Chapter 644: The Eight Cities Alliance was forced out

"In the recent period, some of the bigger actions should be restrained, especially the dispute with Bozor, which must be treated correctly." Mansong took the opportunity to knock.

He needed someone to help him distract Bozor's attention and suppress this ambitious top general, but he did not want this struggle to surface and cause the Zhentarim to split.

There were signs of this before, and now the divine incarnation of the conspiracy lord Xirik has been killed, which is not a bad thing for him.

At least this will make the believers of the conspiracy lord restrain themselves. A group of believers of the god of conspiracy and strife do not hide in the gutter to secretly plot and calculate, but run out to fight with a group of tyranny lords openly. Don't you think it's a shame for your god?

"Teacher, don't worry, I will never do anything that will damage our dark intelligence network. This is our foundation. Everything we have is given by this network. If we lose it, we will lose everything." Ximanmeng promised solemnly.

This was not just a simple response, but his true words. In his mind, the Dark Intelligence Network had a supreme position, far above the gods. He believed that since he became the Lord of the Dark Castle, everything he did was for the expansion of the entire Zhentarim.

Mansong nodded with satisfaction and said, "It's best if you think so. Next, your main task is to find a way to drag General Gavin into our Dark Intelligence Network, and keep an eye on this place to prevent others from obtaining this fragment of the Godhead."

"It's easy to keep an eye on outsiders, but what about the three witches inside? There's no way to prevent that." Ximanmeng expressed his biggest concern.

"If those three witches had such great power, they would have dealt with the Godhead fragments when they were at their weakest, instead of dragging it out until now." Mansong's eyes were full of mockery. "With so many souls as support, even if those three witches did not fall into the nightmare created by the Godhead fragments, I am afraid they are still fighting desperately. It is only a matter of time before they are swallowed up. If they really have the ability to bring the Godhead fragments out from the depths of the swamp, we will save a lot of trouble."

"I understand." Ximanmeng instantly understood what Mansong really wanted to do. He asked him to keep an eye on not those who entered the Far Sea Swamp, but those who came out alive from it.

Compared to going deep into a mysterious divine land, those creatures carrying the Godhead fragments that have not been fully digested are easier to deal with. At least the fighting method remains within the scope of what they are good at and understand.

"You are worthy of being my most proud student. You have done a great job in the Dark Castle." Mansong gave Ximanmeng full affirmation and said, "As long as you can always put the interests of the Dark Intelligence Network first, you will never make mistakes. I hope you will continue to work hard."

"Thank you for the compliment, teacher." Ximanmeng bowed modestly, but when he stood up, Mansong's figure had disappeared.

He was accustomed to the teacher's unannounced departure, just like his unannounced arrival. He always liked to play some unexpected means, catch people off guard, and then get the first-hand intelligence he wanted, instead of others being ready to deal with him.

Ximanmeng did not teleport away immediately, his eyes flickered as he looked at the distant sea swamp, but his mind was obviously not here, but on the goblin border, the conqueror army and his young general.

Thinking about what impact and changes he would bring to this barren land since ancient times?

What means would the surrounding forces take to treat them?

The best guess is the Kingdom of Cormyr. Their attitude was very clear before the war, that is, to win over, to exchange small benefits for big benefits, to turn this young general into a powerful tool for the Kingdom of Cormyr to expand its territory. The two sides may hit it off.

The second is the merchants of Sembia. Although they have been jumping up and down before, trying to keep the conqueror army here forever.

Next, their attitude will not change 180 degrees, but at least there will be a change of more than 90 degrees, from the original destruction by any means to pressure and pull, and it is best to drag them into their merchant alliance system and assimilate them.

This is the usual method of those merchants. Since there is no way to destroy you, they can only make friends with you and let you become them.

The key is that this set is effective for walkers. After all, the huge interests involved are not something that ordinary people can refuse.

The most difficult to guess now is the city alliance of the Dragon Coast, because before this, they had never united, and were completely forced to be born by the passing conqueror army.

Not to mention that an outsider like Ximanmeng couldn't guess the final direction of the Dragon Coast City Alliance, even they themselves didn't know.

Normally, when the powerful dragon of the Conqueror Army was sent away from the Dragon Coast, it would be the moment for their city alliance to disband.

But who would have thought that this powerful dragon had just walked out of their doorstep and was ready to build a nest there, not ready to leave.

This news directly made the entire Persian Library explode.

Whether it was the leaders of the open city alliance or the dark alliance in secret, they all gathered together and held an emergency meeting overnight.

They argued so hard that their faces were red and they couldn't come up with an effective plan. They watched this incredible war remotely, and they still clearly remembered the shock and luck when they watched it.

Fortunately, they had no intention of going to war with the Conqueror Army from the beginning. Even if they formed a coalition, they only wanted to force them out of the Dragon Coast.

If a war really broke out, it would not be the monster army of the Goblin Border that would become cannon fodder for the Strategy Lady's Ascension War, but their Dragon Coast coalition.

Even if they were given a hundred more courage, they would not dare to run to the Goblin Border to question the Conqueror Army, which was at its peak, why they did not continue to migrate to the valley, but instead paved roads, built bridges, and built cities in the Goblin Border.

"It is an established fact that they have built a city in the Goblin wilderness. Even if they do not all stay in this new city, they will at least leave 5,000 to 10,000 people, more than half of whom are soldiers. Only with this size can they ensure that they can gain a foothold in the wilderness. According to their nature, they will definitely not be satisfied with this, but will continue to plunder people from outside to replenish themselves, and our Dragon Coast will bear the brunt. We must find a way to prevent this from happening."

"How to stop it?"

"First of all, we must ensure that we have enough advantages in military force. When the enemy is at the gate, we have enough resistance. It is difficult to do it with the strength of one city or one town alone. We have to rely on the union of cities like this time. Therefore, I suggest that our alliance should be more formalized and long-term. Only in this way can we deal with more powerful enemies, whether it is the current expedition. The army of the conquerors, or the alliance of the Kingdom of Cormyr and Sembia on the opposite side. "

"I support this proposal. We should have done this long ago. We have been suppressed by the Kingdom of Cormyr and the Kingdom of Sembia for so many years because our cities have been independent and have not been able to unite effectively. Now that we have united this time, why should we separate?"

"I also agree with this proposal. The situation we are facing now is different from the past. If we continue to disperse like this, not only our city, but also the entire Dragon Coast will be swallowed up."

"Although this proposal is good, a snake cannot survive without a head. Who should we respect as our leader?"

"Is there any need to ask this? Of course, it is Sir Siegel, the mayor of West Gate City. He is the most qualified to be our leader. His West Gate City is the most famous, richest, and largest city in our Dragon Coast."

"I don't agree with this opinion , the geographical location of Ximen City means that they are less threatened. If he is appointed as the leader of the alliance, I am afraid that he will not pay enough attention to the enemy. I think it is more appropriate for Ms. Leonara of the city of Persku, which is at the forefront, to take the position, because only in this way can we use all our strength to fight against the threat from the north. "

"It's ridiculous. Have you seen a few cities that put their cores at the border? Once the enemy launches a large-scale siege, what should we do if this city falls? Wouldn't we immediately fall into a state of headlessness? It is a wise choice to put the ruling core in a safe rear area. Moreover, we are going to form an alliance, a whole. What we want is to use collective strength to protect the safety of a city. We can no longer think in a way that each of us can do things independently. After the alliance is formed, we must organize a regular army to be stationed in Persku to assist the city lord Leonara in defense. "

"Words Although I said that, but... "

"Okay, stop arguing. The alliance has not been confirmed yet, and you are arguing about the leader issue. Let's put this issue aside for now. Let's continue with the previous issue. We will continue this topic after reaching a consensus on other things."

"This issue cannot be put aside and must be dealt with now. Because the alliance has been confirmed, our next solution will be different from the original one. Whether it is the rule of the residents, the formation of the army, or the attitude towards the city of Avanso, we cannot simply and rudely exclude them from the outside, but actively win them over and let them join our collective, rather than being a nail nailed to our Dragon Coast by the conqueror army. I believe that in this world, no one is willing to be a vassal of others, even if they had to do so before. Now that they have the opportunity to be independent, they will definitely make new choices. "

"Although this idea is a bit wishful thinking, it is indeed necessary to try it. Once successful, it will indeed eliminate a major internal hidden danger. "

"Establishing an alliance is not a trivial matter. I think we should think deeply, reach an agreement, and listen to other people's opinions. Why don't we stop here today, go back and discuss carefully, unify the opinions of each city, and then hold a special meeting on this issue? "

"I agree."

"I agree too."

"Then adjourn the meeting."

Under the high pressure brought by the conqueror's army, the cities of the Dragon Coast had to make a new round of adjustments and changes. They realized that with the successful ascension of the Lady of Strategy, the war situation in the entire Faerun has undergone new changes.

If they continue to fight alone as before, it won't take long for the Dragon Coast to become food in the mouths of other dragons, and will be divided and digested bit by bit.

Only when the cities unite to form a closer alliance, under the same voice, and combine the power of all cities for their own use, that is the most correct choice.

But the special nature of the Dragon Coast is destined that the real decision is not made by these city lords and mayors in the open, but by the dark alliance that manipulates everything in secret.

This is exactly what the Dark Mask, the ruler behind the scenes of Ximen City, dreams of doing. Naturally, he actively promotes this matter behind the scenes. He uses all means, including luring, buying, intimidating, threatening, assassinating, supporting, etc. He soon won a group of supporters in the Dark Alliance and became the majority here.

When a unified voice appeared on the side of the Dark Alliance, the opinions of the city lords on the surface naturally unified.

They have very efficiently determined the ruling status of Ximen City in the Dragon Coast, but the ruling model they adopted is not the monarchy model of the Kingdom of Cormier, but the tycoon regime of Sambia. The major cities are still ruled by the major cities and have a high degree of autonomy, but when the Dragon Coast faces external threats, they will respond to the call of Ximen City as soon as possible and organize to fight the enemy together.

In order to guard the national gate, all cities will pay a portion of military expenses and manpower in proportion, organize an alliance army, and station in Persian Ku City. This army will directly pledge allegiance to the general commander of the alliance.

In order to facilitate management, they determined the plan of making all major cities the core of regional governance, that is, all major cities have the right to rule over the surrounding towns, and this right is recognized and protected by the Dragon Coast Alliance.

Cities that were originally not interested in joining the Dragon Coast Alliance immediately joined it when they heard about the introduction of this bill, even though they did not belong to the Dragon Coast geographically.

Because the current situation is very obvious, if they continue to be isolated, they are likely to become the target of the Dragon Coast Alliance. As long as they are a complete force, they will be aggressive, not to mention that the Dragon Coast Alliance is manipulated by a dark alliance behind the scenes.

Even Afonso, who was supported by the Conqueror Army, was included in this alliance.

Because they found that continuing to shield Afonso from the outside would only push them completely into the arms of the Conqueror Army, but they did not dare to use force against Afonso, after all, the Conqueror Army is now also in a double-team situation against the Dragon Coast Alliance.

To the north is the City of Faith, which is undergoing construction.

To the south, there is the Colossus City (Dwarf Statue City, many people prefer this abbreviation) where the kobolds are entrenched, the Blood Gorge City of the hobgoblins, and Dalauma in Tethyr in the distance.

To the east is the Strategic Battle Fortress, where the first elect of the Lady of Strategy, Catherine, is entrenched. Although she has not established a huge force there, no one can ignore her existence and her growing influence, especially in terms of war.

Therefore, if the city of Avanso can be included in the alliance, it would be best if it can be divided. Even if there is no way to divide it, it is under its own supervision.

The city of Avanso did not refuse the olive branch extended by the Dragon Coast Alliance, but instead readily agreed and actively cooperated, with the attitude of a law-abiding citizen of the Dragon Coast. Even when dealing with the solution of the Conqueror Army, it did not show obvious political inclinations, and handled it impartially, completely for the overall interests of the Dragon Coast Alliance.

But everyone knows that the tendency of Afasso City is just a superficial manifestation, so what is going on in front of them is all on the surface, and they cannot participate in the real core of the Dragon Coast Alliance, the Dark Alliance.

From east to west, the Dragon Coast has identified eight core cities, namely Star Curtain City, West Gate City, Tesir City, Afasso City, Bosku City, Plepur City, Dongxing City and Iliaba City. The latter three are free cities that did not originally belong to the Dragon Coast, but are located on the Trader Avenue and have a close relationship with the Dragon Coast, so they are also called the Eight Cities Alliance.

Under the secret leadership of the Dark Alliance, the efficiency of the Dragon Coast cities is not low, but compared with the Conqueror Army, which is like a whole, it is a world of difference.

The casualties of the Conqueror Army that day were counted. Because there are a large number of priests and regeneration rings, the number of injuries can be ignored. Even if the head is lost and the intestines are pulled out, as long as there is still a breath, they can save it.

This number is mainly concentrated on the deaths, but the soldiers and civilians of the Conqueror Army prefer to use the term "staying in the Kingdom of God", because it is not that they have no chance of resurrection, but that they chose to stay in the Gunbanqi Pass to serve the Lady of Strategy. There are a total of 1,232 people, mainly armed immigrants, plus a small number of soldiers, and no extraordinary people.

This shows how fierce the war was at that time. If the battle of Lady of Strategy's ascension to God had not been involved, this number would have increased by three to four times, and the death toll would have exceeded 5,000. The majority of casualties were not caused by the blood plunderers of the plunderer Garagos, but by the chaos of the Lizard Queen's rush to climb the Bridge of Faith. At that time, in order to lure the Lizard Queen to climb the bridge, the Conqueror Army did not dare to use many unique means, but only used armed immigrants to rely on building-type chariots to fight, which was naturally very strenuous, and a little carelessness would result in huge casualties.

Only with a large number of casualties would the Lizard Queen believe that the Conqueror's army was limited in strength and could not pose a fatal threat to her and her Lizardmen army. Only then would she dare to jump out of the water and jump into the trap carefully set by the Conqueror's army. There is no such thing as mercy in war, especially when tactics are used. Not to mention that the soldiers are chess pieces, the generals, commanders, and even the Goddess of Strategy are chess pieces above, and they emphasize the use of the minimum cost to exchange for the greatest victory. Even if there is no intervention from the Goddess of Strategy, they have nothing to complain about if they die in battle.

Not to mention, those who are willing to be resurrected have been resurrected by the Goddess of Strategy with the complete resurrection technique. Except for the slightly painful process, even the life dice and physical value have not dropped. It can be said that their battle was intact, and the morale from top to bottom was extremely high.