Edge of the Apocalypse

Chapter 442: Sheep, Wolves And Lions

As he left the village chief's house, Alan heard one of the village chiefs whisper, "Why the war? Didn't you just give them a sum of money in the past? Well, we're all on the front lines now."

After that person finished speaking, he heard Ellen snorting in front of him and immediately obediently shut his mouth.

A temporary camp was being built. The villagers and warriors attacked together. At sunset, the camp already had an outline. Allen and the others stayed outside the village and pitched their tents for the night. The village chief ordered food to be delivered and invited Alan to his house for a rest, but he was declined.

After sending the village chief away, he ate bread made of coarse grains and drank clean water. It was a dinner. After eating, Ellen took out a map. On the map, a unicorn pattern was used to mark the territory of Viscount Daniel. This piece of territory covered the beautiful emerald mountains, the beautiful Lake Portilli, and the mineral-rich Cloud Valley. And Earl Oppen's territory was bounded by a river, with clear barriers.

From the map, Daniel's territory wasn't much smaller than the Earl of Oban's. Moreover, in terms of resources, except for an ark port, Ouban was still inferior to Daniel in other aspects. Daniel's territory is rich in timber, iron and copper deposits, which are important resources for energy and war. Many of the timber needed by the shipyards at Ark Harbor was still purchased from Daniel. From this alone, it wasn't hard to tell that Earl Oban wasn't very comfortable.

Alan shook his head when he thought of what the village chief had said during the day. Daniel was a wolf, while Ou Ban was a docile sheep, so it was normal for the people to be weak and compromise.

It was a sheep's instinct, but Alan was not a sheep, so his gaze crossed the boundary of the territory, passed through a mountain, and finally landed on Cloud Cloud Valley. Cloud Cloud Valley was less than twenty kilometers away from the Count's territory. Outside this copper-rich valley was a baron's city. The owner of Sunset City, Tommen, was one of Daniel's subordinates. Among the several subordinates of Daniel, he was not very powerful. What was important was the location of Sunset City and Cloud Valley, which were in the middle of the two territories. This was not a problem in the past, but now, it was Allen's ideal target.

This would be the first place he attacked. The reason why he chose this place was not only because Sunset City had a few iron mines, but also because of its special location. Since there was convenient transportation between this place and the Earl's territory, reinforcements could arrive quickly. Allen could also be used as a bridgehead to invade Daniel's territory. Alan stretched out a finger and drew a winding line on the map. After some thought, he shook his head.

When his index finger landed at the starting point of the Realm River, his gaze turned cold as he forcefully drew his finger forward. His fingers left behind an extremely faint but firm and straight trajectory. Alan took a deep breath when his fingertips stopped in front of Fallen Cloud City.

That straight path of attack coincided with his powerful saber path!

At noon the next day, Wilick arrived with the soldiers the count had sent him and Roger's privately sponsored war slaves. Allen scattered the ten Mountain King warriors into this miscellaneous army. With the Mountain King warriors as the pivot of the battle, at least this miscellaneous army could display some combat strength without being dispersed by the enemy. While the temporary camp was still under construction, the soldiers gathered outside the village to train.

Alan patrolled and said, "I know that you are not willing to participate in this war, but I cannot let you go." From today onwards, you are tied to the same war chariot as me. I cannot guarantee how many of you will survive after the war ends. "But I can guarantee that every time you kill an enemy, you will get a gold coin!"

When the soldiers who were originally at a loss heard this, everyone's eyes moved slightly and involuntarily looked at Allen. Alan smiled and said, "If you kill a hundred people, you can get a thousand gold coins from me. You heard correctly, it's a thousand, not a hundred, it's ten times the reward!"

"Is this true, my lord?" A soldier couldn't help but ask.

Ellen winked at Wilick. The latter took out a bag and waved it, "There are five hundred gold coins in it. After the training, everyone can get one from me. This is the encouragement given by my lord. I hope you can kill your enemies bravely on the battlefield! The more you kill, the more money you will have!"

William shouted out his last sentence. After a moment of silence on the training ground, no one knew who shouted first, and then everyone let out a wild beast-like roar. The dazzling gold coins made the soldiers' eyes turn red, and they wished they could immediately go on the battlefield and kill their enemies.

As he left, Regis shook his head and said, "Is this a pre-war mobilization?"

"Isn't that so?"

"Using money to mobilize, you can't be a businessman, right?"

Alan laughed, "Sometimes, the most direct interest can stimulate their fighting spirit. You have to know who they are. Do you want to talk about ideals with them?"

Regis rolled his eyes and went to find a place to practice his sword. "Mr. Roger has brought the news back to Violet Harbor through the Chamber of Commerce. Our own men should be able to arrive in a month at most," he said, returning to the camp to meet Alan after the Weliks had released the gold coins.

Ellen nodded. Before he left, he had asked Roger to send a message to Sean of Violet Harbor, telling his troops to come. That was Alan's true power. Only with that power would he be qualified to continue to enter Daniel's territory and occupy more land. Otherwise, even if their morale was boosted by the magic power of the gold coins, they would not be able to compare to a first-rate regular army.

Of course, when occupying cities and towns, men could be forcefully conscripted, but such an army would inevitably lack loyalty. Therefore, a regular army belonging to Alan was the guarantee that Alan would arrive at Lake Portilli in the end.

The temporary camp was expected to be completed in the evening. This camp was a simple wooden shed made entirely of wood. It could only provide a shelter for the soldiers, not any defensive function. Originally, Alan did not plan to stay here for long, so the only requirement for the camp was to stay overnight. After leaving the camp, the village chiefs brought over a dozen men. Alan frowned and said, "What is this?"

"This is the soldier you want, my lord." A village chief replied.

"Soldiers I remember that there are two to three hundred people in the three villages, and there are at least a hundred men in the village. So, what's going on with these dozen people? Or is it that my order yesterday was not clear enough?"

"No, you said it very clearly." The village chief smiled bitterly and said, "But after hearing your order to recruit, most men ran away. They were the only ones who volunteered to join your army."

Alan looked at the dozen or so men. They were between the ages of twenty and thirty, and it was the strongest time of their lives. He nodded and said, "You have courage and loyalty. I will not betray your trust in me, so each of you can receive ten gold coins from me later to settle your families. After that, you can receive more rewards from me according to your military merits."

The faces of the dozen men couldn't help but reveal joy. One of them stepped forward and said, "Thank you for your generosity, my lord."

"What's your name?"

"John."

"Alright, John. Now you're their leader. Take them to training first."

Allen looked at the village chiefs and said, "I am a man with clear rewards and punishments. Since there are rewards, there will be punishments." I give those who do not obey the lord's orders, or even flee, time to repent. In a few days, I will leave this place and will be back soon. By the time I get back, if I can't see them, according to the law laid down by the count, I think you should know what the punishment is for deserting the army. "

'Don't think they'll get shelter by escaping to the other knights' territories. Trust me, they won't risk offending me to protect a few civilians. Especially after I've knocked down some of Sir Daniel's territories. ' Alan patted the oldest village chief and said, "I hope you can convey my words to those men accurately. My kindness has a time limit."

After saying that, they left with Wilick. After he left, the village chiefs looked at each other with bitter smiles and sighed.

In the next few days, the soldiers went through pre-war training. The rewards of gold coins, adequate training, and a reasonable diet made the soldiers' eyes gradually sharper. They were still inferior to the well-trained regular army, but in terms of morale at least, they were much better than when they first arrived.

Just as they were about to leave, Allen welcomed some special guests, some from the Realm River.

Alan met them at the makeshift camp.

Among them was a young noble who claimed to be Sir Tommen's nephew and a clerk in Sunset City. The young clerk had a dignified appearance, a tall stature, and an arrogant expression on his face. When he walked in, he clearly showed a look of disdain towards Alan, who was like a wooden shed with more rooms than an office. He even sneered and shook his head before looking at Ellen and saying, "Are you that Sir Ellen?"

Allen's expression was calm as he said indifferently, "I am."

"Very well, I believe you know who I am. Let's get to the point. I represent Baron Tommen, and the valiant Viscount Daniel, and convey to you the will of these noble knights." The young noble said in a charitable tone, "Sir Allen, we can also take out the benefits that Earl Oban can give you, and we can take more than Earl Oban. So you see, they are all serving people anyway. Why don't you join us, Lord Daniel?"

"Oh? Thank the viscount for my kindness. You can leave now."

The young noble was stunned, as if he hadn't expected Alan to refuse so straightforwardly, and didn't put himself in his eyes at all. '"But a mere baron really thinks he's a big shot. He's also a guard dog in Ouban, so what's the difference between him and Lord Daniel?" He said angrily, his face flushed red. "He's just a baron. He really thinks he's a big shot. He's a guard dog in Ouban. What's the difference between him and Lord Daniel?"

Ellen suddenly laughed. He wasn't angry, he just laughed happily, "It's not sensible to insult a knight. And this isn't Sunset City, so it makes you look even more foolish. Wilick, I want this idiot to have a row of teeth."

"It's my pleasure, my lord!" William moved his Angry Beast Armor and grinned.

The young man's expression immediately changed as he shouted, "What are you trying to do? You can't do this! This is an insult, the greatest disrespect to Lord Daniel "

Before he could finish his sentence, he had already been punched in the mouth by Wilick. He fell to the ground and immediately spat out a mouthful of blood. There were also a few white teeth stained with blood inside. The young man's mouth immediately swelled up. He pointed at Allen and his words were out of tune. Only his eyes flickered with resentment. Alan walked over, waved his hand, and prepared to punch William again before leaving. Alan looked down at him and said, "This is a lesson for you. I am indeed not a big shot, but you are not even a big shot. Even I have to admire your courage for daring to point fingers and insult the enemy's territory, sir."

'"Sir Alan, Mr. Chuck has indeed done something wrong. We apologize for our rudeness in this regard. But please consider Sir Daniel's invitation carefully. As long as you agree, you can make any conditions you want," said one of the men who came with the young man with a helpless expression.

'"Thank Sir Daniel for my kindness," said Alan coolly. "But since I'm already on Earl Oban's side, I can't betray you temporarily. Besides, even if I agree, can the Viscount be so relieved that someone who can sell at any time for his own benefit is by his side? So, everyone, please go back."

The man sighed and helped Chuck out of the camp.

William looked at their backs and said, "There's no room for manoeuvre between us and Daniel."

"I didn't plan to have any buffer. We killed each other's generals. However, Daniel was surprised to be able to breathe out and recruit me instead." Alan said.

"Boss, I think it would be better to join Daniel. No matter what, the situation on the Earl's side is not very good."

"That's right, if the count is a sheep, then Daniel is a wolf. If we join the wolf, the sheep will definitely be eaten, and then the wolf may turn into a lion. Joining Daniel was obviously a sensible choice if I were to stop at loyalty to a count. But our footsteps are not limited to this. When we grow stronger, our backers will become enemies. Do you think it will be easy to deal with a sheep or a lion? "

'"The answer isn't obvious," Ellen said with a smile. "We can kill Daniel while he's still a wolf by borrowing the Earl's power. Isn't it easier to kill him than to wait for him to turn into a lion?"

"Once we kill the wolf, we will become lions. If the sheep are willing to cooperate, then it's fine. Otherwise, we'll just casually exterminate them."