Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 123 - 118: Sir, The Times Have Changed Again!

Chapter 123: Chapter 118: Sir, The Times Have Changed Again!

The fog in his vision gradually dissipated, and Li Hongyun found himself back at the very beginning.

But this did not mean that he had failed, quite the contrary, he knew he had successfully entered the next stage.

Because in his field of view, there appeared two lines of prompts that he had never seen before.

[Special identity unlocked: Deng Yuanjing!]

[Special identity unlocked: Wang Zongchang!]

"Have I successfully activated the next stage?

"The identity of General Deng has been unlocked, and the identity of Staff Officer Wang has been unlocked too. These two must be important figures in the soldier storyline, it seems that after the military assets are in place, I’ll need to play their roles to wrap things up.

"However... it doesn’t feel like playing these two characters will necessarily reduce the difficulty of passing the instance.

"I should still try with the identity of a soldier first."

Although the identity of General Deng had been activated, Li Hongyun did not believe that playing as General Deng would definitely reduce the difficulty.

The reason was simple, he might not fight any better than the original General Deng...

General Deng was an all-rounder, on one hand his combat ability was formidable, be it horse riding, spearmanship, or archery, he could be considered top-notch in this era; on the other hand, his ability to lead and command troops was also among the best.

And Li Hongyun... was mediocre in both aspects.

The only thing he could brag about might be his archery under the boost of luck, but even then it might not be better than General Deng, who was famed for his "Three Arrows Set the Universe."

Given the circumstances, it would be better to let General Deng command while he himself acted as an ordinary soldier in battle, to maximize the overall combat effectiveness.

Moreover, choosing a special identity consumes identity points, and Li Hongyun had few remaining, so he had to be careful.

Having chosen the identity of a foot soldier and the talent skill of Throwing Mastery, Li Hongyun began the next stage of the trial once again.

...

"Boom!"

"Boom! Boom!"

The rumbling sound of the war drums rang out, and Li Hongyun found himself once again back on the battlefield at Puning Port.

Only this time, unlike before, the Sheng Army’s weapons and equipment were completely renewed!

The soldiers were holding old-style weapons including waist swords, long spears, large shields, rattan shields, bows and arrows, etc., which were largely similar to before, but one could clearly see that they had been updated. They looked newer, sturdier, and even had some changes in design.

For example, the waist swords, although at first glance did not seem much different, upon closer inspection, one could see that the curvature of the blade had changed slightly from before.

This surely was the new-style waist sword improved by General Deng based on his experience fighting with barbarian swords.

The armor worn by these soldiers had also significantly improved compared to before. Not only did the protective areas become more extensive, but everyone also wore it neatly without any disarray.

Not only that, there were many new kinds of weapons in the military formation.

For example, many soldiers were now equipped with javelins similar to those of Li Hongyun, as well as Wolf Whisker made from bamboo, and weapons resembling tridents or pitchforks called Tǎngpa and so on.

The soldiers holding different weapons formed into ranks. Although the weapons they held looked rather odd, their positioning was clearly well organized, and they exuded a high fighting spirit and were disciplined.

Li Hongyun standing among the new army formations could distinctly feel the difference compared to before!

As the instance progressed, it was evident that the Sheng Army’s combat capability was continuously improving.

During the first battle under General Deng’s command, he had led garrison soldiers, poorly trained and equipped which amounted to real pig-headed allies, completely unreliable.

Outnumbering the enemy threefold, yet they were chased and attacked by the bandits. Had it not been for General Deng’s desperate effort, that battle would likely have already ended in retreat.

At the beginning of the siege of Puning Port, the soldiers’ combat strength improved noticeably, but whether it was their fighting spirit or equipment, they still couldn’t contend with the hardened bandits.

But now, whether it was fighting spirit, training level, equipment, or numbers, the Sheng Army had an overall advantage!

Even Li Hongyun felt that in this battle, even if he were to slack off secretly, they should still be able to win.

Just then, a soldier hurried in to report, "Report! General Deng, a force of over ten thousand bandits has suddenly headed towards Nanhe City!"

Upon hearing this, the generals’ faces changed dramatically.

One general hastily said, "General Deng! There are only three thousand old, weak, and disabled soldiers in Nanhe City. Even if we count all the civilians in the city as well, they are no match for the bandits. Once Nanhe City falls, these bandits will likely take advantage of our attack on Puning Port to strike us from both sides!

"Perhaps we should immediately go to help Nanhe City, and we can make plans for Puning Port afterward."

Another general shook his head, "What if this is exactly the bandits’ ploy to lure us in? At this moment, sending aid not only has a high chance of walking into an ambush, but the bandits at Puning Port can also continuously receive supplies from the sea.

"Once we miss this opportunity, if the enemy reinforcements arrive, Puning Port will only become even harder to conquer!"

The previously mentioned General said, "But Nanhe City must not be lost, we cannot take this risk!"

General Deng Yuanjing didn’t make a decision immediately but considered for a moment before speaking, "With Advisor Wang in Nanhe City, there should be no worries for the time being. Now is our best chance to take down Puning Port, once lost, who knows how long we’ll have to wait for the next.

"This victory will completely pacify the southeastern rebels!

"Lord Governor has already ordered, we must complete this battle in one fell swoop!

"Attack!"

Following General Deng’s command, the Sheng Army began to launch another assault on Puning Port!

Li Hongyun was also in the military formation, advancing forward under the cover of the shield bearers.

This scene was somewhat similar to the first attack on Puning Port, but it was clearly more methodical this time, and the soldiers were better informed.

"Hit!"

The javelin left his hand, and Li Hongyun had already anticipated its trajectory.

Sure enough, the javelin accurately struck an enemy on the watchtower, pinning him to the wall!

Li Hongyun had already gone through many attacks on Puning Port, and after repeated simulations, he was more than familiar with the terrain before Puning Port.

To say he knew the ground like the back of his hand, where every pit and stone lay, would be no exaggeration.

The other soldiers also retaliated against the enemy on the watchtower with bows and arrows, under the protection of their shields.

The initial advance went smoothly, but Li Hongyun didn’t dare to be careless, knowing that more severe challenges were soon to come.

Indeed, as the Sheng Army approached the gate of the stockade, the enemy who was previously suppressed by arrows temporarily hid behind the barrier of the watchtower.

But then, they sticks their heads out, each holding a musket!

The dark muzzles of the guns were aimed at the soldiers of the Sheng Army below!

Li Hongyun hurriedly raised his rattan shield in defense.

He had already suffered a lot from these enemy muskets before, dying several times in inexplicable ways, but now, with a complete update of the equipment, the new rattan shields had significantly improved defense and should be quite effective against musket bullets.

But soon, Li Hongyun realized he had been overly concerned.

Because as the enemy raised their muskets, a few long-shield soldiers in the Sheng Army immediately spread to both sides.

And in the space they cleared, there were several brand-new cannons!

Coehorn mortars!

These cannons were like crouching tigers on the ground, with several iron hoops on the barrel, a new type of cannon improved by General Deng from the chained shot, lighter and more portable than ordinary cannons, and much more powerful than muskets.

"Fire the cannons!"

Upon General Deng’s order, the gaping cannon muzzles fired spherical cannonballs, hitting the watchtower squarely!

With a "boom," wood chips flew everywhere!

The enemies had just peeked out, thinking to raise their muskets to shoot, but they didn’t expect several cannonballs to come at them like a dimensional strike, blasting the watchtower to bits.

Not only that, but many soldiers in the Sheng Army also took up muskets and bird guns to shoot the rebels on the watchtower.

Firepower suppression, the situation reversed in an instant!

"Kill the rebels!"

With another command from General Deng, the Sheng Army launched a fierce attack on the gate of the stockade!

Li Hongyun, who was holding a rattan shield ready to defend in the military formation, was dumbfounded.

At this moment, standing still, he felt a little foolish.

Was this the legendary firepower suppression?

Lord, the times have changed again!

When Li Hongyun was previously being shot at by the enemy muskets, feeling helpless and unfairly treated,

Now, as the rebels were disoriented by the Sheng Army’s Coehorn mortars, his feeling was...

Damn pleasurable!

Soon, the wooden gate was breached by the Sheng Army, and Li Hongyun followed General Deng, charging in!