Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

A few days later, Liu Ce was sitting idly in the backyard of the Liu residence.

Cai Yan was playing the zither under the locust tree, the music melodious and gentle, like the tinkling of a spring.

Zhang Ning and Ren Hongchang were practicing swordsmanship, their blades flashing. Zhen Jiang was handling business matters in her study, while the four Zhen sisters were embroidering and chatting happily in the nearby pavilion, creating a warm and cozy scene.

Liu Ce leaned back in his recliner, squinting his eyes, seemingly enjoying this rare moment of leisure, but in reality, his mind was "strolling" in the system space.

The system space is like a warehouse, with all sorts of things piled up in categories: on the left is the grain and seed area, with potatoes, sweet potatoes, and hybrid rice piled up like small mountains;

On the right is the medicine section, with antibiotics, antipyretics, and other medicines neatly arranged; in the middle is the weapons section, with swords, spears, and halberds gleaming coldly.

There's also a general merchandise section with glassware, Moutai liquor, Balenciaga...

As Liu Ce "strolled" around, he muttered to himself, "...Wait, did I forget something?"

He continued his "stroll," seeing the imposing three thousand Ironclad Cavalry and twenty Ferghana horses...

"Akhal-Teke horse!"

Liu Ce suddenly opened his eyes, slapped his thigh, and exclaimed, "Holy crap! I almost forgot about this treasure!"

Twenty Akhal-Teke horses! How long have they been gathering dust in the system space! In modern times, they would be national treasures; in the late Eastern Han Dynasty... they were hard currency that could be used to exchange for grain! I actually forgot about them for so long; it's a complete waste!

He quickly got up and said to Cai Yan, "Yan'er, I'm going out for a bit."

Cai Yan stopped playing the zither: "Where did my husband go?"

"At the drill ground, let's deliver some gifts," Liu Ce said with a mysterious smile.

As he spoke, he hurried toward the stable.

He found a secluded corner and silently ordered, "System, take out twenty Akhal-Teke horses and put them in the stable."

[Ding! Removed]

Twenty horses suddenly appeared in the stable—all tall, magnificent horses with glossy coats, strong muscles, and untamed eyes.

When the horses run, red sweat seeps out of their bodies, resembling blood, hence the name "blood-sweating horses".

The old stableman was so startled by the sudden appearance of the horse that he dropped the hay in his hands: "My lord... this horse..."

"They were fostered outside the city a long time ago, and were just brought back today."

Liu Ce said without changing his expression, "Go and summon the Eighteen Riders of Yanyun."

"Hey! Hey!" The old coachman scrambled away.

Before long, the Eighteen Riders of Yanyun arrived.

These eighteen men were still the same as before, dressed in black, their faces covered, their eyes as cold as ice. Standing there, they looked like eighteen killing gods.

"Let's go, get the horses on, and head to the training ground," Liu Ce ordered.

Yan Yi responded, and the eighteen people moved in unison, each leading a Ferghana horse, with Liu Ce leading two more horses himself.

Twenty fine horses... with smooth muscle lines, clearly the best horses ever chosen.

Especially those two crimson horses, their bodies as red as charcoal, without a single stray hair, looked like two burning flames in the sunlight.

Liu Ce mounted his horse—a black horse with snow-white hooves.

The eighteen riders of Yanyun also mounted their horses.

Nineteen men and twenty horses marched in a grand procession toward the drill ground.

This journey was quite extraordinary.

The people of Zhuoxian had never seen such a fine horse before. They gathered around to watch the spectacle, pointing and marveling at it.

"My goodness, that horse is so tall!"

"My goodness, these horses... they're absolutely magnificent!"

"Look at that red one, when it runs... is it bleeding?"

"That's an Akhal-Teke horse! A treasure from the Western Regions! One of them can be exchanged for a house!"

"Where did the Champion Marquis get so many?"

"Those horses... I've lived forty years and I've never seen such fine horses!"

As Liu Ce listened to the discussion, the corners of his mouth turned up.

This is exactly the effect I wanted.

...

On the training ground, a great deal of training was underway, with Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and others practicing their skills.

Since Liu Ce's "Training Manual" came along, the training methods have completely changed.

Previously, they practiced martial arts and formations; now they do push-ups, sit-ups, standing at attention, and drills... The soldiers complained bitterly, but the results were indeed good—their military appearance was neater, their discipline was enhanced, and even their morale was different.

Guan Yu was inspecting the military posture of a group of soldiers when he suddenly heard a commotion in the distance.

He looked up and saw Liu Ce leading a group of people on horseback, followed by... twenty tall horses.

That horse is clearly no ordinary breed!

"Big Brother is here!"

Zhang Fei, with his sharp eyes and loud voice, could be heard throughout the entire training ground.

The scene fell silent the moment Liu Ce and his group entered.

It wasn't because of him, it was because of the horses.

Twenty Akhal-Teke horses stood at the edge of the training ground, making all other warhorses pale in comparison.

The generals quickly went to meet them.

"Greetings, my lord!" the crowd bowed.

Liu Ce dismounted and waved his hand, saying, "No need for formalities. I just took a look, and your military bearing is quite good. The ranks are neat, and your spirits are high. It seems you haven't been slacking off and have been training diligently according to the manual."

Guan Yu clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "Brother's method of training troops is indeed ingenious. Although the soldiers were not used to it at first, after training for these days, their physical strength, endurance, and discipline have all improved."

Zhang Fei grinned and said, "It's just that push-ups are too tiring; I can't even do two hundred."

Lu Bu sneered, "That's because you're not good enough. I can make four hundred."

"You!" Zhang Fei glared.

"Alright, alright," Liu Ce said, trying to smooth things over.

"I'm here today to tell you something."

He turned to the side and pointed to the twenty Akhal-Teke horses behind him.

The way they looked at them... how should I put it, it was like a bachelor who had been single for decades suddenly seeing a goddess, their eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

Guan Yu stared at the two crimson steeds, his breathing quickening. Lü Bu was the same—the two had sharp eyes and could tell at a glance that those two were the best.

Zhang Fei took a fancy to a black horse with four snow-white hooves, which seemed to be riding on clouds.

Dian Wei, Gao Shun, Huang Zhong, Yu Jin, Zhang He, Yan Liang, Wen Chou... their eyes gleamed with greed, eager to pounce on him.

Looking at their behavior, Liu Ce chuckled to himself: "So these are supposed to be fierce generals? They act like they've seen a good horse just because they've seen a wife."

He deliberately cleared his throat, and only then did the group come to their senses.

Zhang Fei shouted in a loud voice, "Brother! Where did you get these horses?!"

Lü Bu also came closer, stroking his chin and examining the horse, saying, "What a fine horse! Truly a fine horse!"

Liu Ce deliberately looked around at everyone again and repeated his nonsense: "I just took a look, and your military bearing is good, and your formation is neat. This proves that you have not been slacking off and have been training properly according to the training manual."

Once again, everyone shouted in unison, "Our lord is wise!"

Deep down, I was thinking: Horse! Talk about horses! Stop with the nonsense!

Liu Ce deliberately tantalized the audience, saying, "This training manual is something I meticulously compiled, combining ancient and modern training methods..."

"Big brother!"

Zhang Fei couldn't help but exclaim, "Horse! Talk about a horse!"

Everyone was trying to suppress their laughter.

Liu Ce smiled and deliberately drew out his words: "These horses... are... are..."

He kept everyone in suspense, watching them scratch their heads in frustration, until he finally couldn't hold back any longer and burst into laughter, saying, "Look how impatient you all are! Alright, these horses are for you. Whoever is fastest gets them."