Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 468 Trapped Beast, Demolition, Backstabbing
The battle at the Lord's Mansion is over, but the battle at Cloud Mist City has only just begun.

When the Han Hai forward command entered Cloud Mist City, although the city's core points and key checkpoints were firmly under the control of the Han Hai Legion, more than 70 percent of the city's area was still shown as pitch black on the map.

The Green Pine Kingdom forces' long-planned "Scorpion Sting" operation finally found a stage with a complex and conducive environment to carry it out.

They were eager and ready to try.

Meanwhile, the Han Hai army, after probing the edge of the residential area, realized that the chaotic battle was somewhat of an attempt to exploit the enemy's weaknesses, so they quickly withdrew their forces.

At the first joint military meeting after entering the city, Chen Yuanfeng delivered the following military report.

"Based on the intelligence we have so far, the enemy has deployed no fewer than a thousand professional warriors in Cloud Mist City, and the upper limit could be as high as three to four thousand."

Within the city, this is an enormous number. If these people were to act together, they could slaughter all the civilians in the city in no time.

Now, they've chosen to blend in quietly with the crowd, clearly not to work as security guards for Cloud Mist City.

"Our army has just entered the city. Although we have raised the banner of Deputy Commander Liushuang, the city's residents, who are unaware of the situation, still have many concerns. This includes local mercenaries and scattered puppet troops, who have all chosen to avoid contact with our army as much as possible and hide their whereabouts. This has further increased the difficulty of identifying people in the city."

Chen Yuanfeng pulled up a bunch of densely packed charts and data, and after explaining in detail the current troop distribution, the environmental map of the suspicious area, and the logistical supply situation, he finally shifted from the problem to suggestions for solutions.

"As instructed by the General Headquarters, the Forward Command Staff has formulated the following plan. Please consider it carefully!"

"First, close the gates and lock the city!"

"After completing the transfer of the remaining major resources and core data within the city, the troops closed the east and north gates, leaving only the west and south exits. Some fortifications were left inside the city, or the troops simply withdrew entirely outside."

"People leaving the city are carefully screened at checkpoints to eliminate potential destabilizing factors to the greatest extent possible."

"This method of handling is the lowest cost and the least dangerous for our soldiers, but the disadvantage is that the handling time is relatively long. At the same time, we must also consider the worst-case scenario. The enemy has a sufficient reaction period. If they see that their conspiracy is not going to succeed, we cannot rule out the possibility that they will resort to desperate measures in the city and massacre civilians on a large scale."

Liu Shuang frowned slightly.

Unlike the strategists of ancient times who deliberately obfuscate their ideas, the staff of Han Hai does not have the habit of putting the best of the three strategies last. In order to enable leaders to make quick decisions, they usually put the most recommended and most widely accepted suggestions first.

The first one mentioned was the one with the highest approval rating from the staff.

The city-locking plan is low-cost and highly secure, making it the most suitable option for Han Hai. As for whether it is friendly to the people of Yunwu City, that is not within the scope of the General Staff's priority consideration.

After all, to these young officers of Han Hai, whether it was turquoise or jade, they were all considered enemy countries!
Before the leader could speak, Chen Yuanfeng cleared his throat and continued his report.

"The second option is a forceful crackdown."

"The General Staff plans to divide the city into eleven districts. By forcibly demolishing some buildings and setting up barbed wire, barricades, and firing positions, physical isolation will be achieved between the districts. At the same time, troops skilled in close combat and urban warfare will be mobilized to clear each district, street, alley, and house by house."

"After clearing each area, civilians who are obedient to management and have been strictly screened and confirmed to be safe will be registered, registered, released, or resettled; local professionals will be recruited and effectively supervised; and Green Pine's spies and saboteurs will be resolutely and thoroughly eliminated!"

"This plan can guarantee both speed and effectiveness in the cleanup, eliminating threats within the city in the shortest possible time. However, it poses certain risks to the troops carrying out the cleanup mission!"

After a pause, Chen Yuanfeng added, "The orc generals accompanying the army have repeatedly requested permission to fight. The General Staff believes that if this plan is adopted, the orc troops can be used as the main attack force, with a small number of National Defense Army soldiers serving as support and supervisors."

The crowd in the hall turned their attention to the orc generals sitting at the end of the long table, their backs ramrod straight and their bellies practically tipping the table over.

These guys are really going crazy from being cooped up for so long.

In such an earth-shattering battle, from the frontal breakthrough to the final pursuit, they hadn't even had a single minute to participate. How could the orcs, with their impatient nature, possibly hold back? At this moment, upon hearing of a chance to fight, their eyes widened, and they pledged their utmost loyalty. Even Leonid Thunder Roar, whose arm had been shattered by Frost Flow's spear last time, swung his injured arm with afterimages.

After a short pause, seeing that Liu Shuang had not expressed her opinion, Chen Yuanfeng continued his report.

"The third option is to order them to surrender within a specified period."

"Similarly, we first physically separated the various areas, and then used methods such as posting notices, distributing leaflets, and making announcements through loudspeakers to require residents in the areas to come out at a designated time and go to a designated location for inspection."

This move, called "Two Fingers," is a powerful tactic employed by the Han Hai Internal Affairs Department, and it has now been adopted by the military command.

"After the evacuation period ends, we will deploy drones, thermal imagers, far-infrared equipment and other equipment to conduct a comprehensive reconnaissance of the area. If there are not many people left, we will send in close combat troops to clear them out. If there are a large number of people lying in ambush, we will directly destroy the area with firepower."

"This method poses less danger to our military personnel. However, it requires a large-scale residential resettlement area to accommodate these relocated civilians and provide them with basic living conditions such as accommodation, meals, drinking water, and medical care. This requires a high investment of resources."

At this point, all three plans have been explained quite clearly.

There are solutions for all of them. The difference is that the first solution takes more time and may cost more money to the people, the second solution costs more manpower, well, it may cost more orcs, and the third solution mainly costs more money.

Liu Shuang raised her head and asked, "What is the Commander-in-Chief's opinion?"

"Reporting to the deputy commander-in-chief, the commander-in-chief said, 'Anything is fine. Please make your own decision based on the actual situation!'"

After a moment of silence, adhering to Hanhai's long-standing principle of valuing people over money, Liushuang made a decision.

"Let's use the third option!"

"Spending more money is not a problem. I'll have the elves come up with more money to make up for it later. They want the ruins of Silvermoon Royal City, right? How can they do it without paying a price?"

Well, in a way, Liu Shuang is really... incredibly considerate to Chen Mo. She once withheld her father, Earl Liu Yun's, [Eternal Song of Life] from Chen Mo, and now she's trying to swindle her adoptive mother, the Elf Queen, out of money to support Han Hai.

She's incredibly sweet and considerate, like a loving little cotton-padded jacket.

"Yes!"

With Liu Shuang's words, the plan was finalized. However, according to the rules of the Han Hai routine military meetings, the main generals present had to sign the minutes and clearly state their attitude: whether they agreed, reserved their opinions, or opposed.

Although opinions don't affect the direction of decision-making, attitude is still very important. For example, on the orc side, several generals who had just learned to write their Xia names were gripping their pens with astonishing force, tearing the thick paper of the meeting minutes book.

Seeing the orcs' expectant faces, Liu Shuang nodded gently, finally giving them the arrangement they had longed for: "Alright, let the orcs handle the subsequent clearing work first!"

If they weren't in a conference room, these orcs would probably have taken off on the spot.

Finally, we've managed to get a chance to fight.

Prior to this, some orc elders were worried that if they went to war with Han Hai, they would be used as cannon fodder.

Stop joking! There's no such thing as cannon fodder in the Han Hai! Every step you take on the battlefield is a real achievement!

As for the choice of the final commander on the orc side, it surprised many people. It was not the "Big Cat" clan leader, nor the "Long Cat" clan chief, nor even a member of the cat clan itself, but a young woman from the bull clan.

Of course, no one had any complaints.

This Minotaur girl is the wife of Liu Zaiyue, the captain of the First Guard of the Vast Sea and a trusted and beloved general of the lord.

Although Liu Zaiyue lost a horn, which is considered half-disabled in the traditional concept of the Niu tribe, given his current status, let alone this kind of "fake disability," even if he were truly paralyzed, the number of people coming to propose marriage would be enough to flatten the entire Motianling Mountain.

However, Liu Zaiyue remained true to his original intention and ultimately chose the girl from the Niu tribe with whom he had peed and played in the mud as a child.

This girl was quite a force to be reckoned with. On her very first day as a guard for Liushuang, she fought the elven captain under the guise of a martial arts contest. Relying solely on her brute strength and unreasonable fighting style, she represented the orcs and defeated the elves, quickly becoming an idol to the passionate orcs.

This led to rumors that Liu Zaiyue was forced into this situation because he couldn't defeat him...

Regardless, this man, with his background, strength, and seemingly some intelligence, rightfully became the Beastman's general.

By the way, the Xiawen name of this Niu tribe girl was personally given to her by Liu Zaiyue. It is said that he consulted many Xiawen classics and carefully selected the name.

When Chen Mo first heard it, he was stunned for a long time.

"What name did you give her again?"

Liu Zaiyue, beaming with pride, said, "Reporting to the lord, Niu Tanqin!"

Chen Mo's lips twitched. "Playing the lute to a cow?"

"Yes! It's like a cow playing the lute!"

"..."

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.

As Cloud City began large-scale block partitioning and personnel migration, the engineers of the Vast Ocean Territory were once again extremely busy.

Before personally commanding troops, Chen Mo didn't quite understand the statement from his hometown of Dongxia that "military academies should prioritize sending outstanding students with excellent grades and outstanding skills to engineering corps units." Now he certainly understands.

In the modern three-dimensional combat system of Dongxia, the role of engineers is extremely important.

Mine clearance, obstacle clearing, fortification construction, road and bridge paving, demolition and assault... these tasks require extremely high technical skills, especially on the wartime front lines. To carry out construction under the threat of enemy attacks requires not only great courage but also great wisdom. Only the smartest, most determined, and most flexible students in military academies can be competent in these tasks.

Therefore, engineers held the highest status within the Dongxia system, and naturally, they were also the most overworked.

They started by laying down barriers along the main road of Cloud Mist City. This seemingly simple civil engineering work was not something that ordinary soldiers could do.

Without a certain level of proficiency in Dongxia language, mathematics, and engineering, one simply cannot understand the construction drawings and surveying instruments.

"Mark the stake points on the eastern section of Road No. 3, and prepare to erect the barbed wire!"

"This warehouse is in a good location, with a wide field of vision, making it particularly suitable as a control point. Have the second team build fortifications on the top and set up four... six heavy machine guns!"

"The buildings on the south side of Area 11 are too close together and must be demolished to clear the firing range!"

The engineers finalized the plan in a few words, and the next step was for the construction machinery to be brought in.

In the open area, the soldiers began driving piles according to the benchmarks set by the surveying team.

The wooden stakes, as thick as an orc's thigh, were sharpened at the bottom and hammered heavily into the ground. Barbed wire mesh was strung between the stakes. Considering that this thing was not enough to prevent civilians from overflowing but to prevent professionals, and for the purpose of saving materials, the mesh of the barbed wire was left quite large. A fat rabbit could even squeeze out of the gaps.

But that's okay, if static defense is weak, there's always dynamic defense.

Soldiers of the National Defense Forces pushed specially made two-wheeled carts and began hanging skeleton warriors on the barbed wire.

Each skeleton explosive gunman, armed with a bone gun and a grenade, is evenly distributed at intervals of about eight meters, serving as a mobile guard and frontline warning officer. Any creature attempting to approach the barbed wire will trigger their attack and alarm.

Behind the barbed wire, a wooden watchtower would be erected every three kilometers, equipped with lookouts, searchlights, and sirens for long-range reconnaissance.

Every 500 meters or so, a simple machine gun emplacement is constructed using pits, stones, and sandbags, with a heavy machine gun mounted for interception. Of course, if there are suitable buildings nearby, they can be easily modified with firing ports to serve as defensive fortresses.

The isolation measures were carried out in an orderly manner, and there was a special project involved in clearing obstacles.

Because the isolation line in some areas is too close to the surrounding buildings, the enemy may be able to directly attack the isolation line under the cover of the buildings. Therefore, it is necessary to create a sufficiently open safety buffer zone.

According to Han Hai's military manual, the front line of defense should have an unobstructed zone with a range of at least three assault distances.

Before clearing the obstruction, Hanhai also conducted a warning to drive away people. By using drones to enter the area, they repeatedly broadcast messages in multiple languages, demanding that the residents of the area evacuate immediately, and during this process, they fired warning shots into the uninhabited areas.

After confirming that most of the personnel had left, the densely built and complex suspicious areas were directly demolished by artillery. Several rounds of heavy artillery fire forcefully razed the buildings in the area to the ground.

In normal areas, heavy bulldozers are used to push the soil, while in simple areas, orcs use sledgehammers to smash it. Once a good firing range that meets the regulations is created, the process stops.

This swift and decisive action set an excellent example for the subsequent large-scale relocation of residents from the quarantine zone. After witnessing Han Hai's high firepower and strong violence, the vast majority of ordinary residents decisively gave up their desire to continue hiding.

After the quarantine of the entire area is completed, the next step is to clear people out.

Posters, leaflets, loudspeakers, megaphone arrays, drones broadcasting messages—information in various languages ​​was bombarding the quarantine zone, all conveying the same message: leave within a specified period!

"Attention residents of Cloud Mist City! By order of Princess Liushuang, the Hanhai Army is now conducting a district-by-district search of the city!"

"Upon hearing this notice, all residents are requested to take necessary items and leave through the designated exit marked with a red flag within the specified time!"

"The exits from the city are guarded by the Han Hai army, and they will not harm civilians in any way!"

"Weapons and other dangerous items are prohibited when leaving. If you must bring them, please hand them over to the designated location before passing through the checkpoint. Hanhai will keep them safe and return them in their original condition after confirming their safety!"
"Those who refuse to evacuate will be considered hostile personnel! Once the area is sealed off, they will bear all the consequences!"

For the vast majority of ordinary people, they have no way of judging who is good and who is bad, who is right and who is wrong. Living in such a chaotic world, they only seek to protect themselves and survive.

With such detailed, meticulous, and repeated emphasis, the relocation finally began. Initially, it was the lesser nobles and mercenaries with some wealth who, believing they still had some value, boldly stepped forward.

Next are artisans, craftsmen, and small vendors with some assets.

Watching the crowds leave, with some occasionally being pulled back to share their experiences, the desperate commoners finally dragged their families along, carrying their meager belongings, and followed the guidance of the towering red flag of the vast desert, hesitantly leaving their homes.

Of course, Han Hai is also quite tolerant of those who have come out of the shadows. No matter if they were mercenaries or collaborators in the past, as long as they register their professional level and temporarily surrender their weapons, they can be properly resettled.

As for those ordinary people at the bottom of society, it can't be called resettlement; it should be called a great "leap" in their lives.

Accommodation consisted of temporary prefabricated houses built by the engineering corps. Although they lacked proper layout, they were square and functional, providing shelter from the wind and rain. Food was provided twice a day, with sufficient calories and even some meat. Water was readily available, and the camp had designated latrines and garbage disposal points, keeping the entire camp clean and tidy.

Most importantly, the patrolling guards inside and outside the camp truly do not take or steal, nor do they take a single needle or thread. Instead, they conscientiously and meticulously maintain order.

Anyone who dares to violate the rules at the camp will be hung on a lamppost.

In the beginning, of course there will be some short-sighted or brainless individuals who have lived in the chaotic order for too long. They completely distrust the rules and particularly enjoy finding loopholes.

Because the camp had always taken good care of women and children, some people became bolder. While their neighbors in the next prefab house were out, a woman stole a piece of clothing from one of their houses.

This was such a trivial matter, the kind of thing that in most countries, anyone who dared to report it would get beaten up. But the camp's patrol team spent half a day reviewing the surveillance footage and caught the thief. They first whipped him dozens of times in front of everyone, and then hung him on a lamppost for a day and a night. He was barely breathing and probably wouldn't survive.

With ample supplies, effective safeguards, and strict laws and regulations in times of chaos, the residents of Cloud Mist City surprisingly enjoyed a rare period of peace and tranquility in this "refugee resettlement camp," where "doors were left unlocked at night and lost items were not picked up."

They naturally attributed all of this to Princess Liushuang's kindness!

This is the most profound cause and effect that ordinary people can understand. Their lives, whether good or bad, depend entirely on the whims of those in power. Now, by some miracle, they have encountered a kind leader.

For the Green Pine professionals hidden in the city, Frost Flowing seemed rather repulsive.

Under such strict scrutiny, it is absolutely impossible for professionals to blend in with ordinary people.

Putting aside their calloused hands from years of wielding swords and their unusually muscular features, the two enormous, faintly glowing psionic detectors placed under the red flag alone were not something these guys could fool.

Even worse, with machine gunners and snipers in the back, fully armed National Defense Army soldiers in the middle, and all sorts of undead summons in the front, they couldn't fight back even if they wanted to.

At most, you can exchange for a few undead.

In just a week and a half, in Han Hai's large-scale "relocation and resettlement" operation, the vast majority of civilians in Yunwu Territory were concentrated in resettlement areas. Next, further clearing operations will begin.

The fate of these "moles" in the city is already sealed.

Meanwhile, the military operation on Crystal Plains encountered a completely unexpected incident.

The Cloud Mist Territory, once ruled by Earl Flowing Cloud, comprised four cities and thirty-two strongholds, with Cloud Mist City being just one of them. According to the Vast Ocean's operational strategy, with the Green Pine Kingdom having abandoned direct resistance, the Vast Ocean army would prioritize capturing major cities, then gradually extend its reach to transportation arteries and key strongholds, ultimately achieving control of the entire region.

While carrying out the "demolition" operation in Cloud Mist City, Han Hai's troops were also advancing towards several other cities. They captured Purple Luo City in six days, and the Nine Heavens Army approached Tianye Prefecture.

Then, an envoy came out of Tianye City and politely informed Han Hai that this place had been restored by the Emerald Kingdom.

The Emerald Kingdom thanks the Vast Ocean for its strong support and wishes to renew its alliance to jointly defeat Green Pine.

When the news reached the Han Hai Command, the officers could hardly believe their ears.

That's right, it's the Emerald Duchy that was utterly defeated by the Green Pine Kingdom, surrendered the Southern Pass territory, cowered and watched as Cloud Mist fell, lost more than half of its territory, and was even besieged and beaten by the royal city at one point.

Now that Han Hai has decisively defeated Green Pine and the order of the plains has collapsed, they secretly sent troops south from the north, taking control of Tianye City ahead of Han Hai.

Enraged, Liu Shuang overturned the table.

The Jade Kingdom swindled the young princess out of her money back then, but they haven't paid her back yet.

Chen Mo was so angry he laughed.

"Good, good, good!"

"A gentleman can be deceived by his principles, but good people should be held at gunpoint, right?"

"Since that's the case, then..."

"Let Master Norton do the work!"

(End of this chapter)