Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 261 - 205: Adaptation

Chapter 261: Chapter 205: Adaptation

"Disarm."

Two long spears blocked Li Hongyun’s path.

Li Hongyun glanced at General Chen Shilong by his side, they nodded to each other, and then each of the fifty-plus brave warriors dismounted.

"Hand over your weapons."

The soldier stopping them spoke again.

Li Hongyun’s brow furrowed involuntarily. This was not how he had anticipated things going.

They hadn’t even met Ma Anbang yet. There was dismounting and handing over weapons; would they even be able to capture anyone later?

Furthermore, this was a military camp of fifty thousand, sprawling over a considerable area. Ma Anbang, as the commander, surely would not trouble himself by coming out to meet them.

Meeting Ma Anbang meant that they had to penetrate deeply into the camp; without their weapons or horses, even if they captured Ma Anbang, how could they possibly escape?

It seemed that neither Ma Anbang nor his soldiers were fools.

Under optimal conditions, Ma Anbang would have come out to meet them himself. Then, it would have been simple: they could have slaughtered Ma Anbang’s personal guard, captured him, and fled.

But the situation was far from ideal.

They would have to venture deep into enemy territory to see Ma Anbang and, if they wanted to keep their weapons, they’d need a plan.

Everyone looked to Li Hongyun, waiting for him to decide.

Li Hongyun swiftly formed a plan, pretended he hadn’t heard the command, and continued to lead his horse, intending to force his way through the soldiers.

Of course, the two soldiers were not pleased and tightened their grips on their spears: "Didn’t you hear? Hand over your weapons!"

But as soon as they finished speaking, the man Li Hongyun was pretending to be, Yu Jiaxuan, had already leapt forward and kicked them both to the ground.

"How dare you!"

"Impudent!"

There were quite a few of Ma Anbang’s soldiers nearby, and seeing this, they immediately closed in with swords drawn.

The sharp sound of metal on metal clanged incessantly in their ears!

The atmosphere on the field became immediately tense and combative, as if they were moments away from a fight.

Those who had come with Li Hongyun were also tense, their hands on the hilts of their swords, and they looked forward perplexedly at Yu Jiaxuan in front of them.

What was he planning to do? Hadn’t they agreed on a scheme that involved outsmarting the enemy?

Now if a real fight broke out, they might indeed be able to fight their way out, but the plan to capture Ma Anbang would be completely ruined.

The fight was ready to erupt at any moment, and everyone was waiting for Li Hongyun’s reaction.

Surprisingly, Li Hongyun neither drew his sword to join the fray nor showed any sign of cowardice; instead, he directly cursed the two soldiers out loud.

"You two curs, who gave you the gall to speak to our General Chen like this?

"Our General Chen is a distinguished guest of Ma Governor, offend General Chen, and you haven’t got enough heads to chop off!"

Li Hongyun’s righteous scolding stunned Ma Anbang’s subordinates.

He vividly demonstrated that as long as one appears righteous and bold, the other side can be taken aback by the realization that they are actually at fault.

At this moment, Li Hongyun, embodying the spirit of an academy award-winning actor, completely bewildered the foot soldiers in front of him.

Who exactly were these people?

They had been reported as "old friends of Ma Governor," and the fact that Ma Governor had agreed to meet them at least indicated they knew each other.

For safety reasons, it was certain that the visitors should disarm before entering, but if they truly were friends of Ma Governor and a conflict ensued...

Most likely, Ma Anbang would kill these few soldiers in anger on behalf of his friends, a highly probable outcome.

So these soldiers hesitated. It was just a matter of watching the gate, and it seemed hardly their place to bear such responsibility.

While these soldiers hesitated, the man Li Hongyun was impersonating, Yu Jiaxuan, had already squeezed through, with General Chen Shilong and the others promptly following, entering the camp’s interior, horses and weapons in tow.

A leader-looking figure felt something amiss, but did not dare to stop them again.

However, just as Li Hongyun thought his plan was successful, he didn’t anticipate that the commotion had attracted two Deputy Generals.

"What’s going on?"

The two Deputy Generals, with somber faces, stopped Li Hongyun and his party once again.

"Reporting to the General..." A soldier quickly gave a report.

Upon hearing these were guests of Ma Anbang, the two Deputy Generals also felt the situation was tricky.

One of the Deputy Generals, with a slightly friendly demeanor, deliberated his words and said, "Gentlemen, there are rules in the military. Bringing weapons inside is, I’m afraid, against regulations..."

Although his tone was softened, his stance remained firm.

Li Hongyun paused for a moment, "In that case, General, we will take our leave now and return another day to visit Ma Governor."

The genial Deputy General was taken aback; driving away Ma Governor’s esteemed guests would be an unforgivable offense!

He hurried to say, "Please, gentlemen, don’t be hasty, don’t be hasty! Otherwise, let me consult with Lord Governor and then..."

Li Hongyun turned his head, pretending to leave.

He was well aware that this was not the time to show weakness. Once they surrendered their weapons, the whole plan to capture Ma Anbang would be wasted. Even if they succeeded in taking him with bare fists, how would they escape the camp afterward?

So, it was a matter of who was more obstinate. Seeing that the Deputy General was already softening his stance, continued pressure would likely make him step down, just like the gatekeeping soldiers.

To Li Hongyun’s surprise, the other Deputy General who had been silent spoke up.

"If you are indeed esteemed guests of Lord Governor, why then do you so strongly resist surrendering your weapons? Could it be you harbour ill intentions?"