Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 190 - 182: That’s it?

Chapter 190: Chapter 182: That’s it?

Zhao Haiping’s whip left the eunuch stunned. It also left the old goat-bearded general quite confused.

Even the guards at his side were a bit dazed.

The two guards glanced at each other, both somewhat uncertain as to whether they should drag the eunuch away.

Zhao Haiping furrowed his brow, "What’s the matter, are my words not effective?"

The guard showed a troubled expression, "Your Majesty, but it’s Mr. Liu..."

Zhao Haiping gave him a look, "Drag him down and execute him! Say one more word, and you can go meet your death as well."

The two guards were visibly shocked, but soon a faint look of pleasure appeared on their faces as they stepped forward to seize Mr. Liu and take him away.

Zhao Haiping’s brows were slightly furrowed as he fell into deep thought.

This imperial campaign seemed very off.

Since the urgent military reports had arrived, Zhao Haiping had sensed something amiss and many details allowed him to further confirm his suspicion.

The report said that the Northern Barbarians had already broken through the fortified town of Xuan Ning Guard. If the Great Army continued to advance, there was a high likelihood of running into the elite cavalry of the Northern Barbarians.

But the problem was, this was during the era of Emperor Taizu of Sheng.

Since when were the Northern Barbarians so audacious?

Before Emperor Taizu of Sheng decided to personally lead the campaign, several distinguished generals had been dispatched over consecutive years to drive the Northern Barbarians beyond the borders. This campaign aimed not to defend against a Northern Barbarian invasion, but to pursue them into the Desert North, severely wounding and disabling them to secure decades of peace for the Northern Border of the Great Sheng Dynasty.

In other words, it was the Great Sheng Dynasty that was on the offensive.

At that time, the Northern Barbarian troops had only two options when confronted by the Sheng Army: the first was to retreat far into the Desert North, continuously falling back, trading space for the chance to strike, waiting for the Sheng Army to venture deep into the plains and become exhausted before launching an ambush for victory; the second was to abandon their cattle, sheep, and supplies and just run, far and fast, to a place where the Sheng Army could not possibly find them.

When Duke Qii was previously dispatched to subdue the Northern Barbarians, they had indeed adopted the first method.

So now, had the Northern Barbarians grown so bold as to dare to attack the borders of the Great Sheng Dynasty?

And not only to invade but also to capture Xuan Ning Guard, a major stronghold in the north, with such rapid speed?

Were they cheating in some way?

Not only was the military situation utterly ludicrous, but what followed was even more outlandish.

What gave that eunuch the audacity to interrupt when the emperor and the general were discussing matters of national importance? Moreover, the emperor hadn’t even spoken yet, and the eunuch had already started blathering on.

It was as if the person in charge here was not the emperor, but him.

This was beyond imagination.

The only possible explanation for this situation was that the emperor’s authority had been sidelined for quite some time, and Mr. Liu had through test after test ascertained that the emperor would support him, knowing he could be as brash as he wanted without angering the emperor, which was why he dared to do so.

And the words of the old general also revealed some troubling information.

The general mentioned that the Sheng Army’s preparation for this campaign was insufficient, the provisions were inadequate, and many supply vehicles had not arrived. The other armies had yet to converge, and the troops were also in need of rest after marching for many days...

If his words were true, then it pointed to one obvious conclusion: the initial preparations for this campaign had been poorly managed.

Why were the provisions inadequate? Why was the march shrouded in disarray?

Were these the kinds of problems Emperor Taizu of Sheng would encounter when he personally led a campaign?

Emperor Taizu of Sheng’s military capabilities would rank among the top three of all emperors throughout history, and in his own time, it was said he was invincible in battle. How could he commit such basic errors?

Therefore, the only possibility was that the imperial campaign Zhao Haiping was playing out had not followed the historical script.

It had been twisted and distorted!

This scenario reminded Zhao Haiping of the Great Sheng Dynasty’s later campaign, which was so at odds with the world’s expectations.

He had thought that there wouldn’t be much of a challenge before leaving the Northern Border of the Great Sheng Dynasty and delving deep into the Desert North, but now it seemed that the real trial had already begun.

With these thoughts, Zhao Haiping gazed into the distance.

Xuan Ning Guard was not particularly far from their current position, but it was impossible to see the Northern Barbarian cavalry with the naked eye at this time.

By the time they could be seen by the naked eye, it would be too late.

Zhao Haiping looked towards a small river ahead and asked the old general with the goat beard, "Where nearby is suitable for encampment?"

The general hurriedly replied, "To report to Your Majesty, there are two suitable places for encampment nearby. One is Stone Ridge, and the other is Sangyuan River."

"Stone Ridge’s terrain is rather treacherous and can serve as an obstacle to the Northern Barbarian cavalry. Once camp is set up, there’s a high chance it could be defended. However, the danger lies in the water supply—though there are springs, it might be difficult to provide for two hundred thousand men."

"Nevertheless, digging wells to obtain water is also possible."

"The other location is Sangyuan River, which is close to the river and thus easy to draw water from, but as the terrain is flat and in plain view, even if we hastily erect defenses, it may not be sufficient to stop the advance of the Northern Barbarian Army."

Zhao Haiping pondered for a moment, "Send orders, set up camp at Sangyuan River and hold position, waiting for the other armies to converge!"

This was a very basic issue that Zhao Haiping could figure out on his own.

Right now, there were three paths laid before the Sheng Army: first, to foolishly charge at the Northern Barbarian Army head-on; second, to establish camp on site and wait for the convergence of the other armies; third, to withdraw, pulling back to the nearest strongpoint for defense.

The first option was obviously nonsense, with unclear enemy information, charging in would probably be courting death.

The third option seemed safe but would likely encounter numerous issues in practice.