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

On the city wall, the dark figure moved.

Chu Ze turned around and walked down the cold stone steps from the top of the city wall.

He didn't bring any personal guards; only two figures followed behind him. One was Wang Erniu, with a full beard and a restrained, menacing aura; the other was Li Xunyi, who was thin and still looked somewhat shaken.

With each step Chu Ze took, the previously noisy and chaotic sea of ​​people below automatically parted to the sides. It wasn't fear, nor discipline, but something more peculiar. It was an instinctive reaction of players to the start of the "main storyline," a natural focus on the "version update announcement publisher."

The crowd surged like Moses parting the sea, and a straight passage stretched from inside the city gate all the way to Lu Jian's horse.

[Livestream chat: Holy crap! The main storyline's big boss has arrived! His aura is off the charts!]

[Pinned post on the player forum: Live Coverage! Imperial Envoy from the Capital VS. "Local Emperor" of Guangning: The Epic Storyline Officially Begins!]

[Floor 1: Brothers, look! That imperial envoy's face has turned green! This is our lord's overwhelming aura!]

[2nd Floor: What kind of domineering aura is this? Didn't you see what he's carrying? A royal decree! This guy's here to cause trouble, this is going to be interesting!]

Lu Jian sat on his horse, watching the young man slowly approach, his heart pounding uncontrollably.

he came.

There was no imposing armor as I had imagined, nor any entourage. He simply walked in, clad in ordinary iron armor, his steps steady, each one feeling as if it were stepping on Lu Jian's heartbeat.

He was very young, excessively young. Yet his eyes were so deep they seemed to hold a starry sky, calm and profound, as if the tens of thousands of frenzied "ant colonies" outside the city, their deafening clamor, had nothing to do with him.

He was not welcoming the imperial envoy.

He was welcoming a guest he had anticipated.

This air of complete control put Lu Jian under unprecedented pressure. He instinctively tightened his grip on the reins, and the prized horse from the Western Mountain camp seemed to sense its master's tension, snorting uneasily.

Chu Ze stopped three steps in front of Lu Jianma.

This distance, neither too far nor too close, shows respect while maintaining a sufficient sense of security.

He bowed respectfully, his voice clear and steady, not loud, yet instantly drowning out all the surrounding noise.

"This humble general, Chu Ze, the garrison commander of Guangning, respectfully welcomes Your Excellency the Angel."

"I was unaware of the arrival of an angel and failed to greet you properly. Please forgive me."

Lu Jian dismounted, his boots making a dull thud as they landed on the frozen ground.

His movement, from lifting the reins to landing, was as steady as a mountain, without the slightest unnecessary sway. It was a testament to his years of experience in horsemanship, and it should have had a certain effect in maintaining order.

Unfortunately, his response was not one of awe, but rather a multitude of glittering little cubes crowding around him.

"Holy crap! Close-up! Guys, did you see that? The modeling precision of this NPC is incredible; you can even count every single hair on his beard!"

"It's recorded! It's the high-definition, uncensored version of 'The Imperial Envoy Arrives.' I'll upload it to the forum as soon as I get back; I've even thought of a title!"

A female player with the ID "I am a Little Colorful Cat" even tried to squeeze to the front, wanting to frame her face and Lu Jian's cold face in the same frame, but was blocked by a Tiqi with a sword sheath without expression.

Lu Jian's eye twitched slightly, but he ultimately ignored the noisy "background" group.

What exactly is going on?

He ignored Chu Ze's polite words and didn't even look at him directly. Instead, he reached into his robes and solemnly took out the object wrapped in bright yellow brocade with both hands.

Imperial Edict!

It really is an imperial edict!

The moment that color, representing the highest power of the empire, appeared, the surrounding air seemed to become three degrees heavier.

"Chu Ze, the garrison commander of Guangning, receive the imperial decree!"

Lu Jian suddenly gathered his energy, his voice infused with internal force, no longer a simple roar, but a condensed sonic wave that boomed outwards! This voice, carrying the majesty of the capital and the will of the Forbidden City, attempted to crush all the bizarre and outlandish things, all the madness and evil in this place!

As the sound waves passed, every single one of the veterans wearing Ming army uniforms felt their legs go weak and their faces drain of color.

Upon hearing this, Chu Ze remained completely still beneath his armor.

He simply straightened the armor plates on his chest, letting the crisp metallic clanging echo in the deathly silence.

Then, facing the scroll of the imperial edict, facing the imperial central government thousands of miles away, he knelt down on his right knee.

The armor collided with the frozen ground, producing a muffled thud.

"Your humble servant obeys the imperial decree."

Behind him, Wang Erniu's burly body, Li Xunyi's thin frame, and all the remaining veterans at the city gate knelt down in unison.

They weren't kneeling on one knee, but on both knees, their foreheads pressed tightly against the cold ground, their bodies trembling slightly with excitement and fear.

This kneeling was an instinct etched into their bones, their last and most humble act of reverence for this vast empire.

This kneeling seemed to be a signal.

The surrounding players were completely in an uproar!

"Here it comes! Classic scene CG! Record it quickly! This is high-definition, uncensored, first-hand footage!"

"They've knelt! Our boss actually knelt! Is this NPC higher in rank than our boss?"

"Nonsense! That's an imperial edict! You think it's a letter of introduction from the village chief? Is this imperial edict some kind of golden item? I wonder if you can steal it?"

"Don't block the camera! Let me take a picture of the general kneeling! This angle is amazing!"

The whispers of the players blended into a buzzing background noise, turning what should have been a solemn and dignified ceremony into something utterly absurd.

Lu Jian's eye twitched, but he forced himself to ignore it. He slowly unfolded the imperial edict in his hand; the bright yellow silk was particularly dazzling in the pale light of the day.

He cleared his throat and, in a melodious, official tone, read aloud:

"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:"

"On the Liaodong border, the Jurchens are rampant, ravaging the land and causing immense suffering to the people; this is truly a great calamity for the nation! I toil day and night, constantly worrying and lamenting..."

The first half of the imperial edict was a formal, official document denouncing the brutality of the Later Jin dynasty, which made the players drowsy.

But Wang Erniu and the other veterans listened with bloodshot eyes and clenched fists. They thought of their comrades who had died beneath the city walls, and of the civilians who had been abducted.

"...Now we have Chu Ze, the garrison commander of Guangning, who is loyal, brave, and courageous, and whose wisdom is unparalleled. During the siege of Guangning, he secured the lives of the soldiers and civilians within the city and defended against a powerful enemy without. With a small force, he defeated the enemy chieftain Amin by burning his white armor, thus displaying the might of our nation beyond the Great Wall! This is an unparalleled achievement, and I am greatly gratified!"

When Lu Jian uttered the words "Burning the White Armor" and "Destroying the Enemy Chief Amin," the first wave of suppressed exclamations erupted from the player group!

"Holy crap! It's officially confirmed! It was our general who burned the white armor!"

"Awesome! Let's see what those trolls on the forum have to say now!"

Lu Jian's fingers tightened slightly as he continued reading:

"...It is only right to reward those who have rendered meritorious service! Chu Ze, the garrison commander of Guangning, is hereby promoted to the position of Vice Commander of Guangning Guard, a fourth-rank official! He is hereby awarded one hundred taels of gold, one thousand taels of silver, and twenty bolts of brocade!"

"I hope you will behave well, guard against arrogance and impetuosity, serve the country loyally, and achieve new merits!"

"So be it!"

As the last word fell, Lu Jian closed the imperial edict, and an eerie silence descended upon the entire city gate.

Everyone was stunned by this reward.

Fourth rank!

From a lowly garrison commander, he rose to the rank of mid-level military officer in one fell swoop! In the long-peaceful bureaucratic system of the Ming Dynasty, this was simply a fantasy!

The deathly silence lasted only a moment.

The next second, a deafening roar of cheers erupted!

"General, you are mighty!"

The first to shout was Wang Erniu. This towering man was now flushed with excitement, his eyes brimming with tears, and he strained his voice with all his might.

"General Chu, may you live a thousand years! The court is wise and benevolent!"

The old soldier, who was terrified, was now crying and laughing at the same time, kowtowing and roaring.

These border soldiers, who had licked blood from the blades of Liaodong, had never seen such imperial favor! They thought they were abandoned pawns forgotten by the court, but they never expected that the emperor's reward would come so swiftly and so generously!

The players' celebration was even more direct and frenzied!

"Holy crap! He got promoted! Our boss got promoted!"

"Commander-in-Chief! Fourth Rank! That's practically the level of a faction leader in a game!"

"A hundred taels of gold! A thousand taels of silver! We're rich! Now our guild's military funds are covered!"

"General, you're awesome! (voice cracks)!!!"

Countless players raised their arms in triumph, their fervent enthusiasm even surpassing that of the Ming soldiers who actually received their salaries. They and Chu Ze had long since formed a community of shared interests, bound by mutual honor and disgrace. Chu Ze's strength was their strength!

Amidst the deafening cheers, Chu Ze slowly rose to his feet.

He raised both hands high and respectfully accepted the heavy imperial edict from Lu Jian's hands.

"Your subject, Chu Ze, thanks Your Majesty for your great favor!"

His voice remained calm and steady, without the slightest sign of excitement or loss of composure.

Lu Jian looked at him, at this young man who had single-handedly created all the madness before him. He had thought that the other party would take this opportunity to exchange pleasantries with him, to get closer to him, or at least to show some of the arrogance of a young man who had achieved early success.

However, Chu Ze did not.

After receiving the imperial edict, he didn't even glance at Lu Jian again.

He turned abruptly to face the tens of thousands of enthusiastic soldiers and civilians, to the countless pairs of eyes gleaming with excitement, and raised the bright yellow scroll in his hand high!

At that moment, all the noise miraculously subsided.

All eyes were on him, and on the imperial edict that represented the power and authority of the emperor.

Chu Ze's gaze swept across a variety of faces. There was Wang Erniu's excitement, Li Xunyi's satisfaction, the veterans' tears, and countless players with complex expressions of admiration, curiosity, and fervor.

He spoke, and his voice echoed throughout the entire square.

"This victory is not solely due to my efforts, Chu Ze!"

One sentence left everyone stunned.

Chu Ze paused, then continued loudly, "It is the merit of the three thousand soldiers who fought to the death in Guangning City! It is the merit of the more than ten thousand people in the city who sacrificed their homes to relieve the suffering, and who were of one heart and one mind!"

His hand pointed to the Ming soldiers kneeling on the ground, their faces already streaked with tears.

The veterans shuddered and looked up in disbelief.

Then, Chu Ze's gaze turned to the vast, dark mass of players.

His voice carried an indescribable power, as if it could penetrate two worlds.

"Moreover... it is the result of divine soldiers descending from the heavens, fearless of death, advancing wave upon wave, united in purpose and action!"

boom!

The four words "divine soldiers descend from the heavens" struck the hearts of every player like a thunderbolt from the sky!

Officially certified!

This is the highest level of official certification from the faction leader and from a core NPC in this world!

They are no longer chaotic strangers, no longer troublesome lunatics! They are... divine soldiers!

[System Announcement (Guangning Region): Due to the triggering of the special story event "Emperor's Edict," the Guangning garrison commander Chu Ze's reputation has reached "Exalted"! All Guangning faction players will receive the temporary buff "Glory of Divine Weapons": For three hours, the speed of acquiring quest merits will be increased by 5%!]

Holy crap!

"What did I just hear? Divine soldiers descending from the sky? Are they talking about us?"

"A 5% bonus to merit points! Long live the general! This is truly our great leader!"

"Damn, I cried! I've played so many games, and this is the first time an NPC has praised me so much! From today onwards, if anyone dares to say a bad word about General Chu, I'll chase them all the way back to the starting village!"

The players' emotions were completely ignited!

Chu Ze did not stop; he held the imperial edict high, his voice growing increasingly impassioned:

"The Emperor's grace is boundless; it is both an honor and an encouragement!"

"We will take this as our starting point, fight to the death, reclaim Liaodong, and protect our land!"

"Fight to the death! Reclaim Liaodong!"

"Fight to the death! Protect our land!"

Wang Erniu was the first to raise his arm and shout, followed by three thousand veterans and tens of thousands of players!

The sound coalesced into a torrent of steel, soaring straight into the sky and causing the snow on the city walls to fall in a flurry!

Lu Jian stood aside, completely becoming an outsider.

Looking at the fanatical soldiers and civilians before him, and hearing the phrase "divine soldiers descending from the sky" that made his eyes twitch wildly, he felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet.

Good trick!

What a brilliant tactic!

With a casual gesture, he cleverly transformed the emperor's bestowal and the majesty of imperial power into a boost to the cohesion of his own camp! He distributed this imperial favor to everyone, making these soldiers and madmen grateful to him and utterly devoted to him!

This is not a military general, this is a born tyrant!

Just as Lu Jianxin was in shock, Chu Ze finally turned around and faced him again.

A mysterious smile played on that young face.

He gestured "please" to Lu Jian, his posture humble and his words earnest.

"Lord Lu, you must be tired after your long journey."

"A small feast has been prepared in the city; please come in and have a chat, sir."

Chu Ze paused, his unfathomable eyes seeming to see through all the shock and confusion in Lu Jian's heart.

"That would allow me to clear up your doubts, sir."