Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 401 Useful Confessions and Troublesome Problems

Both Lord Chen Mo and the "Cracked Claw" tribe kept their promises in their transactions.

Han Hai follows the rules, and "Cracked Claw" has no choice.

For the "Crack Claw" tribe, the tribe was doomed the moment they sent their young off.

On the White Deer Plain, they were a powerful clan, a large and influential family. But in the overall ecological niche of the orcs, they were gatekeepers, patrol dogs, servants at the gates of nobles, and henchmen under their masters.

This is why, despite facing such a huge threat, with many surrendering and others dying, they did not flee back to the wasteland.

Over the past two hundred years, these marginalized tribes, who were initially marginalized and even exiled, have created a de facto mismatch in status and wealth compared to the people on the wasteland.

The plains are rich in resources, and the people have used various methods of "keeping wealth among the people and harvesting it at any time," resulting in an overall economic situation that is much better than that of the wasteland.

The Orcish royal court, on the other hand, kept the plains orcs' fighting strength within a relatively controllable range by constantly withdrawing key personnel to replenish the wasteland and waging wars to bleed them dry.

One has money, the other has a knife—perfect!

Gema, the "Cracked Claw," sent away the children of his tribe in order to preserve some of his bloodline for himself and his people; it was an instinct for reproduction.

It was clear that Gemar had realized that "Crackclaw" was beyond saving and doomed, which was why he chose this desperate method of sending away the offspring of his tribe. Moreover, he deliberately sent away children whose memories were not yet clear and whose intelligence was not yet fully developed, so that they could be accepted by other bear tribes.

Once these children return to their tribe, they will be easily devoured and assimilated into the wasteland bear-men. Soon, no one will remember "Crackclaw" on the plains anymore.

But now, with his child being choked, he has no choice but to accept his fate.

However, Chen Mo did not demand that "Crack Claw" surrender, but only asked them to hand over their people.

The "Crack Claw" tribe first handed over the remaining few crippled "traitors".

The burly orc warriors carefully carried the group out, their movements as gentle as if they were caressing their newborn cubs.

There were three people in total, and they were all still breathing.

These guys were completely smashed. According to the statistics afterward, there should have been as many as 1,600 to 1,700 bones in their bodies at that moment.

If this were on Earth, even the best courier companies wouldn't dare take the job. This isn't just "fragile," it's "broken"!
Despite the beating, these guys are still alive, which shows that orcs are surprisingly skilled at manual labor.

When handing over the person, perhaps out of a lingering sense of resentment, the representative sent by Chief Gema of the Bear Clan deliberately remarked with a hint of sarcasm: "Oh dear, could this be one of your spies? He's got a tough bone to stick out, but unfortunately, he finally opened his mouth and confessed everything!"

Chen Yuanfeng, who was in charge of the liaison, immediately stretched out his hand: "What did you confess? Give me your statement!"

The bear clan envoy was somewhat stunned: "They didn't say anything before... that they wanted... a confession?"

Chen Yuanfeng nodded, withdrew his hand, and patted off non-existent dust. "Alright, I don't want the person anymore. You can take him back!"

After saying that, he turned around and left.

"Wait!" the bear clan envoy cried out in alarm.

He stared at Chen Yuanfeng's serious face as he turned back, his chest heaving violently a few times. Suddenly, he raised his large, fan-like paw and slapped himself hard across the face, drawing stares from those around him.

He turned and ran quickly back to the canyon, where he retrieved the confessions of the men.

Of course, it's all nonsense.

These confessions revealed a diverse array of individuals behind the scenes, from the Sky Empire to the Mist Moon Divine Court, from the Silver Grand Duke to the Frost Lord, from the Arctic Dragons to the Seth Fishmen, from the Silver Moon Elves to the Naga Sea Clan, and even included giants and vampires who were generally considered to have disappeared or become extinct.

It can be said that all the forces they could see, hear, and think of were "recalled" during the process of breaking bones.

After reading the confession, the adjutant was both amused and exasperated. "Director Chen, this stuff is completely useless!"

Chen Yuanfeng's lips curled into an uncontrollable smile. He carefully examined the rough records, running his fingers over the edges of each sheet of paper, occasionally exchanging words with the professional animal-language translator beside him.

Upon hearing his adjutant's words, the young mixed-blood dog officer revealed two rows of snow-white teeth and gave a rather bright smile.

"No, this is extremely useful!"

"Go, tell Crackclaw to add a beast mark and signature to this interrogation record. It must be signed by their chieftain, since it's what they interrogated, and it needs to be certified."

"In the future, when we bring this up, if others have any doubts, we'll have evidence to verify it with them!"

The adjutant looked at the towering Crack Claw Canyon and felt that something was amiss.

If the "Cracked Claw" tribe is wiped out and these prisoners are gone, wouldn't this absurd confession become a fog that will never reveal the truth?

Chen Yuanfeng was in high spirits and immediately arranged a call to ask the airborne commander, Loma Chasing Wind, to release the prisoners.

The first group of more than two thousand children, escorted by hundreds of haggard and wounded Crack Claw warriors, staggered across the border markers and stepped into the yellowish-brown land of the wasteland.

On the Han Hai side, the magic stone that recorded the action video was handed over to the bear-clan orc envoy, and the first round of the transaction was considered complete.

Next, Han Hailing still has a lot of things to do.

They dug caves, set up camps, transported food and supplies, arranged for troops to be on guard, and prepared to receive the large number of laborers and refugees that "Cracked Claw" was about to exchange.

At the same time, the troops will be reorganized, their order adjusted, equipment repaired, and ammunition replenished. Once the deal is completed, a devastating offensive will be launched against Crackclaw Canyon.

Furthermore, these prisoners, who were on the verge of death, were interrogated again.

While interrogation techniques vary in skill, they are all based on civilized interrogation. Nowadays, the orcs have elevated torture to an art form. If they can't get the information, then the Vast Ocean Territory certainly can't either.

This is like a child lying at home. You can try to get the truth out of them by appealing to their emotions, reasoning with them, threatening them, or offering them benefits. But if you beat them until they're sore and still can't get the truth out of them, then all psychological tactics and interrogation techniques are basically ineffective.

Upon receiving the message, Chen Mo personally observed the interrogation process through a one-way glass window and then issued instructions.

"Collect complete biological tissue samples from them—hair, skin, blood, bone fragments—as complete as possible. Package them together with all interrogation video recordings and information provided by the orcs, and encrypt them for me!"

This was naturally intended to send them back to their ancestral home in Dongxia.

Over the years, thanks to Chen Mo's tireless collection and transmission efforts, Dongxia has initially established a gene database of the Starry Continent. Although there are certainly still many shortcomings, combined with physical characteristics, it may be able to provide a general direction for speculation.

"Also, since we can't find anything out, let's not waste medical resources anymore. Let's hand it over to Lin Xiangming and let him help with the review."

Chen Mo didn't say how the interrogation would be conducted, and Chen Yuanfeng didn't ask either.

They've all been handed over to the necromancer; how else can they interrogate them?

They'll definitely interrogate you to death.

As for whether this matter involves the necromancer's violation of regulations.

That was done by Lin Xiangming, or rather, it was secretly done by one of Lin Xiangming's temporary necromancer workers. What does it have to do with my Han Hai?

The following period was a uneventful process of fulfilling the contract.

The "Crack Claw" tribe handed over a batch of slaves, while the Han Hai Territory released a batch of orc children.

The "Cracked Claw" tribe will deliver another batch of laborers, and the Han Hai Territory will release another batch of bear-like children.

In the later stages of the transaction, the "Crack Claws'" bargaining chips visibly dried up. They not only handed over the lowest-level slaves and ordinary laborers, but also the elderly, women, and children from the small and medium-sized tribes who had been coerced and forcibly conscripted, the warriors who were wounded and disabled on the battlefield and had lost their value, and even the female orcs of childbearing age who were regarded as important "regenerative assets" of the tribe.

Apart from the core and most loyal group of young and strong warriors, Gemar staked almost everything that could be called "population" in order to ensure the return of those young bloodlines.

Every time Gemar wakes up in the middle of the night, he hates himself for his loose tongue and beats his head.

What do you mean by "one is worth a hundred"? Wouldn't it have been better to say less back then?

This process continued until September of the second year of Xia Yue, when all the transactions were finally completed, both sides confirmed that everything was correct, and the war resumed.

During this process, Han Hai Ling also had an unexpected gain.

Everyone agreed on one thing: even when facing enemies, even when releasing a tiger back into the mountains, as long as the Vast Ocean Territory agreed to the deal, it was a deal they would keep. And so, the cubs of the more than nine thousand "Cracked Claw" orcs were sent back to the orc wasteland.

In the orcs' minds, this adherence to law was almost sinister!

The contract is complete, and the war resumes.

As the final battle on the East White Deer Plain, the Vast Ocean Territory was determined to establish its authority through a grand contest. On the outskirts of the battlefield, not only were captured, forced to surrender, or exchanged orcs allowed to watch the battle in designated areas, but the territory also specially summoned the leaders and elders of "Thunder Roar," "Sky Ridge," and hundreds of other tribes, large and small, from the plain to the scene.

Before the war began, Chen Mo personally gave the commanders a brief military mobilization lesson.

"In the past, we have repeatedly studied the many classic battles fought by that cyber leader from another dimension regarding the history of wars involving firearms."

"We've mentioned the Battle of Triangle Hill, which involved Hill 597.9 and Hill 537.3, more than once."

"Before launching the offensive, the enemy thought they were sure to win, so they focused all the attention of the entire alternate dimension on those two small hills. For more than forty days, in addition to the overwhelming firepower, there was also a deluge of media reports."

"They publicly announced the start of the war to the whole world and called it 'Operation Showdown'!"

"They shouted, 'Let the cannons and bombs debate with you,' and loudly proclaimed, 'Two battalions, five days, and the battle is over!'"

"Of course, you all know the result!"

"Forty-three days, on that four-square-kilometer battlefield, more than 60,000 people were deployed, 1.9 million artillery shells were fired, and more than 3,000 aircraft were dispatched. The entire hilltop was lowered by two meters, and every rock on the position was embedded with shrapnel."

When the height of two meters was mentioned, everyone except for the minotaur Liu Zaiyue, who pinched his neck, touched their heads in unison. Well, the dwarves looked up at the sky.

"In the end, more than 20,000 people were killed or wounded, and not an inch of ground was gained."

"In front of the whole world, a meticulously planned 'show' aimed at flaunting military power has become a stage for the enemy to establish an immortal reputation."

Chen Mo raised his hand and pointed to the sprawling campsites outside.

"Therefore, firepower cannot represent everything."

"Victory also requires determination, wisdom, courage, and sacrifice."

"With so many eyes watching, this battle will directly determine whether the Bailu Plain can enjoy lasting peace and stability!"

"I'm not looking at the casualty figures anymore. Take it, take Crack Claw Canyon as quickly as possible!"

"Don't let our Hanhai become a negative example!"

When war preparations reach this stage, victory or defeat is essentially decided in an instant.

The Hanhai Army launched a massive and overwhelming attack, with wave after wave of continuous bombing, extended firing, and charging.
The combined forces of the National Defense Force and the Field Army fought their way from the foot of the mountain to the summit.

In eleven hours, the defending troops were completely annihilated.

When the cold, lifeless body of the "Cracked Claw" tribe chief, Gemar, and the tattered banner that symbolized the tribe's glory were dragged down the mountain, the orcs on the plains lowered their heads, trying to avoid the dazzling sun in the sky.

A bright red flag of the vast desert slowly rises at the highest point of the Crack Claw Canyon, fluttering in the mountain wind.

With this, the entire eastern Bailu Plain was pacified.

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.

The battle is temporarily over.

Although half of the West White Deer Plain is still in the hands of the orcs, and the area is now in a state of panic and fear, Chen Mo decided to stop after careful consideration.

The primary reason is that the consumption is too high.

I can't keep up!

The saying goes, "When the cannons roar, gold flows like water." This is an ideal scenario. In reality, when war breaks out, you not only need money, but also the ability to turn that money into resources for war.

In the face of the behemoth that is war, production capacity will never be enough.

The size of an inventory determines how long a high-intensity war can last.

Over the past three years, Han Hai Territory had painstakingly accumulated ammunition reserves through transportation from Dong Xia and its own construction, but more than 80% of these reserves were depleted in the Battle of Dongbailu Plain.

There is also the loss of weapons.

Preliminary statistics show that more than one-third of the tanks, self-propelled artillery, and mortars used in the combat require major repairs or replacement of key components. Nearly one-quarter of the infantry's firearms require inspection, repair, or replacement.

This does not include vehicles, communication equipment, engineering machinery, etc. that need to be returned to the factory or scrapped.

As for the soldiers' pay, food, medical care, other equipment, the compensation for the dead, the conscription subsidies for laborers, the resettlement of surrendered tribes, and the survival supplies for prisoners of war... this is an incredibly huge astronomical figure.

The above only covers the direct costs of war. If we include post-war resettlement, infrastructure construction, and administrative expenses for new territories…

This was a glorious, but costly, war.

Chen Mo needed to catch his breath.

Of course, the gains are also huge.

With an explosive population growth in its jurisdiction, the territory it controls has doubled, its strategic depth has been greatly strengthened, and its resource acquisition channels have been broadened. Given time to fully digest these developments, Han Hai will have the resources to compete with any rival.

But it will take some time to process this.

Finally, at this stage, before the mastermind behind it all has been identified, Chen Mo instinctively doesn't want to border the Misty Moon Divine Court.

The enemy of my enemy is not necessarily my friend!
Yesterday's friends may not be reliable tomorrow!
In the near future, the Vast Ocean Territory will need to resolve internal issues, coordinate alliance matters, be wary of orc counterattacks, and handle new diplomatic relations with various external countries. In comparison, this period of fighting might actually be the most relaxed time for Chen Mo.

Of all these problems, the most troublesome and the one that gave Chen Mo the biggest headache was the management of the territory.

In the dead of night, the temporary command post was completely silent, but the light in the lord's study was still stubbornly burning.

As Chen Mo typed, he would occasionally pick up his pen and jot down a note or two.

He was still a novice in governing a vast territory that was multi-ethnic, multicultural, and extremely unevenly developed, and needed to seriously consult with his "family".

By the way, I wonder how "Little White" is doing now...

[Respected leaders, commanders, advisors, and experts:]
Greetings from Chen Mo, the Starry Night!

It is as if we are meeting in person after reading this letter!

The battle on the East Bailu Plain has basically ended. Detailed battle reports and logistical data have been sent back along with the previous batches of supply lists. See the attached table for details.

In this battle, our army suffered a total of more than 14,000 casualties, including 3,200 killed in action. We annihilated 170,000 orc soldiers, captured or forced to surrender more than 220,000 orc soldiers, and captured about 610,000 non-combat orcs. We liberated a total of more than 2.6 million slaves of various ethnic groups and expanded our territory by about 360,000 square kilometers.

In addition, there are a large number of small outposts and villages in the region waiting to be taken over and brought under management.

Due to near-depletion of supplies and immense financial pressure, it is proposed to temporarily suspend the offensive and shift to a defensive and readjustment posture.

After giving a detailed report on the battle results and losses, Chen Mo changed the subject.

The problems of money and resources can be solved given enough time, but the problem of people is the core dilemma at present.

The biggest challenge is the extreme complexity of its ethnic composition.

Chen Mo pulled up a long list.

Currently, the ethnic groups living in the areas nominally controlled by the Summer Moon Alliance, including its original territory, parts of the Stream Moon Alliance area, and the East White Deer Plain, include:

1. Humans: including the original inhabitants of the Vast Ocean Territory, the original residents of Frost City, the Thirteen Tribes of the Stream Moon, the newly liberated slaves of the White Deer Plain, and the human servants who were attracted from various countries for various reasons. The cultural customs, language accents, and religious beliefs of the above-mentioned human races are significantly different.

2. Elves: mainly the large number of Silvermoon Forest elves, and a small number of elf groups that have wandered outside;

3. Orcs: Orc tribes that have surrendered, been captured, or have submitted to the government, including a large orc labor force that encompasses dozens of subspecies such as bears, tigers, cattle, pigs, wolves, dogs, and foxes.

4. Orc groups, represented by centaurs and goblins, mostly exist as independent nomadic tribes and bandit gangs, without fixed residences, making them difficult to manage.

5. Hybrids: The offspring of various races such as humans, orcs, half-orcs, elves, and dwarves, who are numerous but in an awkward position.

6. Special groups: There are also ethnic minorities such as sea creatures, dwarves, and trolls in the area. At the same time, the undead who return to the cemetery, although they do not currently enjoy actual survival rights or occupy land resources, should also be regarded as members of the intelligent race.

As Chen Mo wrote this, his hands grew heavier and heavier.

Currently, the Han Hai Territory is implementing a temporary system of 'military control as the main approach and tribal and clan autonomy as a supplementary approach'. In particular, for newly surrendered orc tribes, apart from nationalizing slaves, they can only temporarily continue to use the old tribal and clan structures.

The current approach is to appoint the original headman or select a relatively cooperative person as the 'naturalized leader', and have them manage internal affairs according to the original customary law, but they must obey our military and political orders, pay fixed taxes, and provide labor and soldiers.

It's not that the Han Hai Territory doesn't want to implement the "abolition of the native chieftain system," but rather that there's a severe shortage of administrative personnel, and their management capabilities are insufficient to cover all aspects. If the tribal people are to be directly integrated into the county and township system, a complete set of matching administrative, judicial, tax, and educational systems, as well as the personnel to implement these systems, is needed.

We dare not rashly break the old order before a new one is established.

Given the current situation, I have some immature ideas about what kind of management system to use, but they are far too immature...

At the same time, such a complex ethnic structure inevitably leads to a lack of cultural identity.

I have a preliminary idea: to unify the language, the written script, and the laws and regulations; to establish a management system; to promote basic education and skills training; and to gradually reform the land and production resource allocation system…

The current dilemma is that the majority of orcs and human slaves in the White Deer Plains currently use the common orc language, and from an administrative efficiency perspective, it is most convenient to continue using this language system.

But I'm not resigned to this!
If a new language system is adopted, there will be enormous pressure on the management and education systems, and it may also cause instability for a period of time.

...]

The more he wrote, the harder it became. Chen Mo rubbed his throbbing temples.

It's a pity he's not on Earth and can't connect to the internet; otherwise, he would have posted a help request on some knowledge platform.

Although many of them can't even manage their own family relationships offline, and can't even manage to direct a five-person online gaming session, this doesn't stop them from speaking eloquently and offering their opinions on major issues and conflicts such as international relations, national relations, ethnicity, and religion.

After pondering for a while, Chen Mo picked up his pen again.

He began to describe in detail the specific circumstances of each ethnic group, the main contradictions they currently face, the difficulties in resource allocation, the possible risk considerations, and his own "immature" initial ideas.

As the list of problems grew, he actually felt his thinking became a little clearer.

At the very least, clearly articulating the problem is the first step in solving it.

Parents, please give us some advice!

(End of this chapter)