My Love, Guli Ji (2)
As expected. Being an essential event in the game, Guli Ji stood there imposingly at the center of the encirclement operation.
His slightly skinhead-like hair and the massive axe strapped to his back made him instantly recognizable.
Affiliation: Wuhuan Tribe
Level: 18
Considering the timeline, he was just a decently strong general. But thanks to a glitchy playstyle in this game, he held high value for gamers.
The infamous Guli Ji bug. There were even players who deliberately joined Gongsun Zan's army just to exploit it.
"Let's take down their enemy commander, Guli Ji!! Don't attack Guli Ji. I'll handle him one-on-one!" I immediately issued orders to my squad.
"Hohoho. So you want to clash swords man-to-man..." The northern old man chuckled, his body trembling with excitement. Wait, why was this geezer shaking like that?
"W-We... we're really going after the enemy commander?" Chun Seol's face turned ashen. Her already pale beauty growing even paler somehow made it scarier. She wasn't about to faint and collapse, was she?
"Yeah!!! We'll guard Kim Gong's back!" Baldy Gwang Yeom grinned as he hefted his club.
Honestly, they were nothing but liabilities... But no choice. Calling them elite-grade and then benching them would just waste manpower.
I'll raise these guys. Once decided, I had to throw them onto the front lines somehow.
"Gwang Yeom!! Take the front and strike any approaching enemies! But don't charge ahead recklessly!!" I first directed the most fired-up one, Gwang Yeom.
"And Northern Old Man. If Gwang Yeom pushes too far ahead or a gap opens, swing your sword to cover it!" I ordered the old man next. He was on his last legs, but he had the most experience and strength here. Surprisingly handy with a blade too.
"Hoho. Got it." The northern old man smiled warmly.
"And... Chun Seol." Last was Chun Seol.
"I-I... Kim Gong. You don't have to force a role for me. I'm useless anyway..." Chun Seol suddenly seemed to crash in self-confidence. What was with that?
"No. You've got a spear, Chun Seol. With Gwang Yeom and the old man as your shields up front, just thrust it through the gaps. That'll help plenty." I told her straight up.
Yeah. The tactic only spear users could pull off: poke-poke. Use the spear's overwhelming reach to unilaterally keep enemies at bay.
Of course, skilled foes could slip through the spear thrusts and close the distance, but among these grunts, few would have such tricky patterns.
"Y-Yes!! Got it!!" After the simple instructions, Chun Seol's expression brightened a bit. Yeah. Complicate it and she'd freeze up. Keep it basic, and she'd handle it fine on her own.
"No matter what, maintain this formation!! Follow me!!" In cold weapon fights, formation was key. Even in a brawl, the side in formation dominated. Minimize your exposure and block enemy advances—that was formation basics.
"Here we go!!!" I drew my beloved sword, the Far East Sword, and charged like a madman.
"Hm... Kim Gong usually screams bloody murder and barrels into the enemy center. Didn't expect this tactical side." I ignored Yeo Po's intrigued mutter.
But with Yeo Po's eyes sparkling, I felt like I had to give some reaction...!!
"Ukiyaaaaaak!!!!!" Straight into fan service mode, I drew my sword and charged with a roar.
Having once dreamed of being a pro wrestler, I knew you had to react when the crowd was watching.
"Ooh...!" Yeo Po looked impressed, then got back to commanding her troops.
"Everyone!! Clear a path for Kim Gong!!" Liu Bei joined her, blocking the swarming grunts and opening the way.
"Guli Ji, come out!!!" I bellowed, charging the frontline soldiers ahead.
My level was 12. Lower or equal to the other Wuhuan grunts, but levels only capped max HP and stamina.
My level's a solid 12. I'd mastered the Taiji Sword early and grinded proficiency through events. Peak for early game.
Tiiiiing!!
I easily parried a Wuhuan grunt's slash. Taiji Sword's deflection triggered. With looser timing, it was a breeze.
Puuk!!!
Right after, I decapitated him with a counter-slash.
"Yargh!!" Hesitating foes got preemptive strikes. If they wouldn't come, I'd go to them.
Chaeng-!! Clang!!
The burly Wuhuan warrior desperately blocked with his curved sword, but my relentless assault broke his stance first.
Puuk!!
I carved deep into his shoulder joint, then pushed toward Guli Ji ahead.
My heart pounded at the thought of finally meeting my beloved Guli Ji.
"Hah!! Come at me all together!!" "Hoho. Don't push too far ahead." "Hngh...!" Behind me, the Kim Squad huddled as a trio, somehow holding the line and opening a path. At least they followed orders—not total trash. Small mercies.
Thanks to Liu Bei's detachment and Yeo Po's shock troops blazing the trail, the path to enemy commander Guli Ji opened up.
"Guli Ji!!!!" I bellowed right at him, locking eyes.
"Who the hell are you?" Guli Ji glanced over, then drew his massive battle axe with both hands.
"I'm Kim!!! Guli Ji!! I know you Wuhuan aren't here by choice!!! You're just pawns of Zhang He and Zhang Shun, right!!! Keep this up, and you'll be traitors to the Han Imperial Court—slaughtered to the last!!" I kicked off persuasion immediately.
Of course, I didn't expect it to work. My Persuasion stat—the game's metric for it—was rock bottom. No chances to grind it yet.
But in this game, just attempting persuasion raises it. Failures still build proficiency. Kinda like real life.
But this was a fucking apocalypse world. Failed persuasion often meant "instant death" risk, so it rarely panned out. Talks broke down, fights started.
Except with Guli Ji. His case offered infinite chances.
Persuasion: 5
Failed the persuasion, but Persuasion rose a bit. High weight since it was mid-battle against the enemy commander.
"Hah!!! Don't threaten me!! Wuhuan warriors never fall!!" Guli Ji hesitated briefly, then charged aggressively with his axe.
Chaeng-!!
I deflected the menacing axe blow, waiting for his stamina to drop.
Even as a named general, Guli Ji was just an upgraded Wuhuan axe grunt.
Tiiiiing!!
The instant his stamina hit zero, I slashed to shatter his stance completely.
"Kgh...!" Guli Ji staggered back.
"You know it too. Wuhuan warriors are strong, sure. But make the Han Court your enemy, and your tribe gets wiped out. Your warriors are already dropping like flies. Just bring me Zhang He and Zhang Shun's heads. I'll talk it out—keep your people from total annihilation." I tried persuading again right away.
Blame the game's tangled code. Guli Ji's bug let you reset persuasion chances by breaking his stance. No clue why, but the pattern repeated. Devs never patched it. Not exploiting it made you the sucker.
"Think a Wuhuan warrior would listen to you!!" Guli Ji hesitated again, then charged with axe raised.
Chaeng-!! Clang-!! Chaeng-!!
Result: another Guli Ji loss. I broke his stance cleanly, then persuaded once more.
"I've spared you out of mercy. I don't want unnecessary blood. Surrender." Another persuasion round.
"Kgh.... I won't bow like a coward...!" Guli Ji pondered, then stood and reset his stance.
Persuasion: 10
See? Already at 10. With enough specs to handle him, you could loop this infinitely.
For about 15 minutes, I kept knocking Guli Ji down and repeating the process.
Chaeng-!! Clang!!!
Even mid-fight, I persuaded nonstop since knocking him down first felt lame.
"You know it's hopeless!! Just surrender!!!" "Kgh.... Shut up!!!" Chaeng!!
Thus, the intense(?) persuasion grind with Guli Ji dragged on.
Thud.
After the nth KO, Guli Ji collapsed completely, battle spirit broken.
"Damn.... What kind of monster..." Realizing he couldn't win in combat, Guli Ji wore a pathetic look.
"Damn.... Boss." "B-Bro fought well!! It's just shoulder fatigue!! Holding the encirclement for days without proper sleep, right?!" The surrounding Wuhuan started consoling him mid-fight.
Suddenly I was the bad guy... Anyway, I'd milked every Persuasion point from Guli Ji.
Normally you'd grind books or debates for this. Jacking it to 45 here was huge. Rare stat, short-term gains like this were gold.
"Now!! Reinforcements are here!! Break through!!!!" Then, Gongsun Zan—looking like he hadn't eaten in three days—rallied his surviving cavalry for a desperate counter from inside.
"Kgh.... Retreat!! Fall back!!" Guli Ji stared blankly for a moment, then led his troops in swift withdrawal. Pincer attack left no options.
"Guli Ji!! Think over my offer!!!" I shouted one last time at his retreating back.
"Kgh.... Shut up!!!" Guli Ji cursed back as he fled, but I knew it was hollow.
Boosted Persuasion swayed Guli Ji. Visible in the Status Window.
Bonus gain from success. Peak Guli Ji bug exploitation.
I'd planted the seed with Guli Ji. Now, just wait for the rebellion to settle.