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

The torrent of defeat of the Later Jin army eventually disappeared into the endless darkness of the north.

Guangning City, after months of deathly silence, has finally come back to life.

When the retreat horn was confirmed, and when the last Later Jin soldier's figure disappeared on the horizon outside the city, the suppressed emotions, like a volcanic eruption, instantly swept over the entire city.

"We won!"

It's unclear who shouted this first, but it was followed by a thunderous roar of cheers.

"We won! The Tartars ran away!"

On the city wall, the surviving Ming soldiers threw their spears, swords, and even helmets into the air. They hugged each other, jumping and leaping. Many of them laughed and then tears streamed down their faces without warning. Finally, they squatted on the ground, buried their heads in their hands, and let out a series of suppressed sobs to release all the fear and despair that had accumulated over this period.

The players' behavior was more direct and wild.

Shi Dali lifted Wang Han high above his head, as if showing off his spoils, and roared at the top of his lungs, "President! Did you see that? Following the General is fucking awesome! This is a million times more exciting than playing any VR game!"

Lifted into the air, Wang Han danced with excitement, abandoning all pretense of being a guild leader, and shouted exhilaratingly, "Don't just stand there! Take screenshots! Record videos! Post them on the forum! The title will be—'An Epic Victory! I, Wang Han, Personally Experienced the Relief of Guangning!'"

In Qian Lele's live stream, the chat was already flooded with "Victory" and "Chu Ze is awesome". She herself forgot that she was still live streaming. She just held up that simple selfie stick and screamed and jumped with the crowd. Her pretty face was full of tears and cigarette ash, but she smiled like a child.

The people inside the city also poured out of their hiding places. At first they were cautious, but once they confirmed that the Tartars had really retreated, the whole street was in an uproar.

The women brought out the last grains of rice they had left to make hot porridge, and the children carried earthenware pots filled with boiling water, insisting on stuffing them into the hands of every soldier and "heavenly soldier" who came down from the city wall.

"Sir, have some water!"

"My lord, have a pancake! It's freshly made!"

An old man, trembling, walked up to a group of players who were boasting about their victories. Without a word, he knelt down with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly, muttering, "A divine being... a divine soldier descended from the heavens... saving the lives of everyone in Guangning!"

Several players were immediately stunned, frantically trying to help him up, shouting, "Hey, hey, grandpa, what are you doing? Don't! You can't do that! This is a game, a game... this is a bug, it will deduct our merit points!"

These absurd scenes unfolded in every corner of Guangning City.

Standing on the crenellations of the south city wall, Wang Erniu looked at the chaotic camp left behind by the fleeing Tartars outside the city, and then at the "heavenly soldiers" inside the city, celebrating with the people in a completely different manner. Tears streamed down his thick-bearded face. He thought of his brothers who had died in battle, of the torment of the past month, and even more so of the young figure on the bell tower who remained eerily calm.

He turned around, facing the city center, his knees buckled, and he knelt down heavily, his head pounding against the cold city bricks.

Not far away, Li Xunyi, leaning on his cane, gazed at the scene of jubilation and triumph after the catastrophe, his white beard trembling in the cold wind. His cloudy old eyes were brimming with tears. He leaned against the wall, standing against the wind, and recited aloud in a chanting, tearful tone:

"The Jurchen invaders are overwhelming, besieging the city for over a month, with Guangning hanging by a thread. The general strategized brilliantly, and the heavenly troops were invincible! A single torch burned down ten thousand enemy tents, and the entire army was wiped out of armor and weapons! This was not due to human effort, but to the will of Heaven, the great achievement of Guangning's reconstruction!"

……

Three days later.

The huge square in front of the Guangning City garrison commander's mansion was packed with people.

An unprecedentedly grand celebration and award ceremony was being held here. Chu Ze ordered his men to dismantle some of the damaged buildings and use the cleared bricks, stones, and timber to build a ten-foot-high platform.

He stood calmly on the high platform, dressed in a black robe with a qilin design and a long sword at his waist. Su Qingying, in a blue scholar's skirt, stood to one side, holding a list of names filled with titles and honors. Below the platform were thousands of players, thousands of Ming soldiers, and tens of thousands of Guangning civilians who had come spontaneously.

All eyes were focused on that young yet dignified figure.

"In this battle, Guangning's survival is Guangning's achievement; in this battle, Guangning's victory is everyone's achievement!"

Chu Ze's voice wasn't loud, but it was clearly transmitted throughout the entire square through a makeshift megaphone made of rolled-up sheet metal by several of his personal guards.

"Reward those who have made contributions!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the entire square was instantly ignited!

"Summon Wang Han to come forward and receive his title!" Su Qingying's clear voice rang out.

Wang Han straightened his brand-new silver armor, and under the envious and jealous gazes of the players, he strode confidently onto the platform, knelt on one knee, and clasped his hands in a salute.

"Wang Han, in the ambush at Ximen, you made excellent overall plans and commanded effectively, luring the enemy deep into your territory. Your merit is paramount!" Chu Ze personally took a bronze tiger tally and a letter of appointment from Su Qingying.

"Today, I hereby appoint you as [Valiant Colonel], to lead the Chosen Ones in the defense of Guangning City! You are granted 80,000 merit points!"

Valiant Captain!

NPC official positions!

For a moment, all the players below the stage held their breath, followed by a deafening roar!

"Holy crap! They gave him an official position?!"

"Captain, huh? From now on, when he sees Chairman Wang, does that mean he has to call him Captain Wang?"

"Eighty thousand merit points... How many Tartars would I have to kill to accumulate that many! Comparison is the thief of joy!"

Wang Han was stunned. He took the heavy tiger tally, feeling its cold texture, and a surge of heat rushed to his head. This was no longer a simple game reward; it was a real, recognized identity by the world!

"Thank you, General!" He shouted these three words with all his might.

The bestowal of rewards continues.

"Announce this: Zhou Keke, Gongshu Ban, Cheng Huaxue, and Tian Qianhe, step forward to receive your titles!"

Surrounded by the cheers and jeers of the players, the four "technical talents" walked somewhat embarrassedly onto the platform. Zhou Keke was still wearing her dusty work clothes, Gongshu Ban's face was still smeared with machine oil, and Cheng Huaxue's fingernails still had yellow sulfur residue.

Chu Ze's gaze swept over the four people, and a genuine expression of approval appeared on his face.

"Guangning's strength lies in its fortified city walls; Guangning's sharpness lies in its powerful weapons; Guangning's might lies in its fierce fires; Guangning's foundation lies in its agriculture."

"You four, with your 'extraordinary skills and ingenious tricks,' have accomplished a great feat that benefits the country and its people!"

Upon hearing this, the local gentry, led by Li Xunyi, paled. Granting official positions through extraordinary skills and tricks? Unheard of! This was simply… a violation of the teachings of the sages!

However, Chu Ze's next words silenced all their doubts.

"After discussions with Mr. Li, I have decided to establish four offices in Guangning!"

"Zhou Keke is hereby appointed as the [Ambassador of the Construction Department of the Ministry of Works], in charge of city construction and road repairs!"

"Feng Gongshu Ban, appoint him as the [Grand Master of the Ordnance Bureau], responsible for the research and development of military equipment and the forging of armor!"

"Feng Chenghuaxue is appointed as the [Ambassador of the Gunpowder Bureau], in charge of gunpowder preparation and the development of fire-making equipment!"

"Feng Tianqianhe has been appointed as the [Ambassador of the Land Reclamation Bureau], in charge of land reclamation outside the city and the cultivation and promotion of high-yield crops!"

"Each of the four men is awarded 50,000 merits!"

The entire square fell completely silent.

All the NPCs, officers and civilians alike, stared at the four seemingly bewildered young men on the stage with the look of utter disbelief. Construction, weaponry, gunpowder, land reclamation… weren't these all matters of great importance that only the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers of the imperial court could govern? The general had actually entrusted such a heavy responsibility to these few “heavenly soldiers”?

Li Xunyi stood below the stage, his lips trembling. He wanted to refute, to say that this was against ancestral rules. But what flashed through his mind were the indestructible cement city walls, the pump that could spew demonic fire, and the "potatoes" that Tian Qianhe had presented, yielding dozens of bushels per mu.

Finally, he sighed deeply, shook his head at the elderly scholars beside him, and said in a low voice, "General's actions may seem unorthodox, but in reality... they are the great path to governing the world. We are getting old..."

This reward solidified the unshakeable position of skilled players in Guangning City.

"Announce Qin Jue, Shi Dali, Xiao Ran..."

One by one, the PVP players who performed exceptionally well in the battle were awarded the golden title of "Guardian of Guangning," with the glittering golden lettering floating above their heads, making countless onlookers envious.

Finally, a name that no one expected was read out.

"Summon Qian Lele to step forward and receive her investiture!"

Qian Lele, who was still live-streaming and providing commentary in the crowd, was stunned on the spot.

"Huh? Me? I have one too?"

She walked onto the stage in a daze, looking at Chu Ze with a completely bewildered expression.

"Qian Lele," Chu Ze looked at this female player who always managed to come up with new ideas, a rare smile curving his lips, "You used live streaming to spread our military might, boost our morale, and make the hearts of the soldiers and civilians in the rear as secure as a rock. This is also a great achievement."

"You are hereby granted the title of 'Battlefield Messenger'! You are permitted, during peacetime, to interview any soldiers or civilians in the city and record events in Guangning!"

Qian Lele's eyes lit up instantly.

The privilege of interviewing NPCs?! This...this is practically an officially certified war correspondent! She could almost see her videos getting tens of millions of views in the future!

In a grand ceremony of awards, Chu Ze, based on military merits and guided by practicality, thoroughly bound the players' power to his ruling system. At this moment, the morale of the army, the people, and the players was united like never before.

……

The ceremony ended, and the noise subsided.

Chu Ze returned alone to the quiet room at the deepest part of the garrison commander's mansion.

He dismissed everyone and his consciousness sank into that vast world that only he could see.

The "Map of Mountains and Rivers" slowly unfolded in his mind.

On the scroll, the Pool of Spiritual Essence can no longer be described as a "pool." It is a surging, golden ocean!

Lines of settlement information, like a golden waterfall, kept refreshing.

[Event Summary: The Battle to Relieve the Siege of Guangning!]

[977 Later Jin White Armor Soldiers and 3102 Han Army Banner Soldiers killed... Spiritual Energy +875,000!]

[Battle Rating: Complete Victory! Spiritual Essence Rewards Doubled!]

[The morale of the people and military in Guangning City has reached 95%! Received the blessing of 'Popular Support', Spiritual Energy +1,200,000!]

[The historic event of "Rescuing Guangning" has been completed! A small portion of historical momentum has been reversed, granting a gift of "Great Momentum" power, increasing Spiritual Energy by 3,000,000!]

Looking at that long string of numbers that almost overflowed the light screen, even Chu Ze felt a surge of excitement.

That's not all. He could clearly feel that with this victory, the "people's hearts" and "military spirit" that had been united in the entire city of Guangning were transforming into a warm and powerful invisible force, continuously flowing into the scroll.

On the scroll, the point of light representing Guangning City is no longer a simple point of light; it has transformed into a solid, radiant phantom of a city, as if it has come to life.

All conditions are ripe.

Without the slightest hesitation, Chu Ze focused his mind on the golden ocean of spiritual energy.

"upgrade!"

boom--!

A massive amount of spiritual energy, like a torrent finding its outlet, poured wildly into the core of the Mountain and River Map!

The entire scroll shone with golden light, so intense it almost pierced Chu Ze's consciousness! The ancient scroll trembled violently, as if a colossal beast that had slumbered for a thousand years was awakening!

On the scroll, the originally clear map boundaries began to expand wildly in all directions at a visible speed! Jinzhou, Ningyuan, Dalinghe... the outline of the entire Liaoxi Corridor appeared one by one under the washing of golden light!

At the same time, a series of soul-shaking notification sounds exploded in his mind!

[Ding! The Map of Mountains and Rivers has absorbed the 'hearts' and 'military spirit' of Guangning City, completing a qualitative upgrade!]

[Ding! Core phase updated! Current phase: Phase Two - Expansion and Foundation Laying!]

[Ding! Enhanced privileges detected for core modules. New features being unlocked...]

The new Guild System feature is now unlocked! You can directly assign quests to player guilds (guide quests to be released later)

The new feature, the Tech Tree, is now unlocked! (You can view the technological development path of your current faction.)

[The core function [Expansion Pack Release] has had its permissions upgraded!]

Chu Ze's consciousness finally settled on the familiar "Expansion Pack Release" function.

He recalled that this feature previously only allowed him to conduct "first internal testing" or "second test" with a scale of dozens of people.

But now, that originally plain button has become a brand new option burning with intense light.

On the button were two seal characters that made his heart skip a beat—

[Public Beta]

Following the words "public beta" was a line of smaller print, a line of print that made Chu Ze's pupils suddenly contract.

[Estimated number of players that can be recruited: Unlimited!]

unlimited!

Chu Ze stood in that golden space of consciousness, speechless for a long time.

The survival crisis in Guangning has been resolved.

But he knew that a truly insane prelude, one that could overturn an entire era, had only just been drawn by his own hands.

A true natural disaster is about to strike.