The Rise of the Black Plain

After saying those words, Abby quickly began to explain the main points of how the entire Maritime City invasion mission would work.

At first, some groups of soldiers would be sent to that city to investigate the forces stationed in that coastal region and record some information regarding the positions and groups of enemy guards.

But that wouldn't be too thorough, to the point that a months-long investigation would be needed.

No, this was just for the Black Plain Army to know the numbers of opponents, that is, the force present in that place, and how to use this information to initiate the plan in the best possible way. 

The army had already made a plan to deal with that location and was just waiting for this data to be adjusted in the most effective way for the Black Plain.

That was the replacement scheme!

Minos had thought of this option months ago when he was struggling to figure out how to solve the problem of demand for new workers in the Dry City.

That was a recurring issue, but it was also something that would not be easy to resolve. And as was to be expected, once again, such a city had already reached its maximum production and could not improve with the current population!

To resolve this issue, or at the very least delay it, for the time being, Minos determined that the Maritime City was the best target for attracting workers to his town.

Unlike in the past when his territory couldn't defend itself against the royal guards stationed along the coast, now his army had this possibility!

Precisely for this reason, Minos now thought it was worth 'setting foot' in that city and completely taking over this final territory in the Black Plain that was beyond his power.

That place indeed was fascinating to him. After all, the Maritime City was still a medium-sized urban area, with more than 300,000 inhabitants.

That was much more than what Dry City itself had achieved after more than four years of work by Minos and his team, so he couldn't help seeing that place as his answer.

But that was not all. The ruler of the Black Plain did not intend to have Brown Kingdom powers within his territory when he declared independence.

That would be like having a parasite in your body, something that, in addition to using its 'nutrients,' could also put the 'host's life at risk!'

In a war of independence, it would be horrible if the enemy had a base so close to Minos' territory, in fact, not close, but inside his territory...

Therefore, controlling that town was part of this young man's plans, and advancing this matter could bring future benefits.

However, Minos was aware that the Brown Kingdom royal family paid attention to that place. Furthermore, many noble families did the same since the Maritime City was the only naval port in this state.

Consequently, there were many forces in that place.

They often sent reports to the royal palace or the noble families of this state. And precisely because of these factors, Minos had thought of the replacement scheme!

Such a plan consisted of kidnapping the royal guards in that city, one by one. After this, each of them would suffer the effects of Abby's innate ability. As a result, they would tell everything they knew to Minos' soldiers, from their routine, obligations, names of colleagues, hobbies, etc.

After talking about everything the army would need to know, these people would be kept alive in the Dry City prison. That would serve so that no possible soul sign would indicate deaths, possibly instigating unwanted investigations...

At the same time that these unfortunates would be held in the Dry City, young Stuart's army soldiers would be sent to that city to replace these subordinates of the Brown family.

Obviously, this would not be done carelessly, as many soldiers could know each other, be on good terms, etc. But with the help of Abby's ability, it was just a matter of time before these soldiers learned how to play their roles.

Moreover, the plan was to attack groups that generally worked together to make the replacement as believable as possible. And that was not difficult, as soldiers usually follow a restricted routine. They do not interact with many people, especially those outside their usual working circle.

Thus, it was relatively easy to act against specific groups after the essential investigative work.

Finally, this scheme would continue until all subordinates of the royal family in that city were replaced entirely, and that place was under the control of the Dry City!

From then on, Minos' soldiers would maintain the previous activities of their predecessors, acting so that no regional power would suspect what was happening in the Maritime City.

At the same time, a few Black Plain Army soldiers would gradually start attracting the less talented inhabitants of that place to the Dry City, once more reviving its development!

"This is all the planning we have for now. Any questions?" Abby asked those people in that conference room as she moved her eyes from side to side and sighed for a moment.

After she asked her question, several hands went up in the middle of that audience of dozens of soldiers. "Ms. Abby, I heard a Spiritual King is guarding that city. How are we going to deal with this?"

"Don't worry about it. In this mission, our Spiritual Generals will only have to worry about enemies from the same cultivation range…" She answered the first question when she then pointed to the next person and heard another question.

...

"How long will we have to prepare? What will the deadlines be?"

...

"What should we do if the enemy cannot be captured alive?"

...

Many questions were asked about how the invasion mission to the Maritime City would take place and others related to the Independence Plan and the unfolding of that event.

Abby answered all of the soldiers' questions, making clear the points she already knew. In contrast, she just gave vague answers to others, as she didn't know what was on her boyfriend's mind.

However, those soldiers already had a basic understanding of all of this, as Minos introduced the Independence Plan a year ago, shortly after returning from his previous trip.

This plan was something everyone knew would happen, given the fact that Minos considered the noble families of the Brown Kingdom to be potential enemies. But it hadn't been made official before, as the local forces hadn't even reached the minimum point to discuss such a thing!

However, after that trip of Minos and Abby, the Dry City had improved considerably, and young Stuart had finally decided to present his thoughts to his soldiers.

Such a thing had been compiled in the Independence Plan, something that consisted of several phases, which would serve as the basis for the success of the Black Plain in this rebellious undertaking!

It ranged from controlling strategic cities, assassinating, forming alliances, to even getting high-level professionals.

Part of it was already in action, as young Stuart had been working in the Dry City to pursue these goals since his early days in this region. Still, the real beginning of that plan was this mission in the Maritime City.

That's because, from that point on, there would be no turning back, and they would have to endure the pressure that would naturally come as a result of their actions.

But both the Minos soldiers and this young man knew there was no alternative. In a world where the strong do what they want and are still applauded for it, only those who dare to fight for their ideas have a chance to prevail!

And, in light of the opportunities these people had, the dreams they had never dared to dream but now possessed, these people were unable to return to their previous lives.

No, now that they had tasted the sweet taste of prosperity, most of them were more than willing to fight to maintain their new positions!