Chapter 83: 83. Finalizing the Plan

Luoning had already prepared to take down the Qingzhu Tribe before setting out, which is why he only brought one meal's worth of rations, intending to obtain the remaining supplies directly from the Qingzhu Tribe.

Call it confidence or arrogance, the fact was he never once considered that he might lose to the Qingzhu Tribe.

The reality was exactly as he had anticipated; he not only won, but he won with ease.

After dinner, a candle made from some unknown oil flickered with a pale yellow light.

This faint glow could not even fully illuminate the room of Knight Wili, making the people gathered inside for the meeting look like villains plotting something shady.

"The Heiling Tribe has the largest population, and even when fighting three at once over these years, they have held the upper hand; their strength is formidable. Although I am confident I can defeat them, now is not the time, so let's leave this slightly tougher bone for last."

At the head of the table, Luoning was arranging the upcoming battle plan for his subordinates.

Aside from Luoning, Ruidar, Maiken, Aierlong, and others were in the room, while the prisoners outside were left under the charge of Zhuweite and Ximu.

"So, for the next step, we will continue according to the original plan and wipe out the 'Three-Party Alliance' in one fell swoop."

Luoning took out the simple map Ruidar had drawn earlier, though now, thanks to the intelligence from Wodun and Dandi, he had a better understanding of the surrounding terrain.

"The Ziguo Tribe is located about 20 li to the northeast of the Qingzhu Tribe; it is relatively close, has a very small population, and possesses low defensive capabilities."

"As for the Huitu Tribe, it is 50 li away to the due east; it is further away, and it not only has six Transcendental individuals but has also built fortifications with a certain degree of defensive capability."

Luoning pondered for a moment and made his decision: "Therefore, the second savage tribe we will attack is the Ziguo Tribe."

Ruidar listened to Luoning's plan; he fully agreed and suggested:

"My Lord, it is not hard to see from the battle just now that as long as we take down the leaders of these savage tribes, the others will kneel and surrender."

"And since the Ziguo Tribe only has two Transcendental individuals and likely fewer than ten soldiers with any combat training, I don't think we need to send so many people to deal with them."

"That's right, My Lord!"

Maiken hadn't really exerted himself today and was eager to show his strength; hearing Ruidar say this, he immediately chimed in:

"I think you should just let me take Dawei and Tangmu over tomorrow, My Lord. You and the commander can stay here with the soldiers to rest for a day, and just wait for news of our victory."

Dawei and Tangmu were in full agreement with this.

"If it is only to deal with those two Transcendental individuals of the Ziguo Tribe, I believe sending the three of you is more than enough. Battles always have accidents; since we have the advantage now, there is no need to take risks."

Luoning recalled a saying and shared it with Maiken: "We can despise the enemy strategically, but we must take the enemy seriously tactically."

Despising the enemy strategically and taking them seriously tactically holds true in any world.

Everyone listened to this, seeming to grasp the meaning behind it, and Maiken bowed his head in admission: "You are right, My Lord; I was too rash!"

Luoning smiled slightly: "It wouldn't be called rash. At least part of your point is correct; we indeed don't need to bring so many people to attack the Ziguo Tribe tomorrow."

As he spoke, he thought for a moment and then made his decision.

"Let's do this: tomorrow, I will lead Maiken, Aierlong, Wodun, Dandi, as well as fifteen Guards and forty militiamen to the Ziguo Tribe."

"Ruidar, you stay behind at the Qingzhu Tribe with Dawei and the others, and urge the people here to continue the unfinished autumn harvest; don't let that grain go to waste in the fields."

Although Ruidar, Dawei, and the others felt some regret about not participating in the expedition to the Ziguo Tribe, they had no objections to Luoning's arrangements.

Even though the Qingzhu Tribe had been subdued, it was not appropriate to pull away all the Transcendental individuals in such a short time; someone was needed to hold the fort.

"Additionally, have Ximu take two Guards back to Shanlin Town to notify Wilson, and have him bring materials over to conduct a population registration for the Qingzhu Tribe and the Ziguo Tribe; tell them to ride horses back."

Although Aierlong could also read and record, it was more appropriate to leave such tasks to Wilson, who was in charge of administration.

After all, someone would eventually need to manage the land of the Qingzhu Tribe, and it was necessary to let Wilson come over early to familiarize himself with it.

Come to think of it, as these tribes were brought under his command, his current Administrators were not enough. After returning this time, he would need to recruit an assistant for Wilson to try out.

As for the Qingzhu Tribe, it could be set up with a Village Chief.

Luoning pulled back his thoughts; those matters could wait until the savage tribes were completely taken.

"Alright, everyone go find a place to rest. Ruidar, you arrange the soldiers for tomorrow's trip to the Ziguo Tribe, let them get a good rest, and have the remaining Guards be responsible for the night watch."

Ruidar nodded slightly: "Understood, My Lord."

The meeting ended, and everyone exited the room.

At this moment, the soldiers outside had just finished eating; except for those on guard duty, the others were gathered around the campfires excitedly recounting the day's experiences, with no shortage of bragging.

As for the prisoners, thanks to Luoning's mercy, they had been allowed to rest.

However, half of the prisoners had been squeezed into the homes of their companions or neighbors for the night, and the beds vacated this way were just right for the soldiers to rest.

Not to mention the situation outside, Luoning, inside the room, was taking inventory of the property left behind by Knight Wili.

The wealth possessed by the leader of a savage tribe was actually very, very little.

First was the money; after a thorough search, there were only 5 gold, 32 silver, and 164 copper coins.

It was said that this was what Wili had obtained from selling wild beasts and Level 1 Magic Beast hides outside, but after spending some over the years, only this much remained.

Though the money was little, Luoning did not mind at all; he collected it all into his Space Ring.

Aside from the money, the most valuable items were probably the ancestral armor and knight sword of Wili; although the armor had cracks and the knight sword had nicks, they were still usable.

Since everyone else had already been rewarded with armor and knight swords, Luoning handed Wili's set to Ximu.

"Ten sheets of parchment, one Feather Pen, one bottle of ordinary ink, 4330 catties of barley, 2600 catties of wheat..."

Luoning couldn't help but click his tongue, once again lamenting how realistic the famous saying "Behind the vermilion gates, wine and meat go to waste; out on the road, there are bones of the frozen" truly was.

He had heard that people starved to death in the Qingzhu Tribe every winter, yet their leader had so much surplus grain in his home that he would rather let it sit than use it for relief.

Besides these, Wili also kept eight goats, which could also be considered a bit of wealth.

"For me, the biggest harvest from taking the Qingzhu Tribe this time is still the nine hundred-plus mu of land that has already been cultivated and the 354 people."

In this way, he was a little closer to the requirement of 3000 people for 【Population Prosperity】.

"According to the data provided by Wodun and the others, once I take the Ziguo Tribe and the Huitu Tribe and complete the population registration, this achievement will be completed."

(End of chapter)