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

"ah--!!!"

A deafening roar, completely unlike a human voice, suddenly erupted from the commander's tent of the Later Jin camp. The boundless pain and rage mixed in that voice sent chills down the spines of every battle-hardened Later Jin general outside the tent.

Inside the commander's tent, everything was in a mess.

On the expensive Persian carpet, bloodstains and ointment were mixed together. The low table, carved from a single piece of nanmu wood, was broken in two. Roasted lamb, fine wine, and fruit were scattered all over the floor, intertwined with congealed blood clots, emitting a strange and nauseating smell.

A searing pain, mixed with the bitterness of herbs and the stench of blood, yanked Amin out of the abyss of despair.

He sat up abruptly from the bed, his body wrapped in blood-soaked bandages, and shoved aside the shamanic healer who was chanting incantations beside his bed.

"roll!"

In his mind, the earth-shattering flames exploded again, followed by a feeling of weightlessness as his body was thrown into the air by a tremendous force...

He took flight.

The moment the thought crossed his mind, it transformed into boundless humiliation, searing his very core.

He, Aisin Gioro Amin, was actually sent flying to heaven by the sorcery of the Han dogs of the Southern Dynasty!

His small eyes, already not large, were now bloodshot and swollen, staring intently at the silent Jin generals in the tent.

Everyone whose gaze swept over him instinctively lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.

"who!"

Amin's voice was so hoarse it sounded like two rusty pieces of iron rubbing together, and every word seemed to be squeezed out of her throat.

"Out of ammunition and food?"

"Cannibalism?"

"Who the hell told me that Chu Ze has gone mad?!"

He walked barefoot, stepping on the debris and bloodstains on the ground, his bandages bleeding again from the exertion, but he was oblivious.

"This past month!"

"I'm asking you guys, what the hell has happened in the past month?!"

His roar shook the entire command tent. Those usually unruly banner chiefs and bannermen were now cowering like quails, not daring to even breathe.

They couldn't answer.

Because they also wanted to know what had happened in the past month. How did that city turn into a steel monster that preys on people?

The physical pain is nothing compared to the extreme humiliation of being fooled and crushed in spirit!

Finally, his cannibalistic gaze, like two red-hot iron hooks, swept over all the generals and nailed firmly to the corner of the tent.

Hu Yongqiang had been kneeling there ever since he returned. His Later Jin general's armor had long been stripped off, leaving him only in a thin undershirt. He was trembling like the last withered leaf in the autumn wind, his teeth chattering incessantly.

Amin walked step by step in front of him, and a huge shadow completely enveloped him.

Hu Yongqiang smelled a strong stench of blood. He looked up and met a pair of bloodshot, beast-like eyes.

"It's you."

Amin's voice was very soft, but it struck Hu Yongqiang like a thunderbolt.

"You're the one who told me that everything in the city is under our control."

"You're the one who told me that Chu Ze is just a monkey in a cage."

Amin slowly squatted down to meet Hu Yongqiang's gaze. The fat on Hu Yongqiang's face twitched, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"Now, tell me again..."

"What the hell kind of sorcery is going on in that city?!"

Hu Yongqiang shuddered violently, his body went limp, and his forehead slammed heavily against the cold carpet with a dull thud.

"This servant...this servant deserves to die! Your Highness, spare my life! This servant deserves to die!" He cried incoherently, his face covered in snot and tears.

"I don't want you dead!" Amin stepped off the bed, his tall figure casting a huge shadow that completely enveloped Hu Yongqiang. "I want you to tell me what kind of garbage your spies, your damned eagle, have been sending!"

"This servant...this servant knew nothing..." Hu Yongqiang cried his heart out, "The intelligence that was sent was obtained by our men in the city at the cost of their lives...Even if this servant had the greatest courage, he wouldn't dare to deceive Your Highness!"

"Bought with your life?" Amin let out a nervous chuckle. He bent down, grabbed Hu Yongqiang's hair, lifted his face off the ground, and forced him to look at him.

"Then let me ask you this: is a steel demon city that can rise from the ground in a month considered to be out of ammunition and supplies?!"

"Was that divine crossbow, capable of blowing a soldier's head off with a single arrow from two hundred paces away, created while they were starving?!"

"That red-coated cannon that could launch a thirty-pound iron lump three hundred paces and blast it into pieces—was it repaired by eating human flesh?!"

Every question from Amin was like a heavy hammer, striking Hu Yongqiang's heart, and also the hearts of all the Later Jin generals in the tent.

Yes.

This is completely inexplicable.

This has exceeded their entire understanding of war, and even of the world.

"Quickly!" Amin shoved Hu Yongqiang to the ground and roared towards the outside of the tent, "Go ask the spies in the city! Immediately! Right now! Use every means possible to find out what the hell happened in that city!!"

He desperately needed an explanation.

A reasonable explanation.

Otherwise, he felt he would really go insane. That gray, silent, ferocious monster had become his inner demon, haunting and roaring in his mind.

……

In stark contrast to the deathly silence and panic in the Later Jin camp, the walls of Guangning were now a sea of ​​revelry.

"Holy crap! He got away! That fat guy actually ran away!"

"What a pity! What a pity! Just a tiny bit short! That was the first kill of Prince Beile! How much merit would that have earned?"

"What a waste! Didn't you guys see that explosion? That fat guy took off! Hahaha! I recorded it! I'll upload it to the forum later!"

"The second battalion commander is awesome! That shot he fired made me climax on the spot! It felt so good!"

[Second Battalion Commander, your damn Italian cannon] was lifted high into the air by a group of players like a hero. He was still tightly gripping the fuse used to light the cannon, grinning like a 300-pound child.

After this battle, his title of "Guangning's No. 1 Gunner" was completely solidified.

On the other side, [One Arrow Through the Clouds] was surrounded by a group of archer players, enjoying the praise of "Eagle Eye". Although he failed to get the final BOSS's kill, that precise headshot from 200 paces away also made him a legend in the battle.

In Qian Lele's live stream, the barrage of comments completely flooded the screen.

【666666666! 】

[This will go down in history! This is absolutely the most classic boss battle opening in gaming history!]

[Takeoff! Prince Bellor learned to fly today! The space program is a great success!]

[A medical miracle! That last shot cured my years-long low blood pressure and cervical spondylosis!]

[Crazy! Crazy! Zoom in! Give me a close-up! I want to see Bei Lingfei's terrified expression! I want to make it into a GIF!]

Soon, an edited video was pushed to the top of the official forum of "Iron-Blooded Jiangshan" at lightning speed.

[Title: Budget Burning! Epic CGI! 4K High-Definition Remastered of "The Prince's First Flight"!]

[Content: Brothers! Enough talk, let's get straight to the video! From Brother Ying's fatal arrow to the Second Battalion Commander's world-destroying cannon! A visual feast! High-energy throughout! After watching, all I can say is, I'd think this game is a bargain even at 300 yuan! Chu Ze is awesome! I strongly demand a third closed beta test! I want to go in and fire the cannons!!!]

The video garnered over ten million views in just half an hour, and the comments section was filled with tens of thousands of posts. Countless casual gamers who missed out on beta testing were crying and lamenting in the comments section, crashing the official website's servers.

Amidst the jubilation, only one person stood out as an oddity.

Chu Ze stood atop the highest point of the city wall, the night wind ruffling the hem of his dark cloak. He did not join the players' revelry, but quietly gazed towards the direction of the Later Jin camp, where the chaos and fires could be faintly seen from miles away.

On his GM panel, the entire battle was recorded from the best possible perspective.

The disheveled state of Amin when he was thrown into the air, the horrific sight of the Bayara guards being torn apart by shrapnel, the expressions of fear and bewilderment on the survivors' faces... every detail is crystal clear.

Wang Han, the leader of the largest guild among the players, had his face flushed red as he pushed through the jubilant crowd and rushed to Chu Ze's side in a few steps.

He was so excited that he was almost incoherent, waving his arms and spitting almost onto Chu Ze's black cloak.

"General! General! What a great victory!"

"The Tartar commander, that fat guy named Amin, was completely stunned by our cannon fire! Their camp must be in complete chaos right now! Their morale has absolutely plummeted!"

Wang Han took a breath, his eyes gleaming with the light of "opportunity".

"General, give the order! Strike while the iron is hot! Let's organize a group of brothers, sneak over under cover of darkness, and launch a devastating attack from the center! We'll wipe out their base in one fell swoop!"

These words represent the sentiments of the vast majority of players on the city wall.

Beat the dog when it's down, press your advantage, gain experience, merit points, and equipment—that's the real thrill of the game! There are already tens of thousands of posts on the forums petitioning for a night raid!

However, Chu Ze, who was standing at the highest point of the city wall, did not even turn his head.

His gaze still pierced through the deep night, landing on the chaotic, flickering firelight several miles away.

The hustle and bustle behind him seemed to be a world away from him.

Only after Wang Han finished speaking and the excited players around him quieted down and looked expectantly at this main storyline boss did Chu Ze slowly turn around.

His face showed no joy of victory, but was as calm as a bottomless ancient well.

"Need not."

Two words, light and airy, yet like a bucket of ice water poured over the heads of all the excited players.

Need not?

Why?

Wang Han's excitement froze, and all the words he had in his mind got stuck in his throat.

Chu Ze raised his hand, not pointing to the enemy camp, but to Wang Han's chest.

"Wang Han, what use is a dead tiger except for skinning it?"

Wang Han subconsciously shook his head.

"But a badly injured tiger, terrified out of its wits, is very useful."

Chu Ze's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

"It will howl, it will bleed, and it will take everything it saw and felt here today back to its lair and tell every one of its companions."

"It will let its kind know that a hunter they cannot understand or defeat has come to this forest."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the bewildered and shocked faces of the players.

"This shot didn't kill Amin, but it revealed something more important than his life."

"Inner demons".

Chu Ze uttered those two words softly.

Wang Han felt a chill run down his spine from the soles of his feet to the top of his head!

Looking at the young guard in front of him, he realized for the first time that the main storyline boss's thinking had completely exceeded the comprehension of them, the players.

They were still thinking about how to kill monsters, get equipment, and get the first kill.

This "GM" is already plotting how to completely destroy a massive opposing faction from a psychological perspective.

"A commander who is arrogant and self-righteous, who looks down on everyone, is not far from his true collapse once he has something to hide and begins to doubt himself and everything he sees."

"From this day forward, he will see every one of his men as a spy."

"Every decision he makes is torn apart in his mind, and in the end he accomplishes nothing."

"Now, he's more anxious than we are."

Chu Ze withdrew his gaze and looked back at the distant night sky.

"And a restless beast is most likely to fall into the simplest of traps."

Chu Ze ignored Wang Han, who was lost in thought, and walked down the city wall, passing through the hustle and bustle.

"Su Zhuji, Qin Jue."

He called out softly in the direction of the garrison commander's residence.

The two people who had been waiting there immediately stepped out of the shadows and bowed.

"General."

Chu Ze did not stop and walked straight towards the deepest part of the mansion, to the heavily guarded secret room.

"It's time."

His voice echoed in the silent corridor, carrying a sense of finality, as if everything was coming to an end.

"Bring our 'guest' up here."

"Tell him that his master is waiting for his last letter."

……

The depths of the prison were cold, damp, and smelled musty.

The old Taoist priest who used to be so arrogant in the City God Temple was now curled up like a lump of mud in a corner covered with dry grass.

His Taoist robe had long been torn to shreds, replaced by a filthy prison uniform. His hair was a mess, his face was covered in grime, and his eyes, which once gleamed with ruthlessness and cunning, were now filled with empty fear.

This month felt longer to him than a year in hell.

He was imprisoned here, listening to the increasingly loud prison chants outside, and feeling the earth beneath his feet tremble more and more frequently each day.

He had no idea what was happening outside, and this unknown was more torturous than any form of torture.

Until this evening.