Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors

But Li Hongyun, of course, wasn't afraid of this.

"I'm Lord Qin, whom should I fear?"

He spurred his horse forward, saw that these Turkic cavalry hadn't yet realized the severity of the situation, drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and shot one of the cavalrymen!

"Whoosh!"

The arrow split the air, whistling as it flew past, the thick shaft instantly piercing through the Turkic man, knocking him off his horse.

Li Hongyun didn't pause, his warhorse continued to gallop forward, and at the same time, his second arrow was swiftly released.

"Whoosh!"

Another Turkic cavalryman was shot off his horse.

It's said, "Shoot the horse before shooting the man," but clearly, that didn't apply to Lord Qin.

He would always shoot the men directly.

The reason for shooting the horse before the man is partly because the target is smaller and capable of dodging, making it hard to hit, and also because men often wear armor, which limits the killing power of the arrows.

But Lord Qin's archery was top-notch, he wouldn't miss, and his great bow and heavy arrows had exceptional armor-piercing effects—even armored warriors could be penetrated with a single arrow, let alone these mostly unarmored Turkic light cavalry.

Moreover, human captives were not very useful, but captured horses could be directly outfitted to the Liang Army!

The other Turkic cavalry were greatly alarmed, they hadn't had time to react when a young man charged over and "whoosh whoosh" shot down two of their own—how could they accept that?

The Turkic men immediately reached for their bows and arrows intending to counterattack, but only a few arrows were actually fired.

Most of the Turkic cavalrymen drew their bows but did not shoot, with only a few releasing in panic or due to inexperience.

As expected, their arrows didn't even reach Li Hongyun before they lost momentum and fell to the ground.

Li Hongyun's longbow and heavy arrows had an absolute range advantage.

He continuously drew his bow and notched his arrows, firing one after another as if playing a shooting game, with each marked target falling as the arrow flew!

Behind him, the Liang cavalry swept past like a whirlwind, the morale of the Turkic cavalry instantly collapsed, they scattered and fled, and were directly dispersed by the Liang Army.

Then it became a lopsided slaughter.

However, the Turkic cavalry were fast on horseback, and a considerable number managed to flee north in panic.

Although Li Hongyun could have continued the pursuit, he felt it wouldn't make much difference since it wasn't a decisive battle, so he ordered his cavalry to return to their own formation and continued marching towards Taiyuan.

However, just as they reached Linfen, Li Hongyun received military news that left him somewhat disappointed.

The Turkic people were retreating!

Upon learning that Lord Qin had already arrived at Puzhou State, Jie Li Khan didn't delay any further, taking the more than five thousand captives, he led his troops out of the pass and returned to the Desert North.

...

After completing the mission in the fifth year of Wude, Li Hongyun continued challenging other years.

However, to his disappointment, although there were many battles with the Turkic light cavalry during this period, none erupted into particularly intense bloodshed.

In the sixth year of Wude, the Turkic people once again invaded Ma Yi and Shuozhou State, and Lord Qin, played by Li Hongyun, arrived at Bingzhou State to station and be on guard. It was not until November, when the court negotiated peace with the Turkic people, that he returned to the capital.

In the eighth year of Wude, Jie Li Khan once again invaded Lingzhou State, and Emperor Gaozu of Liang dispatched the veteran Zhang Jin to meet the enemy. Jie Li Khan, however, feinted a thrust and suddenly appeared in the direction of Shuozhou State. Emperor Gaozu of Liang had no choice but to urgently send Lord Qin out again to guard Puzhou State.

As a result, Zhang Jing turned to meet the enemy at Taigu only to be utterly defeated by the Turkic people, escaping alone to join Li Jing. Later, Li Jing and Li Shiji led troops to intercept, preventing Jie Li Khan from advancing further, and they confronted the Turkic forces in Bingzhou State.

Meanwhile, Lord Qin led an offensive from Puzhou State northward, but just as they moved out of Puzhou State, Jie Li Khan led his troops away again.

With this, three of the comparatively easier years among those five years were completed by Li Hongyun.

What remained were the seventh and ninth years of Wude, which were more challenging years.

Li Hongyun couldn't help but reflect, "So this is how it was.

"All along I've been wondering why, right after the Xuanwu Gate Incident, the Turkic forces were at the gates of Chang'an as soon as Lord Qin took over.

"Now I understand, the Turkic were testing the waters every year, and each time, they were driven back by Lord Qin.

"If not for Lord Qin, there's no need to wait until the ninth year of Wude—perhaps by the fifth year, the Turkic people would've already reached Chang'an..."

The current military situation had developed into the astonishing sight where "thousands of soldiers and horses avoid Lord Qin."

When other generals led troops to battle, the Turkic people didn't care at all, engaging in various grand battles. Even when Li Jing led forces into battle, the Turkic people dared to encamp for a standoff.

But it was only when Lord Qin took to the field that, barely arriving at Puzhou State, the Turkic people received the news and had already retreated.

This alone sufficiently demonstrated how much deterrence Lord Qin, the strongest man of the Liang Dynasty, held in the eyes of the Turkic people.

Li Hongyun's gaze shifted to the option for the seventh year of Wude.

Judging from the game settings, the mission of that year seemed even more difficult.

However, after the previous battles, Li Hongyun was brimming with confidence.