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

Chapter 167 Completely Subdued, the Fierce Generals of Liaodong Kneel in Submission

The wind and snow have completely stopped.

The smoke of gunpowder that lingered over the open fields of Yanjiao was dispersed by the frigid north wind. The pale sunlight peeked through the gaps in the thick clouds, illuminating this hellish landscape stretching for miles.

Corpses littered the ground.

Forty thousand Han soldiers, along with countless Jurchen soldiers scattered by the Guan Ning cavalry, were piled up in layers on the muddy, frozen ground. Broken weapons, shattered wooden fences, and colorful entrails froze into a glaringly dark red on the ice.

Zu Dashou reined in his warhorse. The horse's iron hooves pounded on the chest of a headless corpse, making a cracking sound as if bones were breaking.

He held a blunt steel sword upside down in his hand, the blood on the blade already congealed into dark purple shards. This fierce general, who had spent his entire life killing the Jurchens in Liaodong, now stared wide-eyed at the ruins ahead.

I've never fought such a lucrative battle in my life.

One hundred thousand Jurchen soldiers, an invincible army that had driven the Ming Dynasty to the brink of collapse, were annihilated in an instant.

He Kegang rode over. He casually stuck his steel spear into the snow, tore off his helmet, and wiped the black blood off his face with the back of his rough hands.

"Ancestor, this is fucking weird." He Kegang's voice was hoarse, his chest heaving violently. "These bastards, we really took them down? A hundred thousand troops!"

Zu Dashou spat out a mouthful of saliva mixed with thick blood. He turned his head and looked at the other side of the wilderness.

"It wasn't us who took them down." Zu Dashou's voice was extremely deep, filled with suppressed horror. "It was those living devils."

Following Zu Dashou's gaze.

The frigid north wind tore through the thick stench of blood from the battlefield, swirling dark red ice shards into the air. Tens of thousands of strangely dressed individuals unleashed a boundless carnival in this hellish wasteland, leaving nothing but desolation in their wake.

The soldiers of the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry reined in their frightened warhorses, their battle-hardened eyes wide with shock. They gasped for breath, staring dumbfounded at these monsters who were a hundred times more ferocious than the bandits beyond the Great Wall.

Shi Dali's enormous body was sprawled amidst the ruins of Huang Taiji's dilapidated central command tent. Completely unconcerned by the stench, his thick, unprotected hands plunged into the muddy crater, a mixture of entrails, excrement, and blood, digging frantically. Black mud splattered all over his fleshy face. Suddenly, his fingertips touched a cold, hard object.

Shi Dali straightened up abruptly, kicking up a large patch of foul-smelling mud. He raised his rough, large hand high above his head, his five fingers tightly gripping a half-broken jade pendant covered in mud and carved with ferocious python patterns.

"Brothers! Keep your eyes peeled! That old bastard Huang Taiji's personal jade pendant! A near-dark gold item! I've struck it rich this time!"

Shi Dali let out a hysterical roar in his extremely hoarse, broken voice. The extremely excited sound wave exploded on the empty ice field, directly causing the eardrums of several Guan Ning Army veterans around him to hurt, and they subconsciously covered their ears.

The player channel at the edge of the retina was instantly and completely flooded with dense, blood-red bullet comments.

Cultivation Party Member—Qian Lele: Holy crap! Brother Dali is incredibly lucky! This thing could definitely be exchanged for a set of top-tier armor in the main city!

Everyone who sees this gets a share, so hurry up and send out red envelopes to share the profits!

Breaking Bad - Cheng Huaxue: Stop staring at that broken rock! Go check if there are any Jurchen martial arts manuals! I want to cultivate immortality! Look for any parchment scrolls with writing on them! Don't even miss a piece of toilet paper with writing on it!

PVP Assassination - Qin Jue: Sell me the jade pendant. Name your price, I'll transfer the money directly in real life.

Shi Dali grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and burst into a wild, greedy laugh. He ripped open his belt and shoved the priceless half of the jade pendant deep into his crotch, hiding it against his skin. Then, he abruptly turned and lunged at the gruesome corpse of a white-armored soldier lying nearby, his intestines spilling out. His rough hands brutally tore open the man's tattered armor, reaching into the blood-soaked bosom and frantically searching for even a single copper coin.

On the other side of the ruins, a fierce wind whipped up large swaths of wood chips and ice shards. Zhou Keke, wearing a charred, broken iron pot she'd picked up from somewhere near a corpse as a safety helmet, gripped a chipped entrenching tool tightly in her hand, swinging it through the air with a whooshing sound. Her feet were firmly planted on the wreckage of a Jurchen siege engine, half-destroyed and still emitting black smoke, as she screamed hoarsely at the hundreds of Civil Engineering players below, their eyes gleaming.

"Tear it down! Tear it all up clean! Use crowbars to pry off all the sheet metal from the siege engines! Saw the thick wooden beams in half and take them away! This is all high-grade material for the main city's infrastructure! Listen carefully, not even a single rusty nail is allowed to be left for those NPCs over there!"

Upon hearing the command, the group of civil engineers below instantly gleamed with an extremely greedy green light in their eyes. Howling and screaming, they charged frantically towards the broken siege equipment scattered across the snow. Some grabbed heavy iron sledgehammers, weighing dozens of kilograms, and smashed them relentlessly against the extremely sturdy mortise and tenon joints, the deafening clang of metal echoing through the sky. Nearby, several men worked in pairs, frantically pulling at thick logs with crude iron saws. Blinding sparks flew in the frigid air, and large swaths of wood chips mixed with snow danced wildly in the air.

A heavy siege vehicle, originally extremely expensive and indestructible, was completely dismantled into scattered parts in less than half an incense stick's time under the extremely skilled and brutal assembly line work of these players. Even the thick iron plate covering the wooden wheels was pried off by several entrenching tools, rolled up into a ball, and stuffed into backpacks.

Wang Han appeared extremely professional.

He strode up a high, charred mound, his feet firmly planted on the riddled corpse of a Jurchen chieftain. The biting north wind whipped his hair with icy snow, and he clutched a tattered notebook tightly in his hand, his charcoal pencil flying wildly across the paper as he recorded every acquisition of spoils of war.

"Group One, take care of stripping the armor! Keep your eyes peeled! Pick out any with holes and put them away separately, don't let them look cheap mixed in! Group Two, collect the weapons! Don't throw away any chipped blades or rusty iron pieces, take them all back to be smelted! Group Three, fetch the horses! Live horses or dead horses, take them all! Cut off all the good meat from the dead horses for fodder, and smash the bones to make soup for calcium!"

Wang Han roared hysterically in his hoarse voice, giving orders, the veins on his neck bulging. Under his command, thousands of guild members carried out a thorough, orderly looting operation.

The corpses of the Jurchens scattered all over the ground were thoroughly turned upside down.

Wherever this group of strange people went, even the frozen soil stained with blood was scraped away three inches thick.

Not only were valuable armor and weapons stripped away, but even the slightly intact coarse cloth clothing and warm foot bindings on the Jurchen corpses were completely stripped. In the frigid wind, several ruthless players knelt on one knee in the snow, holding a pair of rusty iron pliers. With one hand, they gripped the chin of the Jurchen corpse tightly, prying open the frozen, stiff mouth, violently pulling out the gold teeth one by one, and stuffing them into their bulging pockets.

The naked, white-skinned corpses lay scattered haphazardly on the snow-covered ground, a mixture of blood and mud. The frigid air quickly robbed them of all warmth, freezing the remains into stiff blocks of ice.

Wang Erniu sat astride his warhorse, his rough hands gripping the reins tightly. He stared at the group of strange men, a hundred times more greedy than before, his lips twitching uncontrollably. The cold wind blew across his weathered face, but it couldn't dispel the extreme terror in his eyes.

He stiffly turned his head to look at the equally dumbfounded centurion beside him, his voice trembling in the cold wind, filled with deep self-doubt: "What are these people after? They won't even spare a dead man's underwear? How poor must they be?"

The centurion swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing violently. Despite the extreme cold, a layer of cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He stared intently at a player in the distance, frantically butchering a dead horse's leg, his voice terribly hoarse: "Maybe they're just having fun? We mortals can never fathom the thoughts of these living devils. Don't mess with them; when they go crazy, they don't even care about their own humanity."

Chu Ze stood on a high rock.

The cold wind ruffled his dark cloak. He stood high above, taking in the carnage and revelry of the entire battlefield.

Deep in my mind, the map of mountains and rivers was bursting with extremely dazzling golden light.

A massive amount of spiritual energy is skyrocketing at an alarming rate.

Defeating the main force of the Jurchens and securing the capital completely altered the original course of history. This achievement was enough to allow the cheat system to leap directly to the next stage.

He watched as two players below fought fiercely over a piece of tattered leather armor, and a tiny smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

This group of Fourth Calamities is greedy, chaotic, undisciplined, and has no moral bottom line.

But as long as they are given enough merit points and enough dopamine, they become the sharpest and most tireless weapons in the world.

The heavy footsteps interrupted Chu Ze's thoughts.

The crunching sound of footsteps breaking through the ice shell grew louder as Yuan Chonghuan stepped onto the rocky high ground.

This first-rank military marquis of the Ming Dynasty, the commander-in-chief who commanded respect throughout Liaodong, was now completely devoid of his usual imposing demeanor. The imperial cotton armor he wore was tattered, and black blood seeped from the haphazardly wrapped coarse cloth bandage on his left arm. His weathered old face was deathly pale, but his eyes, filled with dense red veins, revealed an extremely complex mix of excitement and relief.

Zu Dashou and He Kegang lagged half a step behind, closely following Yuan Chonghuan. These two ruthless generals from Liaodong, who had killed without hesitation, didn't even dare to breathe loudly at this moment. When their eyes fell on Chu Ze's back, there was only deep awe in their eyes.

Yuan Chonghuan stopped abruptly three steps away from Chu Ze. He took a deep breath of the cold air, thick with the smell of blood, clasped his hands together, and raised them high above his head. He then bent low, bowing deeply to Chu Ze.

The movement was so extreme that it aggravated the deep, bone-revealing wound on his left arm, causing scalding blood to gush out and stain a large area of ​​the bandage red. Yuan Chonghuan didn't even flinch; his back remained stiff and upright.

Zu Dashou and He Kegang exchanged a glance, and without any hesitation, they both knelt down on one knee.

boom!

The heavy steel leg armor slammed into the hard rock, producing a dull thud that cracked large areas of the ice shell on the ground.

"Lord Chu." Yuan Chonghuan maintained his ninety-degree bow, his voice hoarse and dry, revealing absolute sincerity and the excitement of surviving a calamity.

Chu Ze stood still. The cold wind blew his dark robes, but he made no move, nor did he show any intention of stepping aside. His gaze was deep, and he accepted the full salute of this Ming Dynasty military commander.

"The ten-day death decree—I originally thought it was a certain death. I never imagined that Lord Chu would actually turn the tide and bury these 100,000 Jurchens here!" Yuan Chonghuan straightened up, his chest heaving violently, his voice trembling in the howling wind. "The Ming Dynasty is truly fortunate to have Lord Chu and this heavenly army! A blessing for the nation!"

Zu Dashou, his voice rough, slammed his forehead heavily against the cold rock, leaving a bloody mark.

"Lord Chu! My ancestor was blind before and offended you greatly! From now on, wherever you point, my blade will strike! I won't even flinch!"

He Kegang roared back, his voice drowning out the wind: "The Guan Ning Iron Cavalry are at Lord Chu's command! We will go through fire and water, even unto death!"

These unruly, fierce generals from Liaodong, who only knew how to fight and not how to be treated, were completely subdued. Faced with their absolutely terrifying record and the irrational, frenzied slaughter by these extraordinary individuals, all their suspicions, arrogance, and resentment were crushed without a trace. They finally understood that the young Jin Shi of Guangning Guard held absolute power in his hands, enough to overturn the entire world.

Chu Ze stepped forward, firmly supporting Yuan Chonghuan's arms with both hands, and forcibly helped him up.

"You flatter me, Commander-in-Chief." Chu Ze smiled gently, but his eyes remained calm. "Expelling the Jurchens and protecting our country is the duty of any subject. The Ming Dynasty still needs you to guard it."

He turned to look at the two kneeling men, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable air of authority: "Generals, please rise. The Guan Ning cavalry fought valiantly on the battlefield, slaying generals and capturing flags; their achievements are immeasurable. How could I, Chu, dare to take what belongs to others?"

Politeness. Impeccable politeness.

Extreme politeness and entanglement.

Chu Ze's smile was perfect, without a single flaw. But deep in his eyes, however, lay a calm demeanor.

The players' revelry continued. Shi Dali's raspy voice and Zhou Keke's cursing drifted up the high ground on the cold wind.

Chu Ze knew all too well.

The loyalty of these Guan Ning generals is based solely on their fear of the unknown forces and their current military achievements.

These 100,000 Jurchens were only the visible enemies. Huang Taiji had fled, but the foundation of the Jin Dynasty remained in Shengjing.

The truly deadly danger is never on the battlefield.

The battles on the battlefield are fierce and exhilarating, with every strike drawing blood. As long as your fists are strong enough, you can smash your enemy into mincemeat.

But the power struggles in the imperial court are ruthless and bloodless.

Chu Ze turned his head, his gaze passing over the vast snowfield, and looked towards the southern horizon.

The majestic city walls of the capital city presented an extremely oppressive black outline under the dim light of the sky.

Behind the city walls lies the magnificent Forbidden City. There stands the high and mighty Chongzhen Emperor. There are the court officials, the remnants of the Donglin Party and the eunuch faction.

Those civil officials who hid in their warm chambers by the fire and killed people with their pens.

They needed a victory to paint a picture of peace. They needed the heads of the Jurchens to solidify their imperial power.

But could they tolerate a heavenly army that suddenly appeared out of nowhere, completely outside the control of the imperial court? Could they tolerate a border general like Chu Ze, who held considerable military power and had made tremendous contributions?