Chapter 663: Volume Eighteen: Stormy Secrets, - Fourteen: Head-On Confrontation
Baoling frowned, as both he and Fran indeed harbored skepticism and concern over Komer’s trade with the Barbarians. Though the Barbarians had provided a small squadron of Earthwalking Dragons and two Thunder Pengs as promised, Baoling and Fran saw these more as deterrents than practical assets; they might have some strategic value in intimidating the local Half-Beastmen, but how effective this squad of Earthwalking Dragons and two Thunder Pengs would be in actual combat was something neither Baoling nor Fran were optimistic about.
"Baoling, it seems you’re not particularly fond of our secret weapons?" Komer said, smiling faintly. He could understand the feelings of Baoling and Fran; after all, soldier types like Earth Dragon Warriors were novel to the Mortals of the North. A small team comprised of several Earthwalking Dragons could indeed strike imposingly in minor skirmishes, but how much power they could exert in large-scale confrontations with regular armies was another matter.
In the eyes of Baoling and Fran, Earthwalking Dragons were not native to the Caucasus and depended entirely on the Barbarians. Expanding their scale and influence would rely on the whims of the Barbarians. As for the Thunder Pengs, they had even higher requirements; supplying two had already sparked significant debate among the Barbarians themselves, and the hope of acquiring more seemed slim. It appeared that the primary role of the two Thunder Pengs was reconnaissance and small-scale assaults.
"Sir, while the Earthwalking Dragons and Thunder Pengs are powerful, their numbers are too few to be substantially effective. Moreover, the training process is complicated, time-consuming, and resource-intensive. Our Caucasus and Leon do not produce these specialties of the Cordillera Wilderness, and without ample replenishments, it’s hard for these soldier types to achieve a scale effect. Perhaps the Thunder Pengs are somewhat better off, as the demands are not too high for scouting and raids. However, as for the Earth Dragon Warriors, their most potent role lies in frontal breakthroughs in open field battles, but they are limited by their numbers. So, I’ve always been rather pessimistic," Baoling did not wish to conceal his opinion.
"Haha, Baoling, you needn’t worry so much about this issue. Whether it’s the Earthwalking Dragons or the Thunder Pengs, I believe we have plenty of opportunities to replenish them step by step. As for their numbers, with the Sanjia Tribe and even the entire Mountain people as our support, how could you possibly still worry about the subsequent supply of Earthwalking Dragons and Thunder Pengs? I can tell you that it’s not only the Earthwalking Dragons and Thunder Pengs, but other special soldier types of the Mountain people will gradually appear in our Caucasus and Leon Self-Defense Forces. Everything will improve, what we need now is time," Komer replied confidently.
The confidence on Komer’s face caused Baoling and the other two to be somewhat stunned and doubtful. The relationship between the Sanjia Tribe and the Caucasus could be boiled down to a mutual use. The Sanjia Tribe needed the Caucasus to provide them with food and other necessities of life, while the Caucasus wanted to extract abundant minerals and resources, including Thunder Pengs and Earthwalking Dragons, from the territories of the Sanjia Tribe. But if Lord Komer thought he could bring the Barbarians, just like Leon’s Half-Beastmen, under his control just like that, he was probably overstating it.
Seeing the incredulous expression on the faces of the three men, Komer did not wish to further explain. The relationship with the Barbarians was complicated and wouldn’t be resolved anytime soon, and they would not believe in the future relationship between the Caucasus and the Barbarians, particularly the Sanjia Tribe. Yet, Komer had a hunch that, as the current situation proceeded, the northern part of the Cordillera Wilderness—the Sanjia Tribe’s control area and even the nearby regions—would inevitably be firmly attracted to the Caucasus, like iron to a magnet.
Just look at how quickly the numbers of Barbarians from Bahomon, Ugru, Mattdam, and Santiago were increasing, even appearing in the Leon Region and Bruce Fortress. Anyone could tell that once this door was wide open, it was unlikely that anyone could close it again.
Following the agreement signed between the Sanjia Tribe and the Caucasus, which allowed the Mountain people of the Sanjia Region the same rights as citizens in the Caucasus and Leon, a surge of Mountain people heading north to work flourished. Numerous smaller communities around the Sanjia Tribe were also drawn by the open policies of the Caucasus. Regrettably, they had no direct link with the Caucasus and still had to go through the Sanjia Tribe to obtain an identity certificate, which allowed them to work legitimately in the Caucasus and Leon. This provided significant benefit to the Sanjia Tribe leaders and also incited a trend among some other small communities, which typically supported the Sanjia Tribe independently, to align with them, subsequently increasing the tribe’s power indirectly.