Chapter 35: The Territory's First General

Little Tiger’s martial prowess stat is far superior to Lin Mu’s. While Lin Mu gains 4 points of base attributes per level, Little Tiger gains 8—a full twofold difference!

Lin Mu couldn't help but feel a pang of envy toward Little Tiger; the potential of his own lord character was truly abysmal. However, he consoled himself with the thought that once he activated his talent and collected some rare heavenly treasures to improve his aptitude, the situation might improve, narrowing the gap.

Lin Mu was effectively the soldier with the lowest aptitude in the village. Every other soldier possessed at least Tier 6 aptitude, and there was only one other like Little Tiger with Tier 8 aptitude, not to mention Feng Zhong, whose Tier 9 aptitude was currently sealed. It was enough to bring one to tears! Being stuck as a soldier with only Tier 4 aptitude made him a bit of an anomaly in his own army.

...

After spending half the day clearing the outskirts of the rebel camp without venturing too deep, the sky began to darken. Lin Mu led his men back to the village to rest.

Beyond leveling up, Lin Mu’s biggest harvest of the day was a primary-level private school architectural blueprint. This was entirely within his expectations; in the early stages, monster drop rates were extremely low.

He wondered how Feng Zhong was faring. Lin Mu had taken 100 soldiers to the east, while Feng Zhong was responsible for the monster camps in the northwest and southwest. To Lin Mu’s pleasant surprise, all three high-level camps in his territory were rebel camps rather than beast camps, which meant a reliable source of population for the future.

The distribution was: 5 primary, 3 intermediate, and 2 high-level rebel camps in the east; 5 primary, 2 intermediate, and 2 high-level rebel camps in the southwest; and 1 king-level (Howling Wolf camp) and 1 high-level rebel camp in the northwest.

As dusk fell, Lin Mu and Little Tiger returned to the barracks. Feng Zhong had already returned; with a god-tier general like him, clearing primary, intermediate, and high-level camps was effortless.

Seeing Feng Zhong, Lin Mu asked, "Fengjin, any gains today?"

"Haha, My Lord! I led the soldiers to slay the leaders of both high-level camps today. They dropped four white cloth bags, which I brought back specifically for you to open!" Feng Zhong said happily.

Because of the limited number of soldiers earlier, Feng Zhong hadn't targeted the high-level camp leaders. Today was the first time they had cleared them, making it a fruitful expedition. In *Mythical Three Kingdoms*, when monsters or humans were defeated, any loot appeared in the form of cloth bags. The contents were not fixed, and the color of the bag determined the quality of the items: gray, white, cyan, blue, purple, and so on.

Four white bags meant four relatively rare drops. Lin Mu took them from Feng Zhong, unable to wait to open them—this was his first time opening these bags, which were as beloved and loathed as real currency.

"Ding!"

"System notification: Player Lin Mu, you have opened a white cloth bag and obtained the basic cultivation technique [Great Strength Bull Demon Art]."

"System notification: Player Lin Mu, you have opened a white cloth bag and obtained the Yellow-tier weapon [Refined Steel Chopper]."

"System notification: Player Lin Mu, you have opened a white cloth bag and obtained the [Sandalwood Bow] production manual."

"System notification: Player Lin Mu, you have opened a white cloth bag and obtained the Profound-tier weapon [Clear Steel Spear]."

Lin Mu immediately checked their attributes:

Name: [Great Strength Bull Demon Art]
Tier: Basic
Attribute: Consists of 3 levels. Each level studied increases base attributes by 10 points and grants the user 'Bull Demon Internal Energy.'
Description: A basic technique among the general cultivation methods used by the Han army, forming a system alongside the [Great Strength Leopard Demon Art] and [Great Strength Tiger Demon Art].

Name: [Refined Steel Chopper]
Tier: Yellow
Attribute: Combat power +300, Sharpness +15, Durability 100/100.
Description: Thick and sharp, crafted from century-refined steel.

Name: [Sandalwood Bow] Production Manual
Tier: Yellow
Attribute: Allows carpenters of intermediate level or higher to learn how to craft the Yellow-tier weapon: Sandalwood Bow.
Description: Made from Grade 2 sandalwood; durable, tough, and long-ranged.

Name: [Clear Steel Spear]
Tier: Profound
Attribute: Combat power +1500, Sharpness +20, Durability 1000/1000.
Description: Forged by a master; reliable, sharp, and a weapon of great prestige.

A lucky start! All four white bags yielded excellent items. Lin Mu was familiar with the [Great Strength Bull Demon Art]; it was a standard technique for army soldiers, and in his past life, the soldiers in his territory had used it. It was part of a system with the Yellow-tier and Profound-tier versions, all of which could be purchased from government offices.

Lin Mu equipped the [Clear Steel Spear] and gave the chopper to Little Tiger. The [Sandalwood Bow] manual was a surprise; with it, his territory wouldn't have to worry about a lack of bows and arrows. He remembered that sandalwood grew in the Qilian Mountains, though he hadn't sent woodcutters there yet. He would need to arrange for that soon.

"Congratulations, My Lord! With the archery manual, our soldiers' equipment will reach a new level! We can train them in archery and increase our ranged capabilities," Feng Zhong said, clearly pleased.

"Hehe, this harvest is all thanks to you, Fengjin! I’ll record a major merit for you," Lin Mu said happily.

"Haha, everyone worked hard today; you should treat them well!" Feng Zhong suggested.

"Agreed. Tell the men to prepare a feast—tonight, everyone eats their fill of meat!"

"Thank you, My Lord!" the soldiers cheered.

...

As the soldiers celebrated, Lin Mu pondered. It was highly irregular for white bags to drop a Profound-tier weapon and a production manual. Could his 'Two Dragons' fortune' be at play?

He checked on the soldiers; there were no deaths, only a dozen minor injuries. While Feng Zhong organized dinner, Lin Mu took Little Tiger to the barracks. It was time to promote Little Tiger to a general. With his level, the technique, and the quota met, he was ready to promote the first general for his territory.

The barracks were empty as the soldiers were eating. Lin Mu went to the stone tablet in the main hall and opened the interface. One of the options was [General Promotion]:
Promotion Requirements: Yellow-tier or higher technique, level 10+, and one available slot. The cost is 1000 copper coins.

Currently, his territory had 6 primary barracks and 1 intermediate barracks with 530 soldiers. While there were plenty of slots, very few soldiers met the requirements. Lin Mu handed the [Great Strength Bull Demon Art] to Little Tiger. Little Tiger activated the technique, and a beam of white light shot into his head. After a moment, he opened his eyes, joyous.

"My Lord, I’ve learned the technique! I can finally become a general who gallops across the battlefield!" Little Tiger exclaimed. Having heard many tales of heroes from Lin Mu, he had long yearned for this.

"System notification: Lord Lin Mu, do you wish to spend 1000 copper coins to promote Zhang Xiaohu to a primary general?"

"Yes!"

"Ding!"
"System notification: Zhang Xiaohu meets the requirements. Promotion successful!"
"System notification: Lord Lin Mu, because your territory has produced the first promoted general, you have achieved the 'World's First Citizen-to-General' feat. The system specially rewards Zhang Xiaohu with an upgrade to Senior General, advances the [Great Strength Bull Demon Art] to the second level, and grants 20 base attribute points."

*Holy cow!* He hadn't known about this reward in his previous life. The system was generous, boosting Little Tiger directly to a Senior General! A Senior General could easily handle dozens of primary generals, and with Little Tiger’s high aptitude, he would be even stronger than an average Senior General.

"Little Tiger, your wish has come true. Happy?" Lin Mu smiled.

"Yes, thank you for your guidance, My Lord! I will train harder, hunt more monsters, and protect the territory and you!" Little Tiger said with a firm, youthful expression.

Lin Mu patted his head, smiling. He led Little Tiger to the feast, where he ate and mingled with the soldiers to foster camaraderie.

"The Lord is here! The Lord is here!" a sharp-eyed soldier shouted.

"My Lord, come eat with us!"

"Good, good! Everyone, don't wait for me, dig in! Eat plenty, eat plenty of meat! Don't be shy, haha..." Lin Mu cheered.

"Yes!"

"Haha, let's eat! The meat today is excellent—aromatic and tender!"

Lin Mu and Little Tiger sat beside Feng Zhong.

"It’s a pity there’s no wine," Lin Mu sighed. "The winery in the territory hasn't started production yet, and we lack apprentices. Otherwise, the enthusiasm tonight would be even greater."

"Indeed, I’ve been craving a drink myself," Little Tiger said with anticipation.

"Haha, looks like Little Tiger will be a drunkard too!" Feng Zhong chuckled.

"Hehe," Little Tiger laughed along.

The night passed quickly.