Not long after the first snowfall, the winter mopping-up army of Dahl left the city.
The main force of this army was the private army under Baron Dahl's command. There were a total of 100 professional soldiers. These 100 people should not be underestimated. Not only did they undergo full-time training throughout the year, but they were also fully armed. Baron Dahl was very willing to spend money on armaments. The soldiers had all changed into the simplified full-body armor introduced by the Republic of Northwest in recent years. This kind of armor was based on a one-piece breastplate, with the addition of stamped steel plates for the waist, arms, legs, and helmet and mask. It was a solid heavy full-body armor. Not only that, it was much lighter than traditional full-body armor. After wearing it, although it could not be used for long distances, at least it could be used to raise a gun and charge. This was something that the heavy full-body armor of the past could not compare to.
As for the weapons of these people, they were naturally all exquisite weapons. There were spears, broadswords, shields, axes, and all kinds of other things.
In addition to these professional soldiers, there were also a similar number of archers. They were semi-full-time soldiers. Usually, they could receive a salary, but they had to prepare their own equipment. In battle, they were mainly responsible for providing support from the rear. These experienced archers could often shoot down weaker monsters such as goblins with one arrow. The combat power of this army of 100 people was also very strong.
This army of 200 people was where Baron Dahl's confidence came from. As for the remaining three hundred people, they were just doing odd jobs. About 100 of them were militia — most of them were rogues and scoundrels who had gathered from various villages. Baron Dahl did not expect these people to be able to fight a tough battle, but they could still help to eliminate enemies such as goblins when they had the upper hand.
The last 200 people were pure slave soldiers. Among them were specialized slave soldiers. They were people who had learned how to serve the soldiers from a young age, how to march, how to set up camp, and how to build a battlefield. But most of them were poor people from the slums of the city. This group of people was made up of men and women, young and old. They had basically not received any training, and the work they were responsible for was to help transport supplies and serve the soldiers.
Yes, this was all they needed to do. As for other work, such as cannon fodder, cannon fodder, and cannon fodder, they were not needed.
The reason why the poor slave soldiers could enjoy such treatment was naturally because of the clergymen of the Church of the Void Mask.
In order to protect this group of poor people, all ten clergies, including the local priest Kabbala, were mobilized. They even asked for the help of two other members of the church, forming a strong team of twelve.
There were three Intermediate Level Martial Artists and nine Beginner Level Martial Artists in this squad. Their combat power was definitely not low. Even if they were to face Baron Dahl's personal guards, the odds of victory would be fifty-fifty.
Moreover, the team's personnel allocation was quite reasonable. There were two Rangers, one Priest, three Priests, and six Saint Samurai. Whether it was long-range, melee, or magic, there were enough people. Priest Kabbala had even moved the Holy Altar over and placed it on a special cart. When necessary, he would be able to unleash a power that would strike fear into the hearts of his enemies.
Yes, any enemy.
Be it beasts, monsters, or malicious humans.
This was especially difficult for Baron Dahl. He had wanted to form the group of clergies into the vanguard and have them fight to the death with the powerful monsters. However, the clergies said, "Our altar is right here. If you want to give any orders, you can come and negotiate with His Majesty yourself." So he had no choice but to shamefully retreat.
His Majesty the Void Mask was a kind god, and Baron Dahl did not think that he was the kind of person that His Majesty would find pleasing to the eye, so it was better not to ask for trouble.
Since he did not have the guts to discuss with His Majesty the Void Mask, of course he could not directly give orders. However, Baron Dahl was after all a smart businessman. He quickly thought it through — not being able to plot against the clergies was actually not a big deal. After all, when they encountered powerful and evil monsters, how could these clergies not fight?
If they retreated, then they were not worthy of being clergies!
Seeing that these people would be able to help him fight a tough battle, Baron Dahl did not argue with the Void Mask, and did not even let the poor slave soldiers risk their lives.
For the sake of huge profits, there was no need to fuss over such small matters. A businessman should always know how to choose between the big and the small.
Of course, Baron Dahl would not place his hopes on the clergies of the Void Mask at such a critical moment. What he truly trusted the most was his own personal guards.
His personal guards were made up of knights, thieves, and mages.
In this personal guard team, there were four experts at the mid-level. Especially the mage who specialized in defensive spells and the thief who was good at tracking and stealth, they were helpers that Baron Dahl had spent a lot of money to hire. They had lived in Dahl's territory for five or six years and had always worked well together. Overall, they were trustworthy.
As for the other two mid-level masters, they were the Dahl family's own people, two reliable knights.
These two knights had been serving the Dahl family for three or four generations, so they could not be more reliable. One of them was even a distant relative of the baron — the knight's mother's surname was also Dahl, and she had the same great-grandfather as the baron.
With such reliable subordinates, Baron Dahl dared to come out and wipe out the beasts and monsters in this world of ice and snow, laying the groundwork for next year's safety.
He had a map in his hands, which was summarized by the thief this year. It roughly summarized the beasts and monsters in Dahl's territory. On this map, the most dangerous place was an ogre tribe that had migrated here not long ago, and the closest to them was a group of goblins.
Or rather, a goblin tribe.
"Our first enemy will most likely be a group of goblins." When they set up camp at night, Archbishop Kabala, who also had a map of the beasts and monsters in Dahl's territory, and it was far more accurate than the one Baron Dahl had, gathered the members of his church, unfolded the map, and explained the situation to them. "There are about two hundred of them, which is quite a large number. Among them, there is a chief, a shaman, six warriors, and fifteen archers. Overall, they won't be easy to deal with. "
A lone goblin could not even defeat a sturdy farmer, and even if there were two hundred of them, they would only be a group of live targets. As long as three to five brave soldiers charged and killed two or three of them, the rest could be easily dispersed. However, if there were goblin warriors among them, they would be more courageous and be able to endure a certain amount of casualties. And if there was a chief, they would even be able to put up a decent battle formation, making some clumsy but effective coordination, greatly increasing the danger.
Not only that, with a goblin chief, the goblin tribe would have a division of labor, giving birth to goblin hunters, goblin archers, and other advanced types of monsters. Goblin archers were the most hated enemies of adventurers. These fellows who used short bows were very skilled at archery, and if you were not careful, you could be hit with an arrow.
And the most terrifying was still the goblin shaman. While they might not be very strong, they could greatly increase the goblins' ability to fight as a group.
"So, in tomorrow's battle, our first target is the chief and shaman!" Almost at the same time, Archbishop Kabala and Baron Dahl made the same decision.
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