Chapter 106: A Lesson First, Then We'll Talk

"Player Chen Baxian, congratulations on your perfect command of the Battle of Jingji Mountain. In this engagement, you eliminated 36 players with zero casualties on your side, and captured 16 horses and 12 rifles. The battle rating is S."

Chen Hao quickly received the system notification. Through his meticulous planning, he had wiped out all 36 players, earning an S rating. However, he still did not receive any commander-class attribute points. Over the past two months, his Strategic Analysis had increased by 3 points and Tactical Execution by 4 points. Combined with the 2 points he had previously gained in Tactical Execution, it was clear that relying on small-scale skirmishes to earn commander attribute points was no longer viable.

To prevent cheating, the system applied stricter criteria to battles between players. Small-scale engagements yielded very little commander experience; only large-scale battles were treated the same as those against NPCs. In a massive battle involving tens of thousands, even if a player managed to orchestrate a mock fight with ten thousand people, no one would be willing to go through the trouble of annihilating thousands just for a single commander attribute point.

Regarding loot, firearms had a specific drop rate, but horses and cannons were guaranteed to drop if the player could not take them away. Although many horses were killed during the fight, Chen Hao and his team still managed to capture 16. The 12 rifles recovered were all standard-issue, netting the seven of them a decent profit.

Chen Hao instructed "Bai Hu Hu Yao Nie" to be responsible for selling the rifles. He was reluctant to sell the horses, so he had Chen Feng take them to a farm outside the city for boarding. Feeding horses was expensive, but it was a necessary expense for his plans.

His plan required a massive amount of capital. He had been saving the income from selling ammunition, but it was far from enough. If he succeeded, he would not only gain immense prestige but likely secure a high-ranking official position appointed by the Qing imperial court.

Even if players poured huge sums of money into bribing high-level NPCs, obtaining a significant official post was impossible. At most, they would receive a nominal, powerless title. That was why "Sanshengshi," after investing so much money, had not tried to buy an office, but instead maneuvered within the county government to secure a lowly, insignificant inspector position.

The position Chen Hao sought was not only high-ranking but also held real power, allowing him to develop a base of operations. When he first entered the game, he hadn't planned this, but the pressures of reality made him want to grow stronger quickly, leading him to devise two audacious plans.

The first was to establish a presence in the Northeast and complete a game-changing quest to gain fame and a real position. The second was to lie in wait in Beijing during the Eight-Nation Alliance’s invasion, ambushing and looting the aggressors to secure the capital needed for his early-stage development.

With bandits running rampant in the Northeast, Chen Hao planned to provide the funding for Bai Hu Hu Yao Nie and the others to recruit large numbers of them. After reaching level 10, players could hire 10 NPCs, and at level 20, they could hire 20. However, due to low political acumen and prestige, the quality of NPCs hired was poor and they were prone to betrayal, so players rarely wasted money on them.

To achieve his goals, even if all seven of them recruited 20 fierce bandits each, it wouldn't be enough. He would have to use money to buy the cooperation of NPC bandit groups. The system, aiming to prevent players from altering major plot quests, made it difficult to interact with high-level NPCs, but it gave the green light to certain special scenarios. With sufficient funds to bribe large numbers of bandits for short-term cooperation, he would have no issues.

Chen Hao now had two problems to solve. First, he had too few players; the six members of Bai Hu Hu Yao Nie were too isolated to venture into the Northeast alone. Second was the issue of capital. NPCs were far wealthier than players in the early stages, and buying off bandits was a bottomless pit; the money he earned from reloading ammunition was nowhere near enough.

Chen Hao already had a solution for the funding: once the assassination mission against Liu Ziyuan was complete, he would sell the headquarters construction blueprints. As for the lack of personnel, he thought of the four members of "Shuanghui Hen Hexie." He had kept in touch with them occasionally and, through subtle inquiries, had learned their real-world identities.

Coincidentally, Chen Hao had met them in reality. The real name of "Shuanghui Hen Hexie" was Huang Shuanghui, who had once stepped forward to testify for him at the Star Mall. After checking into their situation, he found they were well-regarded by those around them, so he prepared to recruit them into his team—without revealing his true identity, of course.

After arranging a meeting at Ruyi Pavilion, Chen Hao smiled and asked, "Shuanghui, how have things been lately?"

Shuanghui Hen Hexie replied with a bitter smile, "We're just messing around, running dungeons every day. There are just too many things in the game that cost money; we spend half our time just grinding for funds."

"I see," Chen Hao said, probing. "Are you planning to develop in Penglai forever, or...?"

Shuanghui Hen Hexie shook his head. "Not necessarily. We aren't from Penglai in real life. We level up wherever it's convenient, and once someone establishes a base, we'll just look for a faction to join."

Chen Hao smiled. "I have a leveling team, all of us are level 15 or higher. If you're interested, the four of you can join us. Our team levels up quite fast. The only thing is, once we reach level 20, we have to go to the Northeast, and you'll have to come along. If you're willing to join, I'll provide each of you with a horse and a standard-issue rifle."

"Really?" Shuanghui Hen Hexie asked, excited.

Chen Hao nodded. "I keep my word. If you have any close classmates in real life, you can bring them along too, and they'll get the same treatment. Of course, I don't require everyone to be an elite, but they shouldn't be too incompetent, and most importantly, no half-hearted people."

Shuanghui Hen Hexie said excitedly, "The four of us will join first. If any of our classmates fit the criteria, I'll bring them over..."

While Chen Hao was busy with his plans, "Xiao Mile" reported the total defeat to Guan Ning. The loss of over thirty horses and twelve standard-issue rifles amounted to two or three hundred thousand RMB. Guan Ning was wealthy and might not have cared about the money, but the ambush was a slap in the face to the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry, so Xiao Mile dared not withhold anything.

After listening to the report, Guan Ning remained expressionless. He said calmly, "Only seven people ambushed you?"

Xiao Mile replied helplessly, "It was indeed only seven. They started plotting when we were at the tavern, selling us thousands of duds and putting croton oil in our fodder. We had almost no power to resist during the fight."

Guan Ning showed a look of admiration. "Interesting. I'm actually curious about the player who planned this ambush. Their thinking is so rigorous, calculating every step. Your defeat was not unjust."

Xiao Mile breathed a sigh of relief and smiled obsequiously. "This person is indeed very formidable. Should I try to recruit him once I'm back in the game?"

Guan Ning shook his head. "No rush. It would be pathetic to go and recruit someone just because we were beaten by them. Our Guan Ning Iron Cavalry hasn't even made a name for itself yet, and we've suffered a major loss; if we don't teach them a lesson, we'll be a laughingstock. Besides, for someone with this kind of talent, we must first suppress them with absolute power, then offer a carrot after the stick. Otherwise, they'll become too arrogant."