Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 196 - 183 - The Risks of a Powerful Minister Usurping the Throne? (Long - , Vote for Monthly Tickets!)_3

Chapter 196: Chapter 183 - The Risks of a Powerful Minister Usurping the Throne? (Long Chapter, Vote for Monthly Tickets!)_3

Even if Emperor Taizu of Sheng had passed away and the Crown Prince smoothly ascended the throne, it was highly possible that within a few years, the Crown Prince would also pass away, and the young emperor would take the throne.

From an age perspective, this was not a coincidence but rather a high-probability event.

And could such a young emperor hold his ground against a cunning old demon in their seventies or eighties, who harbored rebellious thoughts and wielded great power?

That was hard to say.

It depended on the ability of this young emperor and the other centrist forces within the court on one hand, and on how long this old demon could live on the other.

Because of so many random factors stacking up, the game "Dark Sand" did not provide a specific outcome but rather a range.

In the worst-case scenario, the reign of the Great Sheng Dynasty could only last fifty-nine years.

In the most optimistic case, it could last one hundred seventy-eight years.

But regardless of which, it meant that Chuzhou State did not manage to clear the game.

"If it were a case of a powerful minister usurping the throne, wouldn’t that be going back to Zhou Ping’s case?"

"At the time, Zhou Ping was the most likely candidate to usurp the throne.

"However, according to historical records, the threat of Zhou Ping’s usurpation didn’t seem very significant. On one hand, Emperor Taizu of Sheng wielded great power, and although Zhou Ping was the Prime Minister, he was still too inexperienced to topple Emperor Taizu; on the other hand, many of the pieces of evidence of Zhou Ping’s rebellion recorded in history seemed to be forcibly produced later on.

"It’s unclear whether Zhou Ping truly intended to rebel or was forced into a dead end and had to rebel, or if he never intended to rebel but was wrongly accused of doing so...

"Besides, Zhou Ping’s case is basically over, right? Emperor Taizu of Sheng had already killed a batch of people several years ago.

"So how could there still be the risk of a minister usurping the throne?"

Chuzhou State was quite puzzled.

From the results, he had indeed missed some very crucial information, but from the process, he could not figure out what he had missed.

Just then, mist enveloped Chuzhou State’s vision, and he felt he was about to wake up in reality.

"Indeed, this instance isn’t so simple. Even with four players teaming up to solve it, it still takes at least three or four days...

"Never mind, it’s useless for me to be quick on my own; I should first check on the others’ progress.

"I’ll think it over during the daytime."

...

After leaving the game, Chuzhou State woke up in reality.

The first thing to do, of course, was to immediately go to the chat group of the ’Starting with a Bowl’ instance strategy squad to inquire about everyone else’s progress.

Li Hongyun had also woken up and was also mysteriously joining the group chat to analyze the progress of the pioneering effort.

The other squads were certainly having their own chats at this time.

Since the clearing mode this time was team clearance, different squads competed to some extent, resulting in noticeably fewer players sharing their clearing experiences on the forums than before.

Of course, from another perspective, it could also be said that the players formed squads spontaneously to tackle the instance because most squads contained players familiar with history and skilled in strategy. Hence, they didn’t need to complement each other through forums and were still solving puzzles according to the path laid out by the designers.

"How is everyone’s progress? Have you encountered any new problems?"

Chuzhou State asked a question in the group, and soon, people began to speak up about the new problems they had encountered.

First up was Lu Heng, who was playing the role of a beggar.

"I’ve confirmed that the role of the beggar is just to randomly experience the life of the lower class. The dynasty, era, and specific background you experience are all random, and no matter how hard you try, it doesn’t necessarily end well.

"I suspect the goal for this role is to go through a certain number of cycles. Once you reach a certain number, or play a few specific identities, you’re considered to have cleared it.

"Or perhaps it’s purely left to chance, like, if you happen to join a rebellion by coincidence and naturally take on the role of the Rebel Army, then you’re cleared."

Chuzhou State thought for a moment, then replied, "Mm, it’s very likely as you speculated.

"Since that’s the case, continue to persevere and see. Perhaps a turning point will naturally appear later on.

"After all, Emperor Taizu of Sheng’s process from a beggar to a member of the Rebel Army didn’t involve much initiative either. It was completely accidental that fellow villagers wrote him a letter that was discovered by others, and he was compelled to join the Rebel Army.

"And in the game, the role of ’beggar’ is probably designed mainly to make players experience the hardships of the common people, and understand Emperor Taizu of Sheng’s mentality during his youth. Most likely, you can pass once the relevant requirements are met."

Then there was Yun Ying, who was playing the role of the Rebel Army.

"My progress isn’t too hopeful.

"Things were developing well, and I even had a force of seven or eight hundred men. But suddenly, we were wiped out by a General of the Northern Barbarians, Dong Chengyun.

"It took a long time to develop these people, so I don’t have many chances to try again. Now my concern is, if I continue to play this role, but Dong Chengyun comes again, what then?

"There’s no chance of winning."

Chuzhou State pondered, "Dong Chengyun... wait, let me check."

He immediately looked up the name on his computer to confirm the person’s identity.

"Found it.

"Dong Chengyun was indeed a major general of the Northern Barbarians at the time, and his troops were very formidable in combat. However, historically, he didn’t have much of an interaction with Emperor Taizu of Sheng.

"The only record I could find was that Dong Chengyun was originally planning to lead troops to attack the city of Chuzhou where Emperor Taizu of Sheng was located. But at that time, there was another Rebel Army marshal who captured another important stronghold, causing the Northern Barbarians to urgently divert Dong Chengyun to aid the southeast."

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