Chapter 299- Releasing Military Control with a Glass of Wine
Translator: TeamTWO
Editor: Jun
Gaia first year 12th month 15th day, Shanhai County.
The 23 military lords in the western region of the Lianzhou Basin all gathered in Shanhai County for a meeting.
None of them dared to miss it.
Ouyang Shuo personally received every one of them.
The meeting location was arranged to be the main hall.
As it was a meeting between lords, Ouyang Shuo didn't arrange Fan Zhongyan to receive them.
The many lord territories were basically hovering around grade 3 town, and only a few of them managed to upgrade to a grade 1 city. Seeing the vibrancy and brilliance of Shanhai County, they were shocked.
When they walked into the Lianzhou Lord's Manor and saw such a majestic residence, they felt even more demoralized. Compared to the Lianzhou Lord's Manor, their manor was a broken thatched cottage.
This was when they truly felt the gap between their territories and Shanhai territory.
For many of them, this was the first time they walked out of their own territory. When they were inside, they felt like a king and were arrogant. They were thinking so what if Shanhai County upgraded to prefecture, they are both lords, how different could it be?
Seeing the prosperity of the city, now they finally knew that they were frogs in a well.
The main hall was already neatly arranged with maidservants bringing tea and fruits.
After the Lianzhou Lord's Manor expanded, under the instructions of Ouyang Shuo, Zisu hired another batch of maidservants to ensure that the manor ran normally.
The huge Lord's Manor needed 10 people to just clean it.
As he didn't want the atmosphere to be too formal, he invited troupes to dance and sing.
Truthfully, this was also the first time Ouyang Shuo saw such performances, and they were actually beautiful and captivating.
Such a scene had made all the lords stunned; this was the real life of a lord, their small land was nothing compared to this.
Ouyang Shuo sat on the lord's seat and raised his wine glass, looking around and smiling. "All of you came from afar, so sorry if I didn't welcome all of you well. Here's to all of you!"
Everyone raised up the wine glasses in their hands.
No matter what everyone thought in their heart, the place was noisy and warm.
Along with the performances, the lords all started chatting. They had so much fun that they forgot the reason why they came, like they were just here for a banquet.
Ouyang Shuo walked around the main hall and talked to each one of the lords.
Some of them treated him warmly, while some were cold.
Unknowingly, an hour had passed.
Seeing that it was about time, he waved the troupe to stop performing and the hall became silent. Luckily, one couldn't get drunk in the game. If not, it wouldn't have been easy to calm down the atmosphere.
The lords all felt a shiver in their hearts, knowing that the real show was about to begin.
Ouyang Shuo sat back and looked around. "I invited all of you here, apart from getting to know one another, to plan for the future of Lianzhou Basin."
Some rash lords immediately said, "For what purpose have you invited us here for? You can just directly tell us; there's no need to be around the bush." His words lacked politeness and respect.
"Ok, then I'll speak directly. Shanhai Territory set up the Tianfeng House, and naturally, it can't be removed. The problem between Tianfeng House and your territories can be solved only if you agree a few conditions. I promise that your territories will be untouched until it falls under the territory of Shanhai Territory."
The lords shivered. The line that Ouyang Shuo drew for them made them really uncomfortable.
"Haha the Lianzhou marquis really knows how to joke. With the speed of Shanhai Territory, it will be sooner rather than later when we are taken over. So whatever you suggest won't solve the root problem."
"That's right!" someone agreed, "What's the point with a moment of peace? We aren't ostriches who pretend that everything is okay."
"But what if I can promise benefits for you after your territory is conquered?"
"If our territories are conquered by you, what benefits will there be?"
"How can you ensure our interests?"
In a moment, the main hall was in an uproar.
Everyone had their say and threw out their displeasure, everyone got very emotional.
"Everyone quiet down and listen to me." He waited for the hall to be silent before saying, "Why not wait until I say my idea before you decide, okay?"
"Ok then tell us; how you can promise that we get benefits?"
Seeing that their fate of being conquered couldn't be changed, some smart lords started to request for profits and benefits, and didn't make noise for no reason.
Ouyang Shuo nodded, "Everyone plays Earth Online for two reasons. One is they like the game and enjoy it; the second is that they want to gain something, and in the second evaluation by Gaia raise their permission level. Am I right to say that?"
"That's right, but when our territory is conquered, everything will be wasted. What achievement value is there to speak of?"
"That's right!"
"Wrong." Ouyang Shuo resolutely shook his head.
"Wrong?"
"Yes you are wrong about that. The evaluation for achievement value is not based solely on territory. The Chinese region has over 10 thousand lords. In the end, how many of them can survive? Those who get conquered or destroyed, are they really going to get 0 achievement value? Definitely not. The achievement value is based on territory, wealth, occupation level and the like. Hence even if your territory is conquered, it doesn't mean you lose everything."
All the lords basically agreed with what Ouyang Shuo had said.
"Lianzhou Marquis, speak! What will you promise?" One of the lords called Xiaomi said.
She was one of the few female lords.
"Ok." Ouyang Shuo nodded. "As long as you agree to my conditions, I promise that after I conquer your territory I'll allow you to live in Shanhai Territory. Apart from that, all your fortune you've gained till now will be your personal assets. With that, you can use this money to either develop in the imperial city or be merchants in Shanhai Territory. It's all your own choice."
"Speaking the truth, I believe all of you know that running a territory is risky, and the war between lords is very cruel. Out of hundreds of lords, only a few can survive. Hence, why not become merchants? You can earn large profits."
After Ouyang Shuo finished, the main hall was totally silent.
What he needed to say, he had already said. He had taken out enough sincerity, what was left was to see what decision they would make.
"Can you clearly state your conditions?" Xiaomi asked.
Ouyang Shuo nodded and smiled. "Of course. Actually it's simple, I have two conditions. Firstly, your armies will be reorganized by Shanhai County, and you can't recruit new soldiers. The defenses of the region will be under the 1st division. Secondly, your organization structure would follow Shanhai territory's standard. Of course, we won't interfere with whomever you appoint. The two points above will be in place until your territories are conquered. After it's conquered, you all can either live in Shanhai County or other places."
"Lianzhou Marquis, don't you think you are bullying us?" After hearing his terms, some people were unhappy.
"That's right, we aren't that weak, and you can't just do anything you want with us."
"And also, how can you ensure that you'll keep your promise?"
"If you don't believe me, we can sign a contract." Ouyang Shuo answered.
"That's the best!"
"How's that good, a bunch of soft eggs with no backbone."
"You!" Being insulted like that, the lord was furious.
Ouyang Shuo focused. He found out the guy who had insulted the other lord had been trying to stir things up like he was bent on creating problems.
His face instantly became cold, looking toward him. "I don't care if you are under orders from others, or you are doing it yourself. I now officially tell you that your territory won't be protected by us. Wait to be conquered!"
"You!" That guy's face turned red like he was stabbed.
"Men!"
"Please make this lord leave Shanhai Territory." Ouyang Shuo pointed to that guy.
"Yes, my lord!" The guards carried out the lord whose face was now ashen white. He didn't expect that Ouyang Shuo would be angry so quickly and not give him a chance.
Ouyang Shuo was actually considered magnanimous, allowing him to leave through the teleportation formation. If not, he would be wandering in the wilderness.
"Qiyue Wuyi, don't be too arrogant. There will be people taking care of you." That lord said viciously before he left, venting his frustration.
Ouyang Shuo didn't even look at him and instead looked at the other lords. "Have you all decided?"
That act of killing one to make the rest fear you worked on the other lords.
The lords all agreed to sign the contract.
After signing, they all say goodbye and left.
Ouyang Shuo immediately used the Feng Bird to give the orders to Shi Wanshui to bring the 1st division to bring the soldiers from the territories to Shanhai County.
As for that lord, they directly conquered his territory and the prisoners were naturally sent back to Shanhai County.
It was calculated that the 23 territories had a total of 12500 men. Of course, their combat power was weak and were using the equipment from the class change.
For the new army, apart from the missing members in the 3 divisions, the rest were sent to the new City Protection Division, speeding up the building process.
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Chapter 300- Useless People
Translator: TeamTWO
Editor: Jun
The contract that Ouyang Shuo signed with the various lords were quickly exposed on the forums.
Naturally, on the forums, it was a bloodbath.
Adventure mode players were there for the fun while lord gamemode players were there to learn new tricks.
Upon seeing the details of the contract, light bulbs lit up in their heads. They extracted the essence of it and copied.
The contract that Ouyang Shuo had made that focused on peace was termed by lord players as the Lianzhou model, and instantly swept through the Chinese region.
The Lianzhou model's meaning totally destroyed the current territories who were not doing anything. From the current military methods to using military with the addition of administrative and diplomatic elements. The three elements would push the current wars to a new level.
If one wanted to pinpoint it, it would be the same as farming population.
And to succeed using the Lianzhou model, one needed to fulfill two criterias.
Firstly, without a strong military everything else was useless.
Secondly, one must keep a firm grip on the territories that signed the contract; if not, they might fight back.
Even so, there were many territories which fulfilled the conditions. The ones included were not limited to the Yanhuang Alliance and Shanhai Alliance. As long as one was in the top 100, they had the ability.
All of the sudden, the big lords were grinding their knives while the smaller lords cowered in fear.
The Lianzhou model signified that the territorial war was entering its second phase: the big fish eating the small fish. The precious little shrimps had all died out and were extinct.
Ouyang Shuo, the butterfly that had traveled through time, had once again caused another storm. The territory warfare starting early had once again pushed the game toward an unknown progression.
As the strategy worked in the west, Ouyang Shuo started to turn his attention to the east.
The situation in the east was more complicated because of the presence of Broken Blade County. Hence, their influence and control of the east wasn't as strong as it was in the west.
Even so, Ouyang Shuo didn't give up.
He sent the same invitation over to the 25 territories in the east.
Even Ba Dao in Broken Blade County had received his invitation.
When Ba Dao received the invitation from the messenger, he was furious, immediately tearing the invitation apart. "Qiyue Wuyi, I'm not done with you!"
Ouyang Shuo definitely didn't expect Ba Dao to come, but he did it just for fun. When he thought about the expression Ba Dao would have when he received it, he felt delighted.
Although he didn't want to touch Broken Blade County, this chess piece, Ouyang Shuo also wouldn't let it develop as it wished. He wanted to stop it and cut off its wings, destroying its surrounding barriers.
As Broken Blade County didn't come, the effects of the 2nd banquet weren't as good as the 1st.
Out of the 25 lords, only 19 attended; the remaining 6 formed a small group with Ba Dao as the core, determined to compete with Shanhai City until the end.
On the surface, Ouyang Shuo's expression didn't change, signing the contract with the 19 lords and sending the 3rd division to reorganize the troops.
After the lords left, Ouyang Shuo coldly laughed. "Useless people!"
On the same day, the 2nd division, which was at the city north camp received Ouyang Shuo's orders to destroy the 5 territories other than Broken Blade County.
Those that follow me will prosper, while the others will perish.
When Luo Shixin received the orders, he immediately rallied the troops.
As this was a long distance sneak attack, Luo Shixin left the 1st and 2nd regiment to defend the camp, while he led the rest along the Qiushui river and cutting in from the east of the Lianzhou Basin.
Before leaving, Lin Yi and Sun Tengjiao both came into Luo Shixin's tent.
"Major General, don't. We don't have wars to fight often, so don't leave our second regiment here."
"That's right, the 1st regiment also wants to join in."
"Nonsense!" Luo Shixin had already established prestige in the 2nd regiment and thinking about it, he felt that he should still explain. "In this mission, the marquis wants it to be fast and accurate. You are heavy armored cavalry and aren't suitable."
"Although we are heavy armored cavalry, we aren't slower than the light armored cavalry."
"Yes, such extra weight is nothing to the Qingfu horses."
"No!" Luo Shixin rejected it once again. "If we all leave, who will defend the camp? The nomads on the north side are staring at us. We can't let our guards down."
"Ok!" Lin Yi knew the importance and replied.
"Don't be so draggy. Following the marquis. Do you think there won't be any wars?" Luo Shixin walked out of the camp, gathering the troops and got ready to leave.
The 2nd division rushed out, reaching their destination the same afternoon.
Seeing that it was still early, Luo Shixin decided that they didn't need to wait until tomorrow to start their attack.
Eight thousand cavalry were like a whirlwind and swept across. Before the enemy could react, they had already entered the Lord's Manor and conquered it.
In less than two hours, they had taken down 3 territories.
The last two territories were closer to Broken Blade County and had already heard the news, requesting for help.
The two lords were regretful. They shouldn't have been greedy and been tempted by Ba Dao. Now, they didn't get anything and their whole city was going to be lost.
When Ba Dao received the call for help, he was conflicted.
If he saved them, with the one division strength of Broken Blade County, he really didn't have confidence to fight against the 8,000 elite of Shanhai City.
If he didn't save them, he would lose peoples' trust. Most importantly, the moment both of them were gone, Broken Blade County would be a solo city.
As he was confident that Shanhai City wouldn't do anything to him, Ba Dao didn't make preparations for an all out war with Shanhai City. He also didn't seek help from Yanhuang Alliance.
As the thing had already happened, it was already too late to ask for help. War wasn't a child's game.
Finally, he hardened his heart: losing friends was better than he himself dying, the two of them had it coming!
At this point, Luo Shixin had totally enclosed the two territories and was purposely not attacking to try to bait Ba Dao to come help.
Although the marquis sent the order not to enter the territory of Broken Blade County, if Ba Dao came over to help, destroying them wouldn't be going against orders.
Unfortunately, he had overestimated Ba Dao.
Half an hour passed and there was no movement within the city walls. Luo Shixin rode on the horse and laughed, shaking his head in disappointment. "What a coward." He waved his hands and ordered the troops to attack.
The two lords within the city scolded out, as they were crushed.
Hence, in the entire Lianzhou Basin, there was only Broken Blade County left.
Ouyang Shuo was one big step closer to conquering the whole of Lianzhou Basin.
Holding hatred toward Ba Dao, both of them revived inside the Dali Reincarnation Hall.
They were fuming as they walked out. "Ba Dao, that thing actually left us to die. We trusted him so much."
"And also Yanhuang Alliance, dog sh*t. A bunch of rubbish actually scared of Qiyue Wuyi."
"I'm going to expose them on the forums, if I don't ruin his reputation I'm not a human!"
"Even if I don't act, Ba Dao wouldn't last for long, Qiyue Wuyi will destroy him."
"I don't care; I have to do something to vent my anger!"
"You're right. Let's go on the forums and rant!"
A ruckus was started just like that.
Their posts attracted a bunch of mocking and didn't stir any waves.
"Heh, throwing eggs at stone, you deserve it!"
"Which bird is Ba Dao? I don't know him!"
"Ba Dao? Xiang Ba? I can't tell the difference..."
"Two fools, getting played and still want to throw their face on the forums!"
"I'm feeling anxious for their intelligence!!"
"Anyone who goes against brother Wuyi is a bad person!"
"To be a good person you need to know your limits!"
"You can be a lord with such intelligence? Go home and raise your kids!!"
……
Looking at the comments on the forums, the two ex-lords vomited blood and had no face to live anymore. They could only live in secret in Dali and not reveal themselves until the game ended.
After the battle, Luo Shixin captured the prisoners and sent them back to Shanhai City.
As it was already dark, they could only return back the next day.
On the other hand, the 19 lords that cooperated with the 3rd division had heard about what happened to the five territories. They felt delighted that they weren't greedy and hadn't accepted Ba Dao's invitation.
Ouyang Shuo's lightning quick actions had left a deep impression on the lords, and they didn't dare to do anything funny.
The next day, under the orders of Baiqi, the city east camp moved to the border of Broken Blade County and made use of the 5 conquered territories to build a defence line to monitor the every move of the enemy.
Seeing the enemy set up camp right in front of him, he was furious.
In the east region, including the prisoners captured, there were a total of 13,200 men. All of the soldiers not only filled up the 3 divisions and the City Protection Division, there was an extra 10 thousand.
Under Baiqi's suggestion, Ouyang Shuo sent the order to direct the extra troops to the city protection squad of each city.
The prefecture grade governed area had a Garrison Division; the House grade governed area would have a city protection regiment; the city grade area would have a city protection unit.
The city protection squads would be under the Military Affairs Department, but the grain and salary would be from the respective territory's finances. The newly built City Protection Division would belong to the Shanhai House city protection squad, and Shanhai City would be in charge of its grain and salary.
Based on the organization, Tianfeng House and Beihai City each had a city protection regiment. Yishui, Gushan, Yongye, and Guangshui cities would each have a city protection unit.
After filling up the various city protection squads, the remaining 3000 would be reserve forces.
The reserve forces which were originally recruited were now really reserves. They only needed to join the city defence squad trainings and didn't need to move into the camp.
Do consider giving us a if you are enjoying TWO! Like last month, we will be releasing 8 bonus chapters if we come first!
Know how to map and want to earn some prize money and a chance to read more? click to find out how! Send submissions to !
Check out the other novel that Nora edits, ! Its a bit of a different novel with an early time skip to where MC is strong. It draws from Chinese beliefs of Daoism and features many references to folklore creatures and the Chinese belief of the afterlife.