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

It's almost midnight.

The night was as black as ink, splashing across the sky over Liaodong, not a single star could be seen.

The Later Jin camp, however, was as bright as day.

Huge bonfires roared in the center of the camp, licking at the darkness and sending billowing smoke and crackling sparks high into the air. Around the commander's tent, the boisterous revelry had vanished, replaced by a suffocating silence, like that of a wild beast before its hunt.

Five thousand of the most elite Bayara white-armored soldiers were sitting cross-legged around the campfire, performing the final pre-battle ritual.

They removed their outer heavy armor, leaving only close-fitting fur coats and their signature white-trimmed battle robes. Their muscular arms were tattooed with ferocious beast head totems. Large chunks of sizzling, roasted beef and mutton were distributed to each person, accompanied by the strongest liquor.

There was no conversation, only the sounds of tearing and swallowing, and the teeth-grinding "shh" sound of the whetstone scraping against the blade.

Every white-armored soldier wore a face etched with an almost numb, bloodthirsty glint. They were Amin's sharpest blades, the most fearless warriors of the Great Jin Kingdom. To them, sneaking through tunnels and launching surprise attacks were nothing more than another hunt for merit, slaves, and riches.

As for that eerie, greyish-white demon city, and those demonic cannons capable of launching people into the sky, they were long forgotten in the face of the irresistible allure of military merit and the prince's rage. Fear was suppressed by greed and fanaticism. They believed in their swords, in the Eternal Heaven, and even more so in the fact that no city wall could stop the advance of the Great Jin warriors.

Hu Yongqiang was also there.

He was assigned to be cannon fodder among five hundred Han soldiers, tasked with creating the biggest commotion at the North Gate. He wasn't given any beef or mutton, only some dry, hard jerky. He sat at the entrance of his tent, mechanically chewing, his eyes fixed on the white-armored soldiers who were feasting, his gaze flashing with jealousy and resentment.

He knew he was the one thrown out to draw fire. But he also knew it was his only way out. If the White-Armored Soldiers' surprise attack succeeded, his "feigned attack" would be enough to make amends and allow him to climb back to his original position.

The entire camp was taut like a bow about to be released, the killing intent almost solidified.

……

In stark contrast to the frenzied night before the Later Jin camp, Guangning City was now eerily "calm."

Aside from the necessary night watch troops, there were no other people on the city walls. Inside the city, most of the lights had already been extinguished, with only a few main roads and specific areas still lit by torches.

Having just finished a "fire safety renovation" during the day and completed all the preparatory tasks, the players entered a state of deep relaxation. They gathered in twos and threes in the temporarily opened "player square".

This place has become a bustling night market.

Some players spread out a cloth on the ground and displayed their "white-grade equipment" that they didn't need but couldn't bear to dismantle, trying to exchange it for a few copper coins or some merit points by hawking it.

"Take a look! A brand new sword, the same style as the one worn by Ejin of the Later Golden Bull Army. It's got a dull blade from cutting, but it can still be used after some repairs! Selling it cheap, I can get two meat buns for it!"

Several PvP enthusiasts were sparring with wooden swords in a designated open area. A crowd had gathered around, occasionally bursting into laughter and cheers, as if they were watching street performers.

Wang Han's guild went even further, booking out the largest tavern in the city to hold a "pre-battle mobilization meeting." The tavern was bustling with noise, and Shi Dali, the "Dominating Spear and Blocking Meat," was shirtless, standing on a table arm wrestling with someone. His muscles, comparable to those of a brown bear, gleamed in the firelight.

"Come on! Whoever beats me, Chairman Wang says he'll cover the drinks tonight!"

Qian Lele's live stream was still running. She was holding a homemade "torch selfie stick" and wandering around the night market, pointing the camera at the various strange and wonderful players.

"Family, did you see that? This is the nightlife of Guangning City. Doesn't it feel like Chinese New Year? Who would have thought we'd be facing an epic challenge tomorrow? Let me tell you, I just saw Dr. An. He and his team spent the whole night sharpening scalpels, saying they're hoping for booming business tomorrow..."

The live stream chat was filled with jubilation.

[Haha, this game is so realistic! You can even stroll through the night market before a battle?]

[This is called the calm before the storm; you wouldn't understand. Look at Boss Chu Ze, he's definitely strategizing and winning from afar!]

[You probably didn't see how outrageous that renovation task posted by the expert was! I feel like I'll never love civil engineering again!]

Most of the soldiers and civilians were already fast asleep, unaware that a bloody battle that would determine the fate of Guangning and even the entire Liaodong region was about to unfold under the heavy cover of night.

The mastermind behind all of this, Chu Ze, was neither at the garrison commander's mansion nor on the city wall.

He walked alone on the quiet street leading to the west of the city. The moonlight was obscured by thick clouds, and only the dim yellow light from the lantern he carried cast at his feet.

The surrounding noise was irrelevant to him, and the players' revelry seemed to exist in a different world. His consciousness had already sunk into the vast and boundless "Map of Mountains and Rivers" that only he could see.

In his "GM perspective," the entire city of Guangning was transformed into a three-dimensional model composed of countless data streams and rays of light. The vast warehouse district in the west of the city was marked with red lines, highlighting every detail.

He was like a meticulous programmer about to release a new version, conducting the final and most crucial bug check.

His "gaze" pierced through the warehouse's roof and walls, revealing the labyrinthine wooden partitions designed by Zhou Keke herself. The position of each partition and the width of each passageway had been meticulously calculated.

"Ignition device... is in place."

Directly above the exit of the secret passage, several bundles of hay soaked in coal tar and rosin were cleverly hung from the roof beams. A single spark could instantly turn them into a massive fireball, engulfing the entire exit area in flames and completely sealing off the enemy's retreat.

"Special combustion accelerant...evenly distributed."

The "homemade solidified gasoline" that Cheng Huaxue refined was packaged into individual ceramic jars and kept by a specially trained team of players. They lay in ambush at various key points in the maze. Their mission was not to kill, but simply to splash the black liquid from the jars onto designated areas at specific times.

"The flame passage...is unobstructed."

Zhou Keke's "chimney effect" ventilation openings are like silent, eerie eyes, waiting to devour the air and guide the flames in a predetermined direction. Once ignited, the violent airflow will fuel the fire, turning the entire warehouse area into a giant incinerator where one can enter but not leave in the shortest possible time.

"The assassination squad... is in ambush."

On the outskirts of the warehouse district, in that only open area offering escape from the inferno, Qin Jue and Xiao Ran, leading a group of top 100 PvP players, lurked like ghosts in the darkness. They were the last line of defense, reaping the "escaped fish."

Chu Ze's fingers slowly traced across the empty light screen, checking every detail and confirming every piece of data. His face showed no tension of impending battle, only an almost cold calm.

The war was over the moment Amin saw that "letter of surrender." All that remained was to carry out the procedures.

He snapped out of his reverie of the "Map of Mountains and Rivers," looked up, and saw the outer perimeter cordon of the western warehouse district not far ahead.

Squads of Ming soldiers, spears in hand, patrolled silently. The torchlight illuminated their young and resolute faces.

Su Qingying, accompanied by several clerks dressed in scholar's robes, was conducting a final inventory of supplies within the cordon. In the dim light, her delicate face appeared exceptionally serious with focused concentration. She was no longer the frail woman who needed protection; her every move exuded the competence and authority of a matriarch.

"General." Upon seeing Chu Ze approach, Su Qingying stopped her work and bowed. Her voice was soft, yet carried a convincing power.

"All materials unrelated to the 'plan' have been cleared and moved. Firebreaks have also been set up to ensure the fire does not spread to residential areas."

Chu Ze nodded without saying anything more.

On the other side, Wang Erniu, accompanied by a squad of personal guards, was warily watching the distance from a makeshift watchtower. The face covered with a thick beard no longer held the rejection and disdain he once had for the "heavenly soldiers."

He saw Chu Ze carrying a lantern, walking alone on the empty street; his figure looked somewhat frail in the night.

"General!" Wang Erniu bowed from afar, his voice still loud and clear, the sound echoing far and wide.

Chu Ze stopped and looked up at him.

"Don't worry, General!" Wang Erniu patted his chest armor, making a dull thud. "The 'Heavenly Soldiers' are all crouching low, each one of them sneaking around like a shadow, hiding better than rabbits! You didn't see it, but just now, two lads buried themselves in the sand to hide so well, only their eyes were sticking out, and they even had some grass stuck in their heads! My personal guards on patrol almost stepped on their faces!"

At this point, he couldn't help but chuckle, then said seriously, "However, these heavenly soldiers have incredibly sharp eyes. They know about any disturbance before anyone else."

He had grown accustomed to the players' unconventional fighting styles and began to try to understand and cooperate with them. Each of Chu Ze's victories reinforced his almost blind trust in this young commander.

Chu Ze did not stop; he continued forward, passing by the makeshift clinic.

The clinic was brightly lit.

Anji, the doctor who always looked like he hadn't slept, was wearing a pair of self-made crystal monocles and, under a bright oil lamp, slowly and meticulously wiping a scalpel as thin as a willow leaf with a piece of fine linen cloth.

The blade reflected a cold light.

The air was filled with a strong herbal scent, mixed with a faint smell of alcohol.

Several player assistants, also dressed in white coats, were neatly arranging rolls of snow-white linen bandages and jars of ointments of various colors on long tables pieced together, their movements practiced as if they were preparing a banquet.

Seeing Chu Ze stop at the door, An Ji looked up from behind his monocle, shrugged at him, and said with a unique kind of dark humor, "Boss, everything is ready, just waiting for the feast to begin."

He raised the gleaming scalpel in his hand, examined it under the light, and seemed quite satisfied with the blade.

"Business should be good tonight. I hope to get a few more lively test subjects so I can properly study the clinical treatment of large-area burns. That guy with 30% burns last time was too fragile."

A player assistant next to him, whose ID was "[I'm Not a Quack Doctor]", was writing furiously. Hearing this, he looked up excitedly and added, "Don't worry, boss! The live stream is all set up. The title is 'Battlefield First Aid Log: From Beginner to Amputation,' and I guarantee I'll film the entire surgical process clearly!"

This relaxed attitude, where players disregard life and death, seems to ease the tension that precedes a major battle.

Chu Ze didn't laugh, but just gave An Ji a "whatever" look before turning and leaving.

He climbed step by step to the tallest clock tower in the west of the city.

This is one of the highest points in the entire city of Guangning, and also the "director's seat" for tonight's grand spectacle.

A cold wind whistled past his ears, making the hem of his dark clothes flutter. He looked down at the warehouse district shrouded in darkness, which resembled a silent prehistoric beast, lying prone on the ground, its abyss-like, deadly maw open, quietly waiting for its prey.

woo-

woo-

woo-

Just then, from the distant direction of the North Gate, three muffled and urgent horn sounds faintly drifted over.

It shattered the tranquility of the night.

The feint attack has begun.

The dull blast of the horn seemed to tear open the first crack in the night sky. Immediately afterward, deafening shouts of battle and the rumble of war drums rolled in from the direction of the north gate. The flames that shot into the sky turned that area of ​​the sky into a restless, dark red.

The sounds were a jumble of noises, including the primitive roars of the Later Jin barbarians and strange howls contributed by the players, mixed with various dialects and internet memes, all combined into a cacophony that no normal general could understand.

The wind howled atop the clock tower.

Chu Ze remained oblivious to the earth-shattering commotion to the north, as if it were nothing more than a farce that had nothing to do with him.

He slowly raised the brass monocular telescope in his hand.

Even through the leather gloves, the cold metal sent a chill through him. His arm was as steady as a rock, and instead of pointing the scope at the towering flames of the north gate, it pointed towards the desolate warehouse district in the west of the city, shrouded in heavy darkness.

There, it was pitch black, like the open mouth of a giant beast.

"General..."

Behind him, the guard holding the command flag couldn't help but speak, his voice trembling slightly in the cold wind. His young face was full of tension and confusion, and his gaze involuntarily drifted towards the chaotic battlefield at the north gate. His fingers gripping the flagpole were so tight that his knuckles turned white.

"The shows there aren't lively enough."

Chu Ze did not turn around; his eyes remained glued to the binoculars, and the words he uttered were clear yet cold.

He wasn't looking at the ground, but at the rooftops of that warehouse area.

He is waiting.

He was waiting for a signal, a signal that only he knew.

The guard was momentarily speechless, not daring to ask any more questions, and could only fix his gaze on the overly calm back of his commander. He felt that the air in the clock tower was colder than the winter in Liaodong.

Time slips away, bit by bit.

The shouts of battle at the North Gate grew louder and louder, and the flames could even illuminate the high-rise buildings in the city center.

Finally, Chu Ze put down the binoculars.

He turned around, the night wind ruffling his dark cloak, revealing a face whose expression was obscured in the dim light, except for a pair of eyes that shone frighteningly brightly.

"Get ready."