Starting with a Wei Wu soldier

As the dawn broke through the darkness, the horrific scene of the Black Wind Warehouse was fully revealed to everyone. At the breach in the southeast corner of the earthen wall, broken wooden fences and rammed earth were piled up together, and bloodstains stretched from the breach into the village, leaving dark red trails on the dirt road. Several fires had been extinguished, but wisps of smoke still rose, mingling with the morning mist.

Chen Wei was extremely efficient. In less than half an hour, the entire warehouse had been initially cleared. The bodies of the three fallen Wei soldiers were laid side by side in the open space of the camp, covered with clean linen, their weapons placed beside them. The five seriously wounded and thirteen lightly wounded had been gathered in a well-preserved large house, cared for by soldiers with some bandaging skills and refugee women and children. Chen Xing personally inspected the site and gave most of the "wound medicine" he had exchanged to Wang Jian, who was in charge of treating them.

"This medicine is quite effective; use it on the seriously injured first," Chen Xing instructed. "If there are signs of fever or suppuration, report to me immediately."

Wang Jian accepted the small porcelain bottles with both hands. They were warm and smooth to the touch, clearly not ordinary objects, which filled him with even greater awe: "Your subordinate understands and will do his utmost."

In the open space in the center of the village, the forty-one prisoners were divided into two groups for guarding. Twenty-seven able-bodied bandits, their hands bound, were closely guarded by ten Wei soldiers. They were all ashen-faced, cowering and dared not utter a word. The other fourteen women, children, and the elderly were placed a little further away. Most of them were the bandits' families. The women held their children and sobbed softly, their eyes filled with terror.

Chen Xing walked slowly past, his gaze sweeping over the prisoners. Among the young and strong bandits, a few avoided eye contact, while two or three secretly glanced at him, their eyes revealing not only fear but also a barely perceptible ferocity. Chen Xing took note of this, remaining silent.

"My lord." Chen Wei strode over, his armor clattering. In his hand he held a scroll of bamboo slips that he had just roughly marked with charcoal. "The preliminary inventory is complete. Please take a look, my lord."

The two walked to a shelter that had not yet been burned down, and Chen Wei spread the bamboo slips out on a relatively flat stone platform. Zhao Tiezhu, who had also bandaged his wounds, followed and stood beside Chen Xing.

"Let's start with the spoils." Chen Wei's voice was steady as he pointed to the records on the bamboo slips. "Regarding grain and fodder: In the cellars behind the village and in various granaries, we found a total of about 120 shi of millet, more than 30 shi of sorghum, and 20 shi of beans. There were also five large vats of pickled vegetables, about 50 jin of dried meat, and two small jars of salt, estimated to be less than 20 jin."

Chen Xing silently calculated in his mind. One shi (石) was roughly equivalent to 120 jin (斤) in his previous life. This amount of grain seemed like a lot, but if it were to feed his current group of over 100 people plus the prisoners, it would only last for two or three months at most without replenishment. Salt was even more scarce.

"Weapons and equipment," Chen Wei continued, "we seized thirty-five intact ring-pommel swords, twenty-eight spears, fifteen hunting bows, and about four hundred arrows. We also seized seven sets of leather armor, most of which were tattered. In addition, we seized dozens of miscellaneous weapons such as machetes and axes. Compared with our army's equipment, all of these are inferior."

"Money and valuables," Chen Wei paused, "we found five silver ingots in the bandit leader's room, but they were of poor quality; about eight strings and three hundred copper coins. The remaining bandits had less than one string of copper coins in total. There were also some women's jewelry, but they were of poor quality."

Chen Xing nodded. As expected, this band of bandits wasn't a large-scale raider; their food and money reserves were limited. He was more concerned about the potential of the area: "What's the condition of the houses inside the stronghold? How much arable land is there?"

At this moment, Li Shu, who had been sent by Chen Wei to inspect the overall situation of the village, trotted over. His thin body nimbly weaved through the crowd and reported: "My lord, I have investigated. The entire village has forty-six large and small houses, thirty-eight of which are intact and habitable. Three have been burned down, and five are damaged and can be used with minor repairs. Except for the southeast gap, the village wall is intact, but it needs to be reinforced. There are about a hundred acres of sloping land on the east and north sides of the village, which appears to have been cultivated but is now abandoned. The west and south sides are backed by mountains, and the terrain is relatively steep."

Chen Xing's eyes lit up. Over a hundred acres of hillside land! If they could be cultivated, it would be the foundation for their livelihood. He cast his gaze towards the faintly visible stream in the distance: "What about the water source?"

"The stream comes from the mountain ravine to the west, flows around the north of the village, and has abundant and clear water that is easy to draw from. There used to be a well in the village, located in the center, and the well water was sweet and unpolluted," Li Shu replied.

"Good." Chen Xing gradually understood. With land, water, houses, and defensible terrain, the Black Wind Trading Post was indeed an excellent base. He looked at Chen Wei: "What are the exact casualties of our troops? Report back in detail."

Chen Wei's expression turned solemn as he turned to the other side of the bamboo slip: "Three men died in battle, all brothers of my Wei Wu soldiers. Zhang Meng was struck in the head by a rolling log during the assault; Zhao Wu was shot through the throat by a stray arrow while breaching a wall; Li Shun was surrounded by bandits in street fighting and died from exhaustion. Five were seriously wounded, two of whom were wounded in the chest and abdomen and lost too much blood; although they have received the lord's excellent medicine, they are still in critical condition. Three others suffered broken bones and tendons, but with careful recuperation, they can recover in a few months. Eleven were lightly wounded, all of whom are able to move."

With each name announced, Chen Wei's voice grew lower. These soldiers, though from the system, had lived and ate with him day and night; how could he remain unmoved by their deaths in battle?

As Zhao Tiezhu listened, he recalled the fearless figures of the Wei soldiers who had charged ahead and died in battle, and the villagers of Zhao Family Village who had perished tragically. His eyes reddened, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "These brothers were all protecting us... On behalf of the surviving members of Zhao Family Village, Tiezhu thanks all the brave warriors!" With that, he knelt down like a mountain collapsing and a jade pillar being overturned before the three bodies covered with white cloth.

Chen Xing reached out and helped him up, saying in a deep voice, "Their blood will not have been shed in vain. This place will be the home they bought with their lives, and we must make it impregnable to comfort their spirits." He paused, then asked Chen Wei, "What are the casualties of Zhao Tiezhu's troops?"

"Zhao Tiezhu himself was stabbed in the shoulder and back, but the wound was not deep; one of his men was shot in the leg with an arrow, but the arrow has been removed and medicine has been applied; another man suffered a burn on his arm, but all are fine," Chen Wei replied.

Chen Xing nodded slightly. Although the losses in this battle were painful, they were minimal compared to the overall battle for the capture of the stronghold. He pondered for a moment and then began to issue a series of orders: "Chen Wei, you make the following arrangements immediately: First, select ten capable soldiers, whom you will personally lead, to guard the prisoners day and night in shifts, paying particular attention to those young men with suspicious eyes. If they show any unusual behavior, execute them first and report later. Second, divide the remaining Wei soldiers into two teams. One team, temporarily led by Wang Jian, will be responsible for repairing the breaches in the stronghold wall and reinforcing the defenses; the other team will clean up the battlefield, transport the bandit corpses to a distant location for unified cremation and burial, making sure to bury them deeply in lime to prevent the spread of disease. Wash the bloodstains inside the stronghold with clean water and sprinkle quicklime on them."

"Yes, sir!" Chen Wei accepted the order.

"Tiezhu," Chen Xing turned to Zhao Tiezhu, "you take the women and children among the refugees and clear out the intact houses first, prioritizing the resettlement of the wounded, children, and the elderly. The able-bodied men should temporarily assist in clearing debris from inside the village. Once the village walls are repaired, you should begin land reclamation; that's your specialty, so put in a lot of effort."

Zhao Tiezhu straightened his back: "Rest assured, my lord! Leave the farming to us!"

Chen Xing then looked at Li Shu: "You are meticulous. Take two clever men and sort through all the captured supplies—grain, armor, money, cloth, and tools—and re-count and register them in detail. Every shi of grain and every wen of money must be recorded clearly. All future expenditures must be documented."

"I understand!" Li Shu nodded vigorously.

With the order given, everyone got to work. The Wei infantry were incredibly efficient; in less than an hour, the battlefield was mostly cleared. Broken weapons and debris were piled in one corner, and the bandit corpses were removed. The prisoners were taken to a sturdy storehouse for centralized custody. Women and children began cleaning the houses, and smoke rose from several intact kitchens—Chen Xing had granted permission to use some of the captured grain today, ensuring everyone, including the prisoners, had a full meal to reassure them.

Chen Xing walked alone to the top of the stockade wall, surveying the surrounding terrain. A mountain breeze brushed his face, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees after the smoke of war had cleared. The slopes to the east and north stretched out, now barren, but the dark soil indicated good fertility. A stream, like a ribbon, shimmered in the morning light. This was indeed a good place.

Just then, the cold system notification in his mind arrived as expected:

[Ding! Detection indicates the host has successfully seized the 'Black Wind Ridge Trading Post' and has initially gained control of the situation.]

[Main Mission 1: Establish a Foothold, Completion Assessment in Progress...]

[Evaluation complete. Task accomplished!]

[Reward Distribution: Basic Supplies Pack (containing 50 high-quality iron farm tools, 100 jin of salt, 100 bolts of coarse cloth, and a quantity of various common vegetable seeds). 100 System Points.]

[The reward has been delivered. Please check it in the main warehouse of the stronghold.]

Chen Xing's heart stirred, and he turned around and walked down the stockade wall, heading straight for the main warehouse in the stockade that Chen Wei had previously reported on—the warehouse where the bandit leader originally stored important supplies.

The granary was located in the north-central part of the village. It was a sturdy house with a stone foundation and a timber structure. The door had a newly replaced iron lock, the key of which had been found on the bandit leader. Chen Xing ordered the soldiers guarding the granary to unlock the door and push it open to enter.

The room, which had originally contained some of the captured grain and a few tattered leather armors, now had several large wooden crates and burlap sacks neatly stacked in the center of the room.

Chen Xing approached and opened the top wooden box. Inside were neatly stacked, brand-new farm tools with a bluish-black metallic sheen—hoes, iron plowshares, sickles, and shovels, all uniform in design and of excellent quality, clearly not something an ordinary blacksmith shop of this era could easily produce. He then opened another box, which contained tightly packed, snow-white salt bricks, weighing a full hundred pounds. There were also several large bundles of fine-textured coarse cloth and dozens of small packages wrapped in oiled paper, simply labeled in black ink with the words "菘" (cabbage), "芦" (radish), "韭" (leek), and "葱" (scallion), indicating various kinds of vegetables.

Everything is completely consistent with the system description.

A slight smile curved Chen Xing's lips. With these farming tools and seeds, the chances of cultivating that hundred acres of barren slope increased considerably. Salt and cloth were also hard currency, extremely valuable whether for personal use or for future trade.

He summoned the guard outside the door and ordered him to call Li Shu and Chen Wei.

Before long, the two rushed over. Even the composed Chen Wei couldn't help but show astonishment when he saw the brand-new supplies that had suddenly appeared in the warehouse. Li Shu's eyes widened, and he stammered, "My...my lord, these...these are..."

"This is divine intervention," Chen Xing said calmly, as if it were all perfectly natural. "These supplies must have been secretly hidden here by some powerful family from the previous dynasty to avoid the chaos of war, and were fortunate enough to escape the bandits' notice. Now that the stronghold has been breached, they have finally seen the light of day again. This foreshadows that our occupation of this place is ordained by Heaven."

His words explained the source of the supplies and also gave the occupation of this place a legitimacy and a sense of destiny. Chen Wei and Li Shu exchanged a glance. Although they found it unbelievable, their lord spoke with such certainty, and the supplies were right before their eyes, leaving them no choice but to believe. Considering their lord's brilliant military strategy and ability to produce miraculous healing medicine, perhaps there really was divine favor? Their awe deepened.

"Li Shu, register all these supplies together, list them separately, and keep them safe," Chen Xing instructed. "Iron farm tools will be distributed as needed when the land is being cultivated. Salt and cloth will not be used for now; we'll figure that out later. Vegetable seeds must be stored carefully; they can be planted when the season is right."

"Yes! I will do my best!" Li Shu replied excitedly, looking at the fine farm tools, as if he could see the green hillsides next year.

Chen Wei thought more deeply: "My lord, with this batch of excellent farming tools, the efficiency of land reclamation will surely increase greatly. However, the spring planting season has already passed, and these vegetable seeds..."

"It's alright," Chen Xing said. "Let's clear the land first and fertilize it. We can try sowing some vegetables in the summer and autumn. Once we've established ourselves, it will be time to really make our move next spring."

He stepped out of the storehouse; the sun was shining brightly. In the open space of the village, refugee children, watched over by women, peered out curiously, while Wei soldiers repaired the walls, their work clanging and clattering. In the distance, the slopes were overgrown with weeds, yet brimming with life.

The inventory of his gains was not just about supplies, but also about the land, the people, and the 100 system points that had just arrived in his account. With these, his "foundation" had truly taken its first deep root.

The road ahead is long, but the starting point is already solid.