Chapter 100: War Preparations

Sinuoli had always been a person who saw things through to the end, and the Dwarfs were a race that valued oaths and promises above all else; he would never abandon his mission just because a few Goblins blocked the way.

"Respected elders, pray, hear me out!" After receiving nods of agreement from Lord Borok and his wife, Sinuoli jumped onto the platform.

"Everyone, I have some understanding of the situation at Karak-Azgalaz. Although every one of us Sons of the Mountains is tough and skilled in battle, it is difficult for our kin to defend their Shanbao relying on damaged fortifications."

As Sinuoli's voice rang out, the Dwarfs in the hall quieted down. Given that Lord Borok and his wife had a poor reputation due to their unconventional ways, Sinuoli—as a Chosen of the Goddess, a Rune Master, and the son of the High King—was trusted even more by the clansmen.

"Father God Grungni taught us that if we do not take the initiative to end a war, then the war will end us!" Sinuoli said, enunciating every word.

"If we ignore the plight of our kin at Fearless Fort, once the Greenskins gain a foothold there, won't our Huangwu Bao be the next to suffer?" Sinuoli expounded on the principle of the lips being gone, the teeth being cold. This stirred support from some of the clansmen below.

"In my view, these Goblins do not possess much strength! Even if they have somehow managed to produce a new Warboss and gathered together once more, after having just experienced a large-scale Waaagh!, how many could there possibly be in total?"

Sinuoli began an objective analysis. Because Grom the Paunch, who had invaded earlier that year, could be called the greatest Goblin Warlord in the history of the Warhammer World, many clansmen had developed a phobia of Goblins. For those who had not experienced the War of the Beard, many a Little Beard likely thought Goblins were the head of the four races!

Forest Goblins matched against Wood Elf Asrai, Night Goblins matched against Dark Elf Druchii, and normal Goblins matched against High Elf Asur—very logical, isn't it?

"Everyone, perhaps you all know how I gained the favor of the Mother Goddess!" Sinuoli paused before continuing.

"Of course, praise to the brave Master Sinuoli!"

"The Ancestor Goddess favors true warriors!"

"Even Grom the Paunch could do nothing to you!"

Sinuoli and his story had, intentionally or otherwise, spread throughout the entire Dwarf Qunshan. Although Sinuoli had not verified it, he was certain the story had undergone layers of embellishment—exaggerated or not—and was no longer the original account of a reckless Little Beard foolishly throwing his life away only to be sent flying.

Under the influence of Sinuoli's personal testimony, the clansmen reacted, and the war-weariness in their hearts was gradually dispelled.

"I have sworn an oath before the Mother Goddess: beyond settling every deep-seated Grudge, it is even more important to avoid the creation of new ones! Every one of our kin is our most precious treasure; the Mother Goddess and I will never sit idly by while anyone suffers a tragic fate! This applies to those standing here, and it applies to our kin at Fearless Fort as well!"

Hearing this, Lord Borok and his wife were the first to react, and they offered Sinuoli enthusiastic applause.

"I have also sworn an oath before my father, His Majesty Thorgrim Grudgebearer, that I will protect the caravan until it reaches Kalake-Zifulin safely, even if a Dragon tamed by a bunch of pointy-ears stands in our way! Where the oath goes, it is as firm as stone!"

"Where the oath goes, it is as firm as stone!"

Listening to Sinuoli's bold words, the atmosphere in the hall grew heated, and the clansmen expressed their support for Sinuoli and the coming war.

"Please allow me and my men to take the vanguard! Time is of the essence; we do not know how much longer our kin at Fearless Fort can hold out!" Sinuoli turned to the Lord and his wife and said loudly.

"Praise your courage, Chosen of the Goddess!" Queen Selma spoke up. "I am willing to divide my Brass Guard and give you half. May you achieve victory and fulfill your promise!"

Queen Selma's lead in supporting him shocked most of the Dwarfs, including Sinuoli, and this dispelled the concerns of many local clans who feared that providing help to Sinuoli would offend the Queen, who hailed from Tongshanbao.

"Our Dragonbeard Clan can provide twenty Thunderers; they are all experts capable of shooting down hawks!"

"On behalf of the Hard Stone Clan, I provide five Ironbreakers and ten Longbeards! Fighting under the gaze of the Mother Goddess is the supreme glory of every Son of the Mountains!"

"We can also hire some Human adventurers! Now that production in the Empire of Man has been severely damaged, there will still be those willing to join if the price is right!" Lord Borok gave his decision.

Utilizing outside forces when conditions allowed was Lord Borok's consistent style; it helped reduce the losses of the clansmen of Huangwu Bao, but it also brought him criticism.

It was a three-day journey from Huangwu Bao to Fearless Fort. Considering that the route was unlikely to be smooth, this time might increase, so the Dwarfs decided to spend two days assembling the troops and set out to provide support early on the third day.

Sinuoli returned to his room to rest. Early the next morning, he issued orders to assemble the caravan. Through feedback from Tomi and Balin, Sinuoli learned that some merchants were worried about the risk of Goblins and had given up on continuing forward; they decided to dispose of their goods on the spot or divert their route toward the Empire of Man.

However, more than eighty percent of the caravan members chose to trust the armed forces provided by Sinuoli and Lord Borok, and they firmly packed their wagons and horses in preparation for departure.

On the eve of departure, Sinuoli received the troop roster sent by Lord Borok. The forces currently at his disposal were as follows:

80 Anvil Guards

40 Hammer Warriors, including 10 Eternal Hammer Guards

20 Ironbreakers

20 Brass Guards

60 Thunderers and 60 Quarrellers

30 Dwarf Rangers

20 Dwarf Slayers

3 Bolt Throwers

2 Cannons

1 Flame Cannon

20 Irondrakes

150 Human adventurers, including 30 mounted

300 Dwarf merchants and adventurers forming the caravan

Karak-Norn was equipped with a large amount of long-range firepower to counter the Wood Elves, so the support Lord Borok provided him was primarily based on this. He even generously dismantled one of the Flame Cannons from the city walls.

Sinuoli did a quick mental calculation; he now had a force of over a thousand, a significant portion of which were elites. At the same time, there was sufficient artillery support, and if that still wasn't enough, his own carriage had two Organ Guns available.

Sinuoli made up his mind: as long as it was necessary, he would not begrudge the depreciation costs of those cannons. Organ Guns performed very well when attacking enemies like Goblins, who were high in number but low in quality.

Thanks to "Bi Shu Zi Zai Ren Xin", "Zhan Lan Se De You Xi", "Babcock324", "Diu Ren Dan Dang", and "Liu Guan Ren 123" for the monthly tickets.

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