Section 78: Derangement x Madness

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“Did we win today?”

Dart, who had remained behind at the camp, asked the soldier who had just returned.

“Yes. We captured several hundred prisoners, though more than a hundred of our own men were captured as well. The enemy retreated another several dozen miles.”

It was called a victory, but the soldier’s face was utterly exhausted, without the slightest trace of excitement.

“A victory is always a good thing, isn’t it?”

“It should have been. But today, the Han army executed every single prisoner again.”

“They’re only NPCs. What’s there to make such a fuss about?”

“They surrendered voluntarily.” The soldier collapsed onto the sofa and closed his eyes, his voice weary and dispirited. “Our army fought bravely today and forced the enemy’s line back. We surrounded several hundred men on their right flank. As it happened, the officer leading the enemy was related to one of the Han officers. After both sides pleaded with them, those men surrendered.”

“And then, in a place where the enemy could see, every prisoner was killed.”

“People die every day in this space. Who cares?” Dart found the whole thing inexplicable.

“They laid down their weapons. The soldiers around them tied them up and intended to escort them back. Then one of the officers serving under Lu Zhi came over and relayed the order: they were all to be executed.”

“When they heard that, some wept while others begged for mercy, saying they had been coerced. The Han officer pleaded with his superior on their behalf, but it did no good. He himself nearly got killed, and was later imprisoned only because other colleagues pleaded for him. Military law was absolute. The prisoners were forced to the ground in rows, and their heads were hacked off.”

“A one-hit kill effect, hmm?” Dart said with a laugh.

“At first, they were still screaming. Gradually, the cries died away. When only the last few dozen remained, they began shouting their slogans again.”

“Nothing but useless nonsense. If words could kill, I’d be shouting them too. What good would it do? On a battlefield, it still comes down to blades and spears.”

“Some of the enemy hadn’t withdrawn yet. They stood together on the mountain opposite us, shouting along with the prisoners. When the prisoners were all dead, those men fell silent for a while, then suddenly began laughing together. At the time… I felt as though they had all gone mad.”

The soldier shuddered, unable to describe in detail what he had felt then.

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It was not only him. Many of the soldiers around them, and even the officers, kept their heads lowered and said little. They had clearly won the battle, yet behaved as though they had done something wrong.

“I know it’s fake. I know this is merely a battlefield scenario, and that they’re all NPCs with attributes. But the scene back then…”

“So what if the Han army is stronger? If they killed them, then they killed them. What’s the big deal?” Dart poured two glasses of wine. “If both sides were evenly matched, this might cause problems. But the Han army is certain to win, so how they do it doesn’t matter.”

“Killing them all can strike terror into the enemy and make them understand the price of rebellion. Since when did you become so sentimental?”

“I’m not… It just feels somewhat ominous.”

—

At the revolutionary army’s new camp, Wang Luo’s new maid—the one who had prepared so many excellent dishes before—carried a pot of tea to the entrance of his tent.

For convenience, we shall call her A here. She lifted the tent flap, but saw Liu An standing inside. She did not enter at once. Instead, she hid in a place from which she could see him without being seen, and listened to their conversation.

“Did they listen this time?”

Liu An lowered his head and examined the few sheets of paper in his hands. “Yes. The people sent to persuade them this time were all locals. They had witnessed the Han army killing prisoners and nearby civilians with their own eyes. More than half of them have already withdrawn.”

“Inform the entire army.” Wang Luo leaned forward, clasping his hands together. “Let them all know how brutal the Han army is. Those captured will die. Anyone living beside the roads they pass through will die. Even those who have relatives over there will die all the same.”

“Today’s setback was merely an accident. Tell everyone to tend to the wounded and rest properly. We will fight again another day. We must smash the Han army!”

Wang Luo waved his hand, sweeping it upward and to the right from his chest before pausing for a moment.

He often made that gesture when expressing a firm opinion. It was graceful and full of poise.

Their conversation ended there. Liu An did not leave, however, and continued speaking about various trivial matters.

She frowned, carried the tea inside, poured a cup for Wang Luo, then set the pot on the table and stood to one side. As for Liu An, she ignored him entirely.

No one had ever taught her otherwise. In the past, she had always taken the initiative to pour tea for Wang Luo’s guests. But for some reason, she suddenly felt there was no need to concern herself with a minor figure like Liu An. He certainly would not dare say or do anything about it.

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Thoughts that had never appeared during her more than thirty years of life began surfacing one after another in her mind.

There were, in fact, many things she ought to do. She could curry favor with this man and make him trust her; carefully record his documents; sell them for a good price in certain places… Never touch the originals. Memorize them, then copy them down. That would be safer.

No man could be relied upon, so she had to prepare for every possibility. If he won, she would profit. If he lost, she would still be able to live well.

Then another faint thought rose from the depths of her heart: He had saved her and her child back then. Was it somewhat excessive to think this way?

Hmph! What was excessive about it? Hadn’t he saved her out of lust for her beauty? With her face and her body, even if he had not come to save her, countless people would have fought to do so!

And he claimed that he wanted to save everyone? He was nothing but a hypocritical liar! Wasn’t his true purpose to make everyone else die for him?

Otherwise, why didn’t he stand at the very front himself? Why hide behind the lines and give orders? Would the battle really be any different with or without someone directing it? If he truly wanted to save the villagers nearby, why not take his soldiers and protect them?

What was there to fear in defeat? What was there to fear if everyone died? If he was unwilling to make even this small sacrifice to save others, what else could he be but a hypocrite pretending to be virtuous? He merely put on the appearance of a good man. In truth, didn’t he simply abandon them to their fate?

I despise him! I will never become a hypocrite like that! Even if I am selfish, at least I will be honest about it!

I have no reason to concern myself with those people. Even if we grew up together from childhood, they are still nothing more than outsiders. So what if they die? So what if they suffer? So what if they go hungry? Compared with their welfare, isn’t my own pleasure obviously more important?

Some experiences from her past seemed to whisper faintly that things were not entirely like this. But then another image filled her mind: herself adorned in splendor, standing before a crowd and drawing countless reverent gazes.

And so, her previous line of thought grew even more resolute.

(Additional note:

Gedinny does not have a very clear understanding of the effects of his tool. However, based on his experience using it, he has determined that when the historical gap is so vast, its effect on most targets is not particularly strong. It can only exert a slight influence.

Naturally, it cannot be ruled out that a small number of targets may possess minds with a relatively high degree of compatibility with the thoughts stored within it. On such targets, the effect will be somewhat stronger than on most people.)

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