A Note on Extras

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First of all, I must thank the many new and old readers who have supported and valued this struggling author and this novel. I have read every one of your comments and private messages.

It is only because of certain considerations—and because I myself have not yet made a final decision—that I have not replied right away.

Next, regarding the background-character issue that so many people are concerned about, I would like to share some of my plans.

First, in terms of the setting, this novel will downplay the system. At the very least, there will be no system shop or bloodline abilities, and the rewards will not provide any particularly obvious boost to an individual.

Nor will the story be able to alter the broad course of history, though it may change the fates of certain minor figures.

Combat and professional skills will have to be developed through actual battles and constant practice.

As for the upper limit of an individual’s martial ability, it will be roughly at the level of Hu Xiudao. If you have never heard of him, search for “Hu Xiudao in the Korean War” on a short-video platform or search engine and you will understand.

I have chosen to write things this way mainly because I have always instinctively believed that both the War of Resistance and the war to establish the nation were serious matters.

To treat them too flippantly would be a profound disrespect to the hardships, sacrifices, and difficult contributions of so many predecessors.

Of course, this is still a novel, so the satisfying moments should remain satisfying. But everything must be built on a reasonable foundation. For example, in the first volume, if a group of rookies is to eliminate several hundred Japanese soldiers, they must have the advantage of favorable timing and terrain.

Later developments may also be based on knowledge, tactics, and professional skills that surpass the standards of that era.

For instance, in the modern world, one can learn to operate a propeller plane for ten or twenty thousand yuan. Stealing a Japanese aircraft and flying it into battle would certainly produce impressive results.

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Second, many readers have ideas for background characters, but unfortunately the author’s ability is limited.

In particular, in my previous novel, Blockhouse, so many members of the team appeared in the later stages that none of them received much attention, and few stood out. The result was a complete disaster.

So, for this novel, I plan to include no more than ten people at a time. Once a background character is selected, they will take part in one or two volumes of the story, and after they die in battle, someone else will take their place.

That does not mean they will be eliminated permanently, however.

Depending on the later plot, they may continue to participate. The principle is simply to give more readers a chance to enjoy themselves. I hope everyone can understand.

Third, please make your character settings as reliable as possible. Do not make them too grand or high-level.

The author is just a country bumpkin from a tiny county town, and when you tell me about sophisticated or cutting-edge things, I cannot imagine how I am supposed to write them.

If I force myself to do so, it will probably feel like imagining that the emperor must eat three white-flour buns with a huge piece of fatty meat at every meal.

The main appeal of this novel is that it tells the story of a group of unreliable people accomplishing some extremely reliable things.

Oh, right! I very much want to write stories about some of our predecessors—people who may or may not have stood out in those years, yet were equally magnificent after devoting themselves to their country.

Plots invented on the spur of the moment by the author are inevitably somewhat shallow.

So, if any readers have genuine stories about their own ancestors, feel free to leave a comment and tell me about them, so that I can draw inspiration from them. I can even arrange for you to join the story, with priority given to your appearances.

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Fourth: In both Blockhouse and Great Tang, some readers have said that I had an ugly appetite—that I would not provide background characters unless people gave rewards or red envelopes.

Just kidding! Which author does not like rewards and red envelopes?

Besides, I am a struggling author too. I have to make a living.

More importantly, of the seventy or eighty background characters selected over the course of those two novels, most were backed by only a few yuan in rewards. Some had given nothing at all, yet as long as their character settings were suitable, I still selected them and tried to give them as entertaining a role as possible.

Some members who later left the team were essentially readers who had not read the novel for more than half a year.

After all, if they no longer read the book, while so many other readers were waiting for a chance, shouldn’t those readers get to enjoy themselves too?

So, as long as you subscribe to the正版 edition, you do not need to worry that you will be unable to join as a background character—or that you will be treated differently—simply because you did not give a reward or send a red envelope. None of that nonsense applies.

Finally, if you still have ideas after reading this, send your character setting to me in a private message, or post it in the background-character thread in the book’s review section.

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