Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 385 The Blazing Trial of Dongxia, the White Deer Beacon Fire to Ignite
Dongxia's response came much faster than Harris had anticipated.

In early June, the first wave of bombers circled around, passed through the edge of the nuclear leak cloud, and re-entered the airspace of the Four-Clawed Sea Serpent.

The bombing began again.

Whether they are people from the Sea Serpent or dead people from the Sea Serpent, they all deserve to be purified.

This is not a "bombing" in the conventional sense; it should be understood more as a "disinfection."

The bomb bay of the Dongxia long-range bomber was loaded with a special incendiary bomb codenamed "Fire Lotus," which could burn at a temperature of over 2500°C and burn stably for more than ten minutes.

After repeated experiments under extreme conditions, it has been verified that it is sufficient to physically eliminate the vast majority of undead creatures below the fourth rank within the bombing range.

As for those above the fourth rank, that's another story.

The competition for a spot on this bombing mission was fierce within the Eastern Xia Air Force. Many veteran air force officers, who had long since risen to senior command positions and hadn't touched a control stick in years, were desperately submitting reports, using every possible connection to insist on returning to the front lines.

Even the astronauts from Dongxia applied to return to the Air Force, since they were selected from outstanding pilots.

The public channel of the Dongxia attack fleet was constantly filled with the slightly heavy but eager breathing of the pilots, their voices revealing uncontrollable excitement.

"Eagle Nest, Eagle Nest, this is Tianhuo-1, we have arrived at the designated airspace, and the overall environment meets the requirements for bombing."

"Tianhuo-1, this is Eagle's Nest. The target data link has been updated. Authorization to execute the deployment as planned."

"Target locked, core area of ​​the Sea Serpent Capital."

“投弹倒计时：5、4、3、2、1——”

"bomb!!!"

The bomb bay door was flung open with a loud crash.

Batch after batch of "Fire Lotus" missiles detached from the bomb bay, and with fine adjustments from the guidance system, they traced precise arcs before crashing into a devastated landscape.

They exploded for the first time at an altitude of more than 200 meters above the ground. The outer casing of the parent bomb shattered, and the pre-installed ejection device inside was activated, violently launching hundreds of secondary submunitions in a ring shape in all directions.

Just as it was about to hit the ground, the second-level bullet exploded again, and a blazing white fireball burst open in the air, turning into a rain of fire that poured down from the sky.

The evil legion on the ground felt this warmth.

As the Ghost Temple was further upgraded, more and more undead became Imperial Undead Warriors. These guys even transformed into old-fashioned sea serpent uniforms under the influence of the Great Evil Spirits, forming twisted but orderly ranks, like an apocalyptic version of "Hurrah Charge," continuously pouring out from the Ghost Temple's dark fog and spreading in all directions of the city ruins.

In terms of rank, these undead warriors can only be considered to be between the second and third tiers at best.

They met head-on the fury of the heavens.

At the moment the bullet exploded, the blazing white rain of fire did not fall vertically—it swept outwards in a radial pattern, propelled by the shockwave, like countless horizontally waving fire whips.

The undead warriors who had just rushed out of the temple were the first to be hit. Flames climbed up them in a way that defied hydrodynamics, and their bodies were carbonized in just a few milliseconds, revealing the reddish-brown flesh and dark yellow bones underneath.

The skin and some muscle tissue didn't even have time to burn before sublimating and vaporizing directly under the extreme heat. A small amount of semi-gel-like substance expanded rapidly inside the body and exploded from the inside out. The undead warriors were like rotten fruits being crushed by an invisible hand. Their body tissue burst out from the cracks and was ignited, turning into short trails of flame behind them.

They tried to run and dodge, but the flames followed them relentlessly, spreading upwards along their limbs and igniting the rotting flesh and tendons inside their assembled bodies, which crackled and popped as they burned.

One by one, the evil soldiers in old military uniforms turned into torches in the rain of fire, their stiffened flesh dissipating layer by layer in the high temperature, until only their gradually charred skeletons remained.

Some officers, wielding concrete blocks or rusted steel beams pulled from the ruins, futilely smashed them against the splashing flames on the ground, only sending the burning slurry and sparks flying further and igniting more of their comrades.

Of course, these larger torches burn longer because of their size.

From the depths of the black fog came angry and painful howls.

Several exceptionally large shadows emerged from the mist—these were the "evil spirit behemoths," fused with thousands of corpses and already beginning to semi-dominate. Their bodies intersected between physical and energy forms, their surfaces covered in a layer of dark armor condensed from negative energy, which slightly enhanced their resistance to fire.

One of the multi-legged behemoths raised its head, opened its massive maw made of broken bones, and spewed out a jet of black light that shot straight into the sky.

The idea of ​​attacking the bomber formations high in the sky was clearly wishful thinking.

However, this creature successfully attracted the attention of the early warning aircraft. The escorting fighter jets made a nimble turn, and air-to-ground missiles headed straight for the area where the behemoth was located.

This is a heavy armor-piercing projectile.

The bullet landed with incredible precision, almost directly on the top of the behemoth's head, creating a gash. A deafening roar was trapped inside the behemoth's body, and the ugly creature swelled up and burst like an inflated balloon, turning into a rain of flesh.

The behemoth, now without support, collapsed, its hollowed-out torso crashing into the ruins and crushing dozens of burning low-level undead. Flames seeped inward along the cracks in its severed spine, burning through the corrupted organs that served as energy nodes, triggering concentric explosions that sounded like the screams of hundreds or thousands of people compressed together.

When the bomber group finished its final bombing run and began its climb back to base, the ground was a scene of utter devastation.

The streets were littered with charred skeletons, some still in running or curled up.
The remains of the giant beast resembled smoldering volcanoes, occasionally spewing out a cluster of eerie flames from within.

Scorching air rose from the ground, carrying ashes, construction dust, and various murky fumes, forming thick, grayish-white columns of smoke that soared thousands of meters into the air, casting a haze over the lenses of drones that were shooting from low altitudes.

At the edge of this incineration site, new legions of the undead continued to emerge from the black mist, treading over the embers of the dead, continuing their endless expansion, though their ranks were noticeably thinner.

On this day, the Dongxia Air Force dispatched more than 1,700 sorties, breaking the record for the highest number of bombing raids by Blue Star aircraft in a single day.

This is a chaotic and upside-down world.

The government and army of the Four-Clawed Sea Serpent are desperately accelerating the creation of undead, while Dongxia is trying to eliminate them through bombing.

In this process, no one cares about the fate of those living people who are huddled in the city, not yet dead, and howling in agony.

It was my own choice!
This bombing scenario will continue repeatedly for a long time. Because of the out-of-control situation and the terrible radiation cloud, no country would rashly send ground troops to the Four-Clawed Sea Serpent.

Perhaps, only when the number of people on this land, whether dead or fleeing, gradually decreases to a highly controllable level, will the possibility of rebuilding order here be considered.

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.

Chen Mo felt incredibly envious of what was happening on Earth.

He couldn't personally participate in this great rescue operation, but fortunately, his family thoughtfully provided Chen Mo with a sense of involvement.

They placed a letter written by Chen Mo in a heavy bomb and sent it to the surface of the Four-Clawed Sea Serpent along with the bomb. As for what was written inside, they didn't see it.

I imagine it was some kind of blessing.

With mixed feelings, the chairman of the Summer Moon Alliance issued a series of orders, and the government and military departments began working around the clock to prepare for the upcoming war.

War is sometimes like this. It took the entire Han Hai Territory three years to establish its first stronghold on the White Deer Plains. From establishing itself in one corner to expanding into another, it only took a little over a year. Having expanded its territory, acquired enough manpower, and reached an agreement with the Dwarf Clan, the pace of the war will inevitably become faster and faster.

It's rapidly gaining momentum, and it's only a matter of time before it sweeps across Bailu.

After confirming that the orc tribes had abandoned the spring hunt this year, Chen Mo began war preparations ahead of schedule.

Inside the brightly lit council hall, a huge map of the White Deer Plain and its surrounding area filled the electronic screen. The map was clearly divided into colors: red represented the area controlled by the Vast Ocean, black represented the orc tribes, blue represented possible allied forces, including the White Deer Restoration Society, the Sea Clan, and the Mist Moon Divine Court, and white marked the neutral tribes whose stance was not yet clear.

First, as usual, came the report from the top military officer, Macaja. This orc general, who had risen through the ranks of the Torch Youth, had been promoted from commander of the First Brigade to commander-in-chief of the Northern Front of the Summer Moon Alliance Field Army. Although still young, years of battle had etched a maturity beyond his years on his face.

"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, as per your instructions, the plan for the comprehensive expansion of the armed forces has been fully completed."

"Regarding recruitment, we have set up 72 recruitment assessment points in the six counties and two districts of Bailu, strictly adhering to the principle of 'voluntary enlistment and preferential treatment for family members.' As of yesterday, the field army has recruited 32,400 qualified soldiers, of which 60% are humans, 20% are orcs, and the rest are half-orcs, goblins, dwarves, and other races."

"During this recruitment process, considering that the main battles going forward will be on the northern front, and the main opponents will be the orcs, we have appropriately controlled the proportion of orcs in the army."

"Regarding enlistment training, all new recruits, regardless of race, were randomly assigned to the recruit training camp and underwent a month of ideological education and basic drill training, followed by a month of military skills training. The third phase of military literacy training is currently underway and is expected to be completed by the end of this month."

Chen Mo flipped through the documents, nodded slightly, and signaled to continue.

Makaja continued his report: "In terms of troop reorganization, the original four brigades of the field army have been expanded into two divisions with six brigades. Each brigade consists of six infantry battalions, one artillery battalion, one engineer battalion, a communications support unit, and a logistics support unit."

The new military structure introduced the unit of "division".

Previously, the Han Hai Command had always used brigades and battalions as its core units. This was because the Han Hai Command itself had developed from small teams. In an era with limited firearms and an emphasis on mobility, the effectiveness of elite squads in combat was quite outstanding.

However, with the large-scale expansion of the army, the overall quality of the troops has declined. Therefore, on the advice of the Eastern Xia General Staff Headquarters, Chen Mo proposed the division and regiment organization to slightly make up for the lack of quality by increasing the number of individual troops.

It is clear that in the current Han Hai territory, the brigade's combat power is stronger than that of these newly formed divisions.

This is also clearly evident from the subsequent offensive deployment.

"The three brigades on the northern front are deployed along the Dingshan County line, mainly responsible for launching attack operations against the orc tribes north of the Huanyan River."

"On the western front, deploy one newly formed division and two brigades."

The light pen in Macaga moved westward, tracing its path along the winding Fantasia River:

"The plan is to advance upstream along both banks of the river with the support of the inland gunboat fleet. The primary objective is to establish land contact with the White Deer Restoration Society guerrilla zone. If the battle goes smoothly, we will continue westward and attempt to establish a border with the Wuyue Plateau, or at least form a stable passage."

"The remaining main brigade and newly formed division, as strategic reserves, are deployed in the area where Dingshan County and Linjiang County meet, ready to carry out mobile reinforcements in the north and south at any time."

"In addition to undertaking the defense of various counties, the National Defence Force will further increase its training efforts and select qualified soldiers in accordance with the original deployment, and be ready to take over the defense of newly occupied and controlled areas at any time."

Having reviewed the troop deployment, the next step is to assess the logistics.

When Helan stood up, everyone could see the exhaustion of the chief councilor.

While the collaboration with the dwarves brought many conveniences to the Summer Moon Alliance, it also significantly increased their workload.

"Reporting to the Chairman, according to the agreement, we have purchased three batches of grain from the dwarves, totaling about 200,000 tons. Adding this to the existing grain reserves of the Vast Ocean Territory and the grain seized from the orcs, the current total stock is about 650,000 tons."

"It can sustain the entire territory's population for about eight months, covering both combat and food supplies. It should be able to last until the end of the next phase of the autumn harvest without any problems."

"However, the council must solemnly remind everyone that the grain reserves have a low tolerance for error. If the war goes against us and planting and harvesting are disrupted, and the dwarves cannot provide sufficient replenishment, it could lead to a widespread food crisis!"

Chen Mo nodded.

He could solve other problems with the support of Dongxia, but when it came to food, the transport capacity of a few thousand tons was simply a drop in the ocean.

In the starry world, once food is scarce and the market becomes tense, even if you have a lot of money, you may not be able to buy it. It might be more realistic to send troops to seize food.

However, the Vast Ocean Territory also has its "high moral disadvantages".

Chen Mo could not stand idly by and watch the civilians and slaves in the controlled areas starve to death, which meant that the grain taken from the orcs was often not enough to sustain the slaves taken from them.

The more they fight, the wider their territory becomes, the larger their population grows, and the greater their consumption...

We still have to farm.

White Deer Plain is a good place for farming, but to farm in peace, the threat of the surrounding orcs must be completely eliminated, creating a sufficiently large and safe buffer zone.

We still have to fight!

"How are the preparations for other supplies progressing?"

Herland switched screens to display another bill of materials, which listed the inventory, monthly consumption estimates, and replenishment plans for various materials.

"We are also stepping up our stockpiling of various supplies. We have stockpiled enough cloth, leather, fuel, etc. for two or three large-scale campaigns. However, medicines are currently in short supply, especially medicines for treating external injuries and stopping bleeding. The current stock is relatively insufficient."

This touches upon another pain point in the Han Hai Commander's military system.

The troops in the Han Hai Territory focused too much on the rescue of the wounded, including the treatment of wounded enemy soldiers who had laid down their weapons. This greatly boosted morale and cohesion and won the heartfelt support of the people in the controlled area. However, the cost was that the demand for medics, field hospitals, and various medicines increased exponentially.

A traditional noble army in the Starry World typically only needs a few healers and a small amount of high-level pills to meet the battlefield medical needs of its generals and commanders.

As for those ordinary soldiers, shouldn't they, as professionals, prepare their own medicine and bandages?
In most cases, the greatest mercy shown to a seriously wounded soldier on the battlefield is to end their suffering with a single blow.

The Han Hai Territory is different. From the very beginning, it has followed the path of rescuing everyone who needs it. In the past few years, the Han Hai Territory has been purchasing all kinds of local medicinal herbs, medicines, hemostatic bandages and so on from markets from south to north. This has driven up the market price in this area by 40%, which has caused some complaints from the mercenaries who frequently go on missions.

But that was still just a small-scale operation, since the Han Hai Territory only had so many soldiers.

Now, with rapid expansion and preparations for a major offensive, the market simply cannot keep up with the demand.

Chen Mo missed his days back home terribly. You see, Dongxia wasn't just about industrial Cthulhu; it also cultivated and raised Cthulhu...

With supplies insufficient, Chen Mo decided to make up for it with manpower!
"Contact both the Fog Moon and the Dwarfs to see if we can hire a group of priests with healing spells from the Divine Court!"

"Yes, promise them they won't go to the front lines, they'll only be responsible for their treatment in field hospitals in the rear!"

Next, the logistics department provided a detailed explanation of the capacity and supplies of the five large forward supply bases planned in northern Jeongsan County, along the Huanyan River.

The transportation department reported on the number of horse-drawn carriages, pack animals, and inland waterway vessels that had been requisitioned or were awaiting requisition, their transport capacity, and the assembly status of the first batch of support workers.

The communications support department reported on the setup of information nodes and real-time communication tests in each county and on the front lines of each battlefield.

The military industry department reported on the current reserves of cold and hot weapons and ammunition.

In short, the Summer Moon Alliance's Han Hai Territory and the six counties of Bai Lu have completed all preparations for launching an attack.

As the chairman of the Summer Moon Alliance, the lord of the Vast Ocean, and the commander-in-chief of the Supreme Military Command, Chen Mo issued the war order.

Just months after the last great war ended, an even greater storm is about to sweep across Bailu.

No one knew that there was another important factor behind this hastily initiated war.

Their young leader could no longer bear to participate in the beating of the sea serpent in his hometown of Dongxia; missing this opportunity might mean missing out for the rest of his life.

Therefore, he could only vent his resentment on the orcs.

Treating orcs like sea serpents is a small consolation for that deep regret.

　If you encounter Shen He, go back to Fanxing to avoid him.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)