Chapter 47: The First Expedition!

The rewards and festivities today were remarkably modest in scale. The bestowed prizes were quite ordinary, and the so-called "Invincible Armor" was little more than an empty title.

Only the beginner-tier banquet held any real appeal.

In Lin Mu's past life, the rewards given to average soldiers in his territory would have outshone this by an immeasurable margin. However, this was still the early stage of the game. Even a single jar of Hundred-Flower Wine—which a player had accidentally obtained as a quest reward and Lin Mu had purchased for nearly 100,000 copper coins—could permanently increase all basic attributes by 1 point upon its first consumption, provided the recipient's attributes were below 50. If any single attribute already exceeded 50, that specific attribute would receive no benefit.

At the time, Lin Mu had only managed to acquire a single jar; no more were to be found. Although the attribute boost seemed minimal, for many players, this minor increase to all attributes was as precious as laying a foundational brick for an imperial dynasty. To Lin Mu's complete surprise, the player who obtained it had actually put it up for sale. What a lucky windfall!

A sum of 100,000 cash meant 100,000 copper coins, which was also quite a small amount. However, considering the massive number of soldiers, Lin Mu had distributed nearly ten million copper coins in rewards. Even so, the territory's wealth-generating capability remained extraordinarily strong, currently raking in around 3 million copper coins daily. Yet, once the mineral veins were exhausted, this profit would plummet rapidly, necessitating the development of alternative sources of revenue.

Lin Mu continued to sell the weapons in the trading market at their original prices without any markups. After a period of development, players should have accumulated a fair amount of wealth in their pockets, but Lin Mu was a lord with principles and ideals—how could he arbitrarily fleece them? Hehe...

Moreover, the inventory was steadily dwindling. Using ore from his Grade-3 black tungsten mine to forge basic Yellow-tier weapons was somewhat wasteful. Now, the proficiency of the territory's blacksmiths was gradually increasing, allowing them to craft superior weaponry. However, these had all been equipped by his own soldiers and none were put up for sale.

This banquet lasted the entire day, consuming roughly 600,000 units of provisions, a significant portion of which consisted of meats, aquatic produce, and fruits.

Once the banquet concluded, everyone happily returned to their residential quarters to rest.

The banquet could be considered an overwhelming success, and Lin Mu was exceptionally pleased. Given that this was the territory's inaugural banquet, achieving such a scale and reception was deeply gratifying. There would definitely be more banquets like this in the future!

...

The cleanup and aftermath of the banquet were handled entirely by the residents; he, the lord, had no need to busy himself with such chores.

What Lin Mu needed to do was organize the dispatch of the troops for the expedition!

As the saying goes: troops and horses move before food and forage do. Both Lin Mu and Feng Zhong were busy preparing provisions.

The term "provisions" did not merely refer to food and fodder; it was a broad category encompassing grain, mount feed, weapons, equipment, elixirs, medicines, and other essential supplies for marching.

With the territory's abundant funds and plentiful supplies, these preparations were completed in no time.

Lin Mu reviewed the village's military strength: 3,680 men in total. Among them were 1,149 Grade-4 soldiers above level 40, and 1,800 Grade-3 soldiers between levels 30 and 40. The remainder consisted of those below level 30. Lin Mu had no intention of bringing the soldiers below level 30 on the upcoming campaign against the Azure Dragon Stronghold. Roughly 3,000 soldiers of Grade 3 and above would be sufficient. The rest would remain behind to clear out the surrounding encampments, ensuring they would not harass the territory, while simultaneously serving as a way to train and temper the troops.

These 3,000 soldiers of Grade 3 and above all possessed Grade-6 aptitudes, with exceptionally high average martial prowess hovering near 60 points—making them formidable indeed.

Furthermore, their weapons and equipment were exceptionally fine.

The standard-issue weapons for the infantry were the [Hundred-Refined Fine Steel Saber] and the [Hundred-Refined Fine Steel Spear]. Although they were still Yellow-tier weapons, their attributes surpassed those of the black iron fine steel sabers, rendering them sharper and more durable.

Name: [Hundred-Refined Fine Steel Saber]
Tier: Yellow Tier
Characteristic: Weapon
Attributes: Combat Power +1000, Sharpness +20, Durability 300/300.
Description: Fine steel ingots forged using steel-refining techniques, making them purer and more durable. Weapons forged from this type of steel are sharp and boast superior attribute bonuses. This particular weapon was cast from hundred-refined fine steel, embodying the painstaking efforts of the artisan as well as the encouragement and expectations sent forth with the marching soldiers.

The attributes of the saber and the spear were quite similar.

As for their armor, such as the combat gear, they formed a matching series: the [Hundred-Refined Fine Steel Helmet], the [Hundred-Refined Fine Steel Armor], and the [Hundred-Refined Fine Steel Boots]. One could truly say they were armed to the teeth.

Unfortunately, this matching series of equipment lacked set bonuses. The gear had been independently forged by the blacksmiths without receiving any system-generated set attribute bonuses, which was a great pity.

It seemed that only through specific research and development inventions, or by acquiring pre-existing set blueprints, could set bonuses be unlocked.

Lin Mu designated 1,000 of the 3,000 soldiers to transfer into saber-shield soldiers, another 1,000 into spearmen, and the final 1,000 into sandalwood archers.

Saber-shield soldiers could be promoted within the advanced barracks. This was a conventional troop type utilizing both sabers and shields, advancing to attack and standing firm to defend. They were equipped with the [Hundred-Refined Fine Steel Saber] and the [Azure Wolf Iron Shield], while their remaining equipment stayed the same.

The spearmen were equipped with the [Hundred-Refined Fine Steel Spear], with all other gear remaining identical.

The sandalwood archers were equipped with the [Red Sandalwood Composite Bow], a design improved by the territory's carpenters:

Name: [Red Sandalwood Composite Bow]
Tier: Yellow Tier
Characteristic: Weapon
Attributes: Range +200 meters, Combat Power +500, Durability 400/400
Description: Crafted using red sandalwood for the bow limb and fierce bull sinew for the bowstring. This bow, built from Grade-2 red sandalwood timber, is durable and resilient, offering a long range and explosive elasticity. Utilizing red sandalwood arrows will further increase impact force.

Due to production limitations, there were only nearly 1,000 sets of bows and arrows, all of which were equipped by the sandalwood archers. Otherwise, Lin Mu would have liked to equip all the soldiers with this [Red Sandalwood Composite Bow] so they could loose arrows from a distance. Although not professional archers, every single soldier possessed either [Basic Archery] or [Intermediate Archery].

Under Feng Zhong's training, every soldier was proficient in multiple weapon types. The saber-shield soldiers were not limited solely to sabers and shields; they could also wield spears and bows, and their mastery in both [Intermediate Spearmanship] and [Intermediate Archery] had reached competent levels. The spearmen and sandalwood archers were similarly versed, deeply familiar with other armaments so they could utilize them effectively on the battlefield.

Spears and sabers were abundant, so Lin Mu had all 3,000 men carry two secondary weapons to use when the need arose. However, lacking spatial pouches, these had to be carried by hand.

Meanwhile, Lin Mu's personal inventory was packed with food, medicine, and a special concoction brewed from the blood of the Howling Moon Silver Wolf King.

Furthermore, Lin Mu had already begun utilizing the space within the ancient military talisman.

He had 100 soldiers fully geared up, each carrying an enormous pack filled with equipment and provisions, and then summoned them into the hidden troop space. It was a clever little trick for transporting resources—a technique frequently employed by many players in his past life.

On the day following the banquet, Lin Mu and Feng Zhong were fully prepared to embark on their expedition.

This was the territory's very first campaign, as well as a real-world test to verify everyone's recent training results! A grand procession of men marched into the mountains in high spirits.

This was the beginning of an empire's hegemony!