Chapter 103: The Iron Cavalry of Guanning

After seeing Wang Wu off, Chen Hao was about to head to the shooting range to practice his marksmanship when he received an urgent pigeon post from Bai Huhui, the enigmatic prodigy, reporting they had been ambushed twenty kilometers outside the South Gate.

Chen Hao was puzzled. Although Penglai County had several factions stationed within, since "War" was a brand-new game, everyone was busy leveling up, and conflicts outside the city were rare. His enemies were Three Lives Stone and Pig-Slaying Knife—Pig-Slaying Knife was still imprisoned in reality, and Three Lives Stone had gone to the capital to develop. The past two months had been uneventful; how could they have been ambushed?

He arrived outside the South Gate to meet Bai Huhui, who wore a furious expression, while Chen Feng stood silently beside him, his head bowed. Their horses were tied to a nearby tree. Bai Huhui’s white horse bore a gunshot wound on its rump, evidence of a fierce battle.

Chen Hao’s heart sank. Earning money in the game was not easy, and horses were costly, requiring considerable funds for feed. Few players rode horses in the early stages. All six members of Bai Huhui’s group had horses for transportation; even if ambushed, they stood a good chance of breaking through. Now only two had escaped, implying their attackers were likely a cavalry unit.

Through gritted teeth, Bai Huhui said, “Brother Chen, we were ambushed by a cavalry unit of over thirty riders. Chen Feng and I have intermediate riding skills, so we barely escaped. None of the others, including Yudie, made it out.”

Once players learn basic riding skills and ride often, their proficiency improves, especially with guidance from NPCs skilled in horsemanship. Bai Huhui and Chen Feng enjoyed riding and often went out for rides, so their skills had reached intermediate level. Their escape was not surprising. Chen Hao asked gravely, “Why did they attack you? Have you identified who they are?”

Bai Huhui replied indignantly, “We didn’t provoke them at all. We rode past them, and their leader said he liked Zixuan’s chestnut horse and wanted to buy it. After Zixuan refused, they said nothing, but as soon as we passed, they suddenly turned around and attacked us, chasing us relentlessly.”

“That’s enough. Haven’t I told you never to let your guard down under any circumstances? A cavalry unit of over thirty is dangerous. Refusing to sell a horse in the wild is likely to provoke robbery. How could you not foresee this?”

Bai Huhui hesitated, “After Zixuan refused, their leader was rather courteous…”

Chen Hao sighed. His team members were young and loyal, with some talent in the game, but they lacked insight into the darker sides of human nature. He hoped this lesson would teach them well.

It was unavoidable. If he picked a worldly-wise veteran as a teammate, he wouldn’t feel at ease. Chen Hao planned to mainly develop his power base through NPCs, but NPCs had only one life. Many tasks were easier for players to handle, so he had to cultivate some reliable players.

Chen Hao’s face darkened with a grim expression. He had been steadily developing in the game, minding his own business, but trouble inexplicably found him. Few people rode horses in Penglai County; his seven-man team was the only formal cavalry unit. A cavalry force of over thirty must have come from elsewhere. What were they doing here?

He told the two to lead their horses to a farmhouse for safety and contact Yudie and the others who had been defeated. Chen Hao then returned to Penglai County. He sent a pigeon post to Mo Yu, a specialist in intelligence gathering, arranging to meet at the Fortune Garden Tavern. Soon, Mo Yu arrived as agreed.

Chen Hao got straight to the point: “Mo Yu, a cavalry unit of over thirty just arrived in Penglai County. I want all their information. Name your price.”

Mo Yu smiled, “Twenty silver coins. I happen to know this group very well and can tell you about them right now.”

Chen Hao handed over twenty silver coins without hesitation. Mo Yu’s expression grew serious. “No one has established a base within Qilu territory yet, but there is a massive cavalry unit called the Guanning Iron Cavalry, numbering over a thousand. They mainly operate around the provincial capital Qinan but have recently begun launching attacks to seize various county seats.”

A cold gleam flashed in Chen Hao’s eyes. The Guanning Iron Cavalry was well-known in his memory, but he hadn’t followed their development closely as he had been focused around a small patch of Penglai. This force had invested heavily early on to build a thousand-strong cavalry, aiming to control Qilu’s counties—a considerable ambition.

The Guanning Iron Cavalry later became one of the top factions. Early in the game, they tried to occupy all of Qilu but were suppressed by Yuan Shikai’s troops. With the Qing dynasty still intact, players had to either establish bases in remote areas or gain official status to develop legally. The Guanning Iron Cavalry’s leader was arrogant and sought to dominate Qilu through money and cavalry, triggering a “Bandit” quest and suffering heavy losses under Duan Qirui’s suppression.

Even though the Guanning Iron Cavalry’s fate in Qilu was bleak, Chen Hao would not wait for their downfall. If they provoked him, he would repay them in kind. As he bid farewell to Mo Yu, the latter suddenly stood and said, “Brother Chen, I’ll give you one more piece of news. One of the Four Young Masters of the capital, Guanning, originally came from Qilu. If you want to oppose the Guanning Iron Cavalry, be sure not to reveal your real identity.”

“Thanks! Could you help me spread a message to the Guanning Iron Cavalry? Tell them that at Yanxia Ridge, thirty kilometers west of the West Gate, bandits have two Maxim heavy machine guns. I can vouch for the credibility of this information.”

The bandits at Yanxia Ridge indeed had two Maxim guns, but these were level-20, over fifty-player raids—impossible for current players to complete. Chen Hao wanted Mo Yu to leak this information to lure the Guanning Iron Cavalry westward, where he planned to ambush and annihilate them.

Mo Yu nodded, “Since you guarantee the news is true, I can make some money off it. Information on two Maxims would cost at least 100 silver coins. Thank you, Brother Chen.”

Maxim heavy machine guns were strategic-level weapons in the early game, making raid support much easier. Some players posted on forums offering millions of RMB for standard or better Maxims. The Guanning Iron Cavalry would definitely be tempted.

Chen Hao turned to leave. Watching his back, Mo Yu smiled with amusement. As expected, Chen Baxian was unfazed by the Guanning name. After Chen Baxian used his information to manipulate Pig-Slaying Knife and others, Mo Yu began to take notice. Chen Baxian’s in-game performance surprised and impressed him more and more, which was why he responded immediately to the pigeon post.

Mo Yu had always been interested in intelligence. He led a group of players specializing in espionage. After entering “War,” he realized that unlike other games, pure intelligence work was difficult. Intelligence groups needed to be tied to a faction. He kept an eye on those who spent lavishly on development but, upon encountering Chen Hao, he sensed that real-world money had limited influence in this game and considered delaying his investment…