Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 209 - 186 Narrow Path Meeting_3

Chapter 209: Chapter 186 Narrow Path Meeting_3

Lu Heng patted his chest with great pride, "You don’t understand, do you? The instance ’Where Heroes’ Hearts Lie in the Wild’ is a multiplayer instance, and those who clear it first can watch and assist those who follow."

"I was the first to clear it! Plus, I even helped Chu Ge solve the final puzzle."

Yun Ying nodded, "I see, I feel a bit ashamed. After all, playing the role of the ’Rebel Army’ is indeed the least difficult in terms of clearing the instance, yet I was only the third to do so."

Chu Ge shook his head slightly, "It’s not quite right to say that."

"In fact, the problems you encountered while playing the role of the ’Rebel Army’ are the same problems all peasant rebels and Rebel Armies faced."

"That is, they lacked clear victory conditions and were confused and helpless."

"Throughout history, the phenomenon of corrupt officials forcing the people to rebel has been all too common. From a modern perspective, we naturally sympathize with these oppressed peasants who rise up to overthrow a corrupt world and inherently carry a sense of righteousness."

"But that doesn’t mean they did everything right."

"In the process, many Rebel Armies, when standing up to tyranny, were indeed filled with righteousness, but afterwards, the situation might change continuously."

"Some Rebel Armies may have recruited murderous bandits and outlaws or allowed their subordinates to pillage, leading to the strong are prey to the weak."

"When we praise these Rebel Armies, we do so from the perspective of the oppressed. But when these Rebel Armies turn their swords against defenseless women and children, can they still be considered as the oppressed?"

"Therefore, those Rebel Armies formed on brotherhood and chivalry are not necessarily righteous in their actions, and they are inevitably headed for destruction."

"Like players taking on the role of the Rebel Army, even with a clear goal in mind, they can easily become lost and helpless due to various reasons, failing to make the decisive call, unable to abandon key elements for a greater purpose..."

"Throughout history, these so-called ’Rebel Armies’ were no different."

"Yet Emperor Taizu of Sheng managed to break out of the historical confines that trapped past Rebel Armies, avoiding the vicious cycle of brotherhood and ’preying on the weaker,’ setting the grandest vision of his time and taking decisive steps towards the pinnacle to establish a dynasty..."

"That is precisely what made him so commendable as a ’Rebel.’"

Yun Ying nodded her head, "Well said, Mr. Class Representative. Shall we hurry and see how Zhao Haiping is doing? Every second counts."

"Maybe with some effort, we can still make a rush for the first clear of this instance."

...

The desolate desert beyond the Great Wall.

An army of a hundred thousand from the Sheng Army trudged along in a lengthy march.

After the previous battle, Zhao Haiping had re-organized this large force.

He extended the preparation time to ensure that supplies were plentiful and restructured the army to concentrate its superior forces.

The last battle taught Zhao Haiping that in warfare, having more people is not always better, especially in an era of melee weapons.

Soldiers with relatively weaker abilities not only lack fighting power but can also retreat in panic when faced with emergencies, leading to severe and unpredictable consequences.

Moreover, this time they were embarking on an expedition to the Desert North, where logistical pressure was immense. The Northern Barbarians might not choose to engage the Sheng Army head-on immediately; they could continue to employ tactics used against Duke Qii, retreating to lure the enemy deep into their territory and attacking once the Sheng Army was exhausted and at its weakest.

Thus, forcibly mustering two or three hundred thousand men for an expedition was meaningless. More likely, the Sheng Army would collapse under logistical strain before even encountering the Northern Barbarian forces.

Therefore, Zhao Haiping led a hundred thousand cavalry, all equipped with the latest firearms from the Divine Machine Camp, with a single goal: to eliminate as much of the living force of the Northern Barbarians as possible.

Bringing tens of thousands of elite infantry would indeed increase the chances of victory, but that would slow down the march and add to logistical pressures. Besides, if the Northern Barbarian cavalry scattered, the infantry wouldn’t have a strong pursuit capability to further expand the victory.

Of course, this decision had its risks.

A hundred thousand elite cavalry was nearly half of the Central Plains dynasty’s entire strength—if they were to be wiped out, even if future rulers were wise and the country recuperated for a hundred years, they might not fully recover. And if there were incompetent rulers in the future, this failure could directly end the dynasty’s fate.

Still, this decision wasn’t particularly difficult for Zhao Haiping, after all, he could start over.

At this moment, Zhao Haiping’s view was filled with nothing but swirling sandstorms, and as for the so-called Northern Barbarian cavalry, he had not even caught a glimpse of their shadows.

"How long have you been marching in this frontier wilderness?"

A voice suddenly sounded in Zhao Haiping’s ear, giving him a start.

Turning his head, Zhao Haiping saw Chu Ge, Lu Heng, and Yun Ying hovering beside him like ghosts; clearly, Chu Ge was the one who had spoken.

"You... all cleared the instance?" Zhao Haiping instantly realized something.

Lu Heng nodded, "Yes, so we came to check your progress."

Zhao Haiping continued to look forward, "Well... according to the instance time, it’s been over two months."