Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 451 Mingzhu Deals with the Visitors from Mirror Lake
Although I know this old guy is just being sentimental and playing the victim, there is one thing he is right about: the previous dynasties of Dongxia, the dynasties before that, all the way back to the earlier period when they actually controlled Mingzhu, the successive dynasties of the Central Plains really didn't take this place seriously.

At that time, there was no concept of sea power; this area was purely a wild and untamed land.

Officials were sent here, which was no different from being exiled, so they didn't really treat the people here as human beings.

The indigenous people of Gaoshan may not necessarily prefer living in the mountains; people from the plains would also be willing to live there...

Before the Scourge broke out, the indigenous people living on this land, comprising sixteen ethnic groups, made up less than two percent of the population, a slightly better situation than the bald eagles of the Indians.

Um, Native Americans make up 1.7 percent of the population of the White Eagles.

From this perspective, the locals of Mingzhu view the old dynasty of Dongxia the same way they view the sea snakes or any other rulers: they are all just a bunch of outsiders and bandits.

As for those who came after... it's hard to describe what kind of people went there.

To some extent, the four-clawed sea serpents during their period of control were more human-like than the inhuman rulers of the Central Plains at certain stages, which is the root cause of the region's difficulty in successfully integrating back into the region.

Of course, it must be emphasized again that this has nothing to do with the new dynasty of Dongxia. Under the nurturing of the new dynasty of Dongxia, the populations of various ethnic groups in the interior have developed well. What a stark contrast!

Therefore, to the decision-makers of Dongxia, the old man's "historical grievances" argument was only half true and half sophistry. They could blame the times for their ignorance in the past, and it wasn't their fault. But now the world had turned upside down. If they still clung to old dreams and refused to wake up, or even deliberately fabricated lies and reversed right and wrong, then they would be "beaten" for their own fault, and it was not unjust at all.

But being beaten doesn't mean letting the child die.

The Eastern Xia regime was not one that sought quick success or instant benefits. When it came to major issues, it had ample patience to do things slowly, well, and carefully. Whether it was ethnic issues, special economic zone issues, or border issues, it often took decades, even centuries, to resolve them.

When it comes to real-world conflicts caused by people, killing is the simplest and least harmful solution. However, when it comes to the nation itself, the extremism nurtured in this atmosphere will become the country's greatest enemy in the future.

Therefore, based on its consistent overall approach to problem-solving, Dongxia was willing to take charge of Mingzhu.

However, there is always a real problem: Mingzhu has been influenced by extreme emotions over the years. If you save him, he may not appreciate it, and it cannot be ruled out that some people will deliberately create trouble.

The Eastern Xia are not afraid of the dead, but of those with treacherous intentions.

Whether it's undead creatures or melee weapon units, ultimately, they are nothing to fear in the face of a well-prepared, well-organized modern army, unless there is something that can withstand missiles.

It is ordinary people, not the military, who are afraid of the undead. In any country, as long as the military is well-organized and has sufficient ammunition, these low- to mid-level undead will definitely be kept out of the defenses.

But why has this round of undead calamity caused such a severe impact?

The key issue is that modern cities no longer have city walls, making it impossible to stop the infiltration of the dead. In an open urban neighborhood, ordinary people are almost powerless against the dead.

The psychological panic that arises when the undead start rolling the snowball is more terrifying than the actual attack.

If Dongxia wants to intervene in the Pearl area to provide assistance, it must deploy its army and establish a defensive line.

In this situation, if some unscrupulous Mingzhu people were to launch a heavy artillery attack on the Xia Kingdom's garrison in the blind spot of Dongxia's reconnaissance, or carry out a suicide attack while hiding among the refugees, it would inevitably cause significant losses to the Dongxia army.

Now that this "last remaining conscience of Mingzhu" has made such a solemn request and has submitted documents that are almost a complete return, Dongxia has no choice but to respond.

That evening, after an emergency meeting, Dongxia gave a formal response.

First, Dongxia will establish a completely independent, absolute control zone within the Pearl area, with sufficient depth and a safe buffer distance. Within this zone, no Pearl resident is permitted to enter without Dongxia's special permission; otherwise, Dongxia has the right to execute them on the spot.

Secondly, Dongxia will open several passages for this safe zone. After being screened by Dongxia, people from Mingzhu who meet Dongxia's various standards will be allowed to enter the safe zone for temporary resettlement.

Those with key professional skills may be further permitted to bring their families to inland cities in eastern Xia to start a new life.

Meanwhile, Dongxia will take certain measures to suppress the rampage of undead creatures, but will not promise or guarantee rescue outside the safe zone. The local forces of Mingzhu need to organize troops and, with Dongxia's support, actively assume the responsibility of self-rescue.

Finally, both sides agreed that, given limited resources, priority would be given to helping children, followed by the elderly and women, with adult men last.

As for what standards and methods would be used for screening, and how to be considered to meet the various standards of Dongxia, Dongxia did not say, and the old "red leader" did not ask.

Now that things have come to this, we can only leave everything to others to arrange; what else can we do?

After confirming all the terms, Dongxia immediately packaged the relevant materials and had the Stargazing Team send a copy to the Starry World.

Although in theory, Dongxia could make its own decisions and handle these matters, firstly, it involves the use of the Sprout, secondly, it requires a larger-scale mobilization of the [Nine Springs Force], and thirdly, it requires the use of a large number of special items sent from the Starry World. Therefore, Dongxia sent the relevant content to Chen Mo in the form of a letter seeking opinions.

Well, Dongxia knew that Chen Mo would definitely not have any objections, but she still wanted to ask for his opinion.

So what was Chen Mo doing at this time?

He was on his way home, and incidentally, he was also conducting a diplomatic reception.

The vast, deep blue sea stretches like a huge, gently undulating blanket to the horizon.

The steel bow cut a striking white wake across the sea, leaving a wide wake stretching behind it.

For Chen Mo, this trip, which lasted for more than three months, was an operation to completely stabilize the rear and consolidate the resource line. The thick stack of contracts and agreements on the table will secure a period of stable development for Han Hai Territory and the Xia Yue Alliance under its leadership in the coming period.

However, while Han Hai is at peace, others may not be.

On the second floor of the ship's island, there was a separate reception hall. After breakfast, the young princess helped Chen Mo straighten his collar. Then, the secretariat staff brought in two men.

One is a middle-aged person, the other is an elderly person, at least judging from their appearance.

The moment they met, the two knelt down on the ground with a thud, and Chen Mo couldn't help but feel a throbbing in his head.

This is a diplomatic occasion...

This is a representative from a country in the Starry Sky!

Wouldn't this be considered an insult to the national dignity?

Clearly, the two people opposite had no such awareness. They respectfully completed the kneeling ceremony, and the middle-aged man at the head took out a thin gift list from his pocket and handed it to the secretariat staff member without looking up.

Chen Mo greeted him again, and the other person slowly stood up, but he was so hunched over that his head was almost as high as the dining table.

"Sit down, sit down and let's talk!"

"Uncle Luke, it's been a long time!"

This call startled Luke, who was about to kneel again, but was pulled back by the guard beside him.

"My lord, you dare not address me like that, it's too much of an honor!"

"It's been so many years since I last saw you, Lord. You've truly, truly... Oh, I can't even put it into words. I'm such a fool, I just don't know how to express it..."

"Back then, it was my greatest blessing to have served as a guide for the lord and... and for Her Highness the princess on one journey!"

This guy, who looks like a middle-aged or elderly man, is named Luke and is indeed an old friend of Chen Mo and Liu Shuang.

Of the passengers on that airship that flew from the Six Leaf Camp to the White Rock Outpost back then, only these few are still alive today.

Captain Peiwen and Lady Linda, who accompanied the princess, have already returned to Crystal Plains. The guards died on the way, and the dismissed maids naturally did not fare well either.

Even the dwarf captain and crew on the airship, I heard, later crashed into the forest because they forced the airship to take off in the rain, and their bodies were never found.

As for Luke, who was serving as a guide, he fled back to his hometown, Mirror Lake Kingdom, as soon as the war started. Although he missed Chen Mo's later visit, he managed to save his life in this chaotic world.

The captain introduced by Luke helped Chen Mo obtain his first pass, and it was also Old John, whom he introduced, who helped Chen Mo get mercenary status and the right to move freely in Xiyue.

As for Liu Shuang's later return visit, she also sought the way he had shown her.

This time, the Jinghu delegation, which had been relentlessly pursuing Chen Mo, brought out Old Luke, clearly hoping to use his past relationship with these two "top-tier figures" to try and build a connection.

The Kingdom of Mirror Lake is actually quite poor. Because it is located near the Dragon's Spine Mountains, its territory is mostly mountainous with few plains, making transportation difficult, food scarce, and the country weak. It has always been recognized as a poor and remote place on the continent.

For so many years, a large part of the country's income has come from exporting laborers and mercenaries, who sell their labor or even their lives!
However, there are differences between working hard and working hard.

For example, a low-level mercenary like Luke, who leaves his homeland to make a living in a foreign land, if he joins another mercenary group, he will be doing the most dangerous and dirty jobs, such as clearing unfamiliar roads, probing for traps, and acting as bait. After risking his life, the few copper coins he earns may not even be worth the cost of a meal for the pet dog of the mercenary leader's family.

On the other hand, when I met Princess Liushuang, I was given a job as a guide. I didn't have to take any risks, but I earned dozens of times more than usual. I even made some extra money from Chen Mo, who hitched a ride with me.

The difference is like night and day.

Luke stammered a few more flattering words before remembering to introduce the Mirror Lake Envoy beside him, who was also his cousin, Lucien, with whom he had recently confirmed their kinship.

This man looked a bit younger than Luke, who had a weathered appearance, but he wasn't much better off. He was thirty years old, had the looks of a forty-year-old, and the spirit of a fifty-year-old. His forehead wrinkles were as deep as the Hengduan Mountains, an indelible mark.

At first glance, it looks like the number "three" is written on the forehead.

"Ambassador Lu, you've come a long way and must be tired. Please sit down and let's talk."

The two of them sat sideways, with half of their buttocks on the chairs, not daring to look directly at Chen Mo and Liu Shuang. They could only press their eyes on their feet and occasionally glance around.

"You two must have taken a lot of unnecessary detours; you must have had a tough journey!"

"I heard you've been waiting for me at Dongguanlingkou for a long time?"

The Lucien envoy grinned and said ingratiatingly, "It's no trouble at all! We errand runners don't need much money for our stamina. Walking a little more is only right and proper. We can't delay the lord's... and the lord's wife's affairs."

"The main reason I've come is to apologize to the lord. Regarding the Black Raven Castle incident, some people in the kingdom were blinded by their own greed and did some outrageous things... I'm truly sorry, so sorry..."

The envoy was referring to the time when Chen Mo defeated Green Pine and rose to fame. The Mirror Lake Kingdom, eager to establish a connection, failed to investigate properly and listened to the one-sided story of some people. They recognized the Black Crow Grand Mage as Chen Mo's mentor, not only rewarding Black Crow Castle but also sending Chen Mo an invitation to "return to his alma mater" in his name.

The result can be imagined.

It's only because Chen Mo has a good temper; if it were any other noble lord, the envoy would probably have been split into dozens of pieces to return home.

Instead of winning favor, they offended someone. The Mirror Lake Kingdom was now in a hurry and sent out multiple rounds of envoys to try to apologize, explain, and repair relations.

But I couldn't find Chen Mo.

In order to plan the operation against the north, Chen Mo spent most of his time in Xuan Shui City on the Bailu Plain. Such top-secret movements could not be revealed to a third-party country, so the administrative personnel of Han Hai Territory always came forward to subtly express to the other party: Your explanation has been received, we don't blame you, but the lord is very busy and really has no time to meet you, please leave!

The more this happened, the more panicked Mirror Lake became.

Until recently, they finally managed to find out about Chen Mo's upcoming trip through other channels. The high-ranking officials of the Mirror Lake Kingdom decided that since they couldn't meet him in person, they would wait for him on the road.

Chen Mo's first stop was Fog Moon. The representative from Mirror Lake studied the map for a long time. From Fog Moon to Silver Moon Forest, we would have to go through East Pass Ridge. We'll stay here and keep watch.

This plan is logically sound, but it's far too naive.

Chen Mo has enemies everywhere, so how could anyone predict his course of action?

So, while the Mirror Lake delegation was suffering in the cold wind at Dongguan Pass, Chen Mo had already entered the Silver Moon Forest.

It should be pointed out that the royal family of Mirror Lake is indeed poor. Other national-level delegations sent by other forces would at least be equipped with a teleportation array, but they can only rely on birds to deliver messages.

The effect of information lag is too obvious.

Then came the long chase.

During this process, neither the elves nor Xiyue gave these guys a friendly look. After all, from any perspective, they were a bunch of poor bastards who had offended their leader and wanted to come begging to their leader for food. Naturally, they would not pass on the message to Chen Mo, whose whereabouts were elusive.

Usually, news of a "farewell" would only circulate after Chen Mo had confirmed his departure.

And so, these poor guys chased all the way to Xiyue, past Baiyin, only to find out that Chen Mo had already boarded a ship and gone to the Sky Empire.

The group stared blankly at the majestic Dragon Mountain Range for a long time, and Lucien, who was leading the group, became furious.

"That lord will eventually return; we'll wait for him at sea!"

This wait lasted for more than a month.

These guys hired several small boats, and later even had to sell their armor and weapons to barely pay for the boat rentals and food. They stayed in this safe passage zone of 30 kilometers in the near sea, waiting and hoping every day. They actually managed to block Chen Mo's fleet.

After hearing about this eventful journey, even Chen Mo couldn't help but feel deeply moved.

"Your Excellency is overthinking things. I didn't take those trivial matters to heart, and I have no ill intentions towards Mirror Lake. You can rest assured!"

It was probably Chen Moping's calm attitude that made Lucien gradually relax. He straightened up and spoke more clearly.

"The lord is a man of broad mind and great ambition, and he certainly doesn't care about such trivial matters. But for us at Mirror Lake, if we make a mistake, we must apologize, regardless of the size of the matter!"

Chen Mo's eyes lit up.

The envoy's words pleased Chen Mo greatly, and their subsequent communication became increasingly smooth.

"In fact, we, the people of Mirror Lake, should be even more grateful to you, Lord."

Lucien's tone became sincere, "Over the past few years, the mercenaries from Mirror Lake have been working hard outside, and the news they've sent back home all say that the Vast Ocean is a place they could never have dreamed of."

"They were well-fed, well-clothed, and paid generously in their commissions. Even the compensation for the deceased was never shortchanged."

"We mercenaries from Jinghu have been risking our lives for so many years. Take the system of registering heirs in Hanhai, for example. It's unheard of in history. Just based on this, at least several thousand lives have been saved in Jinghu!"

This refers to HanHai's unique pre-battle registration system.

In the past, professional mercenaries would make a living away from home. Once they earned some money, those who didn't care about their families would squander it, while those who did would try to send it home as soon as possible.

Living a life of constant danger and bloodshed, surrounded by enemies and bandits, a mercenary's life is one of peril, where death on the road or in a ditch is a constant possibility.

With the constraints of the national system and the mercenary guild, the leaders of those mercenary groups can be considered saints if they can at most refrain from excessive embezzlement while they are alive. As for death, well, that's just death.

In the mercenary world, compensation is like a five-colored dragon—it exists, but it's elusive, and only important figures can possibly see it.

However, before the troops set off, Han Hai would require them to leave the name and address of the heirs after the death of the soldier. As long as the soldier did not desert and died on duty, Han Hai would do everything possible to send his ashes, estate, and compensation to his family.

Even if they are mercenaries from other countries, Han Hai will still send them to them without hesitation.

Furthermore, the method of receiving inheritance through relatives and friends, which was common on the Starry Continent in the past, has been directly banned by the Vast Ocean. No one can get the money except for the designated heir, thus preventing some people from taking the money and embezzling it. It can be said that the deceased have been given the greatest protection.

For some families, the loss of their breadwinner is a matter of life and death for the entire family.

At this point, Lucien's expression became emotional, and he knelt down once again.

"Our lord has said that all of us at Mirror Lake have nothing to repay you with but ask that you, our lord, give us the opportunity to serve you!"

"Our Mirror Lake Kingdom is small and poor, and we have no other skills, but we do have some strength and a few fearless warriors. As long as you give the order, the mercenaries of Mirror Lake are willing to be the vanguard for our lord, to flatten Green Pine, and to punish those villains who dared to offend you back then!"

Chen Mo's outstretched hand, which was about to beckon the other person to get up, froze in mid-air. His eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a hint of coldness.

"What makes you say that?"

"Who told you that..."

"Are we going to attack Green Pine?"

(End of this chapter)