Chapter 12: Territory

Su Lun was not surprised by the victory. In his eyes, it was just a normal outcome. The weapons of the two sides were worlds apart. Like in the history of his previous life, where one Han soldier could fight five barbarians, besides being well-trained, it was all about having superior equipment.

The caravan started moving forward again. After this clearing operation, there were no more tails spying on them. The mercenaries in the caravan became more respectful and fearful of Su Lun, the noble lord. Even the speed of the caravan increased significantly.

After traveling in the wilderness for five days, the caravan had reached the deep wilderness. It was already three hundred miles away from the nearest Blackstone City. According to the Land Reclamation Decree, Su Lun could only claim territory more than one hundred kilometers away from a city. In reality, he had already exceeded that distance. The extra area was reserved for the future development of his territory.

The Land Reclamation Decree did not specify the size of the territory. Theoretically, as long as you had the strength, you could claim as much land as you wanted in the wilderness. Of course, that was only in theory. In practice, since the pioneering movement began, the largest pioneering territory had never exceeded three hundred miles. This was because the deeper you went into the wilderness, the stronger the monsters you encountered.

It was said that some people had seen Dragons in the wilderness, though this claim had not been confirmed. However, it was true that there were Land Drakes in the deep wilderness. This knowledge came from a bloody lesson learned by a Pioneering Noble.

That unlucky noble had trespassed into the territory of Land Drakes while establishing his pioneering territory. Just after he had started building his camp, over two hundred Land Drakes flattened his territory. Land Drakes were at least intermediate-level magical creatures, and the stronger ones even inherited the terrifying ability to spew Dragon Breath. Even a Titled Knight would avoid such Land Drakes. Only a Legendary Knight could deal with magical creatures of that level.

The caravan finally stopped on a slope surrounded by two rivers. Although it was called a slope, its highest point was only about five or six meters higher than the surrounding plain. The area was quite large, embraced by two rivers, forming a flat alluvial plain. Due to the silt, the land here was exceptionally fertile. Unlike other lands in the wilderness, it did not require years of cultivation to become productive.

The plain was quite extensive. Su Lun estimated that if the entire plain were cultivated, it could yield at least fifty to sixty thousand acres of farmland. As long as he could establish a foothold here, this land could support over ten thousand people. It could truly be called a blessed land.

Su Lun quickly decided to build his castle here.

In theory, as long as Su Lun set up a camp here, the surrounding area would become his territory. How much he could control would depend on his army.

Of course, the natives living on this land did not recognize human rules. To truly control the territory, he needed a strong army to “reason” with them.

In nature, when lions and tigers mark their territory, they leave their scent at the edges, such as by urinating, to warn others not to cross the boundary. Humans and natives, however, could not use this method. The only way was through war.

If you won, you became the ruler of this land. If you lost, you had to leave quickly, or you might not even get the chance to run.

Once the decision was made to build a camp here, the caravan became busy. Soon, a temporary camp made of tents was set up on the desolate riverbank.

Su Lun planned to build his future castle on the slope by the river. That slope was the highest point on the plain. Su Lun had just inspected it and found the soil there to be very firm, making it ideal for building a city.

Although the wilderness appeared desolate, it was actually rich in resources. The two rivers were teeming with fish, which made Su Lun very happy. This meant he could save a lot of food.

The mercenaries in the caravan had extensive experience with wilderness camping, and the Barbarians were experts in survival. Soon, they caught many fish from the river. After a simple cleaning and gutting, the fresh fish were thrown into pots.

The Barbarians gathered wild onions, ginger, and other spices from the wilderness. Together with salt, they boiled the fish. Before long, a rich aroma drifted over the camp. Even Su Lun felt his stomach growling with hunger.

After more than ten days since leaving Karlt City, Su Lun finally enjoyed a delicious meal again.

…

This was the alluvial plain between the Red Sand River and the White Water River. The abundant water source made the land very fertile. The winding rivers meandered like long snakes across the land. On both sides of the rivers were dense reeds, from which wild ducks and waterfowl occasionally took flight. The entire scene appeared peaceful.

On the slope in the distance, a simple camp was being built as quickly as possible. Besides constructing a wall, Su Lun had to build enough warm houses before winter arrived. The wilderness in winter was extremely cold.

The cold currents from the far northern ice plains could freeze Goblins and Kobolds into ice sculptures, and humans were no exception. Su Lun had brought over a hundred people with him. Besides the Barbarians, the rest were mercenaries and slaves he had purchased.

With only these people, even if Su Lun had the mercenaries and Barbarians help with the construction, it would still be difficult to build a camp in a short time. However, there was a solution. The wilderness had plenty of labor resources. Although Goblins and Kobolds were weak in combat, they were capable of tasks like carrying stones, cutting trees, and digging foundations.

So, after the camp’s fence was erected, Su Lun took the team of Barbarians to capture slaves. The mercenaries were left behind to guard the camp and prevent attacks while Su Lun was away. Although these mercenaries were not as strong as the Barbarians, they were more than capable of defending the camp with the fence.

With the protection of the fence, even against Gnolls and Ogres, they could hold out for a while. As long as the camp sent a signal, Su Lun would quickly lead the Barbarians back to rescue.

Soon, Su Lun and the Barbarians began clearing the wilderness within a five-kilometer radius around the camp. The local Goblins, Kobolds, and Gnolls were in for a bad time.

The surrounding tribes were all small. Faced with a fully armed army of over thirty Barbarians, they had no ability to resist. Often, a single Charge from the Barbarians was enough to make the tribe disperse.

But this time, Su Lun’s goal was not to kill the enemy but to capture slaves. Goblins and Kobolds scattering in all directions were not easy to catch.

Su Lun had to divide the Barbarians into two teams. He led one team to attack, while Johnson led the other to set up an ambush along the escape routes. This way, they could capture as many slaves as possible.