Chapter 526: I … You, Big Dam!

It could be said they are regular troops conscripted by royal decree, but anyone familiar with the standards of the Hui Guang aristocracy knows that with money in hand they're too busy partying to have time; who would idle and waste money raising Qiu Ba?

So even with a supervising team overseeing them, these garrison troops actually have no combat capability; they're merely showpieces—some with generals' bellies, some skinny as reeds, utterly useless.

Only the personal knightly corps of the great aristocrats possess full combat power, and the Xiguang Duke, fully aware of this, placed them as the backbone at the more important strongholds, tasked with bearing the enemy's frontal pressure.

So…

Thus being stopped by such a ridiculous army already shows how unprofessional the Deep Forest bandits truly are.

There's nothing we can do; after all, the former Hui Guang western frontier was simply undefended.

These black‑glove thugs who make money for the aristocrats bully the common folk and local strongmen with ease, but even the weakest regular troops give them pause.

Moreover, this isn't the skirmishes of jianghu youths nor a clash between two mountain factions; they are completely out of their depth in a corps‑level war.

"Useless! They're all useless!"

Therefore the Northern Border Troops, originally sent as the supervising team, had to follow the aristocratic commanders onto the battlefield, using their swords to set a benchmark for those damned bandits.

Now the king‑tier leads the silver‑tier, both sides fighting like a pair of lunatics wrestling, which gave the onlookers a real spectacle.

…Who else would be watching the drama in the western frontier at this moment? Naturally, it's the players laboring on this hot land.

Sensing the whiff of a new version, they were thrilled, gathering around the battlefield, discussing nonstop both online and offline.

"Awesome, why does it feel like the Sun King is just a huge makeshift troupe? How can a war be so unprofessional?"

【I never thought I'd get a chance in this life to experience General Chen's absurd situation—what a perfect pair of opponents!】

"I give up, are they really soldiers? What the heck are they fighting with, it's unbearable to watch!"

Sure, the noob Xiao Baiyin each have their own shortcomings, but when it comes to real performance, the gap between king‑ranks can be even larger than that between king‑ and silver‑ranks!

Thus even if the bandit troupe falters, behind them stand the Deep Forest Border Troops, who have been fighting on the Northern Border for years and amassed rich experience.

And no matter how much Hui Guang piles up, reality isn't a game; card fusion can't raise stars, so sheer numbers won't let the defenders beat them.

Thus, even with Lord Xiguang's efforts, the Hui Guang front line maintained a superficial stability, even winning a few battles in certain areas.

But they were still outmatched by the enemy's concentrated forces—hammer from the east, anvil from the west—targeting weak points and forcefully tearing open several gaps.

"Damn it!"

Lord Xiguang originally intended to send forces to block them, but the Deep Forest Border Troops, to cover their sudden assault, forced him to pull back troops, station them at the border, and enter a purely staring‑blankly strategic stalemate.

Now it was truly like wolves entering a sheep pen; the bandits who broke into Hui Guang unleashed themselves, hysterically plundering everyone they saw.

Several border villages were sifted through like a sieve; not a single valuable item remained, and the robbers even left the villagers' rations untouched.

Moreover, if they retained any semblance of dignity, the villagers, accustomed to being looted, were too lazy to resist and might just be slaughtered for venting.

But that wasn't the worst; the most terrifying part was that, to fend off Deep Forest's assault, Lord Xiguang shifted all elite troops to the outermost defense line,

Thus, although other armies exist within the western frontier, they are all militia lacking effective command and combat power, making it hard to eradicate the invading bandits, so they are left to run rampant.

In other words, the western frontier now resembles a huge egg, its only defense being the fragile outer shell.

Once breached, the interior becomes a free passage, allowing the bandits to merrily march to the western side of the capital's Guard of the Nation, and ask the Sun King how his sleep quality was last night.

But that's a theoretical outcome based on past facts; the actual situation is…

"I … you big dam!"

Although guided by the principle "A gentleman does not stand beneath a dangerous wall," many player factions chose not to make many arrangements in the western frontier.

But not only in games; even in reality, many thrill‑seeking maniacs love to trouble themselves, sometimes throwing themselves straight into danger.

Thus, with a sufficiently large player base, many adventurers gamble in the western frontier, some even beginning to flirt with the local aristocracy.

Although few experts can infiltrate aristocratic castles, precisely because of that, those also targeted by bandits are especially unlucky.

Just‑acquired wheat fields were completely seized by bandits, freshly negotiated deals were sabotaged, and freshly simmered chicken soup was whisked away by the thieves.

Even the players themselves—several parties scouting for dungeon traces in the wild—were brutally ambushed, their gear scattered everywhere.

"Damn, I was killed before I even reacted?"

"Report to the North, we are players, how can we tolerate this?"

"Generous crab, the German great sword I just fetched is gone!"

And because in the Player Forum, the hot post that got pinned to the top—where the OP whose three acres of wheat were stolen by bandits—kept repeating the catchy phrase "I … you big dam!"

Thus this self‑defense movement, launched by western frontier players uniting against the bandits, acquired a possibly impolite name.

But saying it is just for fun; actual results depend on their actions, and because of a lack of effective organization, the movement didn't start smoothly.

Although players gathered in response, brandishing blades and weapons, ready to uphold justice, protect the land and people, and eradicate all bandits.

No one knows where it originated, but the rumor that Pioneers may drop rare items after death has already spread throughout the western frontier.

So since gear drops are reciprocal, if players want to hunt bandits, the bandits equally want to hunt players.

Now the vast western frontier is a slaughterhouse; everyone just makes a ruckus, and no one makes a sound.

Today you kill my bandit squad, tomorrow I ambush your troop, the day after we pick a plaza and behead a line—fighting with great delight.

Of course, the swap‑life tactic isn't a loss for players; after all, if you go lightly equipped and rely on stats to kill, death only costs some level and experience, not gear. "Damn, so damn terrible, nothing at all!"

"No way, boss, these Pioneers left nothing behind!"

"Hold on, let me think…"

Demand creates motivation; there are clever ones among the bandits, so they quickly iterated a new tactic.

They no longer split into squads as before, but consolidate into large forces, moving in unison with clear objectives—to loot a big haul!

In fact, the new tactic proved effective; small groups of players can't match the multi‑fold encirclement, being helplessly wiped out on the spot, along with nearby resource points.

Even if resurrection is possible, just waiting at the urinal takes a day, let alone the travel time from the dungeon, essentially kicking you out of the battlefield.

Worse, after days of tug‑of‑war, the cunning bandits sensed the Pioneers' weak spot and even formed dedicated hunting squads, doing nothing else but targeting Pioneers.

With this attrition, players who can't gain bloodshed suffer huge losses in the western frontier, discarding helmets and armor, severe casualties, even the bitter tea beans are nearly depleted.

Logically, the players also have sizable guilds, and at this point they should act.

But even if they don't set up bases in the Barbarian Camp or the Southern Free‑Trade Zone, they should still develop the capital's network; if not, there's the Blackwater Industrial Zone. This rotten western land simply isn't worth their investment.

The ones clinging to the Western Frontier are either newly formed small guilds that have hardly any bottles or jars to begin with, or simply the newcomers who arrived during the previous influx wave.

So what reason does the major guild have to shed its own blood to protect the interests of the small guilds?

Naturally, no guild is willing to give a clear answer; even providing a bit of supply material is considered generous.

As for the governments of the various nations…

Now that they're official, they are actually quite cautious about meddling in Xiguang affairs.

The matter is of great magnitude; without a proactive invitation from the Sun King, they cannot dispatch even a single soldier to defend another nation's territory.

Thus the current situation is—

The Xiguang regular army is forced to fight an intense static war together with the Deep Forest regular army on the kingdom's border.

The Xiguang local troops and the local aristocratic scoundrels huddle in towns, cosplaying as turtles that pull their heads in.

Players who try to take charge lack the strength to deal with the surging bandits.

The living are scorched, survival hangs in the balance; could the Xiguang Western Frontier situation be about to collapse completely?

…Since oppression exists, resistance must also exist, so of course it won't!

Even if the major guild is reluctant to shed blood, can't players gather in small groups under their own names and go?

Thus, after Western Frontier players issued another call, a contingent of player militia answered, traveling thousands of miles to join the battlefield.

Unlike these inexperienced newbies, this group includes veterans who survived the closed beta, with countless tricks up their sleeves.

And isn't it just a case of few against many? The veteran player has been grinding for half a year in the Sun Month, certainly not without experience!

Even in the worst case, there was the final battle of the closed beta, where a hundred players fought three thousand goblins—could it get any worse?

Therefore these elite players quickly broke into small units, entering a classic guerrilla phase.

Today they plant a mine here, tomorrow they dig a pit there, the day after they gather superior forces for a neat ambush, and once the job's done they vanish.

Bandits have never seen such otherworldly cleverness; in an instant they are utterly overwhelmed.

They can't catch them, can't defend against them; a few especially audacious ones try to force a raid, only to be hit by the players' poison gas bombs, their entire party ending in a spectacular mess.

"Terrifying! I heard that the group on Silent Mountain was hit by the Pioneers' poison gas and collapsed on the spot."

"Yeah, I heard they were captured alive before they could even resist, then the Pioneers publicly hanged them one by one!"

"Alright, alright, stop—I'm scared… Leader! What should we do?"

"Don't rush, let me think…"

But if there truly were world‑shaking wisdom, they wouldn't have sunk to being bandit chiefs, working night‑and‑day as black‑market labor for the aristocratic lords.

So these bandit leaders thought it over for ages, only to dump all their losses onto the common folk.

—Why am I always discovered by the Pioneers? It must be that these troublesome peasants are leaking information!

—These are no ordinary villagers; a heavy‑handed strike is required!

Just after receiving relief grain from the Pioneers, lighting a fire and cooking a pot to give a starving infant a sip of thin porridge, the villager says: "Ah?"

"Look! Look! What am I saying? They've all got the Pioneers' rice! The evidence is solid! No one can argue!"

Of course, the bandits won't go through any judicial process; their only tool is the Sunny Doll, which suffocates, together with a meat‑drying rack that pins victims to death.

Moreover, these guys who have no tomorrow worship the principle of total annihilation; once the slaughtering knife is swung, it cannot be stopped!

Thus within three days, the Western Frontier saw eight villages completely wiped out, bodies piled like hemp, heads rolling, and terrifying capital banners were stacked everywhere.

Even the aristocratic towns faced probing attacks from a major force; had Xiguang Duke not promptly dispatched troops to reinforce, they might have been lost.

"Ah! It scares me to death, it scares me to death!"

Even though it ended without incident, the Xiguang nobles, particularly the Western Frontier ones, were already so frightened they wet themselves.

Lord Xiguang and his peers surely wouldn't dare blame anyone, the bandits can't be blamed either, and the common folk… ha, bucket‑ant peasants, unworthy of the lord's reproach.

But the situation is that the lord has lost face and needs someone to take the blame, to swap his clean bitter tea.

So who will be that just‑right, neither too big nor too small, head?

"Audacious Pioneers! How dare you slander and act lawlessly in my domain! Do you still have any sense of law in your eyes?"

"Now Lord Xiguang is fighting bloodily on the front lines, and you dare to lag behind in the rear; don't you feel ashamed?"

"Hmph! Bandits, bandits, wherever you go you cause chaos; I think the biggest bandits of Xiguang are clearly you!"

Even worse, although the Northeastern aristocratic cliques usually despise these beggar‑like Western Frontier nobles, they don't even get considered when it comes to marriage alliances or dividing spoils.

But at this moment the great lords are fretting that the Pioneers lack a pretext for them to write grand indictments, so the Western Frontier nobles' accusations now are truly splendid!

Even though everyone knows these are baseless rumors, under the machinations and propaganda of these great nobles, an anti‑Pioneers xenophobic campaign has begun.