Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors

The imperial army and the rebel forces continuously clashed, turning the battlefield into a veritable mountain of corpses and sea of blood.

But Luo Ying, playing the role of Li Gaoling, was always darting and weaving, slaughtering all around him; where he passed, not a blade of grass was left.

Of course, this was just the perspective of others.

To the soldiers of the Mo Blade Team behind Li Gaoling, it seemed like he was killing at will amidst the throng of thousands, as if he was in a realm without adversaries. Any enemy daring to block the edge of his Mo Blade either had their horse's head chopped off or their armor pierced, with scarcely an opponent able to last a single round.

Thus, the morale of the imperial troops soared!

In the age of cold weapons, the bravery of an individual had an extremely profound impact on the outcome of battles.

The saying "A thousand troops are easy to obtain, one general is hard to find" alludes to the fact that a general is not only an individual with strong combat abilities but also the central hub of command for an entire unit, responsible for coordinating the entire command system. Moreover, the general is an amplifier of the team's morale.

Romance novels often describe a scenario before a battle where each side sends out generals to duel, with the victor's side seizing the momentum for a grand assault, and the loser's side sending a new general to reclaim their honor...

While this is a literary fiction and not consistent with real history, it does illustrate the influence an individual's bravery can have on the battlefield.

Of course, with the advent of the era of firearms, those who flaunted themselves on the battlefield were basically shot dead, so the situation where personal bravery changed the course of battle became virtually non-existent.

As for Luo Ying himself, he was well aware of his current predicament.

He appeared to stroll leisurely, yet every step was bathed in blood.

He seemed to act on a whim, but every move was calculated.

He didn't just slash at whoever he wanted; rather, he adjusted his position and targets based on the battlefield situation, targeting the unguarded for deadly strikes, while skillfully avoiding those who were watching him closely, determined to take him out, using the chaotic battlefield to keep distance between them.

He struck decisively once their attention was diverted.

Of course, achieving this was also inseparable from his formidable physical fitness.

It was the combination of exceptional bravery and superb combat intelligence that created such a miracle!

After an unknown length of time of relentless slaying, the battle situation finally began to shift.

The rebels' offensive started to falter!

"Advance!"

At Luo Ying's command, the Mo Blade Team behind him immediately raised their Mo Blades and advanced in unison.

This was what historical records described as "holding long knives, advancing like a wall."

The characteristics of the Mo Blade decided that the Mo Blade Team could use this method of combat.

The Mo Blade was long and also had chopping and slashing capabilities, so during combat, it could form spear or sword formations like a long pike to obstruct cavalry, as well as serve as a powerful slashing broadsword.

At this moment, the Mo Blade Team's wall-like advancement served both these functions.

First, they formed a dense formation to push forward, which the rebel cavalry could not penetrate, and once the dense formation reached the enemy, they stabbed or slashed, leaving neither infantry nor cavalry any chance to break through.

Of course, on an open battlefield, there were many ways for cavalry to counter such a Mo Blade Team, such as flanking maneuvers or harassing with arrows.

Whatever tactics worked against a pike square, the same could be employed against the Mo Blade Team.

But, given the chaotic state of the battlefield, with both sides intertwined, it provided a great opportunity for the Mo Blade Team to shine.

Such a formidable force even managed to reverse the tide of battle, allowing the imperial army to withstand the powerful onslaught of the rebels.

On the flank, with the advantage in numbers, the imperial army was gradually encircling the rebels.

This process was lengthy, as both sides' commanders were tactically astute, making a simple rear encirclement impossible; the tactic had to be gradually nibbled away and surrounded.

Throughout this entire process, the pressure on the frontlines was immense.

Luo Ying, as Li Gaoling, was the man facing the greatest pressure on the front.

He was now drenched in blood, though it was all that of others; he himself was unscathed.

After all, a single cut would have finished him; he could not afford any mistake.

Yet Luo Ying felt his blood boiling, and he was gradually getting into his element.

He relished the feeling, and despite the games' flaws and its not being designed purely for player enjoyment like other games were, the near 100% realism that let him experience a different kind of life made it the most fun game for him.

"Kill!"

With a loud battle cry, Luo Ying swung the Mo Blade again, bisecting the rebel cavalry before him!

Through continuous practice, his combat skills had become more refined, and his method of exerting force had been constantly improved.

Chopping and slashing was not as easy as it might seem.

The first step for a beginner learning the blade was to practice the blade's alignment.

Swinging a sharpened blade repeatedly through the air—if the blade's alignment was correct, there would be a distinct sharp swooshing sound, while an incorrect alignment would produce no sound or only a whoosh.

Only with the correct alignment could the blade unleash its maximum power, easily cleaving through the target.

If the alignment was off, not only would it fail to cut the target, but it would also require more effort and could damage the blade itself.

To achieve correct alignment, one had to consider details such as the position of the tiger's mouth (the space between the thumb and forefinger), whether the wrist and forearm were twisting inward, and the direction of the elbow.

Luo Ying had not undergone specialized training, but he was able to acquire this knowledge from the muscle memory of Li Gaoling and gradually apply it to his own use.