Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 293 The Foundation of All Tactics
"Don't forget, your Finger Gang's territory is right next to ours. Today's events are my responsibility and yours is yours. Guess who the Money Gang will target first when they retaliate."

Arden put his arm around Dom's shoulder in a seemingly intimate gesture, but what he said made Dom's face turn ashen, yet he had no way to refute it.

The threat in those words was not just empty rhetoric, but a thorn piercing his very soul, making him uneasy.

Having achieved his goal, Arden did not linger any longer and returned to his own territory in the North District under the pretext of recuperating from his injury and setting up defenses.

While the leaders in the council hall were still discussing the possibility of the plan's success and the subsequent distribution of benefits, an internal meeting was also underway at the Canaan squad's base.

The content that had just been discussed in the Blood Sail Gang's hall had now become a letter in Zhang Yuan's hand, which he was holding and examining.

"You should all take a look. If nothing unexpected happens, the other party has already fallen into the trap we set."

After the monk finished speaking, he handed the letter to Nancy beside him, and then passed it around. His teammates were delighted but also puzzled after reading it.

"What are those Bloodsail Gang guys thinking? They're still passing the buck even in this situation. Even if it's inconvenient to deploy their own forces, surely it wouldn't be difficult to consolidate a group of vassal forces? And it's still those two?"

Bud's question was soon answered by his older brother.

"These guys are no different from vultures. When you're in a strong position, no one dares to provoke you, but when it comes to dividing up the carcass, everyone's eager to get involved."

Then Kegan looked at the mage:

"Boss, are we really going to abandon this foundation?"

Seeing that the other person's brows were about to furrow, the dwarf hurriedly added, "It's not that I'm reluctant, but it seems that with our strength, we can manage both."

What else could it be but reluctance to part with it?

Seeing that Kegan had fallen into his old habit again, Zhang Yuan patiently explained, "Let's not even talk about dividing our limited resources in two. It's a big no-no to be caught between two equally bad things. If we hold onto our existing territory while pressing on the North District, wouldn't that be pushing the Maginot and the Finger Gang to the brink of destruction?"

"Do you think Arden and the others are cooperating so well just because of the contract? No matter how sweet the verbal promises are, if you end up eating the meat yourself and even trying to take the soup, why should they believe the promises you make?"

“It’s not smart to exploit someone when they still have value and leverage.”

With the tone set and the plan outlined, the team was fully operational the very next day.

It wasn't that Zhang Yuan was impatient, but time was of the essence.

The mage could almost certainly conclude that the ships carrying people would arrive in the near future, without needing any prophetic spells or intuition.

Anyone familiar with the freezing patterns of Luscan port knows that this freezing moment is imminent.

Fleets heading north from Neverwinter could not possibly brave the frost and break through the ice, and caravan trade via land routes also suffered from the drawbacks of long journeys and excessive risks.

More importantly, he did not believe that the other party would create trouble for him by not using the waterway, which is far more confidential than the land route, when engaging in such shady and clandestine activities.

The second act of the trilogy is about to begin, and we must bring it to a close before the goal is achieved.

The monk sat at his desk, deep in thought. On the map of Luscany in front of him were lines and dots, all concentrated between the northern district and the market district.

"Are you crazy or deaf? I said I came to help us fight off those bastards from the Money Gang, not to go to their lair and get beaten back like an idiot again."

An emotionally charged Dom practically shoved his spittle-filled mouth into the other man's ear. Arden, overwhelmed by the noise, reluctantly took a step back, cleared the water from his ears, and calmly explained:
"It's not a good idea to go head-to-head with them. The Money Gang has already established themselves on your turf. It would be foolish for us to launch a full-scale attack." "You were the one who said you could deal with them, and you're the one who dragged me into this mess. Now if you try to play tricks on me, I'll play along to the end."

Dom was furious, feeling that the other party was just stalling and making excuses. The situation was much more serious than last time.

After all, the last battle took place on the other side's territory. Although they fled in a disheveled manner, they were completely unharmed. But now?
The retaliation from Shining Gold Coins was far more swift than anticipated. Only two days had passed since their surprise attack, and now the other side was launching an attack on their doorstep.

What's most infuriating is that Arden initiated the operation, and I was at most an accomplice, but those bastards from the Money Gang deliberately ignored the main target and focused on attacking me, clearly picking on the weak.

Now that he has been driven out of his own territory and has fled here like a stray dog, if he doesn't get a definite answer soon, he has already decided to flip the table.

"You don't need to worry. I actually anticipated this situation. We are inherently slightly inferior in terms of hard power, so it's normal to be at a disadvantage in a direct confrontation."

Arden remained calm and analyzed the situation thoroughly.

However, the other party didn't want to hear this nonsense.

Go eat shit!

Dom cursed and turned to leave, but a sentence stopped him in his tracks.

"What if you could get a new piece of land? A more lucrative location than the previous one?"

"Say!"

He wanted to see what other conditions Arden could come up with to convince him.

What do you think of the market area?

Arden's words startled him, then he scoffed, "Who are you trying to fool?"

Who doesn't know that the market area is now the backyard of the Money Gang and the Black Sailfish?

Having already lost his home, Daum had no intention of going back to his old home and hitting a brick wall again.

"Don't rush. Think about the enemy you're facing. Have they deployed their main forces to attack your territory?"

Main force?

Thinking of the group of burly figures and shield formations he had seen before that appeared at the gates of his base yesterday, Dom's face twitched, and he spat out a few words through gritted teeth: "It's those damned guys, definitely! No doubt about it!"

"That's right, let's do something big."

As he spoke, Arden pulled this "old buddy" he was referring to in front of the map and began pointing and gesturing.

"You're taking a huge risk! You're absolutely insane."

Upon learning of the enemy's plan, Dom was truly shocked by the idea and immediately abandoned his existing territory, making a desperate gamble to launch a strong attack on the enemy's base.
What is this? A mutual destruction?
“No, it’s not the kind of desperate struggle where we all perish together.” Arden calmly shook his index finger and slowly explained, “It’s a rather clever tactic called a home exchange.”

Finally, we've reached level nine, and the time has come for the three-star units to appear! The background information for the cheat codes can also be roughly explained. However, you might have to wait a few weeks...

An extra chapter will be added to celebrate!
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(End of this chapter)