Above the mage

Chapter 794 Foreign Forces (Part 3)

System reconstruction....

Gao De's expression remained calm and composed, but he secretly admired him in his heart.

All the functional departments in the Northern Territory were established one by one, but in fact, the framework of all departments was determined and built by him personally.

In the North, where the cult of personality is so pronounced, this is the first time someone has voluntarily proposed changing the departmental structure.

This requires not only a long-term, strategic vision, but also immense courage and determination.

Gaode does not dislike this kind of courage; in fact, it encourages it.

This mindset of breaking free from established frameworks and seeking practical change is an essential quality that the people of the North must possess in the rise of the North.

In fact, all the initial departmental systems in the North were built to adapt to the special circumstances of the early stages of its development.

At that time, resources were limited, manpower was scarce, and tasks were simple, so the only temporary solution was to combine functions and streamline the structure.

However, with the unification of the North, the territory has expanded explosively, the population has surged, and industries have been upgraded in succession. The outdated functional framework of most departments can no longer keep up with the speed of development in the North, and restructuring the system has become an inevitable trend.

The most typical example is that the tasks of departments are becoming more numerous and complex, requiring the addition of new departments.

The Public Security Bureau is a typical example of this.

The Sheriff's Office was established during a time when the North was not yet unified and Phoenix was rapidly expanding.

At that time, refugees from various tribes poured into the main city, and the gap between the old and new tribes was deep, leading to frequent conflicts.

In addition, there is rampant infiltration by spies from other ethnic groups.

In order to quickly stabilize the situation and prevent infiltration by foreign informants, Gaode established the first Public Security Bureau, setting it up as a composite agency combining grassroots policing and simplified counter-espionage.

At this time, the Public Security Bureau had to maintain public order in the city, mediate civil disputes, and also undertake basic intelligence investigation and personnel control.

This hybrid structure suited the situation back then, but it is completely unable to support the current size of the North.

The outdated, complex functional structure has directly led to confusion regarding authority and responsibility:

Urban security, civilian control, and intelligence gathering were all mixed together, resulting in a highly dispersed workforce.

They try to manage everything, but they don't manage anything well.

Routine security lapses occur frequently, and other tasks are even more beyond our capabilities.

Furthermore, the North now has many important locations that require a high-intensity, professional dedicated security force to guard them.

The security and defense work in such strategically important areas is essentially a matter of military affairs, and is by no means the responsibility of grassroots public security police.

However, since there is no regular army in the North, all these tasks are temporarily attached to the Sheriff's Office.

What's heartbreaking and unbelievable is that, despite the current level of development in the North, it still hasn't established any official, formal army.

"You're right, the Public Security Bureau does indeed have many problems right now, and a systemic restructuring is imperative."

"I already have a plan for the reform in mind. I will give a brief overview at the meeting and then refine the details later."

"First, expand the police force and personnel, recruit more grassroots police officers at different levels, create outstanding law enforcement officers, subdivide departments, and separate overlapping powers and responsibilities."

"The original complex system of the Public Security Bureau, which had multiple functions, was split into two parallel directly subordinate departments: the Public Security System and the Intelligence and Counter-Espionage System."

Both are assessed independently, each with its own responsibilities, and are vertically subordinate to the city hall.

Gaode has refined the rules item by item.

"The public security system is responsible for maintaining secular order, grassroots governance, and law enforcement in the entire northern region."

"Village-level police stations have been set up in remote tribes and scattered settlements to fill the gaps in the control of remote areas."

"At the same time, we will establish a separate extraordinary law enforcement authority and responsibility, set up an extraordinary inspection team, recruit sorcerers as full-time personnel, and specifically handle extraordinary cases that ordinary police officers cannot handle, distinguishing between secular and extraordinary security, and eliminating blind spots in law enforcement..."

"6

"The intelligence and counter-espionage system is completely independent, separated from all civilian policing work, and follows a professional approach."

""

Gao De paused, then wrote the four weighty characters "Full Territory Household Registration" on the parchment: "The idea of ​​the Northern Border Security Intelligence File is good, but it could be even bolder and more radical..."

"Combining the census data with the data storage capabilities of the Heart of the North, the Bureau of Public Safety has taken the lead in implementing a household registration system for the North."

"This will be your most important task going forward."

"All indigenous people and talents introduced from outside the region will be registered in the household registration system with their real names, and their origin, tribe, place of residence, professional qualifications, family members and all other information will be recorded in detail."

"All cross-city migration and cross-regional employment must be reported in advance and the files must be updated in real time."

"Once this household registration system is implemented, it will enable people to be identified, their movements to be traced, those who are hiding to be caught, and their identities to be verified."

"To nip espionage in the bud at its source, and at the same time provide precise data support for livelihood projects such as talent recruitment and allocation for industries in the North."

"Once the system is in place, there must be clear rules and regulations to ensure its effectiveness."

Gao De reiterated, "Immediately take the lead in compiling the 'Northern Border Security Management Regulations' and the 'Northern Border Extraordinary Security Management Regulations'."

"The former governs the secular order throughout the territory, clearly defining routine illegal matters such as urban disputes, civil brawls, embezzlement, street security, and grassroots violations."

""

The latter explicitly defines the boundaries of legal spellcasting, qualifications for trading magical materials, and other extraordinary control rules.

'

Gao De spoke slowly and deliberately, as he was also organizing his thoughts as he spoke, combining modern advanced governance concepts with the actual situation in the North.

Catherine, on the other hand, had already started taking notes quickly, afraid of missing anything.

After outlining the general new system and regulations for the Public Security Bureau, Gao De reviewed it in his mind to confirm that it was currently a closed loop without any omissions. He then asked for everyone's opinions, pooling their wisdom to see if there was anything to add.

With the direction of the Public Security Bureau's restructuring finalized, the atmosphere at the meeting eased slightly, but Catherine's tightly furrowed brows remained unchanged.

"Your Highness, I have another urgent intelligence to report to you."

Another surprise?

Gao De looked at Catherine, signaling her to continue.

"Two days ago, Cang Lan discovered a group of foreign mercenary mages acting suspiciously on the edge of the farm, with ill intentions, and sent us a warning signal."

"We immediately activated the encirclement and capture plan, and all personnel were dispatched to capture this group of foreign mercenaries. None of them escaped. We then conducted multiple rounds of interrogation and verification."

It wasn't a pleasant surprise, it was more like a shock... Gao De raised an eyebrow, his expression becoming more serious.

"What were the results of the subsequent interrogation?" he asked in a deep voice.

Catherine did not recount the details in public, but instead stood up and handed a sealed document to Gao De.

Even though everyone present was a core member of the city hall, Catherine felt it was inappropriate to spread the information on Gaode Maps before it was permitted to do so and before a resolution was finalized, since the matter involved foreign forces.

Gao De opened the document and read its contents word by word.

His originally peaceful expression gradually became serious and solemn as the content progressed.

A deep sense of vigilance and seriousness appeared in his eyes.

The document contained a complete and detailed intelligence report compiled by Catherine after multiple rounds of interrogation and cross-verification.

These mercenary mages are from the Black Goblin Mercenary Group.

This is a long-established mercenary group that mainly operates within the Empire, and its leader is Korwin.

Nearly six months ago, a mysterious employer suddenly contacted Corwin.

He offered an astronomical sum that would allow the core members of the group to achieve lifelong financial freedom, commissioning the Black Gob mercenary group to cross the perilous Erwinaya and venture deep into the heart of the northern frozen tundra.

The objective is simple: not to limit ourselves to a single goal, but to conduct a comprehensive and indiscriminate investigation of the true state of affairs across the entire northern region.

All core intelligence, including the population size, extraordinary combat power, and current situation of the Northern Territory, was gathered and brought back.

The Irwinayas are a natural barrier, fraught with danger.

Korwin was well aware of the perilous journey and initially intended to refuse the commission outright.

However, the reward offered by the other party was too terrifying, enough to ensure that all the mercenary mages who participated would never have to fight again and could enjoy wealth and glory for the rest of their lives.

Moreover, mercenary mages are inherently people who live on the edge and have a strong sense of adventure.

The enormous profits were incredibly tempting, and after weighing the pros and cons repeatedly, Corwin ultimately succumbed to the allure of the potential gains.

He selected thirty-seven of the strongest elite mage mercenaries in the group, equipped them with provisions, and embarked on a perilous expedition, traversing natural barriers.

Even with thorough preparations and top-notch protective gear, the dangers of the Irwin Raya Gorge still far exceeded expectations.

After trekking through perilous terrain, this elite team suffered the loss of twenty-four members, with more than half of the team perishing. Only fourteen survivors managed to cross the treacherous terrain and enter the northern borderlands.

Then, at the edge of the farm, this group of mercenary mages, who were overjoyed, were all captured by Catherine's team.

That's all the information we have.

The most troublesome thing is that all the captured mercenary mages know very little about the specifics.

They only knew the contents of the commission and the exorbitant fee, but were completely unaware of the true identity of the employer behind the scenes, the deeper purpose of exploring the North, or the follow-up plans.

Catherine immediately reported the situation to Elsa.

However, Sunafa was in seclusion and Gaode was away and had not returned. This matter was also extremely complicated, so Elsa dared not make a judgment or take any rash action.

She could only temporarily shelve the clues, stabilize the situation, and wait for the two people in charge to make a decision.

After reading the entire document, Gao De slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, his expression becoming completely serious: "It seems we're about to get into trouble."

Although these mercenary mages did not know who their employer was, Gao De, as a Sea Sentinel mage, was familiar with the Imperial military and political system.

He knew the empire's principles of external expansion and the rules of legion operation, and was extremely familiar with the other side's tactics of aggression.

At this moment, combining all the clues, a precise lock was made in an instant, leaving no suspense whatsoever.

First of all, the exorbitant reward, enough to support an elite mercenary group for life, is something that ordinary merchants, civilian forces, and minor nobles cannot afford.

Secondly, the commissioned missions were not assassinations, robberies, or targeted sabotage, but rather comprehensive reconnaissance and intelligence gathering.

This is a standard strategic preparatory action before a campaign, something only a power at the national level would take.

Private organizations would never spend huge sums of money on such strategic reconnaissance that yields no immediate benefits.

Finally, the Black Goblin mercenary group had been entrenched within the Holy Empire for many years.

Three clues overlapped, and the target was precisely locked in.

The official forces of the Holy Empire.

Could it be one of the Empire's legions?

Gao De made this guess because the Holy Empire's legion system was extremely unique.

Each of their legions is highly independent and the competitive atmosphere is extremely intense.

The empire's major war legions are independent of each other and fight their own battles. Their core path to advancement is to expand their territory and gain military merits. All of them are warlike and bloodthirsty.

Legions assigned by central military orders only need to carry out their missions according to regulations.

Meanwhile, idle main combat legions that are not currently under official military orders may even proactively seek out targets for conquest, explore weak territories, and select forces that can be conquered.

Once a target is identified, an expedition request can be submitted to the Imperial Central Command at will.

Once approved, one can lead troops into battle, plunder land, and accumulate merits.

That's how warlike nations came to be.

The thought of the Imperial Legion's immense power gave Gao De a headache.

The Irwinaya Mountains were an insurmountable barrier, blocking the empire.

But as long as the benefits are sufficient and the will to conquer is firm, the imperial legions will always find a way to cross natural barriers and reach the city gates.

"Your Highness, the entire mercenary team was captured without exception. They are all under our control and none of them escaped," Catherine reported in a deep voice, her tone tinged with relief.

"Even if we catch them, it won't help... they'll still expose us." Gao De was perfectly clear-headed.

"The mercenary group they chose must have been carefully analyzed."

"Even if the journey across the treacherous terrain results in heavy losses, logically, several members of this mercenary group should be able to return and report on the mission's progress and the basic situation in the North."

"But now, an entire elite mercenary team of thirty-seven people has completely disappeared after venturing deep into the northern border, with no information coming back."

"The fact that everyone is out of contact is itself a key piece of intelligence."

"Originally, the other party was just making a vague attempt to probe and find out the truth, investigating with a try-it-out mentality."

"The current unusual outcome of everyone being out of contact will directly confirm their initial suspicions."

"It's just that the North has been isolated from the world for many years. Even though it is developing rapidly now, it is still following the path of accumulating grain and delaying the declaration of kingship."

"The fact that they kept such a low profile and stayed out of the outside world, yet were still targeted at this time, must mean that some hidden aspect of their operation was exposed."

Gaode could vaguely sense that something was wrong, but it was difficult to pinpoint exactly where it was.

He slowly raised his eyes, his tone low and solemn: "We still have time, but time is running out."

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"Under normal circumstances, it takes six months to a year for mercenaries to conduct cross-border reconnaissance, gather intelligence, return to review their findings, and submit reports."

"Within a year, the other party will simply assume the mission is proceeding normally, remain on the sidelines, and not take any rash actions."

If this time is exceeded, the other party will be able to confirm that the mercenary group has encountered an unexpected situation in the North and will not be returning.

Of course, it's impossible for them to make any big moves just because of this.

However, it can be inferred that there is a high probability of an unusual situation in the North.

The mysterious employer hiding behind the scenes will certainly not give up and will take action again.

The next force to descend upon the Northern Territory will likely not be scattered civilian mercenary groups, but rather the Imperial Legion's exclusive scout squads and elite advance teams.

"The general trend cannot be stopped or changed, but we can seize this time to make full preparations so that when they come again, we can wipe them out once more. This way, we can at least buy the North another six months or even a year."