75: The Beginning of the Great War

In the southern wilderness of the Red River Territory, at the Guard Army's temporary camp.

Wayne felt the surging Battle Qi within his body, his heart filled with excitement; his lifelong pursuit had finally been achieved at this moment.

"Lord, I've broken through! I've broken through! I never thought the day would actually come when I could reach the Silver Rank."

After half a month of slaughtering the alien races, the high-intensity combat finally allowed Wayne to break through his shackles.

Renn had prepared a Bronze Rank Demon Wolf as a mount for Wayne in advance.

For Ross and Wayne, who had both reached the Silver Rank, Renn gave each of them a set of Enchanted Equipment and a Bronze Rank Demon Wolf mount.

To train the Bronze Rank Demon Wolf, Renn had invested not only Magic Potions but also several Monster Cores.

The consumption of resources was exchanged for a rapid increase in combat power. With the addition of the Bronze Rank Demon Wolf and full sets of Enchanted Equipment, the combat strength of the two had significantly improved.

Inside the temporary camp, there were currently 150 infantrymen, 100 cavalrymen, fifteen Magic Wolf Knights, plus three Silver Knights: Ross, Wayne, and Renn.

After more than two months of Renn's nurturing, the subjects of the Red River Territory saw their physical fitness soar under the provision of large amounts of grain and fish, making their work efficiency more than double what it used to be.

With the help of two lair cores, 140 Nest Farmers were now working tirelessly in the fields of the Red River Territory.

This situation saved Renn a significant amount of manpower.

Renn directly selected three hundred young men for recruit training, preparing to further expand the Guard Army.

These three hundred recruits were currently training and studying at the Red River Fortress barracks. Alger and the veteran soldiers of the Guard Army staying behind in the territory served as their instructors; these recruits would not be heading to the battlefield in the short term.

Over the past half month, Renn's side had crushed the Alien Tribes every time with minimal casualties. Whenever losses occurred, he would replenish the ranks by drawing veterans left behind with Alger.

This kept the troops at the southern temporary camp at full strength.

While training the recruits, Alger, who remained in the territory, would select the best among them to replenish his hundred-man squad, ensuring the staying infantry squad never fell below a hundred men.

This replenishment temporarily achieved a fragile balance.

However, Renn had to ensure the troops didn't suffer large-scale casualties, or this fragile balance would be shattered in an instant.

The reason for the minimal casualties despite dozens of fierce battles over the half-month was not only because the Wasteland Wolves constantly gathered information, allowing Renn to lead his troops to defeat the scattered Alien Tribes one by one with absolute strength, but also because Renn used many recovery potions to treat the wounded.

However, recovery potions would eventually run out, and the continuous fighting had also depleted much of the Red River Territory's stockpiled weapons and equipment.

These practical issues made Renn prepare to deal with the Alien Tribes at the territory's borders as soon as possible; otherwise, these aliens would eventually wear him down.

"Very good, Wayne. Now that you've broken through, the upcoming battles will be a bit easier."

"The aliens will be making their move soon. It's time to finish them off."

"Let the brothers eat their fill and build up their strength. The great battle is coming soon."

"Yes, My Lord!"

Renn sat by the camp bonfire roasting the game Ross had hunted. Before long, the aroma of the barbecue wafted over the camp, the scent of meat drifting southward with the north wind.

The next day arrived, and a Wasteland Wolf dashed out from a corner, coming to Renn's side.

"Are they here?"

"Then let's begin!"

Renn glanced at Ross, who understood immediately and set off with the Cavalry Squad.

The Wasteland Wolf nearby vanished into the grass once more.

Before long, on the southern wilderness of the Red River Territory, hundreds and thousands of Wasteland Wolves darted through the brush, converging in one direction.

Dozens of kilometers away, dozens of Alien Tribes, large and small, moved simultaneously toward the north.

The Goblin Prophet had already sent a small Goblin tribe ahead to serve as bait.

The bait sent out were just ordinary Goblin Laborers. As long as there was enough food, even if one or two thousand died, more could be born quickly, so the Goblin Prophet felt no reluctance.

The core force formed by the tribes consisted of large tribes led by five Silver Rank leaders, surrounded by a varying number of smaller tribes.

The Goblin bait had already entered the Red River Territory, with the main alien force advancing slowly a few kilometers behind them.

Once the bait had penetrated to a certain distance, they began to set up camp on the spot, following the Goblin Prophet's pre-departure orders.

Entering a dozen kilometers into the Red River Territory was a distance the Goblin Prophet had calculated in advance; it was exactly where small tribes had frequently been wiped out before.

Soon, both the bait and the hidden troops behind them were ready, waiting for the target to appear.

A few kilometers north of the Goblin bait, the Red River Territory's forces had already reached the outskirts of the battlefield.

Renn watched the faint yellow dust drifting on the distant horizon and said with a smile to Ross and the others beside him:

"See that? These brainless aliens are trying to use military tactics now."

"A bunch of rabble trying to stage an ambush—it's laughable they even thought of it."

Ross, Wayne, and the others also laughed. Indeed, the obvious dust on the horizon was like telling them exactly where the enemy was.

"Lord, judging by the size of the dust cloud, the number of alien troops is likely quite large. We should still be cautious."

The experienced Wayne could roughly judge from the dust that there were many aliens, and he had already become vigilant.

"Yes, there are at least fifty thousand aliens, possibly reaching seventy or eighty thousand, or even more."

"However, this time we must crush them in a single battle. Otherwise, the territory won't have any peace later, and we won't be able to enjoy this winter."

"We have fewer than three hundred, while the enemy exceeds fifty thousand, and there are at least five Silver Rank alien leaders."

As Renn spoke, he turned back to look at the warriors following him.

"Warriors, do you dare to fight?"

"Roar!"

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Responding to Renn were deafening shouts and a soaring will to battle.

"Good!"

"Listen for my command in a moment, and follow me to slay all these aliens."

"Yes!"

Renn led his troops into motion, first aiming to crush the bait thrown out by the Goblins.

The Magic Wolf Knights and the Cavalry Squad were the first to charge out; their overwhelming strength crushed the Goblins, who were already prepared, in a single strike.

The infantry squad behind them methodically harvested the fleeing Goblins.

The moment Renn appeared, several movements occurred around the Goblins as several alien cavalry units suddenly appeared, attempting to stall Renn's progress.

On the other side, the Alien Tribes that had been waiting for a while immediately lunged toward Renn's direction upon receiving the news, intending to surround him.

The alien cavalry trying to stall Renn's steps hovered nearby, while another group charged forward relentlessly at extreme speed, catching the surrounding aliens off guard.

"Human Runts, I want you dead!"

The Ogre Brothers led their Ogres, charging forward at a speed far exceeding that of the large tribes behind them.

Upon discovering that Renn's troops were few in number, the Ogres didn't consider anything else; they simply wanted to rush in and tear Renn apart.

The Ogre Brothers brandished their Massive Iron Clubs and came charging at full tilt, their enormous size making their impact appear incredibly powerful and menacing.

Renn, who already knew of the Ogre Brothers' existence, was still somewhat surprised to see the fiercely attacking Ogre squad.

The performance of these big guys on the battlefield was truly brutal; their massive size allowed them to crash through everything like a bulldozer.

"Ogres!"