Pioneer Lord: Starting From Daily Intelligence

Now, at Su Li’s single command, the Flying Horse Knights and Swan Knights fanned out to pass the orders; all the armies of the Territory set out by night, advancing on Flash Spear City from every direction. Fully armed Knights, Armed Attendants gripping Long Lances, and countless heavy wagons laden with baggage trains moved in orderly columns along the main roads of the Territory. Their banners and armor were aligned in strict ranks, their martial might awe‑inspiring and grand!

At the same time, the Blue Heron Mercenary Corps stationed beneath the Rainbow Terraces also received a high‑value contract. Envoys from Heisen Castle led carriage after carriage into their camp, and from the corners of the wagon covers, one could see luxurious glints of pearls and jewels—chests filled with Gold Coins, jewelry, Gemstones, and other symbols of wealth.

Then that very day, the Blue Heron Mercenary Corps almost emptied their nest. The 75th Iron Cavalry Regiment, under the lead of their captain Siegfried Van Haim, was the first to march out with steady, powerful steps, followed by the 1st Long Halberd Squad, 2nd Long Halberd Squad, 3rd Long Halberd Squad, 1st Crossbow Squad, 1st Dwarf Ranger Squad, and the Blue Heron Foot Knight Squad with as many as 120 men!

If one were to maintain so many Knights and units, the monthly expenses would probably exceed 3,000 Golden Crowns; doing nothing for an entire year, the military budget alone would approach 40,000 Golden Crowns.

This time, however, Su Li spent only 10,000 Golden Crowns on their hire, and furthermore promised them twenty percent of the spoils of war (excluding the wealth stored within castles). In return, they would fight for Su Li for up to three months!

Also hired was the Fallen Wolf Knight Mercenary Corps; a full Squadron of their White Wolf Knights would join the Hesse Territory’s Western Expeditionary Army, obey Marshal Orstein’s command in the coming battles, and fight bravely until the war’s end. This was a powerful Mercenary Corps led by a Champion Knight, with every man an Elite Knight.

Of course, besides these powerful Mercenary Corps and Knight Orders, Su Li also reached out to extremely strong external reinforcements, such as the Ogre Fire Stomach Mage Uruk Flame Roar mentioned in the intelligence reports.

This was a powerful Champion‑Level Ogre Mage capable of using Ogre Sorcery. This type of Magic was also called by humans Gluttonous Shaman Magic, Internal Magic, Meat Desire Technique, or simply Big Stomach Magic! It was a mysterious Art entirely different from the Magic used by Elf Mages. During Shamanic rituals, Ogre Butchers drew forth the primal Power of the Great Stomach God by eating the body parts of victims offered as sacrifices. The way Big Stomach Magic was cast explained why an Ogre Butcher always looked like a walking meat larder, for when working his Shaman Magic, the Butcher had to eat anything at hand—from a healthy heart to a reeking pile of viscera. While doing so, he communed with the Power of the Great Stomach God, taking a portion into himself and granting the rest to his comrades, enabling them to trample their enemies or lay dreadful Curses upon their foes’ heads.

The operational mechanism of Great Stomach Magic differed somewhat from other spells, for the Butcher was not manipulating the Wind of Magic, but summoning the Power of the deity he worshiped, gathering and controlling it—this made Great Stomach Magic more akin to a religious miracle than to conventional Magic.

Seen this way, there could be no doubt that compared to Magic, it more closely resembled human Divine Magic. Thus, Ogres were also recognized citizens of the Empire. Not only did Monster Legions frequently hire them, humans likewise often employed these Mercenaries; even in distant Zhendan, one Dragon Child used Ogre Mercenaries entirely as the main force of his army. And in the chaotic and lawless Border Prince’s Territory, hiring Ogres was especially common.

This Fire Stomach Mage could wield as many as six kinds of Big Stomach Magic.

They were: Bone‑breaking Technique—a Butcher shovels a handful of ribs, skull fragments, and thigh bones into his mouth and grinds them to powder even as he curses the enemy. The foe immediately feels his own bones snap apart with a thunderous crack.

Giant Stomach—by devouring most of a large beast’s body, the Butcher can call upon the Power of the Great Stomach God Himself, causing the ground beneath the enemy’s feet to split open, revealing a bottomless pit filled with teeth, which gnashes and roars in hunger, forever anticipating its next meal. Any who fall into it will face eternal torment.

Shattering Teeth Technique—by swallowing a huge chunk of granite so hard it would shatter teeth, the Butcher grants his companions the toughness of stone and the steadfastness of the mountains.

Great Stomach God Awakening—the Butcher summons the ravenous Great Stomach God to create a bloody vortex that sweeps across the battlefield, devouring all enemies.

Giant Entrails—by swallowing the flesh and blood of a Giant, he bestows blessings upon his teammates, granting them the regenerative power of a great Giant.

It could be said these spells were both offensive and defensive: they could inflict terrifying area‑of‑effect damage—a bloody vortex scouring an entire sector of the battlefield, devouring masses of foes and tearing them into scattered meat and gore. They could also exploit the Ogres’ gluttonous nature to restore their allies’ life. They could even, by devouring a massive chunk of granite, grant comrades the toughness of stone and the solidity of a mountain.

And this was not a blessing for just one or two targets, but a blessing bestowed at once on an entire Squadron of targets!

If three Squadrons of Knights on the battlefield received this "Shattering Teeth Technique" blessing, they would become an existence so hard as to drive the enemy to despair.

Knights were already sturdy and resilient by nature, wearing Plate Armor like iron cans. With the additional effect of this Shattering Teeth Technique, the enemy could bombard them with artillery and still fail to budge them.

At that point, there would be no point in treating them as mere flesh and blood. One ought instead to see them as moving mountains. Do not overestimate the power of artillery; a few shells hitting a mountainside scarcely produce any reaction at all. It would take hundreds of thousands of shells and a prolonged barrage to shave even a little off a mountaintop.

Yet in this world, no human power could field hundreds of thousands of shells at once; they would wear out the gun barrels over an entire campaign and still never fire so many.

And no Knight would stand in place, waiting for the enemy’s mad bombardment.

In a single ferocious charge, the bonus from a spell like this would suffice to completely alter the battlefield situation in one area. Without measures of the corresponding tier, the enemy simply could not halt the charge of such three Knight Squadrons.

Thus Su Li spared no effort; he was determined to keep this Fire Stomach Mage in his ranks.

Ogres already loved to work as Mercenaries, and Fire Stomach Mages were among the best of them. Therefore, Su Li sent Minister of Foreign Affairs Hartskline and three Ogre Purse Leaders to recruit him.

Tempted by large quantities of Fire Rabbit meat, Uruk could not resist and signed a hiring contract with the Hesse Territory. According to the agreement, the Hesse Territory would give him two Fire Rabbits and 2,000 jin of beef and mutton per month, and at the end of each year, he would receive three Rings of Blazing Flame.

This price was certainly not low—a single Fire Rabbit cost more than a hundred Golden Crowns, and the price of two Fire Rabbits equaled the wages of a Champion Knight. On top of that, there were 2,000 jin of meat, a stipend comparable to 2,000 shi of grain salary in the East.

Yet considering the powerful combat strength of the Ogre Fire Stomach Mage and the immense buffs he would bring to the Territory’s army, Su Li still agreed to his demands.

His待遇 surpassed that of the Territory’s ordinary Champion Knights, but remained below that of the Champion Knights of the Sun of Revenge Knight Order and the Hesse Imperial Guard Knight Order, making it a very fitting match for his strength.

After all, an army could not rely only on cleavers and tin cans; it also needed Mages to provide bursts of Magic and state‑enhancing support.

Besides Uruk Flame Roar, the Wild Beast Mage, Beastman Calamity Star Grondahl, who had a good relationship with the Territory, was also hired by Su Li. He did not choose to join the Territory formally, but instead adopted a cooperative hiring arrangement for this war. Thus, he did not ask for wages, but requested Wild Blood Diamonds and Calming Incense from Su Li. Both were products of the Amber Wind, greatly beneficial to him and able to increase his number of castings.

It was especially this last point that most moved him: after fighting this war, his strength would increase significantly, bringing great benefit to his future battles and adventures. For this reason, he accepted the Hesse Territory’s offer and allowed himself to be drawn into the conflicts between human secular Territories.

Of course, besides the two of them, the most powerful Mage of the Hesse Territory would always be Deceitful Wings, Aeliria Erebos. She had already agreed to serve as Su Li’s Advanced Mount in this battle, allowing Su Li to fight as a Dragon Knight. A High Tier Divine Chosen Level Green Dragon, combined with powerful Jilun Magic, would be the trump card of this war!

With three Mages aiding them, the combat strength of the Territory’s three thousand Elite Infantry and Cavalry would soar to an unprecedented height.