Warhammer Fantasy: I Have Total War System

Chapter 83 Gambling and Chessboard

The military exercise took place on a vast plain three miles wide, where the yellow grass was flattened by the wind.

After Li Lin entered the arena, the fight did not start immediately.

Following the established rules, both sides, each accompanied by their skilled sorcerers and apprentices, inspected the opposing army to check for puppets, ranged weapons, and overpowered offensive magical artifacts.

With nothing else to do during this lull, the officers who were watching started to find their own amusement.

The allied forces' march was tedious, and even though these young noblemen from Zhen Dan were aware of the cruelty of war, they still couldn't shake their restless nature.

Several officers, backed by powerful clans and ruthless enough, had already taken the lead and set up a summer pavilion in the nearby woods, where a long gambling table was placed.

When the odds were first posted, Li Lin's odds were surprisingly low, and almost everyone thought he would win, given his illustrious frontline record.

But soon, the more people looked at his foreign mercenaries, the more they felt something was wrong.

"What are those things?"

"A long-toothed warrior? Why is his weapon all wrong?"

"Look at those Westerners, they can't even afford armor, they're coming up shirtless and in shirts, what are they up to? A village brawl?"

"Hiss... Hunnic troops?!"

The murmurs erupted like a plague among the crowd.

Two cannibalistic armies are tolerable, but what about a Westerner with flashy but ineffective fighting skills, and the Chaos Shepherds from outside Changyuan?

This is no longer a question of which side can profit from betting.

The group quickly reached two consensuses:

First, Li Lin was so desperate for troops that he resorted to any means necessary.

Secondly, foreigners who don't even have a decent set of heavy armor can't possibly be a match for the fully armed guards.

"I'm betting on the Sixth Prince of the Southern Dipper!" Someone slammed the gold medal from their waist onto the gambling table. "Ten taels! No, I'm betting on the Great Chariot of the South! One hundred and eighty taels!"

"Are you crazy? You only have this one vehicle in your team. Are you going to starve tonight for the rest of the journey? And with a loss of 0.3%, how much money can you possibly make?"

"Damn it, you think I don't know?! I've already placed my bets! Every little bit helps, I have to make it all back!"

"Alas, of all the ways in the world, none is more swift in ruining a family than gambling; and of all the ways in which morality is corrupted, none is more severe than gambling!"

"Stop talking nonsense, are you going to place the bet or not?"

"6

"I'll bet two hundred taels."

With a large influx of gambling funds.

The odds for Li Lin have skyrocketed, from 1.5 to 3.

Rumors about his mercenary group grew like wildfire, and they were all negative.

For example, those big herdsmen are actually serious criminals. Shen Du has already planned it out. Halfway through the military exercise, Chief Steward Xin Qi will lead a team to arrest them all.

For example, those Westerners in floral-sleeved shirts were nothing more than gigolos for people to play with; several of my uncles and aunts at the front of the line had close contact with them...

"ah!!!"

He Xu's screams echoed through the crowd.

He lay on the ground, oblivious to the mud and filth, waving his sleeves and wailing loudly.

"My eight hundred taels of gold!!!"

"Gone! All gone!!"

"What are you yelling about?" Jian Ping's ears hurt from his shouting. Embarrassed, she took a few steps to the side. "Weren't you so smug about being able to bet at insider prices?"

"Xiaoping, I've treated you well, and instead of comforting me, you're making sarcastic remarks!" He Xu clutched his chest, his face filled with grief and indignation.

Hearing this, many officers gathered around and mocked him.

It would have been better if he hadn't called out, because his call made everyone realize that he had already placed a heavy bet on Li Lin before even entering the arena, a full eight hundred taels.

Now look what happened! They didn't get any advantage; they've all ended up as meat buns thrown at a dog.

"Brother He, you've gone to so much trouble!"

"We'll treat you to drinks later, fine wine, the Hundred Flowers Brew!"

He Xu wiped his nose, wobbled to his feet, and waved his hand, saying, "What's a little money? Money spent can be regained. Consider this a way of letting Steward Li know my feelings. That way, when I go to see him receive his title, I can sit in the front row!"

The more he pretended not to care, the happier the people around him laughed, especially those who had already lost money. They were overjoyed to see someone else losing even more money than them.

While they were mocking him, the officers who were initially unfamiliar with He Xu gradually became more friendly with him.

"What a show-off."

A cold voice rang out from behind He Xu.

He Xu turned his head and saw that Qian Tang had somehow squeezed into the crowd.

He was dressed fairly neatly, but his eye sockets were sunken and his dark circles were so thick they looked like they had been drawn on with charcoal.

The two armored warriors beside him were carrying chessboards and chess baskets covered with sand-proof tarpaulins.

"I've lost so much money! You're my childhood friend, and you're still making sarcastic remarks?" He Xu looked at him indignantly.

Qiantang glanced at him expressionlessly.

"You think I don't know? The bookmaker for this betting platform is—wooo!"

He Xu jumped up with a "whoosh," covered Qian Tang's mouth tightly, and dragged him to Jian Ping, who was drinking tea in the corner.

"Damn it! You know it, fine, but keep your voice down! Your father depends on this bed to turn over in bed!"

Once he was sure no one was around, he let go of Qian Tang and Jian Ping's hands, then hooked his arms around their shoulders and chuckled mischievously in a low voice.

The more he laughed, the more outrageous he became, his mouth stretching all the way to his ears, showing no trace of his former "feeling of being ripped off".

"Go ahead and gamble! No matter who wins or loses, someone will always make a profit!"

"

"What's the point of fighting so hard? Won't the military merits just be stolen by others in the end?"

"Only gold, gleaming gold, is eternal! Hahahaha!"

Jian Ping was speechless.

Qiantang seemed too lazy to pay him any attention.

"Why is your chessboard still here?" He Xu pointed to the chess basket in his guard's hand. "Didn't I tell you to deliver it to Steward Li privately?"

"It will be delivered shortly."

He glanced sideways at the chessboard wrapped in a gray tarpaulin, a hint of dazedness and reluctance flashing in his eyes, as if he were looking at an expired love letter, before his resolve returned immediately.

"Do you know what people in the military are saying about me right now?"

"They say I'm all talk and no action, and that I'm a coward when I'm on the battlefield."

He Xu swallowed hard, his frivolous expression vanishing. "What kind of nonsense is this? You actually went to the battlefield! Look around, how many people sent their adjutants to the front lines?"

Jian Ping glanced sideways at He Xu, as if to say, "How dare you say that?"

"One thing at a time, what they said is indeed correct." Qiantang shook his head.

Did he accept the outcome of his match against Li Lin?

Of course I disagree.

Since it is a game of military chess, it is impossible for it to be completely consistent with the situation on the battlefield.

Li Lin won the game against him entirely through sophistry and illogical arguments.

However, that game also made him realize something.

That is true military law and strategy, which must be honed through battles, not just by burying oneself in military books at a military academy.

He will no longer play chess.

He will be stationed on the front lines from now on.

The chessboard and pieces thus became useless.

It would be better to send it to Li Lin and turn hostility into friendship.

He took out a chess piece symbolizing the Jade Warrior from his pocket, which he had won from his grandfather.

The metallic black chess pieces resembled a vast night sky, with flashes of lightning appearing from time to time, like dazzling shooting stars streaking across the horizon, just like his former arrogance.

Boom boom boom!

The earth-shaking sound of war drums resounded, echoing in everyone's chests.

"The fighting has started!" Jian Ping shouted, clenching his fists, and immediately ran towards the military exercise site.

"Wait for us!" He Xu grabbed Qian Tang and followed closely behind.