Chapter 1: The beginning of the Han Dynasty Spring of the third year of Guanghe (180 AD). The Xianbei once again plundered the two states of You and Bing. The border troops were unable to resist their aggressive and fierce offensive, resulting in countless people losing their homes and becoming displaced. The entire northern border seemed to be in a purgatory of suffering. Youzhou Liaodong County. Changxing Island is located in the central and western part of the Liaodong Peninsula, surrounded by the sea, and only a few dozen miles away from the mainland at the nearest point. It is about sixty miles long and twenty miles wide, with a vast area, and can be called the largest island around Liaodong. There are dozens of people living on the island, who mainly make a living by farming, supplemented by fishing and hunting. Although their life is quite poor and hard, they live in peace with the world. It can be regarded as a quiet and peaceful paradise. This land that had been forgotten for hundreds of years welcomed a group of special "guests" on this day. …… The sky is blue, the water is clear, and the sea breeze is cool. In a few acres of thin fields not far from the coast, Chen Ergou was working hard on the farm.
Changxing Island has a vast territory, but the land is extremely barren, mostly saline-alkali land and steep mountains and forests. It is difficult to find suitable land for cultivation around the village. As a new member of the village, he had to find a piece of land far away from the village to cultivate. After working for most of the day, he rubbed his arms that were so sore and almost numb, gently put down the worn-out farm tools that were almost falling apart, sat down on the ground exhausted, and planned to take a rest. Looking at the endless coastline in the distance, Chen Ergou's heart was filled with sorrow. There are less than three stone of grain left at home. Even if we eat them together with bitter wild vegetables, I am afraid it will not last until this autumn harvest. What should we do? Thinking of this, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh. Originally, he lived in a village on the other side of the sea, but unfortunately it was robbed by the Wuhuan two years ago. In that horrific disaster, he was the only one out of a family of five who managed to escape death. By chance, he ended up on this island, and thanks to the enthusiastic help of the village chief, he was able to settle down here. I thought that living on this island separated by the sea, I would no longer have to worry about being robbed by the barbarians and could live a peaceful and stable life. But I never thought this place was so poor. Last year, he harvested less than ten dan of grain from his hard work, and nearly half of it had to be handed over to the county as taxes and to offset labor service. The remaining grain was not enough for him to eat. Why is it so difficult to survive in this world? Just when he was feeling depressed, he suddenly saw three small dots faintly emerging on the sea in the distance. The black spot slowly grew larger, and the shape of the ship gradually became clear. "What's going on? The tax collection time is advanced this year?" Chen Ergou muttered to himself. Although Changxing Island is poor, there are still dozens of people there. Wen County, to which it belongs, comes to collect taxes once every autumn. This is also the only opportunity for Changxing Island to communicate with the outside world. When the boat slowly approached, Chen Ergou finally saw its appearance clearly and couldn't help but be surprised. The shape of this ship is slightly different from common official ships and is particularly large. "A ship this big can probably accommodate one or two hundred people."
Chen Ergou, who was born timid, hurriedly hid in the woods nearby and watched nervously through the gaps between the branches and leaves. As the three boats slowly approached, we saw that they were crowded with people, all wearing familiar Han Chinese costumes, and brand new cloth clothes. Chen Ergou secretly calculated it in his mind, gritted his teeth, and finally mustered up the courage to walk over. …… On the ship, Tian Ze looked at the vast Changxing Island with a smile on his face, feeling very happy. "Young master, this is Changxing Island. Its area is nearly 8,000 hectares. There are less than a hundred people on the island, and there are only a thousand acres of thin farmland." Tian Zhong, who was sent by the clan to assist Tian Ze, said. "Everything has been arranged according to your request, young master. Now the record of the existence of this island has been completely erased. It belongs completely to us." "Uncle Zhong, you have done a great job. I am considered to have secretly occupied land and hidden an illegal household." Tian Ze said self-deprecatingly. "Young master, don't worry. The term of office of the current Wen County magistrate has expired. You have just performed the coming-of-age ceremony, and according to the time, you should have been appointed by the court as the Wen County magistrate. You can take over as soon as the document is delivered. This Changxing Island was originally under the jurisdiction of Wen County, and there is nothing wrong with us operating it in advance." Tian Zhong explained. "Alas, the Liaodong region is difficult, closed and blocked, and the barbarians are rampant. If we want to protect the territory and stabilize the people, we must have a base. For the next period of time, we may have to stay in Changxing Island. We have to cultivate land, store food and grass, and train soldiers and horses, so that we can have the capital to compete with the barbarians!" Tian Ze sighed. "Young Master, be merciful!" As the two asked and answered each other, Tian Ze saw the small dot representing Guan Yu on the "mini map" turn from light yellow to light green, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Twenty years have passed since he traveled here. In this life, he had a good background, being the second son of the Wuzhong Tian family in Youzhou. Although he did not start in Tianhe, as the son of a third-rate family, he could accomplish many things, especially when the Yellow Turban Rebellion had not yet broken out. Besides, Tian Ze has other people to rely on. Since he was born, a jade pendant with a dragon pattern has been floating in his dantian, on which is engraved a cultivation technique called "Qingmu Jue". At first, he was extremely excited and thought there was a chance for him to live forever. But when he tried to practice, he found that the spiritual energy in this world was extremely thin and he could not practice at all. Fortunately, there is always a way out. The dragon-patterned jade pendant has magical effects and can absorb the people's morale and luck to generate spiritual energy. Relying on the hidden family of his clan, Tian Ze spent several years successfully cultivating to the first level of Qi Refining, barely stepping into the threshold of cultivating immortals. In order to achieve his own immortality, Tian Ze, who originally had no intention of competing for world domination, had to start planning. No longer hiding his talent, he quickly became famous for his intelligence that far surpassed his peers and successfully became Lu Zhi's disciple. During his studies, he discovered that this world was slightly different from his impression of the late Han Dynasty. When people's abilities reached a certain level, there was a probability that they would awaken special talents. For example, his mentor Lu Zhi had the ability to recognize people and understand the situation. Liu Bei, who studied with Gongsun Zan, was very friendly, and the riders led by Gongsun Zan would be much faster. And five years ago, he had a "small map" in his mind. Wherever he passes within a radius of several miles will be recorded, which can be monitored at any time and can show the enemy and friend. In the “mini-map”, green dots represent friendliness, yellow dots represent neutrality, and red dots represent hostility.
It's a bit like the game map in the previous life. In order to make better use of his talents, after he had achieved some success in his studies, he bid farewell to his mentor and traveled around, especially to the northern counties and military strongholds. Whenever he discovered an invasion by the barbarians, he would inform the local governor to take precautions, thus saving the lives of many people and even inadvertently saving the family of Zhao Bao, the governor of Liaoxi. Not only did he gain a lot of reputation because of this, his cultivation level successfully broke through the third level of Qi Refining, and he was also selected as a filial and incorruptible official. During this period, relying on his foresight and status as a child of an aristocratic family, he successfully recruited a group of brave generals of humble origins, as well as the ruthless scholar Jia Xu by his side, and initially built his own team. However, every time Tian Ze saw the small dot representing Jia Xu turning red and yellow, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Civil officials are much more difficult to deal with than military generals, especially in today's peaceful world. Many military generals came from poor backgrounds, and it was not difficult to recruit them. Basically, they would join you as long as you provided them with food and lodging and promised them official positions, for example, Ma Teng, who made a living by chopping wood, and Guan Yu, who made a living by selling beans. Tian Ze easily recruited seven powerful generals: Guan Yu, Ma Teng, Gao Shun, Yu Jin, Le Jin, Dian Wei and Han Dang. But none of the civil officials were from grassroots backgrounds, and the worst were from poor families. You know, poor families are not ordinary people, and their ancestors were all rich. Tian Ze visited many people and only invited Jia Xu, who was in front of him, and he "invited" him because of his life-saving grace. If I hadn't been keeping a close eye on him, this poisonous man would have probably found an opportunity to escape halfway. "Wenhe, what do you think of this place?" Tian Ze suddenly asked, looking at Jia Xu who was silent. "It has a vast territory, convenient sea transportation, and no worries about foreign invasion. It is indeed a good place to defend." Jia Xu replied calmly. However, he kept shaking his head in his heart. I thought that the person who could control these elite soldiers and generals should at least be a person of outstanding talents, but I didn't expect that he was actually a fool. Although this kind of island is quite large, how much arable land is there? The food produced is probably not enough to feed the people on the ship, let alone development. If they happen to encounter bad weather such as wind, waves, thunder and rain, it won't be long before this group of people have to go back to Wen County. It seems that I have to find a way to escape from here as soon as possible. "Wenhe didn't say everything." Tian Ze looked at the deep and introverted Jia Xu and smiled slightly, as if he had guessed his thoughts. “Although this island is vast, the land is barren and the resources are scarce. It is not a place to start a business.” "However, what if the island has thousands of acres of fertile land and tens of thousands of households within a year?" Tian Ze said lightly, looking at the vast sea. Jia Xu pursed his lips slightly, with a hint of strangeness in his eyes. I was afraid that I had met a lunatic. Where did my confidence come from? But he said, "Let's wait and see." (End of this chapter)
