Chapter 48: The First Expedition!

Today's rewards and celebration were quite modest in scale; the items awarded were very ordinary, and the so-called "Invincible Armor" was nothing more than a title.

It was only the basic banquet that was truly enticing.

If this were Lin Mu's territory in his past life, the rewards for ordinary soldiers would have been countless times better than this. However, since it was currently the early stage of the game, even a jar of Hundred Flower Wine was a reward players had stumbled upon through tasks. Lin Mu had spent nearly 100,000 copper coins to purchase it. Drinking it for the first time could permanently increase all basic attributes by 1 point, though this only worked if the attribute was below 50; if an attribute exceeded 50, the effect would not apply.

Lin Mu had only obtained one jar at the time, and there were no more. Although the attribute increase seemed small, for many players, such an increase in all attributes was as precious as a layer of skin for the Great Xia Empire. It was quite unexpected that a player who obtained it would actually sell it, and Lin Mu managed to pick it up!

100,000 coins—specifically 100,000 copper coins—was a very small amount. However, with so many soldiers, Lin Mu had already distributed nearly ten million copper coins in rewards. Nevertheless, the territory's ability to amass wealth was very strong; currently, he could rake in about 3 million copper coins every day. However, once the mineral veins were exhausted, this profit would drop drastically, necessitating the opening of other sources of income.

Lin Mu was still processing the weapons in the trading market at their original prices without raising them. After a period of development, the players should have quite a bit of money in their pockets, but Lin Mu was a lord with principles and ideals; how could he simply fleece them of their wealth? Hehe...

Furthermore, the stock was constantly decreasing. It felt a bit wasteful to use ore from his own Grade 3 Black Tungsten Iron vein to forge basic Yellow-tier weapons. Now that the territory's blacksmithing level was slowly increasing, better weapons could be manufactured, but they were all equipped to his own soldiers and were not being sold.

This banquet lasted the entire day, consuming approximately 600,000 units of food, much of which consisted of meat, fish, and fruit.

Once the banquet concluded, everyone returned to their residences to rest in high spirits.

This banquet could be considered a great success, and Lin Mu was very satisfied. After all, for the territory's first banquet, having such scale and response was a perfect outcome. There would certainly be more such banquets in the future!

...

The follow-up tasks after the banquet were handled by the residents; as the lord, Lin Mu did not need to clean up.

What Lin Mu needed to do was arrange for the soldiers to set out on their expedition!

As the saying goes, "provisions must come before the troops!" Both Lin Mu and Feng Zhong were preparing the supplies.

The term "provisions" did not refer solely to grain and fodder; it was a broad term that included grain, mount fodder, weapons, equipment, medicinal pills, and other essential marching supplies.

With the territory's abundant funds and plentiful resources, the preparations were completed with relatively little effort.

Lin Mu checked the village's military strength: 3,680 men, including 1,149 Tier 4 soldiers above Level 40, 1,800 Tier 3 soldiers between Level 30 and 40, and the remainder were below Level 30. Lin Mu did not plan to take those below Level 30 to attack Azure Dragon Fortress this time; the nearly 3,000 Tier 3 and above soldiers would suffice. The others would stay in the territory to clear out surrounding camps to prevent them from harassing the territory, while also using the time to level up and train.

These 3,000 Tier 3+ soldiers all possessed Tier 6 aptitude, and their average combat strength was very high, at nearly 60 points, making them extremely powerful.

Moreover, their weapons and equipment were very fine.

The standard weapons for the soldiers were [Refined Steel Sabers] and [Refined Steel Spears]. Although they were also Yellow-tier weapons, their attributes were better and they were sharper than Black Iron Steel Sabers.

Name: [Refined Steel Saber] Grade: Yellow Trait: Weapon Attributes: Combat Power +1000, Sharpness +20, Durability 300/300. Description: Steel ingots cast using steel-making techniques are purer and more durable. Weapons forged from such ingots are sharp and possess excellent attribute bonuses. This weapon is forged from refined steel, embodying the craftsman's dedication and carrying the encouragement and expectations for the soldiers heading into battle.

The attributes of the spears were similar to the sabers.

As for equipment, such as armor, they were all part of a series: [Refined Steel Helmet], [Refined Steel Armor], and [Refined Steel Boots]. One could say they were armed to the teeth.

Unfortunately, these series of equipment did not possess set bonuses. The equipment was forged independently by the blacksmiths and had not received the system's set attribute bonuses, which was quite a pity.

It seemed that set attributes could only be obtained through special research and development or by using existing set manuals.

Lin Mu had 1,000 of the 3,000 soldiers transition into Saber-and-Shield Soldiers, 1,000 into Longspear Soldiers, and 1,000 into Sandalwood Archers.

Saber-and-Shield Soldiers could transition in the advanced barracks. This was a standard unit type that used a saber and a shield, capable of both offense and defense. They were equipped with [Refined Steel Sabers] and [Azure Wolf Iron Shields], with all other equipment being the same.

Longspear Soldiers were equipped with [Refined Steel Spears], with all other equipment being the same.

Sandalwood Archers were equipped with [Sandalwood Composite Bows], which had been improved by the territory's carpenters

Name: [Sandalwood Composite Bow] Grade: Yellow Trait: Weapon Attributes: Range +200m, Combat Power +500, Durability 400 Description: Made with a sandalwood bow stave and a string crafted from bull tendon. These arrows, made from Grade 2 sandalwood, are durable and tough, with a long range and great tension. Using sandalwood arrows can increase impact force.

Due to production issues, there were only nearly 1,000 sets of bows and arrows, all of which were equipped to the Sandalwood Archers. Otherwise, Lin Mu would have equipped all the soldiers with these [Sandalwood Composite Bows] so they could shoot arrows during long-range engagements; although they weren't specialists, every soldier possessed either [Basic Archery] or [Intermediate Archery].

The soldiers trained by Feng Zhong were proficient in several types of weapons. Saber-and-Shield Soldiers did not just know how to use a saber and shield; they could also use spears and bows, reaching the level of [Intermediate Spear Arts] and [Intermediate Archery]. The same applied to the Longspear and Sandalwood Archer units; they were very familiar with other weapons and could utilize them on the battlefield.

Spears and sabers were more common. Lin Mu had all 3,000 men carry two secondary weapons to use when needed, though because they lacked spatial pouches, they had to carry them by hand.

Lin Mu's own backpack was filled with food, medicine, and a certain high-quality item made from the blood of the Howling Moon Silver Wolf King.

Furthermore, Lin Mu had begun utilizing the Ancient Soldier Token space.

Lin Mu had 100 soldiers fully equipped, each carrying a massive bundle containing equipment and provisions. He then summoned them into the hidden soldier space—a small method for transporting resources. Many players in his past life used this as a little trick.

On the second day of the banquet, Lin Mu and Feng Zhong were ready to set out.

This was the territory's first expedition, and also a real combat test to verify the results of everyone's recent training! A large group of people entered the mountains, moving with great momentum.

This was also the beginning of a grand ambition for hegemony!