Chapter Forty-Three: Earnestness

“There really are some who surrendered!”

Seeing several hundred Han army prisoners sandwiched among the revolutionaries, all newly outfitted, marching into the camp of the Revolution Army, Garivel and his companions were dumbfounded.

“How many are there? Was it that woman’s doing? Look, isn’t that the deputy leader of Wu Prefecture?” Mei Xiaosheng suddenly pointed toward the center of the army.

The others followed her gaze. Sure enough, Zhou Suyan was astride her horse, talking with Charles.

“He hadn’t given orders to surrender before. I discussed it with him, and he finally agreed,” Zhou Suyan declared triumphantly, eager for praise.

“What price did you settle on?” Charles asked.

“He gave sixty, but publicly it’s fifty. He also told us not to rush to redeem the fifth round yet.”

Charles nodded; lowering the price indicated genuine intent. Yet, this also meant there wouldn’t be much profit.

“Go speak with him again,” Charles said quietly. “Give me a little time. If I can persuade these soldiers to surrender, I hope he’ll pay the full amount. Hm? Why are the banners changed?”

“The full amount? Oh... I understand. Within the surrender camp, it’s twenty each, but direct surrender is one hundred. I’ll speak with him. He’ll likely agree.”

“Wait, what’s with the banners?”

“Oh, Wang Luo said we should call ourselves the Revolution Army from now on. But I haven’t received any notification about changing factions; perhaps he’s just calling us that casually.”

The prisoners were settled, and the troops returned to camp. Zhou Suyan hurried to Wang Luo’s tent and relayed Charles’s request.

“Fine, give him twenty-four hours,” Wang Luo said without turning. “How does he command the Han soldiers?”

“He uses dispatch orders,” Zhou Suyan replied. “He can command a certain number of Han soldiers to attack a designated target or direct them for a period of time.”

“The Han soldiers are willing to surrender, so they obey such orders. But since they don’t want to join us directly, there’s no way to issue commands?”

“Yes.” She nodded. “The soldiers will refuse orders that are too dangerous; sometimes they disobey or ignore orders and run away.”

“Just like real soldiers. Wait a moment, then. The secretary is counting numbers. Once he brings the report, you’ll get your contribution points.”

“Don’t forget—fifty-four thousand for Charles, one thousand for me.”

“No problem.”

----

That night, Wang Luo issued the second batch of tasks. The main objectives included surveying the remaining Han forces nearby; monitoring the newly surrendered Han soldiers; investigating local residents and noble families in this region and its surroundings; negotiating with the nobility to demand they hand all their land to the peasants and most of their grain to the Revolution Army.

“Look at that last task. It’s far too fanciful,” Erik said, staring at the newly posted mission, priced at ten thousand contribution points. “How could such negotiations ever succeed?”

“If the army is right behind them, and they encounter landlords who fear death, maybe there’s a chance,” Moronov replied offhandedly.

“Forget the irrelevant ones,” Garivel pointed at a previous task. “Since we’re sure these earn contribution points, I think we can take this one.”

Everyone looked where he pointed: “Convince Han army contractors to join the Revolution Army.”

“So, who do you plan to persuade?” Mei Xiaosheng asked.

“The leaders of those teams from before,” Garivel counted on his fingers. “Dalber, Getini, Lank—if they bring their followers, we’d get multiple redemption opportunities.”

“But how do we contact them?” Erik wondered. “Now we’re opposing factions. They can attack us—even if there’s little gain, our defenses are halved.”

Garivel was silent for a while. “The main Han force has been wiped out. Even if new ones arrive, it’ll take time. Besides, they might not defeat the newly armed and better-trained troops here.”

“This round, there’s a slim chance the Yellow Turbans will win. I know it, and so do they. Besides, with Wu Prefecture involved on the Han side, even if they win, it won’t yield much for them.”

“Sounds reasonable,” Moronov agreed. “But where can we find them? Previously, they moved with the main Han force. After that huge fire, they must have suffered losses.”

“I think they’re here.” Garivel pointed at the map, at the ferry crossing. “In this Han army camp.”

----

“Did you see Charles’s message?”

In the mobile team space hall, the Wu Prefecture team was gathered. Lin Feier clasped her hands, looking at Gru.

Gru had barely read half when he broke out in a cold sweat. “These are all excuses! The guy’s betrayed us, but he wants to shift the blame onto us!”

He tried to argue further, but Lin Feier shook her head and glanced at him.

Gru understood the meaning in her eyes: You’ve already made a mistake, so don’t be foolish again.

He fell silent. Lin Feier turned to Wright across the table. “Wright, what do you think?”

“I told the deputy leader, and he asked me to repair the base station on the road, saying he needed more detailed intel. When I finished and returned, there was no one left in the camp.”

Gru suddenly looked up, eyes gleaming as if he’d found a scapegoat, staring at Wright. Just as he opened his mouth, Lin Feier raised her right hand.

A resounding slap—though invisible—landed on his face, swelling it and drawing blood at the corner of his mouth.

Gru came to his senses, glaring at Lin Feier with hatred, then at Wright, before lowering his head.

At that moment, his expression was that of a wild beast, untamed and fierce.

“What promises did he make with the enemy? Did you find out?” Lin Feier continued.

“I heard a little,” Wright replied timidly, glancing at Gru. “The enemy seems to have posted many missions, encouraging our faction to surrender. After completing them, you can trade Han army equipment and supplies for rewards. The prices are very low.”

A chorus of sighs swept the room. “So, they didn’t exchange captured items for battlefield progress, but used them to issue tasks?”

“Yes,” Wright hesitated, then confirmed.

Lin Feier was silent for about ten minutes before speaking again.

“This is troublesome. The enemy is both cunning and willing to invest heavily.”

“We will win.” Her voice was resolute, clear, and brimming with confidence. “A minor setback changes nothing. Obviously, everyone relaxed after using the presets. But now, pull yourselves together!”

“Treat them as true adversaries! In fact, it’s not impossible that a real team, or genuine formidable enemies, have entered this scenario intending to ambush us.”

Her companions, after hearing these words, sat up straighter, eyes wide with alertness.