Transmigrated with a Demon-Refining Pot: Hehehe, Refine in an instant

"Oh dear! You...you've really put me in a difficult position!" Ron said, looking embarrassed.

The old cripple insisted on pledging allegiance, and Ron, unable to refuse the kindness of others, had no choice but to agree.

"If you insist on this, then stay with me for now, and we'll decide on a later date when the new Grand Duke ascends the throne."

After saying that, Ron took out three potion bugs and five agricultural bugs from the elf bug box and handed them back to the old cripple.

"Take these and use them first. I'm not a stingy person. Follow me and I'll guarantee you'll live a life of luxury."

Ron felt a pang of regret, but he still had to maintain appearances.

"I've heard your son is quite talented. Why don't you let him come with me and serve the eldest prince together?"

"It'll be perfect for me to command your men and see what kind of successor Blackrock Ridge is capable of."

Hosen looked troubled. He had originally wanted his son to stay behind to guard the territory while he went out to fight.

But since Ron had brought it up, he wasn't allowed to haggle.

If you choose to back down, you must be aware of it and not let others feel that you are dissatisfied.

So I had no choice but to agree.

"The castle gates are now open. The granaries, treasury, and armory are all at your disposal. From this day forward, all the serfs of Blackstone Ridge are yours," the old cripple said voluntarily.

Ron was very satisfied with the old cripple's cooperative attitude; this was a smart man, one who understood the situation.

Next, Ron ordered Hosen to withdraw all of Blackrock Ridge's troops from the city, and then sent his own men to take over the castle.

Only after this point did he feel relieved about the old cripple's surrender.

Arriving at the treasure trove of Black Stone Ridge, the old cripple had amassed quite a fortune over the years—a full ten thousand gold dragons.

Ron left him two thousand and took away more than ten thousand serfs, leaving only a few thousand people for Blackrock Ridge.

The entire Blackrock Ridge was essentially emasculated, and from now on they can only obediently be Ron's underling family.

Even so, it's still much better than the endings of Austen and Clark.

Not only did they manage to preserve their territory, but they also managed to retain a small portion of their wealth, which is already quite good.

The old cripple was useful to Ron for more than just being his underling.

He had spent more than ten years in the pioneering lands and knew the surrounding lords very well.

He knew the strength of each territory and which powerful noble was backing each person. With Hossen around, Ron could execute his robbery plan with precision.

Hossen pulled a thick roll of parchment from his pocket and presented it with both hands.

Ron took it and unfolded it. It was a map, more detailed than any he had ever gotten from Oakwood.

The document listed the locations, territorial sizes, wall heights, and number of knights of more than twenty lords near the Greenwood Wasteland. Each lord's name was followed by a note in small, neat handwriting.

Ron glanced at it quickly and realized that there weren't many easy targets like Austin.

The situation of the territories closest to Ron is also clearly described there.

Black Bear Ridge, ruled by a Celtic lord, was ennobled for his military achievements and married a declining viscount from the south. He has about ten knights, two of whom are high-ranking, and a little over two hundred soldiers. This lord is an alcoholic, and his territory is underdeveloped.

White Sheep Ridge, ruled by Lord Edmund, a branch of the Viscount family, is a major grain-producing region characterized by vast plains. He commands a number of knights, but only one is of high rank.

Stone Ridge, ruled by Lady Martha, a widow whose husband has died and whose son has just turned twelve. The territory is held together by a few loyal knights, but the people are restless.

...The rest were territories further away, which Ron had only heard of by name and had little contact with.

Ron is preparing to take action against these three territories, but whether he will simply annex them or subdue them like he did with Blackrock Territory remains to be seen.

It all depends on whether they have the sense to see this.

Ron has already annexed many territories, all of which have resulted in the destruction of families and clans.

To be honest, if the duchy weren't currently in turmoil and unable to attend to this matter, a high-ranking noble would have already taken action against Ron.

How could you break the rules? Leave some room for maneuver. We are all nobles, not commoners.

How can we be so quick to call for war and killing?

Even if these nobles are too busy to care right now, Ron can't keep doing this forever.

Going too far will make you everyone's enemy.

Unless the internal strife subsides, Ron will become a Tier 3 Dragon Knight directly.

Otherwise, it would be better to tone it down a bit.

Fortunately, Ron is definitely not the only one who's going to kill; there are countless ambitious people in the duchy.

It has only been half a month since the civil war in the duchy began, and twenty or thirty noble lords of the duchy have already died.

Ron wasn't particularly noticeable.

After conquering these three territories, Ron prepared to switch gears and take the robbery route.

However, if any of the three lords are foolish enough to choose to resist to the death, don't blame Ron for taking drastic measures.

We'll just annex his territory and send him to work with Clark making bricks.

Ron, accompanied by the old cripple, quickly surveyed the general situation of Blackrock Territory.

Aside from the elf insects and golden dragons, the most valuable things in the territory are over 40,000 acres of farmland, nearly 20,000 serfs, and an obsidian mine.

Hosen earns two to three thousand gold dragons a year from this obsidian mine, which is considered quite good for a baron.

Other features such as hunting grounds, towns, and forests are standard features of a territory.

By the time the harvest was tallied, it was already evening.

Ron captured three baronies in one day.

This is a strategy of overwhelming your troops and pushing forward; they don't play the siege and defense game with you at all.

A direct crushing defeat.

Ron's men suffered many casualties that day, mainly from being shot by alchemical crossbow bolts during the attack on Green Lake Territory.

A dozen or so low-ranking knights died, and two mid-ranking knights were seriously injured, but at least they were saved.

There were dozens of other soldiers killed or wounded, but Ron didn't care much.

After collecting the spoils, Ron prepared to lead his men back to the River Bend.

Even though he trusted Hosen, he didn't plan to spend the night in Blackrock Territory.

On his way out, he also took Karl, the heir to Blackrock Territory, with him.

Carl was Hossen's only son and the sole heir of his family.

He has good talent and ability. At only twenty-four or twenty-five years old, he has already become a mid-level knight squire. He is indeed worthy of being the successor that the old cripple has been cultivating with all his might.

With him by his side, Ron wasn't worried at all that Hosen might have any other ideas.

It was already late at night when they returned to their territory.

Ron didn't disturb the girls, but instead organized his day's findings in the study.

First, it annexed Green Lake Territory and Cold Pine Territory, and Black Stone Territory also chose to submit.

The three territories have a population of 50,000, all of whom can be used directly by Ron.

The farmland is countless, definitely exceeding 100,000 mu, with nearly 7,000 hectares of cultivated land.

The golden dragon reaped over 30,000, and with other treasures included, it had more than 50,000.

Most importantly, there were gains in the area of ​​the Spirit Bug.

First up are the little sprites, three in total.

Potions Sprites: Foxtail Flower Sprite, Clover Sprite (Blackrock Collar)

Agricultural Sprites: Pumpkin Sprites

There are 18 Magic Potion Sprites and 29 Agricultural Sprites.

This is after deducting the eight elf insects left for the old cripple.

With these nearly twenty potion-eating insects in the camp, the potion shortage in the territory can be alleviated to some extent, at least enough to make up for the normal monthly potion rations for the knights.

Recently, the prices of potions and weapons on the market have skyrocketed, so even though Ron has money, he prioritizes training those with good talent first.

The next morning, Ron summoned Dick and told him to quickly clear out a place and arrange for the serfs to plant cordyceps crops.

With Ron's original solution available, frequent transplanting is not a problem.

He then summoned Perrin and ordered him to quickly organize a team to take over the land and population of the three territories.

And prepare for the continued expansion of the territory.