Chapter 118: Subtle Influence and Quiet Transformation

Page 1 of 3

“Although we can command now, it seems we still can’t lead the soldiers out for independent combat.”

On the march, Garivier said this to Moronov beside him. Moronov shrugged. “Makes sense. Without tools, just being able to issue orders is already good. The enemies they kill don’t earn us any points either.”

The two walked side by side, each accompanied by their own squad. “So, it comes down to our ability to finish off the kills.”

“We’ve already surrendered; the rewards are only half. Look at those others—they deliberately delay surrendering to give themselves a chance to earn general points,” Garivier said.

“They can’t lead troops; I guess they’ll be scrambling for kills everywhere,” Moronov frowned.

“There’s no helping it once the fighting starts. Remember the instructions we bought before coming in? When the Han army fights the Yellow Turbans, it’s total chaos. The points you earn all depend on luck. If you’re lucky enough to behead a Yellow Turban general, you strike it rich,” Garivier explained.

“Speaking of heads, if we stay here and go searching, we might even be able to get Lu Zhi’s head,” Moronov said. “In that decisive battle, I only saw Sun Jian; Cao Cao and Liu Bei didn’t show up.”

They exchanged a glance. “But if we stay, we can’t lead troops.”

“Exactly…” Moronov pointed to the side. “Look.”

It was Charles, mounted on horseback, clad in armor that shimmered with a faint black glow.

“That glow—that’s the captain’s armor!” Garivier slapped his thigh. “If I’d known, I’d have kept my contribution points instead of rushing to exchange them.”

“What good would that have done?” Moronov complained. “Charles came over with many Han soldiers to surrender, so his contribution points are high. If from the start we had used the transfer order to bring those Han troops over, we could have bought anything!”

Garivier was stunned by this. “Wait... what did you say?”

“Using the transfer order to bring Han troops over to surrender…”

“That’s it!” Garivier pounded his fist. “We’re part of the Yellow Turban faction now, right?”

“Sort of... I think the system hasn’t set up a separate faction for the revolutionary army. Wait…”

Moronov realized what the other meant. “Killing warriors from the same faction doesn’t reduce general points.”

“But it still adds to your contribution,” Garivier shook his head. “If you want general points, you have to find people from Wuzhou to surrender, and then you only get a quarter of the points. I’d rather negotiate with them and cooperate to kill Yellow Turban soldiers.”

They fell silent.

“That’s what he means,” Garivier said. “Let us lead troops, but not the people from Wuzhou. And if the Wuzhou people don’t surrender, they have to hand over their general points; if they do surrender, it counts as good relations between us.”

Page 2 of 3

“If that’s true…” Moronov looked toward the carriage where Wang Luo sat. “That’s terrifying. Remember what Xiaosheng said before? What Yang Wentian told her. Something about the heart…”

“The heart holds the dangers of mountains and rivers; the abdomen holds the depth of a city’s defense. It’s a Chinese idiom, I think,” Garivier recalled. “It seems that, apart from those three, there are no other contractors on the Yellow Turban side in this scene.”

“The battlefield only matches contractors of equal strength on both sides, right? So, three newcomers fighting against more than sixty of us balances out?”

----

“You don’t have to understand it now. Just memorize it quickly, understand?”

Wang Luo took a sip of tea, looking at the two officers before him, who wore worried expressions.

“Alright, go back and memorize. If you don’t have enough time during the day, then stay up late at night. Now get out, call in Wang Chuan and Wang Meng.”

The two officers visibly sighed in relief as they jumped off the carriage. Zhou Suyan burst into laughter. “They seem to think studying is harder than fighting.”

“That’s how it is when you’re older,” Wang Luo tidied the books before him. “You’ll help teach later.”

“Okay.”

Her voice was soft and charming, making Wang Luo glance at her a few more times.

“You look prettier than before,” he remarked.

“Really?” She beamed. “How pretty?”

Uh... Wang Luo was silent for a moment. “Pretty enough that if you weren’t around, I’d snatch you away immediately... Yes, that pretty.”

Her smile blossomed like a flower. But moments later, she lowered her head. “If I made a very serious mistake, would you still love me?”

“It depends…” Wang Luo seemed to ponder seriously before answering. “If someone fully recognizes their mistake and is willing to correct it... and makes an effort to do so, they’re always worth forgiving and respecting. But if they don’t recognize their error, don’t try to fix it, or have already forgiven themselves, then they’re not worthy of forgiveness.”

“What if she lacks the ability to fully correct it?”

“As long as there’s the will to change... that’s still worth helping. In my team, as long as someone hasn’t given up on themselves, I won’t give up on them. Besides, I don’t think there’s any mistake so severe it can’t be redeemed.”

She lowered her head, then raised it again, continuing to smile.

Page 3 of 3

“Mm, I understand.”

Just as she seemed about to say more, two officers—Wang Chuan and Wang Meng—entered. Like the previous two, they looked anxious, resembling schoolchildren who hadn’t done their homework.

Wang Luo glanced at them and pointed to Wang Chuan, starting the questions.

“What is the fundamental contradiction in society today?”

“It is... between the landlord aristocrats and the vast masses of peasants...” Wang Chuan answered hesitantly.

“Explain specifically.”

“The landlords live in big houses, have more grain than they can eat, and have many beautiful wives and concubines; we peasants go hungry from one meal to the next, our houses leak and let in the wind, and when our wives get sick, we can’t afford treatment.”

That wasn’t the standard answer, but it wasn’t wrong either. Wang Luo saw the redness in the answerer’s eyes and gave a high score.

“How do we solve this problem?”

“Revolution! Overthrow the landlord aristocrats and distribute the land to everyone!”

“How do we overthrow the enemy?”

“Un... unite all friends who can be united, and defeat the entire enemy.”

“Wrong. You try,” Wang Luo looked at Wang Meng.

“Unite all friends who can be united, and defeat the true enemy.”

“What is the key to winning battles?”

“Strict training, excellent equipment, stable front lines... and reserves.”

“What is the key to winning campaigns?”

“Strict military discipline, a stable rear, support from the people…”

Wang Meng began sweating, but finally answered, “Also the use of terrain.”

Please continue to follow us for the fastest updates.