Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 335 The Aftermath of the Overturned Stream Moon: The White Deer and the Mysterious Water Change
Upon hearing the news of the collapse of the Xiyue Federation overnight, the first reaction of most countries was: disbelief, impossibility!
The nations on either side of the Dark Forest, serving as outposts for the defense of the elves, received deliberate reinforcement from human forces from their inception. Although times have changed and internal strife among humans has now replaced racial wars as the mainstream of the struggle for supremacy on the Starry Continent, their foundation remains strong and they should not be easily defeated by the elves who are merely clinging to life.

The Xiyue Federation is indeed criticized as a "weakling," but that depends on who you compare it to.

Compared to the three major powers of the Starry World—the Sky Dome, the Moon Nest, and the Mist Moon—it's no problem to say that it's just a roadside power.

However, among the four central kingdoms of Emerald, Green Pine, Mirror Lake, and Stream Moon, which have been entangled in a protracted conflict, if we consider only their strength on paper, the Stream Moon Federation is fully capable of challenging the Green Pine Kingdom, which is known for its stubbornness, and vying for the position of the top two power in the region.

Even if we add Shuanglan, Bitao, and Baiyin, they are still firmly in second place and have a chance to be number one.

Strategically, the Xiyue Federation is protected by the Dark Forest to the north and the weaker Silver Duchy to the south, giving it a uniquely advantageous geographical location.

In terms of military characteristics, the Federation has a very strong magical atmosphere. The number of registered magicians and organized magic tank regiments is unparalleled among the surrounding countries.

In the previous two wars between Green Pine and Emerald, the Magic Chariot Corps of the Stream Moon Federation was quite involved in stirring up trouble.

In short, Xiyue may not be strong, but it is definitely not weak!

The reason for emphasizing "paper strength" is that, although the Xiyue Federation has a large population, a good economy, a large army, and skilled mages, it lacks one crucial element—unity.

Between the royal family and the tribes, and between the tribes themselves, bickering, obstruction, and sabotage were commonplace. It could even be said that the royal family deliberately guided and amplified the internal divisions.

Under the spotlight, the Xiyue royal family and the thirteen tribes perfectly exemplified what it means to have ten plus nine equal one.

But even with their lack of unity, no one could have imagined that the entire Stream Moon Federation would be wiped out by the elves' charge.

Even the elves themselves didn't dare to hope for such a thing when they left Silvermoon Forest.

Human arrogance makes it difficult for them to accept such a sudden and drastic change!

The most difficult to accept among them was probably the Azure Sky Holy City, which was specifically responsible for southern affairs within the Mist Moon Divine Court.

They spent nearly fifty years and enormous amounts of manpower and resources to finally persuade Green Pine and Stream Moon to join forces and gradually encroach on Jadeite in the north.

As a result, the Emerald Duchy was half-dead, but in the blink of an eye, the Green Pine Kingdom was crippled, and the Stream Moon Federation was wiped out.

Just kidding!
"Useless! A bunch of useless trash! A complete and utter waste!"

This continuous, cyclical, and progressive sentence structure fully reflects the speaker's emotions.

The Archbishop of the Blue Sky, dressed in a white robe with gold trim, could no longer maintain his usual kind and gentle demeanor. He slammed a stack of intelligence reports to the ground, his face contorted with rage.

"Green Pine is a piece of trash. It boasts about having ten times the soldiers and a hundred times the strength, but it can't take down the Emerald Duchy in the north, and it can't beat that lousy Vast Ocean Territory in the east. Is it just going to stand by and watch Stream Moon be overthrown?"

"The Hein family is utterly worthless!"

The bishop abruptly waved his hand, sweeping the silver candlestick off the table. The metal in the center of the candlestick struck the ground with a piercing clang.

"They took so much of our support and assembled so many mage legions! They couldn't even defeat a mere elf? How did they manage to wipe out their entire clan?"

"A disgrace! This is a disgrace to the Divine Court!"

A group of priests around him were filled with fear and offered words of comfort.

"Your Excellency, this has happened suddenly. The Thirteen Tribes of Xiyue have betrayed the Federation, which caught everyone off guard!"

"That's right, that's right! Xiyue didn't perish because of the elves, but because of internal strife. The Hein family's control is so poor; they are truly ashamed of the Divine Court's support!"

Some more clear-headed priests attempted to interpret it from another perspective.

"Your Excellency, I believe that the Green Pine Kingdom's defeat at the hands of Creek Moon is unforgivable!"

"How do you say this?"

"Your Excellency, Green Pine's attack on the Vast Sea resulted in a crushing defeat, which completely demoralized the already wavering Thirteen Tribes of Stream Moon, leading to their defection!"

"Otherwise, no matter how strong the elves are, they are still just a different race. How could they so easily shake the foundation of Xiyue that has been built up over hundreds of years?"

Seeing that the bishop seemed to be deep in thought, and that his gaze had been successfully diverted, everyone had an idea.

It was no secret in the Azure Sky Holy City that the bishop was dissatisfied with Green Pine. Indeed, the performance of the Green Pine Kingdom had somewhat failed to live up to their reputation and the support of the Divine Court.

"Excuse my bluntness," another, more senior regional priest immediately interjected, "the most foolish thing to do was for the two families to conspire to assassinate that Lord of the Vast Ocean! It was utterly stupid! And what was the result? Not only did they fail to assassinate him, but they also provoked the Lord of the Vast Ocean to exact a fierce revenge..."

"If it weren't for this, how could Golden Hook Pass have been breached so easily, leading to the fall of Xiyue Royal City in a single day!"

"The High Priest is right. In my opinion, Qingkong should not have directly intervened in this matter. Now look what's happened. That old fellow Ryan is using our secret support as leverage to cause trouble at the Cardinals' meeting. His Excellency the Bishop has never been so passive before!"

"Decades of effort by the temple have been destroyed in an instant, destroyed in an instant!"

With a "crack," it was Bishop Qingkong who crushed the scepter in his hand.

Of course, with the anger of Azure Sky Holy City comes the ecstasy of Rainbow Holy City. What was just a casual move has now become a major event, not only profoundly affecting the situation on the continent, but also directly causing a severe blow to the Azure Sky faction.

The entire Rainbow City was filled with jubilation. It seemed that the humiliation of their domestic rivals was far more exhilarating for these old fogies than the defeat of their enemy nation!

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, High Priest Farrell, who has always steadfastly supported the Vast Ocean, will be promoted again on the next Seven-Eyed God's celebration day!
Looking north, the old rival, the Mist Moon Divine Court's vassal state, suffered a heavy blow, leaving the Qiyue Dynasty with mixed feelings of joy and sorrow.

The good news is that, given the current situation, the chances of their little brother, the Emerald Kingdom, which has been besieged several times by Green Pine and Stream Moon and is on the verge of collapse, have greatly increased; the bad news is that their only remaining little brother has a grudge against the Vast Ocean, and perhaps next time, it will be the Vast Ocean that attacks Emerald...

The southern Duchy of Silver was on edge. Suddenly having a new neighbor was hard to say whether it was a good thing or a bad thing. At an emergency royal meeting, the Grand Duke of Silver issued the only clear order: to immediately begin strengthening the defenses of all the passes on the northern border!

The Green Pine Kingdom in the north was quite certain that this was not a good thing. The destruction of the Stream Moon Federation meant that they had not only lost an important ally, but also that their eastern and southern regions were now exposed to the combined forces of the elves and the Vast Sea.

King Green Pine almost gritted his teeth as he issued another order for a nationwide mobilization.

Even the orcs on the wasteland heard the news and ridiculed the humans for their incorrigible and absurd infighting. The chieftains continued their hunting and revelry!
On the other side of the Dragon's Spine, atop the Cloud City of the Sky Empire, the emperor, revered as the restorer of the dynasty, gazed at the newly updated map, a deep longing in his eyes.

On the eastern side of the Dragonspine Mountains lies the empire's cherished homeland!
"I've heard that this Lord of the Vast Ocean has a past connection with my Sky Dome?"

The chief intelligence officer standing to the side immediately bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, this person's identity and background are a mystery, but he seems to be of noble birth, well-educated, and wealthy. Moreover, because of his surname Chen, he was once considered by various countries to be a spy sent by our Heavenly Vault."

"So...is that really true?"

"Your Majesty, all of the Empire's intelligence networks have been thoroughly investigated, and currently... no such person has been found. When questioned about this matter, Grand Secretary Chen also clearly stated that there is no member of his clan who fits this description and is currently living abroad..."

"Check again!"

The emperor tossed his cloud-patterned robe aside, turned, and walked toward the inner palace, leaving behind a sentence that faded into the distance, yet remained profoundly meaningful.

"Grand Secretary Chen is getting old, he might not remember clearly. Let him check again!"

"How could such a pioneering spirit not be the pride of our empire?"

"..."

"yes!!!" ----

The hustle and bustle of the outside world, the turbulent winds and clouds, were temporarily kept out by the blizzard in the Han Hai Territory and could not reach Chen Mo's side. At this moment, Han Hai was wholeheartedly cultivating his internal energy.

In the past few years of rapid development, Hanhai has made great strides, but this has inevitably been accompanied by both good and bad. This is human nature, the most basic human nature!
Even modern society on Earth cannot eradicate it.

In the slave trade, he inflated transaction prices and accepted kickbacks; when purchasing materials, he used inferior goods to pass off as superior ones; he abused his power to oppress his subordinates and demanded bribes; and he falsified work figures during the construction process.
What enraged Chen Mo the most was that, because the trade of sexual resources was strictly prohibited in the territory, some officials couldn't resist colluding with some people in certain slave communities to set up a "chatting tea house" in the residents' private residences, disguised as a place to provide them with special services.

This "chatting teahouse" has been operating in extreme secrecy for more than five months, and with the protection of certain powerful figures, the local patrol and intelligence departments are completely unaware of it.

Chen Mo painstakingly promoted education within his territory, but they found it extremely difficult to learn. However, when it came to these crooked and unorthodox practices, they were completely self-taught and could learn them without any instruction!

If the lord is unhappy, then the people below him certainly won't be happy either!

The Discipline Inspection Department, under Xia Yuanchen's leadership, has become increasingly ruthless in its enforcement.

Almost every day, territory officials were taken to the Inspectorate, and almost every day, fresh heads were hung on the lampposts of the vast sea.

Adhering to the Lord's consistent ideas and philosophy, external enemies are forged into a fine temple, while internal sinners are hung on streetlights.

Within the vast territory, a tense atmosphere quickly descended upon the land.

In this state of extreme internal turmoil, Chen Mo never considered causing trouble for the orcs. He only intended to steadily guard Frost City, and that was how things were.

However, the tree may wish to remain still, but the wind will not cease. He didn't want to cause trouble, but trouble kept coming to the lord's door!

Just two months into the internal purge, Chen Mo received bad news: the Black Mouth Beast Tribe and the Horned Tribe of the Orcs on the White Deer Plain had launched a two-pronged attack, cutting off the land route between Xuan Shui City and Hailuokou, and forming an encirclement of Xuan Shui City from the east and west.

As the first base established by Han Hai Territory within the Bailu Plain, Xuan Shui City has built a complete oil extraction, refining, and processing industry due to its unique oil production within the entire territory. It is also the only production line location for Han Hai's Fifth and Ninth Reforms.

It can be said that it occupies an irreplaceable and important strategic position in the overall structure of the Hanhai Territory.

Over the past few years, Han Hai Ling has conducted oil exploration in all the places it can reach and has recorded some locations and areas where oil reserves may exist. However, in any case, Xuan Shui City, which is currently an open-pit, self-flowing oil production area with extremely low extraction costs, will be Han Hai Ling's irreplaceable resource center and heavy industry base for many years to come.

Even if we abandon Tian Shuang, we will not release Xuan Shui!

What else can we do but prepare to fight?

"Fighting is fighting, but the purges must not stop!"

Regarding military deployment, Chen Mo unequivocally rejected the proposal put forward by some people to "suspend the purge and focus on combat."

"Fighting is fighting, but internal purges must never stop!"

"If this sets a precedent, I'm afraid that every time we make a rectification, there will be a war going on outside!"

"The military's investigation continues. Also, investigate thoroughly to see if anyone deliberately lured the orcs into an attack in an attempt to evade the purge."

"As for the defense of Xuan Shui City, let the 'Shadow Claw' tribe hold the fort. I've trained them for so long, I believe they won't let me down!"

"If it's really too much for us, then let the Stonehoof tribe join the fight, or seek mediation from Sky Ridge!"

"In short, it would be best if we could defeat the enemy, but if not, we'll hold our ground and deal with the internal issues first, and then we'll handle the rest!"

In late September of the year 1430, this seemingly insignificant "tribal conflict" broke out on the outskirts of Xuanshui City, located in the central-eastern part of the Bailu Plain.

The two main forces in "Clash of Clans" are the "Blackmouth" tribe of the Hog Riders and the "Shadowclaw" tribe of the Cat Riders.

Essentially, this is still a common war on the Bailu Plain for land, resources, and population, but the addition of old grudges between the two sides gives it a more relentless flavor.

Xuanshui City was originally the territory of the "Rotten Swamp" tribe of otter-boar beastmen. With the support of the main tribe "Long Fang", the Rotten Swamp became arrogant and domineering, expanding wildly and once pushing the "Shadow Claw" tribe, which had lost the protection of the Tiger Clan, to the brink of extinction.

Then, the Han Hai team discovered oil in the territory of the "Rotten Swamp".

Well, resources, without the protection of a grand order and lacking sufficient power, are truly a curse.

The Vast Ocean attempted to negotiate order with the "Rotten Swamp," but the "Rotten Swamp" chose to demonstrate its power to the Vast Ocean.

Thus, in the eyes of the surrounding tribes, the dying Shadowclaw tribe inexplicably made a stunning comeback, destroying the lair of the Otter-Headed Orcs and completely controlling the swamp area.

Amidst everyone's astonishment and uncertainty, the forces behind the scenes slowly emerged. The most reliable explanation circulating was that the "Rotten Swamp" tribe had offended Sky Ridge, which is why the Bull Clan intervened in the conflict.

That makes more sense.

For the next two years, the area around Xuan Shui City was relatively quiet. This was not because the "Long Tooth" tribe had forgotten about it, but because they were waiting for the right opportunity.

Until this year's autumn hunt.

The commander of this orc army came from the Bear Clan and had an excellent relationship with the Wild Boar Clan. As a result, the Longtooth Tribe used the same trick again, recruiting a large number of Bull Clan warriors into the autumn hunt team, which greatly weakened the Motianling Tribe's immediate combat power on the White Deer Plain.

Next, he sent out his "Black Mouth" tribe to win over the neighboring "Curved Horn" tribe, pretending it was a regional conflict, preparing to take advantage of the opportunity when Motian Ridge was unable to attend to both, to kill "Shadow Claw" in one fell swoop and reclaim the Xuan Shui Great Swamp.

By a twist of fate, things got stuck at this critical juncture of the rectification campaign in Hanhai. Even the brigade commander and training officer of the First Brigade of Hanhai are still reporting for duty in Hanhai City.

The heavy responsibility of defense thus fell on the cat-like orcs of Xuan Shui City.

Upon receiving the war order from headquarters, the white-bearded leader of the Shadowclaw tribe was so excited that he jumped high into the air, his head hitting the four-meter-high roof beam.

Finally, it's our turn to serve our lord.

After this battle, will "Shadow Claw" be able to produce a brigade commander? My eldest son has been studying at the Han Naval Academy for over a year!
With both sides rushing to the front lines, the tribal war broke out unexpectedly.

The initial phase of the war consisted of sieges and probing.

The Xuan Shui City of today is completely different from the large village where the Rotten Swamp was located. Although it does not have high walls like those of human cities, there is a moat six meters deep with smooth inner walls along the entire outer boundary.

Behind the trenches were staggered bluestone fortresses, which not only housed the most elite archers of the Shadow Claw tribe, but also large defensive crossbows made by the Xuan Shui City Armory. Although they looked somewhat crude, their power was definitely not lacking.

The trench's six-meter depth was meticulously calculated. Cat-orc warriors are renowned for their exceptional jumping ability, light weight, and agility. A well-trained cat-orc warrior can leap from the bottom of the trench to the ground without any tools, using a wall-stomping motion.

But if a wild boar falls in... that would be a bit awkward; it seems its only option would be to run wildly along the bottom of the trench...

The trenches gradually extend inwards towards the defensive line, becoming lower and lower until they eventually turn at the junction with the mountainous highlands, merging into an underground platform ten meters deep, riddled with pits.

On the first day of their probing attack, the confident vanguard of the "Black Mouth" tribe lost more than two hundred warriors in this treacherous defensive zone.

A small number died at long range, while the majority were sent to trenches.

This probing continued for three days. After a thousand-man team had been deployed, yet still no effective breakthrough could be found, the enraged Blackmouth Chieftain waved his hand.

All troops, launch an attack and fill this damn trench!

(End of this chapter)