Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

That morning.

Liu Ce was lounging around in the prefect's mansion, munching on sunflower seeds while crossing his legs. Ever since he rolled his eyes at Old Zhao and gave him a warning, Liu Ce had been living a really comfortable life.

Liu Ce was still pondering to himself.

"According to the historical script, Zhang Jiao should be causing trouble by now..."

Suddenly, they heard a series of clattering footsteps outside the courtyard. Looking up, they saw Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and four others rushing in, their armor not even fully on.

Zhang Fei's loud voice shook the roof beams so much that dust fell from them.

"Brother! Amazing! You were absolutely right! Those stinking Taoist priests from the Way of Peace have rebelled!"

Liu Ce didn't even shake the melon seeds in his hand as he spoke slowly.

"Look how panicked you all are. The sky isn't falling down. And you, third brother, how many times have I told you to use your job title when you're at work?"

"And don't be so loud next time, I'm not deaf."

Zhang Fei muttered to himself.

"You're not working either, you're just eating sunflower seeds..."

Guan Yu took a deep breath, his phoenix eyes narrowed into slits, and spoke.

"Zhang Jiao, a leader from Julu in Ji Province, led a rebellion, wearing yellow turbans and proclaiming, 'The Blue Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise!' Eight provinces responded, and war broke out everywhere!"

"The scouts report that the county town, which is more than 300 li away from Zhuojun, has been captured by the Yellow Turban Army, and refugees from other nearby counties that have also been captured are flocking to Zhuojun," Zhao Yun added.

Liu Ce felt a weight lifted from his heart; the wheels of history had indeed not gone astray!

He merely smiled slightly and picked up his teacup, blowing on it.

"I told you long ago that Zhang Jiao's talisman-infused healing was a ruse. See? Do you believe me now?"

He thought to himself that the Yellow Turban Rebellion had sounded the death knell for the Eastern Han Dynasty, which was not far from becoming a mere shell of its former self, and what followed would be a scenario of warlordism.

"Zhijie, go and summon all those old foxes—the Prefectural Assistant, the Commandant, and the Chief Clerk—for an emergency meeting!"

Before long, the main hall of the prefect's residence was packed with people.

Prefectural Assistant Zhao, Commandant Wang, and Chief Clerk Zhou stood with their heads down, seemingly lost in thought. Generals such as Guan Yu and Qin Qiong stood with their hands on their swords, their eyes gleaming.

……

The prefectural magistrate, Old Zhao, asked tremblingly, "Prefect, the Yellow Turban rebels number in the hundreds of thousands. Could our Zhuojun be in danger...?"

"Will it be trampled flat?"

Liu Ce interrupted him, slamming his hand on the table.

"Listen up, everyone! The Yellow Turban Army looks intimidating, but they're actually a rabble. A bunch of poor, starving peasants carrying hoes are much easier to deal with than those wielding knives!"

……

"Gentlemen, the Taiping Dao has rebelled, and eight states are in turmoil."

Liu Ce walked to the map and ran his finger over the area that had been stained yellow.

"But our Zhuojun must be a united front! Listen carefully to the following orders."

"Strengthen sentry posts at all four gates, strictly check all entry and exit points, but do not close the city gates!"

Liu Ce glared at Old Zhao, who was about to suggest going into seclusion.

"We should take in as many displaced people as possible, incorporate able-bodied men into auxiliary troops, and arrange for the elderly, women, and children to be housed in makeshift shelters in the open space west of the city for porridge distribution. We need people, but we also need people's hearts!"

Liu Ce thought to himself that this was a way to gather refugees from all over the world; in chaotic times, accumulating population was like accumulating capital.

"Open half of the official granaries to serve as military rations, and the rest..."

Liu Ce suddenly lowered his voice and gave a knowing smile.

"My Liu family has accumulated considerable wealth through virtuous deeds since our ancestors, and we are contributing five million coins as additional military pay and compensation!"

"Ahem, everyone, aren't you going to do something?"

Liu Ce looked at Lao Zhao, Lao Wang, Lao Zhou and others and coughed.

The forced smiles they gave were more like cries.

(Several people: You're so high and mighty.)

"This humble official will go out..."

Old Zhao, Old Wang, Old Zhou, and their families raised a total of ten million yuan.

Liu Ce nodded in satisfaction, a smile spreading across his face.

"Good! I thank you all for your generosity on behalf of the entire army!"

……

"Once the refugees enter the city, send people to teahouses and markets to repeatedly preach that the Taiping Dao were good people when they healed the sick and saved lives, but now they are bandits who are rebelling and plundering the people! Our Zhuojun only protects its law-abiding citizens!"

After Liu Ce finished speaking, the entire room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

He looked around at everyone, and finally gently tapped the table.

"In short, the more chaotic things are outside, the more stable Zhuojun must be! Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir!"

……

After the meeting.

The main hall of the prefect's mansion finally quieted down.

Liu Ce sat alone in the main seat, rubbing his temples, his mind racing with calculations.

The battle hasn't even started yet, and the money has already been spent like water.

The war and the support of soldiers is a bottomless pit.

He recalled the information he had read: to raise a soldier who could fight, one needed a dozen or more farmers, and that was for ordinary soldiers; it wasn't enough to just provide food.

For an ordinary soldier, every aspect of his salary, food, clothing, and weapons costs money.

If it's cavalry, it's even more remarkable; maintaining one heavy cavalryman requires two to three hundred farmers.

A warhorse eats better than several strong men, with daily high-quality feed... It's truly an ancient "luxury sports car," and the maintenance costs alone can bankrupt a moderately well-off family.

This is just the cost of peacetime garrison duty. If they were to be deployed to fight a real war, the expenses for feeding the people and horses, the wear and tear on equipment, and the compensation for the wounded...

Liu Ceguang thought about it and realized that his own savings weren't so secure after all.

Thinking of this, he suddenly…

No wonder Cao Cao used to frequently employ "tomb raiders" to "borrow" the burial goods of former dynasty kings and nobles to fund his army. (Cao Cao: I figured they hadn't said anything, so I assumed they agreed.)

I used to think it was a smear campaign against him, but now I think that if he were really driven to the brink by money, he might have to resort to any means necessary.

"Phew... Luckily, I only took out eight hundred Xuanjia soldiers (heavy cavalry) at first. If I had taken them all out at once, it would have been a real problem. Thank goodness I have this super cheat code, the system!"

Liu Ce breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much more at ease.

However, he also knew that he couldn't just sit around and do nothing, and relying on the system all the time wasn't a long-term solution either, as it would easily arouse suspicion. He needed his own "money-printing machine."

He figured that once the Yellow Turban Rebellion was quelled and the situation stabilized a bit, he had to make money immediately! He had to get the two highly profitable industries of brewing and salt production up and running as soon as possible.

This is absolutely a unique business with a huge market and amazing profits. It will definitely make a fortune off those powerful families.

"Yes, that's what we'll do! First, we'll quell the Yellow Turban Rebellion and establish a foothold, then we'll quietly make a fortune!"

a few days later.

As darkness fell completely, Cheng Yuanzhi led his 100,000 Yellow Turban soldiers to set up camp thirty miles outside Zhuojun City. Campfires burned everywhere, and noise rose and fell.

Inside the central command tent, the lights were bright, and the aroma of wine and meat mingled with boisterous laughter and curses.

Cheng Yuanzhi, with his chest open, held a juicy lamb leg in one hand and a wine bowl in the other, drinking with several trusted generals until their faces were flushed.

Deputy General Deng Mao sat next to him. Although he was also drinking, his brows were slightly furrowed, and he seemed to be preoccupied.

After a few bowls of wine, Deng Mao finally couldn't hold back any longer. He leaned closer to Cheng Yuanzhi and asked in a low voice.

"Big brother!"

Deputy General Deng Mao came over, filled his bowl with wine, and lowered his voice, "Brother, there's something I can't figure out."

Cheng Yuanzhi glanced at him sideways: "Spit it out!"