Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors

Mist enshrouded his vision as Li Hongyun awoke from his bed.

So far, it was his third day of attempting to conquer Emperor Taizong of Liang's personal instance. During this period, he had successively cleared the first two parts, namely the "Battle of Hulaoguan Pass" and the "Alliance by the Wei River."

And the third part, "Xuanwu Gate Incident," had also gotten underway.

For him, this was a rather satisfactory pace.

In particular, the significance of having started the third part was crucial as it meant he could search for corresponding historical documents and make ample preparations in reality.

As such, the progress in clearing the third part could be greatly accelerated.

"Chuge, how far have you gotten?" Li Hongyun asked.

With a silent sigh, Chuge replied, "I'm still stuck on the 'Alliance by the Wei River.' This instance really isn't friendly to scholar players!"

His complaint was evidently justified, as whether it was the first part's "Battle of Hulaoguan Pass" or the second part's "Alliance by the Wei River," Emperor Taizong of Liang's combat power played a significantly important role.

Scholar players had to play the role of Emperor Taizong, but even with his strong physique and muscle memory, it was hard to perform as well as the other three professions.

Of course, scholar players had their corresponding solutions.

For example, during the Battle of Hulaoguan Pass, the scholar players could bring along a group of fierce generals to fight while they themselves merely rode horses among the cavalry, providing buffs and such.

At that time, Lord Qin wasn't fighting alone; his generals at that time could be described as dazzling stars, with Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao being outstanding representatives.

These two guardians each had their own specialties. For instance, Yuchi Jingde was adept at snatching spears on horseback and once competed with Prince Qi. Prince Qi tried to stab Yuchi Jingde with his spear, only to have it snatched away by Yuchi Jingde, not just once, but thrice.

It's worth noting that spear snatching on horseback is a highly difficult skill, arguably the most elite maneuver in mounted combat.

Compared to that, spearing an opponent to death or merely dodging were far simpler tasks.

Although Prince Qi's reputation didn't match these resplendently shining warriors, his training from an early age meant he was proficient with horse and bow, and his combat power was not low. Still, to be so utterly bested by Yuchi Jingde indicated that Yuchi Jingde's personal combat power had reached the ceiling of that era.

No wonder Lord Qin praised: With my bow and arrows, and you with your spear at my side, what can a million strong do against us!

As for Qin Shubao, he was also a figure who reached the ceiling of personal combat power.

Historical records show that every time Qin Shubao joined Lord Qin in battle, there were often enemy generals boasting of their strong soldiers and stable horses. Lord Qin would then send Qin Shubao to teach them a lesson.

Qin Shubao often single-handedly cut down the bragging enemy general amidst the enemy's ranks and returned unscathed.

While historical records don't mention him killing any particularly famous generals, comparing his feats to those of heroes like General Qin Kaiyun, it's still clear that Qin Shubao's personal combat power was off the charts.

Furthermore, there were many other powerful generals under Lord Qin's command, but because Lord Qin's brilliance was so dazzling, these individuals were all overshadowed.

When scholar players took on the role of Lord Qin, they didn't have to charge into battle themselves. Instead, they could direct these generals, and by choosing the right moment, they could still achieve similar battle results.

But no matter what, adaptation still required some time, which is why Chuge's progress was somewhat slowed down, currently still at the "Alliance by the Wei River."

"Where have you gotten to? The third stage?" Chuge asked.

He felt that this lucky dog, Li Hongyun, was probably further ahead than him.

Li Hongyun nodded, "Yeah, I've seen the beginning of the third stage, but... I have no clue how to actually clear it yet."

Afterward, Li Hongyun recounted the content related to the "Xuanwu Gate Incident" to Chuge.

Chuge pondered thoughtfully.

Once he cleared the "Alliance by the Wei River," he would inevitably face the "Xuanwu Gate Incident," so studying it now could benefit him.

Perhaps he could rely on his intellect to catch up with others and regain much progress.

Li Hongyun inquired, "I'm not very familiar with the history of the Liang Dynasty, but to clear this part, there's probably an important question to be solved, right?

"Did Emperor Taizong change history at all? If he did, how much? Which areas?

"If we can't clarify this issue, we can't even determine the right direction, let alone solve the puzzle."

Although Li Hongyun was a student of history, he hadn't delved deeply into the history of the Liang Dynasty. This was normal, after all, history students were still learning, and Huaxia's history was vast and dense with content. Many scholars could only specialize in one era, much less a student.

Yet even so, he had accurately identified the key to the third part of this trial.

That was, to attempt to discern the authenticity of these historical records in reality first.

Even though the game 'Dark Sand' featured definitive history, during the players' process of solving puzzles, the game deliberately re-shrouded this history in mystery.

Players had to solve puzzles to see through the fog to reality.

In doing so, the task they were undertaking was akin to historical research.

They needed to deduce the truth of the times as much as possible through various contradictory records. The results of these deductions would directly affect the progress of clearing the third part.