Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 342 Decoy Negotiations: Flames of War Between Dongxia and Hanhai
This Lunar New Year can only be described as joyous and exhilarating.

To paraphrase a famous quote from a leader, the situation is excellent—not just good, it's fantastic!

In the areas that everyone can see, a thriving scene is presented.

Looking ahead, space exploration continues to lead the way. The first permanent lunar base, built by converting a natural lava cave, has completed its basic structure. The location of the second lunar cave has also been determined, and earthwork excavation has begun.

The site selection is exceptionally advantageous, located at the bottom of a circular pit, surrounded by water ice layers that can be mined. Furthermore, based on environmental sampling analysis, there is a high probability that there is a medium-sized hematite deposit at the bottom of the pit.

Once the lunar energy system is in place, with electricity, water, and iron, it can immediately begin to develop in a snowballing manner.

This brings us back to the vast amount of technology that Dongxia possessed, which seemed utterly worthless on Earth.

Despite being one of the world's leading countries in food self-sufficiency, it is desperately developing artificial starch and artificial sucrose.
Despite not lacking in traditional local energy sources, China continues to invest heavily in various energy sectors, such as high-altitude wind power, next-generation photovoltaic materials, and controlled nuclear fusion, and is racing ahead.
Not to mention those technologies that look like they were designed specifically for extraterrestrial environments—such as sintered lunar soil bricks, high-temperature melting and electrolytic oxygen production, flash iron smelting that doesn't require coal to process low-grade ores, and laser weapon systems that decay severely in the atmosphere but have a promising future in a vacuum…

While some countries are busy using the concept of space to boost stock prices and attract investment, the engineers and scientists of Dongxia have quietly incorporated everything from the most basic "clothing, food, housing, and transportation" to the complex "production, construction," and even the possible "military conflict" into a vast and comprehensive solution after humanity enters the sky.

The astronauts from Dongxia have already started barbecuing in space. Just imagine how many strange and wonderful technologies they have accumulated.

Looking outward, on the international geopolitical chessboard of Blue Star, Dongxia has also achieved a crucial stage victory.

Taking down the Liuqiu base without bloodshed or loss was not only about gaining a strategic foothold, but also a crucial step in breaking free from old shackles.

It must be noted that for a long time, Dongxia had tried its best to avoid conflict with the bald eagle, including a large number of its henchmen.

Why? Because of the trade surplus.

Yes, bald eagles can easily exchange some green paper for all the world's resources, but what supports this fiat currency is the high interest it pays, the credit assets it has accumulated over two hundred years, the more than 1,200 military bases around the world, and the great order of this blue planet maintained by dozens of staunch allies and subordinates.

As long as the green paper can still circulate on Earth and be used to buy resources from other countries, then this credit currency is no different from a value currency.

Then, in this order that he painstakingly maintained, a lot of money ended up being earned by a certain country.

That's right, it's Dongxia.

Although Dongxia kept complaining and crying foul, it was just like a merchant constantly complaining that their profits were meager, they couldn't make ends meet, and they were having a clearance sale for the last three days...

You can't really believe that the person selling things never makes money and is just doing charity, can you?
By obtaining green paper through trade surpluses and adding the profits from selling goods, it can be said that Dongxia is using this system established by the bald eagle itself to continuously suck the blood of the bald eagle.

The White Eagle's once proud harvest of Blue Star's currency tides has been reduced because of certain countries' frequent currency swaps and virtual settlements. As a result, when the White Eagle swings its financial sickle, it can only catch a small piece of the skin. The fattest pieces of meat have long been taken away by others without anyone noticing.

The White Eagle's ever-expanding, astronomical debt owes a great deal to the Eastern Xia's "contribution"! How could it not be furious?

However, it didn't dare to act rashly when it was in a hurry, because the guy opposite it was quite capable of fighting.

Some people call Dongxia's strategy "offensive defense," meaning that while they were defending, they ended up defending right up to your doorstep.

The bald eagle on the other side could be described as "defensive punching," but after a series of exchanges, they remained evenly matched.

The world goes round and round, and the two sides are entangled. As long as they can maintain this blood-sucking posture, Dongxia is quite obedient to Bai Diao, emphasizing a supple body and flexible strategies.

You insult me, I'll retort; you smash my window, I'll seal your skylight... But as long as you put on a show and shout "Stop! Stop!", then we can tacitly rewind, sit back down, and pretend nothing happened, "happily" continue our trade!
Previously, no matter how loud the public voices were, Dongxia always turned a deaf ear and never acted out of spite.

In the past year, Dongxia truly slapped Bai Diao in the face. It is widely believed that Dongxia must have seen greater benefits.

Having finished looking outside, let's turn our attention back to Dongxia. On one hand, the magical legends surrounding the [Purple Cloud] base have filled many ordinary people in Dongxia with boundless longing and expectation.

On the other hand, Dongxia's large-scale investments over the years have also had some positive effects on the economy.

With more liquid money flowing into the market, those at the bottom of society who are struggling to breathe can straighten their backs a little.

However, the tree may wish to remain still, but the wind will not cease. Faced with the "excellent" situation in Dongxia, someone had to step in and cause some trouble for them.

Before the Spring Festival was even over, the bald eagle had already unleashed a series of dazzling diplomatic maneuvers.

It first betrayed one of its allies completely, sacrificing its core interests, and began to do everything it could to win over Dongxia's huge neighbor in the north—the Two-Headed Iron Eagle.

The two-headed iron eagle glanced at Dongxia's silent expression, then shyly shook hands with the bald eagle.

You can't blame the two-headed eagle for being pragmatic. First of all, it was originally a sycophant who wanted to join the white eagle but failed, which is why it angrily attacked the sycophant.

Secondly, it also understood very well that only during the window of opportunity when the bald eagle was sparing no expense to concentrate all its efforts on dealing with Dongxia could it obtain such generous conditions that were comparable to the enemy "voluntarily betraying the country".

If you miss this stop, it's hard to say what kind of conditions you'll be able to get later.

What followed was a comprehensive blockade and harassment of Dongxia from south to north, from head to west, and from sea to land.

Entity lists, border frictions, maritime disputes, and warships from various countries flexing their muscles—on the map, it's a scene of constant tension and conflict.

Of course, all this tension on the surface is, to some extent, a cover for another fierce game being played behind the scenes.

Just as the situation was rapidly escalating, the special plenipotentiary envoy of the current leader of the Bald Eagle had quietly landed at Chang'an Airport as a "private entrepreneur" and immediately began a secret negotiation with Dongxia.

This negotiation is destined to be difficult. Both Bai Diao and Dong Xia have too many intertwined and deeply rooted entanglements and grudges, and a single move could have far-reaching consequences.

However, this negotiation was inevitable because the two sides were highly complementary, and moreover, the current White Eagle Commander had his own strong demands.

Over the past period, the White Eagle Research Institute has gone to great lengths to extract the mysterious X substance from the sample codenamed "Afu" and barely managed to cobble together a "life ointment" with less than ideal purity.

The reason why the purity is not high is mainly because, in order to confirm that this thing "comes from outer space", the Eastern Xia side did not hesitate to add a trace amount of lunar soil to it, and also mixed in some sand particles from the vast ocean of the starry world that had been repeatedly filtered.

Go ahead and analyze it!

It would be a miracle if they could analyze that!

In conclusion, the final experimental results show that this mixed sand ointment can have some positive and effective health-promoting effects on the human body, but it is impossible to determine which part of the mixture plays a role.

We'll just have to make do like this for now.

This diluted version of the "miracle drug"—who should use it, and who shouldn't?—has become an unspoken but tacitly understood dilemma within the top echelons of the White Eagle circle.

The president himself is certainly eager to use it. But what about the financial tycoons and key political allies behind him who provide support?
Is this amount enough to have a decisive effect? ​​How can we obtain more to ensure the "long-term stability" of the empire's leaders, especially the Grand Master?
What worried them even more was that the organization's four subsequent lunar missions failed to obtain any new X material in the designated area. Could this be the end of the line?
Now, our hopes are pinned on Dongxia. Dongxia went to the moon so long ago, could they have already looted all the precious resources?

The ambassador also made no secret of the fact that the most urgent need of the bald eagles is to obtain a special resource that can prolong their lives, enough for the great leader to use.

Of course, if he could reveal even a little more and win over the people behind the empire, the Grand President was even confident that he could remove all restrictions on re-election and become a president for life like a bald eagle.

After discussion, Dongxia concluded that if the other party offered suitable conditions, it wouldn't be impossible to split off some of the [Life] series from Silvermoon Forest to make their progress smoother and reduce unnecessary setbacks and losses.

So, while outside, a raging storm was brewing, inside, a flurry of activity and heated debate ensued. From February to the entirety of March, the two sides were constantly engaged in dialogue, negotiation, compromise, falling out, then dialogue again, then negotiation again… a never-ending cycle!
Finally, a new solution emerged: an equal, mutually beneficial plan that interspersed cooperation within a highly competitive environment.

The bald eagle will obtain a certain amount of special medicine as desired. The first batch is for two people. It has been heavily processed by Dongxia and belongs to the "Eternal Song of Life" series, which is a watered-down version.

Whether the leaders of the White Eagles had heard of the legend of the Two Peaches and Three Warriors is unknown.

Anyway, the president will definitely get his share, and the other share might be reserved for his clever and quick-witted genius son who can turn on the computer in his teens!
In exchange, since the bald eagle can sell one loyal dog that pleases its knees, it doesn't mind selling another one.

The Bald Eagle agreed to hand over a batch of classified information about the "Four-Clawed Sea Serpent," including some of its risky plans to "snatch chestnuts from the fire," to Dongxia. This would help Dongxia to establish a complete legal and moral characterization of the serpent, paving the way for subsequent actions.

Of course, when you sell your dog, you have to take the dog meat with you.

When Dongxia takes action, the Bald Eagle will use its control over financial channels and the special advantages of the on-site military base to "accept" and "transfer" the huge assets and high-wealth groups belonging to the Sea Serpent that will inevitably be expelled due to panic caused by the war.

The bald eagles also have some ways to make use of the remaining civilians, but they do not intend to share the specifics of these methods with Dongxia.

As for Dongxia, it can take this opportunity to achieve two important strategic goals in one fell swoop:
First, we must completely cripple the sea serpent, resolve historical grievances, and pay tribute to our ancestors.

Secondly, it provides a springboard to the tranquil sea, and incidentally, it helps to nip the unrealistic fantasies of one's own foolish child.

In short, both sides have gained something, and as long as the final price is agreed upon, they will proceed with their respective actions.

Since the agreement was not put in writing, and given the bald eagle's long history of going back on its word and its bad reputation, Dongxia said that you must first show your sincerity.

So, on April 1st, a rather ironic day, a series of confidential documents "inadvertently" leaked from within the Bald Eagle organization, like a bombshell, made headlines in major media outlets around the world.

What seems like a lie can become true, and what seems like a lie can become a lie. In any case, by releasing news on April Fool's Day, the bald eagle has taken a hesitant first step.

These documents are detailed, officially formatted, and bear the distinct mark of the bureaucratic system, making them appear highly authentic to outsiders.

The documents clearly show that the Four-Clawed Sea Serpent had submitted several secret applications to the Bald Eagle, intending to incite and provoke a dispute, or even a direct conflict, between the Bald Eagle and Dongxia at the cost of selling out its own core interests.

Some important documents even reveal a war plan called the "Anxin Plan," which details the steps and ideas for launching a war against Dongxia, with the sea serpent taking the lead in provocation and the bald eagle providing support from behind.

In an instant, the world's attention was once again focused on Dong Aixia, a place that has always been a gathering place for monsters and a place of turbulent times.

The shadow of war began to rapidly gather over the Sea Serpent Island.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Unlike a war on Earth, which always involves back-and-forth preparation, organization, mobilization, consensus building, external intimidation, and feigned exercises, war in the Star World is basically just a shout of "One, two, three, move out!" followed by grabbing weapons and charging in.

At this moment, Macaja, covered in dust and having just returned to Xuan Shui City, had already placed his hand on the large spear he carried with him.

"The Black-Mouthed Tribe must be resolutely eradicated!"

"Not only Blackmouth, but the Longtooth tribe of the Boar-Beastmen must also be thoroughly punished!"

"The lord has spoken. In the past, Xuan Shui City did not take the initiative to attack because it did not want to expose its strength too much, especially the firearms that are significantly different from the traditional warfare mode of Fanxing. This would make the enemy aware of the existence of Han Hai Territory in Bai Lu Plain and avoid provoking an enemy siege."

"But now, times have changed! It's time to turn the page on the situation in Bailu Plain!"

Makaga stood up, his body as straight as a flagpole, and shouted in a clear and distinct Dongxia language, even with a slight northern Dongxia accent, "Everyone stand up!"

In a flash, all the important figures from the Han Navy and Political Department, along with the military academy trainees and reserve officers who had come with Makaga, stood up in unison, their boots clattering together with a uniform, dull thud.

Um, centaurs have to kowtow twice because they have four legs...

Macaka unfolded a document, raised his voice, and read it aloud, word by word:

"Order from the Supreme Military Command of the Summer Moon Alliance in the Vast Ocean!"

The entire audience fell silent, their eyes wide with shock.

"All directly subordinate combat departments, the First Brigade of Hanhai, the Xuanshui City Defense Army, the Bailu Restoration Society, and all other participating personnel:"
Since the year 1217 of the Celestial Calendar, the year 127 of the White Deer Calendar, and the so-called "Year One of White Deer" in the enemy calendar, when the orcs conquered the White Deer Plain, in the past 213 years, the orc race has ravaged civilization, slaughtered living beings, plundered wantonly, and been barbaric by nature. The aforementioned crimes are too numerous to list, bringing profound disasters to the various races of the White Deer Plain.

Today, the Xia Yue Alliance of the Vast Ocean Territory, upholding the great mission of the "White Deer Restoration Plan," is determined to use Xuan Shui City as our base to gather the forces of justice and launch a war of restoration!

Return to your homeland, liberate slave laborers, expel the wicked, and rebuild order!

The combat orders are as follows:

In the first phase, the First Brigade of the Vast Ocean, along with a portion of the Xuan Shui City Defense Army and a portion of the Hailuokou Garrison Army, launched a full-scale attack on the orc forces in the area bounded by the eastern part of the Bailu Plain, south to the foot of Qishan Mountain, north to the Xia Yan River Valley, west to the old city of Mingchuan, and east to the Endless Sea.

During this operation, the focus will be on annihilating the evil orc forces represented by the Blackmouth Tribe, dismantling the illegal military control of the plains by the neutral orc forces represented by the Greenback Tribe, establishing harmonious coexistence with friendly orc tribes such as the Stonehoof, gradually restoring civilized order to the region, and establishing an administrative management system and defense force led by the Vast Ocean Territory...

blah blah blah…

The entire Bailu Restoration Plan was a four-year overall strategic plan.

The first phase's core objective is to reopen the transportation route from Xuanshui City to Hailuokou. However, unlike previous phased approaches, this time the Hanhai forces will conduct more extensive proactive control and attacks, meaning they will physically "deal with" and "resolve" all unstable elements along this transportation route.

Once the First Brigade of the Vast Ocean launches its attack, the military organization hidden behind the Xuan River will inevitably attract high attention, and the orcs will certainly know of the existence of this alien force.

Then let's just fight openly and honestly.

Anyway, we've fought the orcs so many times, it's time to plant a flag.

Chen Mo even boldly proclaimed the slogan of "Reclaiming Bailu Plain" as an important prerequisite for further recruiting talent and gaining the support of the slave laborers in the north.

Of course, the timing of the launch was carefully planned.

The orcs' annual "Autumn Hunt" is a grand armed parade showcasing their military might, but it also significantly weakens the orcs' current presence in the core plains region. Many of the strong warriors from each tribe go out with the army, leaving the remaining forces relatively weak.

Although there is a possibility of a counterattack from the orc army, it's a matter of whether to start with the difficult and then the easy or start with the easy and then the difficult.

Based on his side's strengths in defense, Chen Mo decided to tackle the easier tasks first. As long as his troops were firmly established and the defensive line was well built, they would be able to fight back no matter how many enemies came.

Even if we can't win, we can build a second or third line of defense, just like the layers of trenches outside Xuan Shui City.

In light of this, Lord Chen Mo issued a supreme command order to Macaga.

Take advantage of the time when the orcish autumn hunting army is out, and launch this self-defense counterattack!
The first target that was locked on was, without a doubt, the "Black Mouth" tribe, which had just left behind a trail of wild beasts and incurred two blood debts.

(End of this chapter)