Mystery: I Married the Queen of Mystery.

Chapter 271 Preparation before the war
Cruz Island's former mayor, Press, and his people originally believed that the "Sword of Dawn" pirate group only had a few people, and after seeing so many people on the island participating in the war, they would find it difficult to command, so they entrusted them with the command.

This is what happened when Press and others were dealing with the "Deep Blue" pirate group. When the "Deep Blue" pirate group's captain, Egbert, had any needs, he would notify Press and ask Press to organize people to do the specific work.

For example, when Egbert informed Press that he wanted to hold a banquet on the island, Press began to organize people, clear out an open space, and then move in wine, food, tables and chairs, prepare enough street girls, etc.

In short, after Egbert and his subordinates arrived, they just had a party.

This is what pirates usually do when they arrive at an island. When they need a large number of local people to serve them, the first thing they do is to find the local leader.

They had no idea of organizing the locals themselves because that would be too troublesome.

Price believed that Captain Gall would eventually become like other pirates and rely on them to command ordinary people in battle.

But what they didn't expect was that this "Captain Gal" split the young and middle-aged forces on the island into two with just a few words, and the power in the southern plains was suddenly out of their control.

This caught them off guard somewhat, and when they reacted, they realized that they didn't dare to object.

Because Donahue just said that the "Sword of Dawn" pirate group had just wiped out the "Red Lion" pirate group with more than 300 people. In the end, only eight survivors were left from such a large pirate group.

This made Press and others immediately realize that although this pirate group was small in number, it was very powerful.

Just now, the introverted temperament displayed by the entire pirate group also put them under great pressure, so that no one dared to be the first to speak out in opposition.

After Odysseus announced the division into two battle zones, he asked the crew to urge them to elect a captain immediately.

The people at the port are easier to deal with, after all, they basically all speak Loen.

However, most people in the southern plains could only understand a few Loen words, and they usually communicated in the local language.

Odysseus had no choice but to ask Wells to explain to them village by village that the election had been completed at the port, but only five villages in the southern plains had elected captains.

Odysseus asked Rupert, Salina and other crew members to supervise the election here, and told them that after they elected the captain, they should wait here, and Odysseus would hold a meeting for them.

Then, Odysseus took the twelve captains from the port to hold a combat meeting.

That was where the autonomous association held meetings, a fairly spacious room.

Along with Odysseus came crew members such as Bazel, Beavis, and Cleveland Gale, and the rest were the newly elected captains.

In fact, these ordinary people can't play much of a role when fighting against the "Deep Blue" pirate group.

Odysseus simply took advantage of this battle to disrupt the original power and authority structure of the island.

After all, he planned to build a secret base here and have absolute control over the island.

In the conference room, Odysseus had a captain elected by the port hang up the previously drawn sea chart and said, "If Egbert had any sense, he wouldn't attack the port. Even if he did, it would only be a feint at best."

He said this not because he had asked Noy to divine, but because the attacking party would be half defeated as long as they sailed the ship into "Moon Bay".

Odysseus could easily drive the "Argo" and block it in the "Moon Bay" and slowly blow it up one shot at a time.

Even if the "Argo" was just an ordinary sea ship, its artillery could hit the enemy outside the port. The "Argo" had good maneuverability on the sea, but the enemy ships in the bay had very limited shooting angles.

If the enemy ships in the bay want to escape, that would be great. The "Argo" can ride on the enemy ships and sail outward. When the enemy ships can only use their bow cannons, it can fire two rounds of salvos, which will basically destroy ordinary ships.

So Odysseus concluded that the battlefield would never be at the port.

He looked at the dozen or so people sitting at the table. He had seen most of them at the lunch table, such as Press, Tom, and the six gray-haired autonomous association members.

They are the actual rulers of the town, and at this time they become recommended captains.

The remaining four places are for the sons of rulers such as Donahue.

Press asked, "Captain... No, Mr. Mayor, from which direction will Egbert attack?"

"The plains to the north and south of Cruz Island." Odysseus glanced at the sea chart and casually pointed to the corresponding locations. He said, "Three hundred of you will guard the north of the island, two hundred will guard the hills to the south of the port, and only one hundred will stay at the port for support.

"Also, those police officers must be sent to the northern part of the island, and the remaining gunmen must all go to the hills."

There is a small hill between the port and the southern plain. The hill extends directly into the sea. The lighthouse is built on it, and the locals call it "Lighthouse Hill".

The reason why Odysseus gave the following order was because he had just keenly noticed that among the approximately 600 people guarding the port, the most powerful ones were the dozens of police officers.

They all had guns, and most of them were rifles.

This is because they often have to fight with tribes in the mountains, so they have good marksmanship and combat effectiveness.

Some residents who were willing to join the war also had guns, most of whom used revolvers.

The last part is the servants. Most of them are local people who have served the people of the Northern Continent for a long time. Although there is no concept of slaves on the surface, their status is similar to that of slaves.

The weapons of this group of people are varied, including guns, bows and crossbows, and cold weapons.

Not only do they have poor weapons, they also have basically no fighting spirit.

If Press and his men obeyed on the surface but disobeyed in secret and sent these people to the north of the island, then Odysseus' plan to disrupt the power structure on this island would be ineffective.

The twelve newly selected combat captains looked at each other in bewilderment. They had not expected that the deployment of this "Captain Gal" would be so precise!

This made them realize once again that "Captain Gal" was different from the pirate ship captains they had encountered before, and for a moment they didn't know how to resist.

Seeing no one answer, Odysseus asked again: "Are they all deaf? Or are they all dumb?"

At this time, a member of the autonomous association said: "We are mainly afraid of..."

Before he could finish, Odysseus asked Bazel, "Do you have a gun?"

"I have it." Bazel took out his extraordinary weapon in the shape of a revolver.

Odysseus said, "Anyone who objects can just shoot."

Bazel glanced at everyone and said, "Yes."

The conference room immediately fell silent.

Odysseus said coldly: "I don't have the time to explain to you why it is arranged this way, because even if I explain it, you won't understand, and even if you understand, you won't listen.

"You only need to know one thing: once you decide to defend your homeland, you must absolutely obey my orders."

He paused and continued, “The specific arrangement is, Bazel, Cleveland, you will lead 300 people to set off tomorrow to guard the northern part of the island.

"Remember, hide in the forest and conceal your tracks. If you find someone following you, do not hesitate to shoot them."

Bazel and Cleveland immediately stood up and said, "Yes."

First mate Bazel was already quite familiar with Odysseus. He knew very well that when Captain Gal arranged the battle plan, he would change his usual easy-going demeanor and become like two completely different people.

Although Cleveland is still a little uncomfortable with the new environment, he likes the current "pirate" atmosphere: Although I won't explain, you have to listen to me, otherwise I will beat you to death!
Odysseus continued, "Bevis, lead two hundred men to the hills south of the harbor tomorrow to hide and ambush."

Beavis stood up and said, "Yes."

"Pres, you lead 100 people to stay at the port and prepare food for them." Odysseus said, "Note that food can only be delivered once a day.

"Similarly, if you find anyone following you, kill them immediately."

Press hadn't expected that he would be in charge of logistics: "I'm not participating in the war?"

When he saw Bazel pick up the gun, he immediately changed his words and said, "Yes...I mean, yes!"

For some reason, Press also had a gun and was a Beyonder, but he didn't dare to speak loudly or act like a mayor in front of Basel.

What he didn't know was that Basel was a "briber," and Extraordinary people of this path had a majestic aura.

"The above are the specific orders." Odysseus stood up and said, "You can discuss among yourselves how to organize the manpower.

"First mate, the three of you go to the boat and rest first. Come back tomorrow to lead the troops to the battlefield."

After Odysseus and others left, the remaining twelve people were all from Cruz Island.

Strong Tom then said, "Are we just going to be at their mercy?"

Connor, a member of the famous autonomous association, said, "At least he is making serious arrangements and helping us defend the island."

The old man smiled and said, "As for his little thoughts, hehe, don't forget that most of the land on the plains belongs to us. We have brought order here.

"Once the battle is over, he'll realize that managing a small town on his own is too much trouble and will still entrust us with the management."

But Press said, "I think he is different from ordinary pirates."

As he spoke, he looked at his son, Donahue. Donahue nodded and said, "It's indeed different. He... he seems to be able to see the most crucial part of a matter at a glance."

Everyone recalled Captain Gal's previous arrangements and immediately felt that this summary was very appropriate. Captain Gal really got to the point right away, leaving them no room for resistance.

……

Odysseus returned to the dock, and the villages in the southern plains had not yet completed the election.

He asked someone to bring a chair and waited patiently.

It was not until around five in the afternoon that a total of 32 captains were finally elected.

Odysseus waved his hand and said, "Follow me."

He walked ahead, striding away from the harbor and toward the plains to the south.

As they walked, Odysseus also called Wells to learn about the situation in the south.

There are a total of 16 villages on the plain. Before the Loen people came, it was the population center of the island.

These young and middle-aged men who are willing to fight really don't want to be miners. Although their lives are poor now, they are still bearable.

But they heard that the life of a miner was not only hard, but it was also easy to die in the mines.

So they decided to give it a try, but they had no unified command. Each village had its own ideas, so they could only rely on the Loen people living in the port and organize them to fight against the "Deep Blue" pirate group.

Their weapons were even more terrible, basically bows and arrows and cold weapons.

During their conversation, they passed a relatively flat valley formed by the hills south of the harbor and the large mountain in the center of the island.

This is also the reason why pirates and refugees built a port in "Moon Bay" back then.

At that time, Moon Bay did not have much fertile land, but its geographical location was very good. If the locals rebelled against their rule, they would basically be safe as long as they defended this canyon.

As long as they have control of this valley, they can enter the plain at any time and move forward and backward freely.

After passing this valley, the view suddenly opens up, and all you can see are tropical jungles and farmlands.

The houses where the locals live are all built with trees, large leaves and straw. Some families only have one thatched hut.

Not many people were working in the fields. Most of them were in their straw huts, staring at Odysseus and the others in a daze.

Odysseus also looked at them. The children's eyes were bright, the adults' eyes were numb, and the old man's eyes were turbid.

In such an environment, it was really not easy for more than a thousand people to have the courage to resist the invaders.

However, he was also very clear that most of these more than a thousand people were just watching, and if the battle went well, they would follow Odysseus.

But if a few people die right at the beginning, they will most likely turn around and run for their lives immediately.

Odysseus then asked Wells to help translate, and most of the people went back first, leaving only the 32 captains with him.

The group continued to move forward until nightfall, when Odysseus and others arrived at the village they had seen on the "Argo" before.

The coastline of the South Bank is not a straight line, it is concave and convex, and this is the most protruding part of the South Bank.

Odysseus planned to hold a meeting on the beach here, but he had to fill his stomach first, so he asked the two captains of the village to prepare food.

As a result, the ridiculous thing happened. The two captains quickly came back to report that the village chief said: Food will only be prepared for Odysseus and his crew members. Others must either go back to eat or starve first.

Odysseus smiled and said to Salina, "Go and slap the village chief twice."

"Okay!" Salina took a step forward, then stopped and asked, "Do you want to beat me to death?"

"No need." Odysseus glanced at the boatswain and said, "Just pull out two teeth at most." "Okay." Salina agreed and immediately asked the two captains to lead the way to slap him.

Soon, screams were heard not far away, and Salina came back to report: "The village chief promised to provide food for each of us."

Odysseus nodded in agreement. He had been mentally prepared that the most difficult part of guarding the south bank was not how strong the enemy's offensive would be, but that the villages simply did not know how to cooperate.

They were also willing to fight against the invaders, but unless it was absolutely necessary, no one was willing to be the one to "fire the first shot". It was impossible for the villages to reach an agreement on how many people and supplies to contribute.

Because they always feel that they have paid more and suffered losses, while other villages have paid less.

At this time, reasoning is far less effective than a slap in the face.

As smoke rose from the village, before dinner arrived, Odysseus said to everyone, "The biggest obstacle between us is the language barrier, and Wells can't stay up all night to translate for us."

As Odysseus spoke, Wells translated for everyone.

"I happen to have a magical item here that will allow you to instantly learn the Loenese language and its written language," Odysseus said. "To win this battle, I require each of you to use that magical item."

This is exactly why Odysseus wants to personally command the southern war zone. He wants to plant thirty-two chess pieces on the southern plains.

When needed, these thirty-two people will definitely play a significant role, because those elected as team leaders are generally the village chief, or the village chief's son, or young people with more prestige in the village.

Moreover, this time Odysseus broke with his usual habit and did not seek their opinions or give them the power to choose.

Because he knew very well that the rule of Press and others made them strongly wary of the people of the Northern Continent, and it would probably be useless to reason with them.

At the same time, Odysseus did not forget to glare at Salina, and glared back at her, "Captain, you still have such a good thing?"

After Wells finished the translation, the captains present began to talk about it for a while, and some even wanted to escape.

However, Odysseus had been prepared and had Rupert and other crew members guard behind them in advance.

Then, Odysseus pointed to a captain and said, "Come here."

The captain shrank his neck immediately, but when he saw Noy beside Odysseus pulling out his gun, he hurried to Odysseus.

Odysseus took out the "helmet of wisdom" that he had prepared long ago and put it on the captain's head. The captain immediately looked sad, as if he was being tortured.

Odysseus did not hesitate and quickly activated the "Wisdom Helmet". The magic circle on the helmet lit up with a faint light.

In the captain's desperate expression, the process of "instilling knowledge" has ended.

Odysseus said, "Okay."

The captain was a little surprised: "Okay, okay?"

Odysseus took off his helmet and asked, "What's your name?"

"My name is Ge Lan." the other party said.

Odysseus nodded. "I've been practicing speaking Loenese with Wells recently. It won't be long before I can fully master the language."

Grant was stunned, because he had completely understood what the captain meant, and his answer was in Loen.

Before this, he could only roughly understand Loenese, but could not speak it at all. If the other party spoke too fast, he would be unable to react.

The captains around saw all of this and realized that Ge Lan now truly understood Loen's language. All of this was filled with wonder, so they gathered around and began asking questions.

Not to mention that they were surprised, even Noy, Salina and others looked at the "helmet of wisdom" in Odysseus's hand, thinking that it was a very practical magical item.

After the captains asked a lot of questions, they all looked at the helmet in Odysseus's hand.

"Glen, help me translate." Odysseus said: "Others may rule this island to enslave you, but my purpose is different, because enslaving you is meaningless to me.

"In addition, within my ability, I will try my best to help you and bring true peace to this island."

Grant translated this passage with tears in his eyes. He didn't know whether Odysseus' words were true or not, but he was moved by Odysseus' sincerity.

No one from the Northern Continent has ever expressed kindness to them. They only ask, ask, and ask non-stop.

Even when they were asking for it, they had never shown such kindness as they did now.

After hearing this translation, everyone fell silent.

Odysseus added, "Help me translate again. Anyone who wants to master the Loenese language should come quickly. This is only for one day. The fee will be charged tomorrow."

After Ge Lan translated this for everyone, the captains came forward one after another to express their willingness to use the "magic item".

So when the village chief brought dinner, everyone here had already mastered the Loen language.

After dinner, everyone sat cross-legged on the beach and began to listen quietly to the description of "Mayor Gar": "The battlefield of the decisive battle will either be on the sea or here.

“But what is certain is that whether or not the decisive battle will take place here, there will be a battle here, because this is an excellent landing site.

"So we must be prepared to fight the enemy here. There are five villages along the coast. Starting tomorrow, the captains of these five villages will organize the villagers to stand guard.

"Remember, you need one visible sentry and one hidden sentry.

"A secret sentry means having another sentry hide in the dark. When the visible sentry encounters danger and is too late to report the enemy, the secret sentry will take on the corresponding early warning responsibility.

"Even villages not near the sea cannot be idle. They must have at least 500 people. Soldiers from about eight villages should be concentrated here, ready to support other villages at any time.

"Of course, the battle will most likely take place on the beach where we are."

Seeing that everyone was listening attentively, Odysseus continued, “Let me talk about the logistics issue.

“I know that the food reserves in each village are limited, so we can’t provide a unified food supply like a regular army.

"That's why I want each village to elect two captains, one responsible for fighting in the front, and one responsible for delivering food to the soldiers. You can discuss who will be responsible for combat and who will be responsible for logistics."

Wells, one of the thirty-two captains, asked, "Mr. Mayor, how...how should we fight? As you can see, we only have bows, arrows, axes, and swords. How can we fight pirates with cannons and pistols?"

"Of course I know this. You are mainly responsible for keeping watch, organizing and evacuating the people from the villages, setting traps and ambushes, and cleaning up the battlefield," Odysseus said.
“It’s my crew who are fighting the enemy head-on.

"But when the enemy enters a pre-planned ambush and loses their firearms advantage, I demand that you dare to charge out and fight."

At this point, Odysseus pointed to the village behind them and made specific arrangements: "When the battle begins, we must set up an ambush in this village. If those pirates sneak into the village and we are dragged into other battlefields, you must rush out and fight them."

The captains nodded one after another, feeling that such a request was completely acceptable.

After all, if you intend to defend your homeland, you will have to fight some battles.

The meeting was very successful, and Odysseus unified the combat ideas of these captains.

He then issued specific orders, planning to complete the defense of the southern part of the island the next day.

After the meeting, Odysseus did not use his extraordinary abilities, but chatted with several crew members while returning to the Argo along the beach.

Second mate Rupert said, "I never thought that just a few days ago we were fighting pirates, and today we have suddenly become the protectors of this island."

"We'll fight well in this battle," Odysseus said with a smile. "This island will become a very important stronghold for us."

Salina said, "Captain, can I say something?"

Odysseus glanced at the boatswain and said, "There's no one else here. Go ahead and speak."

"I've heard that pirates tend to slack off once they reach land," Salina said. "Like 'Vice Admiral Hurricane' Qilingos, who was killed after he reached land."

Odysseus first praised: "It's a good idea for you to use the word 'slackness'."

He knew very well that this girl was not dumb in speech, she was just more straightforward.

Salina smiled and said, "Yes, I thought about it for a long time before I came up with such a suitable word."

In fact, the original words she heard were "Nothing good ever happens to pirates when they come ashore," and she felt that if she said it directly, she might get beaten.

"I'm different from ordinary pirates," Odysseus said. "I didn't come to the Raging Sea to rob, nor to fight pirates and uphold justice. Instead, I need a space to realize some of my personal ideas.

“I can’t tell you about these ideas yet, but as long as I stay on the right path, I hope to become one of the ‘Pirate Generals’ in the near future.

“But the prerequisite is that I need a huge space, and I need my own power and subordinates.

"I was originally thinking about forming my own fleet, but now that I've achieved my goal, it seems easier and faster to develop my own power on an island."

Boris, who had taped his mouth shut, tore off the tape. "But... well, I mean, if the pirates discover this base...

"It's not impossible. If we defeat the Deep Blue pirate group, some pirates might realize that our base is located here.

"What if the pirates come and attack us?"

After saying that, he immediately sealed his mouth again, because what he was going to say next might not sound very nice.

"That's great." Odysseus smiled and said to Rupert, "Second Mate, if we set up a few 'Spirit Wave Cannons' on the high ground of the island, what do you think the results would be?"

Rupert almost saw this scene: pirates from afar were cruising near the coast, and when they were about to attack, they were blown up.

"Just sit back and count the money," Second Mate Rupert said with a smile. "Personally, I think it's better to use the 'Extraordinary Machine Cannon' instead of the 'Spirit Wave Cannon', because if we do that, we'll lose a lot of bounty."

The other three crew members didn't quite understand what the captain and the second mate meant, but they could tell that was exactly the situation they wanted to see.

Odysseus explained: "After this battle, you will know the confidence of our pirate group."

Salina and the others nodded, and they actually felt a little bit of anticipation for the upcoming battle.

They returned to the boat and had a good night's rest.

The reason for resting on the ship is to avoid spies from the "Deep Blue" pirate group from carrying out assassinations and other actions tonight.

Odysseus and Bazel are not afraid, but those "low-sequence" crew members are likely to be harmed.

For safety reasons, it is better to live on a boat.

During the day, Odysseus rejected the girls offered by Pres for the same reason.

After all, they are not familiar with the forces in the port. When the time comes, they will be in different rooms and may be easily attacked by people loyal to the "Deep Blue" pirate group.

After all, we can't do that kind of thing together, right?
For other crew members, it didn't seem impossible, but Odysseus found it a little hard to accept.

After a good night's rest, Saturday arrived. As Odysseus had expected, although the orders he issued yesterday were clear and not difficult, it still took a whole day to complete the deployment.

At the port, except for the police officers, no one else had much execution ability. It took a lot of time to gather them together, and there were constant troubles on the way to executing orders. One wanted to pee, and another wanted to drink.

They finally arrived at the ambush site, but because it started to rain, many people planned to go home.

Odysseus injured two of them and made them behave a little better.

Basel and Beavis organized their own people and built some huts using large leaves in the rainforest to shelter from the rain.

But after the rain stopped, many people caught colds.

Especially those members of the autonomous association who were already quite old, they fell completely ill after all this trouble.

Even if someone was taking care of them, they would still lie there groaning and saying things like, "You have a nice house but you choose to live in the woods," and "The battle hasn't even started yet and there are already so many people who can't fight."

It really affects morale.

Odysseus glanced at them, put on his "biological waist ring", prepared some medicine, and sent someone to deliver it to those who had a cold.

Not long after they drank it, they found that their colds were miraculously cured.

Although the directors of the autonomous association were still lying on the ground to rest, the topic of everyone's discussion suddenly turned to these magical cold medicines.

As for the southern plains, the villages started arguing again. One said that they had sent too many people and other villages should be responsible for their meals; the other said that their village was inland and should not guard the seaside.

Odysseus had no choice but to send Salina to slap people again. At the beginning, Salina thought this job was pretty good and went there happily. However, after slapping for most of the day, she didn't want to do it anymore.

But fortunately, the deployment was finally completed in one day.

The "Deep Blue" pirate group's exploratory attack also began immediately.

(End of this chapter)