Gaia 1, February 24th, 5th day of the first month of the lunar calendar.
The moment Ouyang Shuo got online, he heard a system announcement.
"System Announcement: Congratulations to player Di Chen for becoming the second Leader of a Level 1 Town in China Region. Achievement Points awarded: 10,000!"
"System Announcement: Congratulations to player Di Chen for becoming the second Leader of a Level 1 Town in China Region. Achievement Points awarded: 10,000!"
"System Announcement: Congratulations to player Di Chen for becoming the second Leader of a Level 1 Town in China Region. Achievement Points awarded: 10,000!"
Ten days after Shanhai Town was upgraded, China Region finally had its second town. Di Chen once again proved his strength and defended his position as one of the Six Hegemons of Handan City. Even though the Six Hegemons of Handan City had become a thing of the past.
Without the restriction of the territory index, Handan City would no longer have any obstacles in advancing to a Level 2 Town. If Di Chen was more aggressive, he could advance to a Level 2 Town before Shanhai Town.
Of course, Ouyang Shuo would not disrupt the advancement of Shanhai Town just because of Di Chen. He continued to practice his Great Spear Stance and Eight Extremities Fist.
At 3pm, the head of the Military Intelligence Bureau, Buttface, walked into the Lord's Mansion to report to Ouyang Shuo.
Buttface said excitedly, "Sir, we have finally found the bandit camp."
"Good. Where is it? "Ouyang Shuo asked anxiously.
"Heh, Sir, you would never have guessed. The bandit camp that appeared this time is actually a water camp. It was built on the banks of the Friendship River. It took us a long time to find it. " Buttface had suffered a lot in order to find the bandit camp. The entire Military Intelligence Bureau was like a hunting dog. They had turned the entire territory upside down before they found it.
Ouyang Shuo's eyes lit up. "So, this is a group of water bandits. How big is it?"
"According to my investigation, the entire water camp is about one square kilometer. As for the number of water bandits, I have already arranged for people to investigate. The detailed information will have to wait for another two days. "Buttface said shamefully. Reporting incomplete information to the higher-ups was a taboo in intelligence work.
Ouyang Shuo frowned. Without detailed information, he could not make a judgment. Just based on the huge area, this water bandits had at most a thousand people. It was very likely to be a high-level camp. What puzzled him was why such a large group of pirates had never attacked Shanhai Town. With their strength, they had a good chance of winning if they launched a surprise attack.
"The Military Intelligence Division has failed in their duties this time. When I first established the Military Intelligence Department, I said that the mission of the Military Intelligence Department was to investigate the source of danger in advance and take precautions. Such a huge water stronghold, and you guys didn't even notice it before. To be honest, I'm very disappointed. "Ouyang Shuo said solemnly.
"This subordinate did not do his job well. Please punish me, Lord."
"He will definitely be punished, but not now. The number of pirates this time was unexpectedly large, and the threat to the territory was enormous. Therefore, it had to be removed as soon as possible. However, the North Sea Village's navy hasn't been fully formed yet. Fighting on the water is very disadvantageous to us. This is the time for the Military Intelligence Division to show off their skills. Thoroughly investigate the background of these pirates and find out why they are biding their time. Otherwise, we'll be in the dark and can only resign ourselves to death. " Of course, Ouyang Shuo knew what was important and what was not. This was the time for Buttface to take charge of the Military Intelligence Division.
Buttface nodded heavily and said loudly, "Thank you, Lord, for giving me and the Military Intelligence Division a chance to redeem themselves. I promise that if we don't obtain satisfactory information, I will bring my head to see you. "
"I'll wait for your good news. Go! Remember, you only have three days at most. " The reason why Ouyang Shuo set a deadline of three days was because the Military Intelligence Division's investigation this time was very likely to have alerted the water bandits. If they were given enough time to prepare, it would be even more difficult to win. He could not take that risk.
"Yes!"
After Buttface left, Ouyang Shuo summoned the three directors and announced that the territory would enter a state of first level alert. During the day, production outside the town would be reduced as much as possible. At night, a curfew would be imposed.
On the 26th of February, the information regarding the water bandits was reported to Ouyang Shuo. The Military Intelligence Division's intelligence personnel took the risk to infiltrate the water bandits from the Friendship River and obtain first-hand information. The entire water bandits had a total of more than 900 people, of which 500 were combatants, just enough to form a battalion. Among the combatants, there were 400 ordinary water bandits of Level-25 and 100 elite water bandits of Level-30.
The water bandits had a total of three chiefs: Chief Chief Black Dragon, Second Chief Water Snake, and Third Chief Pei Donglai. Among the three chiefs, the most special was Third Chief Pei Donglai. It was said that this Third Chief used to be a navy general who was rescued by Black Dragon after he was in trouble and brought back to the water bandits. Because he trained his troops well, he was promoted to Third Chief of the water bandits.
The reason why the water bandits had not attacked Shanhai Town was also discovered. It turned out that they had been having internal strife during this period of time. Second Chief Water Snake was dissatisfied with Pei Donglai's rapid rise and felt that it had infringed on his interests. The elders of the allied water bandits used the reason that Pei Donglai had once been a soldier and requested First Chief Black Dragon to expel him from the water bandits.
However, Pei Donglai was not without supporters. More than half of the ordinary water bandits were convinced by his training methods and stood firmly on Pei Donglai's side. Both sides were at loggerheads. Black Dragon tried many times to mediate, but to no avail. It looked like he could not suppress it any longer. Once the war began, how could he be in the mood to care about Shanhai Town?
After obtaining detailed information, Ouyang Shuo was extremely excited. He promoted that intelligence officer to deputy director of the Military Intelligence Division on the spot and rewarded him with five gold coins.
Ouyang Shuo realized that the key to uprooting the water bandits rested on Pei Donglai. However, how to carry it out was another difficult problem. He was deeply aware that he needed a military adviser.
Helpless, Ouyang Shuo called Fan Zhongyan to his office to listen to his opinion. No matter what, Fan Zhongyan had led troops into battle before.
After explaining the situation of the water bandits to Fan Zhongyan, Ouyang Shuo asked, "What good plan does Sir have?"
Fan Zhongyan pondered for a moment, then said, "Pei Donglai originally belonged to the imperial army and was innately incompatible with the water bandits. It was within expectations that things would develop to this point. Our Shanhai Town is a legal territory recognized by the imperial court and is of the same origin as the imperial army. If I were Pei Donglai, I would definitely choose Shanhai Town and abandon the water bandits. Thus, my lord can send someone to get in touch with Pei Donglai and express your intention to recruit him. If we can successfully instigate Pei Donglai to defect, then it will be a piece of cake to destroy the water bandits. "
Ouyang Shuo shook his head. "I'm afraid it won't be that simple. The leader of the water bandits, Black Dragon, saved Pei Donglai's life. How could he betray the water bandits so easily? Judging from the recent infighting, the reason why Pei Donglai was able to persist and not be chased out of the water bandits is largely due to Black Dragon's support. Thus, it won't be easy to instigate Pei Donglai to defect, at least not in a short period of time. "
Fan Zhongyan smiled mysteriously and said confidently, "My lord's words make sense. However, what if our correspondence with Pei Donglai ends up in Black Dragon's hands? With Black Dragon's suspicious nature, he definitely won't trust Pei Donglai as much as he does now. That way, our goal will be achieved. Pei Donglai will only have a path of survival if he completely defers to Shanhai Town. "
In truth, Ouyang Shuo was tempted by Fan Zhongyan's suggestion for a moment. However, when he thought of his maritime hegemony, he still shook his head resolutely and said painfully, "Sir's plan is indeed brilliant. Unfortunately, if we proceed with this plan, Pei Donglai will definitely be at odds with Shanhai Town. This is the last thing I want to see. I'm sure Sir also knows the importance of a naval commander to Shanhai Town. "
Fan Zhongyan smiled in gratification. "My lord is far-sighted and has the bearing of a king. Since that's the case, there's only one way to get the best of both worlds. "
"What is it?"
"Provoke the relationship between the water snake and Black Dragon. The water snake represents the older members of the water bandits and must be dissatisfied with Black Dragon's blindness in protecting the newcomer, Pei Donglai. If we can find an opportunity for the two sides to meet on the battlefield, then Shanhai Town can watch from the sidelines and reap the benefits. "
Ouyang Shuo nodded happily. "Sir must have a good plan. Please ask me!"
"My lord only needs to arrange for a capable spy to infiltrate the water bandits. Spread a rumor in the water bandits that the water snake is about to rebel and wants to replace Black Dragon. Once the rumor reaches Black Dragon's ears, with his suspicious nature and at this critical juncture, even if he feels that something is amiss, he will still choose to take the initiative to get rid of the water snake. Naturally, the water snake will not sit still and wait for death. He will definitely take advantage of the situation and rise up. A battle between the two sides is inevitable. "Fan Zhongyan calmly analyzed.
"In addition, in order to ensure the success of this plan, we need to do two things. First, remove the state of martial law in Shanhai Town and remove the vigilance of the water bandits so that they can fight with peace of mind. Second, continue to contact Pei Donglai and express his intention to recruit him. This way, Pei Donglai may choose to protect himself in the civil war and further weaken Black Dragon's strength. This will balance the power of the water snake and Black Dragon. "Fan Zhongyan's two additional measures, one internal and one external, worked together seamlessly.
Ouyang Shuo smiled and clapped his hands. "Sir's plan is brilliant. With this plan, the destruction of the water bandits is just around the corner. Also, I have to trouble you with one more thing. I'll let you write the letter to recruit Pei Donglai. "
"This subordinate will not shirk!"
After Fan Zhongyan left, Ouyang Shuo immediately summoned Buttface and the newly appointed Deputy Director-General, Leng Qian. He told them about the plan they had just discussed and said solemnly, "This time, whether we can succeed in one fell swoop depends on the Military Intelligence Department. The spy must be smart and reliable. "
Buttface and Leng Qian looked at each other and nodded.
Leng Qian stood up and said, "This time, I will infiltrate the water bandits personally. I will not let you down!"
"If so, I am very happy!" Ouyang Shuo nodded.
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