Liu Zhuang proposed a compromise plan. "Okay, it's a deal!" Tuoba Yun smiled and high-fived in agreement. Chapter 24: Killing Order More than twenty days passed in a flash. Under the strict training of the two men, the five hundred and fifty villagers had become qualified militiamen who could fight the enemy with the Han army's five-man system. Several decades ago, part of the horse-breeding work in Dingxiang County was outsourced by local officials to Zhang Liao's cousin, Zhang Ji. As a result, he was very good at riding and raising horses, and he put a lot of effort into building this small-scale cavalry. The most crucial thing was that Liu Zhuang found the carpenters and leatherworkers in the village and described the schematic diagram of the high-bridge saddle and stirrups. The technical threshold for this thing was almost non-existent. Even if Liu Zhuang did not do this, the armies of the Wei and Jin dynasties would have used double stirrups in a few decades at most. The three of them worked together and spent a day drawing to achieve the effect Liu Zhuang wanted. This new type of saddle had high protrusions on the front and back sides, which allowed the cavalry to lean back or forward on the saddle to maintain balance like a chair back, while their feet stepped on the stable stirrups to exert force. This greatly reduced the training time for the cavalry to maintain balance on horseback. Even Tuoba Yun was a little horrified when he saw it. The biggest advantage of the Han people is that they are naturally one, and it often takes years for the Han cavalry to coordinate perfectly with the horses. Even top cavalry generals like Lu Bu would have problems in the coordination between man and horse. It is foreseeable that this will greatly impact the dominance of man and horse on the cavalry battlefield. Afterwards, Liu Zhuang began to select elite soldiers. He gathered the strongest, bravest and most accurate archers from the three villages into the First Village, and made these one hundred infantrymen the spearhead of the entire army. When armor became available in the future, he would give priority to arming the First Village, and give these warriors the most land, the best cattle and sheep. The soldiers in other villages became jealous and tried their best to prove themselves and join the First Village where all the members were elite militiamen.
Liu Zhuang himself was not idle either. In more than 20 days, he followed Tuoba Yun and learned the hunter's second-level ability: Arcane Shooting. [Arcane Shot]: Adds a slight amount of magic power to an arrow, converting physical damage into magic damage. Can only be used once every 6 seconds. This is also a trick, which allows the arrow in the hand to be wrapped with a thin layer of arcane light, converting the physical damage caused by the bow and arrow into magic damage. Although the power will not increase, it is very useful against heavily armored targets like Yuchi Hong. Things that even steel arrows cannot penetrate can be penetrated by arcane arrows. The only drawback is that it is very troublesome to perform this little trick. It can only be used once every six seconds. There is no way to fire continuously, let alone quickly. Liu Zhuang thought about it and made some adjustments, and found that this little trick could also be used on spears and ringbows, converting the physical damage of melee weapons into magic damage, but it could only last for the duration of one attack. This was not [Arcane Shooting] at all, it might as well be called [Arcane Enchantment]. At this moment, Liu Zhuang successfully upgraded to a second-level hunter after two bloody battles and more than twenty days of training. 【Liuzhuang】(Dragon) Level 2 (Hunter Level 2) Health 16, Mana 0 Hit 7, Defense 6 (Dodge +5, Cotton Clothes +1) Strength 16, Agility 10, Constitution 14 Intelligence 12, Wisdom 20, Charisma 10 [Professional Partner Contract] [Professional Hunting Mark] [Professional Rapid Shooting] [Professional Arcane Shooting] [Feat. Power Attack] "Well, that's good. After two months, you have become a Level 2 professional. I don't have much to teach you. I am still studying how to learn the abilities of a Level 3 hunter." Tuoba Yun looked at the fast-growing Liu Zhuang with satisfaction, and took out a bamboo slip, which recorded the subsequent training methods for hunters. This world is subtly different from the board games you are familiar with. You don’t have to level up to learn advanced professional skills. Instead, you are upgraded only when you have learned these professional skills step by step. Many people cannot learn them in their entire life, and they will be stuck there for the rest of their lives. There are many requirements for a first-level hunter. You have to know how to use a bow and arrow, learn [Partner Contract], [Hunting Mark], and finally, give up accuracy and increase the shooting rate in order to use [Rapid Shooting] to cope with battlefield situations. After all, the Han Empire standardized this profession in order to increase the number of archers to serve the country. Level 2 hunters have higher requirements for bow and arrow hit rate and stronger melee combat ability, and then learn [Arcane Shooting] specifically for heavily armored warriors.
The requirements for arrow hits and melee combat for level 3 hunters continue to increase, and they must also learn the two professional abilities [Aimed Shooting] and [Counter Shooting], both of which are specifically aimed at fragile spellcasters such as Confucian scholars and shamans. The most effective way for ordinary people to fight ranged spellcasters is to use bows and crossbows, which are also ranged weapons and have a significantly faster firing rate than spells. [Aim and Shoot]: It takes 6 seconds to carefully aim at the target's vital points and kill it. There cannot be any interference during this period, otherwise it will fail; if it hits, it will definitely be a critical hit. [Counter Shot]: It takes 3 seconds to attach a shock trick to the arrow. If it hits the enemy while casting a spell, there is a high probability that the spell will fail. Liu Zhuang carefully studied the so-called shock trick for counter-shooting, which was probably a combination of a flash trick and a scream trick. It was painful to hit the opponent with an arrow, and after a dazzling white light and a high-decibel scream, most people were startled, and the spell chanting and spell postures were interrupted, and they had to start all over again. Level 4 hunters have higher standards for arrow hits and close combat, and begin to gradually teach hunters and their partners how to work together. [Inseparable (Level 1)]: The cooperation between you and your covenant partner is so close that when you appear on the battlefield together, both of you will gain +1 to hit and +1 to damage. [Kill Command (Level 1)]: Inject rage into your partner's body, causing his next attack to gain +1 to 8 points of physical damage. The records on the bamboo slips came to an abrupt end. It was difficult to carve so many things on such a small piece of wood. "There are four more volumes at the back, which are kept in the Beidi Camp. Almost every camp has several sets of these things. Many veteran hunters in the Han army can teach you step by step. You don't have to worry about not finding someone to teach you. Hunters are not a monopoly profession like mages, and the bamboo slips that record this profession are not valuable." Tuoba Yun saw the worry in Liu Zhuang's eyes and immediately comforted him. "That's good." Liu Zhuang breathed a sigh of relief. "By the way, Yun, how come you are only at level two hunters? It seems like you have joined the Han army and led the Tuoba tribe for a long time, right?" "I am only eighteen years old this year, and I don't even have a name. According to custom, Han people only have a name when they are twenty years old. The previous leader died unexpectedly, and I took over in a hurry." Tuoba Yun revealed some helplessness in his tiredness. "Besides, how would I know that after awakening the dragon vein, I would actually gain the ability of Painted Skin? If I want to maximize the effect of this ability, I have to spend a lot of time learning how giant bears fight, how cheetahs run, and how birds fly... These things have nothing to do with the hunter profession, so my level has been stuck there." Liu Zhuang thought about it, this Painted Skin ability greatly increased Tuoba Yun's melee ability. If he wanted to continue to play to his strengths, he would have to adopt a divine amplification profession like the Khorne Priest, or to be more straightforward... the Blasphemy Priest. "When you visit the dedication hall during the New Year, let's see what the blasphemous priest says. If you can really get it, I will teach you how to change your job to a blasphemous priest. This job is more suitable for you now than a hunter." Tuoba Yun's eyes lit up and he nodded slightly. "By the way, I see you don't have any words either. How old are you?" "Just like you, I'm eighteen this year, and after the Spring Festival, I'll be nineteen." Liu Zhuang, who had traveled through time not long after entering college, was looking at the moonlight in the sky and calculating the current time. "Go to bed quickly, it's already New Year's Eve, let's have a good New Year tomorrow." "Ah." Tuoba Yun nodded lightly and threw a sheepskin rug next to the fire. The huge body of the centaur knelt on the rug and fell asleep without even taking off his armor. Liu Zhuang also yawned, looked at his partner who had been through life and death with him, and slowly closed his eyes while hugging Diao Chan who was extremely afraid of darkness and loneliness. Chapter 25: Return to Mayi The next day, Liuzhuang was awakened by the cheers of the crowd, the screams of cattle and sheep, and the sharp explosions. When he opened the door, he found that the whole village had turned into a sea of noise. Children were throwing bamboo joints into the brazier. After being burned by the flames, the bamboo joints would burst open with crackling sounds, scaring away the legendary Nian beast and celebrating the arrival of New Year's Eve.
The men happily slaughtered cattle and sheep and prepared a big feast. After defeating three tribes of people and horses in succession, Baima Pavilion lacked everything except livestock. The women began a thorough cleaning, washing away the dust in the house. The elders in the village painted images of the door gods Shentu and Yulei on the gate with charcoal and offered sacrifices to their ancestors in the ancestral hall. Everyone put on their best clothes and celebrated the festival with great enthusiasm. Although it was a bit simple, the most important thing for Chinese New Year is the atmosphere. Liu Zhuang also took everyone in the house to clean up the house which had no decorations. Everyone ate their own food at noon. In the evening, everyone gathered in the big house and had a lively New Year's Eve dinner. The table was filled with Hu cakes baked with wheat and sesame, various delicacies cooked with mutton, several kinds of boiled wild vegetables, and rice wine brewed by each family. Amidst the laughter and conversation, several villagers also asked the original question out of curiosity. "Captain, you said that we only need to hold on for two months, and everything will turn around. Now there is only one month left, and we even have a group of 500 people! What exactly is this turning point?" "Yes, yes, Captain, tell me, our current armed forces are even larger than those of small and medium-sized nomadic tribes. To put it bluntly, the fighting power of the servants of the wealthy families in Mayi County may not be as strong as ours! Recently, we have even built up cavalry! You don't mean to..." "By February, everything will be clear. I promised you freedom, land, victory, and a future. Now the first three have been achieved. Don't worry about the last one." Liu Zhuang avoided talking about the news that he had predicted the Yellow Turban Army. He drank a bowl of rice wine and squinted his eyes with satisfaction. The alcohol content of this thing was very low, but it tasted very intoxicating. At least it tasted much better than river water and well water. No wonder some people simply drank wine as water. "I'm going back to Mayi in the next few days to make some arrangements for the follow-up. You can have fun and relax during the New Year, but you still have to be careful and alert. Don't let your guard down. Bu Liugu's men thought that no one would attack them in winter, and they were eventually wiped out." "Okay, Captain." "No problem, Captain." Seeing that the headman was unwilling to say, the others gave up asking. There was only a month left anyway, and the answer would be revealed by then. The group of people finished the New Year's Eve dinner in a lively atmosphere. Tuoba Yun rubbed his belly with satisfaction, and returned to the Tuoba tribe's stronghold in Mayi, carrying Liu Zhuang and Diao Chan on his back, and taking the two leaders Dugu and Bu Liugu who had been assimilated into Chinese. The itinerary was very simple. If he ran all night, he would definitely arrive at noon tomorrow. After sleeping for an afternoon, he could still catch the Tuoba tribe's dinner party on the first day of the new year. He would have a day off on the second day and start visiting relatives and friends on the third day. But what was unexpected was that on New Year's Eve, there was another snowfall in Dingxiang County, which seriously delayed the trip. When Tuoba Yun returned to the Tuoba tribe, he missed the dinner and firecracker party on the first day of the new year. It was already the early morning of the second day. "What the hell? She went home with a man on her back?!" A centaur sentry widened his eyes in surprise. "According to Han Chinese tradition, the second day of the Chinese New Year is the day to go back to one's parents' home, and the first day of the Chinese New Year is also the day to return..." The second sentry was counting the days on his fingers. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, your head has grown bigger. After all, you are already nineteen this year, and it is time to get married. But you already have a child after going out. Isn't this a bit too fast?" Listening to the chattering of his people, a shy blush appeared on Tuoba Yun's cold and beautiful face. "Stop talking nonsense! Have I cleaned up my house? I've been running all the way. I'm very tired now and I need to rest immediately." "Of course, of course, we have already sorted it out for you." Several horses and soldiers laughed and escorted Tuoba Yun and his group into the leader's tent. They had been living under the same roof for a long time, so they didn't hide anything from each other. Tuoba Yun was a little tired after a whole day's journey with the two of them, so he lay down on the thick sheepskin mattress. Liu Zhuang also lay on the other side. He put Diao Chan, who was already half asleep, between the two of them, carefully covered her with a quilt, and then closed his eyes. The next day, the three of them slept until noon before waking up. Liu Zhuang took a close look at the camp of the Tuoba tribe. There were a total of 140 large tents. After absorbing the three tribes of Dugu, Bu Liugu and Yuchi, the number had already exceeded 600, and might be close to 700. In a traditional Centaur tribe, about 1/3 of the population are children, and the other 2/3 are adults. Even the elderly and women possess quite impressive combat capabilities. After all, as long as these guys reach adulthood, they are level 4 monsters, and their strength, agility, and physique are ridiculously high. The lives of these centaurs were very fragmented. Several Han Confucian scholars were teaching foals to learn Chinese, several centaur shamans were leading their people to worship gods during the New Year, and the prefect of Yanmen gave them a good piece of land near Mayi. They were not only grazing, but also learning how to farm - well, this time they were willing to give away land, and at a time it was a large piece. The refugees can be slaughtered at will, but the Tuoba tribe really has knives in their hands, right?
On the third day of the Chinese New Year, Tuoba Yun had recovered and took Liu Zhuang out to pay New Year's greetings to relatives and friends. The gifts were simple, which were the grassland specialties such as high-quality fox skins, wolf skins, bear skins obtained during hunting, as well as the high-quality Xianbei war horses trained by the Tuoba tribe. These things were all in great demand. The streets of Mayi were clean. The refugees who had been sleeping on both sides of the streets and the bodies that had frozen to death had long since disappeared, as if nothing had happened. However, next to the gate of the county government, two very obvious large words were carved by someone with a knife. Jiazi. By paying New Year's greetings, Liu Zhuang also initially understood the specific situation in Mayi. The Huang family was the largest wealthy family in Mayi. Not to mention the land, half of the minor officials in the entire Mayi were from the Huang family, or had teacher-student relationships like that. Since the birth of the county system, the official system has also emerged. The county magistrate, the head of an entire county, is indeed appointed by the emperor. If he does not perform well, he will be dismissed. Moreover, each county magistrate has a term of office, and the mobility is very high. They are called floating officials. However, it was considered great that the emperor could only manage the level of county magistrate. Some mediocre emperors could not even manage county magistrates. Further down, there are petty officials who hold lower official positions but hold real power and are in charge of specific tasks in a county. These officials are almost all recommended by local wealthy families themselves. They marry and combine with each other to control the specific powers in the county. Unlike county magistrates who leave after working for a few years, these types of bureaucrats at the clerk level almost all have permanent iron rice bowls. Translation, translation, this is what they call the county magistrate comes and goes, but the wealthy family remains forever. After visiting and giving gifts to the local wealthy families, Tuoba Yun began to visit his fellow brothers in the Beidi Camp. The structure of the Beidi Camp was rather strange, with a large number of Han criminals, Hu soldiers, and a few Han officers. Now, there were only more than a thousand people left after being laid off. Under this organization, there are theoretically only two military officers in charge of 500 people, and eight village chiefs in charge of 100 people, two of which are concurrently held by military officers. But in reality, there were five military officers and twenty garrison commanders, and most of them were just drawing salaries without doing any work. Tuoba Yun had no respect for those superiors who were just figureheads and were lazy to even visit them. He only brought gifts and went to visit the other half of the powerful generals, giving them gifts and trying to win over them. Liu Zhuang also wrote down their names carefully, among which the names of several village chiefs were particularly conspicuous. The third village chief: Song Xian. The fourth commander: Wei Xu. The fifth village chief: Hou Cheng. The seventh village chief: Cheng Lian. Aren't these the Eight Generals who will be under Lü Bu's command in the future? Half of them have already gathered in the Beidi Camp? Liu Zhuang carefully observed their attributes and found that most of them were warriors and cavalry generals, with an average of about level five or six, the same level as Tuoba Yun. Although they were all garrison commanders, they had a huge level gap with Lü Bu, who was level ten. The Yiqu Army General and the Second Tuntuan Commander, who was Lu Bu's immediate superior, was called Wang Zhi. He had no impression of this man. However, the general of Erqu Army and the commander of six garrisons was a famous figure in the future: Wang Yun, the prime minister of the Han Dynasty. It is a little-known fact that this future prime minister of the Han Dynasty, like Lu Bu, was born into a military family in Bingzhou. According to the military system of the Han Dynasty, the lowest number of corps was two, and the term "corps" came from this basic military structure of the Han army. A corps was also called a battalion, a corps that could fight independently. The highest leader was a school lieutenant. The supreme leader of the Beidi Camp, the Beidi Captain, is also a famous guy: Ding Yuan, Ding Jianyang. The salary of a colonel in charge of an independent combat corps is two thousand stones, which is the same level as the prefect in charge of a county. The only military rank higher than that of a colonel is general. This New Year's greeting activity lasted for several days. Liu Zhuang followed Tuoba Yun and greeted the generals of the Beidi Camp one by one, met, drank, and had dinner. Except for the two military officers who were born into wealthy families and the Beidi captain Ding Yuan, the other village chiefs were all civilians. They relied on their bravery and fought bloody battles to get the position of village chief, but their lives were basically over. They had long heard from Lu Bu how rare and terrifying Liu Zhuang's reconnaissance ability was. Now they heard from Tuoba Yun that Liu Zhuang gained a professional level every 20 days, became a second-level hunter in 40 days, and helped the Tuoba tribe to defeat two small Xianbei tribes in succession. They were even more amazed and believed that Liu Zhuang would definitely be a figure in the future, and at least he would be able to become a village chief like themselves. Not only that, these civilian village chiefs also respected Tuoba Yun, who was a centaur: although she had no official position due to her birth, the very capable centaur cavalry in the Beidi camp were almost all from her Tuoba tribe. They had fought together in the past, visited each other and gave gifts during the New Year and other festivals. How could their relationship be bad? Therefore, these garrison commanders had no airs of military officers when they were having a meal and drinking with Liu Zhuang and others. They gathered together to drink and eat meat, and talked about everything under the sun. They soon became friends. They complained about the inhumanity of the military officers and the corruption of their superiors. They were indignant that Lu Bu had never been promoted to the rank of military officer. After getting drunk, they even started to complain about the world, the court, and even the emperor himself. When Liu Zhuang first came to Mayi, he was just an insignificant refugee and no one took him seriously. When he came to Mayi for the second time, he had become a guest of honor of these village chiefs, just like Tuoba Yun.
Chapter 600: The Lu Family's Engagement ( monthly tickets plus more!) After visiting these veterans of the Beidi Camp, Tuoba Yun also carefully selected three top-quality horses and twenty perfect animal skins, and went to visit his immediate superior, Lu Bu, the most terrifying fighter in the entire Beidi Camp. "Fengxian's family is quite well-off. He actually has such a big house." Liu Zhuang held Diao Chan in his arms and looked at the Lu family mansion with some surprise. This magnificent mansion was in sharp contrast to the small houses of the previous village chiefs. Several village chiefs such as Song Xian even lived in the barracks and did not even have a home in Mayi.