Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 178 - 173 Rebel Army (Extra Update for Votes 2)

Chapter 178: Chapter 173 Rebel Army (Extra Update for Votes 2)

Meanwhile, the only thing Yun Ying heard in his ears was the relentless sound of galloping hooves.

In front of him, a squad of cavalry rode toward him.

The sound of hooves hitting the ground stirred up clouds of dust.

The number of cavalrymen wasn’t large, just over ten, but followed closely by a significant number of foot soldiers, totaling over a hundred.

Facing this troop of Northern Barbarians, Yun Ying naturally felt a bit nervous.

By his side were Rebel Army soldiers, all wearing red headbands.

Their clothes were tattered, and the weapons they held were extremely rudimentary.

In Yun Ying’s hands was a rusty spear, which in any previous instance would have been considered disappointing equipment. But for the other rebels, many had even worse weapons.

Some only had a piece of wood, and even more outrageous, some merely held a sharpened bamboo pole.

Despite being outnumbered, these rebels totaled about two hundred against the Northern Barbarians’ troop.

Yet, the disparity in their equipment left Yun Ying feeling uneasy.

Could they fight?

If all these rebels were player-controlled, it probably wouldn’t be a big problem, but these were all native inhabitants.

Each of them was thin and frail, not looking capable of fighting at all.

The only advantage they might have had was their high spirit.

Yun Ying could only steady his emotions, gripped his spear with both hands, and simultaneously fixed his gaze on the cavalry sabers at the Northern Barbarians’ waists.

He wasn’t very skilled with spears and preferred swords, but the Rebel Army clearly couldn’t supply him with such advanced weapons.

If he could kill a Northern Barbarian cavalryman and snatch his saber, maybe the subsequent fight would be somewhat easier.

The enemy was quickly upon them!

Yun Ying had no other choice but to face the battle head-on because at this moment, he was just a minor squad leader within the Rebel Army, commanding only ten soldiers, with no authority to make decisions in this battle.

"Kill!"

The lead officer of the Rebel Army shouted loudly as he charged towards the enemy lines.

The other rebels, inspired by this, actually rushed straight towards the face-oncoming cavalry!

Yun Ying couldn’t help but be shocked; were these people not afraid to die?

To charge directly at the Northern Barbarian cavalry like this?

However, the very next second, the scene unfolded dramatically before his eyes.

While the Northern Barbarian cavalry’s horses also knocked a few rebels flying, they soon found themselves trapped.

Some cavalrymen even got thrown off their horses as their mounts were stabbed by the rebels’ spears.

The rebel soldiers swarmed forth, stabbing the barbarian soldiers to death with their spears.

As for the Northern Barbarian infantrymen, their combat strength was even more pitiful. It was evident that this group included not just Northern Barbarians but also many other ethnic groups. They only offered symbolic resistance before crumbling and fleeing at the sight of defeat.

Yun Ying, feeling a bit lost, followed the rush of the Rebel Army, using his agile skills to kill a cavalryman, which earned cheers from the Rebel Army troops.

Yet, Yun Ying himself was somewhat bewildered.

The legendary invincible Northern Barbarian cavalry... that was it?

He had battled Northern Barbarian cavalry before during the Return Order Expedition, back then with cavalry from the mid-era of the Great Sheng Dynasty, who had encountered General Deng.

At that time, he first felt the terrifying pressure of the cavalry.

Especially the heavy cavalry, these steel behemoths clad in full armor would charge and scatter the foot soldiers as easily as slicing through melons and vegetables, followed simply by mowing them down, saber raised, a slash per head.

Players, high-spirited and fearless, barely managed to hold their ground. How could these physically weak and barely trained rebels manage to gain the upper hand against Northern Barbarian cavalry?

This was somewhat far-fetched.

Moreover, the tactical proficiency displayed by the Northern Barbarian Cavalry was indeed disappointing.

Employing a small number of cavalry to charge at infantry is the most foolish tactic.

The correct tactic should have been to observe from a distance, constantly harass and shoot while riding due to their high mobility. The infantry, unable to catch up when they want to strike or to flee when they wish to retreat, would be stuck in a deadlock. Once the infantry were exhausted and demoralized, a charge would be launched, using powerful impact to disrupt the infantry formations and win naturally.

The Northern Barbarian Cavalry had already had stirrups, and their saddles and various weapons were fully equipped. Yet, to perform like this was truly disappointing.

The battle quickly ended, and the Rebel Army successfully captured a large amount of equipment, prisoners, and some horses.

Yun Ying was plunged into deep thought.

"This first battle was a bit too easy.

"Although I killed a few enemies, looking at the strength comparison between us and them, it seems like it made no difference whether I was there or not.

"So, was this the situation when Emperor Taizu of Sheng first joined the Rebel Army?

"Yes, quite likely. He was just a squad leader when he joined the Rebel Army, with no subordinates. He emerged through brave fighting and extraordinary strategy.

"At that time, the Northern Barbarian Cavalry was already quickly degenerating; even many barbarians’ descendants were becoming very unfamiliar with riding.

"So, this scenario isn’t surprising; otherwise, the Rebel Army couldn’t have developed and expanded so quickly.

"In fact, until the middle and later periods of the war, when the Northern Barbarians rebounded by gathering heavy troops to encircle the Rebel Army and forming new armies with local landlords, they regained the upper hand. After the Northern Barbarians were thoroughly driven back to Desert North, their barbarian bloodlines gradually revived, and they once again became brave and good at fighting, ultimately re-emerging as a major threat during the early to middle periods of the Great Sheng Dynasty...

"Then the question arises, what is the main task in my role-play as part of the ’Rebel Army’? "

Yun Ying was somewhat perplexed.

The objective this time was too unclear.

Previous combat phases had very clear objectives, simply to defeat the enemy or achieve the set strategic goals.

But this time’s goal was obviously not so simple.

"Following the script of Emperor Taizu of Sheng back then... should it be to accumulate military achievements and expand my own power through combat?

"Yes, that’s very likely."

Yun Ying couldn’t think of anything else he could do for now. From the current situation, the role-play as the ’Rebel Army’ wasn’t just a one-time deal but required experiencing many battles to accumulate military achievements and to determine whether he’d pass or not.

So he could only take one step at a time, trying to establish as many merits as possible within the Rebel Army.

...

Chuge finished reviewing the last memorial, rubbing his temples with a slight headache.

There seemed to be no important cases in the memorials he read this time.

He said "seemed" because he couldn’t be entirely sure.

In fact, most cases worthy of official presentation were relatively urgent and important at the time. If left untreated, there might be no consequences, but then again there might be.

Thus, Chuge dared not neglect them and still had to read each memorial carefully.

After the "North-South List Case," the system would no longer prompt important cases; he had to discern them himself.

Just as he was about to look at a new batch of files, his field of vision became foggy.

This meant that he was about to wake up in reality.

Chuge couldn’t help but stretch lazily; it was the first time he felt genuinely tired from within while playing the game "Dark Sand," eager to wake up soon.

Clearly, this fatigue was not physical but a natural accumulation from playing as Emperor Taizu of Sheng for so long.

Even though he would clear all these upon returning to reality, it still made Chuge feel somewhat overwhelmed.

"I wonder how the other three are doing in their roles..."

Chuge thought, planning to immediately start a chat group with the other three to discuss the current situation once he returned to reality.