Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 144 - 139: Surprise Troops

Chapter 144: Chapter 139: Surprise Troops

The white fog gradually cleared, and the entire historic slice continued to move forward.

Floating in the air, the confident demon looked toward Puning Port and Nanhe City.

This historic slice was nearing its end, and the battle at Puning Port would determine the final outcome.

The demon was very confident.

Because it knew, after tampering with the Emperor, the direction of the entire historic slice was almost certain to be reversed. The Emperor’s change of heart meant that Lin Xiangmin would definitely not get the military resources he desired!

And without military resources, it meant the campaign against rebels could only drag on.

However, as the white fog dissipated and the army beneath Puning Port came into the demon’s view, it was stunned.

The swirling black aura in the sky seemed to freeze for a moment, becoming rigid.

Because it saw that the Sheng Army preparing to attack Puning Port was now completely re-equipped!

Brand-new rattan shields, Wolf Whiskers, and various new types of firearms had all been issued to every soldier.

This was a new army meticulously trained by General Deng, and its formidable combat strength was apparent at first glance!

The demon became puzzled.

What happened to the lack of military resources?

It instantly realized that something had gone wrong, the Emperor had not been successfully tampered with by it!

The black smoke in the air roiled, as the demon entered a state of fury, but it also knew that there was not enough time to find out what exactly had happened to that Emperor. What was more important now was to figure out a way to make the rebels win this battle!

As long as the rebels could win, the direction of this historic slice would still be tampered with and distorted.

So, the black fog in the air quickly spread, with the demon’s power enveloping the rebels inside Puning Port and outside Nanhe City!

As a high-tier demon, it was fundamentally different from the previous "victorious only on closing the coffin" demon.

Besides being able to use a god’s-eye view to monitor the entire historic slice, it could also spread its demonic power directly, influencing all rebels within the slice.

Enhancing their combat strength, boosting their will to fight!

After failing to alter a key figure, this was the demon’s last ditch effort.

But it was precisely this last ditch effort that was the most dangerous!

Because the rebels were already strong, and now with the demon’s enhancement, they were not to be underestimated.

The black smoke in the sky rolled and boiled as if commanding all rebels to launch a frenzied attack on the Great Sheng Dynasty’s army!

...

Meanwhile, outside Puning Port, the player characters could also feel this change.

On a watchtower, a rain of arrows and bullets poured down from the rebels, injuring many of the Sheng Army soldiers.

Zhao Haiping frowned slightly and said in a low voice, "Strange, these rebels seem stronger? Their marksmanship and archery have become more accurate, and their will to fight also seems to have risen!"

Fan Cun, holding his rattan shield high, had two arrows stuck in him, but thanks to his armor, it was not a big problem.

"Forget it, let’s just charge in! We need to capture Puning Port quickly, we can’t afford to fail at Nanhe City!" Fan Cun’s thinking was straightforward, just one word—charge!

After receiving the golden combat talent, his intelligence seemed to be on a further downward trend.

Zhao Haiping shook his head: "This won’t work! Attacking the front gate head-on costs too much, look, General Deng is pondering too."

Still holding his rattan shield defensively, Fan Cun became somewhat irritable: "Then what do we do?"

Li Hongyun had a sudden flash of inspiration: "How about this, Fan Cun you continue leading men in a frontal assault, and Zhao Haiping and I, as a surprise force, will try to infiltrate Puning Port from other directions, how does that sound?"

After the rebels’ combat strength and will had both been substantially boosted, a frontal assault on the main gate had become an irrational act.

If they succeeded in entering Puning Port, then the Sheng Army could completely rely on the Wolf Whiskers and muskets to achieve an astonishing casualty ratio, sweeping through the rebels.

But before breaking through the gates of Puning Port, with rebels positioned high above and continuously shooting down with muskets and bows, and only a narrow path through the gate, a rash assault would inevitably lead to heavy losses.

Moreover, if the siege dragged on without success and morale was affected, things would only become more difficult.

That’s why Li Hongyun thought of the plan to infiltrate from another direction.

Zhao Haiping considered it for a moment: "Feasible! I’ll report this to General Deng right away!"

...

Meanwhile, in Nanhe City.

The marauding bandits outside the city loomed like dark clouds, inching ever closer.

Disguised as Wang Zongchang, Lu Heng stood atop the city walls, gazing at the bandits poised to lay siege.

He had already bound General Liu Ji to the city walls at the first opportunity, and had also unlocked the armory, gathering the remnants of his soldiers and the townspeople, having them don armor and man the walls.

According to the standard solutions from prior Trial Illusion experiences, this measure should buy them nearly an hour of time.

Seeing so many on the walls donned in Sheng Army armor would naturally instill fear in the bandits, deterring them from any rash assault.

For the defense of Nanhe City, time was life.

But, this time, the bandits were somewhat different.

They hesitated little, and in a mere quarter of an hour, had already begun their assault!

Lu Heng’s expression turned grave.

Blending in with the common folk, Xia Ruoling stood by Lu Heng’s side and said, "I’ll assassinate the enemy elite within the city to buy you time.

"But no matter what, you’ll be their prime target; you need to be careful. These bandits seem stronger than those in the regular Trial Illusion."

Lu Heng nodded. "Don’t worry, I have chosen the combat talent.

"Moreover, we have to believe in Zhao Haiping and Fan Cun."

Xia Ruoling nodded and quickly left the wall, melting into the city to lie in wait.

In the usual experience within the Trial Illusion, Wang Zongchang would stand firm atop the walls until death. Meanwhile, the bandits would scale the walls and attack the gates simultaneously.

It was only when the gates were breached, and the bandits entered the city to attack from both sides, that Wang Zongchang would ultimately fall in battle.

Thus, ambushing the bandits inside the city could considerably slow their advance.

For Lu Heng and Xia Ruoling, their task was simple: to hold out as long as possible, until reinforcements arrived!

...

Black smoke tumbled across the sky.

The tampering seemed ineffective, leaving the demon enraged, but that didn’t mean it stood without a chance.

As long as the bandits were strong enough, as long as the Sheng Army made enough mistakes in battle, victory could still belong to the demon.

Looking down from high above at Puning Port and Nanhe City, observing the Sheng Army’s struggle, the demon felt even more convinced of this.

But just then, it noticed two seemingly inconspicuous Deputy Generals actually leaving the main force of the Sheng Army and beginning the arduous climb up the steep slopes flanking Puning Port!

Puning Port, naturally fortified with mountains and waters, had a dangerous terrain, parted only by a narrow pass blocked by wooden fences.

While the sides of the mountains were not sheer cliffs, their steepness made it difficult for large forces to cross. However, for players like Li Hongyun and Zhao Haiping, this was not much of a challenge.

Due to their outstanding performance in the first phase, they were both now Deputy Generals.

Not only did they possess excellent physical capabilities, but they were also equipped with fine gear.

On Zhao Haiping, the equipment included a special circular rattan shield, a newly-improved saber from General Deng, a high-quality blade confiscated from the bandits, a Zhenyuan Bow, and more than a dozen arrows.

Li Hongyun was armed with seven or eight short throwing spears, three new model Sheng Army muskets, and several dozen musket balls.

As for melee weapons, Li Hongyun only carried a saber.

The reason for carrying three muskets was that the current firearms technology was not yet advanced; gunpowder residue would remain in the barrel, making the musket harder to use after firing a certain number of balls, possibly leading to misfires or even bursting.

Thus, Li Hongyun simply took three muskets with him to prevent such embarrassing situations from arising.

The short spears were meant as a precaution for when enemies got too close and there was no time to reload the musket.

The first time he cleared the Trial Illusion, Li Hongyun didn’t even know how to use a musket and had to wait for the army’s musketeers to load their rifles before taking a turn to fire.

But now, after repeated learning and practice, his musket loading skills had become very proficient, even faster than those of ordinary musketeers.

After all, with the blessing of good fortune, each time he loaded gunpowder, the perfect amount was poured, which tremendously increased the loading speed.

After some twists and turns, the two men finally reached midway up the hill.

Their target was clear: those bandits on the watchtower!

If they could eliminate the bandits on the watchtower, who continuously shot arrows and muskets at the Sheng Army, it would allow their forces to charge through and secure Puning Port!

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