Late Ming Dynasty: Summoning players from Liaodong to support the Ming Dynasty

The night was as dark as ink, and the cold wind, carrying the lingering deathly atmosphere of the city, swept across everyone's face.

Inside the makeshift command post, the campfire flickered, casting a dim, almost supernatural light on the three-dimensional sand table on the wall.

Wang Erniu stood in the shadows of the corner, arms crossed, his bushy beard face filled with the tragic solemnity of someone heading to their execution.

Below the platform, a dozen or so "heavenly soldiers" were surrounding Wang Han, eagerly volunteering for battle. They were rubbing their hands together, as excited as a group of students about to rush into an internet cafe for a game, showing no trace of the solemnity before a major battle.

"Quiet!"

Wang Han cleared his throat and, in a flamboyant manner completely at odds with his image as a silver-armored young general in the game, tapped the still-glowing sand table, successfully drawing everyone's attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen, time is of the essence, so let's get to the point."

He pushed up his black-rimmed glasses and traced a smooth red line on the sand table with his fingertip.

"According to the 'official strategy guide' provided by the city lord, the enemy's supply camp appears to be heavily fortified, but in reality, it is full of loopholes."

His tone carried an air of confident mastery.

"My plan consists of three steps, which I call the 'mad dog' tactic."

Wang Erniu's eyelid twitched violently.

A mad dog? What kind of military strategy is this?

"First step, scout infiltration." Wang Han's gaze fell on Qin Jue, the black-clad player who was almost blending into the darkness in the corner.

"Brother Ying, your mission is the most crucial. Utilize our greatest advantage—unlimited respawns—to thoroughly clean up the entire camp, inch by inch! I need to know the location of every sentry post, the patrol rotation times, and even which officer in which tent is snoring!"

Qin Jue simply nodded slightly, without uttering a single unnecessary word.

He'd die, then return with the intelligence. To him, it was no different from running back to his corpse in a game—simple and efficient.

"Step two, bloom in the center!" Wang Han slapped Shi Dali hard on the shoulder.

"Meat Bro, you take five of your most fearless brothers and form a 'Kamikaze Special Attack Team'! Your mission isn't to kill, it's to create chaos! Charge to their supply depot as fast as you can, regardless of the cost, and throw all our incendiary bombs in! You're a sharp dagger, meant to pierce the enemy's heart!"

Upon hearing this, Shi Dali was so delighted that he clapped his large palms so hard that they made a loud thumping sound on his breastplate.

"Alright! Just you wait and see, guild master! I guarantee we'll blow them to smithereens!"

A suicidal charge? Isn't that exactly what he excels at!

"The third step is for the main force to reap the rewards." Wang Han's gaze swept over Xiao Ran, who was holding a long spear and had a cold and arrogant expression. "Once Brother Rou and the others have stirred up trouble and attracted everyone's attention, our main force will break in from here," he pointed to a fence marked as weakly defended on the sand table, "and head straight for the supplies to complete the final burning mission."

The whole plan was crazy, audacious, and full of illogical game-like thinking.

The players present were so excited that they couldn't wait to rush out and have a big battle.

"Bang!"

With a loud crash, Wang Erniu could no longer bear to listen. He slammed his fist on the wooden table next to him, and the already cracked table groaned as it collapsed.

"Nonsense! This is utter child's play!"

His large, round eyes were bloodshot with rage as he stared intently at Wang Han, his chest heaving violently.

"Scouts are the eyes and ears of the army! They're not expendable supplies to be sent to their deaths! How can we send our brothers to their deaths before the battle even begins?"

In his decades of military experience, every word about this plan was "stupid" and "absurd".

"And you!" He pointed at Shi Dali, his beard trembling with rage. "What do you think war is? Is it some kind of brawl between the thugs from your village? You think a few of you can storm a camp of thousands? You wouldn't even make a ripple; you'd be chopped into mincemeat!"

The players were stunned by his fierce aura and fell silent for a moment.

Wang Han remained unfazed; he adjusted his glasses and even gave a slight smile.

"Brother Niu, don't get agitated. I know this doesn't align with your military strategy. But times have changed."

He leaned closer to Wang Erniu, lowered his voice, and said, word by word, "We can be resurrected after we die. You can't."

"Using our advantage of not truly dying to ensure zero casualties among your 'precious fighting force'—that's a winning trade, isn't it?"

Wang Erniu was speechless after hearing his words.

He couldn't refute it because what the other person was saying was a fact he couldn't understand, yet had witnessed firsthand.

But he just couldn't accept it!

War is sacred, a baptism of blood and fire. Life is precious, even if you only have one.

The people in front of us are treating all of this like a game where we can reload our saves! This is a desecration of war and of all the fallen soldiers!

"I disagree!" Wang Erniu's attitude was absolutely firm. "This is playing with the lives of our brothers! I absolutely will not allow it!"

The dispute between the two parties quickly reached Chu Ze's ears.

Wang Erniu practically burst into Chu Ze's study. He knelt on one knee, his voice tinged with pleading.

"General! Please rescind the order! We can't let these madmen... we can't let these young men sacrifice themselves in vain! This humble general is willing to sign a military pledge: I will lead my personal guard and act according to military strategy. Although I am not entirely certain, I will surely burn some of their supplies!"

Chu Ze listened quietly without immediately expressing his opinion.

He waved for Wang Erniu to stand up, and then called Wang Han in as well.

The atmosphere in the study was somber.

On one side were the traditional generals, who were extremely anxious and thought this was a joke.

On one side are modern players who are full of confidence and believe this is the optimal solution.

Chu Ze's gaze swept across the two faces, finally settling on Wang Han.

He calmly asked a question.

How confident are you?

Wang Han pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting the candlelight.

"If the plan goes smoothly, it'll be 80% successful. Even if it fails, our people can bring back more accurate intelligence after they revive. In the worst-case scenario, we can still burn some of their supplies, and not a single 'person' will actually die."

Chu Ze fell silent.

He was weighing his options.

Wang Erniu's traditional tactics are safe, but inevitably result in heavy casualties and a low success rate.

Wang Han's player tactics are crazy, but they perfectly utilize the player's greatest advantage. If successful, it will be a great achievement.

This is not just a tactical choice, but also a choice of mindset.

The choice is to stick to the old ways, or to believe in this irrational "creativity" from another world.

Ultimately, he made a decision.

He turned to Wang Erniu, who was looking at him expectantly, hoping the general would adopt his prudent strategy.

However, Chu Ze's next words were like a heavy hammer, shattering all his hopes.

"Wang Erniu".

"Your subordinate is here!"

"Tonight, you are not the supervisor, but the assistant." Chu Ze's tone was devoid of any emotion. "All actions will be under Wang Han's command."

Wang Erniu was trembling violently; he simply couldn't believe his ears.

The general actually ordered his own captain of the personal guard to take orders from a mere brat.

"Your task," Chu Ze continued, "is to use your experience to make up for their shortcomings at crucial moments. And, protect yourself."

This decision left Wang Erniu completely stunned, his mind blank.

Wang Han felt an unprecedented pressure, but at the same time, he was also filled with immense excitement.

This main storyline boss, this faction leader NPC, actually placed such great trust in them!

This trust thrilled him more than any reward!

"Your subordinate... obeys!" Wang Han solemnly clasped his hands in a salute to Chu Ze.

Night finally enveloped Guangning completely.

Thirty miles away in the wilderness, a small team of more than thirty people lurked in the darkness like ghosts.

Dressed in all black, Qin Jue checked his last bit of equipment and gave Wang Han a simple but firm "OK" sign.

Then, without the slightest hesitation, he vanished silently into the boundless night.

Looking in the direction he left, Wang Erniu felt his worldview being repeatedly crushed.

Just a few minutes later.

A cold text message suddenly popped up in the team chat, instantly energizing all the players.

That message came from Qin Jue.

[Arrived at the camp's outskirts. There are sentries hidden behind two trees ahead. I'm off, brothers. Wait for my next life.]