"No! I object! We absolutely cannot let them into the city! Wilderness Village has wolfish ambitions, they…"
In Da Liu Town, within the main hall of the magistrate's manor, a pot-bellied, middle-aged man spoke with a face full of fury and vehement words.
This man was Liu Ku, the largest landowner in Da Liu Town. He owned tens of thousands of acres of fertile land, possessed countless riches, and commanded a private force of over a hundred men. He had contributed greatly to resisting the Yellow Turbans, but his private army had also suffered heavy losses. Previously, when Da Liu Town was on the brink of collapse under the Yellow Turban siege, he had already prepared to flee. That was precisely why he had sent his only son, Liu Guan, as an envoy to Wilderness Village.
Magistrate Ma Fu glanced at Liu Ku, his brow furrowing slightly before he let out a cold snort.
"The Wilderness Village army is right outside the city walls. Does Lord Liu have a way to resist them? If you do, I won't say another word and will keep the gates firmly shut!"
Hearing this, the expression on Liu Ku's face froze. A hint of humiliated anger appeared as he huffed a few times, but he didn't say anything more, slumping back into his seat with a furious expression.
"What does Da Liu Town have to resist with?"
In the magistrate's manor of Da Liu Town, Ma Fu let out a deep sigh. He looked down at the officials of Da Liu Town gathered below, but not a single one dared to meet his gaze.
"Make preparations! Prepare to welcome the reinforcements from Wilderness Village!"
"They saved us. Let's not make ourselves a laughingstock!"
"We can only hope that Wilderness Village still holds the Great Han in their hearts and won't dare to move against us. Otherwise…"
At this point, Ma Fu's voice trailed off. A look of helplessness crossed his face as he let out a long sigh.
"As you command!" Hearing this, the officials of Da Liu Town all breathed a sigh of relief.
The army from Wilderness Village had already proven their strength against the Yellow Turbans. None of them wanted to make an enemy of this Wilderness Village.
And to be honest, didn't they all see how even the loudest protestor, the great landowner Liu Ku, just buried his head in the sand when faced with the question of 'how to resist the Wilderness Village army'?
It wasn't that they were incompetent; it was that the Wilderness Village army was just so damn terrifying.
300 men fought 3,000, and they actually fucking won!
Who wouldn't be terrified by that? Just how formidable must their combat strength and power be?
Besides, wasn't it only right and proper to open the gates and welcome their 'benefactors' into the city?
'And even if the village chief of Wilderness Village has ideas about taking over Da Liu Town, wouldn't he still need us to govern the place?'
'Besides, although the Wilderness Village chief is just a commoner, his reputation precedes him. The prestige of the chief of the 'Number One Village Under Heaven' has long been widespread in Shanwu County. Submitting to him is… barely acceptable. It wouldn't be shameful! Maybe we could even use this to advance our own careers…'
The minds of the Da Liu Town officials were whirring with calculations.
…
「Da Liu Town, Eastern Commoner's District.」
"Brother Wang, what do we do now?"
A few players were gathered furtively inside a residence.
The residence was a mess. Inside was just a single table and a few chairs. Four or five players sat huddled together, their faces etched with gravity and anxiety.
The one who spoke was a sallow-faced, middle-aged woman, her expression filled with unease.
"How did we get so unlucky?"
"We just wanted to look for a Secret Realm, how could we be so unlucky as to run into a Yellow Turban siege?"
"If you ask me, we should just surrender to the Yellow Turbans. I heard their benefits are great. You can become a leader just by joining…"
Among the players, the middle-aged men began to speak up. Their tone was slightly better than the woman's, but it couldn't hide their desperation.
"Everyone, quiet down!"
Wang Ming, sitting at the head of the table, looked at the ragtag mercenaries under his command. A trace of disappointment flashed in his eyes. Suddenly, it was as if he truly understood the meaning of a 'disorganized mob'.
He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and snapped coldly.
"Surrender to the Yellow Turbans?! Are you tired of living?! Aren't you afraid of the reckoning?"
"Besides, if we surrender to the Yellow Turbans, do you think any of us have the strength or ability for them to value us? Why would they give us important positions?"
As soon as Wang Ming finished speaking, the unease on the other players' faces deepened, and they all started talking at once.
"Then, Brother Wang, what do we do? I… I don't want to die!..."
"Yeah, yeah, none of us want to die…"
"If you ask me, this is all Ye Qiu's fault! If he hadn't suggested we take a gamble, why would we have come to this remote place looking for a Secret Realm and run into a Yellow Turban siege…"
As he spoke, a gloomy-looking middle-aged player suddenly started blaming a younger player.
"My fault?!! Heh, I don't recall begging you to come…"
Ye Qiu glanced at the middle-aged man and gave a cold laugh.
"Stop arguing, all of you!"
Wang Ming looked at the people in front of him. Disaster was imminent, and they were still bickering. A surge of anger rose in his heart, and he roared.
At this moment, his heart was filled with regret.
'Players really are useless!!!'
'I never should have brought these people along. It's one thing that they're all as timid as mice and shamelessly greedy, but to start fighting amongst themselves when we're facing a crisis…'
BANG BANG!!!
Just then, a sudden knock came from the door.
Everyone inside startled. They quickly grabbed their weapons, holding their breath in concentration.
For certain reasons, these players hadn't entered Da Liu Town through normal channels. If they were discovered by the town's authorities, they would surely be mistaken for Yellow Turbans and killed…
"Brother Wang, it's me, Chen Yan!!"
A low voice came from outside the door.
Hearing this, Wang Ming waved his hand. Two players immediately tiptoed over and opened the door. After Chen Yan came in, they quickly shut it again.
"Xiaochen, what's it like outside? Have the Yellow Turbans breached the city?"
The moment Chen Yan stepped inside, Wang Ming asked impatiently.
Hearing the question, a look of relief washed over Chen Yan's face as he spoke excitedly.
"Big Brother Wang, we're saved! We're saved!"
Chen Yan was so excited he was nearly incoherent.
Before the other players could speak, he continued.
"I just snuck out and overheard that the Yellow Turbans outside Da Liu Town have been dealt with by an army…"
Hearing this, a look of joy appeared on Wang Ming's face, and he quickly asked, "Is this true?"
"It has to be! The other residents in town are all talking about it. And rumor has it that army is about to enter the city. Everyone's talking about it, so it must be true!"
"Also, the magistrate of Da Liu Town, the deputy magistrate, and other officials, along with some of the wealthy families, have all gathered outside the city wall. They seem to be welcoming that army. It must be true!!"
Chen Yan recalled what he had just heard from the other town residents and spoke with certainty.
"Good!!"
Wang Ming clenched his fists tightly. The joy on his face was fleeting, but he quickly calmed down, suddenly realizing that this presented a massive opportunity…
After all, an army capable of defeating the nearly 5,000 Yellow Turbans outside Da Liu Town must be incredibly strong, far stronger than scattered commoner players like them.
'If they could get even a little something from that army, wouldn't they strike it rich…'
At this thought, Wang Ming's heart filled with excitement.
But then he turned and saw that the other players had, for some reason, started arguing again. His good mood was instantly ruined…
"A bunch of useless trash!"
Cursing them inwardly, his thoughts turned to the problem at hand.
'But how do I contact that army?'
'Should I hand that thing over?'
At this thought, he suddenly felt hesitant and reluctant…
After all, if that item was used well, the benefits could be enormous. If his own strength weren't so lacking, he really wouldn't want to give it up…