Chương 52: The War Begins

On the third day of the march, the Retribution Legion finally reached the Kobold core settlement. The air was thick with the pungent stench of thousands of creatures huddled together. As they emerged from the forest, the sight made everyone except Li Qinwu gasp: a sea of beast-skin tents and a swarming mass of Kobolds numbering well over 2, 000.

"Lord! They outnumber us four to one!" Knight Leo galloped to Li Qinwu's side, his voice trembling.

"A direct assault is suicide. We should retreat into the forest and regroup!" Li Qinwu ignored him, calmly wiping his sword hilt with a cloth. A cruel smile played on his lips.

"Leo, get your men ready. Today is a grand day. I want the history books of the future to record this: On September 12, Year 4352 of the Divine Era, the Retribution Legion, under my leadership, annihilated the Dragon-Fang regime and laid the foundation for the Empire's hegemony in the Magic Forest!" Where did his confidence come from? It was the technological crushing of iron over stone and wood, and the absolute discipline forged by the "three-pulls-one-kill" drills.

Li Qinwu rode forward and roared at the top of his lungs: "Kobolds! I know many of you are here under duress! You only want to live in peace in your hunting grounds! I give you one chance now—leave the battlefield, and I will only kill Dragon-Fang! Once he is dead, you will no longer be his slaves!" Hana translated his words into the Kobold tongue instantly. The cacophony of barking faltered.

The female Kobolds used as fodder and the minor tribal chiefs began to whisper; the already low discipline of Dragon-Fang's army wavered. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

"ENOUGH!!" With a thunderous roar, a dozen Great Kobolds brought forward the Bone Throne. Dragon-Fang sat upon it, glaring at Li Qinwu.

"Fools! You would believe the lies of a foreign Goblin over your own kin? If we do not unite and crush them now, you will all become slaves to an alien race!" The "kinship" card worked; the Kobold army steadied. Fearing Li Qinwu would speak again, Dragon-Fang swung his massive scimitar: "ATTACK! Crush these green-skins!"

"WOOF! WOOF!!" Over 2, 000 Kobolds surged forward like a collapsing dam. Dragon-Fang didn't know tactics, nor could he afford them. His only move was to go "all-in" and hope raw numbers would overwhelm the enemy. Li Qinwu sneered and retreated to the rear, shouting his final mobilization: "Retribution Legion! Today is our founding battle! Kill three, become a Vice-Captain! Kill five, become a Captain! Kill ten, become a Vice-Company Commander! Warriors, seek merit and claim your titles! KILL! KILL! KILL!"

"KILL—!!!" Five hundred Goblins, eyes bloodshot, leveled their two-meter iron spears in unison. The aura they projected actually drowned out the noise of the 2, 000 attackers. The two forces collided, but the expected bloodbath was instead a one-sided harvest. The Kobolds charged without order; those in the back pushed those in the front, literally shoving their vanguard onto the iron spearheads. The sound of piercing flesh became a constant rhythm.

Their wooden shields were as useless as paper against the iron tips. Disaster struck the Kobolds further as many "wild" individuals dropped their spears in panic, instinctively trying to claw at Goblins clad in Horned-Crocodile leather and iron-visored helmets. The moment blood was spilled, the Goblin phalanx acted like a precision meat grinder, advancing steadily. With every step forward, a new row of Kobold corpses hit the dirt.