Chapter Sixty-Five: Ambush in the Wheat Field

Among the players Chen Hao had invited for the mission, there were those who believed in absolute monarchy, those who supported constitutional monarchy, and those who followed the republican ideal. For the republicans, attacking government troops was nothing out of the ordinary; even someone like Chen Hao, a constitutional monarchist, was unconcerned. But for the staunch monarchists, if they were caught by the governmental NPCs while attacking the prison convoy, it would be difficult for them to rise in status in the future.

Most monarchist players chose to take the political path, and there were only four such individuals in the group. Upon seeing the mission prompt, they hesitated. One of them stepped forward and asked, “Boss Chen, I believe in the absolute monarchy. If I join this mission, won’t it be hard for me to get ahead later?”

Chen Hao shook his head. “Even among the NPC officials, backstabbing is commonplace. Afterwards, don’t they all get promoted and make money just the same? As long as you don’t openly rebel, even if you’re wanted, you can pay to have your record cleared. For this mission, as long as we kill all the NPCs escorting the prisoners, with no witnesses left, the court won’t be able to trace it back to us.”

Chen Hao had chosen constitutional monarchy precisely because he didn’t want trouble with the authorities. If this attack led to a government manhunt, his early development would certainly be hindered. So, after agreeing to help Lin Hei’er with the prison break, he’d made up his mind to eliminate all the escorting NPCs. As for players escaping, it didn’t matter—even if they reported the incident, without evidence the authorities wouldn’t pursue decent folk.

The Qing court’s greatest hatred was reserved for revolutionaries. Monarchists and constitutional monarchists were considered respectable citizens, while republicans had a harder time, though their organizations could offer them some protection.

The four monarchist players accepted the mission. Once twenty players had joined, those who tried to sign up afterward received a system message: “Player XXX, the maximum number of participants for this mission has been reached. You cannot accept the quest.”

Situ Feng and his two companions didn’t get the mission either. Night Rain snorted coldly, “Chen Baxian, the quest was clearly for twenty people, yet you said three on the forum, and privately recruited forty players. I expect you to explain yourself to those of us left out…”

“Shut up. One more word and you can leave.” Chen Hao interrupted Night Rain without ceremony, then turned to the others who hadn’t gotten the mission. “The rest of you should get the quest from Cuiyun Niang. Once you’ve done that, we’ll set out.”

There was a murderous glint in Night Rain’s eyes, but hearing that the rest could get the mission from Cuiyun Niang, she suppressed her anger. If Chen Hao had made her come for nothing, she would have had good reason to explode. As it was, he had made proper arrangements; even if she felt slighted, she could only swallow her ire.

All forty players accepted the mission, and Lin Hei’er and Cuiyun Niang began directing the preparations. The official road here was narrow, flanked on each side by low hills a hundred meters high. Ambushing from the hilltops would keep them hidden and allow them to rain down fire upon the enemy on the road below—truly a perfect spot for an ambush.

After surveying the terrain, Chen Hao frowned, dissatisfied with the ambush site. The hills were thick with brambles, with only two narrow paths leading up. The thorns would deter an enemy assault on the heights, but in battle, should the enemy flee, the brambles would just as easily hinder their own charge.

Chen Hao’s goal was to wipe out all the NPCs to avoid being pursued by the authorities. If the ambush was set here, there would be no way to stop escaping NPCs in time. A new ambush site was necessary.

Lin Hei’er and Cuiyun Niang only cared about rescuing people, not about NPCs escaping. Choosing this spot had clearly taken some thought. If Chen Hao told them he wanted to eliminate all the NPCs and asked to change the ambush location, he doubted they would agree.

After some thought, Chen Hao walked up to Lin Hei’er and said, “Master Lin, the ambush location you’ve chosen is excellent, but I fear it will be hard to save anyone.”

Lin Hei’er replied in surprise, “You just said it was a good spot for an ambush—why would rescuing people be difficult?”

Chen Hao shook his head. “There are hills on both sides here. Our casualties in the ambush would be minimal. But, Master, you overlooked one thing: the hills are covered in brambles. It would take us several minutes to charge down, and if the enemy flees, we won’t be able to catch up.”

Lin Hei’er laughed. “You worry too much. Our main goal is to rescue people; if the government dogs want to run, let them.”

Chen Hao’s expression grew grave. “Master, you may not know this, but this time there are outsiders escorting our sisters. The leader, Three-Life Stone, is ruthless. From what I know of him, before escaping he will surely kill, putting our sisters in great danger.”

Lin Hei’er looked alarmed. “If that’s so, then this isn’t the right place to ambush. Nephew Baxian, do you have any suggestions?”

Chen Hao smiled. “When I went up the hill to scout, I noticed that not far from here, on either side of the road, there are wheat fields. If you and Master Cuiyun lie in wait there with a dozen skilled fighters, you can rush out at the first sign of combat and stop those outsiders from harming Sister Zhang and the others.”

Lin Hei’er pondered. “There’s no terrain advantage in the wheat fields. Cuiyun and I won’t be in danger, but you outsiders are bound to take heavy losses.”

Chen Hao straightened. “Sister, you underestimate us. Since we promised to help you rescue them, we’ll do everything in our power. Casualties are nothing.”

Admiration glimmered in Lin Hei’er’s eyes. “Nephew Baxian, you truly are bold. Since you have a plan, I’ll leave command of this battle to you. But do your best to minimize losses while rescuing them.”

Chen Hao was secretly pleased. Gaining command of the battle, if he performed well, his tactical execution attribute might increase. The system judged the success of a battle mainly by friendly casualties and enemies slain, so to gain tactical points, he would have to keep losses low.

Chen Hao actually already had a good plan. Even in the wheat fields, he was confident of winning with minimal losses. He’d held back before in order to play the hero before Lin Hei’er and win her favor.

In numbers, both among players and NPCs, the enemy had the advantage. Ambushing in the wheat fields offered little in the way of terrain, so victory against greater odds would be hard. Chen Hao dared to set the ambush there because he knew the true nature of the Qing NPC troops. The thirty constables escorting the prisoners could be disregarded entirely. The regular Qing army scattered at the first sign of trouble—how much better could these constables be?

The constables weren’t armed with muskets; each carried only a broadsword. In close combat, they were stronger than most players. If they fought desperately hand-to-hand, the players would surely be outmatched. But Chen Hao knew that if they shot a few constables at the start, the rest would crumble without a fight.

When the constables broke and ran, Lin Hei’er and Cuiyun Niang would lead the charge against the players. With their hand-to-hand skills of at least seventy, cutting down players would be as easy as slicing melons.

Once he had command, Chen Hao called out, “Stop digging fortifications, everyone. We’re switching ambush sites.”

When Night Rain, still fuming, heard that Chen Hao was moving the ambush to the wheat fields, she almost spoke up to object. But, remembering her previous rebukes, she held her tongue, choosing instead to wait and see how he would deploy his forces.