Chapter 274 - 116: My Precious Granddaughter Is Yours, Use Her as You Please~

Chapter 274: Chapter 116: My Precious Granddaughter Is Yours, Use Her as You Please~

Then, with the Magic Crystal ball recording, he faced it and solemnly swore, "I, Fritz von Hohenzollern, have come to a profound understanding of my own errors and shortcomings. To atone for my mistakes and turn over a new leaf, I voluntarily choose to remain in Lakefront Town, participate in its development, reform myself through labor, and become a person useful to the Empire and its people..."

"I volunteer to start with the most basic mining work, to experience the hardships of labor and appreciate how difficult life can be... This oath is witnessed in the name of the honor of the House of Hohenzollern and my ancestors. If I should ever break it, may I be forsaken by gods and men!"

After speaking the last word, Fritz looked as if all his strength had been drained, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

Lynch nodded in satisfaction and said to Aus, "Make a copy of everyone’s sworn oath recordings and military pledges. Send them to the military headquarters via Magic Mailbox to be archived. If anyone dares to defy their oath, enforce the terms they swore to and announce it to the entire nation!"

"Yes, my lord!" Aus replied solemnly.

*****

Although he planned to attack the Gnolls in the Mist Forest, Lynch was in no hurry to act.

Over the next period, Lynch continued to urge the Dwarf Workshop to accelerate production of "militia muskets" while also organizing the militia for strict marksmanship and formation drills. At the same time, he trained them to coordinate with the regular troops of the Ninth Battle Battalion.

As for Lynch’s Ninth Battle Battalion, although it currently had only three grand companies, every soldier was well-equipped, well-trained, and received the best food and compensation. They could be considered the true elite of Lakefront Town.

Meanwhile, the men Fritz had brought with him, who were "atoning for their crimes," also quickly integrated into Lakefront Town’s defense system.

It had to be said that while this group’s methods were... questionable, their actual strength was not to be underestimated.

A combination of one Tier Four Warrior, two Tier Four Holy Knights, one Tier Four Holy Priest, and several Tier Three Warriors or Knights was a force that couldn’t be considered weak anywhere.

If Lynch hadn’t caught them by surprise that day, and if he hadn’t had the advantages of fighting on home turf with his Undead Army, a direct, head-on confrontation would have truly been a tough battle.

Now that they had sworn allegiance, they naturally became a high-end combat supplement under Lynch’s command.

As for the mustached Fritz himself, Lynch had him dispatched to the West Ridge Mines.

Following Lynch’s instructions, Aus didn’t deliberately mistreat him. Fritz was assigned his full share of work and received his food ration on time—but if he didn’t work, he didn’t eat.

It was said that the young lord complained incessantly for the first few days and was on the verge of a breakdown, but he slowly, and surprisingly, adapted.

Later on, he even began to use what little knowledge of engineering and mathematics he possessed to figure out how to improve the mine’s drainage system and increase the efficiency of ore transportation.

This came as something of a surprise even to Lynch.

’Indeed,’ Lynch thought, ’these noble scions receive elite educations from a young age. Their knowledge and experience far surpass that of commoners. As long as they can settle down and focus on a task—even if it’s studying mining—they can draw inferences and make connections more easily than ordinary people.’

Meanwhile, reconnaissance of the Mist Forest never ceased.

He sent out the Skeleton Assassin Bone Shadow and the Skeleton Wolf Cavalry squad; even the Ghost Squad was dispatched in rotation. Under his control, they probed like invisible tentacles into the region shrouded in gray-white mist.

As the saying goes: know yourself and know your enemy, and you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

According to the intelligence gathered, this Gnoll tribe currently had a population of around 250 to 260. Their main camp was located deep in the forest, about fifteen miles from the edge.

Fifteen miles might not sound far, but in a dim, damp, primeval forest with complex terrain, such a distance was enough to make any army’s advance incredibly difficult.

Lynch had also considered an attack by fire, but the Mist Forest was extremely humid, and its vegetation was saturated with moisture. Without a large amount of oil as an accelerant, it would be difficult to start a large-scale forest fire.

When the first batch of two hundred militia musketeers finally completed their training, and after the Dwarf Workshop had stockpiled nearly three hundred "militia muskets" and a batch of ammunition, Lynch finally began to formulate a detailed battle plan. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

The core of his tactic was simple: use the three regular grand companies of the Ninth Battle Battalion as the backbone, combine them with the trained militia musket squads, and supplement them with the Undead Corps. This ground force, totaling about 1,500 "personnel," would advance steadily toward the Gnoll camp from three directions in a fan formation, like a great net slowly tightening.

In short—the "Dragnet Tactic."

With every step of the advance, they would use the terrain to establish simple defensive points, ensuring that each detachment was anchored by a powerful combatant.

If any detachment was hit by a strong attack, adjacent units had to be able to provide rapid support.

To ensure nothing went wrong, Lynch not only refined this tactic repeatedly but also developed contingency plans for various potential surprises and even conducted several small-scale drills.

Only when he was satisfied that there were no remaining issues did he finally implement the plan.

The army entered the Mist Forest in three columns, advancing steadily along their predetermined routes.

The initial advance was unexpectedly smooth.

Although scattered Gnoll patrols occasionally attempted to harass them along the way, they were often discovered by the vigilant Skeleton Wolf Riders or Ghosts before they could even get close.

Afterward, a volley from the waiting musket squads, combined with an assault from the powerful combatants stationed with them, was enough to easily rout or outright annihilate these small enemy groups.

It took only two short days for the three columns to successfully advance to the outskirts of the Gnoll camp, faintly forming an encirclement.