Long Su stood at the precipice of the village, his heart thrummed with anticipation.
He closed his eyes, focusing on the task at hand.
The air around him crackled with energy, a sensation akin to the moments before a storm.
When he opened his eyes, a series of choices unfurled before him, each one presenting a different path forward.
[ Ding! The Circle of Faith had been initiated]
[ please choose a village , town , city to activate the Circle ]
power humming in the air around him.
With a deep breath, Long Su made his choice.
One of the villages would be sacrificed, its essence fueling the ritual that would bring forth a new era of protection and prosperity for him .
As the decision was made, a brilliant light enveloped the chosen village
its structures and inhabitants dissolving into a shimmering azure mist.
In the wake of this ethereal dissolution, a magnificent gateway took form, its towering archway composed of flowing, cerulean water that seemed to defy the very laws of nature.
Turning to Zhang Han, Long Su's voice rang with authority and conviction.
"Take the entire corps of our skeletal forces, both soldiers and militia, and defend the villages with all the might , the village is our first steps for us to rebuild the great Qin empire ."
Zhang Han, ever the dutiful commander, nodded in acquiescence. Yet a glimmer of concern flickered in his eyes.
"As you command, Your Highness," he replied, his tone respectful yet insistent.
"However, might I be permitted to bolster our defenses with a contingent of archers? Their ranged prowess would provide a significant tactical advantage."
Long Su considered Zhang Han's request, his gaze sweeping over the landscape before them.
As the lord of this domain, his primary duty was to ensure the survival and prosperity of his people.
And so, with a decisive nod, he granted Zhang Han's request.
"Indeed, the archers' skill at range is indispensable in any defensive strategy."
"Take ten thousand of our most accomplished marksmen, and let their arrows serve as a bulwark against anyone who would threaten our villages."
Zhang Han, his brow furrowed in concentration, surveyed the village with a keen strategic eye.
His voice, resonant and commanding, rang out across the clearing, galvanizing the skeletal militia into action.
With a swiftness born of discipline, they dispersed, their ghostly forms soon encompassing the wooden perimeter of the village.
The ethereal ranks of the skeletal archers followed suit, their sinewy, spectral fingers gripping the bows that would serve as their bulwark against the encroaching darkness.
At the heart of the village, the skeletal soldiers, each a testament to Zhang Han's unwavering dedication, formed a protective barrier around the Transport Portal.
Their unwavering resolve was a bastion that would safeguard the gateway, ensuring that no harm would befall their passage to the new world.
With the defenses firmly established, Zhang Han made his way back to the portal, the weight of his responsibilities momentarily lifting from his shoulders.
As he stepped through the shimmering gateway, he found Long Su awaiting his return, an air of anticipation hanging between them.
"All is prepared, Your Highness," Zhang Han reported, his voice brimming with a sense of accomplishment.
"You may now enter the portal and behold the new world that awaits us."
As they began their journey towards the portal, Long Su turned to Zhang Han, a smile playing at the corners of his lips. " Zhang Han I neglected to mention something, that the new world is none other than our beloved Daqin. We are, at long last, going home."
Zhang Han halted in his tracks, the revelation washing over him like a sudden gust of wind.
For a moment, he was frozen in time, a thousand memories of his past life flooding his consciousness.
'Daqin,' he mused, the name a bittersweet reminder of all he had left behind.
'Never did I dare to dream that, even in after death, I would once again lay eyes upon its hallowed lands.'
With a newfound sense of purpose, Zhang Han stepped through the portal.
————
As the sun traced its arc across the sky, casting the landscape in the warm glow of mid-afternoon
Long Su remained within the confines of the newly established village, his thoughts drifting to the world beyond its borders.
His anticipation grew with each passing moment, a palpable energy coursing through him as he awaited Zhang Han's return.
At last, the scout appeared on the horizon, his form cloaked in the dust of the road.
As he drew nearer, Zhang Han's eyes shone with the thrill of discovery, his words tumbling forth with an urgency born of revelation.
"Your Highness, I have ascertained our location in this new world!"
Long Su's gaze intensified, a spark of curiosity igniting within him.
Zhang Han proceeded to divulge that their village now stood proudly atop the illustrious Yinshan Mountains, a prodigious east-west range that cleaved the realms of north and south.
To the south lay the Hetao Plain, its fertile soils nurtured by the life-giving waters of the Mother River.
Here, both crops and livestock would flourish, a testament to the bountiful blessings bestowed upon this verdant land.
In stark contrast, the northern reaches gave way to the vast, sprawling expanse of the grasslands, their endless horizons a testament to the untamed wilderness that awaited the intrepid traveler.
Stretching over 1,200 kilometers, the Yinshan Mountains soared to majestic heights
their peaks standing sentinel at an altitude of 1,500 to 2,000 meters.
The mountain range's crest towered at an awe-inspiring 2,000 to 2,400 meters above sea level, a testament to the raw power of the earth itself.
The Yinshan Mountains served as a formidable barrier, shielding the southern regions from the biting winds
abrasive sands, and frigid air that swept down from the north.
This natural divide fostered the emergence of two distinct civilizations: to the north, the grassland peoples, and to the south, the Hetao civilization.
Further east, the agrarian way of life flourished, while the Alxa Desert claimed dominion over the western expanse.
Over millennia, the strategic importance of the Yinshan Mountains had been etched into the annals of history, its terrain bearing witness to the construction of the most extensive network of Great Walls.
From the Qin Great Wall to the Zhao Great Wall, the Han Great Wall, the Wei Great Wall, the Sui Great Wall,
and finally the Ming Great Wall, these awe-inspiring fortifications snaked across the landscape, their combined length a staggering 10,000 miles.
Zhang Han's words painted a vivid portrait of their new surroundings.