Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 472 A Farce: The Kind-Hearted Lord

Chen Mo only learned the next afternoon, after he came out of the cultivation room, that his own army commander had been arrested overnight by the Inspectorate and had been interrogated for more than sixteen hours.

Although the Han Hai Inspectorate is similar in nature to the internal security forces of various countries in the Starry World, Chen Mo's style of doing things means that torture and forced confessions are definitely not allowed.

At best, they would just shine a spotlight on the interrogator and have interrogators take turns, playing a game of attrition with the other side.

This interrogation method, unless accumulated to a sufficiently long duration, is ineffective against a great knight like Galen. The cost is likely less than that of a single charge on the battlefield. Therefore, Xia Yuanchen looked ashamed in the face of Chen Mo's questioning gaze.

At this moment, the young director of the Hanhai Inspection Office, who was feared by countless people, looked exhausted.

“Principal, the students are incompetent; they haven't found any clues yet, and Galen insists he has never betrayed any information, so…”

In diplomatic settings, Xia Yuanchen addresses Chen Mo as "Chairman," while within Hanhai, he refers to Chen Mo as "Commander-in-Chief." However, in private conversations like this, he calls Chen Mo "Principal" and refers to himself as "Student," indicating a closer relationship.

However, every time Chen Mo called out "Principal," his eyes always held a strange look.

Chen Mo waved his hand to stop him from speaking and carefully read through the report from the Inspectorate.

He was pretty sure that this was a huge misunderstanding.

The execution of the "Tiger Brand" transaction at the front line is a top-level core secret of HanHai.

To maintain secrecy as much as possible, the scope of knowledge about the entire plan was minimized. Apart from Chen Mo himself, only Liu Shuang, the frontline commander, Chen Yuanfeng, the chief coordinator, Norton Tie Mei, the material support officer, and a separate, clandestine execution line running directly from the front command to Iron Fist Village knew the inside story.

Other forces, whether field armies or national defense forces, even the highest-ranking officers, were only given incomplete information and were required to provide limited cooperation.

Because the entire process was unrelated to the rear and did not require the cooperation of the Inspectorate, the Inspectorate was also kept in the dark about the news.

After all, the more people who know about such important military and national affairs, the greater the risk of leaks. And Chen Mo never allows the security department to interfere in military matters.

But to everyone's surprise, the intelligence agents from the Inspectorate actually sent the information back from the enemy camp.

After thinking it over, Chen Mo decided to first confirm the information with the front lines.

"Help me pick up Deputy Commander Liu Shuang!"

A few minutes later, Liu Shuang strode to the front of the video call camera, dressed in military uniform with a short sword at her waist. Her face was slightly flushed, as if she had been running a little too fast.

Chen Mo cut straight to the point: "Besides Master Norton's warehouse, were there any other losses at the front lines?"

The others might not understand the question, but Liu Shuang certainly did. The girl shook her head firmly: "No, definitely not!"

"Is the operation going smoothly? How are the shipments?"

"Smooth sailing! A quarter of the goods have already been shipped, and there's another delivery scheduled for this week. The other party is very cooperative!"

Regarding the shipment volume, Chen Mo set a target: one-third of the number of field army soldiers, half of the number of national defense army soldiers, plus the entire orc legion. This would be the maximum number of "Tiger Brands" allowed for foreign trade.

It's not that Han Hai can't afford to lose more soldiers, but rather that after repeated evaluations by the technical department, Green Pine Kingdom's own assets plus its maximum borrowing capacity can barely cover this amount; any more, and they simply can't afford it.

Well, Chief Chen understands Green Pine's economic situation and is primarily driven by kindness!
After finishing their business, Chen Mo then chatted with Liu Shuang about everyday matters, expressing his concern and worry for the little girl on the front lines, and urging her to take care of her safety.

Liu Shuang nodded her head like a chicken pecking at rice the whole way, until finally she couldn't help but utter a sentence.

"Be careful while I'm not around, don't wander off!"

"Okay, don't worry, I'm staying at the City Lord's Mansion right now, I'm not going anywhere, I'll wait for your triumphant return!"

After hanging up the video call, Chen Mo picked up the intelligence report again.

There were no additional casualties at the front, and everything was proceeding according to plan, so the claim that Galen betrayed military intelligence was obviously unfounded.

But one thing greatly intrigued Chen Mo.

This intelligence not only fits the current situation on the front lines of the battlefield, but also cleverly uses rumors of discord within the National Defense Forces to weave a story involving factions, infighting, and vying for credit in a very convincing way. Who came up with this idea?
The key point is that this logic perfectly aligns with mainstream understanding in the Starry World, making it highly credible.

"Yuan Chen, Galen has no problems with this matter!"

Xia Yuanchen was a smart man, and his face immediately darkened. He swallowed hard, his voice a little dry: "Principal, I... I won't... affect the plans at the front, will I?"

"No problem!"

"This incident also served as a reminder to me that the ad hoc decision-making power I previously granted to your inspection department was a bit too much!"

Chen Mo spoke as calmly as possible: "Of course, this matter has certain historical reasons, and the root of the problem lies with me."

"However, it's not right for the Inspectorate to just take the major general's command from the National Defense Force without the Inspectorate's approval!"

Xia Yuanchen stood up abruptly, his body ramrod straight.

He completely understood what Chen Mo meant.

It sounds absurd, but the reason why the power of the Inspectorate expanded so rapidly was because Hanhai had previously carried out a large-scale "anti-revolutionary" campaign.

The reason for the "anti-revolutionary purge" was that Lin Zhong, the head of the security department (the predecessor of the Han Hai Inspectorate), sold intelligence and colluded with foreign countries.

This is a classic example of someone stepping on their own right foot with their left and flying all the way to the sky.

Since taking office, Xia Yuanchen had consistently performed admirably, displaying impartiality and ruthlessness. Furthermore, the bloody purge had brought the Inspectorate's relationships with the government, military, and even local administration systems to a freezing point, creating the image of a "lone wolf." Therefore, Chen Mo subconsciously refrained from imposing too many restrictions on the Inspectorate, instead granting them considerable autonomy.

This unexpected incident served as a wake-up call for him.

Chen Mo stood up, reached out to straighten Xia Yuanchen's military uniform collar, and then gently patted Xia Yuanchen's shoulder.

"Don't be nervous. I'm not saying you did something wrong. You handled this matter very decisively and very well. If Galen really is a spy, you have done your best to minimize the losses for Han Hai."

"But I trust you. I can't trust anyone else like that!"

"If your inspection department can handle things on the spot when I'm not here today, what will happen if you're also absent from your post tomorrow due to special circumstances? Will the other staff members in the inspection department be able to handle things on the spot in the same way?"

"Today, a genuine intelligence report caused a misunderstanding. Tomorrow, if someone with ulterior motives produces a false intelligence report, won't that also lead the Inspectorate to its own devices?"

"Go back and work out a set of rules, and see what procedures would be more reasonable and better able to prevent things from getting out of control if similar incidents occur in the future. What do you think?"

Xia Yuanchen straightened his chest and saluted: "Understood, thank you for the reminder, Principal!"

"Well, I trust you to handle things." Chen Mo walked back to his desk, sat down again, and picked up the intelligence report. "Let's leave it at that for now. Go and invite Galen over later; I want to talk to him."

"Also, have your people investigate where this intelligence came from!"

"Green Pine has quite a few talented people!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The small incident at Hanhai, though kept under strict control and not causing much of a stir, still brought about some strange butterfly effects.

For example, Galen definitely can't be in trouble, otherwise, how can he continue to "sell information"?
So, the army commander was locked up in a daze and released in a daze. In the end, he turned misfortune into good fortune, not only completing his probationary period for joining the Torch Vanguard ahead of schedule, but also gaining a special reward.

Being arrested and interrogated by the Inspectorate and then emerging unscathed is tantamount to undergoing rigorous anti-corruption certification, bestowing upon him a special halo. From now on, unless there is irrefutable evidence and he is caught red-handed, neither disciplinary departments nor inspectorate agencies will readily consider targeting Galen again.

It was as if the Inspectorate had vouched for Gallen.

Take Dimo, for example. This young master of Zircon never expected that the story he painstakingly crafted would inadvertently touch a nerve with Han Hai. Now, a group of Han Hai's top executives are scrutinizing the "instigator" of this Green Pine camp.

What surprised him even more was that because the lie was so well-crafted and perfectly compensated for any logical oversights that might have existed in the previous "Tiger Brand" transaction process, Chen Mo directly ordered an increase in shipments.

The lord's exact words were: "There's no need to be so cautious. There are capable people in the other team. If there's anything unreasonable, they'll find a way to make it work themselves out."

"By the way, if the other side's battle merits and silver coins are insufficient, allow them to buy on credit."

Anyway, the costs for Hanhai are just the iron sheets, electricity, and a tiny bit of wear and tear on the laser engraving machine. The biggest expense is the overtime pay for Norton Iron Eyebrows' team.

A steady stream of Tiger brand cigarettes flooded the battlefield, and the daily battle reports were breaking records. Now, the Green Pine Kingdom was truly experiencing both pain and joy.

Green Pine was not without a hint of doubt about the series of dramatic and momentous events that had occurred on the front lines.

The troops carrying out "Scorpion Sting" were simultaneously accumulating merits from the Vast Ocean and engaging in fierce battles with the Emerald Kingdom. However, upon closer examination, the Emerald Kingdom's merits were all fragmented and worthless, with not even a single head to be seen.

Don't ask, the answer is that the battlefield is chaotic and the situation is dangerous. It's inconvenient for soldiers to carry their spoils back and forth, so they definitely have to prioritize hiding their whereabouts.

He then proceeded to shower the kingdom's leaders with praise: "Thanks to your wisdom and intelligence, you lords devised the method of calculating battle merits using the 'dog tags' of the Vast Ocean, allowing our warriors to fight lightly and deliver a crushing blow to the Vast Ocean!" Is that really the case?

Okay, that sounds... kind of plausible.

However, the number of casualties in Han Hai is rising day by day, and the kingdom's gold and silver coins are being spent like water, but the battle lines are still advancing southward. What is going on?

Chen Mo guessed correctly. Dimo ​​racked his brains and quickly prepared another explanation. He then communicated and requested Han Hai's cooperation through Oscar. After obtaining Han Hai's cooperation, he successfully produced a new batch of "proof materials" and handed them over to his various subordinates.

"Lord Harold, you don't know," a general who had "fought" his way back from the front lines reported passionately to the Minister of Military Affairs, "that while the front lines of the Han Hai appear fierce, many areas behind are almost deserted, with only skeletons maintaining the defenses!"

"Look, these are the magical images that have recently been transmitted back."

Believe it or not, judging from the scenes reported from the front lines, this is indeed the case. In front of the Han Hai stronghold's fence, all that can be seen are rows of white, gleaming skeletons, carrying long bone spears, seemingly wandering around aimlessly.

Throughout the entire magical recording, only a few living people were briefly seen high above the sentry post. They didn't seem to be fully alive; they were acting furtively and stealthily.

Although Harold still had some doubts, he didn't care to delve deeper just to give an explanation to his superiors. After all, at this moment, the Green Pine Kingdom, despite its numerous gains, was already struggling to cope with its own problems.

It is surrounded by enemies on all sides!

On the northern front, the main force of Han Hai continued to advance southward, and had already prepared to launch a large-scale crossing of the Xinpo River. If it weren't for the Green Pine Guards repeatedly risking their lives to dismantle the pontoon bridges built by Han Hai four times, the natural barrier of the river would probably have already been breached by the enemy, and the flames of war would have spread to the Nanguan area.

On the southern front, the elven army is launching a fierce attack on Redwood Fortress, with longbows flying everywhere and arrows raining down.

In other words, Redwood Castle was a key stronghold that Greenpine had painstakingly built up over many years, and the Redwood Lord was one of the kingdom's top generals, which was why they barely managed to hold up the defenses.

However, the attrition of soldiers had reached an alarming level. According to Lord Redwood's tearful plea for help, if the fighting continued for another month or two, all the warriors of Redwood Territory would be wiped out.

To the southeast, Xi Yue's army was firmly blocked at the foot of Wangshan City.

A noob is always a noob. Xiyue has always been a stepping stone among the four central kingdoms. It may seem to have a large territory and population, but its reputation for being "good at internal wars but bad at external wars" is widespread. Not to mention anything else, just the fact that it couldn't conquer a Silver Duchy that mainly focused on trade back then shows how incompetent these guys are.

The most glorious achievement of the Xiyue Alliance army was probably the flood that was released on the Beilu River.

So despite the army's supposed 800,000 strength and the countless banners fluttering outside Wangshan City, the leaders of Green Pine were not too worried.

As for the Jinghu troops in the west...

Secretary of State for War Harold used an extremely insidious method: he abandoned large swathes of plains and retreated the Green Pine defense line all the way to the hilly and mountainous areas.

The force that came out of Mirror Lake this time was not the kingdom's regular army, but a combination of many mercenary groups. Maintaining discipline was a major challenge. Although Han Hai had conducted several rounds of emergency training, reforming these seasoned mercenaries was actually more difficult than training new recruits.

Getting them to march in a line, whether it's a straight line, an arc, or a wavy line, is already a remarkable achievement.

Now, with Green Pine's rapid retreat, such a large area of ​​fertile land and assets has suddenly been laid out before them, and the troops from Mirror Lake have inevitably become turbulent.

The officers of the Hanhai Army had to slow down, repeatedly reorganize their formation, and emphasize discipline.

However slow the advance may be, it is still moving forward day by day, and Green Pine has no choice but to frantically reinforce its defenses in preparation for the next round of battle.

Harold felt that the battlefield situation was still manageable, but looking back, Green Pine's economic situation was once again on the verge of collapse due to Han Hai's high-intensity shipments.

Even the support from the blue sky couldn't withstand such attrition.

However, the pine tree still wanted to grit its teeth and hold on.

All the battle reports indicate that the enemy is suffering enormous and unbearable losses. If we can hold out for a few more days, we might be able to witness the enemy's complete collapse and win the final victory in this war.

But every extra day that can be sustained requires a huge amount of money.

The financial situation of the Green Pine Kingdom has completely collapsed. Although the Azure Sky Holy City has done its best to provide support, it is still no match for the huge consumption at the front line.

Desperate to protect the Green Pine Kingdom, the Azure Sky Holy City had no choice but to bite the bullet and approach the Dwarf, hoping to borrow money to help the Green Pine Kingdom weather this crucial period.

The dwarf rejected the other party's suggestion without hesitation.

Are you kidding me? Dwarfs may be greedy, but they're not brain-dead.

When Green Pine was advancing triumphantly and winning battle after battle, they were willing to lend any amount of money. But now that Green Pine is being beaten up by a mob of Han Hai, the risk of lending them money is far too high.

The risk of losing the principal is too high; no amount of interest will do!

Even Ants Kimi, the special representative of the dwarfs, went to Chen Mo's side in person to bring up this matter to curry favor and express the dwarfs' goodwill towards Han Hai.

Then, Chen Mo uttered those earth-shattering words.

"Borrow it! Why not lend it!"

Chen Mo slammed the cup in his hand heavily on the table: "If it's inconvenient for you to borrow, then go through Wangyue Golden Pavilion. We can lend you the money, but the interest will definitely be a little higher."

"I think Green Pine can accept its current situation."

Ants Kimmy, who always considered himself exceptionally intelligent, felt his brain shut down. He opened his mouth, revealing his two front teeth, and stammered "Ahhh" for a long time, unable to find the words to say.

Could this Lord of the Vast Ocean have bet on his own defeat at an outside casino?

By the way, what were the odds for betting on Hanhai to lose? It was 1200 to 1, I think... Even if it's a draw, the odds are 200 to 1. Could they really be betting on that odds?
I need to quickly check with casinos in various locations to see if they accept large bets...

After a long, chaotic thought, Ants tugged at his hat, swallowed hard, and stammered, "Lord Chen, Lord Chen Mo, you, you want to lend money to, to Green Pine?"

"They...they're from an enemy country?!"

Ants Kimi emphasized the words "enemy country," but Chen Mo didn't care at all.

"You dwarfs, when you lend money, don't you always only care about whether there's a profit? You never care about allies or enemy countries."

"But, but..."

Ants scratched his head in frustration, "But they might not be able to pay back the money!"

Chen Mo smiled slightly, his expression calm: "That's for you. I'm not afraid they won't pay back the money, because Green Pine can't beat me!"

That's absolutely right.

Ant hesitated for a moment, then asked the question that had been bothering him: "Lord Chen Mo, you defeated Green Pine, so everything Green Pine owns should be yours, right? You could just take it directly, why..."

"I told you your logic is that of a robber!"

A hint of undisguised contempt flashed in Chen Mo's eyes: "I'm a man who values ​​rules above all else. I never take things by force. Look at Xiyue, they submit to me, what have I robbed them of? Ask the elves, they give me whatever they want, have I ever plundered them?"

"No, I even help them make money!"

"I firmly believe that justice exists in this world."

Chen Mo's voice was quite solemn, and his eyes seemed to gleam with a kind of idealistic light.

"Green Pine should compensate for the crimes committed against Han Hai; they need to repay the money I lent to Green Pine; these are two separate matters and should not be confused in principle!"

Ants Kimi was completely stunned.

Although it was difficult for his small mind to comprehend such bizarre logic, it seemed quite reasonable when considered in light of the lord's actions since his rise to power.

"So, you really want to lend money to Green Pine?" Ant asked again to confirm.

"Correct!"

Chen Mo nodded and said, "If you don't dare to borrow money from Wangyue Golden Pavilion, then I will borrow it for you."

"By the way, I like making friends. Since Green Pine is looking for you guys, why don't you act as an intermediary and earn some commission?"

After a moment's thought, Chen Mo set out his terms.

“You dwarfs will handle the procedures and formalities, with nine out of 13 returns. The principal and interest will all belong to me. You will take a 4% commission. Regardless of whether Green Pine can repay the money in the end, I, Hanhai, will pay you the commission. How about that?”

Ants Kimmy leaped down from the high seat and grabbed Chen Mo's knee.

"Great Lord of the Vast Ocean, wise Lord Chen Mo, the Dwarf Clan will always be your most loyal brothers!"

(End of this chapter)