Chương 55: Clearing the Battlefield

Li Qinwu opened his character panel. Having personally slain several Great Kobolds and secured a major victory, he had reached Level 20. He funneled his new attribute point into Intelligence, bringing it to 5. A wave of clarity washed over his mind. Complex logistical problems that would have previously given him a headache now seemed like simple equations. His ability to plan and remember had evolved beyond his previous "clumsy" self. Hana approached, coughing lightly to report the casualties.

"Your forces lost 68 dead and 32 heavily wounded. Knight Leo lost 3 men. On the enemy side, 32 Great Kobolds and 712 regular Kobolds were slain." Li Qinwu nodded, satisfied. A loss of fewer than a hundred for a seven-to-one kill ratio was a masterpiece of tactical management.

"Your soldiers are restless," Hana cautioned.

"They're waiting to see if you'll keep your pre-war promises." Li Qinwu wasn't worried. He would soon expand his army, and the 700 kills meant hundreds of newly promoted sergeants and corporals who would form the backbone of his new companies. But the real challenge lay in the aftermath: how to govern the forest? With his new intelligence, he realized that raw slavery had a low ceiling. He needed an integrated system. He looked at the prisoners: 40 Great Kobolds, 200 females, and over 400 males.

"Hana, with me." Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work! Li Qinwu stood before the male Kobolds and roared, "Listen up! The evil Dragon-Fang regime is no more! I, the King of Goblins, Scourge of Worlds, and Successor of Qin Shi Huang—Arthur Louis Li Qinwu—grant you mercy!" As Hana translated, the Kobolds held their breath.

"I am releasing you to your hunting grounds! But remember, this forest now belongs to ME. Within a month, your tribal chiefs must bring tributes to my village for formal recognition. Anyone who fails to appear will lose their right to hunt forever!" He ordered the spears to be lowered. The 400 male Kobolds scrambled into the woods like frightened rabbits. While Li Qinwu hated losing the labor, he knew these survivors were his best propagandists.

They would spread the tale of his terrifying army and his "mercy" to every corner of the forest. By keeping the females (the reproductive base) and the Great Kobolds (valuable hostages), he effectively held the entire race by the throat. The army spent two days scavenging. They found little grain, but the beast-skin tents were invaluable for the expanding Goblin village. On the third day, Gobu-Bow finally returned. He knelt in shame.

"Boss... I failed. Dragon-Fang escaped." Dog-Witch fell to his knees as well, wailing, "It's my fault! My limp slowed everyone down! That old dog was too clever—he had his guards smear his blood on themselves and flee in different directions to confuse my nose!" Li Qinwu pulled his leg away from the weeping dog. While a living Dragon-Fang was a nuisance, the guy had lost his tail and taken a poisoned bolt to the chest. He wouldn't be leading any uprisings anytime soon.

"Get up. You did your best. I don't kill my men for honest failures," Li Qinwu comforted them. To him, "civilized" Goblins were now valuable subordinates, not just expendable meat. Just as Gobu-Bow was about to lead the men to rest, Dog-Witch leaned in, his voice a conspiratorial whisper.

"Boss... we didn't get Dragon-Fang... but I found where he hid the Ogre cubs!"