Warhammer Fantasy: I Have Total War System

Li Lin habitually looked at the troop bar at the bottom of the system, using his mental pointer as a mouse to control his troops.

It took me a while to realize that the system didn't have this function.

Moreover, for some reason, in such a vast battlefield, his troop list only contained himself as the lord, two squads of farmhand spearmen, one squad of Jade Warrior swordsmen and shieldmen, and one squad of Jade Warrior crossbowmen.

Jade Warriors and Shields only had half a unit, less than fifty men, and they were still losing men in battle.

"Hiss... This is going to be difficult."

As expected, in reality, you can't treat your troops like puppets in Total War games.

In other words, he has to take over command personally.

Li Lin instinctively opened his mouth, wanting to shout out the order in the most primal way. But the sound was instantly extinguished by the cannibal's earth-shattering roar and the clanging of clashing weapons.

It's useless. Not to mention that he's physically weak, even a fool would know that it's impossible to transmit orders in a large-scale battlefield with thousands of people by shouting.

His caravan was modeled entirely after his father's official military commissioner's caravan, so it must have had a sophisticated command system.

Thinking of this, a flash of inspiration struck Li Lin, and he abruptly turned his head, locking his gaze on the "compass cart" behind him.

It was no accident that the original owner would die in front of this heavy oxcart.

This bronze carriage, engraved with intricate runes, is the central hub of the entire caravan, housing a sound transmission array and a five-element compass.

Li Lin rushed onto the carriage shaft in three quick steps and forcefully pulled at the heavy iron-clad door.

Not moving.

He tried again and found that the car door was already locked from the inside!

"Open the door!" Li Lin pounded on the bronze carriage door, a nameless rage surging within him. "I'm Li Lin! Open the door!"

Strange, why do I feel like I've said something similar before?

A slight commotion came from inside the carriage, indicating that there were definitely people inside, but the door remained tightly shut.

nmlgb!

The soldiers outside were risking their lives to fill the defensive line, and the caravan could be slaughtered at any moment. At this critical moment when every second counted, how dare some insects lock the supreme commander outside the command center?

This is no way to seize power!

Are you waiting for me to die so you can cook stewed meat for the ogres?

Knocking again would be futile. Li Lin took a deep breath, and the memories belonging to the original owner of the body flashed through his mind.

From funding its establishment, recruiting soldiers, purchasing weapons, and acquiring goods, this caravan of two thousand people truly belonged to the Li family of Nanli, and there was no question about his status as the supreme commander.

Inside the Sinan cart, there should be a group of Qi-based magic apprentices responsible for controlling magical artifacts and carrying out his orders.

"Listen up, you people inside!" Having gathered his thoughts, Li Lin, enduring the excruciating pain, roared through the crack in the door, "My family's title of Military Commissioner was personally bestowed upon our ancestor by the Dragon Emperor. My father, as the current Military Commissioner, can even speak a few words in front of the dragon princes!"

"If I die, even if you manage to escape back to Nanli, do you really think you'll survive?!"

"No matter if you have connections or powerful backers, my father will definitely skin you cowardly bastards, along with your entire clan, and hang you on the sulfur road to dry in the wind!"

The power of the military commissioner was well-known to all the people of China.

Besides managing caravans, the lords of major cities and towns were mostly appointed by military commissioners.

Especially those whose positions were inherited from families during the time when the Dragon Emperor did not leave Zhen Dan, held high positions and great power, and enjoyed a place in the courts of all the dragon princes.

After a brief silence, the sound of a latch being pulled came from inside the car door.

The heavy bronze door slowly opened a crack, and Li Lin, without hesitation, dragged his ailing body and rammed inside.

The interior of the Sinan cart was cramped, with a slowly rotating Five Elements compass suspended in the center.

Beside the surrounding bronze walls stood six women dressed in Taoist robes, who were apprentices of the Qi-cultivating sorcerers accompanying the army. In the central, commanding position stood a woman with a beautiful face but a somewhat arrogant expression.

Li Lin immediately remembered that she was the leader of these apprentices, and her name was Yun'er.

"Young Master, the young lady is fighting the enemy outside. Why are you going to the rear to command her instead of going to the front lines?" Yun'er glanced at Li Lin, her tone showing no respect for the commander, but rather a condescending question.

She was speaking in classical Chinese, the kind that was even more difficult to pronounce than in textbooks, but when it reached Li Lin's ears, it was automatically translated into plain language.

Li Lin was furious, but he knew that matters had priorities, so he didn't immediately pursue the matter.

"Send orders to all brigade commanders, instructing them to withdraw their lines back to the vicinity of the caravan and to have all garrison troops assemble outside the wagons."

Yun'er stood still, coldly extending one hand: "Young Master, military law is as firm as a mountain. To pass on military orders, we must carry the commander's tiger tally or a flag representing the commander's identity."

Li Lin clenched his fist, and memories flooded back instantly.

That tiger tally, representing absolute military power, should be in the hands of the dragon descendant, Shugen-kei, in the sky.

As for that banner symbolizing his identity, it has probably already been stolen from the battlefield by that insect adjutant!

Holy crap, am I, the supreme commander, really being sidelined so badly?!

It's one thing to be a fictional entity, but the problem is that these usurpers are all useless, easily defeated by a bunch of trashy cannibalistic warbands.

"I didn't," Li Lin said, staring into Yun'er's eyes, enunciating each word clearly, "I am the owner of this caravan, and my face is my command!"

"Without the tiger tally and banners, I cannot comply."

Yun'er sneered, took out a jade slip resembling a communication scroll from a cultivation novel, and waved it threateningly in front of Li Lin.

"The young lady instructed that the army only recognizes military seals, not people. If the young master is angry, he can go and complain to the young lady himself after the barbarians are defeated..."

"Pfft!"

Yun'er's words came to an abrupt halt. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she clutched her bleeding throat and collapsed.

Li Lin expressionlessly sheathed his blood-stained sword and kicked Yun'er's corpse aside.

"They dare to play office politics during a war?"

"Pah! Does she really think she's some kind of female protagonist?"

In his eyes, these people dressed in strange costumes were nothing more than background NPCs.

He had no time to waste on this NPC who dared to lock the commander out and refuse to carry out orders.

"ah!!!"

The few apprentices of the Qi cultivation masters nearby finally reacted. Looking at Yun'er lying in a pool of blood, they turned pale with fright and screamed as they shrank into a corner.

"You...you're insane! She's the Dragonborn's personal maid! If you kill her, the Dragonborn will never let you get away with it!" An apprentice pointed at Li Lin, trembling.

Huh? Damn, it's really a female protagonist?

Li Lin's heart skipped a beat.

His father might be able to face the wrath of a dragonborn, but he certainly couldn't.

But now it's no use thinking about it anymore. We can't turn the tide. Everyone in the caravan, except for the dragonborn flying in the sky, is going to die.

Li Lin's sharp gaze swept over the remaining apprentices: "I'll ask one more time, can you pass on the order?"

The apprentices were terrified by the palpable killing intent emanating from Li Lin. They nodded frantically, but then cried out in fear, "We...we can pass on the message, but Sister Yun'er is dead. With just the few of us, we can only pass the order to the garrison in the supply camp at most. We can't go any further."

Li Lin's vision went black again.

Will this caravan ever be alright?

No wonder the original owner suffered such great humiliation and only dared to commit suicide by poison. The caravan had probably been completely infiltrated, and key positions were all held by fools with connections like "Yun'er". He simply couldn't touch these people.

However, Yun'er's death seemed to have resolved the lingering knot in the original owner's heart.

Something, perhaps, possibly something that could be called a "soul," inserted a thought into Li Lin's mind.

Because the Dragon Palace rejects mages other than dragonborn, non-strategist caravans can only recruit these Qi-based magic apprentices, whose abilities are vastly different from those of genuine elemental mages.

However, during this business trip to Shangyang, the original owner secretly recruited a genuine Qi alchemist from the Tantric sect! He was also a master alchemist skilled in alchemy, gunpowder, and the use of a certain powerful green ore!

"This man is named Yi Ge, and he is hiding in a prison cart somewhere nearby."

"Find him, he knows what to do."

Leaving behind its final message, the soul vanished completely, as if falling into a cold abyss.