Lord blessed by the elves

Chapter 88 Exaggeration
Deep in the Hornas Mountains, the temporary camp of the noble alliance was set up along a stream.

The campfire flickered in the night, but it could not dispel the heavy chill that permeated the officers' hearts.

Inside the commander's tent, Baron Hiddink, his face ashen, stared intently at the mountain map spread out on the simple wooden table. The several newly discovered refugee settlements marked on it were like poisonous thorns pricking his eyes.

The search operation had been ongoing for several days, but the expected rebel stronghold remained nowhere to be found, seemingly melted into the vast mountains. However, they had stumbled upon a surprising discovery, uncovering not just one, but several sizable refugee tribes!
In just a few days, the coalition forces have captured more than 100 displaced people through raids and encirclements!

This number far exceeds the total number of people they captured during previous raids around their respective territories.

"Just how many rats are hiding in Mount Hornas?" Baron Hiddink's voice was hoarse, tinged with disbelief and lingering fear.

With such a large population base, it's no wonder that it could support an operation like the attack on Baron Siddi's convoy, which required hundreds of elite soldiers.

He dared not even imagine what kind of disaster would result if they continued to be left unchecked and allowed to develop and unite.

What terrified him most was what happened to one of the tribes he was wiping out that afternoon.

That tribe was entrenched in a small, easily defensible mountain valley, and they actually built a simple yet effective defensive fortress out of wood and stones!
The refugees fought desperately against the village walls, and although the allied forces eventually broke through, they suffered more than ten casualties!

But that's not the worst part.

During the final mopping-up operation, they were shocked to discover that the tribe was hiding two bronze knights and more than a dozen apprentice knights!

Although these knights' martial skills and equipment were far inferior to those of regular noble knights, their very existence sent an extremely dangerous signal.

“A tribe with two Bronze Knights and a dozen or so apprentice knights… what if there are a dozen or so such tribes hiding in these mountains?” Baron Hiddink muttered to himself, the thought sending a chill down his spine. Then the rebels could easily muster more than twenty Bronze Knights, or even over a hundred apprentice knights!

This force, coupled with a large number of refugee infantry, was enough to defeat or even annihilate this complex and not monolithic coalition army in open battle!

Their greatest advantage over the refugees is probably only their superior equipment and unified command.

But how long can this advantage be maintained in the face of absolute quantity and a gradually narrowing quality gap?
A strong sense of crisis gripped Hiddink's heart.

He realized that the originally envisioned "rapid suppression" was no longer possible, and they were likely facing a vast, deeply entrenched and dormant resistance network.

He suddenly raised his head, a resolute glint in his eyes, and sternly ordered the messenger knight standing beside him, "Send someone back to the county town immediately as fast as possible to request Viscount Clyde's assistance!"

He took a deep breath, deliberately emphasizing his words, and clearly commanded, "Report as follows: Our army has likely located the main rebel stronghold deep within the Hornas Mountains. However, the rebels' strength far exceeds expectations; their level of weaponry and organization are astonishing! Based on preliminary engagements, the rebels possess a formidable core fighting force of over ten Bronze Knights and nearly a hundred trainee knights! The situation is critical. I implore Your Excellency to send reinforcements immediately, otherwise, we fear we may not achieve our goal, and there is even a risk of backlash!"

Baron Hiddink knew that he had exaggerated the numbers to some extent—after sweeping through five tribes, he had only actually captured and discovered two Bronze Knights, but he had indeed encountered dozens of Apprentice Knights.

But this kind of exaggeration is necessary!
He had to use the most shocking figures to get enough attention from Viscount Clyde and the higher nobility in order to secure crucial reinforcements for himself.

What chilled him even more was the sheer number of apprentice knights emerging from among these refugees, which meant that a systematic breathing technique was being taught in secret! Behind this lay not just refugees seeking survival, but an organization with clear military training capabilities and grand ambitions!

The other officers inside the tent also became more serious upon hearing the Baron's plea for help and the exaggerated numbers.

They knew that the real battle was probably just beginning.

The enemy lurking in the shadows of the mountains is far more powerful and dangerous than they imagined.

Viscount Clyde pressed his fingertips heavily on the urgent military dispatch, the parchment making a slight crackling sound.

A brief silence enveloped the study, broken only by the crackling of burning wood in the fireplace.

He knew all too well the tricks of these border nobles; the figures Hiddink sent were probably so inflated they could fill a moat, and he'd be grateful if they were even half true.

But even if it's halved, the remaining amount is still alarming enough.

The militia of refugees, capable of organizing an effective defense and even containing legitimate knights, was by no means a rabble.

What sent chills down his spine was the sheer number of apprentice knights. There must be a complete training system behind this, and someone was forging starving refugees into an army.

"Have Sir Gareth mobilize two hundred knights immediately." The viscount's voice was as cold as ice. "They must reach Hiddink's camp within three days. Tell Hiddink—" He paused deliberately, "if the final count of the rebels is less than half of what he reported, all expenses for this expedition will be borne by his treasury."

Two hundred knights could not all be bronze knights. The usual configuration was ten knights per squad: one bronze knight and nine apprentice knights.

After the messenger left, he unfolded the secret letter he had written to Count Campino.

The quill was dipped in ink, but paused for a moment. He needed to gain the earl's attention, but he couldn't appear incompetent.

"The rebels are actually pawns of certain behind-the-scenes manipulators." A cold smile flickered across his lips as he wrote this.

The pen began to fly, doubling Hiddink's data and adding two "Silver Knights who have not yet appeared" out of thin air.

He concluded with a confident tone: "Fortunately, we discovered their intention to gather in time and are taking advantage of their dispersal to defeat them one by one." As he sealed the seal with sealing wax, he could almost see the count's furrowed brow and the reward he might receive after this ordeal.

Baron Hiddink's messenger also knocked on the gates of Lion's Tooth, accompanied by formal conscription orders issued to the six surrounding territories.

This time, Lion Fang Territory could no longer use "new calamity and lack of troops" as an excuse to stay out of it.

After a brief discussion, Kruse finally decided that Kruse and Rezal would lead Aidin and twenty militiamen to enlist.

(End of this chapter)