Victory

"Who said the Demon Race army was strong?" Vice Banner Captain Roger smugly watched the Demon Race elite troops collapse down the mountainside like a receding tide. "Looks like I'm a little stronger."

Vice Banner Captain Shirakawa rolled her eyes at him and ignored him.

Vice Banner Captain Changchuan said lazily, "Didn't someone say the day before yesterday that we were doomed this time and everyone should hurry up and run for their lives?"

"I hate people who shake morale before a battle the most!" Roger declared indignantly, as if it had nothing whatsoever to do with him. "If I catch him, I'll have him executed!"

"You've got amnesia! We're talking about you, someone!"

"Heh, when did I ever say that?" He turned to Shirakawa. "Someone is talking about you, right?"

Shirakawa coldly watched the two rivals attack each other, then turned her horse around. "I'll go see whether my lord has any orders."

Twenty thousand black-clad cavalry stood silently in formation atop the hill. Not a single shout could be heard. Only the distant clamor of the retreating Demon Race army drifted over, along with the low moan of the wind sweeping across the Hengchuan Plains—"woo, woo"—as though the souls of the fallen still clung to the place where they had last lived, unwilling to depart.

A general clad head to toe in silver armor stood high atop the hill's peak. Tall and imposing, his straight posture carried the dignity unique to a commander of the entire army. The setting sun gleamed brilliantly upon his silver armor, making him stand out like a god amid the dense ranks of black cavalry—one look at that trademark silver armor was enough to identify him as Zichuan Xiu, Banner Captain, the youngest and most legendary of the Zichuan Family's three great young generals.

When Shirakawa saw this figure, revered by the entire Far East Army, from afar, she silently sighed.

She rode closer to "Zichuan Xiu," glanced around at the guards—all members of the personal guard—and whispered, "Gurei, you've got some nerve! You dare wear my lord's armor and impersonate him here!"

"Zichuan Xiu"—Captain of the Guard Gurei—looked miserable. "Officer Shirakawa, I don't want to do this either. But my lord insisted that I stand here in this damned thing without moving... It's so heavy. I'm exhausted. It's already crushed three warhorses..."

"The battle was at its fiercest. What did my lord go off to do?"

Gurei said, "He just took a bath behind the hill, had a barbecue, and has now gone to bed."

"Did he leave any orders?"

Gurei said, "Oh, yes. He said that if we lost, we should hurry over and wake him up so we could run for our lives together."

Shirakawa found Zichuan Xiu's tent beneath the trees behind the hill. He was sleeping soundly inside his sleeping bag, letting out steady snores. "Hoo—snore, hoo—snore!"

"Sir, wake up! Wake up..."

The person in the sleeping bag did not move.

Shirakawa sighed. "Sir, you forced me to do this..."

She went out, returned with a bottle of boiling water, and said, "I'll count to three!"

"Ah, don't pour it! Don't pour it! I'm awake."

A head poked out of the sleeping bag, eyes bleary and face full of sleepiness—a very handsome young man, or perhaps a boy, judging from the childish smile on his face.

Zichuan Xiu said, "What urgent matter is it? Has the Demon Race attacked?"

"...Not yet."

"Then have the soldiers mutinied?"

"That's only a matter of time, once they discover you've been fooling them with a dummy..."

Zichuan Xiu said, "We'll deal with it when they start making a fuss. Those soldiers really are something, making such a big deal out of such a small matter. So Roger and Changchuan dueled over you, and both kicked the bucket, right?"

"Unfortunately, sir, they're both still shamelessly alive. The thing is, we won. The Demon Race army is retreating."

Zichuan Xiu's face filled with surprise. "Ah, that's beyond my expectations. We actually won?" He pulled his head back into the sleeping bag. "Let me think about it carefully for a while."

Shirakawa waited patiently, and waited, and waited, and waited... until snores once again came from the sleeping bag. "Hoo—snore, hoo—snore."

At last, she could endure no more and raised the boiling water in her hand...

"Waaah!"

The victor of the Third Hengchuan Campaign in Imperial Year 778 let out a scream that would absolutely never be recorded in history...

The following is not part of the story, and you will not be charged for it. Old Pig is just running an ad:

"Zichuan," "Mercenary World," and "Blasphemy" have collaborated on an XYZ Game. The third closed beta has ended. A non-wipe open beta will begin soon—6:00 p.m. on May 6, 2008.

Players who need to register can do so through this link.

One thing to explain: this game has no client. It is a browser game. After entering the game, you become a noble of your choice from one of three nations and receive your first small village.

As the game progresses, you can continuously obtain resources by building farmland, mines, and so on. Selling resources earns gold, which can be used to upgrade technology, recruit troops, and build more cities.

Meanwhile, the nobles of the other two evil nations—Blasphemy and Mercenary World, of course—will constantly send troops to attack you. Though it is also possible that you will constantly attack them instead, hehe.

You can also train your own heroes, establish guilds, run instances, and so on.

The greatest feature of this type of game is that it does not take up much time. You can even play it during breaks at work. Even when you are offline, the game will continue producing resources.

Friends who are interested can give it a try. May the Zichuan Empire grow strong!

Old Pig