Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors

Chu Ge's suspicions gradually became certain.

However, whether a single performance of "Lord Qin's Battle Music" could resolve this insoluble situation still needed to be verified in the instance.

Thus, Chu Ge re-entered the game and quickly reached Zheng Tian's side.

This time, although he tried to persuade his generals just like before, he didn't hold much hope.

As expected, the generals remained indifferent, and just like before, Zheng Tian fell ill due to arthritis.

The envoy of Huang Xianzhi still arrived on time.

But this time, Chu Ge, who lay on the sickbed unable to speak, did not remain idle as before.

He gestured with his hands, asking the servant girl in charge of attire to bring him brush and ink.

Barely supporting his arthritic body, he stood up and wrote a few lines with a trembling hand.

Then, as if he had used up all his strength, he collapsed back onto the bed.

He waved his hand, instructing the servant girl to hand this letter to his trusted general.

...

Chu Ge's perspective quickly elevated, during the time he was immobilized by arthritis, he again saw from a god's view the generals welcoming Huang Xianzhi's envoy Wang Hui.

Chu Ge had seen this scene before.

First, Wang Hui on behalf of Huang Xianzhi expressed his intent to recruit the generals, followed by the Lord Governor Peng Jingrou taking out a gratitude letter, having his trusted and beloved generals sign it first.

Although the generals hesitated, they eventually signed their names on the gratitude letter.

Lord Governor Peng Jingrou took back the gratitude letter and couldn't help laughing out loud, "Good, since the matter is settled, let the banquet begin!"

With that, he handed the gratitude letter to Huang Xianzhi's envoy Wang Hui, while the banquet scene was filled with conviviality.

According to the previous situation, this banquet should have ended convivially. And the generals had accepted it as a fact, no longer attempting to be the leader in rebelling against Huang Xianzhi.

But just then, a general approached Lord Governor Peng Jingrou and Huang Xianzhi's envoy Wang Hui and respectfully saluted.

"What is the matter?" Peng Jingrou asked, holding up his wine cup.

The general respectfully said, "Today is a joyous occasion with the arrival of the envoy of the Yellow King, how can we enjoy the feast without music?"

Wang Hui immediately slapped the table, "Right, how can such a joyous day go without music?"

Peng Jingrou hesitated, lowering his voice, "But the musicians here only know how to play military music..."

Wang Hui didn't mind, "In such a situation, who needs those decadent tunes? We should play military music!"

Peng Jingrou instinctively felt something was amiss but couldn't pinpoint what exactly.

Upon reflection, playing some military music at this moment was indeed necessary.

Though Huang Xianzhi was a traitor, the generals were already drafting the gratitude letter, signifying surrender and allegiance. Regardless, it was a very formal occasion.

Such a banquet deserved some music, especially solemn and respectful military music.

Moreover, the envoy Wang Hui also desired to hear military music.

Thus, Peng Jingrou nodded, "Alright, let the music play!"

Before long, several musicians arrived, each holding instruments like flutes, shengs, pipas, konghous, bass drums, cymbals, and so on.

"Lord Qin's Battle Music" was a large ensemble piece that used nearly every available instrument, naturally making it grand and imposing.

The music began.

Although the musicians did not sing the words of "Lord Qin's Battle Music," the expressions of the generals at the feast had already changed.

For them, these words were all too familiar.

No one would not know how to sing them!

As the music grew more stirring, these lyrics resonated in everyone's hearts.

The leaders follow the rules, together they rebel against the traitors.

All sing the Breaking Formation Music, enjoying the peace together.

The imperial winds are boundless, the virtue of waters clear for a thousand years.

No need for warrior garb anymore, today we celebrate our success.

The ruler opens an era of prosperity, the ministers loyally devote themselves to Great You.

Observe after the armistice, comes the peaceful autumn!

The lyrics of "Lord Qin's Battle Music," being implicit, robust, simple, and elegant, typified the poetic style of the early Liang Dynasty.

This was originally adapted when Emperor Taizong of Liang, then the Lord Qin, returned victoriously from defeating Liu Wuzhou, where the soldiers celebrated the victory by filling an old tune with new lyrics.

Later, after Emperor Taizong ascended to the throne, he ordered the Minister of Music to reorganize the music and had several famous ministers rewrite the lyrics according to the dance diagram to finalize the composition of this piece.

The real "Lord Qin's Battle Music" also needed to be accompanied by a special dance.

According to historical records, the dance of "Lord Qin's Battle Music" was not the graceful type performed by women waving long sleeves or swaying their waists but rather resembled a battlefield formation.

Circular left, square right, incline first, later ranks, fish and geese in succession, open fans, spread wings, moving with interlocked stretching and bending, revolving ends and meeting heads, advancing and retreating to strike, forming the shape of a battle array.

The dance varied three times, each change forming four formations, totaling twelve formations, corresponding to the verses of the song.

The dancers, one hundred-twenty in number, wore armor and held lances, decorated with silver. They beat large drums, the sound thundering for miles, the force magnificent as mountains and rivers.

Later, even two thousand cavalry were organized to perform "Lord Qin's Battle Music" outside the Xuanwu Gate, for officials of third-grade and above and those "barbarian chieftains" who had been captured and brought back to Chang'an to exhibit their "talent in singing and dancing," showcasing the formidable reputation of the Liang Dynasty.

"Lord Qin's Battle Music," could be sung by an individual or played by a single musician, but also could be performed by hundreds or thousands of people singing and playing together.

Therefore, during the nearly three hundred years of the Liang Dynasty, "Lord Qin's Battle Formation Music" not only spread throughout the entire Liang Dynasty, but also reached the Western Regions, the Northern Border, and every inch of land illuminated by the glory of the Liang Dynasty.

...

At this time, due to lack of preparation, the musicians played only instrumental music, without the dance of the soldiers or a powerful chorus.

But the familiar tune alone had already brought many officers and soldiers in the army to tears.

In fact, mere music or dance can stir limited emotions.

What's important is the sentiment embedded in the music or dance.

Back then, Emperor Taizong of Liang was invincible in attack and unbeatable in battle, saving the Emperor at Yanmen at sixteen, leading a rebellion at eighteen, capturing two kings in one battle at twenty-three, and pacifying the realm at twenty-four.

In just six years, he unified the Four Seas.

In the following twenty-plus years, he accepted everyone, diligently governed, and transformed a land torn apart by war into a powerful dynasty that all nations came to pay homage to.

This grand and majestic aura had long been deeply engraved in the hearts of every Liang Dynasty citizen.

So much so that the entire royal family of the Liang Dynasty identified themselves as "descendants of Emperor Taizong" rather than "descendants of Emperor Gaozu", which was a unique phenomenon in a unified dynasty.

At that moment, the gratitude letter had been submitted.

Just like Fengxiang, the various Military Governors were watching the Liang Dynasty indifferently, apparently in a scene of desperation with old symbols being replaced by new.

Yet, looking back at the splendid era of the Liang Dynasty still made people…

Feel reluctant.

Some soldiers gazed at their wine cups, then "plop", a clear teardrop fell.

A low sobbing began to sound in the midst of the banquet.

Then, the crying spread rapidly through the banquet like a contagion.

All generals wept.

No one could clearly articulate what kind of emotion it was—perhaps it was regret for the Liang Dynasty, perhaps nostalgia for that powerful era, perhaps sorrow for the current chaotic times...

But no matter what, this emotion hammered continuously on everyone's chest like a heavy mallet.

Envoy Wang Hui was somewhat surprised, "Generals… why are you crying?"

Staff officer Sun Chu, caught in a moment of quick thinking, said, "It's because Mr. Zheng's wind ailment prevents him from coming to enjoy the feast with everyone, so they feel sad."

Wang Hui did not take it to heart and just continued to drink and have fun with Peng Jingrou.

What he did not know was that after this song, the generals' resolve had already shifted.

...

Afterward, everything followed logically.

Chu Song gathered the generals, they swore an oath in blood, vowing to fight for the Liang Dynasty.

When the envoy came a second time, they executed him on the spot to demonstrate their power and broke with Huang Xianzhi.

Then, enraged by the Fengxiang Commander's defection and rebellion, Huang Xianzhi sent his top general and fifty thousand troops to attack.

Chu Song, having prepared an ambush ahead of time, personally led thousands of weak soldiers to set up formation on a high ridge, wielding a large number of flags to create a dispersed formation, giving the illusion of the main force being there and military discipline being lax.

Mistaking Zheng Tian for a scholarly general inexperienced in warfare, Huang Xianzhi's general underestimated him, advancing with drums in a disorganized formation.

As a result, they ran into the ambush at Longwei Pond, where over twenty thousand were beheaded, and corpses lay across tens of miles.

This battle drastically shifted the situation.

Initially, many Military Governors were watching or had already presented their letters of surrender to Huang Xianzhi. However, Huang Xianzhi's apparent strength revealed his inner weakness after this battle.

Thus, the initially surrendering commanders also followed orders to campaign against him, reassembling their banners.

Many of Huang Xianzhi's top generals also defected.

Huang Xianzhi, who commanded an army of six hundred thousand, ultimately declined after reaching his peak and headed downhill.

...

A dazzling portal appeared before Chu Song, seemingly materializing out of thin air.

And everything around him seemed to come to a halt.

Chu Song faintly guessed that perhaps, by stepping through this glittering gateway, he could directly traverse the turmoil of the late Liang era and step into Emperor Taizong's instance.

To once again witness the eternal grandeur of a great general.

However… this step seemed all too simple, making Chu Song feel somewhat hollow inside.

That's it?

Before entering this instance, Chu Song had already known that this instance was another cobbled together one.

The scale of Emperor Taizong's personal instance should be similar to Emperor Taizu of Sheng. But a demon suddenly used a historical fragment to block the restorers' power, meaning players would need to clear another instance before entering Emperor Taizong's instance.

This hastily added instance was clearly Huang Xianzhi's instance.

Chu Song originally thought this instance would be similar to a normal Trial Illusion, certainly taking a couple of days to break. Yet, unexpectedly, it was cleared on the first day!

Strictly speaking, the way to clear this instance was somewhat too simple.

Just by coming in, dying at lightning speed as Zhang Chengfan's character, then switching roles to become the Fengxiang Commander Zheng Tian, and playing "Lord Qin's Battle Formation Music" at the banquet hosted by Huang Xianzhi's envoy, everything was resolved.

This…

Chu Song was also shocked; this was really not like "Dark Sand's" usual style, it was a bit too simple!

But after careful contemplation, Chu Song suddenly felt that such an arrangement might make some sense.

The instance didn't show the scenes that followed because...

This was the ultimate highlight.