
The mid-level generals Lin Mu was besieging possessed formidable combat power. Although Lin Mu's soldiers were able to pin them down, several were killed due to a single moment of carelessness.
Afterward, Lin Mu showed no mercy to the resisting mid-level generals; he struck with lethal intent, allowing Xiao Hu to take down two of them.
However, although He Yuan was brave, he was sensible enough to recognize the situation. After Feng Zhong dealt with the people in the Council Hall, He Yuan realized the danger when he arrived at the training grounds to provide assistance and surrendered immediately!
...
Lin Mu also felt uneasy in his heart; his own strength was truly too low. Seeing how even a minor mid-level general could force him to avoid their sharp edge, he knew he had to find a way to improve upon his return. He wondered if he could visit the mysterious Yinglong atop Yinglong Peak to ask for some divine martial arts or secret techniques. A legendary, powerful existence like that—even a stray hair would surely be thicker than his waist!
Meanwhile, Xiao Hu had captured many deserters. As expected, once green recruits encountered bloody combat, they would inevitably become deserters; it was only human nature!
"Xiao Hu, take some soldiers back to the outer camp and bring those prisoners here to the stronghold to be guarded!" Lin Mu instructed Zhang Xiaohu.
"Yes, My Lord!" There were bloodstains on Xiao Hu's face. After killing the two mid-level generals, their blood had splattered onto him; although he had wiped it off, traces of blood were still visible.
Xiao Hu was still only a seventeen-year-old youth, but his bravery had already begun to manifest. He was destined to be a fierce general who charged at the frontlines in the future!
"Ding!"
"—System Prompt: Lord Lin Mu, you have successfully conquered the mid-level township [Qinglong Stronghold] as a subordinate territory. As you are the second player in the world to conquer a mid-level township, the system grants special rewards: Reputation +300, one Yellow-grade [Territory Building Upgrade Scroll], and one Yellow-grade [Nuwa Treasure Chest]!"
He had already obtained two Yellow-grade [Nuwa Treasure Chests], but since they were currently empty, he decided to open them here. Chang Yin had previously mentioned that it was best to open these chests within True Dragon Village, and ideally after activating the Dragon Vein to receive surprises. Lin Mu had questioned Chang Yin in detail about this, but Chang Yin only told him he would find out in the future, which left Lin Mu feeling very conflicted. *Chang Yin, you charlatan!*
After letting Feng Zhong arrange for soldiers to handle the prisoners, Lin Mu prepared to perform the God-level Attribute Mirror Setting.
Lin Mu walked to the rear hall of the stronghold's Council Hall. Much like Qingfeng Stronghold, there was a "Heart of the City" stone monument about two meters tall inside. Lin Mu placed his hand on the monument, and the attributes of Qinglong Stronghold appeared
[Qinglong Stronghold] (A stronghold established by a Black-grade Village Command Token)
Level: Large Stronghold
Stronghold Attributes
1. Land of Martial Edge: The probability of soldiers within the territory comprehending skills increases by 20%.
2. Mid-level Martial Township: The efficiency of experience gain for soldiers within the territory increases by 20%.
Current Residents: 138,900 / 150,000
Public Sentiment: 64
Public Order: 82
Tax Rate: 10%
Current Resources: 577,900,000 units of Grain, 65,878 units of Wood, 23,480 units of Stone, 12,680 ingots of Great Han Empire Destiny Gold Ingots, 48,730 Gold Coins, 459,682 Silver Coins, 4,857,420 Copper Coins, 17,970 sets of Great Han Empire Yellow-grade Standardized Equipment, 37,460 Yellow-grade Iron Bows, 48,230 Yellow-grade Sabers, 67,930 pieces of Ordinary Ironware, 5,497 units of Iron Ore.
Existing Buildings: High-level Stronghold Council Hall (1), Expert-level Blacksmith Shop (1), Training Ground (1), Junior Teleportation Array (1), High-level Warehouse (60),... Mid-level Fishery (2), High-level Shipyard (1), Farmland (10,000 mu, fertile)...
Existing Natural Resources: 1 Ordinary Small Iron Mine, 2 Ordinary Wood Forests, 2 Grade-2 Cedar Forests, 4 Ordinary Stone Quarries, 1 Grade-1 Bluestone Quarry, 5 High-level Monster Camps.
Constructible Buildings: Junior Residences, Junior Shipyards, Junior Fisheries, Junior Inns, Junior Taverns, Junior Martial Arts Halls, Junior Breweries, Junior Barracks, Mid-level Barracks, High-level Barracks, Junior Research Institutes...
Stronghold Area: 50 square kilometers
Territory Area: 100 square kilometers
Mid-level Township Heart of the City: Durability: 100,000 / 100,000
Resources required to upgrade Mid-level Township to High-level Township: 500,000 units of Grain, 500,000 units of Stone, 500,000 units of Wood, 5,000,000 Copper Coins, 70 Basic Buildings, and the territory population must reach or exceed 150,000.
Seeing the attributes of Qinglong Stronghold, Lin Mu found them indeed extraordinary and highly specialized. After all, this was a place for training troops; choosing territory attributes that aided soldier growth was crucial for achieving twice the result with half the effort.
Lin Mu paid little attention to the other information, which was quite average. However, when he looked closely at the existing resources, the excitement in his heart surged like the rolling Yangtze River or the violent churning of an endless ocean. This was an immense fortune!!
The 577,900,000 units of grain, 65,878 units of wood, and 23,480 units of stone were nothing; Lin Mu's territory could already reach such accumulations, and even exceed them.
What made Lin Mu ecstatic was: 12,680 ingots of Great Han Empire Destiny Gold Ingots! Just how much money was that? Lin Mu's mind went blank; he didn't even know how to think!
In *Mythical Three Kingdoms*, the currencies circulated by the natives were: Copper Coins, Silver Coins, Gold Coins, and Gold Ingots.
Copper, Silver, and Gold coins were merely common items used for general circulation.
However, Destiny Gold Ingots were exclusively issued by the Imperial Dynasty, branded with the [Red Dragon Seal] of the Great Han Empire. Anything branded with the [Red Dragon Seal] of the Great Han Dynasty represented the legitimate destiny of the nation! Gold ingots were generally held by imperial clans, nobles, and high-ranking officials; ordinary commoners did not possess such things.
The [Red Dragon Seal] was the symbol of the Great Han Empire's dragon luck—a dragon totem!
The [Red Dragon Seal] was the carrier of the national destiny.
Obtaining the Great Han Empire's gold ingots meant one could share in the empire's dragon luck. They could be exchanged for precious items and materials at the Great Han Dynasty's [Imperial Ancestral Temple]. Legend had it that if the empire's fortune had not yet expired, one could even exchange them for longevity! It could be described as a different kind of "Fate Coin."
Furthermore, gold ingots branded with the [Red Dragon Seal] could be exchanged for Fate Coins at the Fate Merchant.
Additionally, legend said that Destiny Gold Ingots could be exchanged for Dragon Luck! There were other mysterious uses as well, but Lin Mu had not yet explored them.
In short, Destiny Gold Ingots were extremely, extremely precious!
This was the reason why countless people within the empire pursued gold ingots! This was the true "gold and silver treasure" that clans, eunuchs, and imperial relatives used to gather the world, rather than common silver or gold coins.
If other resources were placed in the hands of Lin Mu's past self or other players in the present, they would be considered very precious. However, the ambitious Lin Mu had eyes only for the 12,680 ingots of Great Han Empire Destiny Gold Ingots!
Generally, those holding gold ingots with the [Red Dragon Seal] would not exchange them for common gold or silver coins, though such exchanges did occur. Based on Lin Mu's experience, 1 gold ingot could be exchanged for 10,000 gold coins or 100 million copper coins! Of course, this was only in cases where someone specifically needed to exchange them.
The upper class of the Great Han Empire would not even have such a concept, which resulted in gold ingots circulating only among the elite, making them difficult for ordinary people to obtain. However, if a servant received them as a reward from their master, they might have a chance, making gold ingots a very precious form of reward!
In his past life, Lin Mu had also obtained gold ingots and gone to the [Imperial Ancestral Temple] to exchange for things, which was not much different from the Fate Merchant! However, Lin Mu speculated that the prosperity of the [Imperial Ancestral Temple] was the prosperity of the Great Han Empire, whereas the Fate Merchant seemed to be merely an agent of the entire system! It didn't provide much help to the Huaxia Region, but if the [Imperial Ancestral Temple] became more prosperous, the national strength of the Huaxia Divine Land would grow. This information had not been officially released by the system; it was merely the speculation and statistics of the players!
Lin Mu remained in a state of wild ecstasy for a long time before he regained his senses! Instead of performing the God-level Attribute Mirror Setting, he rushed toward the warehouse in the Council Hall!
*I'm going to sleep hugging these gold ingots!*
Arriving at the warehouse, he saw countless supplies, but the most eye-catching were the three exquisite treasure chests in the center!
The chests were engraved with mysterious inscriptions that shimmered with light, looking incredibly mystical!
Lin Mu's hands trembled uncontrollably with excitement. He stepped forward quickly and opened the chest on the right. A burst of golden light flashed, making the entire warehouse appear as if it were flowing with gold!
The chest was filled with neatly stacked, palm-sized golden discs. In the center of each disc was an embossed, lifelike Red Dragon—this was the [Red Dragon Seal], the dragon totem of the Great Han Empire!
Below the Red Dragon Seal, eight small characters were engraved: [Great Han Dynasty, Eternal Prosperity and Longevity]. The strokes were powerful, the entire piece was golden, and it exuded a magnificent aura!
Lin Mu picked up one of the gold ingots, and deep within his soul, a heaven-shaking dragon roar seemed to echo!
Lin Mu slightly restrained his spirit and focused his mind. When he looked at the gold ingot again, it appeared as an ordinary object; no other phenomena occurred—the treasure's aura had receded!
"So cool, so domineering, absolutely insane! I didn't expect to obtain such precious items so early. I am truly blessed! This is the perfect protagonist template—getting a miraculous encounter right as I step out! Wahahaha..." Lin Mu trembled with excitement, his strange, lewd laughter seeming capable of breaking through the shackles of space and spreading across the entire Divine Land!
In his excitement, Lin Mu began to count the gold ingots like a miser, drooling as he muttered, "One, two, three, four... seventy-eight, seventy-nine..."
Before long, Lin Mu finished counting the contents of the entire chest: a total of 5,000 ingots!
After finishing this chest, Lin Mu lunged at the second chest like a hungry wolf. He then finished counting the remaining two chests. The second was the same as the first, with 5,000 ingots, but the third only had 2,680 ingots. A total of 12,680 ingots! Lin Mu counted them again, unable to believe it, not fully trusting the precise numbers in the system information!
It was no wonder Lin Mu was so excited. In his past life, after decades of gaming, he had only obtained a mere 78 ingots. Compared to now, what a tiny number that was!
Since his rebirth, Lin Mu had not yet escaped the small-scale farmer mentality of a small-town lord! Perhaps only when he encountered more miraculous and powerful existences would his mindset undergo a qualitative change!
The value of these Destiny Gold Ingots was directly more maddening to Lin Mu than any other resource in his territory. Although it was a surprise, Lin Mu was already constantly contemplating how to maximize the value of these gold ingots...
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The first volume is almost finished. The second volume, [Lin Mu, Lin Daojiu], is about to be written. As a novice, many things are written in a very tedious manner; I hope everyone can forgive me. I cannot grasp many details, I lack a sense of the big picture, and typos often occur, and I write slowly. But Yongmu will work hard. I hope everyone continues to support me! Please keep requesting recommendation votes and adding to your collections!
(End of Chapter)