Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 176 - 171: The Emperor Leads the Expedition Himself?

Chapter 176: Chapter 171: The Emperor Leads the Expedition Himself?

Compared to Lu Heng, who was clad in rags and starved for food, Zhao Haiping’s situation was obviously much better.

In the role of "Commander" within the Trial Illusion, the initial scene was the imperial palace.

Like Chu Ge and Lu Heng, he also saw a similar system prompt.

"The current identity play contains a certain degree of randomness, and will not develop strictly according to the true historical situation, please act according to the actual situation you face."

Zhao Haiping pondered the meaning of this system prompt.

"So, does that mean that the course of this war won’t be exactly the same as it was during Emperor Taizu of Sheng’s time?

"In the war, I can’t copy the answers verbatim; instead, I have to consider and make my own decisions?

"Hmm, that seems reasonable. If one could pass the instance by merely copying answers, then it would be too simple.

"I just don’t know which battle I am supposed to win."

Only then did Zhao Haiping start to look around at his surroundings.

To his surprise, at this moment, he was seated on the dragon throne, looking down at the civil and military officials below.

"Eh? I thought I was supposed to be a commander. Why have I become the emperor?"

Zhao Haiping was somewhat astonished, thinking that he might have gotten his identity mixed up with Chu Ge’s.

But on second thought, he realized there seemed to be a clear age difference between the Emperor Taizu of Sheng that the two of them were role-playing.

The Emperor Taizu that Chu Ge was role-playing was already in his twilight years, around seventy years old, probably not many years left before his demise; while the Emperor Taizu he was role-playing was in his prime, probably around forty or fifty years old.

That is to say, the Great Sheng Dynasty had just been founded not long ago, and he was still full of vitality, in the peak of his state.

"That means there’s no problem with the identity.

"But this identity is called ’Commander’ instead of ’Emperor’; doesn’t this mean that my main task is not to govern the country but..."

A thought came to Zhao Haiping’s mind.

"To lead the troops personally!"

Being both the emperor and the commander indeed only leaves this possibility.

Zhao Haiping couldn’t help feeling fortunate that he possessed the talent to inspire troops.

"Xin - Inspire Troops (Blue): Your battle cries and exhortations can better motivate your team, boosting morale."

He had seen this talent before, but back then it was a white talent, not very significant.

But now, in the role of a commander, this talent had upgraded to blue, making it very cost-effective.

An official stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, there’s an urgent report from the border, the Northern Barbarians are once again raiding and plundering. How should we deal with it, please instruct us, Your Majesty."

Zhao Haiping understood in his heart that he was indeed expected to lead the campaign personally.

In his memory, at the time the Great Sheng Dynasty was first established, the Northern Barbarians indeed had a formidable power and posed a great threat to the empire. Especially after retreating back to the Desert North Grasslands, the power of the Northern Barbarians, while weakening through internal strife, was nearing unification again, posing a serious threat to the Great Sheng Dynasty.

Thus, Emperor Taizu of Sheng led three major camps on military expeditions to the Desert North and severely damaged the Northern Barbarians through numerous campaigns, earning the Great Sheng Dynasty a long period of peace and recovery.

Of course, the threat of the Northern Barbarians could hardly be completely eradicated. During the mid-to-late period of the Great Sheng Dynasty, the Northern Barbarians would frequently harass the border; even during the time of General Deng, they continued to be a much greater concern than the Eastern Barbarian raiders.

Viewed superficially, Emperor Taizu’s military operations in the Northern Border might not seem to have eradicated the threat completely, but from another perspective, after so many battles, the Northern Barbarians were still able to make a comeback. If they had been ignored at the start, allowing the barbarian tribes to reunify, it would have only nurtured a greater threat.

From this perspective, Emperor Taizu’s military use of the Northern Border was a necessity, whether it was to protect the Northern Regions and Yan cloud territories that had just been reunified after hundreds of years of separation, or to defend the strategic locations of the Northern Border of the Great Sheng Dynasty; these military actions were essential.

Zhao Haiping said without hesitation, "If that’s the case, I have decided to lead the campaign personally!"

He thought it would simply be a formality, yet to his surprise, as soon as he made this declaration, all the officials became very uneasy.

The Minister of War was the first to step forward and say, "Your Majesty, this must not be done!

"The Northern Barbarians’ attack is just the usual raid; the border defenses and fortifications have not been breached, and these barbarians will naturally retreat after plundering the Northern Border.

"Your Majesty, I believe that even if we must dispatch troops, it would be sufficient to send a single general. How could Your Majesty, worth a thousand pieces of gold, take such a risk so lightly?"

Following this, the Minister of Rites echoed in agreement, "Your Majesty, I concur!

"Your Majesty bears the burden of the land and its people and must not act so rashly. The notion of leading the troops yourself is utterly unadvisable."

It wasn’t just these two senior officials. Other ministers also spoke out to dissuade, with many exhibiting extreme reactions. Some even seemed willing to bash their heads against a pillar, as if dire consequences would arise the moment the emperor set out to lead the troops himself.

The display truly took Zhao Haiping aback.

He had indeed played the role of a soldier and commanded battles within the Trial Illusion, but all those were on a small scale. Plus, there was no part of court debate involved.

In other words, the battles he had faced before were essentially inevitable.

But now, as the emperor, he possessed the authority to decide. To fight or not to fight was entirely up to him, and the voices against fighting far outweighed those for it.

No minister in the entire court supported his leading the troops.

Zhao Haiping was momentarily at a loss for words.

Were the ministers’ arguments rational?

Of course, they were.

There were emperors in history who had depleted their entire treasuries because they led the troops themselves. Not to mention far-off cases, even the Great Sheng Dynasty had one such example.

If Emperor Taizu of Sheng knew from his grave that he had such an inept descendant, he would probably rise from his coffin to slap his face several times.

So, the ministers’ advice not to lead the troops was certainly logical. As the emperor, there was no need to risk his life. Especially since the Great Sheng Dynasty had capable military leaders, and the emperor didn’t have to do everything himself, which could appear as overreaching.

Additionally, for the ministers, advising the emperor against personally leading the troops was a strategy with only benefits and no drawbacks.

By offering their advice at this moment, they were preparing for the future.

If the emperor ended up leading the troops to victory, all would be well, and their prior advice would not matter, sparing them from the emperor’s retribution. Should the emperor suffer defeat, it would undoubtedly be highlighted in the annals of history, and their foresight would earn them a good reputation.

It would show their wisdom and save them from the accusation of failing to offer strong counsel.

In short, when the emperor broaches the topic of leading the troops, it’s best to advise against it first, a no-lose situation.

But for Zhao Haiping, things were not that simple.

The situation was unclear, so instead of insisting on leading the troops himself against the wishes of his officials, he asked, "What is the current situation with the Northern Barbarian tribes?"

The Minister of War pondered for a moment, then answered, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the Mahari Tribe of the Northern Barbarians has recently succeeded in annexing the Wuleizi Tribe, but there are still conflicts between tribes, so they do not possess the strength to move south on a large scale immediately. Although some smaller tribes have taken advantage of the chaos to raid southward, they do not pose too significant a threat."

Zhao Haiping didn’t respond, but focused on analyzing the information provided.

Since Emperor Taizu of Sheng had successfully driven the Northern Barbarians back to the Great Desert, their tribes had been divided and engaged in endless warfare amongst themselves.

From the current situation, it seemed there was indeed no immediate need for a campaign.

But...

The fact that the Mahari Tribe had managed to annex the Wuleizi Tribe signified a rapid rise in power. Should they wait to fight until this tribe had unified the Desert North Grassland?

Or should they react only when the tribe had unified the grasslands and began their attack?

That would clearly be a foolish course of action.

It was better to take preventive measures, to strike decisively while the tribes were in disarray, and deal them a heavy blow, ensuring peace for several decades.

Should they refrain from acting now, were they to rely on future generations’ wisdom?

That was wishful thinking. Founding emperors are often the peak of intelligence and capability among all emperors of a dynasty, and later emperors—unlike those who emerge from the grassroots—whether governing or waging war, surely can’t compare to their predecessors.

If they didn’t strike now and waited for the Northern Barbarians to reunify and resurge, hoping future generations could handle it, they could very well be doomed.

Therefore, this battle had to be fought. The longer they waited, the more complicated things would get.

Even if they decided to fight, another issue remained.

Should he personally lead the charge, or delegate the task to a general?