Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 365 The Territory's Formidable Military Strength

There is indeed a giant butcher in Blackwood. Ever since the Troll Skull Tavern was built, this legendary tavern has attracted dwarves from all over Grey Mountain to travel here.

Don't assume that just because Gray Mountain is called a mountain, its local territory is very small.

In fact, this is viewing the world too much from a human perspective. The dwarves, as one of the main characters of the world, are not called the Sons of the Mountains for nothing. The Gray Mountains, a towering mountain range stretching across the northern part of the border princely territory, have a vast and expansive northern region. Just to give you an idea, their territory is filled with countless monsters—greenskins, trolls—that can endlessly surround their fortresses like an ocean. The fact that it's called an ocean speaks volumes about its sheer size.

Therefore, as the Gray Mountain Dwarf Kingdom, its area is no less than that of the entire border princely territory.

Within such a vast territory, the number of dwarf butchers is countless.

In particular, the dwarven butchers are all obsessive and suicidal. They love to roam and fight, so it's not surprising that many people come to Blackwood Territory.

The Giant Slayer is equivalent to a champion-level being. Although rare, it's normal for a few to appear from the perspective of the entire Gray Mountain Kingdom.

Of course, their name, "Titan Butchers," doesn't mean they can actually slaughter Titans. It simply means they have the right to fight Titans; otherwise, how would they seek liberation in battle? Countless Titan Butchers and Titans die every year.

In general, thanks to their superior equipment and sharper intellect, the dwarven giant butchers have an advantage against the less intelligent giants. The overall casualty ratio is 6:4, or even 7:3. The clubs and stone hammers wielded by the giants may not necessarily kill the dwarves despite their thick, tough bodies. A dwarf's sharp battle axe, however, will almost certainly leave a large bloodstain on a giant. The giants' greater advantage lies in their massive size, often exceeding ten meters in height.

Tens of meters tall sounds easy, but only by standing in front of them, facing these behemoths head-on, can one truly grasp their significance. For dwarves, it's like a normal person challenging a moving, six-story-high behemoth.

If an ordinary person looks at how tall a six-story building is, and imagines how one person could demolish such a building, they will understand how much pressure the dwarf giant butcher faced when confronting giants.

Every dwarf who becomes the Butcher of Giants is an elite among elites.

As a high-ranking steward, Hilde was quite familiar with the armed forces within the territory. Upon hearing Su Li's inquiry, she calmly replied, "My lord, there are currently over 100 active dwarves in our territory, including as many as three giant butchers. In addition to the attraction of the Troll Skull Tavern, our upcoming Arena Festival, with its fine wines and delicacies, has also attracted a group of dwarven butchers."

More than 100 dwarf butchers?

Su Li couldn't help but gasp: "Just how much trouble can the dwarves cause? The losses they've inflicted and the internal strife they've caused are probably no less than the threat the Greenskins pose to them."

To become a butcher, one does not necessarily have to break an oath or commit an unforgivable crime.

Butchers among the dwarves make up almost one-tenth of their entire race, and many of these losses are due to their obsessive personalities and unreliable designs.

So basically, the number of dwarf engineers will produce the same number of dwarf butchers in proportion to the number of dwarf engineers.

For example, another notorious dwarf, Malak Maksen, was a famous friend of Gotrike Gordt and was known for his extremely unstable mental state and top-notch understanding of the principles of gunpowder.

His journey to becoming a dwarf butcher is very representative, and relatively speaking, he is one of the less obsessive and easygoing members of the dwarf race.

As a gifted engineer, Malakai's emergence in the engineers' guild was nothing short of earth-shattering.

The dwarven ironclad warship "Unsinkable," which he had devoted his youth to building, unfortunately sank on its maiden voyage, causing numerous casualties and losses, and Malak Maksen became highly controversial as a result.

But Malakai Maksen wasn't like those fragile dwarves who immediately gave up and became dwarven butchers. He steadfastly faced the criticism and then designed and oversaw the construction of his second Thunder Airship, the "Never Falling"!
But clearly, Malakine Maksen has not learned from the painful experiences and lessons within humanity, and should never make any promises lightly!

As a result, the Thunder airship "Never Falling," which he was in charge of, was destroyed by a fatal implosion during its maiden flight, causing heavy casualties once again and bringing shame to the engineering class.

Following the second incident, the enraged Engineers' Guild expelled Malakine from their ranks. The humiliation suffered by the young engineer proved so immense that even the resilient Malakine Maksen could not bear it, and was subsequently forced to swear a butcher's oath.

Ironically, after he became the Dwarven Butcher, the third airship he built, the Thunderfury, was a great success; it was the very one that Gotrick used to reach Blackhamburg.

Gotrike's possession of the airship was also greatly related to his dwarf butcher friend.

Of course, their ranks are just too high; one is a legendary level, and the other is even a demigod!
A demigod, even above the Saintly Realm. Theoretically, the Empire should have many Saintly Knights, far more than the currently active Legendary Knights. But even at this level, the Empire doesn't have a single active, or even rumored, demigod.

It is easy to imagine how astonishing Gotr's existence was.

In conclusion, it was a dark and desperate era, but also an era that produced many heroes.

After clicking his tongue in admiration, Su Li said with high spirits, "This is also the best of times for us. We must head to the Spider's Nest as soon as possible. You can arrange the personnel and troop deployment."

“No problem.” Hilde clenched her fist and pounded her chest with confidence, assuring him, “We can set off tomorrow morning.”

Hilder's guarantee was very reliable, and the list of those to be sent out was delivered to Su Li early the next morning.

This time, the army of the Black Forest Territory is quite different from the large-scale conscriptions of the past, which focused more on scale; instead, it places greater emphasis on being elite and capable.

此次出战的军队包括3名神选骑士、12名人类冠军骑士、3名矮人冠军屠夫、2名矮人游侠、1名冠军级的琥珀法式·兽人灾星！

There are as many as 21 champion-level and chosen knights! The supporting army consists of 200 dwarves, 200 knights, and armed squires.

With this configuration, they are among the elite of the elite in the Elector's army!
So much so that when this team was drawn out, everyone was stunned. Besides the lord, the territory also had 20 champion knights and chosen knights!
Whether the neighboring Blue Mirror County has a champion knight is a question worth discussing.

It's fair to say that many duchies couldn't match Su Li's military configuration. This is why Su Li had the confidence to declare the unification of the border princely territories.

If he can't even defeat a duke, then he should stop dreaming about conquering the border princely territories. If you can't even beat a duke, what makes you think you can take over a territory comparable to an electoral marquisate?
Looking at these people, Su Li saw their imposing presence, a blend of military might and overwhelming power. Their banners and armor shone brightly, a testament to the strength of his imperial ambitions. More importantly, he had personally trained most of them—a direct testament to the fruits of Black Forest Territory's agricultural prowess! If Black Forest Territory hadn't possessed so many extraordinary fruits, most of them would still be languishing at the elite level.

This made them extremely loyal, and they all followed Su Li wholeheartedly, hoping to reach a higher level and advance to the God-Chosen level.

It's no exaggeration to say that even if a legendary knight wanted to replace Su Li and seize Black Forest Territory, these chosen knights and champion knights would not submit. They would directly wage war and internal strife, overthrow the legendary rule, and support Su Li as the new commander.

This is why killing powerful ministers is ineffective in political struggles. Even if you kill a powerful minister, he and the ruling group behind him will still regroup for common interests and launch a counterattack.

Gazing at the golden bauhinia badges gleaming on the chests of these knights, Su Li was filled with confidence. With a wave of his right arm, he directly ordered, "The entire army shall march to Storm Shadow Fortress."

Hundreds of elite troops immediately turned right in unison, raised a dozen or so banners, and set off with high morale.

The territory now possesses Rainbow Silkworm Silk and Anarek Giant Spider Silk, enough to make quite a few banners. Previously, Su Li could only locate an Anarek Giant Spider's lair with one or two pieces of intelligence, occasionally obtaining a little silk. But this time, he's going to conduct a thorough raid on the monster forces beneath Storm Shadow Fortress!

After that, the territory of Hessen never lacked banners again. Even when the army expanded to 3000 elite infantry and cavalry, he was able to ensure that the troops were well-equipped and their armor was strong.

A force of 3000 men was basically the most common standard for a baron. Many barons within the empire were just filling positions; their troops were often paid for nothing, reporting 1000 elite knights and 2000 armed squires, when in reality it was likely only 100 elite knights and 3000 armed squires.

Su Li is a genuine expert who can muster over a thousand elite knights!

Of course, this is only after he expands his army. Currently, in order to ensure that the territory's finances gradually turn around, he has not expanded his army yet. His troops are still around 2400 infantry and cavalry, and there are less than 1000 elite knights.

On the march, Su Li pondered and asked Hilder, "Have you received any letters from the family recently?" Hilder asked in surprise, "At the beginning of the year, we sent a team to Purplethorn Keep, delivering pearl wheat, steel wheat, armor, and warhorses, totaling over 200 supplies. We also informed Purplethorn Keep of our upcoming Glory Festival. But the family hasn't replied, or the messengers who did reply encountered misfortune on their way. As you know, our messengers are often attacked by monsters. Two or three out of ten attempts fail. We saw it when we came; the journey has been arduous and difficult. Lord, why are you suddenly asking about this?"

Su Li was well aware of the hardships of the journey, having personally experienced it. Even within the empire, the vast fields between the power centers were teeming with all sorts of monsters.

Upon reaching the border princely territories, the situation became even more perilous. Even those in the heart of power were not safe, as many of the pioneering lords also acted as bandits.

That's why the dwarves specially gifted Su Li a squad of Warhammers; air cavalry and airships are really convenient for transporting supplies.

Su Li desperately needs the support of her family members right now.

He patted Deathclaw on the back, soothing the excited beast. It was about to go into battle and was full of anticipation for the upcoming fight. If he didn't calm it down, it would leave Hilder's mount far behind.

Once it slowed down, Su Li pointed to the army below, its banners fluttering and gleaming, and said, "My commander, look at our army. It's so majestic and powerful now, all we're missing is the family crest. In our letter to the family, we specifically requested that they send a few members of the Bauhinia bloodline so that they could provide us with the family crest."

The Bauhinia family crest is indeed dazzlingly golden, and its effect is powerful enough to ensure that even if a knight is surrounded by dozens of goblins, a faint pressure will remain within a 3-meter radius, preventing the monsters from swarming him. Moreover, although this pressure effect is a weakened version, it can still reduce the opponent's attack, speed, morale, and so on, making their attacks less decisive, or even causing them to hesitate and shrink back.

This badge is great in every way, except that the conditions for its creation are too demanding. Not only does it require the dwarves to forge it with vibranium through countless hammerings, but more importantly, it requires the bloodline of the Bauhinia family.

Su Li had previously stated that he did not want to be a blood bag, but despite his refusal, he had his blood drawn more than 30 times!
Do they really think he's some lowly beast of burden in the Great Beautiful Country? How could he tolerate that? Using Su Li's blood, the knights wear badges; don't they smell blood when they drink?

Therefore, it would be best if the family sent a few knights to help him provide the family bloodline. Otherwise, drawing blood more than ten times a month would make Su Li feel strange. How did this lord end up becoming the territory's blood bag? He didn't want to end up sitting on the toilet seat.

Hilde also comforted her mount, whose name was Bloodstripped, a female griffin. She had mentioned to Su Li when her mount hatched that Bloodstripped and the half-griffin Bloodstripped were siblings.

If it's a brother and sister, then the Claw of Tear is undoubtedly larger.

However, both the Tear Claw and the Tear Bloodstain are smaller than the Death Claw.

Over time, Su Li and Hilde discovered that Deathclaw was like a proud warrior, always holding its head high with a longing for war and completely disregarding the opposite sex.

It disregarded everything, including Jinya, the Claw of Rift, and the Scar of Rift. Women? They would only slow down its attack.

This makes it difficult for any mount to get close to Su Li, and it is also unique in that it wears a rare-grade vest in its territory.

This rare-grade Fiery Sun Armor was just created by the territory. After all, the armory is currently producing Fiery Sun Horse Armor at full capacity, and it was produced entirely based on probability. Currently, it is only available on Su Li's mount.

In the future, without a doubt, Su Li will also assemble a complete set for the green dragon, Ariria. For Ariria's horse armor, it must be of the Chosen grade, capable of changing shape with her physique. This way, she can wear it as armor in her human form. Otherwise, given the pride of this woman's dragon-like nature, she won't willingly become a mount. Su Li had already discovered that the set he used for Freya wouldn't work well for this woman.

After calming her mount, Hilde said confidently to Su Li, "My lord, my lord, you can rest assured that even if the number of badges is relatively insufficient, it will not affect our combat strength much. Our knights are confident that they can defeat all our current enemies! Even the Night Wanderer Corpses are no match for them."

Hilde dared to challenge the Nightwalker Corpse, which shows that the fighting power of the Black Forest Territory has indeed given her great confidence.

Of course, the Black Forest Territory has an excellent configuration, and the three chosen ones in the team make up a perfect trio.

Demst, the Raven Ruler, is extremely durable and a perfect tank. When he is alone, he dares to go and roam in front of the high-ranking chosen dragon, the Red Dragon Drake. Drake fought him for days and nights but could not defeat him.

Dietrich, the chosen hospital knight of the healing goddess Sharya, has maximized her healing abilities. As a priest, she can provide Durmst with a large amount of healing and purification effects.

With the two of them combined, even the legendary necromancer Jasper, the leader of the Night Wanderers, would have a hard time instantly killing Demst.

With Hilde, wielding a 40-meter-long blazing sword, as an additional source of damage, old Jasper would indeed be stretched thin, and could easily be struck if he wasn't careful.

However, defeating such a legendary mage would be incredibly difficult. Its life force is legendary, making it extremely hard to kill. Furthermore, it possesses necromancy like Life Drain, which ensures its regeneration. To kill it, it would likely require three knights to attack without leaving any openings, and only after several days of continuous siege.

The knights worked together seamlessly, and maintaining this for three days and three nights was no easy feat.

The idea of ​​defeating a legendary mage with just three Chosen Knights is unrealistic. Fortunately, Su Li has Orstein and Eliria under his command. If they join the battle, it will add another mage for crowd control and another damage-dealing knight.

This at least ensures that Su Li isn't too afraid of Old Jasper, since the necromancer's fighting power largely comes from the undead monsters he controls. Su Li also has a large army under his command, which can help the Chosen Knights hold off the Commander's Legion. In particular, the Black Forest army contains a large number of Champion Knights and artillery, which will have an unparalleled restraining effect on the undead legion, creating extremely favorable conditions for the Chosen Knights to carry out their decapitation strike.

Thinking of this situation, Su Li was also full of vigor. He led his army at breakneck speed and arrived at Storm Shadow Fortress in less than three days.

This was only because the dwarves severely hampered his marching speed; otherwise, his cavalry could have arrived in less than two days at breakneck speed.

Of course, dwarves also have their advantages, namely their extreme resilience, abundant stamina, and ability to endure hardship. Although their tactical mobility on the battlefield is relatively weak, their strategic marching capabilities are by no means inferior.

If a large army were to set out, marching for ten days or half a month, they would be faster than cavalry. Their short legs simply couldn't keep them walking for days and nights without recovering their strength as they went.

Warhorses are far inferior to them. Warhorses have an advantage in short-distance running, but they need to stop and rest after running for several hours, otherwise they will die from the heat.

Strategic maneuvers like marching day and night, or light cavalry raids, covering 1000 li (approximately 500 kilometers) at high speed, would result in the death of most of the horses by the time the mission was completed. Unless it had significant strategic value, no general would undertake such a feat.

Of course, Su Li had no such worries; he had top-quality pasture, and his cavalry could roam freely.

When they arrived at Storm Shadow Fortress, it was sunset, and the afterglow of summer painted the earth and forests golden.

Although they were more than 30 miles apart, Su Li, riding his griffin, could see the dense forest destroyed by the earthquake and the huge exposed cave at a glance.

To allow the giant spiders to enter and exit easily, the cave's tunnels were tens of meters wide. During the earthquake, these tunnels became particularly vulnerable, and the collapsed tunnels formed a dark trench on the ground.

The general in charge of defending Stormshade Fortress is Griffin Knight Edwin. He is one of the few Griffin Knights in the territory, and his Griffin was not a gift from Su Li, but something he brought himself.

In fact, he came from a very noble family. He was a student at the Royal Griffin Military Academy in Modheim and received a griffin when he was only a teenager.

His talent far surpasses that of Edwin, the Dawn Knight who competed with Su Li for the arena championship.

Of course, that elite knight was also quite remarkable; he was an elite warrior capable of charging into enemy lines and killing necromancers on the battlefield. If Su Li hadn't joined the arena, he would have been the strongest contender for the championship. However, as the third-place finisher, he also received a half-griffin egg and is currently a reserve knight of the Knights of Vengeance, also included in the lineup for this battle.

As the commander of Stormshade Fortress, the griffin knight Edwin rode up to greet Su Li and asked, "Lord, would you like to enter the fortress for an inspection?"

"I won't go into the fortress." Su Li waved his hand. This Storm Shadow Fortress was a purely military fortress, and all fortresses were similar in style, so he didn't have anything he wanted to see. If it were White Fortress, he would be interested in taking a look.

"I plan to go straight into the monster's lair. It's pitch black inside anyway, so it's the same whether it's day or night. Have you sent any knights in to scout?"

Edwin frowned and said, “My lord, ever since this cave appeared, I’ve sent knights, mercenaries, and members of the Red Brotherhood to investigate. Four or five teams, dozens of people in total, went in. Some didn’t return, but those who did all reported the same thing: there was a strong sense of death within. This is a very strange piece of information.”

(End of this chapter)