Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 203 - 185: Chaos and Mercy (8000-Word Mega - , Monthly Ticket Request)_2

Chapter 203: Chapter 185: Chaos and Mercy (8000-Word Mega Chapter, Monthly Ticket Request)_2

So, if Yun Ying only knew how to fight, after reaching a certain point, Dong Chengyun, General of the Northern Barbarians, would lay siege to Chuzhou City, which would be an unwinnable battle.

Even if it weren’t Dong Chengyun but another Northern Barbarian leader, even if they managed to escape Chuzhou City, it would still count as a failed game.

Because this would mean the player hadn’t properly analyzed the current situation within the Rebel Army, and continuing down that path wouldn’t yield any good outcomes.

To leave, taking all their subordinates would be absolutely impossible, only a small portion could be brought along.

But exactly who to take with them, there was naturally a knack to it.

Because those who were brought along were not just the foundation for conquering the world in the future, but they also reflected Emperor Taizu of Sheng’s ability to assess people.

Yun Ying couldn’t help but recall a question she had once seen online.

"Like Emperor Taizu of Sheng who came from the lower classes, why were the famous ministers and generals under him often from a small circle of people in the vicinity of his hometown? Why did those talents cluster in that location?"

The answer to this question was very simple and could be summed up in one word: "platform."

What kind of platform one is on dictates what they can achieve.

If a person is just an ordinary peasant, tilling the fields and tending cattle all their life, they wouldn’t become a Great General by the time they are in their seventies or eighties.

However, if a person starts fighting from their teenage years, acquiring more resources and going against stronger opponents, as long as they have some talent, they can always become a decent commander.

Often, there are smart people in every corner, and the degree of their intelligence is actually not much different.

What truly sets them apart is the platform and resources.

And a founding emperor is such a platform.

On this platform, these ministers and generals encounter enemies and problems that seem insurmountable, and they may fail, but a wealth of resources serves as a safety net, allowing them to keep trying.

What’s more, they have the opportunity to learn from and help each other.

Hence, they end up achieving more than others.

Of course, this presupposes that they were moldable, possessing considerable talent.

For those without talent, even the largest platform is meaningless.

Thus, another critical factor is that the founding monarch has the insight to recognize talents and potential, placing them in the most suitable positions, and recruiting the most capable talents for their own use.

And the key to playing the role of the "Rebel Army" lies precisely in this.

As a member of the Rebel Army, Yun Ying hadn’t faced particularly difficult battles; the Northern Barbarian forces encountered early on weren’t hard to defeat, and in an era where many warlords arose, recruiting an army of a few hundred was not that challenging.

Other Rebel Armies of the same period could basically achieve this as well.

So, what fundamentally differentiated Emperor Taizu from the other Rebel Armies?

It was three things: the ability to understand the overall situation, the decisiveness to make the right choices, and the insight to select talents.

Without these three abilities, even if Emperor Taizu was skilled in battle, he would be just a warlord in a divided era, ultimately bound for failure; with them, he could rise above the multitude of Rebel Armies to create a new dynasty.

And to play the role of the "Rebel Army" was to test the player’s capability in these three areas.

After realizing this, Yun Ying finally understood why she hadn’t encountered anyone named Gu Yuan, despite playing for so long.

Because the game "Dark Sand" deliberately recast the fog of history.

Emperor Taizu didn’t know from the start that Gu Yuan would become the Great General of the founding dynasty; he progressively recognized his military talent and continuously promoted him, eventually making him a renowned general.

If these characters’ names were exactly the same as in history, wouldn’t players just be copying the answers?

The test of one’s ability to assess people would then be rendered ineffective.

Therefore, Yun Ying’s task was not only to expand her forces and defeat the Northern Barbarian Army but also to clearly discern the capabilities of each individual, firmly imprinting the outstanding talents in her mind.

The ultimate test of playing the role of the "Rebel Army" was actually an examination.

The exam’s content was the daily performance of the more than seven hundred people; the judging criteria were the player’s own assessment; when the exam results came out, the system could determine whether the player’s ability to assess people was up to the mark, and whether those chosen could form the backbone needed to conquer the world.

From over seven hundred people, choosing twenty-four was an exceedingly difficult multiple-choice question.

Historically, Emperor Taizu might be said to have passed with full marks, and now, it was the players’ turn to repeat this feat.

Having come to this realization, Yun Ying took a deep breath, lay back down on the bed, and re-entered the game world of "Dark Sand."

To play the role of the "Rebel Army" and start anew.

There was still time, and this time, she intended to thoroughly discern, from those seven hundred people, who truly had the potential to be the pillars of the future.

...

At this moment, Lu Heng had begun what he didn’t know was yet another round of life.

With the game’s progress, his identity continuously changed, and he was also trying all sorts of bold maneuvers.

For instance, he once tried to instigate desperate beggars to join him in revolt. However, while still discussing the plan, due to a betrayal, the imperial soldiers surrounded them in a rundown temple, and without any chance to resist, they were hacked to death chaotically.