Just as Xiao Jing closed the village panel and before he could even settle in, a system notification chimed.
"DING! System Announcement: In the first year of Zhongping, the 'Yellow Turban Rebellion' event is about to begin. The Way of Supreme Peace has risen up across the lands of the Great Han, calling on all heroes of the realm to join their cause!"
"DING! Yellow Turban Faction Announcement: The Azure Sky is already dead; the Yellow Sky is destined to rise. In the year of Jiazi, there will be great fortune in the world... The Great Teacher Zhang Jiao calls upon all visionaries to join forces against the Great Han and forge a new world!"
"DING! Great Han Faction Announcement: All land under heaven is the Emperor's. Now, petty Yellow Turban rebels sow chaos and defile Our lands. We hereby call upon the heroes of the realm to protect Our domain and strike down the Yellow Turbans together!"
"DING! System Announcement: The Yellow Turban Rebellion has begun! The Yellow Turban and Great Han factions are now open. A Contribution Point leaderboard has been established. Killing enemy soldiers will earn Contribution Points, which can be spent to redeem bountiful rewards!"
Xiao Jing's expression shifted slightly as the four consecutive announcements ended.
He had expected the Yellow Turban Rebellion to break out, but this was far too soon.
"DING! Player, please choose a faction: Great Han or Yellow Turban?"
The system notification continued to ring in his ears.
Without much hesitation, Xiao Jing chose the Great Han faction.
The Yellow Turbans were doomed to fail. Joining them now would be like siding with the losing army on the eve of their final defeat; there would surely be a reckoning after the war.
The moment these four system announcements were released, the player forums exploded.
High-level players like Xiao Jing and low-level players still struggling to survive had all anticipated this to some degree, but they shared a single thought:
'This is too fast! Way too fast!'
They had only been in the game for two weeks. There were just four Lords on the leaderboards, and most people were barely scraping by.
And now the Yellow Turban Rebellion had erupted, just like that!
With great chaos looming, players on the forums were in an uproar!
"...It's over. The Yellow Turban Rebellion has started, and I'm right in Jizhou, the heart of the chaos. Can anyone save me?"
"Goddammit! I just got settled, and now you're telling me the Yellow Turban Rebellion has started? My Martial Strength is barely 3! I just want to live a decent life, damn it!"
"It's hopeless. I just hope this Yellow Turban event ends quickly. I don't even have any troops, so how the hell am I supposed to participate?"
"Holy shit, the Yellow Turbans? The rewards for points are amazing! There's even a Village Creation Order! I'm going all in! This is my chance to defy fate and change my destiny..."
"..."
Xiao Jing glanced over the forum posts.
Soon, his attention shifted to the rules of the Yellow Turban Rebellion event.
First were the rules for calculating Contribution Points. Killing an untiered Yellow Turban was worth 0.5 points, a Tier One Yellow Turban was worth 2 points, Tier Two was worth 4, Tier Three was 8, Tier Four was 16, and so on.
The stronger the enemy, the more Contribution Points they were worth.
For the current Xiao Jing, however, even dealing with Tier Three Yellow Turbans would be a stretch, let alone any High Tier ones. Of course, the Yellow Turbans didn't have many High Tier troop types to begin with.
Besides killing enemy soldiers, one could also earn a large number of Contribution Points by killing enemy generals or playing a significant role in key battles, depending on the circumstances.
After reviewing the rules for earning Contribution Points, Xiao Jing turned his attention to the redemption list.
Even though he had been prepared, Xiao Jing's eyes still went wide with desire at the sight of the bountiful rewards on the list.
There was no other reason for it; the rewards were simply too incredible.
Blueprints:
Barracks Blueprint (Purple) - Tiger and Leopard Cavalry Barracks: 999,999 Contribution Points
Barracks Blueprint (Purple) - White Horse Volunteers Barracks: 999,999 Contribution Points
Barracks Blueprint (Purple) - Xiliang Iron Cavalry Barracks: 999,999 Contribution Points
...
Advanced Shop Blueprint (Purple): 888,888 Contribution Points
Top-Tier Building Blueprint (Purple) - Blacksmith Shop: 130,000 Contribution Points
Top-Tier Building Blueprint (Purple) - Tailor Shop: 120,000 Contribution Points
Top-Tier Building Blueprint (Purple) - Trading House: 100,000 Contribution Points
...
Village Creation Order (Yellow) - 2,000 Contribution Points (90% off for the first 1,000)
Troops: Tier One Tiger and Leopard Cavalry (Purple), 1,000 Contribution Points/unit
Troops: Tier One Tiger and Feathered Forest Guards (Purple), 800 Contribution Points/unit
Troops: ...
Advanced barracks blueprints, advanced building blueprints, official titles, Village Creation Orders, troop types...
There were just too many incredible things on the redemption list...
Xiao Jing was left dazzled by the sheer abundance of rewards.
But...
'The amount of Contribution Points required is just ridiculous!'
The long string of zeros after each incredible reward was like a splash of cold water to Xiao Jing's face.
A single Tiger and Leopard Cavalry Barracks blueprint cost 999,999 Contribution Points. At two points per kill, that meant Xiao Jing would have to kill nearly half a million Tier One Yellow Turbans...
'It's too much. It's just absurd...'
Xiao Jing quickly calmed himself. 'These outrageous costs probably aren't even meant for players at this stage. Besides, Tiger and Leopard Cavalry... aren't those Boss Cao's troops?'
'It seems players are just along for the ride on this redemption list. The great families are the real participants...'
At this thought, Xiao Jing gave a helpless smile.
'The only thing on this list truly meant for players during this Yellow Turban event is probably the Village Creation Order...'
'But I can't even use that heavily discounted Village Creation Order right now... Still, I could get one first. It would be a good choice to either trade it to another player or use it to establish a subordinate village.'
Xiao Jing mused, rubbing his brow.
"Someone, summon Elder Guo here to discuss matters!"
"Yes, sir!" Outside the Lord's Residence, a militiaman who received Xiao Jing's order replied respectfully and hurried away.
Before long, Guo Yun hurried into the Lord's Residence.
"My Lord."
"Elder Guo, the cultists from the Way of Supreme Peace have rebelled!"
Guo Yun started and asked quickly, "My Lord, is this information reliable?"
Xiao Jing nodded. After a moment of thought, he continued:
"The Yellow Turban Rebellion has broken out. We need to prepare for their forces. Send word to Commander Zhou. Recall him from the salt mine back to Wild Mountain Village to defend against the Yellow Turbans..."
Guo Yun nodded in agreement, but then he hesitated.
"What you say is reasonable, my Lord, but if we do that, the salt mine will be..."
Xiao Jing gave a cold smile. "With the Yellow Turban threat looming, I doubt Xiahe Village has the luxury of worrying about our salt mine."
"Besides, if they dare to make a move, do they really think my Wind Cavalry are just for show? It would be the perfect opportunity to seize Xiahe Village in the name of the Yellow Turban chaos!"
Guo Yun smiled. "It seems I was the one being short-sighted. Xiahe Village has vast farmlands and countless grain in its storehouses. If we take it, our village's food problem will be..."
Xiao Jing nodded and said to Guo Yun gravely, "Therefore, our most urgent task is to prepare for war."
"I understand!"
...
「Shanwu County Captain's Residence.」
"Is everything ready?"
County Captain Zhao Ming took a deep breath, his expression a mixture of excitement and tension as he asked the question.
The clerk standing in the hall below seemed equally nervous.
"My lord, everything is in place. We're just waiting for the opportune moment!"
"Most of the county's troops have been transferred away. We just have to wait for those Yellow Turban cultists to attack the city, and our plan will succeed!"
Hearing this, Zhao Ming laughed heartily. "Good! Excellent!"
"That old bastard has controlled Shanwu City for so many years, suffocating my Zhao family. Let's see if he survives this!"
At this thought, Zhao Ming's spirits soared.
"Soon. Very soon, Shanwu City will be mine to control!"
The clerk flattered him obsequiously, "Congratulations, my lord! A joyous occasion indeed!"