Chapter 351 I seem to have seen you somewhere
Wen Tong only felt a black shadow embedding into his body, knocking him into the air and floating more than ten feet.

Wen Tong's slightly plump body landed on the ground with a thud, plowing a shallow furrow. His blackened helmet rolled off, revealing his half-bald head, resembling a plucked quail.

He didn't even have the strength to get up. He lay on the ground with his head raised, wailing and gasping for breath. The hot summer day felt like a burning fire.

The heroic rider reined in his horse and came in front of him. The tall figure on the horse's back loomed over him. The other party thrust his spear forward against the backlight, piercing the soil near his neck.

The rider seemed to recognize him from the performance of his personal guards as the commander-in-chief of the army, and immediately dismounted and helped him up.

This man had a strong build, and was wearing ancient armor and a crown, resembling a Qin warrior. He held a spear in his right hand and under his armpit.

He was captured by a man who looked like the leader of the thieves, but instead of being killed outright, he was politely helped up.

He thought that there would be a mutual admiration between the heroes, and that they would flatter each other, and then he would persuade him to surrender and join the thriving Red Turban Army, or at least use him to recruit the defeated soldiers.

But unexpectedly, the bandit soldier didn't choose anything and kicked him in the knee, forcing him to kneel on the ground.

The rider grabbed Wen Tong by the back of the neck, as if he were pinching an old rooster. "The enemy general has been captured by me, Li Xin!"

Li Xin's boastful voice attracted dozens of bandit cavalrymen to pass by.

Some people gave him a thumbs-up, some angrily slapped their saddles, claiming that their greatest achievement had been snatched away, and still others turned their horses around and rushed in the direction of the defeated soldiers' retreat.

Only then did Wen Tong have time to observe the surrounding situation.

The already tired and timid army was repeatedly penetrated by the bandit cavalry. Many people dropped their weapons without thinking and ran away, like a herd of deer encountering wild wolves.

Some survivors coughed up blood and rushed into the harvested wheat fields, but what greeted them were the spears rushing towards them from behind.

Some fell into the stream and struggled for mercy, some struggled to climb up a solitary tree beside the road and were surrounded by three bandit riders, and some took off their cloth armor and coat in front of the pursuers, leaving only a single piece of clothing.

Begging for mercy, screaming, the sound of blood spurting, the sound of horse hooves raising dust... many sounds mixed together, and the filled smoke was like a group of settling clouds.

The infantry fled very quickly, but each bandit cavalryman had an average of two and a half horses, and ran faster than the defeated soldiers.

As the shouts of "Wen Tong has been captured" and "Those who surrender will be spared" spread, the exhausted infantry threw away their helmets and weapons and knelt on the ground to show their surrender.

Some who were hoping for a lucky break still retreated southward, and even some middle-level generals were still trying to gather the defeated troops.

However, under the fierce pursuit of the bandit cavalry, the defeated soldiers were unable to stop and reorganize. They retreated seven or eight miles to the south, but were still caught up and killed by the bandit cavalry, and a large number of defeated soldiers were taken prisoner.

As the commander of this battle, Guo Ziyi did not ride his horse to chase the fugitives, but instead found a half-burned carriage and got in.

Taking off the hideous mask covering his face, he ate dry food and drank water, while the summer sun slanted down along the clouds in the sky.

The restless battlefield gradually calmed down, and the brothers passed by with shouts of joy.

Some people were so happy that they performed the MVP dance on the spot, while others couldn't wait to take out their instruments and hold private concerts.

The players ordered the captives to squat on the ground, put their hands behind their backs and wait to be tied up.

Other players led their servants to finish off the corpses, and the muffled sound of scimitars piercing chests could be heard one after another.

Up to this moment, the "defeating the majority with the few" strategy commanded by Guo Ziyi was a complete victory.

This was not the first time he commanded his brothers in battle, but it was his first time commanding cavalry in battle.

Before the battle, he was nervous and cautious, taking one step at a time, always thinking that he would cost his teammates their lives.

I didn’t expect that the execution ability of these guys was so strong.

Originally, he just wanted to have a full meal, capture a few middle and upper-level generals and torture them to get information, but his appetite was gradually aroused and he planned to make a big move. In the end, he really did it by "a snake swallowing an elephant".

He brought out the cavalry tactics from the Total War game, which required high organization and coordination, of "one group luring the enemy while the other group charging from behind," and the players replicated it almost exactly.

The previously captured Tang soldiers said that the total number of government troops was 6,000 infantry and cavalry, and Guo Ziyi was overjoyed.

Seven hundred cavalrymen defeated six thousand infantry and cavalry in two days. No one would believe such a brilliant achievement if it were told to others.

This is not his victory alone, but a victory of everyone's unity and cooperation.

"Cheers to the tacit cooperation among brothers!"

He picked up the water bag and looked around, then toasted to the air while facing his brothers who were beating the prisoners.

Seeing this scene, Guo Ziyi couldn't help but laugh. This was the brothers' post-war habit—

Except for a certain must-kill wild boar skin, the brothers have always treated ordinary losers as "the death penalty can be spared, but the living sin cannot be forgiven". At least ten punishment punches must be given to cancel half of the sins against the players.

"Oh, why is the captain who led us to victory sitting here?" An Lushan walked slowly over with his helmet tucked under his left arm and the reins of two horses in his right hand.

Guo Ziyi smiled faintly, looking at the swaying water in the water bag and said, "Every time I play this kind of war game, I like to look at the scenery after the battle.

Seeing that the direct troops I had trained for a long time were almost wiped out, and thinking back to every day and night I spent painstakingly training them, my heart was broken.

The ground was littered with corpses of both our enemies and ourselves, and I was responsible for thousands of deaths.

I would imagine if all this had really happened, and if I hadn't taken action, would there have been no casualties? Then I would curl up in bed, weaving the scenes I imagined every day into music, pretending to be the loneliest dead child in the world.

"Why does the setting you're talking about sound like a movie adapted from a novel?"

An Lushan also got into the side car, and the two sat side by side, as if they were back in the back seat of middle school, whispering with their hands covering their mouths in a quiet classroom.

The more likely it is that the teacher will find out during class, the more exciting it is to whisper.

"What?"

"Ender's Game tells the story of the protagonist who thought he was playing a simulation game against the Zerg. After he finally defeated the Zerg, he discovered that this wasn't a game, but a series of real battles... He completely wiped out the Zerg, but also caused heavy losses to humanity."

"Uh, this is all bullshit." Guo Ziyi took another sip of water and pointed at the battlefield under the filter. "No matter how realistic the game is, it's just a pastime to kill time. By the way, it also adds some fun to my nightly online depression time."

"Looking at the name above your head, I always feel like laughing." An Lushan raised the corner of his mouth.

"Why?" Guo Ziyi subconsciously tilted his head to look at the sky, but he couldn't see the name above his head.

"Your name is Guo Ziyi, and my name is An Lushan. We are obviously mortal enemies during the An-Shi Rebellion."

"Hahaha." Guo Ziyi immediately burst into laughter. "So should I draw my sword and chop you, the traitor to the Tang Dynasty?"

"Let's not talk about this anymore." An Lushan said, "I just logged off and read the news from various war zones—"

"Huh? The battle was pretty intense just now, and you still have the mind to log off and check the news?"

Guo Ziyi suddenly heard someone calling his name. He looked in the direction of the voice and saw a group of brothers dragging hundreds of captives from the east, like they were pulling slaves.

He stood up and got out of the car, hanging the water bag around his waist. He walked in front, and An Lushan followed from the side.

"Oh, I was so unlucky just now. I was riding a horse and chasing a dozen defeated soldiers, but I didn't expect the enemy to turn around and shoot me dead with a gun. I fell off the horse and was unconscious for a while.

As you know, I can't control the character when I'm unconscious, so I had to log off and check the important news in the group.

When I woke up, all the defeated soldiers had been captured, and I also managed to get a horse..."

"Okay, go on."

Guo Ziyi walked a few dozen steps when his brother suddenly called out his name.

"Look, it's Guo Ziyi! It's this guy who led us to victory with fewer troops!"

"Oh my, that's awesome!"

"Even if it were 700 cavalrymen against 6,000 pure infantrymen, the fight would have been long and drawn out, a high-difficulty level. Yet, this guy led us to victory in this high-difficulty mission with less than 20% of his own casualties. It's a perfect five-kill spree."

"Guo Ziyi, you're so awesome! I want to give birth to a baby for you!"

A group of bad boys pretending to be his fans surrounded Guo Ziyi, touching and pinching him, as if trying to take advantage of his good fortune and military talent.

After a while, he squatted beside him and made a strange slurping sound at a certain part of his face to show his high respect to the gamer.

"You kid, take advantage of me!"

Guo Ziyi pretended to hit them, and the bad boys ran away laughing.

Even the defeated soldiers and captives along the way could not help but look at Guo Ziyi, thinking that the rebel general who defeated them was such a handsome young general. They lamented in their hearts that the rebel army had so many talented generals and that the Ming Dynasty was probably doomed.

Without the bad boy to disrupt the situation, An Lushan finally had time to continue the previous topic. "While we were fighting today, the Qihuo Army broke through Tongguan, and the Wild Wolf Army marched towards eastern Henan. The Changsheng Army also took over most of Hubei Province. It seems that they will need to prepare ships to cross the river and attack Wuchang soon."

"Oh? Congratulations on their achievements again," Guo Ziyi said. "Although the Guanzhong region isn't as vast as the entire province of Henan, it's still a strategically important location. Back then, the Yuwen clan relied on Guanzhong and Longyou to fight the Gao clan to their death."

"The leader is also leading the army north. They just arrived at the city of Runing yesterday. It seems that they are going to seize the Central Plains south of the Yellow River in one fell swoop."

"Oh, no wonder the Beggars' Army and the Wild Wolf Army are desperately trying to expand their territory. It turns out they're going to be 'refined.'" Guo Ziyi pondered for a moment. "By the time we capture the capital, I'm afraid the legions spanning several provinces will be split into more than ten, right?"

"This truly has become the Emperor's Legion..."

"Ha ha ha ha."

"As for the hot air balloons being tested along the coast, they've basically reached the Liaoxi Corridor, but few have landed in their designated locations. Some have gone too far and drifted onto the grasslands, while others have drifted to Guangning to reunite with their Beiwei Army brothers."

“Failure is the mother of success. If you keep trying, you will eventually succeed.”

After Guo Ziyi finished speaking, he arrived at the place where he had been called earlier. "What did you call me for?"

"See for yourself."

Originally, there was an extra "mark" on the head of a captured Ming army deputy general.

Ordinary unfamiliar NPCs are marked with one occupation at most. Those working in the fields are marked as "farmers", men working as ironworkers are marked as "blacksmiths", and armed personnel with simple equipment are marked as "Ming army soldiers".

If one spoke rudely and had an ugly appearance, even a Ming army soldier might be labeled a "bandit."

Those wearing armor and helmets with special patterns are marked as "Ming army generals."

Only for friendly forces who have fought side by side will the neutral symbol become a name.

For example, the deputy general in front of him who was tied up and had a smelly cloth stuffed in his mouth, and the personal soldiers around him who were also tied up, all had their own names.

Especially the deputy general with the words "Liu Qin" above his head, there are actually conspicuous double exclamation marks hanging above his name.

This means that the person holds a special title.

You know, many players don’t have special titles, but this NPC actually has one?!

When Guo Ziyi got closer, he saw that the double exclamation marks had transformed into the three conspicuous words "Tongxinhui".

Many old players know that the three words "Tongxinhui" are a secret society that guides people to secretly corrupt "loyal ministers of the Ming Dynasty."

How did the fighting turn into a civil war among rebels?

Guo Ziyi changed his mind and felt that this was not right.

If he were still a member of the association, Liu Qin should be a green name who is absolutely inviolable, rather than a "yellow-green" mixed name who can withstand physical pain but cannot be killed.

What must have gone wrong?
Guo Ziyi thought about it and decided to give up thinking about it. He didn't bother to care what this person's position was.

Anyway, the other party is already a prisoner of the Red Turban Army, so just lock him up first and wait for the guide to make a judgment later.

Of course, what we need to do now is to torture several key generals and ask for detailed information about the main force of the Ming army.

Liu Qin had a look of despair on his face, as if to say that he really couldn't lead the rookie and was tired and wanted to destroy it.

Wen Tong, on the other hand, was filled with a desire to survive. He answered whatever the players asked, and even his personal soldiers were eager to provide additional information.

The water torture and whipping methods that the players expected were not used at all.

According to intelligence, the main commander of the Ming army was Yang Wenyue, the governor of Baoding. Excluding the defeated vanguard, he still had more than 60,000 soldiers under his command, including more than 10,000 cavalry.

The Ming army's characteristic weapons are also available, including heavy side-carriages, artillery, swarm guns, divine fire flying crows, dove guns, and so on.

The Ming army originally had no funds to prepare these weapons, but the gentry in western and southern Shandong were determined to do so.

The gentry didn't care about "equality" or "justice". They only knew that the rebel army not only did not win over the gentry, but also dared to "fabricate black material" and massacre the entire family of the wealthy!
This is tyranny and violence, and everyone has the right to punish him.

They saw with their own eyes what happened to the wealthy survivors who escaped, and thus gave up the fluke mentality of "relying on the new dynasty" and generously donated money to support the government troops.

In just a few months, the government troops, despite being in a difficult situation, had faintly recovered the power they had at the end of the Wanli period.

However, Yang Wenyue had long heard of the Beiwei Army's reputation for fighting prowess, so he was extremely cautious in deploying troops, always setting up camp two days' journey away from the vanguard.

Governor Yang did not dare to advance along the mountain range, fearing that the treacherous people and the bandit army would set an ambush along the way.

Therefore, Yang Wenyue could only bypass the mountainous area and go straight to the bend, passing a county town a day, drawing an arc.

Considering the terrain of Mount Tai and Mount Lu, as well as the frequency of military intelligence reports from the vanguard troops, Governor Yang's army should be stationed near Zouping County and Xincheng, and may have arrived in Gaowan County before nightfall.

"So, the enemy's main force is about a hundred miles away from our vanguard cavalry?"

(End of this chapter)