A huge fist wrapped in metal armor collided with a wooden table, and the poor table couldn't take the force and was blown apart like a twig. A tremendous scream rang through the room, and those standing beside the shouting person had grim expressions as well.
"Those ducking empty skulls! When have they started implementing military strategies?" Lord William, Lord of Cathay, yelled at his officials for information, but all he saw was a pitiful exhibition of his generals finding dust on the ground.
They had cut off all food sources and torched all the farmlands in Cathay, as a bonus, following what Zachery had mentioned. If they intended to re-establish trade routes, they would have to take the struggle outside.
Zachery had not sent out a significant number of men. He had his ships straddle the sea trade route and obstruct the primary commerce route between Cathay and Cledia.
Zachery had placed his commanders both on the water and on land. It was only his commanders on the battlefield, so the burden on food supplies was scarce. Cathay had simply assumed that they could wait it out and see who would hunger the most, but all hopes were dashed when the Leon Empire arrived with provisions for the tribe.
It was only a matter of time before he drew out Cathay's main force, everyone thought. Warkarians were excited since Cathay was known for having vast amounts of rich land and fertile land.
Despite the fact that they had ruined their lush plains, there was still gold in there. Furthermore, this was not a raid, but rather a fight to occupy a settlement, which had never occurred in Warkarians' history.
They could not be considered a nomadic tribe, when a land lost its uses or the situation deteriorated, they would simply depart the land and go straight to another land to own via bloodshed.
There was no conquering because raiding was the Warkarians' only source of fame and money. That was before the alliance defeated the Warkarians. They were all so dispersed that they couldn't even mobilize even an ounce of power.
However, their leader had now produced a marvel with the help of the God Astrik! It was a God that Warkarians and Criterians shared, the God of Life and Wealth, who promoted many soldiers to Rank 1 and generals to Rank 2, boosting their forces to a higher level.
As their leader had said, the Warkarians were entering a new era! The Golden Age of War and Wealth!
Because the wonder they witnessed was too much for their mortal hearts. There had not been a single death as a result of their leader's mass rank elevation for the army. He should be God's avatar... No, I believe he is a God.
Getting back to the topic, even Ragnar's mother, Freya, thought Ragnar had made a terribly cruel but smart play on the battlefield. Ragnar's mother's heart was at ease when she saw that her son had grown up with not just brawns but also brains.
When Freya witnessed the door of Cathay open and fire all around their territories, all the commanders and Freya were stunned. When they saw Ragnar's grin and Astrid and her party of shieldmaidens running out of the gate, their hearts clenched.
When was their lord a military genius?
Was my breastmilk that much nutritious?
Behind the gates, there were many individuals with pitchforks and pickaxes staring at them with haggard and sunken eyes. But when they saw the group they thought would save them looking at them with a bandit smile and bloodlust, their eyes just iterated despair and helplessness.
"Kekeke, that is some good slaves we hav-"
*ROOOAAARR*
Their leader's bear began to roar and stood up with its rider. "Those who touch those people who are not even able to lift their weapons would meet the ends of my Moldjur!" Zachery yelled at the unruly bastards with whom he had drunk blood in recent weeks. "Do you get it?"
The Tribe Head's voice was like a raging tsunami, and no one could stand in its way. No, it was more accurate to argue that opposing it was pointless. Zachery had been bringing military reforms and reforms on things that the old ways didn't agree with for the past few weeks.
The reforms were not at all harmful; in fact, they were just the opposite of harmful. It derived a proper military structure that ensured that even if you died on the battlefield, your family would be taken care of by the money that had been allocated to you, which was revolutionary because most of the solider's savings had been saved for their family would be confiscated by nobles saying some nonsense.
Discipline was also instilled in each and every one of them who had been advanced to the rank of Rank 1 Mutant Warrior. Within weeks, Zachery could shake the knees of every 1,000 Rank 1 Mutant Warriors with a gaze.
He had subjected them to unremitting agony for 24 days. However, the outcomes were noticeable. Zachery's techniques and drills have elevated them to the summit of the Rank 1 list.
Even if Zachery couldn't speak for everyone, he could guarantee that at least 50 of them who were more talented in the Mutant Warriors path would never lose to other Rank 1's.
The Rank 1s had heard that the Rank 2s' condition was even worse. They'd even seen a person lying on the stretcher with all of his limbs at an improper angle, muttering in the darkness about never defying orders again.
Zachery had separated the Rank 2s for proper training in a cave close to the tribe's mountain range. There were at least 50 of them who had received death sentences. The Death Trudging Mountains were the name given to the mountain.
And it had earned its reputation, but when they saw 50 of them return as if they were a whole different being, everyone's jaws dropped open, especially wives. Prior to Zachery's decision to reform the army, the majority of men used their daughters and wives as toys, abusing them to varying degrees.
When they returned home, though, they fell on their knees and screamed out, 'I'm sorry, my dear! I know how you feel now!!!'
Ragnar's mother was pleasantly delighted!
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As you can see, time skip is going to be not a main, but a common part of the story to progress. It won't be as much as Fantasy Simulator, but there would be some in the choke points of the story.