Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 195 The Orcs' Reactions to the Development of the Mysterious Water Are Once Again Spectacular
On the streets of Xuanshui City, dust still lazily floated in the afternoon sun.

For most residents, the change of flag on the city wall was merely the beginning of another cycle. After a brief period of panic, they continued with their work as if nothing had happened.

Well, they've just changed masters; they don't expect life to be any different from before.

In fact, it's common practice on the White Deer Plain for orc armies to conquer a new tribe, kill a group of people to establish their authority, or plunder money and food first.

For the vast majority of orcs, there are four species: upper-class orcs, lower-class orcs, orc laborers, and human slaves.

The two lowest categories are actually not usually regarded as their own kind by the beastmen. In most cases, they are not even as good as the dire wolves they ride or the lambs in their yards.

Therefore, when the plunder and beatings that had been commonplace for generations did not befall them, the human slaves felt even greater fear.

Given the performance of these people, Chen Mo had no choice but to abandon the idea of ​​radical reforms once again and opt for a more conservative approach.

In Chen Mo's mind, Han Hai Ling had always been a prime example of "incomplete revolution".

For example, although quasi-citizens and citizens were created, slavery was not officially abolished. The only difference between it and other territories was that the original private slavery system was transformed into a public slavery system, and individuals within the territory could no longer own private slaves.

The biggest slave owner was Chen Mo himself. Through the public system, he largely guaranteed the basic rights of the slaves, which was close to liberating them into free people who served the will of the territory.

However, in name only, slavery must be retained.

The socio-political scholars of Dongxia repeatedly advised that the current strength of the Hanhai Territory was insufficient to support such a dazzling achievement and make it an anomaly among the various human nations.

Take land reform, for example. This super weapon was completely free of pressure from the upper echelons because there were no landlords in the vast sea; all the land belonged to the lords.

In theory, Lord Chen can divide it however he wants.

However, Dongxia repeatedly reminded them not to rush and that it would be best to conduct a small-scale pilot program first.

So after the first phase of seawater rice was successfully harvested last year, Chen Mo allocated a portion of the land to outstanding free citizens in his territory, and then a series of problems immediately arose.

Are these lands allowed to be bought and sold? If so, land consolidation will likely begin immediately. If not, what will happen to families who own land if they can't cultivate it all themselves? Will they have to abandon their land? Or will they have to hire people to cultivate it?

At the front of the land division, the fertility of the land and its distance from water sources had already given rise to a series of disputes and clandestine collusion.

However, after the land was divided, conflicts quickly emerged even before sowing began.

In the past, the land was all public land, and farm tools, seeds, fertilizers, etc., were allocated centrally by the territory, so there was nothing to complain about. Now that the land has been distributed, it's neither reasonable nor ethical for the territory to provide these things to its citizens for free; the citizens have to pay for them themselves.

Then, the entire sowing process came to a standstill.

Some residents have no money, while others have some money but are unwilling to make the initial investment.

In their eyes, the current investment in exchange for returns six months later is a very uncertain thing; they can't see that far ahead.

Don't blame them for being short-sighted. Most of them were enslaved and bought and sold during various wars, famines, and prisons. For them, half a year is as long as the first half of their lives.

They would rather have a guaranteed government job than gamble on an uncertain future.

It feels like... you're in the midst of a violent economic upheaval, where your previous company could go bankrupt in the blink of an eye. So, when choosing your next job, most people would rather choose a company that provides room and board but pays a low salary than one that gives you a large amount of stock options but requires you to buy uniforms, pay a deposit, and bring your own office supplies.

So, should the territory provide start-up capital or supplies first?

Unfortunately, experts from Dongxia point out that this will bring about a series of economic problems.

Does it make a difference if the amount of seeds given is a little more or a little less, or if the farm tools are a little newer or a little older? Doesn't this create opportunities for rent-seeking?

On the continent of Stars, having the power to make money is not a crime, but an honor.

When Chen Mo passed through Baishi, even the city guards adjusted their standards for "combat partners" and "pets" to flexibly charge entry fees. Given the current state of affairs on the Starry Continent, where monarchy and slavery are intertwined, expecting these people in your territory to be completely law-abiding and upright is simply too naive.

Therefore, in order to prevent the following messy things from arising, the Han Hai Territory must also organize an inspection team similar to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

In theory, the "factory security guards" should be used again, and the inspection teams should be subject to regular spot checks.

With such a small number of civil servants in the Hanhai Territory, the sheer volume of work involved in land redistribution could overwhelm the government.

In short, the burden that land redistribution brought to the territory far outweighed the advantages it brought.

The conclusion drawn by the elders in the family is: "Before Hanhai Ling has a high-quality team with knowledge, strategy, methods, and execution, it is not advisable to make significant adjustments to the current policies."

"Even those great ancestors from our hometown, in their various bases, went through four years of continuous experimentation and exploration before a comprehensive and systematic reform of the land and grain system was launched after the establishment of the new administrative regime."

"The process of training territory managers, educating basic citizens and prospective citizens, building confidence, and constructing grassroots control structures cannot be omitted!"

After all the chaos and confusion, Chen Mo had no choice but to accept it.

After arriving at Bailu Plain, Chen Mo carefully considered whether he could be more radical in this chaotic and disordered land and apply the dragon-slaying techniques that his ancestors had used to ignite the sparks of revolution to these oppressed people.

The result made him even more depressed.

The policies here must be even more conservative than those in Hanhai.

If it were even slightly more advanced, these slaves wouldn't accept it, let alone the orc tribes outside.

After all, in the Vast Ocean, at least there can be equality among all races. Try it in the Profound Water. As soon as the news gets out, the surrounding orc tribes will immediately join forces to tear you apart.

The orcs can tolerate territorial disputes between two tribes, but they cannot tolerate the return of the humans.

The Han Hai Territory is "incomplete in its revolution," while Xuan Shui City can be described as "completely unrevolutionary"!

Helpless, Chen Mo could only arrange a thorough investigation of the population situation in the Han Hai Territory, while also diligently carrying out "knowledge popularization" activities, and he himself devoted all his attention to industrial construction.

At the same time, the change of ownership of "Rotten Swamp" quickly triggered a series of chain reactions in the surrounding area.

On the day of the attack, the Shadowclaw tribe informed several neighboring tribes that due to long-standing conflicts between them, and the recent repeated raids on cat orcs by the Rotten Swamp tribe, the Shadowclaw tribe had suffered serious losses.

The white-bearded leader, having reached his limit, decided to launch a counterattack.

When the news was first heard, the surrounding tribes all took it as a joke. When the report was received, the leader of the "Stubborn Stone" tribe, who was known for his composure, was tearing at a roasted ibex leg that was splattering with oil. When he heard his servant nervously read out the report brought by "Shadow Claw," the Stone chief was stunned for a moment, then spat out everything in his mouth, with oil stains even covering his entire chin.

"These little kittens, they're asking for it!"

"Without the support of the Tiger Clan, they are nothing! If the 'Rotten Swamp' wasn't such a big threat, I would have sent troops to take them down."

The shaman of the "Stubborn Stone" tribe shook his head helplessly: "Is their old shaman dead? How could he do such a thing?"

As for the "Qiaojiao" tribe, they were polite on the surface, but as soon as they turned around, they ordered their men to send a message to the "Rotten Swamp".

"Those little kittens hiding in the shadows playing with their claws aren't even enough to fill 'Rotten Swamp's' teeth! Go ask Rotten Swamp if we want our tribe to participate too, and I'll just get a share of the spoils!"

Of course, the messenger was intercepted by "Shadow Claw" on the way. Upon seeing the letter the messenger had delivered, the white-bearded leader gritted his teeth.

At that time, the results of the battle at the "Rotten Swamp" stronghold had not yet been announced.

The tribe that suffered the most humiliation was the "Black Mouth" tribe, which shared the same origin as the "Rotten Swamp" tribe. They cut off the ears of the cat tribe's messengers and declared, "If we don't cut off a few cat ears to play with today, we're afraid we won't have another chance after our gap-toothed leader kills all of you 'Shadow Claws'!"

This matter quickly spread to more distant places, and most of the tribes that had not directly come into contact with "Shadowclaw" regarded it as an absurd rumor.

However, this nonchalant attitude did not last long. The cats completely blocked news from the area around the "Rotten Swamp," and it soon reached the desks of the leaders.

It seems like they're serious about this.

Everyone eagerly awaited the news, and it was the subject of much discussion during leisure time. However, as time went by, people gradually began to sense that something was amiss.

The reason is simple: regardless of whether "Shadow Claw" actually attacked "Rotten Swamp," given the temperament of the Otter-Pig Orc leader, Gaptooth, how could he tolerate the Cat Clan surrounding his territory so tightly for so long?
Then, even more explosive news arrived: thousands of elderly, weak, women, and children of the cat-race orcs had left the fortress on the stone mountain and entered the plains, heading towards the stronghold of the "Rotten Swamp".

Something happened, something big happened!

Regardless, the entire territory was surrounded by what appeared to be a high wall erected by "Shadow Claw".

Although several tribes simultaneously attempted to infiltrate the area using various methods, the cat tribe's keen senses, the drones patrolling everywhere, and the support of the Vast Ocean sniper force kept the entire "Rotten Swamp" as silent as a mountain range!

On the fifth day, the "Black Mouth" tribe in the north, having reached their limit of patience, dispatched a force of 300 elite cavalrymen to march south along the road on the west side of the swamp, intending to test the waters and see what was going on.

Then, all three hundred-man squads were wiped out. Only the captain of the reconnaissance squad, who was trailing behind, managed to break free from the pursuit of the "Shadow Claw" warriors and fled back to the camp in a state of shock.

His body was covered in wounds and bloodstains.

"Chief...we can't get close!"

"The cats are hiding in the mountains and forests. There are many of them, and their numbers are enormous. I have no idea what happened ahead. I can only vaguely hear some loud noises."

"Not a single one escaped, not even the dire wolves!"

After several unsuccessful reconnaissance attempts, the neighboring tribes were terrified and strengthened their defenses. This attack, which was completely beyond their comprehension, led them to make all sorts of speculations.

There's a problem within the "Rotten Swamp"—is there a traitor colluding with "Shadow Claw"?
The "Thunderous Roar" tiger clan has recovered and has quietly sent its own members or vassals to provide support.
Has a new great assassin emerged among the cat-like orcs? Or a high-ranking warrior, capable of taking on a thousand men single-handedly?

Or is there another force involved in this game?

After a week and a half of anxious speculation, the Shadowclaw tribe finally lifted the blockade and officially informed all parties that the Rotten Swamp tribe no longer existed, and that the land was now under the control of the Xuan Shui City, a newly built city by the cat-like orcs.

The cat-like orcs welcome everyone to visit and trade.

As for the visit, it should naturally be to see that magnificent structure made up of the skulls of the otter-boar beastmen.

It took only one day to capture the "Rotten Swamp" stronghold, three days to restore order to the camp, and most of the remaining time was spent repairing this magnificent "Jingguan".

This is not a simple pile of heads.

The heads of thousands of otter-boar beastmen were stacked together in an extremely "artistic" manner, forming a cone-shaped tower that was nearly ten meters high and had a base length of seven meters.

Each skull underwent special treatment, with damaged parts removed and certain skull structures treated for preservation.

Especially in the lower middle part of the "Exquisite View," in the best vantage point, an almost complete otter-boar orc head is displayed, with even the expression perfectly preserved.

With its ashen skin, ferocious expression, hollow eye sockets, and neat arrangement, it stared at the observer's location as if performing a sacrificial ritual from an ancient wilderness.

The air was filled with a faint smell of lime and herbs, a mixture of preservatives, but no matter how much it was masked, it could not conceal the deep, tangible aura of death.

Even carnivorous beastmen who always enjoy playing with bones couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines at the sight.

The representatives from various tribes who came to "visit" reacted in a surprisingly unanimous manner: they took photos, using the precious magical marble that their tribes usually couldn't bear to use, which they bought at a high price from the Dwarf Merchant Guild, and took photos like crazy.

Of course, when they saw the caravan shop in the best location in the stronghold, with the largest entrance and the most impressive appearance, and then looked at the tall minotaur warriors in full armor, double-edged axes, and even their boots gleaming coldly, they suddenly "understood".

It turns out that the cat tribe has allied themselves with the minotaurs and found a new patron.

The Shadowclaw tribe generously gifted visiting envoys from various tribes with some [Soothing Elixir] and [Exorcising Pagoda], and promised to provide them with various living supplies at the lowest possible price.

Soon, some well-informed orcs heard this little story in a tavern in the city.

A few days before the cat-like orcs launched their attack, a caravan under the command of the minotaurs was besieged by the otter-like orcs at the stronghold of "Rotten Swamp," and only a few orcs escaped.

The orcs who spoke were so confident, even swearing an oath in the name of their ancestors, that we had no choice but to believe them.

At this point, the whole story has been largely clarified; it was simply a private feud between tribes.

Yes, that makes sense!

The orc envoys were happily selecting items from the "super discounts," but their eyes kept glancing at the envoys from the "Blackmouth" tribe.

As allies of the "Rotten Swamp," what will they do?
Or, to put it another way, how will the powerful "Longtooth" tribe, as the superior of the "Rotten Swamp," react to this war of annihilation?

Those who enjoy watching a show never think it's too much trouble!
(End of this chapter)