Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 62: Badland Nomads
Green Leaf Land is located north of the Central Plains. It may not be the most prosperous place in the territory, but it definitely has the most beautiful scenic spots in the territory.

The soft green hills and grasslands here rise to rolling hills, through which the Blackwater River flows. The rushing river leaves behind beautiful waterfalls and tranquil bays. With the decoration of countless lush green trees, the scenery between the mountains and rivers is breathtaking.

But beneath this beautiful scenery lies the greatest risk within the fertile lands of Hesse.

Various monsters and enemies are hidden in the dark woods, rugged passes and deep valleys. Bloodthirsty beastmen, despicable bandits and badland nomads are the most likely forces to appear here.

Especially when the lord of a territory is not strong enough to stay away from roads and plains and search remote mountains and forests, various evil forces will breed here.

Badland nomads are one of them. As the name suggests, they are wanderers living in the harsh areas of the border princes.

When the Empire was developing the fertile land of the Border Princes, in addition to the exiled nobles and pioneers, it also recruited a large number of criminals.

Using criminals and prisoners to reclaim a harsh land was a common tactic used by the imperial nobility. Many rangers, thieves, and bandits whose crimes weren't punishable by death were sentenced to exile by the empire, their destination being the border prince's territory, a land rife with crime.

Of course, in addition to criminals exiled to the Badlands seeking forgiveness, many others, hoping to find a new way of life, have come to this land on their own initiative. These include groups seeking to circumvent legal supervision, smugglers, outlaw bandit leaders, and even wild alchemists and pharmacists.

While many individuals of questionable character fled to the Badlands, fleeing the consequences of their past actions, others, like the landless peasant thugs, were drawn to the life of the mountains. Pioneer lords, while openly establishing their own territories, secretly cultivated farms within the valleys and canyons, seeking to evade taxation and maintain their livelihoods.

There was a natural hostility between the two sides. The nobles could not tolerate the theft of their land, and the nomads could not tolerate the nobles' harsh taxation. Once they discovered each other, war was inevitable, and one side had to give in.

But it's hard to say which side has a greater chance of victory in such a war. After all, the Badlands nomads are no shortage of desperate individuals. In this land, far more harsh than the Empire's, the Badlands nomads tend to live in groups. Each Badlands nomad faction is large and well-coordinated. They often garrison farms in strategic locations. Fighting on such a battlefield, the terrain is highly unfavorable for the knights, making victory a difficult task.

The farmhouse the Hessian leader discovered perfectly matched all these characteristics. This fortified farmhouse sat between two hills, towering over the surrounding land like a mountaintop to a ridge. Its walls were thick and fortified, bearing the scars of past raids by bandits and wild beastmen. Every night, the owner of this Limburg farm would herd his livestock inside the high walls.

All these cautious actions were undoubtedly the result of experience and lessons learned from many battles with beastmen and bandits.

It was almost midnight when Su Li arrived with the knights and halfling archers. The moon was particularly round tonight, hidden behind the dark clouds, and its light was a little hazy and reddish.

This red moon is considered a symbol of the rampage of beastmen in the badlands of the Border Prince's territory. Whenever the red moon appears, a large number of beastmen will rush out from the woods, valleys and cliffs, devouring large amounts of blood. Then, after a heavy rain, they will reproduce and grow a large number of monsters in a month.

This Limburg Farm was the target of a group of beastmen. When Knight Orstein saw the reinforcements arrive, he quickly issued a hand signal for silence, and then personally welcomed Su Li to the hillside where he had been hiding.

"My Lord, a group of beastmen arrived here about an hour ago. Thankfully, we followed your orders and didn't rashly disturb this farm. Otherwise, we would have been surrounded by them, attacked from both sides, and would have suffered heavy losses today."

Su Li observed the situation ahead in the direction of his finger, and this sight made him take a deep breath.

On the outskirts of the dark forest, on the way to Limburg Farm, there are at least hundreds of terrifying orc monsters!

Though their appearances varied, the beasts were all beast-headed monsters with human bodies, featuring goat heads and legs, nestled within a hairy, fetid human torso. They possessed savage wolf fangs capable of tearing large chunks of flesh from their foes, and their muscular bodies allowed them to unleash their natural rage.

This is their main force, called the Horned Beast. Although some of them have the heads of horses, bulls and even hounds, as well as extra limbs, eyes and whip-like tails, the deformation usually occurs in their human-shaped torsos. The common symbol of their identity is the terrible horns on their heads. At the same time, they hold sophisticated battle axes and heavy machetes in their hands.

Scattered around them are a large number of inferior beasts and inferior beast raiders. They are much weaker in body, but more agile and more vicious.

Basically, it takes a formal knight to fight against a horned beast. The inferior horned beast is much weaker. An apprentice knight can deal with three or four at the same time, and even an armored squire can kill one or two inferior horned beasts in a war.

But war is not a fair duel in the arena, and the horned beasts will not stand still and wait for the knights to challenge them in single combat. Instead, they will actively attack enemies weaker than themselves and undermine the enemy's morale.

Therefore, with the current strength of the Hessen Lords, they need to be very careful to defeat this herd of beasts. Once the battle is not won overwhelmingly, and both sides enter into a bloody close combat, the losses of the Hessen Lords' infantry are inevitable!
Su Li carefully observed the battlefield, and whispered to Knight Orstein beside him, "What are these beastmen doing?"

Knight Orstein whispered back, "These monsters are not only cruel but also very cunning. They are negotiating with this Limburg farm."

negotiation?

Before Su Li could ask more questions, he heard a commotion ahead. The Beastmen leader surrounded the Limburg Farm and announced his decision in a guttural voice: "As long as you hand over five blood foods, we will spare this farm tonight."

The farm was clearly caught in a fierce dispute. Should they sacrifice the farmers, or their children, to save their own lives and furs, or fight the monsters to the death?
Su Li immediately saw through the monsters' conspiracy. He said solemnly, "These monsters are deliberately weakening their opponents' morale and undermining their unity. If the farm hands over the five blood foods, even if the beastmen spare them this time, the beastmen, now stronger, will come back with even greater ambitions. As one side gains strength, the other loses strength, and the fall of this farm is inevitable."

(End of this chapter)