44 The Best Naval Strategis

Baron decided that laying low was no longer in his best interest. If his goal of ever leading the dominant faction in the Chinese community was to be realized, he needed to make a name for himself. He needed a lot of respect and prestige if he was to win over the populace of China. No matter how he looked at it he eventually would have to stop laying low.

With two elders by his side as well as the Forever Pirates as his allies he was pretty well protected. However, just this was nowhere near safe from being suppressed in a multitude of ways. He decided to get informed by Guan Yu about this matter. So they met up at a Winehouse to discuss.

(BM) "So elder Guan Yu, tell me how suppression here on planet 4 is like. I'd imagine it's a bit different from what it is back on Earth."

(GY) "Aye, it is different. We can't exactly suppress a faction by assassinating people anymore. However, suppressing a faction is possible in a few other ways. Like disrupting with a faction's ability to sell their blueprints. That would be a big blow if done correctly. This isbecause selling blueprints make up nearly half of a faction's revenue. The rest come from tournament tournament prizes as well as business deals from other factions."

(BM) "Is there any other way to suppress a faction?" Baron said as he drank a bowl of white wine.

(GY) "Of course there are, but none of them are as effective as disrupting trade. I suppose the next best way to suppress a faction would be to convince a faction's member to willingly leave. Either by compensation or some other cheap gesture."

(BM) "I see. Well let's hope that we won't have to think about this anytime soon."

(GY) "I'll cheer to that."

(BM) "Cheers." Baron said as the two clinked bowls and downed the wine.

There was much for Baron to think about. Mainly how to get himself, Han Xin, Xu Da, and Ban Chao into elder seats. Han Xin definitely had the skill to become one, Baron was sorta there, but the other two still needed time and training. So he decided to bring the four of them to have a brainstorming session.

(BM) "So guys, if we want to become the best faction out there we need to start by amassing fame and prestige. One of the best ways to do that is by becoming elders. Of course, if you all don't want to become elders that's fine. Speak now so I know."

(HX) "The reason that I didn't want to become an elder was because I had no reason to add extra responsibilities to my life. After the life i lead back on Earth ended I just felt like taking it easy for awhile was the best course of action for my mental health. However, now that I have a reason to become an elder, I will put my all into becoming one."

(BM) "Well said Han Xin. Anyone else?"

(BC) "Becoming an elder is not exactly something that I had thought about before. Similar to Han Xin I wanted to take a breather for a bit. I've got to say though. Just being a wanderer of sorts these past few years has really given me a new perspective of just how a life should be lived. A life should have purpose, meaning, and most of all surrounding yourself with good friends and reliable allies. Of course, I never neglected to keep my mind as sharp as possible."

(BM) "That is also a splendid speech. Xu Da, your thoughts?"

(XD) "I'm not sure I want to go down that route. I just don't think it's necessarily for me."

(BM) "Is there a particular reason?"

(XD) "No not really, maybe it's just because I don't have the same drive as you all have.I'll still support Under 1 Banner with everything I have, but becoming an elder is just not in my best interest."

(BM) "It's good that you're telling us this now. Don't worry about it then, you will still have an important part to play in the faction."

(XD) "Count me in." Xu Da said and left the discussion room as he had no other business with his allies for the time being.

(BM) "Han Xin, Ban Chao. You guys have been here a lot longer than I have. How do we become elders as soon as possible?"

(HX) "It's not as easy as you make it out to be. Take Yue Fei for example. Unlike the two of us, he had decided to work on becoming an elder the very moment he stepped onto planet 4. He worked his way up steadily and even with his great talent he took more than a thousand years to become an elder. It's just not possible within such a short amount of time unless you are extremely skilled in a certain area like Madam Zheng."

(BM) "You mean to say that Madam Zheng's skill was badly needed correct? Since our naval strategists aren't exactly on par with the other countries/"

(BC) "You certainly have done quite a bit of research. You are correct, but we didn't need her skills as badly as you say we did. We could make do with the few great naval strategists we had, but we weren't overly dominating in that field as compared to the likes of the Greeks or the British."

(BM) "Is that so? Then who is considered the top naval strategist in the Chinese community?"

(HX) "It's a bit of a controversial subject at the moment, but it would have to be Madam Zheng plus her two husbands."

(BM) "Oh they've got the same surname in mandarin, that's interesting. To the best of my knowledge though Zheng He was given his surname Zheng by the emperor. As for Madam Zheng's case she married into the Zheng Family. So they probably didn't have any blood relations."

(HX) "Yes, while that may be the case. Both of them are going at each others throats right now as if they were siblings. In fact, the Vesper group that is suppressing the Forever Pirates are actually headed by Zheng He. He is not happy that he is beneath Madam Zheng when it comes to naval warfare, so using his much older, much richer faction he is suppressing her faction."

(BM) "Ah so that's how it is. Zheng He is quite the diplomat, I'm amazed to see him on planet 4 and not on any of the other planets."

(HX) "I'm not sure about that but he is a very vengeful person, that reminds me. We are now fairly well off for the naval portion, but our aerial strategists are still a bit lacking in terms of quantity and quality. So if any of us could obtain a super modern military aircraft blueprint then we might be able to shoot up the ranks about as quickly as Madam Zheng."

(BM) "Military aircraft? Unfortunately I don't have any. I mainly focused on land and sea machines when I was doing my research. If only my friend Jaxon was here, we would be a lot better off."

(HX) "Who is this Jaxon fellow?"

(BM) "He was an absolutely mediocre and tepid strategist, but he sure was passionate about planes. Knew a great deal about them too. We're getting off topic, for now we should focus on improving our standing with the Chinese community. What's the best way to do that?"

(BC) "Auctioning off blueprints would be fastest. Then the next best would be to take on a multitude of different tasks for the community. I would say this second one might even work out a bit better for us since two of our members are already elders. We can just tag along with them when they do the tasks that improves your standing the most."

(HX) "Yes that works, but keep in mind that if you become an elder this way many people will look down on you as if you bribed your way to the top. Of course, that isn't to say that none of the current elders got their ticket in using this method."

(BM) "The politics and diplomacy around here just gets more complicated the more I hear about it. Let's decide on what our course of action should be."

(BC) "I believe two of us should tag along with Guan Yu and Yue Fei when they do some of the higher ranking tests and the other one will make blueprints or practice simulations on a sort of rotational basis."

(HX) "That idea's not bad. However, I think we should only tag along with Yue Fei and Guan Yu up until the point where we are allowed to test the newcomers of planet 4."

(BM) "Oh, that must be what Yue Fei was doing to me when I first got here."

(HX) "That is correct. You should count yourself lucky that you didn't encounter someone else."

(BM) "Why's that?"

(HX) "Most of the upper echelon aren't nice people. Sure they may seem welcoming and thoughtful, but you should be wary of them. They all have hidden agendas."

(BM) "I see. Well, let's go with that then. I think that is a brilliant idea. Let's go inform Guan Yu and Yue Fei and we can get started soon."