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"Secondly, I can even ensure that your daughter inherits the baronial title. You wouldn't want your daughter's title to be taken back by the kingdom or for a collateral branch to inherit your husband's family business and territory, would you?"
Chapter 47 The Promise with Amelie
Chapter 47.
Niu Zida's words were extremely damaging, hitting the nail on the head regarding Amelie's deepest worry. Sure enough, upon hearing this, Amelie's delicate eyebrows twitched slightly, and she raised her beautiful eyes to look at Niu Zida, saying:
"Even if I support you, are you really capable of dealing with the other knights in the family? There are many knights who are not in their territories. If they find out, they will definitely attack Dorrey City under the banner of avenging my husband. What if you lose the war if I help you?"
"This is why I want to join forces with you. I will help your daughter secure her inheritance of the title, and you can help me appease the knights who want to raise an army. If there are still people who do not obey your orders, then I will deal with them."
"So you're saying you're treating my daughter as your puppet?"
"Puppet is too harsh a word. In the end, I'm just a goblin. Your daughter's title is meaningless to me. Without me, you wouldn't be able to govern this land at all. You should understand that, right? We each get what we need."
From the fact that Amelie didn't show much sadness when she first heard the news of her husband's death, Niu Zida judged that she was definitely a politically motivated person with little affection for her husband. Therefore, in the subsequent negotiations, Niu Zida simply negotiated with Amelie based entirely on practical benefits.
"If you can really stabilize the situation at home, then cooperating with you is not out of the question."
He hadn't misjudged her. Right now, Amelie's biggest concerns were still her daughter and him. This product of a political marriage was bound to be driven by self-interest. Thinking this, Niu Zida's lips curled into a wicked smile, a smile that betrayed his understanding of human nature.
"Of course, I will prove my abilities. As long as you are truly willing to cooperate with me, I will not touch the lands and properties that originally belonged to the Baron within the territory. However, I need one more thing..."
"What do you want?"
"It's you. I want you to be my maid."
"Under these conditions..."
When Amelie heard Niu Zida staring at her lecherously, she trembled as she hugged her child, biting her tender red lips with a look of shame and indignation, unsure how to respond. Seeing this, Niu Zida continued to press her:
"If you don't agree, I will kill your daughter and forcibly take you away. Even if I can't take over the territory, you will still be mine. So, whether you agree to the conditions or not is up to you."
"I see."
Niu Zida's words clearly implied that no matter what, he would take her away, but if she wanted to keep her daughter, she would have to give up her body as well. Amelie had no other choice. Even if the marriage was based on political interests, and she could not cherish her husband, her daughter was her own flesh and blood, and she could not give her up.
“Very good, Mrs. Amelie is very clever. The negotiations with you went very smoothly. I hope our cooperation will go well.”
"But I have one condition: you must be able to truly subdue the other knights in your household before I will dedicate myself to you."
"Okay, it's a deal."
Niu Zida agreed without hesitation. Originally, if he wanted to take Amelie as his own, he needed to suppress the other knights and stabilize his home. If he couldn't subdue the other knights, he would have no choice but to run away with Amelie, and the negotiations would break down. So, agreeing didn't make much difference.
By this time it was almost dawn, so Niu Zida took Amelie and their child outside. The smoke of war outside had mostly dissipated. Because of the commotion outside all night, no civilians dared to go out in the morning. After all, there were many goblins on the streets, and based on the preconceived notions about goblins, they dared not approach them.
Seeing this, Niu Zida instructed Amelie to use her influence to urge the people in the city to come out and announce that there was something important to tell them. They used a loudspeaker to broadcast the message from house to house. By the afternoon, only two or three hundred residents had gathered in the square, surrounded by Niu Zida's goblin and bandit alliance.
Seeing that some people had arrived, Niu Zida had Amelie announce the policy that had been prepared in advance:
"A riot broke out last night due to tax issues within the territory. The conflict has now completely ceased. Lord Spring unfortunately died in the conflict, and his daughter has now inherited the title of Baron. I will temporarily take over the household affairs. In order to stabilize the situation within the territory, I have specially invited the Goblin Lord Niu Zida to help me maintain order within the territory. Starting today, everything will proceed as usual. All taxes previously levied due to the war will be waived, and taxes owed will also be waived. Furthermore, next year's taxes will only be two-thirds of the original amount."
Upon hearing that taxes had been significantly reduced within the territory, the people in the city looked at each other in bewilderment, completely unaware of what was going on. In the past, it was considered a blessing if a city that had been conquered after a war was not looted and massacred. Now, however, it was being exempted from taxes.
"Ahem, I am Goblin Lord Niu Zida. I apologize for disturbing everyone last night with some of the men I brought. To express my remorse, I have decided to execute two of the ringleaders as a warning to others."
After Niu Zida finished speaking while lying on Yu'er's beautiful back, he gave Sanxiang Shizuku a look. Without any hesitation, Sanxiang Shizuku killed the two thieves who had disobeyed orders to rob the previous night. Because the incident happened so suddenly, a gasp of surprise immediately arose from the crowd upon seeing the two dead.
"Please do not be afraid. This is to enforce military discipline and make you understand my determination. From now on, the garrison in the city will not be allowed to harass the people. In addition, if the militia that were scattered last night return to report and swear to continue to be loyal to the descendants of Spring, they will be pardoned. Otherwise, they will be treated as treason."
Hearing a goblin speaking human language and announcing policies similar to those of human nobles, the people in the territory felt strange, but no one dared to oppose Niu Zida, after all, he had just killed without blinking an eye.
Having explained the policy to a sufficient extent, Niu Zida announced the disbandment of the militia and released the civilians. In the following days, several dozen militia leaders were reported to have joined forces with the remaining thieves, which Niu Zida organized into the "Military Leading Force," totaling [number missing].
Of the 97 knights in prison, 5 expressed their willingness to pledge allegiance to Spring's daughter as baron and Lady Amelie as regent. The other 4 disagreed. The 2 seriously wounded knights also agreed to pledge allegiance and were released by Niu Zida along with the knights who had pledged allegiance for medical treatment.
It took a few days for things to settle down in the Dore territory, but the real trouble was yet to come. There were over a hundred knights in the entire Dore territory, and now that such a major upheaval had occurred, the most crucial question was how to gain the acceptance of the other knights.
Chapter Forty-Eight: The Expeditionary Army
Chapter 48.
In order to gain the approval of the various knights in the territory, Niu Zida decided to first send someone to convey the news of Amelie's regency to the various knights to test their reactions. As a result, the responses varied. About half of the knights did not allow the envoy to enter, while one-third of them expressed their willingness to pledge allegiance to Lady Amelie and her daughter. The most radical territory even killed the envoy.
It seems that the attitudes of all parties have been tested to a sufficient extent. Niu Zida knows that there are still opposition factions in his family. He will inevitably have to prepare for a war for the inheritance of the territory. This is not something that can be solved by speculation. Those so-called knights who are loyal to Amelie are just watching and watching the show. They will not really support his side. Therefore, he must rely on his own strength to win.
The knights and militiamen who had sworn allegiance to the Dore territory (including some of the original thief prisoners) were temporarily reinstated and allowed to take over the city's defenses. In addition to the knights and militiamen, there were also hundreds of goblins led by the Goblin Spellsword to mainly defend the city gates. Inside the castle, no human was allowed to enter except for Amelie and her two maids. The remaining goblins took over the castle, and then Niu Zida and his three maids lived inside.
Of course, Niu Zida didn't completely neglect the defenses outside Dorrey City. One of his three maids was required to stand guard at the city gate every day to prevent any accidents. Inside the city, Niu Zida made special use of the Goblin Bone Whistle and Aponia's discipline abilities to strictly prohibit goblins from harassing the city's residents. With these strict regulations, Dorrey City gradually returned to order within about a week. Niu Zida also took this opportunity to organize the city's supplies and weapons, preparing for the war against the knights who had already declared their opposition.
Even so, Niu Zida could not let his guard down. Soon he received news that many knights had risen up in rebellion, claiming that they were seeking revenge for their patriarch Spring and that Amelie was being blackmailed. They had gathered together to form a punitive army. Sure enough, what was bound to happen would happen.
That evening, Niu Zida gathered his maids together to discuss countermeasures, and he didn't shy away from Amelie, inviting her to join in as well. In the past few days, Niu Zida had used Amelie to control the city, but just as promised, he didn't touch Amelie until he had completely controlled the territory. This made Amelie less wary of Niu Zida, at least in her heart she believed that Niu Zida was trustworthy to some extent.
"How many knightly territories around us are opposing us right now?"
There are probably more than 20.
"How many militia leaders can they organize, Amelie?"
"Well... actually, these are all the more powerful knight lords in their families. They can probably mobilize at least three hundred people."
Amelie, holding her child, smoothed her chestnut hair as she responded to Niu Zida. With the situation at home in such a state, although she also wanted to break free from Niu Zida's control, she knew that the knights' declaration of war to rescue her was probably not well-intentioned. If these knights really entered Dorei City, she would become a puppet just like them. Therefore, she maintained a neutral stance towards the punitive army composed of knights from her territory.
Even considering that goblins cannot seize a daughter's title, while knights can inherit it, Amelie's current political stance is somewhat nuanced, feeling that cooperating with Niu Zida poses less of a danger to her.
This time it wasn't a surprise attack or a fight against bandits like before. These were armies formed by the knights themselves, mostly composed of temporarily recruited militia. And since the enemy was attacking while they were defending, Niu Zida wanted to gauge everyone's opinion, so he said:
"Do you all think it's better to defend the city or launch an offensive?"
"Wouldn't it be better to defend the city if possible?"
After observing everyone's opinions, Joel quietly offered her suggestion, a stark contrast to her battlefield demeanor. If one hadn't witnessed her ruthless methods firsthand, it's unlikely anyone would have connected her current timid demeanor with the image of the decisive and ruthless Thorn Princess.
“Joel’s wife is right.”
Niu Zida, who was being held by Aponia, heard Joel's words and leaned in to kiss Joel's large breast. This made Joel blush with embarrassment, and he lowered his head as if he had done something wrong. Misato Shizuku, who was standing to the side, snorted but did not say anything. Aponia, however, took the initiative to say:
"The people in the city are not yet convinced. If we really besiege the city and delay for a while, we cannot guarantee that someone in the city will come to the aid of the rebels. In that case, we will be at a disadvantage."
“Hmm, what Aponia’s wife said makes sense.”
Hearing Aponia's suggestion, Ushio Tatsu turned around and rubbed himself against Aponia's large breasts a few times, making those soft, large breasts tremble. At such a crucial moment, he was still acting so nonchalantly. Finally, Misato Shizuku couldn't stand it anymore and said:
"Can't you be serious for once, you perverted master? You agree to everything and then make all the decisions for yourself?"
Niu Zida glanced at Amelie again. The beautiful lady of the lord remained silent, and it was clear that her apparent attitude in this conflict was to remain neutral and side with whoever won.
"Don't rush, Shizuku Misato, I already have a plan in mind."
"I'll just say something nice."
"No, I already have an idea."
I currently have three elite goblins (I think I made a mistake earlier, so I'm correcting it here; there's a goblin magic swordsman, a goblin assassin, and a goblin lightning mage), and over 100 goblins. Relying on these to fight head-on doesn't offer much of a chance of victory. If I rely on the surrendered knights and militia leaders, they'll likely turn against me if we face them directly. Therefore, Niu Zida absolutely cannot allow the expeditionary force to approach Dorei City.
"Then, Master, how do you intend to deal with the rebels?"
"Of course, we should take care of them halfway there."
After Niu Zida finished speaking, he mysteriously squeezed Sanxiang Shizuku's large breast. Sanxiang Shizuku rolled her eyes, feeling that her master was just deliberately making fun of them, the maids, and had no intention of having a proper discussion.
"Tomorrow, Joel, you'll come with me to scout out the terrain. I already have a general idea of how to fight this battle."
Originally, Yor was also somewhat puzzled by Niu Zida's attitude, but seeing his master so confident, he didn't say anything.
"Also, Joel, you need to perform well in bed tonight. Oh, and Shizuku Misato, you come along too. Aponia, protect Amelie."
After giving these instructions, Niu Zida had Yol carry him and Misato Shizuku to their room for some fun, seemingly completely disregarding the ongoing battle...
Chapter 49 Countermeasures
Chapter 49.
"Master is really something. The battle is about to begin, yet he is still so frivolous, as if he doesn't care about anything."
Back in the room, Shizuku Misato held Niu Zida on the bed. Niu Zida held her snow-white breasts and kissed and licked them, while Yoru held his own breasts and pressed them against the back of Niu Zida's head, letting Niu Zida enjoy this feast of snow.
"How could we not care? But as I just said, we can't fight this battle under the walls of Dorrey, otherwise there will definitely be an inside agent in the city, and then things will be difficult."
"Then, Master, have you decided on your tactics?"
"These knights who formed the expeditionary force all had their own ulterior motives, but they probably all wanted to quickly occupy Dorrey City and take control of the entire territory. We can use this to lure the enemy deeper into our territory."
As Niu Zida spoke, a mischievous grin spread across his face. He pinched Misato Shizuku's large snow-white breasts hard, causing her to cry out in surprise. She then rolled her eyes at her master, wanting him to continue, but Niu Zida had already rolled over and was lying on Yoel's beautiful back, ignoring Misato Shizuku.
"There's no need to explain everything. Besides, we'll need to go and investigate on-site to find out the truth."
After Niu Zida finished speaking, he straddled Joel's beautiful back and began to move. For a moment, the room was filled with Joel's sweet moans, while Sanxiang Shizuku could only roll her eyes and automatically push her buttocks from behind...
The next morning, Niu Zida took Joel and Misato Shizuku to the outskirts of the city. There were no high grounds near Dorei City; it was a city built on the terraces of a mountain. It had only one gate, but the city walls were low. When they raided the city before, Niu Zida had ordered the goblins to use ropes to climb over the walls while the main gate was distracted by the thieves and attack the castle. This was why Niu Zida did not approve of relying on the city walls for defense. These low rammed earth walls could not even stop the goblins. If the knights' expeditionary force came, how could they possibly stop them? They would most likely use the same method to break into the city.
"The walls of the Dore Territory are too low, making them unsuitable for defensive battles, so we can only engage the enemy in the open."
After leaving Dorrey, Joel carried Niu Zida, and the three of them surveyed the terrain in the mountains outside the city while chatting. It was then that Niu Zida revealed his true intentions:
"But with Amelie there, I can't possibly reveal our weaknesses."
"That Amelie probably doesn't like this knightly expeditionary force either, does she?"
"If they enter the Dore territory, it's not impossible that Amelie will be forced to commit suicide, for example, by being defiled and murdered by brutal goblins, and then they avenge the lord's family. Rather than needing us to make her a puppet, it would be easier for human knights who can inherit the territory to murder her. Amelie is not unaware of this."
"Then why is her attitude still so ambiguous, as if she doesn't really like her master?"
"Because I'm a goblin."
Niu Zida answered Joel's question with a wry smile. Unexpectedly, Niu Zida was quite straightforward on this matter, which left even Misato Shizuku, who usually wanted to be sarcastic and mock him, speechless.
"So that's why the master chose field combat, right?"
"Do you like field battles, Joel?"
"Huh? What I said..."
"If you like, how about we play paintball?"
"Owner……"
Joel was still thinking about answering Niu Zida's question seriously, but Niu Zida's wicked smile brought her back to her senses. Her fair and charming face flushed with embarrassment. Naturally, Niu Zida's flirting with his beautiful maid earned him a glare from Sanxiang Shizuku.
"Ahem, alright, enough joking. Since we know that the so-called Knight Expeditionary Army is here because of the inheritance of territory, we can take advantage of this weakness. They will definitely be eager to attack and enter Dorrey City as soon as possible. We can use this to lure them in and then ambush them when the time is right."
"So, Master, that's why you brought us to survey the terrain?"
"Yes, that's why I didn't talk about tactics last night. If the neutral Amelie finds out about my tactic of luring the enemy in and leaks it to the Knights Expeditionary Force in advance, then we'll be at a disadvantage."
“Master, didn’t you think that Amelie wouldn’t side with those knights? After all, those knights might be a greater threat to her than you are.”
"That was just our rational consideration. Who knows what other factors there are? In such a life-or-death matter, we can't hand over the power to decide our fate to someone else."
Hearing this, Shizuku couldn't help but nod, her admiration for Niu Zida growing even stronger. To be honest, although she usually complained and rolled her eyes at her lecherous and improper master, after spending time together, she now had great faith in Niu Zida's abilities when it mattered most.
The three spent the next day searching along the road leading to the city gate. Finally, they saw a valley not far to the west of the city. If they wanted to attack Dorrey City, this was the only way. The road was narrow, and the cliffs on both sides formed a relatively narrow passage. If they ambushed people here and prepared things like rolling logs and stones, they would definitely be able to severely damage the enemy.
"Master, let's choose this ambush location."
"Yes, Joel's suggestion is good."
Niu Zida and Sanxiang Shizuku both agreed with Yole's opinion. However, given how easy it was to ambush them, the local knights wouldn't be foolish enough to blindly rush in and wait for an ambush. Therefore, someone still needed to lure the enemy. After thinking about it, Niu Zida decided to personally lead Yole to confront the knights in a head-on battle.
"Wouldn't this be too dangerous?"
"There's no other way. If we don't do it this way, the enemy won't believe us. We also need to bring as many people as possible and make the team appear to be deploying all its main forces, otherwise the enemy won't believe us."
After briefly surveying the terrain and confirming there were no problems, Niu Zida hurried back. After all, the knightly expeditionary force had already begun to assemble. Their assembly point was in the territory of the most prestigious knight in his family, Duke Anfor, which was only fifty or sixty kilometers away. Once assembled, they would be able to reach Dorei City in about one or two days, so they had to be quick.
Back in the city, Niu Zida ordered all the knights and militia to follow him into battle, taking with him about 80 goblins. He rode his horse, Joel, and led this mixed force out to meet the knights' punitive expedition. He then announced internally that the remaining goblins, led by Aponia, would defend the city. In reality, these goblins, led by Misato Shizuku, secretly infiltrated the previously chosen ambush site to prepare rolling logs and stones, waiting for Niu Zida to lure the enemy there. Aponia, on the other hand, remained in the city to guard Amelie, as she possessed the ability of discipline, which allowed her to control Amelie to a certain extent without using force, making her more convenient in this regard.
Chapter 50 The Battle of Dorei Valley
Chapter 50.
Niu Zida quickly reorganized his troops and led them out of Dorei City the next day. He had received news from the Goblin Outpost that the Knight Expeditionary Army had been spotted outside the city. In order to lure the enemy deeper into the city, Niu Zida had to intercept them outside the valley where the ambush was set up.
The knights' expeditionary force probably didn't expect the enemy to dare to go out of the city for open battle. They had also received intelligence that Dorrey City was currently occupied by a group of goblins, so their propaganda within the territory was that they were going to avenge Lord Spring, drive out these indiscriminately killing goblins, and save Dorrey City.
Normally, goblins, even if they plunder human cities and villages, would usually retreat quickly after succeeding and would never dare to fight human armies head-on, let alone confront a human army led by knights in broad daylight. The knights who organized the knight expeditionary force also thought that after the goblins sacked Dorrey City, it must be in a power vacuum. If they went there, they would only be to quickly accept the Springs' legacy. By the time their troops arrived, the goblins would have already disappeared.