Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 180 Undercurrents in the Northern Territory, the Lord of the Vast Sea Arrives
The morning mist at Hailuokou had not yet completely dissipated, and the sea breeze, carrying a salty and damp scent, swept past the jagged masts of the dock.

The massive "Qiming" ship was quietly moored in its designated berth. Compared to the surrounding small and "rustic" wooden boats, its streamlined hull made of metal, its mast pointing straight to the sky, and its weapon system that made the orcs' teeth ache all indicated its uniqueness.

Even the guards at Hailuokou, who had seen the ship countless times, would instinctively straighten their chests when it arrived.

This is our ship!

However, the atmosphere is a little different today.

A large number of veterans surrounded the dock tightly, and all the new recruits and workers were transferred far away. The lord's guards, who had come off the ship, were conducting a thorough security check. The sound of footsteps, inquiries, and the soft clanging of machinery disturbed the tranquility of Conch Harbor in the early morning.

A dozen minutes later, the inspection was completed. Two mercenaries carried an unmarked carriage across the ramp and placed it steadily on the ground of Bailu Plain. The driver cracked his whip lightly, and the carriage, surrounded by a crowd of people, made its way into the camp at Hailuokou.

Lord Chen Mo personally arrived at the Northern White Deer Plain.

It's at least several years ahead of the original plan.

For no other reason than that the situation in the north is changing too rapidly.

Inside the temporary command post at Hailuokou Camp, a huge military sand table was prominently displayed in the center, showing the vast but somewhat rough terrain of the Bailu Plain and the northern wasteland.

On the sand table, flags representing the strongholds of the major orc tribes are scattered everywhere, with settlements of smaller tribes surrounding them. Interspersed among them are symbols representing known or speculated third-party forces and gangs. Of course, most of the space is blank.

The Hailuokou campsite has only been established for a short time, so the gains are limited.

However, at Qishan Pass, the two blue flags that were significantly taller than the surrounding flags still stood out conspicuously.

That was the "North and South Camps" in the orcs' plan.

During this period, through sporadic messages from passing caravans, the orcs carried out a brutal internal control and purge.

The reconnaissance team ventured close to observe and confirmed that the orcs' Qishan camp had not been dismantled after the "Spring Hunt" as usual, but was instead fortifying its defenses and increasing vigilance.

The high-altitude scan by the "Penglai" airship and the rotating monitoring by the "Jinghong" drone revealed the supplies and soldiers being gradually moved from various parts of the plains to the Qishan camp.

Intelligence gathered by Liu Zaiyue's "Blade of the Vast Ocean" from within the orc tribes indicates that Sargeris has intensified his exploitation of the plains tribes and has issued a clear call for war.

Everything points to one truth—the orcs are brewing a massive attack.

Because of the difference in perspective, Chen Mo couldn't analyze that this was an act by an orc general who deliberately created tension and escalated a special situation in order to maintain his power.

Even if he could analyze that the opponent was preparing to convert the accumulated war potential into offensive momentum at any time, Chen Mo would still have to deal with it with all his might.

After repeated consultations with the territorial officers and the Dongxia staff from his hometown, the lord finally made a bold decision—to personally go to Bailu Plain and take command at the front line.

Unsurprisingly, this decision was met with unanimous opposition from the territory's officials.

Just as the two giants of the political and military systems led personnel at all levels in their earnest and persistent admonitions.

"The vast sea can do without Helan, but it cannot do without its lord!"

"The orc-controlled territory is fraught with danger, and Lynn is willing to be the lord's vanguard!"

However, once Chen Mo made his decision, no one could sway him. In the command room at Hailuokou, facing his junior officers, Chen Mo guided them through a discussion before personally giving his answer.

"I had to make this trip myself, mainly for two reasons."

"First, from a military perspective, the seriousness of the situation necessitates that our Han Hai Territory establish forward command!"

"We all know that the enemy is restarting the Qishan North and South Camps, which have been abandoned for nearly two hundred years. What does this mean?"

It was Ma Qianzu who first raised his hand to answer: "The enemy sees us as the new Razor Fortress!"

"Well, you could say that."

Chen Mo planted a red flag on the sand table. "It may be my Han Hai Territory, or it may be Tian Shuang City. In any case, the orcs' actions this time show that they have changed their old mentality that 'a few dire wolves can plunder a human-controlled area' and have begun to regard the human forces in the south as an evenly matched opponent."

"And once such a powerful war clan is truly mobilized, whether it is the Han Hai Territory or the Tian Shuang City, a loss would be a crushing defeat, and a victory would be a Pyrrhic one."

"I placed the command post in Bailu Plain in order to fully grasp the enemy's first-hand information and make timely and targeted arrangements, so as to cause as much trouble as possible to the enemy before the war even begins."

"Secondly, from a political perspective, I must express this stance through actions rather than words."

“Sitting at home, no matter how much I emphasize it, the bureaucrats of all ranks in the territory, including you ‘little military strategists,’ will not take the Northern White Deer Plain seriously.”

“I know there have always been several different voices within the territory.”

"Many elderly people, who witnessed the orcs' repeated raids in the past, believe that the orcs are invincible and that it is better to defend the Vast Sea than to waste resources in the North!"

"They might even choose an opportunity to flee south."

"In their minds, humans can still put up a fight, but orcs are simply no match for them!"

"Many people also feel that the fate of the Northern Human Race is none of our business and we shouldn't get involved. If it weren't for my orders, they wouldn't even want to care about Skyfrost City."

"Only when I arrive here, at the White Deer Plain, will the entire territory be completely unified in its thinking and resources and strength be directed towards the north."

A few people suddenly realized, some seemed to understand but not quite, and some were completely bewildered.

It doesn't matter. Chen Mo is just taking time to teach them. These students of his will be selected based on merit, and they will eventually find their place, whether they shine brightly in the future or fade into obscurity.

Of course, there's another important reason that Chen Mo won't mention.

If others are in the north, they can immediately use the supplies sent from their hometown to the Bailu Plain, instead of having to transport them by sea.

On the ever-changing battlefield, being one step ahead can sometimes influence the entire game.

Although many people in the territory had their own estimates regarding the limitations of his own supply sources and delivery, Chen Mo did not intend to disclose any information.

As long as we don't say anything, anything is possible; you can guess for yourselves.

After the pre-battle briefing, the next step was to analyze the situation in the north. After reports from the intelligence department, the reconnaissance team, and the Blade of the Vast Ocean, Lord Chen made direct arrangements after a brief discussion.

"We are pressed for time. Our goal is to create chaos in the north within two months!" "The enemy's exploitation methods have not only brought profound disasters to the lower-class humans, but also placed a huge burden on the orc civilians and ordinary warriors. The spread of discontent is very obvious, but no one dares to resist due to the military intimidation of the orc army."

"But they dare not, we dare!"

"We must ignite the fire—the fire between humans and orcs, the fire between orc tribes, the fire between the Flag Mountain Camp and the White Deer Plain, and even the fire between the plains orcs and the orc royal court."

"They need to accumulate momentum and consolidate their strength, so we must resolutely dismantle and scatter them!"

Let's make Bailu Plain lively!

The lord provided strategic guidance from a high-level perspective; the next step is the specific execution and deployment.

Bailu Plain, located in the lower reaches of the Huanyan River, has a well-developed water system with numerous tributary rivers and lakes, which divide the area into large and small pieces, making it quite fragmented.

When the orcs first entered the White Deer Plain, they defeated the White Deer Kingdom and gradually wiped out the resistance forces. Then they arranged for various tribes to come and claim land. Large tribes still maintained some decorum and respected the order of arrival, but small tribes did not have such formalities and it was common for them to fight and grab each other.

On the Orcish Wasteland, everyone has always done this, perhaps still retaining some of the bestial instinct to compete for territory and resources.

Therefore, even if no one stirs up trouble, fighting among themselves is the norm. What's more, now there's a group of "shady" guys fanning the flames from behind.

Soon, within just one week, the number of conflicts on the entire Bailu Plain increased more than tenfold.

It just so happens that the Qishan camp is collecting grain, recruiting soldiers, and needing laborers, so we can make up for it by taking it from the enemy next door.

From brawls between individual orc laborers to frictions between small tribes, the conflict is finally showing signs of spreading to larger tribes.

During this period, Han Hailing also personally identified several targets.

"The first one is the Stonehoof Minotaur tribe. It's a small tribe with around seven hundred warriors."

"The tribe is known for its bravery and is a branch that split off from the large tribe of Motianling. It shares the same origin as Comrade Liu Zaiyue."

"This armed group occupies the middle reaches of a river called Jade Claw and controls an important bridge there. Because of its strength, the surrounding small tribes don't want to provoke it, so it has become a 'stabilizer' in the region to some extent, which has prevented fighting from breaking out in the middle section of the Jade Claw River..."

This scene was indeed a bit awkward.

Although this Minotaur tribe was limited in number, it was truly powerful. As everyone knows, if you are strong enough, there will be no conflict with others. All the Stonehoof tribes were good neighbors.

By skillfully provoking conflict, Han Hai Ling stirred up tensions among several tribes in the region, who were now eager to fight. However, to fight, they needed to cross the river, and the best way to do so was through the bridge controlled by the "Stonehoof" tribe.

These minotaurs, I don't know who came up with the crazy idea, actually started charging tolls for crossing the bridge.

That would prevent a fight from taking place. If a large force goes out to fight, they have to pay once to go and once to come back. Who can afford that?

We can't afford to miss the opportunity to fight!
"Liu Zaiyue personally led the team, using the traditional methods of the Minotaur tribe to challenge them: if they could be subdued, they would be subdued; if not, they would be driven away!"

Old Niu leaned back heavily and shouted, "Yes!"

"The second opponent is the 'Rotten Claw' gnoll tribe, which is of medium size, greedy, and fond of scheming."

"This tribe has a keen sense of warfare. Around Santou Mountain, whenever someone goes to war, they will launch a surprise attack from behind to raid their stronghold, plundering their food and people!"

"Because their tribe is in a good defensive position, it is difficult for others to retaliate. As a result, the surrounding tribes dare not send troops and are all hiding in their camps. How can this be allowed?"

"Shoot it down! Shoot it down decisively! We cannot allow such a scoundrel who launches malicious sneak attacks to exist!"

The officers had been eagerly anticipating the fight, and now they were shouting louder and louder than ever.

"Yes!" "Received!" "Understood!"

Well, the overall strategic thinking is just one thing: whoever prevents everyone from fighting will be attacked by Han Hai!

The next morning, the Han Hai Territory's team set off in a grand procession.

They carried the flag of Hailuogang in Motianling, followed by hundreds of cavalry and more than a dozen carts. They headed north along the Huanyan River, crossing shallows and streams, heading straight for the "Stone Hoof" tribe.

Lord Chen Mo, once again with a "let's watch the show" mentality, personally led the expedition.

The reason why his style has suddenly become more unrestrained recently is, of course, because his personal safety has been greatly enhanced.

In addition to the Lord's Guard with its full arsenal of firearms, the arrival and cooperation of the elves have given the Vast Ocean an epic boost in terms of individual combat strength and magical items.

After all, they were once a powerful clan that dominated the world. Even though they were driven into the forest, they could still field a few bodyguards.

Next to Chen Mo was an old acquaintance, a half-elf, a fifth-tier ranger, who had registered as a mercenary in the Vast Ocean Territory.

The elves said, "Now that we're friends, let's be frank and tell you everything. These are our scouts we previously placed in the Vast Ocean, and they're now at your command."

This half-elf traveler has been wandering for many years and is quite familiar with the northern terrain, the habits of orc tribes, and even the state of human settlements. He is proficient in battlefield reconnaissance, wilderness survival, tracking, and disguise and stealth, making him a rare professional in this chaotic land.

The other was Elder Ysera of the Silvermoon, who brought her own duty captain, a sixth-tier archer named Loma Wind Chaser.

This elf captain, who had amazed Chen Mo at the shooting range, was not only a master archer, a veritable human sniper turret, but also a proficient elf swordsman.

The two soft swords drawn from his waist were so powerful that no professional in the entire territory could withstand them.

Perfect timing! This person also knows the common language of Qiyue, so sending him here is the most suitable option.

Due to the limitations imposed at the time, the elves could not openly interfere in the affairs of the mainland, but providing some security services to their friends was still perfectly acceptable.

Well, actually, there was another extremely important bodyguard candidate at the beginning, Xiaojun Liushuang, who insisted on becoming Chen Mo's bodyguard in the name of repaying Hanhai Territory for protecting Tianshuang City.

As a result, the young princess became extremely seasick as soon as she boarded the ship, and even trembled all over at the sight of the seawater...

After much persuasion, Chen Mo finally managed to convince the little girl, who was vomiting and crying uncontrollably, to go back to school.

The territory flag of the "Stonehoof" tribe can be seen in the distance.

A wind from the vast desert is silently sweeping across the north; the struggle has only just begun!
(End of this chapter)