Chapter 548 - 18: Upheaval in the Grasslands

Chapter 548: Chapter 18: Upheaval in the Grasslands

The Beastman Grassland had not been peaceful lately.

In the north, the incident at Madar Mountain had thrown the region into turmoil.

The Skull Council had occupied Madar Mountain and, using a Secret Technique, resurrected nearly twenty thousand corpses from the Holy Tomb right where they lay.

The Skull Council had been preparing for over a year, and now they had their report.

For now, this news was only circulating within a small circle. The current world order had been established after the tide of undeath a millennium ago.

The Skull Council knew just how universally reviled Necromancy was, and they hoped to delay the spread of this news until after they had completely taken over the Beastman Empire.

To the outside world, what happened at Madar Mountain was simply a meticulously planned coup d’état.

Because Emperor Kemal had been overly cautious and indecisive when he ascended the throne, failing to completely purge the remnants of the previous dynasty, Prince Brooks—who had bided his time for decades—was able to turn the tables in a single move.

As for the several Princes in whom the Empire had placed such high hopes:

The Eldest Prince died in battle, the Second Prince fled, the third prince’s whereabouts were unknown, and the Fourth Prince died on his way back.

After seizing power, Brooks declared himself Regent King on the second day and appointed a completely unknown Purple-blooded Beastman to be the Prime Minister.

A strange, exceptionally well-equipped army immediately took over the defensive duties of the Defense Army.

Afterward, Brooks led his army to the Divine Hall.

On the afternoon of the second day, the Madar Mountain Defense Army finally began to take action, attempting to seize the armory, but it was already too late.

On the night of the second day, the last remaining group of Officers from the Defense Army, along with several Elders from the Divine Hall, were executed for treason. Even as the Divine Hall’s Elders were beheaded, no one knew what had truly happened inside.

On the third day, there was a new High Priest, a new Grand Elder of the Divine Hall, and a new Beastman Emperor.

Everything seemed normal. The only thing that wasn’t was how fast the enthronement ceremony was; the commoners were only told after it was already over. No one had even seen what the new Emperor looked like.

At noon on the third day, the new High Priest, Prime Minister, and Grand Elder of the Divine Hall announced that the Beastman Empire had entered a new era. They publicly promoted a group of new ministers.

Most of these newly promoted ministers came from clans that held old grudges against the Purple Blood Royal Family. For a time, the voices of opposition died down significantly.

On the night of the third day, the Emperor issued an edict to the races of all four corners, announcing the reconvening of the Imperial Council. Only those races that sent envoys would continue to enjoy the Empire’s protection. Races that did not send envoys would be considered to have abandoned their status as a race of the Empire and would be permitted to become independent.

The ambitious lords who had been planning to organize armies for a punitive expedition also fell silent. No one in the regional territories had the energy to pay attention to the happenings at Madar Mountain anymore.

Everyone knew that the true age of chaos on the grassland was about to begin.

.....

News traveled slowly in the Beastman Empire. Word from the northern grasslands had not yet reached the south.

Compared to the turmoil at Madar Mountain in the north,

the Beastman races of the south had troubles of their own.

Recently, the Southern Grassland had been plagued by "Gnolls."

Specifically, an army composed mainly of Gnolls and other "low-level" races had suddenly appeared on the battlefield.

This was no ordinary Gnoll army. Their combat prowess was exceptionally formidable, and they were causing havoc across the Southern Grassland, recruiting other Gnolls and plundering cattle and sheep.

After some investigation, everyone learned that this army was the personal force of that new human general, Robson. At first, no one paid them any mind, thinking, ’What kind of trouble can a bunch of Gnolls cause?’ To avoid giving the main human army an excuse to attack, they ignored this force, planning to deal with them after the humans had left.

Then, news came from the Tiger People Royal Family and the Centaur Family, finally drawing the attention of the powerful Beastman clans.

The major clans sent their regular armies to test the waters and were actually defeated!

After that, when the news from Madar Mountain arrived, no major clan dared to act rashly again.

.....

Robson returned to the human garrison camp, leading a new batch of Gnoll troops.

The human garrison camp was as bustling as ever.

The only difference was that the main characters of this bustling scene had changed.

In the past, the troops in the camp were all Warriors from Frank.

Now, the human Warriors were being gradually transferred out of the camp by Marquis Oscillate.

The camp was thus emptied, and Robson had his Gnoll army move in.

.....

"Robson, you’re back."

Earl Lu Wen and Valentino had been waiting at the camp entrance for a long time.

Seeing the thousand-plus cattle and sheep Robson had brought back, along with a few Warriors from the Wolf Race and various other races, he was already numb to it all.

Initially, Earl Lu Wen had been worried that Robson would be unable to handle the logistics work.

Although Robson’s performance on the battlefield was good, logistics was a completely different matter from combat.

Being able to manage things for ten thousand people didn’t mean one could do the same for two hundred thousand.

Because of this, Earl Lu Wen had stayed in the camp for quite some time.

However, his worries soon vanished, and he left the Bronze Plains.

Now, upon his return, seeing the Bronze Plains filled with cattle and sheep, he realized it wasn’t a question of Robson doing a poor job. If anything, he was doing it a little too well.

Of course, rather than saying Robson himself was good, it was more accurate to say that his small group was full of talented people.

After taking power, Count Valentino and Earl Uman, working through Viscount Oston, quickly conducted a thorough assessment of the logistics system.

Of course, this brought the conversation back to Robson’s troops.

Robson’s army had a literacy rate as high as thirty percent! Most of his Officers even knew arithmetic.

Valentino and Uman conducted their assessment using them, as well as some talented individuals from the Fengman Clan and the Gauss Clan.

If that were all, it would only be considered "not bad," since they had merely taken control of the logistics system without solving the army’s current problem.

Namely, food!

And speaking of food, this was what truly earned Earl Lu Wen’s admiration.

Robson’s ability to bleed the Beastman Grassland dry was truly remarkable. Leading a band of Gnolls, he rampaged across the plains and plundered nearly twenty thousand cattle and sheep.

Twenty thousand was the number Robson reported. As for the real total, probably only Robson himself knew.

The army’s logistical problems were more than half-solved in an instant.

Even after Grantham cut off their supply lines, the army’s food not only didn’t worsen, but actually improved.

Because the things Robson plundered were mostly cattle and sheep, the Soldiers’ meat rations improved significantly, and the army’s morale rose visibly.

Robson even went so far as to restrict the supply of vegetarian food to ensure a "balanced" diet.

Impressive. Truly impressive.

"Earl Lu Wen, what brings you here?"

Robson’s face showed surprise when he saw the visitor.

’Shouldn’t Earl Lu Wen be in the south?’

"Yes, the battle went smoothly, so I returned early."

"The Marquis certainly has a keen eye for talent. I never expected you to be so capable. It really shows that a man must admit when he’s getting old," Earl Lu Wen said with a laugh.

But as he laughed, he also felt a hint of worry.

’After all, strictly speaking, the man before me is our future enemy.’