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

Upon hearing this, Wang Han's mind, clouded by anger, instantly cleared.

He suddenly looked up at Chu Ze's calm profile, and a chill ran from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

Yes!

What will happen to a defeated general who has been crippled in martial arts and has personally killed his loyal subordinate, after he escapes back to Amin's camp?

Would Amin, with her tyrannical and protective nature, believe any of Hu Yongqiang's explanations?

He would only think that Hu Yongqiang's incompetence and cowardice had killed the warriors of Dajin!

In order to save his life, Hu Yongqiang will inevitably try his best to shift the blame and put all the responsibility on others.

Suspicion, doubt, anger...

A perfectly crafted nail, coated with deadly poison, was personally delivered back to the Later Jin camp by Chu Ze.

This is a hundred times smarter and a hundred times more vicious than killing Hu Yongqiang!

Having figured this out, when Wang Han looked at Chu Ze again, his emotion had changed from simple awe to an almost fanatical worship.

This main antagonist calculated every step of his plan to the fifth level that others couldn't see!

Just then, a series of chaotic and heavy footsteps came from below the city.

Wang Erniu arrived with a group of players who had "finished their act" at the South Gate, cursing and swearing.

"General! Those bastards at the South Gate escaped! Damn it, we spent ages throwing excrement and only killed less than thirty. Not enough!"

Wang Erniu roared as he strode up the wall.

But when he saw the scene inside the West Gate, his loud voice came to an abrupt halt.

Dead body.

The ground was littered with corpses.

Soldiers of the Han Army Banner lay scattered in various corners of the cement maze, their deaths gruesome, their blood flowing like a river.

The air was filled with an overwhelming, pungent smell of blood, mixed with the acrid stench of burning kerosene, so strong it was nauseating.

The gray maze, which he had dismissed as "child's play" during the day and which was still under construction, had now become a veritable slaughterhouse.

Wang Erniu stood there dumbfounded, staring at the scene of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, then at the "heavenly soldiers" who were excitedly groping through the bodies. His mind completely went blank.

He finally understood how meticulous Chu Ze's plan was.

He finally understood just how terrifying the fighting power of these fearless "heavenly soldiers" could be in such a killing field tailor-made for them!

Compared to this, the feces-throwing battle at the South Gate is like children playing house!

The immense visual impact and cognitive upheaval left this traditional Liaodong veteran speechless for a long time.

Chu Ze ignored his shock. He looked around at the players who were excited about "looting" and the Guangning garrison who were in high spirits because of their victory. He cleared his throat and his voice echoed throughout the entire wall.

"In the ambush at Ximen, all 500 enemy soldiers were annihilated; our army achieved a great victory!"

After a brief silence, a thunderous cheer erupted from the top of the wall!

"We won! We won!"

"General Chu is mighty!"

"The heavenly soldiers are mighty!"

Both players and NPC soldiers were immersed in the immense joy of victory. Guangning City had never experienced such a resounding victory since its siege!

Chu Ze raised his hand, silencing the noise.

He didn't delay. He knew that for these players, the most practical things would always be more effective in uniting them than any empty slogans.

"Reward those who have made contributions!"

Those four simple words made all the players' breathing quicken instantly.

In front of everyone, Chu Ze slowly raised his right hand.

Golden light flowed from his palm, converging in front of him to form a huge, semi-transparent virtual light screen that only players could see.

That's the GM-level backend interface!

Countless complex data streams flashed rapidly across the light screen, eventually settling on a module called "Merit Points Distribution".

Without the slightest hesitation, Chu Ze directly converted the spiritual energy he had accumulated from this battle, as well as all the spiritual energy he had stored, into an astronomical amount of merit points and injected it into the total prize pool.

Then he began to read aloud.

"The commander-in-chief for this operation is 'The King of Liver'!"

Wang Han was startled and immediately stepped forward, kneeling on one knee.

"Wang Han, your foresight and assistance in setting up the ambush at Ximen are truly outstanding! Reward: 10,000 merit points! Reward: One [Commander's Token]!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a dazzling golden light descended from the sky, instantly enveloping Wang Han!

Wang Han felt the merit points on his player panel jumping wildly, instantly increasing by 10,000 points!

At the same time, an ancient bronze token engraved with a tiger totem appeared in his backpack.

[The Commander's Token]

[Type: Special Jewelry (Unique)]

[Quality: Legendary]

[Effect: When wearing this item, all members of your team (up to 100 people) will receive a +10 morale boost and a slight increase to all attributes.]

[Description: This is the best reward for an outstanding commander.]

Wang Han's heart pounded as he looked at the attributes of the token!

This is no token of trust, it's a divine artifact!

"Thank you, General!" He shouted these two words with all his might, his voice filled with ecstasy and excitement.

The surrounding players cast envious, jealous, and hateful glances at them.

"Holy crap! 10,000 merit points! And a legendary accessory! Guild Leader Wang's really off the charts!"

"Damn it, comparing yourself to others is just awful. I work myself to the bone and only get a few hundred points."

Chu Ze did not stop.

"Xiao Ran, the 'Crimson Phoenix'; Qin Jue, the 'Shadow Meteor'; and Shi Dali, the 'Dominating Spear Blocking Flesh'!"

The three immediately stepped forward.

"The three of you, in the maze-like alleyway battle, led the charge and killed the most enemies! Each of you is awarded 5,000 merit points! And bestowed with the title—【Westgate Hunter】!"

[Westgate Hunter (Title): In close-quarters combat or complex terrain, your attack speed and critical strike chance are slightly increased.]

"Zhou Keke, the 'Civil Engineering Dog'!"

Zhou Keke, who was squatting in the corner examining whether the wall structure had been damaged in the battle, was pushed by a player next to her. Only then did she realize what was happening and quickly stood up.

"Your cement maze design was the key to this great victory! The 'Masterful Construction Team' is awarded 20,000 collective merit points! You can distribute them as you see fit! And the team achievement is bestowed upon them—'Masterful Construction'!"

[Masterful Craftsmanship (Collective Achievement): Your team receives a slight bonus to construction speed and sturdiness when engaging in building activities.]

Zhou Keke's face flushed instantly. She hadn't expected that she and her team would receive such a generous reward. After stammering for a while, she finally managed to squeeze out, "Thank... thank you, General..."

"I'm a Little Colorful Kitten, Qian Lele!"

Qian Lele was holding up her live-streaming equipment when she heard her name called, and she jumped up excitedly.

"arrive!"

"Your recording of the battle situation, your promotion of our military prestige, and your blunting of the enemy's momentum are all great achievements! You are awarded 3,000 merit points! You are bestowed the title—[War Correspondent]!"

[War Correspondent (title): When you are live streaming or recording, you have a certain chance of capturing a "decisive moment," increasing the reach and impact of your videos.]

Qian Lele was overjoyed at the bizarre title and immediately performed a 360-degree Thomas-style thank-you for Chu Ze in the live stream.

[Hahaha! This nickname "Colorful Cat" is amazing! The GM really knows how to stream!]

This game is so user-friendly! They even reward people for doing funny things during livestreams!

The bestowal of rewards continues.

All players who participated in the West Gate ambush received between several hundred and several thousand merit points based on their contributions in the battle.

Those players who participated in the "feces-throwing battle" at the South Gate also received the "feces-stirring medal" and a consolation prize of 300 merit points for successfully holding back the enemy's main force.

For a time, the entire West Gate wall was filled with cheers from players celebrating their newfound merits.

"I'm rich! I'm rich! I can finally get a new set of Hundred-Refined Steel Armor!"

"Look! I found a chainmail armor, blue quality! These Han Bannermen are better equipped than the real Tartars!"

"Haha, this broadsword has pretty good stats, Meat Bro, I'll sell it to you for a friend's price of 500 merit points!"

Players were immersed in the immense joy of looting and dividing the spoils, and the entire battlefield was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

The NPC soldiers of Guangning City and the civilians who rushed over upon hearing the news looked at this magical scene with nothing but awe and worship in their eyes.

They looked at the mountains of weapons and armor, at the cheering "heavenly soldiers" who seemed utterly fearless of death, and then at the young general standing atop the wall who, with just a few words, could summon golden light from the heavens to bestow titles upon the "heavenly soldiers."

A thought took root and sprouted in the hearts of all the native NPCs.

This group of people is truly heavenly soldiers sent down to save Guangning!

General Chu Ze is the true Son of Heaven who can command the heavenly army!

At this moment, the morale of the military and the people reached an unprecedented peak.

Amidst the jubilation, Chu Ze's gaze passed over the reveling crowd and landed on two people.

One of them was Su Qingying, who was holding a small notebook and quickly jotting something down, trying to include all the spoils of war in her tally.

The other was Li Xunyi, an old scholar who was being supported by Wang Erniu and watched this "immoral" "spoiling meeting" with his beard trembling with anger, yet unable to refute the fact that the soldiers had made real contributions to the war.

Chu Ze waved to the two of them.

Su Qingying and Li Xunyi quickly made their way through the crowd to Chu Ze.

"General."

"Why does the general summon this old man?"

Chu Ze pointed to the mountain of spoils on the ground, and then to the few Han soldiers who had completely collapsed, kneeling on the ground with empty eyes in the corner.

He issued new orders.

"Master Su, you are responsible for counting and storing these spoils of war, and registering them. Food, clothing, supplies, weapons, and armor must be categorized accurately."

Su Qingying's eyes lit up instantly; she loved dealing with these cold numbers and supplies.

"Yes, General!" She bowed solemnly, her frail body bursting with astonishing vigor.

Then, Chu Ze turned to Li Xunyi.

The old scholar was still heartbroken by the "unjust act" of those players scrambling for loot, feeling it was a disgrace to scholarship.

Chu Ze looked at him and spoke slowly.

"Mr. Li, these people," he said, pointing to the surrendered soldiers, "I want you to be in charge of interrogating them."

"Interrogation?" Li Xunyi was taken aback. "General, rest assured, I will definitely find out everything about the Later Jin camp!"

"No." Chu Ze shook his head. "Interrogation is only one aspect."

"I also need you to take charge of 'educating' them."

"Education?" Li Xunyi was even more confused.

Chu Ze looked at the few surrendered soldiers who had lost all hope, and at the Ming army's standard inner armor they wore, his voice devoid of any emotion.

"I want you to tell them what is right and what is wrong. What is Chinese and what is barbarian. What is loyalty and what is treachery."

"I want you to dig out their rotten hearts, wash them clean, and put them back."

"I want them to become human again."

Li Xunyi was shocked. He stared blankly at Chu Ze, his old eyes, which were always filled with worry and scrutiny, were filled with immense shock for the first time.

This is no longer a simple interrogation.

This is... destroying the spirit, and then... reshaping it.

This is a thousand times, ten thousand times more difficult than simply teaching and nurturing students!

But an unprecedented sense of mission to benefit the world and its people instantly ignited his long-dormant heart.

"This old man...this old man obeys the order!" Li Xunyi bowed deeply and solemnly to Chu Ze.

After arranging everything, Chu Ze once again turned his gaze to the boundless darkness outside the city.

The victory at Ximen was just the beginning.

He looked at the spiritual energy on the map of mountains and rivers, which had surged dramatically due to the great victory, and then at the still stretched troop strength and supplies in Guangning City.

He muttered to himself, a hint of urgency in his voice.

"We still don't have enough manpower."