Three Kingdoms: Domination of the World

The second year of Xiping (Guichou) was 173 AD.

In the spring, during the first month of the year, a great plague broke out. Countless people in every province and county fell ill with the disease, and many died from it.

In June, an earthquake struck Bohai. Emperor Ling of Han ordered Minister of Works Yang Ci to handle disaster relief efforts. He failed to perform effectively, leaving civilians homeless, and was dismissed. Minister of Rites Tang Zhen took over as Minister of Works.

In the twelfth month of winter, the Xianbei invaded You and annexed two prefectures. They looted countless grain and money, which angered Emperor Ling of Han. He dismissed Grand Marshal Duan Xing and replaced him with Grand Minister of Rites Donghai Chen Dan.

It's an unlucky year and everything goes wrong.

In the last years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, with imperial relatives and eunuchs monopolizing power at home and nomadic tribes invading the borders, the Eastern Han Dynasty was like an old man in his twilight years, seemingly unable to recover from its past.

Flowers bloom and fade, the stars shift and the constellations turn. The long river of history surges and flows endlessly. Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, was the helmsman of this great ship of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Above the main hall stood a rather majestic man. He was eight feet tall, with a dark face and short beard, and was wearing a red and black imperial crown.

"Plague! Natural disasters! Enemy attacks! So many troubles! I don't have a single day of peace." Emperor Ling of Han stared at the ministers below in frustration and said angrily.

The Eastern Han Dynasty was in turmoil. The corrupt imperial court failed to provide timely disaster relief and address the people's livelihoods, leading to countless deaths from disease and starvation. During the famine, people were often forced to eat their own children. Rebellions of all sizes erupted across the country in a desperate attempt to survive, and countless bandits and thieves rose up to become kings of the mountains.

Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Dynasties that fail to care for their people are like sand castles battered by waves, unable to escape the curse of historical cycles. A 300-year cycle is the period from capital enrichment to collapse.

Liu Hong turned to look at Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong on both sides and gestured.

"Empress Zhang is my father, and Chamberlain Zhao is my mother."

"My Lords, the rest of the matter is now in the hands of my father! Dismiss the court!"

Emperor Ling of Han once wanted to be a good emperor, but he found it too tiring and not something a human being could do. He was tired of the hard times he had lived through, and without money, he felt insecure. He thought working hard to make money was the right path.

"The late emperor was so poor! He lived such a miserable life and left behind such a mess." Liu Hong walked towards Nangong, muttering to himself.

Emperor Huan of Han lived a remarkable life, and was hailed as the ruler who slew the tiger and broke the deadlock during the Han Dynasty's revival. However, after the first Party Persecution, his reputation plummeted.

Natural disasters, man-made calamities, and external enemies—these are the great tests that every turbulent dynasty must endure. Without honest officials and a resolute ruler, it's easy for the people to be displaced and for the world to be in chaos.

"Heaven's ways are constant; they do not exist with the help of Yao or perish with the help of Jie. If we respond to them with order, good will come; if we respond to them with disorder, disaster will come."

Those capable kings or leaders are good at assessing the situation and formulating various matching measures to reverse various unfavorable situations.

Encourage agriculture and sericulture to enrich the country and strengthen the military. Rest and recuperate, increase revenue and reduce expenditure. Li Er, Emperor Wen of Han, and Emperor Yongzheng should be models of governance.

Emperor Ling of Han is now lying down. Being an emperor is his side job, and making money is his top priority.

The struggle between the imperial relatives and the eunuchs had raged for generations. Just as one side subsided, the other flared up. Everyone has their own selfish motives, and where there are people, there are cliques. Liu Hong realized that he couldn't change the situation, so he decided to balance the power of both sides.

Liu Hong finally managed to take power, and he was only 17 years old this year. He didn't want to bother trying to change the situation, and just let things take their course.

"Anyway, today's situation was not caused by him overnight. It's better to just lie down and take it easy. As long as there is no chaos in the world, no one can cheat me out of my money." Liu Hong felt more confident.

The eunuchs' power has been growing rapidly lately, and Wang Fu is quite active! However, with Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong as his trusted advisors, Emperor Ling of Han felt at ease. Liu Hong returned to his bedroom, thinking about many things.

At the beginning of this year, relevant officials reported that Hou Lan monopolized power and was arrogant and extravagant. After Liu Hong learned about it, he ordered the confiscation of his seal and ribbon. Hou Lan committed suicide, and those who flattered him were all dismissed from their official posts.

"The Han Dynasty has suffered from the misfortunes of foreign relatives too many times! Let the eunuch group and the foreign relatives continue to fight. It will not be good for either side to take the lead!" Liu Hong said meaningfully.

Being a good emperor is a tough job! Emperor Ling of Han wanted to change this situation. After he came to power, he rarely attended court unless it was a major event. Everything was focused on making small money and achieving great things.

Three days later, in the same place and with the same people, Liu Hong was called to court again!

"My dear ministers, what do you want to report today?!" Liu Hong asked impatiently.

"Your Majesty! The country cannot be without a crown prince! I hope Your Majesty will give birth to a prince as soon as possible to bring peace to the world." Taiwei Chen Dan said earnestly.

Liu Hong had yet to father a son, and the palace was plagued by constant unrest. It wasn't that Liu Hong was incompetent, but rather that his sons kept dying young. He briefly suspected Empress Song was a ruthless figure like Deng Mengnu and Liang Nvying. However, the fact that Empress Song's sons also died young fueled Emperor Ling's fascination with supernatural theories.

The crown prince is the foundation of a nation, and these old foxes wanted to take sides quickly. Many even offered beautiful daughters of the imperial clan as options for Emperor Ling's harem expansion. However, Emperor Ling felt that women would only hinder his ability to make money. Currently, there were only seven concubines in the palace, including Empress Song, Concubine He, and Concubine Wang.

"Alas! I need to chat more about romantic matters with Lady He! These ministers are too annoying, nagging me every other day."

As for Empress Song, Liu Hong had no good feelings for her. She often advised him to be a good emperor, saying that such a woman was too nagging. Looking at the ministers who were discussing it in the audience, Liu Hong reluctantly promised.

"I have made my decision! I will withdraw from the court!!!"

The downfall of dynasties is always accompanied by both natural and man-made disasters. The Eastern Han court failed to effectively control famine and epidemics, which spread rampantly across the country, leaving the people devastated and displaced.

Sozhuang!

The villagers here who were still able to breathe had already fled, while those who were seriously ill could only wait to die at home.

This is a desolate little village in Wu County. There's no sound of roosters crowing or dogs barking, no smoke curling from cooking fires, but there are quite a few crows perched on the branches of withered trees. Their cries are desolate and desolate!

A sickly three-year-old boy lay on the dry grass, trying to open his eyes, but he couldn't. He was too weak, like a candle in the wind...

His parents died of starvation and illness one after another. The child was also entering his final moments. He struggled, trying to open his eyes. After many attempts, he finally succeeded.

Suo Chao looked around with great effort, as if he was using all his strength to push a heavy door.

"God have mercy on me, what on earth happened? Wasn't I at home playing games on the weekend?"

"What kind of place is this? It's so strange and desolate!"

"WC, this isn't my rental house, it's a thatched cottage that's even worse than the home of the great poet Du Fu! I've traveled through time!"

If nothing unexpected happened, he would have died after traveling through time. Right now, he was all alone, and his body was extremely weak. There was really no place to express this sadness!

"Don't all time travelers have systems? Where's my golden finger? System? Master System! Are you there? Are you there?"

Suo Chao silently cried out in his heart, but there was no response. The host before the time travel was also called Suo Chao.

After graduating from university, he worked as a bricklayer in the city. His daily routine was monotonous and repetitive, with overtime being the norm. He went back and forth between the office and his rental apartment. He fell in love online and was terribly scammed. His family gave him a 38.8 yuan betrothal gift, but he discovered the woman's innocence and ultimately lost everything. He was speechless and then lay down. Not buying an RV or getting married, a life of seclusion seemed pretty good.

"Alas, in this materialistic society, it's too easy for some people to break the law. Boys should protect themselves too!"

"Of course, girls have to protect themselves too. Many young women who are inexperienced in the world are also deceived and gradually become evil. In later generations, strong women will turn evil into Wu Zetian, Deng Mengnu, Liang Nuying..."

Suo Chao has always been a bit of a homebody. His sleep schedule isn't very regular, and he loves playing card games, like the Three Kingdoms games produced by Xiaorizi. Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Dynasty Warriors, and the like.

Over the years, I've been plagued by all sorts of dreadful ailments. Myopia, a herniated disc, insomnia, baldness, and stomach aches. A reminder to everyone: Eat right, balance work and rest. Exercise more and sit less. Working overtime and staying up late isn't something you can do, but you can manage your gaming time.

Suo Chao had never thought that sudden death from playing games would happen to him. Even more unfortunately, he was still in a near-death state after traveling through time.

"Alas, is this really my fate? Is this the end?"

Good fortune never comes alone, nor does misfortune. Hunger and disease plagued Suo Chao's vision grew increasingly blurry, and he unconsciously closed his eyes.

[Ding! The host is about to die, triggering the "Three Kingdoms Domination System."]

[Reward the host with one month of life and temporarily remove all negative states of the host's body (except hunger).]

[Host, please work hard to move bricks and complete the tasks released by the system later, which can extend the host's life. ]

[If the task cannot be completed on time, the host will activate anti-virus mode and directly kill the host. ]

A series of crisp electronic prompt sounds rang out in Suo Chao's mind.

"Oh, this system can only be triggered when you're on the verge of death! It turns out all the struggles before were a waste of emotion!"

"Tongzi, what abilities do you have?"

[I have many abilities! I can bring peace to the world with my pen, and I can make a difference with my martial arts.]

"Why is this?"

[Completing system tasks can improve the host's various attributes in all aspects. Such as improving physical fitness, command, force, speed, intelligence, politics, etc.]

[At the same time, you can also extract various skills and props in the later stage. The host will be given 3 ordinary treasure maps for free every day.]

【Military General: Suo Chao

Lifespan: 30 days (countdown in progress)

Physical strength: 3/100

Command: 0/100

Force: 0/100

Speed: 0.01/100

Politics: 1/100

Intelligence: 1/100

Martial skills: none

Unparalleled skills: None

Talent skills: None

Other skills: None

Props: none

Power: none

Military Merit: 0

Reputation: 0

"Wow, this Three Kingdoms world is kind of magical! It has both talents and unparalleled skills."

But since time travel has already happened, being unparalleled is normal. As for how fantastical the story will be, and whether one can cultivate immortality, we still don't know. I'll have to explore this world and see what's different. It seems that the deeds of Nanhua Laoxian, Zuo Ci, Yu Ji, and Zhang Jue in the Three Kingdoms are all quite mysterious!

[Warm Tips: The host's various skills and exclusive items can only be obtained through treasure hunting.]

[The host can dig into the 5,000-year history of China to help the host conquer this world.]

[The system distributes three treasure maps every day. If there are more, they will be automatically invalidated. Please carefully review the questions and don't miss the treasure hunting time. Use them and cherish them.]"

"Oh my god! This is such a bummer, I'm so weak. In this day and age where having a car is considered a luxury, who can reach three different treasure hiding places in one day?

"Alas, useless, really useless! But it's better than nothing. Dog system, is it there?"

[Serious warning: Due to the host's insult to this lovely person, my lifespan has been reduced by 15 days. If you do it again, your lifespan will be reduced by half.]

【15 days left to live!!!】

[Host has 15 days left to plan the rest of your life. Please cherish your life and make the most of every minute of it.]

[Ding, main quest released: Host, please join a faction within your limited lifespan.]

【——Reward: one month of lifespan.】

[Reward Talent Skill: Medical Master (Observation, Listening, Questioning, and Palpation skills have reached the perfect master level)]

"Oh my, this is such a rip-off! Not only is my lifespan limited, but there are also all sorts of punishment mechanisms."

"This Lao Liu system is well versed in Pinxixi's bargaining tactics!"