Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 161 - 156: The Outstanding Performances of the Players

Chapter 161: Chapter 156: The Outstanding Performances of the Players

"I ask you, during the Dragon Boat Festival in May, the riverbanks breached and caused flooding that submerged some good farmland, what happened there?"

The emperor’s authoritative voice descended from above.

Below, Lin Xiangmin hesitated briefly, his mind whirring, before he responded, "Your Majesty bears the burden of the land and its people..."

Their dialogue was methodically rhythmic.

From the breaching of the riverbanks to questioning about suppressing bandits in the southeast, then from fostering rebels for self-reliance to questioning about local corruption.

A question and an answer, an attack and a defense, resulted in an extensive scene of powerful dialogue exchange.

The players were all astonished.

"Is... is that emperor a real person?"

"No! Isn’t that Su Xianjun from the last movie? Didn’t you recognize him?"

"Eh? Su Xianjun? Oh wow, it really is!"

"How can it be that opera singer? He’s nothing like the emperor! Look at the emperor’s presence, his way of speaking, his authority... nothing like Su Xianjun!"

"That’s exactly why he’s so amazing, he becomes whatever he plays, rather than always seeming like himself!"

"This is that Ranger player named Meng Yuan, I’ve seen him in the Return Order Expedition, and it’s not just ’become whatever he plays’, he literally becomes entirely unrecognizable! His performance is a million miles from his real self!"

"He’s incredible, I thought Chu Ge’s acting was powerful, but facing Meng Yuan, he’s completely outclassed!"

"Truly, before, Chu Ge’s seamless interaction with the natives was perfect, but with Meng Yuan, he seemed slightly overshadowed... the acting skills on display are... terrifying!"

"Moreover, Meng Yuan is portraying an emperor, one deeply suspicious and skilled in power tactics, which is much more difficult to play than Governor Lin!"

"These lines are also very meaningful. Every question from the emperor has layers, and Governor Lin’s responses are flawless, not a single fault to be found... Was it scripted in advance by these two legends?"

"No, I heard this part was completely improvised."

"Improvised?!"

"Yes, improvised, according to Chu Ge himself, he was taken aback at that moment and had to respond stiffly. Meng Yuan added lines spontaneously, apparently to better confuse the evil spirits..."

"After adding those lines, the emperor’s character seemed even more well-rounded and realistic. Is this the level of a great master? Changing the script on the fly and making it even better?"

The players were all thoroughly impressed.

Previously, when the "Evil Spirits Retreat" talent was activated, it was announced to all players involved in the Return Order Expedition through a system prompt, so the players were aware of what was happening behind the scenes.

Yet, they did not know exactly how Meng Yuan had utilized this talent.

Now they understood that through his incredible acting, Meng Yuan had staged a play in front of the evil spirits, accentuating the emperor’s suspicious, paranoid, and power-savvy image, thereby allowing his talent to take effect!

Many players wished they could capture this intense dialogue scene right now and show it to those young fresh faces.

What is acting? What is cultural depth?

Two ordinary players, keeping up with genuine historical figures in performance, were simply unbeatable!

...

The plot of the movie continued to move forward.

In the siege of Puning Port, Zhao Haiping, Li Hongyun, and Fan Cun, three players, once again made a spectacular display, resembling a special forces team on a mission in a thrilling blockbuster.

Zhao Haiping alone stormed into the fort, his fight scenes boiling the blood of the viewers.

Li Hongyun’s fortune in gunfire was a bit far-fetched, but within the context of the film, it indeed possessed an excellent visual spectacle and superb program effect.

Using exquisite editing techniques, the camera continuously zoomed in and out, rapidly changing perspectives, perfectly portraying the grandiose and mighty war scenes, leaving the audience immensely satisfied.

Compared to the small skirmishes in "Awaiting Funeral Post Victory," the large-scale war scenes in "Reluctant Lordship" were stunning.

Crucially, the entire war scene contained no common-sense errors.

Whether the details of the props or the specific tactics used were incredibly realistic and rigorous.

Even the over-the-top maneuvers of those three unreasonable, rule-bending players were within a reasonable scope.

It managed to maintain the authenticity of the battle while ensuring the dramatic expression of the movie.

Just as the audience thought the movie had reached its peak climax and was naturally heading towards an ending, a new twist emerged.

Large numbers of bandits attacked Nanhe City, and should Nanhe City fall, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Following that, Xia Ruoling, Lu Heng, and Yun Ying made their appearance, and the characters they played shone brightly.

Especially Wang Zongchang, played by Lu Heng.

Lu Heng was an actor with respectable acting skills, so his portrayal of Wang Zongchang in the beginning, when he tied up Liu Ji and turned the tide, was filled with righteousness, perfectly embodying a tough scholar image.

But as soon as the fighting started, the audience was completely taken aback.

This was not just a scholar, but also an unrestricted combat master!

He could even use the scholar’s vast righteousness to first scatter demons and then, without reason, launch a physical attack, making the bandits flee in terror.

At the critical moment, General Deng arrived with reinforcements, and Nanhe City finally transitioned from danger to safety.

The threat of the bandits was finally completely eliminated.

The camera panned up, and after a scene transition, it went back to the original scene.

Years later, General Deng, now greying at the temples, had become a composed middle-aged man.

Facing the proposal made by Mr. Xu, General Deng paused for a moment before retorting, "Mr. Xu, back then, did you also say the same to Lord Governor?"

Mr. Xu nodded, "Yes."

A look of realization appeared on General Deng’s face, "Then, my response is the same as Lord Governor’s."

Mr. Xu did not say much more, only expressing with a tone of reluctance, "If that’s the case, then let us part here.

"Mountains long and rivers vast, we may never meet again, General Deng, please take great care!"

The two parted ways.

Meanwhile, General Deng received news that the Northern Barbarians of the Atulun Tribe were mobilizing a hundred thousand soldiers to invade and started preparing his troops.

The army set out, and the figure of General Deng riding his warhorse gradually disappeared into the vast clouds of dust.

...

Chuge checked the time, indeed, it was exactly an hour and a half.

Meaning, the editing this time had used the route through which the players completed the ultimate trial as the main thread, weaving together the entire story.

The next half hour would show the actual historical footage.

In the true history, without the three players fighting alongside General Deng, he had turned the situation around entirely on his own.

Governor Lin and the Emperor did not have that many interactions either.

The battle between Puning Port and Nanhe City also lacked the spectacular maneuvers of many players.

In the battle of Puning Port, the new army led by General Deng was overwhelmingly victorious, achieving a terrifying casualty ratio. After breaking through the fort gates, the entire battle could even be described as "boring"; while in the battle of Nanhe City, Wang Zongchang, a civilian official, fought valiantly and died for his country, a sight that was immensely heart-wrenching.

The mood of the audience gradually became somewhat somber.

This effect differed significantly from "A Matter Settled Awaits Coffin Closure."

Many players then realized the profound meaning behind the different structures used in the two films.

In "A Matter Settled Awaits Coffin Closure," the players’ performance was not enough to string together the whole story, and various flashy moves did not quite fit the overall tone of the story, so the film still primarily used true historical scenes, only dotting it with players’ actions.

The overall emotional tone was repression followed by joy, using players’ flashy moves as a relief against the backdrop of a heavy historical narrative.

On the other hand, in "A Sealed Title Was Not My Intention," the players’ performances largely stayed within the framework of historical characters and could string together the entire story, so it directly used the players’ performances as the main content, only showing the actual historical footage at the end.

If "A Matter Settled Awaits Coffin Closure" was more like an art film or documentary, then "A Sealed Title Was Not My Intention" was more like a commercial film, an action movie.

The spectacular performance of the players added a lot of color to the story.

If the film had primarily focused on the actual historical scenes, it would have seemed too dull and somber.

Now, the film could be viewed as a reprocessing of real historical events, where the players’ own personalities and the characters they played perfectly merged, leaving a deeper impression on the audience.

Finally, as the film ended, rolling credits appeared on the big screen.

At the forefront were the cast credits, recognizing the players’ spectacular performances in the instance.

And following the cast credits were the original historical texts.

This time, there were new historical materials that could be added.

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