Ming Dynasty: Summoning game players at the beginning

Chapter 259 Human Heart
The living should be rewarded and promoted, and the dead warriors should also participate in the "celebration".

"Mashed Potatoes" followed his master and merged into the moving crowd.

Under the protection of armed soldiers, the crowd maintained good order. Instead of heading to the large stage not far away, they walked straight to the outskirts of Liaoyang City several miles away.

A square stone tablet was erected there, with the inscription recording the time when Liaodong fell. After more than ten years of hard struggle, countless Ming soldiers and civilians finally successfully recovered the fallen land.

The bodies of the dead were buried one by one, with the dead in the same team lying close together, and their names were written on the tombstones half-buried in the ground.

Some of the dead were from Liaodong, and their families had long been killed by the Tartars. Some of the dead were left with only their comrades to attend their funerals. Others had both their families and comrades dead, and even their names were nicknames or derogatory names like "Goudan" and "Erwazi".

Perhaps they have been buried in the dust in history, but from today on, their names will be forever engraved on the tombstone, and will rest in peace with the country along with that square stone tablet.

More than ten small cannons of the same caliber were pushed to the side of the cemetery, with their muzzles pointed towards the distant north.

There was no funeral music, no gongs, only the sobbing sounds of some who heard it.

Even though Mashed Potato knew that this was a game, he couldn't help but be drawn into the extremely sad atmosphere, feeling a deep sense of sadness enveloping his arms.

She thought of the martyrs who died fighting for their country, and couldn't help but open her mouth to sob, but found that she was silenced, and she couldn't even move her body significantly.

As the sadness faded, Mashed Potatoes suddenly realized that he had entered a "cutscene" state where his body was stiff.

No wonder she couldn't hear the other players.

Luckily, I was dressed decently, but the other players were embarrassed.

Some wore revealing short layers in the middle of winter, as if they were about to participate in a winter swimming competition. Some were dressed in animal skins, looking like a Viking invasion, while others wore baggy wooden "armor" that made you think they were from a certain Hammer World.

You idiot players, could you please dress like a human during the cutscenes? You've ruined the atmosphere of the funeral.

"Close your eyes and let us mourn for the fallen warriors..."

An old man with a loud voice spoke loudly through the megaphone, and all the soldiers and civilians passed the words to each other, then closed their eyes and lowered their heads, recalling the past experiences of themselves and their families.

At the end of the moment of silence, a series of powerful military bugles sounded, and the officer commanding the gunners lowered his spear-like straight arms and said, "Salute to the fallen warriors!"

More than ten cannons fired at the same time, with a loud bang like thunder in a clear sky.

"Load!" The artillery officer's roar was as loud as ever.

The gunners were skilled and coordinated well. The loaders of each gun were like robots with pre-set programs, working in a methodical and uniform manner.

"Fire!"

The second round of salutes was fired, and the booming sound spread all around...

After several rounds of salutes, heavy baggage carts were towed over and the soldiers unloaded bags of food from the carts and handed them to the surviving families.

Although this pension was not calculated according to the Black Flag Battalion standards, 15 stone of grain was still distributed to each of the surviving families.

Since Liaodong had just been recovered and was still unstable, with many border fortresses still to be recaptured, production and commercial order were in chaos, so the pensions distributed were more inclined towards food in kind rather than silver and money.

If a soldier from the mainland died in battle, the Black Flag Battalion would also send the compensation back to his family.

If he really has no relatives, they will find a way to adopt an orphan for him to continue his family line.

The survivors who learned that their family members had died in the war did not grieve for long, as their life of slavery in Liaodong had long since taken away their emotional fluctuations.

Rather than drowning in the quagmire of sadness, they would rather collect food and face tomorrow step by step.

The players and soldiers attending the funeral nearby were silent, and the bereaved families were busy collecting food and returning home, but the onlookers further out found it very strange.

They thought that since the funeral was so grand, the deceased must be some generals or the trusted soldiers of the generals.

"I heard they weren't. They were just poor guys and pawns."

"Even a small soldier is treated so grandly? In the past, if a soldier died, the government would give him two taels of silver as a pension, which was considered a great honor."

"A relative of mine from Tunbu was a soldier who earned his keep. He was said to have died in battle against the Tartars, so he did contribute to the recovery of Liao."

"Even after his family died, he still had 20 dan of grain to take away. He also played music and fired cannons, which was so grand. Everyone who sees this stone tablet in the future will remember his name. His life was truly not in vain."

"Yes, I'm originally from Zhili. When a wealthy man in the village died and had a funeral, they hired some beggars to keep things going. They couldn't match the grandeur of these tough soldiers playing music and singing for you—look at their elite soldiers, wow, they stand as straight as trees, so majestic, and when they walk, their steps sound like steel rods hitting the ground."

"Is it true that only a few pawns died?"

"It's absolutely true! Look at those survivors who received food. They're all poor people wearing tattered clothes."

"That's true. I really don't understand these generals. Each of them gave out 20 shi. Many of them died. I wonder how many tens of thousands of shi they gave out. How much better it would be to keep tens of thousands of shi for themselves and live a life of luxury."

"It's just a way of winning people's hearts." An impoverished old scholar pointed out.

"So what if we buy people's hearts? It means they think highly of us and are willing to buy us off. The distribution of real food will help thousands of families survive, which is better than the previous situation where the government was stingy and didn't even bother to buy your hearts."

The people outside were arguing quietly, while the soldiers and civilians who had finished the funeral were gathering and moving towards the big stage outside the city.

The contributions of the dead are remembered forever, but the achievements of the living also need to be recognized.

The blue sky and white clouds are hidden behind the scenes, and the bright stars appear next.

More than ten bonfires around the stage were lit one by one, making the stage outside the city as bright as day.

There were rows of long tables filled with food and wine below the stage, and tens of thousands of selected Ming soldiers and players were sitting there.

Every warrior who accumulates high merit will be awarded corresponding silver and money.

If the soldiers stayed in Liaodong, they would be given more in-kind gifts; if they wanted to follow Li Mu back to the interior, they would be given more silver and money.

Looking at the rewards piled in their hands and at their feet, the Liao soldiers, auxiliary soldiers, and other Ming troops couldn't help but burst into tears.

The saying that hard work will be rewarded is just empty talk. It all depends on whether the superior has a conscience. Once you encounter a corrupt and bad master, you will not get any credit at all.

Today, Marshal Li will personally supervise the distribution of rewards, and everyone can get the share they deserve!

This is what it means to finally get some rain after a long drought.

Those who have made contributions will receive a silver commemorative medal, which will be awarded to them personally by Li Mu.

Surrounded by dozens of elite soldiers, Li Mu walked towards the stage with his head held high, and the sounds of bugles and war drums rang out.

The players in the audience, including "Mashed Potato", cast their gazes at him, while the soldiers on the stage waiting for the awards looked at Li Mu.

Many players and soldiers saw the ever-victorious General Li Mu up close for the first time.

Li Mu was taller than the average soldier. He wore a bright suit of armor and had several gold and silver medals hanging on his chest, as if he was born a noble.

With a tolerant expression on his face, he waved to the audience below and then nodded to the soldiers on the stage.

The soldiers were all captivated by a heartfelt admiration.

This is General Li who led them to defeat the main force of the Tartars!

He was so young and approachable, just like the tall and mighty boy next door who came to visit with gifts.

Without the command of an experienced and capable general, they would have no idea how many people they would have to sacrifice to win the victory, and they might even lose the decisive battle and become prisoners of the Tartars.

For example, the soldiers escorting the emperor, although they had tens of thousands of soldiers, suffered heavy losses due to their hasty attack and poor command. Tens of thousands of prisoners were massacred by the enemy on the eve of victory.

Thanks to Marshal Li, they were able to win the victory alive and get fair money and food rewards to change the lives of themselves and their families!
Although Marshal Li was a general who suppressed the bandits, he did not look down on these soldiers. He did not care about their status at all and personally pinned medals on them one by one.

Feeling the slight touch from Bie Zhang, the soldier suddenly felt a warm current flowing from his chest to his limbs, and his whole body was warm, enough to fight against the cold winter wind.

Tears welled up in his eyes, and he couldn't help but let out a low cry mixed with sobbing, "I will always be loyal to General Li!"

"I believe in your loyalty!" Li Mu patted the other's shoulder. The former was tall and more than half a head taller than the soldier.

The soldier felt a strong sense of happiness like the light of a bonfire, enveloping his heart and making him dizzy.

At this moment, even if Marshal Li asked him to follow and kill all the disloyal enemies, he would do it without hesitation.

When the medal awarding session for ordinary soldiers ended, the game players' top ten teams began to appear.

"Mashed Potatoes" was led to the long table of the Yulin Tea Party by the breakthrough hand.

Each player will cook their own ingredients for their own square table, and the Yulin Tea Party will be assigned to two tables.

Even Zhang Xianzhong, the nominal commander of the Beiwei Army, was sitting at the same table with the Yulin guildmates, causing Mashed Potato to exclaim inwardly—this is the "Marshal Zhang" who often appears in popular videos! He's actually an old guild friend of Master's!

Mashed Potatoes couldn't help but sigh, wondering what other surprises and secrets her master had hidden that she didn't know about.

Mashed Potato took the opportunity of her master introducing her to everyone to greet the guild members one by one and quickly sorted out the interpersonal relationships in the team.

Huang Zilong, Lu Xiaobu, Liu Changsheng, Ajie, the breakthrough player...

Among these people are funny people, funny people, funny military advisors, brave pioneers, experienced archers, and two chefs who are hidden from the public...

Zhang Xianzhong was one of the chefs, and he was a taciturn person who didn't like to talk much.

Mashed Potatoes greeted them one by one with a smile, then raised a glass of fruit wine and took a sip. It tasted really good.

"Let me tell you a secret, Zhang Xianzhong actually uses a girlish pink filter..." Jiang Xiaobai whispered in Mashed Potato's ear.

Mashed Potato was slightly stunned when he heard this, and then looked at Zhang Xianzhong with an expression of disbelief.

Although Mashed Potato is a newcomer, he also knows what the filter skins in the game are.

Not to mention the girly pink filter that even girls may not use.

The guy who is always quiet and appears as a cool guy in popular videos is actually a macho man who likes girly fans!
What a contrast!
This made Mashed Potatoes almost spit out the wine.

"Don't tell me I told you," Jiang Xiaobai said. "Zhang Xianzhong thought he was hiding it very secretly, and his cool and aloof persona was solid, but in fact, many people in the team knew about it."

"I understand, I understand." Mashed Potatoes nodded meaningfully, pursing his lips and making an expression as if he knew how to keep a secret.

Lively music suddenly started playing, and the loud host called out for the first team to come on stage—

"Hurry, hurry! The team settlement is about to begin!" Lu Xiaobu knocked on the wooden table and pointed at the stage with anticipation.

The first team was the "Warhammer Guild". Dozens of players wearing bulky "armor" stepped onto the stage, causing a group of ordinary people to let out surprised gasps. Following behind them was a group of "mortal auxiliary troops" in different costumes.

Some were wearing tight military uniforms, some were wearing "gas masks", and some were wearing "strange vests" that exposed their muscular bodies, holding two wooden modern rifles.

"If loyalty is not absolute, then it is absolutely disloyal!"

As the closing music of Sea of ​​Tranquility began to play, they walked from the back of the stage to the front, then stood at a 30-degree angle, their arms folded in a rather handsome manner, their proud expressions seeming to say—

Are you jealous, little guy?

The mortal auxiliary troops walked through the empty seats in front of the stage, holding wooden signs that recorded the honors the team had won so far.

Li Mu snapped his fingers, and many assistants came up to the stage carrying round plates containing medals and other small prizes. The precious custom-made COS costumes were handed over by Li Mu himself.

As for the system rewards, they are directly deposited into the player’s personal warehouse.

When the notification sound of the props arriving rang in their ears, dozens of strong men jumped three feet high with joy, "Great!"

The soldiers in the audience seemed particularly worried, fearing that dozens of "giant armored soldiers" would jump down and collapse the stage.

The second team was soon called to the stage.

These people were wearing thick cloaks that covered half of their bodies, looking like a group of mysterious and mysterious wizards.

"what!"

The captain suddenly shouted, and dozens of players grabbed their cloaks and threw them into the sky. Then they raised their long-handled "magic wands" and sprayed "small fireballs" into the sky, causing the soldiers to exclaim in surprise.

As if to dilute the panic brought by the "magic trick", dozens of people took out snacks and gift bags and threw them to the audience, just like a lively wedding scene, distributing gift bags to the guests to share the joy.

"Oh oh oh!" The soldiers' panic was instantly dispelled, and they either jumped up or squatted down to "grab" the small gifts thrown down from the stage.

Then dozens of players lit the two ends of the "magic wand" with torches and began to rapidly rotate the long pole with flames at both ends.

Dozens of flying wands were spinning faster and faster, like dazzling circles of fire.

Originally, the second team still had several parts to perform, but they were asked to leave early by the players in charge of security, saying that "the flames are too dangerous" and "don't burn the stage."

The wizard team was forced to leave the stage, growling unwillingly, "I'm not done yet!"

The third team seemed much more well-behaved. All members were dressed like Qin soldiers from the Warring States Period. They sang in experienced Qinqiang and danced rough but heroic Northwest folk dances.

As the team settled, the lively concert began.

Various musical instruments from ancient and modern times, both Chinese and foreign, played one after another, and fireworks exploded at the right time, bursting into colorful flowers in the air.

There was a bonfire burning nearby, and the joy of celebration could be heard around the stage. Mashed Potato looked at the wine glass in his hand, and suddenly he felt a sense of relaxation as if he was camping outdoors with his friends.

It was as if I was back in middle school, when I found joy in hardship. It was a lively party held by the boarding school on the eve of the National Day holiday.

All the teachers and students in the school sat in the playground, watching students performing their talents one after another on the big stage with flashing lights.

Fireworks were blooming overhead as she and her classmates sat in the audience, drinking drinks and eating snacks, feeling the happiness of the long vacation approaching little by little.

There are tears of sadness, laughter and joy, and it also reminds people of their school days...

Oops, oops.

Mashed Potatoes thought this was really bad. He had only been in the game for half a day, but he felt his body and mind were captured by this lively and heartwarming atmosphere.

This "crappy" game is really harmful. If she continues to be addicted to it, how can I take responsibility!
Even modern players cannot resist the "heart attack" strategy, let alone these generals and soldiers in ancient times.

A soldier, under the influence of alcohol and taking advantage of the atmosphere, raised his bowl and cup high in his hand and shouted as if swearing an oath. It was unclear whether this was a deliberate sting or he was expressing his true thoughts.

"I will always be loyal to Marshal Li!"

Others also echoed and raised their glasses to express their deep loyalty to Marshal Li in the distance.

If someone had not immediately stopped the treasonous words, I am afraid someone would have shouted the slogan "Long live Marshal Li!"

……

After the grand dinner, Chen Jinghe almost didn't sleep well the whole night. He was filled with a feeling that he didn't know whether it was fear or admiration.

Governor Li was trying to win over the hearts of the people, and even more so, he was trying to win over the hearts of the Liao army, undermine the Beiwei army, and even wanted to win over the hearts of the people.

Governor Li's method of winning people's hearts is more effective. Anyone who spends some time with him will be bewitched and won over.

Chen Jinghe boasted that he had seen the darkness of officialdom, and when he worked for the court, the only thing he had in mind was profit.

But the scene of burying the deceased moved him so much that he wanted to cry.

It was clearly just a simple process, and the amount of food distributed to the bereaved families wasn't much. The court also made it a practice to leave the names of meritorious warriors who died in battle in history...

But when combined in the hands of Governor Li, it produced a strange effect that was both unexpected and reasonable.

Chen Jinghe felt that Li Mu was standing for justice, suppressing the bandits, killing the captives, risking his life to rescue the emperor, and recovering Liaodong...

Anyone who had done all these things would be considered a hero, but Li Mu accomplished them all by himself.

When an upright hero attends a funeral and provides relief, others will feel that this is a sincere act and will allow them to focus on venting their emotions.

But if corrupt officials are not satisfied with exploiting the people on a regular basis and yet they organize a funeral, others will just think it is a show and be filled with disgust.

He couldn't help but sigh that Li Mu was so young, but his skills in psychological warfare were simply monstrous!

Although he had already defected to the Beiwei Army, he couldn't help but waver, as if he was about to be "bulled away".

If the Beiwei Army had not existed, he might have been willing to follow Governor Li in his campaigns, even if he was ultimately sentenced to death for his blind loyalty to the court.

But now he has defected to the Beiwei Army, and to General Zhang, General He and others, and can no longer "serve" two masters.

What's more, Governor Li is a "loyalist" who is loyal to the court, and the two sides are not of the same kind.

The territories around Liaodong have not yet been completely recovered, and the Korean Tartars still need to send troops to suppress them. It is estimated that it will take several months to stabilize Liaodong.

By the time Liaodong was stabilized, Governor Li had probably already "charmed" a large number of soldiers and civilians. Even if his Beiwei Army wanted to rebel, they could not get around this loyal minister who was loyal to the court.

While he has not yet dispatched troops to the surrounding areas, he wants to persuade the Beiwei Army commanders to make plans early, and it would be best to persuade Governor Li to return to the interior to avoid any further complications.

No!

Go visit Marshal Zhang now!
(End of this chapter)