Lord of Rot

’I could probably cut right through these ”elites” if I led the Soldiers of Porcupine Territory myself,’ Leech thought.

It wasn’t that Leech was bragging, but besides him and Leopold, very few people would equip their Soldiers with full plate armor.

The standard equipment for elite troops in the Eastern Gorge was generally light armor, a sharp blade, a shield, and the like.

Militiamen were usually armed with pitchforks, hoes, wooden clubs, and iron rakes.

As for Mercenaries, they followed whoever paid the most. They had no sense of honor or shame and could stab you in the back at any moment.

’A dozen nobles had only managed to scrape together this small number of men. On average, each one couldn’t even bring 100 men.’

The vast majority of the Eastern Gorge nobility were playing deaf and dumb. It wasn’t just the Eastern Gorge; even Leopold couldn’t mobilize her own Soldiers. It seemed there were quite a few people who refused to submit to the future Grand Duke Golden Stallion.

’The fact that this group came looking for me instead of the wealthier Baron Spark says it all.’

’Baron Spark might not have many elite troops, but he has money. He could easily raise a Mercenary army of over ten thousand. They might lack quality, but they’d have quantity in spades.’

’Ten Porcupine Territories aren’t worth one Iron Stone City.’

’They must have been snubbed by the other nobles and only remembered Leopold’s staunchest supporter, Baron Porcupine, as a last resort.’

In Leech’s mind, the importance of this whole affair had just been significantly downgraded.

Leech asked again, ”What’s the story with that Black Cavalry?”

”We don’t know,” Philip said, shaking his head. ”But they have at least fifty fully armored Cavalrymen. They don’t look like common vagrant Soldiers.”

Leech hissed inwardly. ’Fifty of them? And fully armored?’

’This ragtag army of a thousand you’ve gathered wouldn’t even last two of their charges.’

’Besides, anyone who can field fifty fully armored Cavalrymen with fifty warhorses must have other types of troops. Even if they’re lower quality, the enemy should have at least one to two thousand infantry.’

A headache suddenly bloomed in Leech’s mind. ’Maybe I should just fake a stroke right here, then refuse all visitors and ask them to leave?’

The more he thought about it, the more feasible the idea seemed.

He suddenly regretted coming back so readily. If he had just sent someone to stop them at first while he hid, he could have determined their purpose and then simply refused to see them.

Leech was certain that’s exactly what the other nobles had done!

’I’m still too young,’ he thought. ’Too inexperienced.’

Nobles generally went to war in two steps.

1. The liege lord summons his vassals and announces a war, demanding they contribute funds and men.

2. The vassals summon their Knights and subordinates, hire Mercenaries with their own money, and raise a militia.

All war expenses, including but not limited to food and all other costs, were paid by each individual noble.

Of course, post-war glory and the spoils from sacking towns also belonged to the nobles.

Leech asked, ”Have the kidnappers demanded a ransom? Have you tracked their position?”

Kidnapping a noble was usually for ransom, according to the unwritten rules of engagement among the nobility.

That is, to die in battle was an honor.

But a captured noble had the right to pay a ransom to regain their freedom.

This was why on the Lu Leiyi Continent, where there was a small war every three years and a large one every five, with constant border skirmishes, so few nobles actually died.

Philip nodded. ”We’ve pinpointed their location. They’re in a river valley along the Three-fork River. They haven’t demanded a ransom yet. Lord Pine’s intention is to annihilate that entire Black Cavalry unit.”

Leech hissed again. ’Annihilate them? With this thousand-strong army of useless grunts?’

Leech desperately wanted to crack open Lord Pine’s skull to see if his balls and brain had swapped places, leaving his head full of golden liquid.

’Just look at this dozen or so noble Cavalrymen. They all look high-and-mighty, but it’s obvious they’ve never seen a real battlefield. They’ll get wiped out the moment the fighting starts. Only a reckless greenhorn like him would see this as a chance to earn military honors.’

”Hmm...”

Leech mused for a moment, then said, ”Since Miss Leopold has been kidnapped, the Porcupine Clan absolutely cannot stand idly by. I will gather all available forces.”

’It’s a challenge, but it’s also an opportunity.’

’Three-fork River Castle is in a strategic location. That river is a tributary of the one in Waterfall Land. If I could open a trade route through there, my caravans could reach my maternal grandfather’s Linta Bay by boat in less than ten days.’

’Moreover, Three-fork River Castle has many precious Alchemy Materials, like the minerals essential for making Magic Gunpowder.’

’Fifty Cavalrymen aren’t impossible to deal with. If I’m cautious and use my Corpse Ghosts, I should be able to take them out without any casualties.’

’I don’t necessarily have to win the battle,’ Leech thought to himself. ’Just rescuing her is enough.’

”I’ll go assemble my troops,” Leech said. ”Gentlemen, please wait a moment.”

Finally securing the support of a land-holding Baron, Philip and the others were overjoyed. On their way in, they had seen Leech’s fully armored infantry. Such elite troops would be incredibly effective on the battlefield.

Leech found Quickblade training new recruits. It seemed he had understood Leech’s intentions perfectly and hadn’t summoned the Soldiers.

”My lord!”

”Summon the Soldiers,” Leech said. ”We’re going to war.”

”Yes, sir!” Quickblade replied, his voice filled with excitement.

He put a whistle to his lips and blew a few sharp notes—TWEEET! TWEEET!—and the Soldiers in training quickly fell into formation.

”Armor up! Dismissed!” Quickblade shouted.

The Soldiers dispersed, helping one another don their armor.

Quickblade was also responsible for arranging the logistics—gathering the necessary food for a short march, as well as weapons, medical supplies, and so on.

Meanwhile, Leech contacted Aina and Ah Yamei.

One was a ”Poisonous Touch” Extraordinary Corpse Ghost, the other a ”Necromancer” Corpse Ghost. Both donned armor and would serve as Leech’s personal guards.

Although Ah Yamei had once been a Necromancer with a frail body, after being transformed into a Corpse Ghost with an Extraordinary Magic Potion, her close-combat abilities were formidable.

He wasn’t planning for a pitched battle, but he had to be fully prepared.

Then, Leech sought out Gelan.

The development of Porcupine Territory was proceeding smoothly and no longer required much of Leech’s intervention. He just reminded Gelan not to allow anyone to approach Betty’s alchemy workshop without permission, nor to let anyone disturb Scholar Toma’s Magic Research. However, any requests the two of them made were to be fulfilled immediately, especially when it came to supplying materials, no matter the cost.

Next, he gave instructions to Arkke and Pitz. Pitz, as a Beast Language user, was essentially Leech’s number one surveillance asset. As for Arkke’s swarm of Killer Bees, it had grown to a size that could blot out the sky; in an emergency, she would be his strongest combatant.

It was a pity the Water Nymph had left and not yet returned; otherwise, he would have had another layer of insurance.

After arranging everything, Leech changed into his own suit of dragon-bone plate armor.

He mounted his fierce-maned steed.

When Philip and the others left the castle and saw the fully armed Leech, with over a hundred Soldiers arrayed behind him, their spirits soared. As expected of Baron Porcupine! He was so much better than those nobles who played deaf and dumb and refused to see visitors.

Moreover, his efficiency was terrifying. How long had it been? Yet he had already prepared everything.

With the other nobles, they had watched them take half a day just to dither and dawdle while gathering a few dozen Soldiers.

”We can depart now, Sir Philip.”

Philip nodded. ”Move out!”

On the march, Leech’s Soldiers were on foot, so they couldn’t keep up with the Cavalry. Philip took a portion of his men and left first to regroup, but he also left a few noble Knights to travel with Leech.

Soldiers were the foundation of a lord’s power.

The few nobles quickly gathered around Leech and started chatting.

Through their conversation, he learned that these noble Knights were all second or third sons of their families. No wonder they were so willing to risk it all; they truly saw this war as an opportunity to make their fortune.

”I am Johann Hanen,” one of the nobles said, riding up beside Leech. ”Sir Leech, my wife is a great admirer of yours.”

Leech: ”Huh?”