Living In Another World With A Farm Chapter 8329: Method (1)

Zhao Hai, Shen Nanzheng, and several others stood within the small temple of the House of Three Talents. On this occasion, a group of the island's legacy disciples had also arrived. Seated inside the temple, Lei Gang and two others observed them closely. After a brief silence, Lei Gang spoke, "The conflict has concluded. Little Hai has performed exceptionally well, earning great merit. Since the Sect is currently too preoccupied to finalize his rewards, we shall address that matter at a later date. For now, I wish to hear your thoughts regarding the Blood Sea Alliance's collapse. Reflect on this and share any ideas you might have. While I am aware you cannot directly intervene in such high-level affairs, your perspectives might prove useful." Lei Gang and his peers were at their wits' end, leaving them no choice but to solicit opinions from the juniors.

Hearing Lei Gang's request, Shen Nanzheng and the others were visibly taken aback, exchanging uncertain glances. The situation involving the Blood Sea Alliance? That concerned the governance of two entire sea regions. Although they were true disciples, they were ultimately just students. They had not even reached the status of Elders, so how could they possibly manage such grand strategic concerns?

A flash of disappointment crossed Lei Gang's eyes as he watched them. While he hadn't truly expected groundbreaking insights and merely wanted Shen Nanzheng and the rest to participate, he knew it was unlikely they would offer anything constructive. Nevertheless, he viewed this as a chance for them to expand their horizons and learn to analyze problems from a superior vantage point. Such opportunities to think like a leader were rare.

Yet, the hesitant behavior of Shen Nanzheng and the others—appearing as though they were afraid to even open their mouths—deeply frustrated Lei Gang. For a cultivator, while Cultivation itself was paramount, one's perspective was equally vital. A person who only focused on their own narrow interests would never achieve greatness. Therefore, vision was essential for any true expert. If Shen Nanzheng and the rest remained this narrow-minded, their future potential would be severely capped.

After a moment, Lei Gang addressed Shen Nanzheng directly, "Nan Zheng, give us your thoughts. Do not worry; speak boldly. Even if your ideas seem absurd, it is fine. Just let us hear them." Lei Gang was pushing him to consider the situation from a higher level for his own development.

Shen Nanzheng gave his acknowledgement. After a period of reflection, he spoke in a low tone, "Though the Blood Sea Alliance is no more, those islands are now without masters. I believe the Sect could relocate certain disciples there and appoint experts to protect them. By securing control over those islands first, we can gradually train new disciples and rebuild our overall strength."

"I see," Lei Gang replied with a nod, his voice deep. "Is there anything else?" Shen Nanzheng’s suggestion mirrored the thoughts of many within the Sect. However, a major obstacle remained: there were far too many abandoned islands. Even if the Sect attempted to deploy experts, they lacked the numbers to garrison every single location. This was the crux of the problem.

Shen Nanzheng pondered further before adding, "We could also bring in more people from the ranks of Rogue Cultivators. Many of them are eager to join our Blood Slaughter Sect. We can select the best among them. While Rogue Cultivators rarely produce geniuses, some possess decent strength. By incorporating them into the Blood Slaughter Sect, we can bolster our numbers quickly. Even if they don't reach high levels of Cultivation, they can serve as cannon fodder during future conflicts."

Lei Gang nodded again. This proposal had been discussed before. However, the Sect leadership feared that spies from rival Sects might hide among the unaffiliated cultivators. If enemy agents infiltrated while the Blood Slaughter Sect was vulnerable, the consequences would be dire. Currently, the Blood Slaughter Sect was in a fragile state, having been significantly weakened by recent events. It was only natural for other Sects to harbor hostile intentions. Furthermore, the Dark Ghost Sect remained their primary antagonist, and the two were locked in a grueling war of attrition. An attack from the Dark Ghost Sect right now would be catastrophic.

Seeing Lei Gang's nod of approval, Shen Nanzheng felt a bit more confident. However, that was the extent of his ideas. In such a short time, he couldn't devise anything more complex. The other disciples were in a similar position; some had thought of the same two points as Shen Nanzheng, while others had nothing at all. After hearing his suggestions, they found themselves unable to contribute further.

Lei Gang scanned the group before finally settling his gaze on Zhao Hai. In truth, Lei Gang held out hope that Zhao Hai might offer something truly valuable. Given Zhao Hai’s previous exceptional performances and his ability to see what others missed, Lei Gang was most interested in his perspective. He truly wanted to hear Zhao Hai's take, hoping for a spark of brilliance. He looked at him and said firmly, "Little Hai, what do you think? Explain your thoughts in detail. Be courageous and speak freely; there is no need for fear!"

Zhao Hai took a moment to organize his thoughts before speaking solemnly, "Master, before we discuss solutions for the Blood Sea Alliance, let us identify the core challenges the Sect is currently facing. First, we suffer from a severe lack of manpower, specifically high-level experts. The sheer number of vacant islands in the Blood Sea Alliance makes it impossible to station an expert on every one. Second, we cannot simply abandon the Blood Sea Alliance territory. It is a massive region, and if we let it go now, reclaiming it later will be nearly impossible. I believe these two issues represent the primary crisis for the Sect, correct?"

Lei Gang nodded in agreement. It was the truth. The Sect was spread too thin, yet they couldn't retreat from the Blood Sea Alliance. These were indeed the two greatest hurdles. Lei Gang looked at Zhao Hai with growing satisfaction; the boy had pinpointed the exact nature of the problem. This suggested Zhao Hai had already analyzed the situation deeply, and if he understood the problem, he likely had a strategy to solve it.

"Master, the manpower shortage is actually a solvable issue, and the method is quite straightforward," Zhao Hai stated calmly. "It involves the islands themselves. Previously, those islands were held by individual Island Owners who refused to consolidate because they wanted their own independent territories to rule. This resulted in an excessive number of small islands. Now that those owners are gone and we lack the personnel to fill them, why not simply merge the islands together? By combining them, the total number of islands decreases, requiring fewer guardians. Take Island Master Guna, for example; his Blood Bone Island was devastated. We could merge the surrounding vacant islands into Blood Bone Island. Increasing the island's mass might even dilute the lingering killing intent there, which would benefit Island Master Guna immensely."

Lei Gang was momentarily stunned by Zhao Hai's suggestion. He then nodded, saying, "Go on!" No one had considered merging the landmasses before, yet it was entirely practical. Since the Island Owners' Godheads were still available, they could be refined together to fuse the islands. This would drastically reduce the need for manpower. It was a brilliant concept.

Zhao Hai went on, "Beyond merging the islands, defending the two sea regions can be managed efficiently. We can consolidate numerous islands, but these new, larger landmasses should be positioned near the outer boundaries of the two sea areas. This leaves the space between these islands and our Central Sea region entirely empty. Furthermore, some of the smaller islands on the extreme periphery can remain as they are. These do not require powerful Masters; instead, we can send disciples with lower Cultivation to oversee them. Specifically, disciples with the potential to one day become Island Masters should be sent to manage these outposts. If they eventually achieve that rank, they can incorporate their own islands into the ones they already manage. Additionally, the Sect Master could decree that any future Island Master wishing to establish a territory outside the center must do so within these two sea regions. This creates a defensive perimeter. By leaving the inner area empty for future expansion by Sect members, we focus our strength on a single line of defense that other Sects will hesitate to challenge. Even if an enemy manages to break through a point on that line, they cannot immediately strike our Central Sea. The vast 'no-man's land' without islands will act as a buffer zone. It would take them considerable time to traverse that empty space toward the Sect, giving us ample time to prepare. Since there are no islands in that buffer for them to occupy and use as a staging ground, they would be like rootless duckweeds, easily picked off. Given a few years to recover, those two seas will be firmly under our control once more."

Pausing for a moment, Zhao Hai added, "The reason for placing weaker disciples on the outermost islands is simple: they serve as an early warning system. Because those islands are part of a coordinated defensive line, it is easy for neighboring islands to provide support or reclaim a lost position. If an enemy tries to use a single island as a pivot to collapse the entire line, they will find it nearly impossible, as they would be subjected to pincer attacks from multiple directions."

Lei Gang listened in silence, feeling genuinely shocked. He knew Zhao Hai was intelligent and had expected a decent suggestion, but he hadn't anticipated a plan this comprehensive and strategically sound. It was, without a doubt, the best proposal he had heard.

Zhao Hai looked at Lei Gang and concluded, "Furthermore, if those junior disciples actually advance to become Island Masters, their outposts will transform into powerful cornerstones. The final defensive perimeter will become unbreakable, and we could even use that line as a base for future outward expansion."

Suddenly, Lei Gang stood up, his face filled with excitement. He looked at Zhao Hai and said in a heavy voice, "Excellent! That is a magnificent idea. All of you are dismissed. I must report this immediately to see if the Sect will adopt this strategy. Go now, all of you." Everyone bowed and made their exit.