Free Web NovelChapter 58: Orange Epic Title
Long Chen thought to himself, "Zhong Kang is really a fierce one! If he were to be in the vanguard, he could probably be invincible! Unless he encounters other exceptional warriors..."
As the two were chatting, Xi Zhicai, Zhou Tai, and Jiang Qin arrived one after another.
"Lord!" Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin respectfully greeted.
Xi Zhicai did the same, but his eyes shimmered slightly.
He thought to himself, "It’s been four months; could it be that the Lord called us here this time because the timing... is ripe?"
"Come, please have a seat, everyone!"
"Today, I called you here to inform you of something!"
"In ten days, we will head north to support the emperor!"
After slowly speaking about the matter’s details, everyone was shocked.
Xi Zhicai: "..."
Zhou Tai, Jiang Qin: "Lord, are you a god?!"
Long Chen: "What? What god?"
"I didn’t expect you, Lord, to accurately predict this. Isn’t that being a god?"
They initially thought that Long Chen’s earlier words were just to stabilize everyone’s anxious mood after learning about the death of Emperor Han Ling. But they didn’t expect that Long Chen actually made an accurate prediction!
This action added a mysterious veil to Long Chen, greatly increasing everyone’s confidence in him!
After a pause, Long Chen said to Jiang Qin, "Gongyi, while heading north to support the emperor is important, do you know what is most crucial for our army?"
Everyone looked at Long Chen, puzzled, waiting for his next words.
Long Chen raised his index finger and tapped on the table made of sandalwood. "It’s here, in Jiujiang County!"
"If we head north to support the emperor, Jiujiang County will be left empty! Therefore, I want you, Gongyi, to stay in Jiujiang County and take care of our rear!"
"This..." Jiang Qin hesitated.
As a military general, he yearned for achievements and success, and going to the capital to support the emperor was the best opportunity for that.
However, Jiang Qin was Jiang Qin after all. After contemplating for a moment, he nodded heavily. "Yes! Lord, rest assured, I will guard Jiujiang County well!"
Long Chen felt relieved and shook Jiang Qin’s hand earnestly. "Gongyi, I know you are always calm and decisive. With you guarding Jiujiang, I will feel at ease!"
Honestly, Jiang Qin was underestimated in historical records. When Sun Quan advised his sons to learn, apart from Lv Meng, he also advised Jiang Qin. In the end, both Jiang Qin and Lv Meng achieved success in their studies, possessing the qualities of a scholarly general.
Therefore, only with Jiang Qin guarding Jiujiang, could Long Chen confidently head to Luoyang to support the emperor.
After returning to the mansion, it was already late at night.
However, Diao Chan, lying on the bed, had not fallen asleep yet. In the candlelight, her incredibly beautiful face was alluring and hazy. When Long Chen got on the bed, he pulled Diao Chan’s slender waist close and softly asked, "My dear, why aren’t you sleeping yet?"
Hearing Long Chen calling her with such tenderness, Diao Chan blushed, her beautiful eyes sparkling. She buried her head into his warm chest.
With a slight opening of her cherry lips, revealing her pearl-like teeth, she gently nibbled on Long Chen’s neck.
An electric current surged from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. He narrowed his eyes, feeling a jolt throughout his body.
Is this... the legendary ’strawberry planting’?!
Having Diao Chan plant strawberries for him was quite something!
"My dear..." Long Chen’s eyes were hazy, holding Diao Chan’s delicate body tightly.
Diao Chan’s eyes were enchanting and alluring, like tempting honey-fruits.
"My dear, there’s something I need to tell you," Long Chen said softly as he nestled close to Diao Chan’s snow-white neck, the faint fragrance wafting in the air.
"Hmm, what is it?" Diao Chan nestled in Long Chen’s embrace and asked.
"In ten days, I have to head north to support the emperor, so I’ll be leaving here," Long Chen said in a low voice.
Hearing this, Diao Chan was first stunned.
Then, she pushed Long Chen away, feeling sorrowful, leaving behind a lonely and desolate figure.
Long Chen felt a deep sense of compassion rising within him, as he leaned closer and asked, "What’s wrong, my lady? Why such an attitude?"
Diao Chan remained silent, only covering her face with her pink sleeve as tears streamed down, sobbing intermittently.
"Oh, husband, can you not leave Lady Diaochan..." Diao Chan lamented pitifully.
"I’m not leaving you, I’m just temporarily parting from you for a short while; I’ll be back soon!" Long Chen comforted, caressing her fragrant shoulder.
"Hmph, regardless, wherever my husband goes, I’ll go!" Diao Chan clung firmly to Long Chen.
"Don’t worry, my husband, I’m also quite capable!"
Watching the stunning Diao Chan entwined around him, Long Chen felt a bit overwhelmed.
But on second thought, Diao Chan’s several skills and innate talents were top-tier! freewebnøvel.com
Support heroes might not necessarily be inferior to military strategists and heroes. Sometimes, their role could be even more significant!
If they had Diao Chan, a top-tier support, the military strength of the Dragon Clan would at least double!
Of course, the most crucial point was that Long Chen himself couldn’t bear to be separated from his beloved wife for too long.
So, he whispered into Diao Chan’s ear, "Alright, I promise you! But my lady, how will you repay me tonight?"
Diao Chan first felt delighted, then turned crimson with shyness, and coquettishly replied, "Tonight, I’m at your disposal~~"
Long Chen’s lips curled up as he thought, "Unlocking new positions again..."
And then, he lay down with Diao Chan...
Sleep was not destined for this night.
...
The next day.
Long Chen began preparing military supplies.
There wasn’t much time left for their journey north to Luoyang.
What the Dragon Clan’s army lacked at the moment was equipment.
Due to the expansion of the army, there were still nearly five thousand soldiers without a complete set of green-grade equipment.
Yes, this meant that the remaining five thousand had been equipped with a full set of white-grade equipment.
Among them, the one thousand second-tier Yellow Turban warriors wielded the green-grade [Bronze Giant Hammer], greatly enhancing their attack power.
As for the other five hundred third-tier Yellow Turban warriors, with Zhang Ning’s consent, they had also pledged allegiance.
These five hundred third-tier Yellow Turban warriors were the true elite.
Each warrior’s basic equipment had to be blue-grade.
They were fierce and incredibly powerful!
However, despite Long Chen’s wealth, he could only gather equipment for these over five thousand soldiers. The rest of the troops were not fully equipped and lacked proper gear.
To arm his forces to the maximum potential, Long Chen issued a B-rank mission within Jiujiang County—recruiting intermediate blacksmiths!
[Mission]: Recruit Intermediate Blacksmiths
[Grade]: B-grade
[Issuer]: Sword Wind (Player)
[Content]: Craft white or green equipment for the Han Army in Jiujiang County
[Recruitment Number]: Unlimited
[Recruitment Target]: NPCs or otherworldly beings
Long Chen, holding the position of Jiujiang County’s Prefect, could issue official tasks across the entire county on behalf of the Han Empire. And the rewards were substantial. Many players living within Jiujiang County were all coveting this task’s rewards, wishing they were blacksmiths. However, unfortunately, most of these players chose to be generals or strategists, with very few opting for the lesser-known profession of blacksmithing. However, all sorts of players existed in a vast world.
Under Long Chen’s lucrative reward offer, nearly a hundred intermediate blacksmiths accepted the task. They arrived at Long Chen’s specially constructed forge to craft white or green-grade equipment for his soldiers.
In "Great Lords," the blacksmith’s levels were categorized into low, intermediate, high, black iron, diamond, and divine. The equipment they could forge ranged from white (common), green (fine), blue (exceptional), purple (exquisite), orange (epic), to gold (divine). But Long Chen’s funds only supported him in recruiting intermediate or low-level blacksmiths! Moreover, there probably weren’t any blacksmiths of diamond or divine grade available yet!
After resolving the equipment situation, Long Chen then began purchasing horses from various places. Although his infantry was numerous, he only had a pitifully small number of cavalry—just two hundred.
It was incredibly challenging to buy horses in Yangzhou, and they were incredibly expensive! Unfortunately, even after several days, Long Chen hadn’t managed to acquire many horses. The merchant from Yizhou he initially encountered had no horses in stock. This was because, like him, the Yizhou merchant was also facing a shortage of horses in Yizhou.
Just when Long Chen was in a fix, Xizhai Cai came in with a smile, saying, "My Lord! I have some great news!"
"What good news?" Long Chen, preoccupied with his calculations, asked absentmindedly.
"This is great news that can solve your urgent problem!" Xizhai Cai continued to smile.
"Urgent problem? Ah, don’t mention it, Zhi Cai, I’m only concerned about one issue now—no money, no money, no money!!" Long Chen lamented with a distressed face.
"Lord, this is indeed the solution to your financial problem. I’ve met two merchants who came from the north! They can provide you with strong and robust warhorses and assist with the finances!"
"What!!?"
The words shook Long Chen to the core. Without even straightening his clothes, he hastily pulled Zhi Cai outside. "Quickly introduce them to me!"
Laughing heartily at Long Chen’s demeanor, Xizhai Cai led him to the hall.
Seated on either side were two well-dressed burly men—one had a square face, while the other had a beard all over his face.
At a glance, it was apparent they were rough northerners. Although Long Chen didn’t judge people by their appearances, he bowed courteously and offered them tea.
After a conversation, Long Chen was overjoyed. Unexpectedly, these two were none other than Zhang Shiping and Su Quan, the horse traders from the north!
These were the wealthy merchants who initially supported Liu Xuande, that unfortunate guy!
They mentioned that with the ongoing conflicts among warlords, horses had become scarce. Hence, these two traders had brought the strong horses from the northern Youzhou to the south, where there was a shortage of them, for sale.
The main thing here is profit margin, which is an immensely profitable industry!
Long Chen asked the two why they didn’t continue following Liu Bei after supporting him. Upon hearing this, the two were visibly upset.
They lamented, "Ah, not hiding it from Prefect, Liu Xuande might have a good background and appearance, which we admire, but his luck was just too poor."
Initially, when Liu Bei used the funds provided by Zhang Shiping and Su Quan to fight the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he achieved numerous accomplishments but was merely appointed as the Commandant of Anxi County.
This made the two realize their investment mistake. Having exhausted most of their funds, they chose not to continue supporting Liu Bei and ventured out to do business again.
Upon arriving in Yangzhou, they fortuitously heard about Long Chen, the Prefect of Jiujiang County, known as a hero. Of course, the primary reason was Long Chen’s need to purchase a large number of horses.
The two decided to try their luck and see if the Prefect was willing to buy their horses. Unexpectedly, Long Chen treated them so well, significantly increasing their fondness for him!
It’s crucial to note that merchants had a low status in the Han Dynasty among the four classes: scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. Merchants were at the bottom despite their wealth not translating to high social status in those times.
Originally, Liu Bei was a mere commoner. It was because of his noble bloodline from the Han Dynasty and his friendly treatment of the two merchants that they wanted to support him.
However, Long Chen held an actual position as the Prefect—a second-ranked official, the General Who Guards the South! Yet, he treated them so favorably, greatly increasing their favorable impression of him!
"Ding! Rich Merchant Zhang Shiping’s favorability towards you is 76."
"Ding! Rich Merchant Su Quan’s favorability towards you is 77."
"Ding! Activation of their gratitude, purchase horses from them at a 50% discount."
This made Long Chen extremely happy, and he treated them even better.
After the feast, Zhang Shiping and his brother glanced at each other and bowed to Long Chen, saying, "Prefect, we are grateful for your recognition of us lowly merchants. We are willing to offer you a hundred gold and five hundred horses!"
"We hope you won’t decline!"
Long Chen felt as if he’d been stung by a bee upon hearing this, buzzing and humming.
Darn it, happiness came too quickly, just like a tornado!
However, after realizing, Long Chen still needed to be polite, which made their attitude towards him even better.
Finally, he reluctantly accepted their offer.
But Long Chen didn’t neglect them; he granted them official positions—Grade Nine, Minister of Finance (Responsible for currency, salt, and iron).
Although not substantial, it was a fat salary, and most importantly, it was an official position!
Countless merchants desired official positions; it gave them the power of self-protection. Otherwise, for those officials, merchants were fat lambs. Whenever they fattened up, they would come and take a piece of meat.
Hence, the two bowed to Long Chen, tears of gratitude in their eyes.
"Ding! Rich Merchant Zhang Shiping and Su Quan’s favorability towards you is 88."
Holy smokes!
Long Chen was amazed. They were so grateful for such a small position!
He was absolutely on point with his actions! He not only solved the urgent issues of horses and finances but also recruited two money-making experts!
Impatient Long Chen quickly opened their attribute panels.
[Name]: Zhang Shiping
[Quality]: Three-star Merchant
[Level]: Level 78 (Max Level 100)
[Strength]: 39 (Max 52)
[Strategy]: 37 (Max 59)
[Endurance]: 53 (Max 60)
[Charm]: 14
[Talent]: Wealthy Leader (Grade A) (Business Efficiency +30%, Camp Resources Yield +5%)
...
[Name]: Su Quan
[Quality]: Three-star Merchant
[Level]: Level 79 (Max Level 100)
[Strength]: 41 (Max 54)
[Strategy]: 33 (Max 43)
[Endurance]: 51 (Max 63)
[Charm]: 17 freewebnovel.cσ๓
[Talent]: Fiery Insight (Grade A) (Extra sensitivity to business opportunities, Camp Resources Yield +5%)
...
Though both are three-star rated, for Long Chen at present, they’re akin to a gold mine.
With the support of these two rich merchants, Long Chen’s financial crisis was resolved. He even had abundant wealth to recruit soldiers.
Currently, he had two thousand cavalry, six thousand infantry, one thousand Yellow Turban forces, and five hundred Yellow Turban warriors. It could be considered a strong force, but compared to the veteran warlord Dong Zhuo, it was lacking.
In Luoyang, there were Dong Zhuo’s 200,000 Xiliang Iron Cavalry. Judging by the tier of their units, they could undoubtedly reach a second-tier unit, and their elite special units might even be at the third tier.
They were the real big bosses!
This was why countless warlords, despite having some strength, only dared to watch but not lead their armies northward!
For Long Chen, the deterrent of the 200,000 Xiliang Iron Cavalry was immense.
Especially considering Dong Zhuo’s numerous capable military strategists and advisors like Li Jue, Guo Fan, Hua Xiong, and Xu Rong.
With such immense capital, it was stronger than Zhang Jiao’s Three Brothers, even more formidable!
In the face of such terrifying power, why did Long Chen still want to head north to support the court?
The reason was simple: to gain political capital early for the future struggle among the warlords!
As for the actual hardcore fighting!
Long Chen didn’t have that plan for now because, with just himself, it was like throwing eggs at a rock.
When the time came for the 18 prefectures to overthrow Dong Zhuo, that would be the moment for his true action!
As for now, it was just a show to let the world see!
During the crisis of the Han Dynasty, no one dared to step forward!
Only Long Chen, the Prefect of Jiujiang County, dared.
This move would undoubtedly earn him a wave of popular support and the emperor’s recognition!
According to the official announcement, after Dong Zhuo seized control of Luoyang, the Han’s Young Emperor, Liu Bian, was in great fear.
At this moment, a system-wide official notice echoed in the minds of every player in the game:
"Ding! Special task announced!"
"Difficulty Level: SS Level"
"Task: Amid this crisis, if a hero earns the favorability of Han’s Young Emperor by reaching 70, they will receive abundant rewards!"
"Task Reward: Orange Epic Title [Loyalist of the Late Han], each alliance member will receive 20 gold, 1000 silver, and a randomly obtained blue fine equipment."
If one could obtain the Orange Epic Title [Loyalist of the Late Han], they would gain the favorability of all people in the Thirteen Provinces of the Late Han +5 and a 10% increase in all attributes for their soldiers during combat.
This was an extremely rare supportive title!
As this official report spread, facing such generous rewards, countless players of diverse origins wanted to go to Luoyang City at this time of crisis to show loyalty to the young Emperor Liu Bian and gain his favor!
Several alliance leaders of major states quickly decided to mobilize their forces and immediately head to Luoyang in the Sili County to protect the young Emperor Liu Bian! To gain his favor!
Meanwhile, when these alliances were still unaware, Yizhou’s "Guangwu Reign" and Jizhou’s "Tomorrow’s Dynasty" temporarily became allies, and their large armies were already stationed outside Luoyang City.
They claimed to have a total of a hundred thousand troops, but the exact number was unknown.
Calling themselves followers of the Yuan family, the Four Ministers and Three Dukes, countless players of diverse origins flocked to these two major alliances!
This resulted in an increasing number of diverse armies outside Luoyang City.
Dong Zhuo, inside Luoyang City, naturally knew all these circumstances.
On this day, Dong Zhuo was discussing this matter in his mansion with his chief advisor, Li Ru.
Dong Zhuo was visibly furious, his dark face trembling, his thick beard shaking, as he vented his anger.
"Advisor! These despicable and weak people from different origins dare to scorn my authority like this, it really infuriates me!"
"If we don’t show these wretches some colors, do they really think of us as sick cats?!"
Dong Zhuo’s round and thick body trembled with anger!
Li Ru quickly bowed, saying, "Your Excellency, I implore you to calm down!"
Then he continued, "Your Excellency, although these diverse people seem imposing, they are actually very fragile and no match for our Xiliang Iron Cavalry!"
"In that case, let’s order Hua Xiong to lead thirty thousand Xiliang Iron Cavalry to crush them!" Dong Zhuo clenched his fat fist, each finger resembling a thick radish.
But Li Ru urgently bowed and said, "Not possible! Not possible!"
"Why is that again? Didn’t the advisor just say these diverse people were no match for us? Why are you stopping me now?" Dong Zhuo said discontentedly, slamming the table hard!
"Your Excellency, I ask you: Do you want to be a local lord who gives up land or do you want to seize control of the Nine Provinces?"
"Isn’t it obvious? Of course, it’s to seize control of the Nine Provinces! But why does the advisor ask this?"
"Your Excellency! If you send troops to crush the diverse people outside the city now, won’t we be accused of rebellion and treason, facing extermination of our families?"
"You should know, these diverse people have come under the banner of entering the capital to support the emperor, and the two largest forces among them are supported by the Four Ministers and Three Dukes of the Yuan family!"
"Therefore, we cannot attack them proactively!"
Li Ru took a deep breath.
Hearing this, Dong Zhuo immediately softened. His panther-like eyes widened, and he exclaimed, "This won’t work either! Then are we just going to let those diverse people watch Luoyang City from outside?"
"Not exactly. Furthermore, if these diverse people actively attack the city, we’ll have reason to counter-attack them!"
"Why is that? Why can we counter-attack if they actively attack the city?" Dong Zhuo asked puzzled.
Li Ru replied, "Because if they attack the city, we can claim they have ulterior motives to capture Luoyang City, threatening the emperor’s life!"
"In this way, we can turn the tables, attack them proactively, and even gain the title of loyal ministers protecting the emperor!"
Li Ru let out a sinister smile, his dark gray feather fan resembling fangs soaked in venom, exuding a mysterious and eerie aura.
