"Kill them all. Leave none alive!"
Dian Wei and Zhan Zhao let out ferocious roars.
Every strike they delivered claimed another bandit's life.
Liu Hao stood calmly with sword in hand, carefully observing the situation on the battlefield.
Dian Wei was already fighting with bloodshot eyes. Cao Zhengchun's martial arts were beyond question—he killed as easily as cutting grass. Zhan Zhao's combat strength was also extraordinary.
However, Liu Hao quickly noticed a flaw.
The young men recently recruited from the refugees lacked discipline compared to the manor's household soldiers.
They were honest farmers. Suddenly forcing them to kill without hesitation was clearly difficult.
Fortunately, Cao Zhengchun, the manor's steward, possessed methods for training elite retainers. With a few months of training under him, these men would surely transform completely.
"Zhan Zhao's martial skill is excellent. He's best suited as the commander of my personal guards," Liu Hao thought silently.
At that moment, Zhan Zhao leapt into the air with sword in hand.
With a swift movement, he sprang upward and thrust his blade forward, killing the bandit leader directly on horseback.
Dawn began to break faintly along the horizon.
The sounds of slaughter and screams finally faded.
The bandits who had attacked during the night were completely exterminated. Liu Hao's men also captured more than a dozen horses.
Servants throughout the manor had long since awakened. Lamps were lit one after another, illuminating the courtyard brightly.
Corpses lay scattered everywhere.
"Not bad. Is that Tongbi hidden force you're using?"
Cao Zhengchun narrowed his eyes slightly as he spoke.
Zhan Zhao's tiger-like eyes flashed with admiration. He cupped his fists and said respectfully,
"So Steward Cao is truly a hidden master. Zhan Zhao is impressed."
He had studied martial arts under a mysterious master and learned the powerful Tongbi technique and exquisite swordsmanship at a young age. He had always considered himself a rare martial genius.
Yet tonight, Liu Hao had displayed remarkable authority and calm command.
And Cao Zhengchun, the lord's most loyal retainer, revealed ruthless and terrifying skill.
Cao Zhengchun chuckled.
"Good that you understand, boy. Protect the lord well. In the future you'll enjoy endless wealth and honor, and your entire family will benefit from the lord's grace."
This was the proper way to command subordinates—both kindness and authority.
Zhan Zhao nodded firmly.
"My lord has shown me boundless kindness. Zhan Zhao will never allow anyone to harm even a single hair on his head."
System Notification:
Congratulations. Hidden threat eliminated.
Reward: One temporary divine medicine that grants lightness skill.
Liu Hao immediately noticed a small bottle appearing in the storage space within his mind.
The label read:
After use, the host will gain peak-level Lingbo Step movement technique for fifteen minutes.
"Lingbo Step?"
Liu Hao's eyes lit up.
"Impressive. Though the duration is only fifteen minutes, it's still an excellent life-saving trump card."
With Lingbo Step activated, he could move freely even within an army of thousands.
Liu Hao quickly gathered his thoughts.
The manor remained brightly lit as everyone busied themselves searching the grounds. Only when dawn fully arrived and the entire estate had been thoroughly checked did Cao Zhengchun finally relax.
"My lord, a total of one hundred and seventeen bandits attacked tonight. None of our people were killed. Thirteen were injured. We also seized many weapons and horses."
Old Zhan had finished counting the bodies, pride shining in his eyes.
Among those bandits, the strongest leader had been personally chased down and slain by Zhan Zhao with a single sword strike.
Zhan Zhao had only recently pledged his loyalty, yet he had already performed a great service for his lord.
"Good. As long as no one died."
Liu Hao frowned slightly, though relief filled his heart.
If not for Dian Wei, Cao Zhengchun, and Zhan Zhao guarding the inner manor, tonight could have turned disastrous.
Clearly, he needed to recruit more household soldiers.
These attackers were ruthless bandits who feared nothing. If Liu Manor had been unprepared, both the refugees and the manor's residents would have been slaughtered.
After a moment of thought, Liu Hao's eyes flashed with calculation. He sneered coldly.
"Cao Bo, find over a hundred yellow headbands. Tie them onto the heads of these corpses. Send them to the magistrate's office along with the heads we previously collected."
He had been worrying about how to obtain an official position.
Now an opportunity had appeared at the perfect time.
Since these people dared attack Liu Manor, Liu Hao had no reason to treat them as human.
Even after death, they would still provide value.
By labeling them as Yellow Turban rebels, the government would pay a generous bounty.
More importantly, with over a hundred enemy heads, Liu Hao could claim the reputation of defending the country by killing rebels.
With such merit—and his own background—obtaining an official position would be easy.
"It seems I'll have to make another trip to Luoyang."
Liu Hao had already formed a plan.
To obtain an official post, he needed to start from the center of power—Luoyang.
He had not forgotten that in Luoyang he still had a highly respected teacher.
That man was Cai Yong.
Cai Yong, the father of Cai Wenji, was one of the few great scholars of the era.
At first glance his name might not seem so powerful.
But the Three Kingdoms era was ruled by powerful aristocratic families.
Even the tyrannical warlord Dong Zhuo, after entering the capital, never dared harm Cai Yong. Instead he granted him high office to win over the scholars.
If Dong Zhuo had harmed Cai Yong, he would have made enemies of all scholars under heaven. His strategist Li Ru would never have allowed such a disaster.
After transmigrating to this world, Liu Hao had discovered that some details differed from recorded history.
In actual history, Cai Yong had been impeached and exiled.
But in this world, he had resigned from office and lived quietly in Luoyang.
Before Liu Hao's transmigration, the original Liu Hao had studied in Luoyang under Cai Yong.
With such a powerful connection—
How could Liu Hao possibly not rely on it?