About half a day later, the convoy reached its destination.
A thousand Zerg followed them into the city, while the remaining units were stationed outside.
Sitting in the carriage, Xia Jin sensed they had arrived. She gently opened the door and leaped out with grace.
What appeared before everyone's eyes was a girl who looked pure and cute, with a somewhat petite frame. She perfectly embodied the rumored image of a princess, possessing not only the youthful innocence of a young girl but also a beauty that was second to none.
“Princess, I have finally been graced with your presence. Please follow me to the banquet hall to be seated.”
Amelo walked up with a smile, his thoughts unreadable.
However, it was likely that after seeing the massive swarm of terrifying Zerg, he would not regret his current decision.
“Then I thank you for your hospitality.”
Xia Jin gave him a slight nod and followed him into the magnificent hall.
Once seated, both sides went straight to the main topic.
“Your Highness, as per your request, I have relayed the information to the surrounding lords. However, so far, only two lords have expressed their willingness to stand on our side. The others have not replied.”
“I see,” Xia Jin nodded gently.
“There is one more thing. A large number of gnolls have appeared in the Clearwillow Lake region in the eastern part of the kingdom. Those brutal creatures have already crushed many lords. In times like these, it is very difficult to make them choose a side.”
“Gnolls?”
Xia Jin glanced at Ellie, who immediately stood up and walked to a nearby table to bring over a map.
“Right at this location. There are four countries around Clearwillow Lake, plus a cluster of city states in the northeast corner. The gnolls have always occupied the area surrounding the lake. Their numbers are vast, and their reproduction rate is staggering. In the past few decades alone, the kingdom's army has launched no fewer than three suppression campaigns in this area. Various nations have also frequently gone to war with them, but the result... the number of gnolls has not decreased; instead, it has gradually grown over these past few years.”
“In other words, while we are dealing with the kingdom's central authority, we might also encounter an outbreak of gnolls?”
“Yes. To us, gnolls are like a foreign race. In fact, thousands of years ago, this land of the Kingdom of Clear once belonged to the gnolls. The struggle between humans and them has been ongoing since then.”
“I understand.”
Xia Jin truly hadn't paid much attention to the matter of the gnolls.
It could only be said that suppressing gnolls had always been the task of local legions and lords. It was likely that the departments in the royal court responsible for such matters did not have the habit of reporting frequently, which led to Xia Jin, a princess, never having heard of it.
In reality, Clearwillow Lake was a massive lake with an area of over two million square kilometers. To its west was the Kingdom of Clear, to its north was a part of the Border Forest, and to its northeast was the area of the city states. To the southeast, south, and southwest corners were Kelu, the Gexilu United Kingdom, and Mia, respectively.
Among these countries, the Kingdom of Clear was certainly the strongest in terms of comprehensive strength and the largest in area.
Although they all shared the lake as a boundary, the fertile lakeshore had actually always been occupied by the gnolls.
It could be said that they were a thorn in the side of several nations.
“Will the gnolls affect your lands?” Xia Jin asked the question he cared about most.
“They certainly didn't in the past, but recently, several lords to the east haven't been able to hold out. Something must have gone wrong within the kingdom, as they haven't provided any support troops.”
“Then let's do this: we will use prioritizing the dispatch of troops to suppress the gnolls as leverage to bring the lords in that area to our side.”
“Is that really feasible? We are already about to face the kingdom's army, yet we're focusing our energy on the gnolls.”
“You don't need to worry about that.”
Xia Jin was simply buying time for herself.
Whether it was gnolls or anything else, winning a battle would yield resources, which meant the production speed of the Zerg would get faster and faster. Now that she was cooperating with Amelo and held the military advantage, Xia Jin could theoretically use all the resources in this territory as she pleased.
Next, she would dispatch several Zerg squads to various villages and towns in the territory. On one hand, this would strengthen control over the local areas, and on the other, it would suppress the bandits within the territory.
Since Xia Jin was the legitimate princess and held powerful military forces in her hands, Amelo surely understood his decision after witnessing her strength.
...
A day later, thousands of Zerg were split into small squads and began searching for bandits throughout Amelo's territory.
Compared to a regular army, these small local factions could not withstand the Zerg's assault at all.
Even Zerg squads far smaller in number could send them fleeing in panic.
“They are just ordinary people, after all. It would be strange if they had the will to fight against the frenzied Zerg.”
During this day of combat, the small local factions either surrendered or were wiped out completely.
Within Amelo's territory, several minor families that had originally intended to defect instantly became obedient upon seeing the scenes of blood flowing like rivers across the land.
They didn't know what the Princess was thinking, but these Zerg were absolute demons, gods of slaughter.
Once they showed any sign of resistance, a miserable end surely awaited them.
Rate on N.U.
