20demayo Chapter 59: The Flint Tribe
Chapter 59: The Flint Tribe
Ron was very interested in how Thun conquered the two tribes, since he hadn't brought many men with him initially.
Ron asked, "You only brought sixty men, how did you manage to capture them?"
Thun explained, "The main forces of both tribes were wiped out in the siege, leaving only the elderly, women, and children. When we sneaked in, they were still waiting for news from their chief and had no idea that the front lines had been lost. I led the Greens in and, in a short time, wiped out all the remaining warriors of the tribes. The remaining elderly, women, and children had no power to resist and were easily dealt with by us."
Ron asked, "What about casualties?"
Thun lowered his head: "Two Gren are dead, and seven are wounded. One of them was injured by stones thrown by the elderly, women, and children."
Ron was silent for a moment: "Give them a proper burial. Report their names to Old Hall. Once the territory is established, I will build a stone monument at the entrance to Green Street, on which will record the names of all the Greens who sacrificed for the territory."
Ron asked, "Is there any food?"
Thun naturally understood what Ron meant.
"Yes, the two tribes have collected a total of 70,000 catties of grain and countless supplies. I will transport a batch back first, but many people and supplies remain in the tribes. Please send manpower to help, Lord."
Ron nodded in satisfaction.
Seventy thousand catties of grain, combined with sawdust and other materials, can be used as ninety thousand catties, enough for the entire territory to use for nine days. Adding the grain originally stored, it will last for fifteen days.
The population is growing too fast; it seems necessary to increase food trade with the De Gea and Haaland territories.
They need to stockpile at least two months' worth of grain and speed up the reclamation process, otherwise their food supply will be even more strained during the next autumn harvest.
After all, there weren't as many goblin tribes around them to rob after this.
"Alright, I'll have Old Hall send someone to assist you right away." After saying that, Ron cut out a piece of ground rock potato pie and placed it on Thun's plate: "Come on, try Mrs. Moriel's cooking."
Thun took the plate, looked down at the golden, crisp pie, and suddenly remembered that his mother had made something similar before.
He roasted wild potatoes and coarse potato starch until they were charred, but it was the best food he had ever eaten.
He put the pie in his mouth, chewed it twice, and said nothing.
"You told me you wanted to deal with the remaining three tribes. What was the name of the last remaining tribe?"
Tuen quickly swallowed the food in his mouth and said, "The Earth Dragon Tribe, although its main force was completely wiped out, still has a goblin hero stationed there, along with more than twenty goblin elites and over a hundred big goblins. This scale is beyond our ability to handle. However, I have already scouted the area several times before coming here. The goblin hero stationed by the Earth Dragon Tribe should know about the army's defeat. They have begun to plunder the population and food of the surrounding small goblin tribes, and their numbers have now increased by several hundred. My lord, we must act as soon as possible."
Ron quickly estimated in his mind.
A goblin hero's combat strength is equivalent to an Earth Knight, twenty-odd elites are equivalent to a full-fledged knight, and over a hundred goblins are equivalent to a knight's apprentice.
With the addition of hundreds of newly acquired cannon fodder, the total force is nearly a thousand.
"They're not particularly strong, but we can't be careless."
Ron nodded solemnly: "Let's have breakfast first. After breakfast, I'll gather the army of the territory and set off."
By noon, Fanta had gathered all the troops he could muster within his territory.
The guard consisted of 45 knights, 25 Grimmmen, 100 militiamen, and 40 archers.
This took away almost all of the territory's elite troops, but it was necessary to prevent future troubles, lest the flint tribe recover and inevitably retaliate against the territory.
As for the task of staying behind, it was entrusted to Old Hall, and was to be handled by the three hundred reserve militiamen of the territory. As for how many combat troops they had, no one knew. However, for the time being, not many territories dared to make a move against Ashwood Territory. After all, the great victory a while ago had greatly shocked the surrounding lords.
At least let them understand that attacking Ashwood Territory without sufficient siege strength is tantamount to suicide, unless they use ten times the number of troops.
Ron personally led his army into battle, accompanied by a force of laborers led by Lavasa, to collect supplies from the two tribes.
This labor team was different from the previous ones. The main members were 162 strong women selected by Mrs. Moriel. Although their overall strength was not as good as that of the men, they were the best among women. Some weak men were not as strong as them.
There's nothing we can do about it.
The number of women in the territory is increasing, and with the new women brought back by Thun, the male-to-female ratio has reached a terrifying four to one.
Since there aren't enough men, then women have to step up. If one woman can't do the job, then two women can do it together.
The same applies to the reclamation of wasteland in the territory. Twenty women would cultivate one acre of land at the same time, and work points would be recorded after the reclamation was completed.
This greatly solved the problem of labor shortage.
Mrs. Moriel stood in front of the women's group and shouted loudly.
"The lord once said that women hold up half the sky. You are all aware of the current situation in the territory. The lord saved you from the goblins and did not abandon you. Now it is your turn to repay the lord. This time, the supply transport mission will be carried out by our women's team. The lord said that after the mission is completed, the twenty best performers will be selected to form a women's guard. If they have the talent for cultivation, they will be given breathing techniques and become the first female knights in the territory, or even the first female knights in the kingdom."
In the kingdom, there are indeed many women who practice breathing techniques, but none of them have actually been granted the title of female knight.
This shows just how valuable this statement is.
Many ambitious women's eyes lit up.
The women present were not like ordinary women; they ate twice as much as other women and, in addition to their daily work, they also underwent physical training and drills.
"We are willing to follow our lord to the death!"
One hundred and sixty-two hands slapped the left chest simultaneously, producing a dull and rhythmic thud.
The wind in the wasteland stopped for a moment because of the sound.
Mrs. Morrill nodded in satisfaction: "Let's go!"
Of course, this slogan was taught by Mrs. Moriel herself. They chanted it dozens or even hundreds of times a day, and it gradually became an instinctive reaction for these women. Over time, they brainwashed themselves.
"Set off!"
Mrs. Moriel waved her hand, and the transport team of two hundred people set off.
In addition to more than 160 strong women, there were also Thun and dozens of reserve militiamen.
This operation is the first of its kind for the Women's Team, and Mrs. Morrill will personally oversee it. Although she was once the head lady-in-waiting of the Ashwood family, in addition to fulfilling all the requirements of the head of the family, she also needs to act as a guard to protect important members of the family when necessary.
Therefore, many large families would teach their maids breathing techniques and train them to become knights. In critical moments, they would not expect them to turn the tide, but only to cover the escape of important members and stay behind to cover the rear.
Old Hall stood on the city wall, watching his wife ride her horse at the head of the women's team, her back straighter than when she was young.
He subconsciously touched the old scar on his left eyebrow and whispered something he couldn't even hear himself.
He often couldn't understand the young master's thought process in training female knights.
"It's amazing that you came up with this idea, young master, but judging from the current trend, it really is possible!" Old Hall shook his head as he thought of this: "Moriel had the strength of a formal knight back then, I wonder how much strength she still has after all these years."