Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 474 A Shocking Elegy for the Imperial Guard
For Jelly, the newly appointed captain of the Mid-Moon team, this spirited young man is eager to make a name for himself.

However, it didn't work. Despite the elves' absolute advantage in ranged attacks during the recent offensive at Redwood Castle, with their magical arrows relentlessly bombarding the city walls and effectively suppressing the defending forces, the elven headquarters consistently refused to allow the elven troops to directly attack the city, citing the need to avoid excessive casualties and cherish the lives of their warriors.

In the words of Elder Ysera Brightwing, who was overseeing the battle, too much elven blood has already been shed on this land in the past. Every single drop more would cause Her Majesty the Queen great anguish and break the hearts of the elven race!
Jelly didn't believe it at all.

When we attacked the southern Stream Moon, so many elves died, but they still charged forward roaring. Now is the great moment to point our arrows at the elves' old royal city!
With such a favorable battlefield situation, why not charge? Do you really think you can bring down such an important town with just arrows?
Jelly was completely baffled and even suspected that Ysera might have some other scheme in mind.

For example, they are dissatisfied with the current situation where Hanhai has completely overtaken Elf, and want Green Pine and Hanhai to fight to the death.

Alternatively, if Elf Creek, Moonlit Lake, and Mirror Lake launch attacks from all three directions simultaneously, whoever attacks the fastest will become the salient and vulnerable to being targeted by Green Pine, who doesn't want to risk their lives for other factions.

Or perhaps, it was directed at me?
Jelly couldn't figure it out and couldn't get an answer from the elf, but Green Pine quickly gave him a hint.

An envoy from Redwood Fortress arrived, triumphantly declaring: "My Green Pine Kingdom has achieved countless victories in the north, and the Vast Sea army is on the verge of collapse. I advise you elves to retreat immediately, otherwise, once the kingdom defeats the Vast Sea, you followers will be nothing more than easy targets!"

To prove the credibility of his words, the Green Pine Messenger also brought a magic platform and showed the elves a scene of mountains of captured "Tiger Tokens".

As a naval academy student, Jelly knew about Tiger brand cigarettes, and even had one on his person.

The sharp-eyed Jelly immediately noticed something fishy about the small mountain of cigarettes. The "Tiger" brand cigarettes were just a thin layer on the surface; there must be something else underneath.

Even so, the number is definitely not small!
Jelly hurriedly found Ysera, but the elder paid her no attention.

"Fight as usual, don't lose your composure."

Jelly panicked: "But Elder..."

Isera looked up at him and said, "The battles of the Vast Ocean will be fought by the Vast Ocean itself. You don't need to worry about it."

Jelly instantly understood that there must be something hidden behind this war that she didn't know about.

He began to intensify his information gathering efforts, and intelligence from half-elves in various places kept pouring in, which dazzled him and also shocked him.

Jelly discovered the blind spot.

He had learned the most standard combat manuals in the Han Hai. Given the style of that lord of Han Hai, if there had really been such great losses, the battlefield would not be in the state it is now.

Not only will the north see extremely high intensity attacks, but the orders urging the elves to advance on the southern front should have been issued long ago. Even if the elves don't listen... they can't possibly disobey; the Vast Ocean has a million ways to make them listen!
Including the western route, the Jinghu troops directly commanded by the Hanhai Navy officers will definitely make a rapid advance to relieve pressure on the main battlefield.

So far, everyone has been fighting steadily, which can only mean one thing: the current battle situation is in line with Han Hai's expectations, or even in line with Han Hai's plan.

What exactly is Hanhai trying to do?
Jelly's eyes widened, like a young cheetah that had spotted its prey, its gaze fixed intently on every movement within the area.

The Green Pine Kingdom is levying taxes relentlessly, and people are starting to flee.

Green Pine requested some support from the Misty Moon Divine Court.

Green Pine asked the dwarf for a loan, but the dwarf flatly refused.

The dwarf suddenly changed his mind, agreed, and offered Green Pine a huge sum of money.

Jelly felt the hairs on her body stand on end.

He was almost 100% certain that Han Hai had set up a huge scheme for Green Pine, a scheme that he couldn't understand, and Green Pine probably couldn't understand either.

This place not only contains the vast ocean and green pines, but also elves, the moonlit stream, and the mirror lake!
Oh, I almost forgot, there's also the Emerald Duchy. I heard that the Green Pine Kingdom's forces inexplicably went on a fierce battle with the Emerald Duchy.

This is a grand scheme that involves the entire central plains and mountainous country, and I am probably just a pawn on this huge chessboard, unable to control my own destiny.

Jelly stopped mentioning the siege and started repeatedly simulating, planning, and studying on the sand table.

While attempting to analyze the entire battle, they are also trying to find a way out that belongs to the elves, or rather, to themselves.

He gradually developed some ideas.

Time passed by so passionately yet calmly, and the rest of summer came and went.

Just as the loan was about to enter its second rolling cycle, the dwarf came to collect the debt.

The loan to Green Pine was processed in a way called "nine out, thirteen back," meaning that for a principal of ten silver coins, the lender would only pay back nine, and when the loan was due, you would have to repay thirteen.

The interest rate isn't high at all, less than 45%.

The only thing that's a little nerve-wracking is the loan cycle; each interest period is one month.

According to the compound interest method, if the Green Pine Kingdom fails to repay the principal and interest on time at the end of the first month, the interest will be calculated based on thirteen silver coins as the principal in the second cycle.

By the end of the second month, the amount of silver coins to be repaid had reached 18.8, a rather auspicious number.

Well, it's just a tiny bit more than double the principal.

That's enough, no need to calculate any further. Based on Han Hai's current total borrowings and after interest calculations, the dwarfs believe that the Green Pine Kingdom is already at risk of overall insolvency.

The Seven Luminaries Garland Merchant Guild refused to extend the loan period further and demanded that the Green Pine Kingdom repay the principal and interest as agreed.

The Pine Kingdom was at a loss.

They had achieved an "unprecedented victory" on the battlefield, but it was no use. The Han Hai side was still pressing Green Pine, and the crimson stains in the New Amber River were the blood of Green Pine's guards.

If the war is lost, the fruits of victory cannot be obtained, nor can war reparations be received. At this moment, Green Pine's national treasury is cleaner than the Crystal River, making it completely impossible for them to repay this debt.

The dwarves were also exceptionally ruthless. They issued a public announcement to the entire continent, and under the witness of the Temple of the Seven-Eyed God, declared that they would exercise their rights under the loan agreement—to confiscate all the property of the Green Pine Kingdom.

Including but not limited to: mines, farmland, fish farms, forests, town buildings, weapons and armor, war and engineering equipment, city management rights and tax collection rights within the Green Pine Kingdom...

There are still people!
Soldiers, craftsmen, commoners, slaves... the dwarf even included the royal family, queens, servants, and even the king himself of the Green Pine Kingdom on the repayment list.

In other words, if Green Pine cannot find the money to pay off this debt, the entire country will legally belong to the dwarf.

The dwarfs had plundered and robbed so many times before, but never so brazenly and thoroughly!

There's no need to fabricate some "promised land" or make excuses about being a victim. This is a straightforward and aboveboard demand for payment.

God is my witness!

Even the Azure Sky Holy City, which had always supported Green Pine, bowed its head in shame before the temple.

The only thing they could do was awkwardly and reluctantly produce a debt certificate, demanding that a portion of Green Pine's assets be used to repay their debts.

That's right, they had lent a lot of money to the Green Pine Kingdom before.

The dwarf said yes, but the debt must be repaid proportionally.

In addition, debt collection may require the use of certain "violent collection methods," which will also incur additional expenses.

If you don't send troops over, the compensation percentage might be further reduced.

Overnight, the Archbishop of Azure Sky Holy City smashed everything he could in the entire hall to pieces. In the end, he had no choice but to send a Templar Knights unit to help collect the debt.

Of course, Green Pine wouldn't just surrender so easily; a battle was inevitable.

However, at this moment, the Green Pine Kingdom's troops were completely at a loss.

Legally speaking, Green Pine's troops no longer belong to Green Pine.

Emotionally, they are about to fight a life-or-death battle against a coalition of nations and forces from almost half of the Starry Continent, all under the command of a royal family that has broken its divinely witnessed covenant in order to renege on a debt.

The collapse in morale was obvious.

Furthermore, their opponent is Han Hai.

Indeed, the dwarfs solemnly entrusted Han Hai with the task of collecting this debt.

For the top brass of Green Pine, the continuous victories and outstanding achievements of their various units against Han Hai must have given them full confidence. Therefore, they felt that they could still fight. However, only the units themselves knew that apart from "Tiger Brand", they had never even touched the footprints of the Han Hai troops.

The so-called fierce battle was at most just the evening breeze that you and I both experienced.

How to fight this battle?
After holding back for so long, Han Hai finally unleashed his full power once again.

The inland river fleet, which had been stationed in the downstream Han Hai controlled area, sailed upstream under the cover of night and, together with the artillery cluster of the Han Hai Field Army, bombarded the Green Pine Camp.

Under the cover of fire, the engineers from Hanhai swaggered to build a pontoon bridge, and the large contingent marched towards the Xinpo River.

Natural barriers are nothing but a joke in front of artillerymen.

Holding their ground in the pits and trenches on the beachhead were the last Royal Guards of Green Pine.

In the previous battle along the river, they used their own flesh and blood to repeatedly dismantle the makeshift pontoon bridge built by Han Hai. As a result, more than half of the soldiers fell to Han Hai's sniper rifles and rockets.

Now, they are finally free. The howling artillery fire relentlessly plowed through the Green Pine Army's positions again and again.

This scene was clearly and plainly witnessed by the young Zircon Prince, Dimo.

Before the battle began, Iron Fist Stronghold, or rather the force behind Iron Fist Stronghold, sent two important messages to Dimo.

The first point is a veiled warning.

Oscar cautiously reported, "Old Cripple's idea is that the situation might become somewhat turbulent recently, and this business might become more difficult in the future. If you still have any items left, you'd better clear them out as soon as possible!"

In fact, even without the other party's reminder, Dimo ​​was already terrified and couldn't sleep all night.

He was at the forefront of the transaction, knowing that the calm before his eyes could turn into a raging storm at any moment.

Just like the insiders who knew about the microfinance company before it collapsed.

The old cripple's words gave him a clear signal.

Dimo no longer trusts Green Pine, or even his own generals, but he has a strange trust in the power behind Iron Fist Stronghold.

He acted immediately, launching a massive clearance sale.

The requirement of human heads as equivalent value for jadeite was no longer mandatory; it could be exchanged for currency or goods. IOUs were permitted, and even soldiers or slaves from local turquoise-producing armies were accepted as payment…

Despite his best efforts, Dimo ​​managed to sell off his last batch of Tiger Brands at a huge discount before the war broke out, preventing these "expiring currencies" from becoming a burden on him.

As for whether the final baton will be passed to the local Green Pine army or the kingdom's court, who can say for sure?

The other message was an invitation.

The other party informed Dimo ​​that the battle to cross the Xinpo River by Han Hai was about to begin. On a high ground called Zhenmo Mountain on the north bank of the river, the Han Hai army left a safe viewing platform for the surrounding villages that were obedient and cooperative, so that these underlings could experience the battlefield scenery up close.

Iron Fist Stronghold also received a batch of admission tickets. Given their consistently pleasant cooperation with Dimo, if anyone on Dimo's side is interested, Iron Fist Stronghold can set aside a few tickets so that Green Pine's generals can also "broaden their horizons".

"Rest assured, Han Hai always keeps his word and will never make things difficult for you."

"Besides, if Han Hai wanted to arrest you Green Pine guys, he wouldn't need to resort to such despicable methods!"

These words moved Dimo, and the young Zircon Prince, disregarding the objections of his generals, decided to go and see for himself.

He missed the previous battle in the Glazed Valley, so all his impressions of the Vast Ocean came from word of mouth from frontline personnel and some vague magical images.

He had to see for himself how this legendary "all-magic army" actually fought.

The observation deck was thoughtfully arranged. Following the steps to the top of the mountain, you would find a tiered viewing platform, resembling a lecture hall, with a lower front and a higher back. The front row had individual, elegant seats demarcated by railings, while the back row had semi-enclosed soft-seat "boxes" separated by screens.

In addition to snacks, refreshments, and tea for sale, the event also offered a variety of telescopes with different magnifications for rent.

Of course, all of this costs money, and the fees are quite high.

Of course, no one who can sit here is poor or stingy.

Dimo left Oscar to guard the base while he and Ronan chose a front-row booth, picked out binoculars early on, and focused intently on the distant battlefield.

Even though they were quite far from the battlefield, the rumbling sound still seemed to make Zhenmo Mountain tremble slightly. The continuous roar, like that of a giant beast, shook the earth. It was the artillery barrage fired by the Hanhai Artillery Group, which was what everyone called "magic ground washing".

When the first volley of shells struck the Green Pine Royal Guard's positions, Dimo ​​could clearly see through his high-powered binoculars that the tunnels and positions that had been stubbornly holding out on the south bank of the New Perth River exploded like furrows overturned by giants. Soil, rocks, and fragments of human bodies were thrown several meters, even tens of meters into the air by the blast wave, before scattering down in a flurry.

The smoke of battle had barely cleared when the second round of artillery fire arrived, followed by the third, and the fourth...

Dimo quietly moved his telescope toward the north bank of the river.

He couldn't find the artillery positions of the Han Hai at all, even though he had clearly determined the trajectory and direction of the attack. All he could see on the north bank was the Han Hai army rolling forward.

Either the range of Han Hai's "magical" attacks is much farther than imagined, or Han Hai has special camouflage techniques that make him impossible to detect.

Either way, it would be enough to severely damage Dimo's little schemes.

As he watched, Dimo ​​suddenly became somewhat lost in thought.

What did he see?
Under the suppression of cannon fodder, the engineering troops of Hanhai were in action. They completed their work, or rather, performed, with an almost dazzling efficiency!
Huge, seemingly iron-made pontoons were pulled along thick iron chains running across the river, sliding into the water section by section. The soldiers on the assault boats deftly secured the pontoons with buckles.

The pontoons are connected by chains, and the next step is to lay wooden planks on these chains.

Instead of laying them out piece by piece, the pre-cut and connected wooden planks were rolled into huge rollers called "wooden rolls".

The wooden rolls were unloaded from several oddly shaped flatbed trucks. Several professionals pulled them from the front, while a number of soldiers guarded the sides. The wooden rolls were unfurled on the floating platform like a long carpet.

In just over ten seconds, a neat bridge deck of more than twenty meters was laid across the river.

The two ends of the planks also have buckles, which are quickly embedded into the slots of the iron chains and floats. The next second after the previous section is laid, the next roller "wooden roll" arrives and continues to extend forward.

As the troops in front spread out, the troops behind them advanced in sync.

Dimo didn't have an exact count, but the construction of this pontoon bridge, spanning the river from nothing, seemed to be faster than the speed at which he, a fourth-tier professional, could forcibly swim across the river.

As the last plank was laid on the opposite bank, the soldiers of the Hanhai National Defense Army, following those dark iron armored vehicles, leisurely completed the "forced crossing" of the Xinpo River.

What a flowing, beautiful rhythm and aesthetic that belongs to the battlefield!
Dimo got goosebumps all over his body, and a slight shiver ran down his spine. He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say!
Ronan, standing beside him, was in no better shape. Despite the fact that the crossing area was so far from Zhenmo Mountain that moving forward a little bit would be of no use, the old general still stretched his head out as far as possible, his neck stretched out like a goose's neck, trying to get closer and see more clearly.

Of course, what they didn't know was that what they were seeing represented the pinnacle of Han Hai's capabilities.

The engineering unit responsible for building the bridge was an elite training regiment from the military academy, and all its members were lieutenants or above.
The unit responsible for the assault was the 1st Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Army of the Hanhai Field Army. This unit alone is enough to prove their capabilities.

The artillery positions at the rear had been calibrated and test-fired countless times in advance;
Even for just a few minutes, the Hanhai Frontline Command organized more than twelve rehearsals and drills.

But no matter how long you practice, just look at whether you've succeeded or not.

Opposite them, under the watchful eyes of everyone, the last royal guard of the Green Pine Kingdom also delivered the final highlight of this battle.

They were pinned down on their positions and bombarded by artillery and river gunboats for a full forty minutes, yet they did not break apart.

They even managed to launch a small-scale counterattack.

After the Hanhai troops rushed onto the south bank, dusty figures crawled out of the craters that had been blasted into a pile of dust and ruins. They shot arrows, threw javelins, or wielded longswords and charged towards the Hanhai Legion.

In some locations within the defensive positions, even magical light emanated.

A mage, dressed in a green robe and wearing light protective clothing, appeared out of nowhere. Spiritual energy gathered in the staff he held high, and with a rapid chant, storms of flames swept down upon Han Hai's team.

Compared to the overwhelming firepower of the vast ocean across the Green Pine Field, this was merely a tiny splash in the face of a giant wave. Though weak, it was still dazzling and radiant.

Soon, a huge burst of fire exploded around the magician. Amidst the billowing smoke, Dimo ​​could only see half of the broken staff flying high into the air, then spinning and falling back down, embedding itself in the scorched earth.

That was the Starry Sky V9 Kai, which had reacted and started a counterattack with its main gun.

This was a tragic, futile, and desperate counterattack.

A Green Pine warrior burst from his hiding place, throwing his javelin as he charged forward. Using the momentum, the javelin arced through the air and struck the tank's front armor plate with tremendous force, sending sparks flying.

The machine gun on top of the tank spun rapidly, locking onto the figure that was trying to stop the chariot with its bare hands.

As the soldier drew his second javelin, the bullet pierced his chest, exploding into sprays of blood.

His body continued to surge forward, lunging forward another five or six meters before finally collapsing to the ground, leaving a long, shocking rut.

Knight Commander Ronan closed his eyes in anguish.

And so, Han Hai used tanks and armored vehicles as front-line human shields, sniper rifles to target ranged archers, tank cannons and handheld rockets to eliminate mages, while the artillery fire behind them never stopped, repeatedly covering, extending, covering again, and extending again...

These last Green Pine Guardsmen, like trees felled in the forest, fell one after another, and then fell again...

Until no more activity could be seen on the Green Pine's territory.

The last shot in Dimo's field of vision was of an observer on a Starry Sky 59 modified tank opening the hatch, leaning out, and tearing off the tattered Green Pine Guards flag, which had been shredded into strips by shrapnel.

The entire process took one hour and twenty-two minutes. Han Hai successfully completed the tasks of building a bridge, crossing the river, breaking through enemy lines, and annihilating the enemy!
That evening, upon returning to his camp, Dimo ​​announced that, given the Green Pine Kingdom's serious breach of faith, failure to repay debts, disregard for morality, and blasphemy against the gods, he had no choice but to temporarily detach himself from the Green Pine Control.

During this period, using the surplus from the transactions, Dimo ​​had amassed a fairly large army and, through several rounds of internal purges, established absolute leadership.

No one objected, or rather, no one dared to object.

Now, Dimo ​​has made his final decision. He is unwilling to die for this kingdom that is on the verge of collapse, and he is also reluctant to surrender to the enemy, the Vast Sea, while the Green Pine Kingdom still exists. Therefore, he has chosen to march northwest.

Target—The Emerald Duchy!
(End of this chapter)