Chapter Eighteen: Restraint

The soldiers who had been taken in, fed with porridge, and settled in the tents, all seemed to be in good spirits. It was understandable—most of them were not natives. Defeated in foreign lands, they had tried to flee toward Guangzong, only to be ordered to halt here and then defeated once again. But that was hardly a matter of consequence.

The real issue was that once fleeing became a habit, what would happen when they were dragged back onto the battlefield...

As Wang Luo mulled this over, another group of several dozen people arrived at the camp gate. As before, they were of all ages and both sexes, but this time several ox carts accompanied them, loaded with what appeared to be grain and other supplies.

With so many newcomers, there were surely numerous spies among them—“agents,” as they were called in this era.

When the rest period ended, the soldiers spontaneously formed ranks. As Wang Luo approached, he saw their eyes were filled with respect and admiration.

He knew rumors had spread throughout the camp: that he was a master of sorcery, able to transform ore into ingots and ingots into weapons and armor without need for forge or hammer. He made no attempt to deny these tales. In truth, such feats weren’t much of a magical accomplishment—given tools, these two thousand men could probably produce more through their own labor than he could by forging alone.

The ranks were straightened out, and Zhou Yingxiong, along with Yang Wentian who had just returned, began drilling the soldiers and junior officers in turns and maneuvers as Wang Luo had instructed.

“All together now, face left—turn!”

The movement was clumsy; some stumbled, some confused left for right, and the whole line wobbled. Still, there was no laughter or jesting. Times had been hard enough; save for a few pretending at bravado, Wang Luo rarely saw smiles among them.

It was no wonder—the present circumstances gave little cause for joy. Zhou Yingxiong had told him that some, after being routed in previous camps, had simply taken their own lives. But at the brink of death, who would willingly submit to fate? As long as the faintest hope remained, men would struggle on.

With discipline, proper equipment, and correct orders infused into such a mindset, one could forge a force capable of standing against the Han army, no matter how formidable their foes appeared. After all, even the enemy had their own weaknesses—like Guo Da, for example.

——

“Serve me, or die. Which will you choose?”

When Yang Wentian awoke, a sinister voice echoed in his ears. He opened his eyes to find himself in a tent, facing four or five people. The one who spoke was shrouded in black mist, cloaked head to toe in darkness.

“Don’t kill me,” Yang Wentian lowered his head.

“Good. You seem sensible. Which team are you with? How many groups does your side have this time?”

“Me? I have no team. There are only three of us in our camp, bound by a mutual aid pact.”

“Hmm?” The questioner glanced aside at a woman in a gray business suit with long hair and black glasses. She nodded.

“He’s telling the truth,” she said.

“That’s odd. Could their main force have already entered Guangzong? No, maybe this guy’s just a grunt who knows nothing…”

Then the black-robed figure interrogated Yang Wentian in detail about the Yellow Scarves’ camp. Yang answered truthfully—there was a camp yet unconquered, the Yellow Scarves’ captain had seized the leader’s position, moved the camp, begun gathering scattered soldiers, and so on.

He did not reveal, of course, that the Yellow Scarves’ captain happened to be his own teammate—his captors never seemed to consider the possibility.

After giving a full account of what he knew, the black-robed man offered Yang Wentian two choices: death, or to accept the “Demon Card: Constraint.”

Special Card: Constraint (Demon Card, Level 4 Authority, usable on allies or enemies)

Using this card consumes 3 points of mental energy, 20 credits, and 10 health points, and causes the user’s maximum health to decrease by 1% for the next three scenarios.

Effect: The user may impose any condition on any target, which takes effect once the target acknowledges and accepts it. The card’s effect vanishes automatically upon leaving the scenario. The user may revoke the effect at any time.

(Level 4 Demon Cards are powerful, but come with hidden attributes. For example, if the imposed condition is obedience but the target harbors secret resistance, there is a high chance the card’s effect will trigger and cause sudden death. Moreover, if the target dies, the user often suffers various negative effects.)

Condition 1: If you lie to any member of the “Shadow” team, you will die of a heart attack.
Condition 2: If you reveal any information about the “Shadow” team to anyone outside the team, you will die of a cerebral hemorrhage.
Condition 3: If you learn any intelligence about the Yellow Scarves, you must do your utmost to relay it to the “Shadow” team immediately, or you will die from respiratory failure.

There was no prohibition against attacking, no compulsion to obey. Yang Wentian found it odd, but did not point this out.

After he accepted, the Shadow team promised (though not guaranteed by the demon card) that if the Han army triumphed, they would rescue Yang Wentian from the prison camp.

Perhaps they simply didn’t see me as important… Too weak—even killing me isn’t worth the effort. If I manage to pass along some intelligence, they profit; if not, I pose no threat… Is that it?

If the Yellow Scarves failed and I somehow survived, perhaps the Shadow team would use me as a pawn or cannon fodder—forced to hand over all my gains and sent ahead to test dangers.

For someone like me—a weak, agility-based contractor—this is the fate I deserve! The teammates I’d finally found, the adventure just beginning to show promise, all about to be lost.

And if I betray them… I wouldn’t last long either.

Yang Wentian clenched his teeth, listlessly calling out the marching steps.

——

“What’s wrong?” Zhou Yingxiong asked over lunch.

“Nothing,” Yang Wentian replied, then thought better of it. “I just don’t know what’s going to happen next…”

“We’ll win,” Zhou Yingxiong mumbled through a mouthful of flatbread. “We’ve already won before.”

“Yeah, Wang Luo is incredible. His thinking is nothing like ours—us useless types… Wait…”

He produced a piece of paper he’d found in the last world. On the left were several lines of “Suppose… suppose…” scribbled down.

He remembered how Wang Luo had conducted experiments and spoken in the last world. “Right. Telling a story—I can do that too.”

He stood up in high spirits.

——

Wang Luo stood before a rough, hastily drawn map, pondering his next move.

The Han army’s greatest weakness was their dispersal. Concentrating all forces to attack and destroy one detachment, then waiting for the chance to destroy the next—that would be ideal. But given the Yellow Scarves’ fighting ability, it was uncertain whether this could be achieved.

So, what about using natural conditions and terrain? If only he had some insight into the Han commanders’ personalities and strategies… Who knew how many contractors the enemy had, or what tactics they might employ?

It was troublesome.

While he pondered, Yang Wentian entered, looking hesitant and conflicted.

“I have a story to tell you,” Yang Wentian said, his lips twitching as he finally got the words out.

A story? Wang Luo recalled the last time he’d used that word in front of Yang Wentian. “Go ahead—let’s hear it.”

“But first—do we have a real chance of winning?”

Doubt was normal—Wang Luo himself didn’t know. “There’s always a chance. I believe in the saying ‘Heaven never seals off all roads.’”

“Then… how do you plan to win?”

Still considering. “A head-on clash,” Wang Luo replied.

“My favorite approach. Muster the armies, form up honorably, and defeat the enemy openly. Though, given our current resources, it’s not yet possible…”

“Then—suppose… suppose some spies have infiltrated the camp, perhaps among those who went out to scout… Suppose they were captured, defected, and revealed your battle plans and other key intelligence to the Han. Wouldn’t that make victory almost impossible?”

You did come back later than any other scout today… meaning… “It would have little effect.”

So, you were forced to sign a pact—like the one we made as a team? “If we intended to use trickery, spies could be a huge problem. But in open battle, spies are of little use. I never planned to keep any secrets anyway.”

“Then, if someone leaked information to the enemy, it wouldn’t cause much harm?”

There would certainly be some impact, but perhaps not catastrophic. “If the right intelligence is sent to the enemy, it might not just fail to harm us—it could be the key to victory.”

“False information… but suppose he can’t lie to the enemy?”

What kind of constraint is that? If he’s been misled himself, he’s not lying to them… But perhaps this is a good opportunity?

Wang Luo studied his teammate. “Human beings, with all their complexity and instability, are not so easily bound by paltry words like ‘truth’ and ‘falsehood.’ If those coercing him are only capable of this much…”