CHAPTER 450: CHAPTER 005: SERVANT ARMY

In Austin’s previous life, there was a term on a national strategic level called proxy war.

As the name suggests, conflicts between two major countries do not involve direct warfare, but rather strike the enemy nation’s territory and interests by supporting and aiding allies.

Now, the Dragon Nest Tribe has also begun planning this mode of warfare.

By supporting proxies, they conduct direct or indirect control, first sweeping through uncontrolled areas, and when the time is right, they annex them in one fell swoop to establish a Beastman Empire spanning across the entire Kawa Great Forest.

This method is less conspicuous and can save the Dragon Nest Tribe a lot of manpower and resources in the early stages of development.

After all, the Dragon Nest Tribe is in the developmental phase of significant infrastructural growth, coupled with the forest environment which is not conducive to direct expansion.

Who could have imagined that within ten short years, they’d expand from the humble beginnings of a few stray kobolds to their current state?

Although Austin understood some theories, in the midst of rapid development, he inevitably accumulated some flaws.

Now, seizing this period that’s not suitable for major expansion, the Dragon Nest Tribe is simultaneously advancing technology while reforming the accumulated flaws within the tribe.

Thus,

In the second year after the war, having initially absorbed the modern knowledge Austin obtained from the Spiritual Energy Awakening Plane, the Dragon Nest Tribe began its expansion plan as a behind-the-scenes power.

First, they dispatched a large number of Dragon Nest Beastman secret workers to gather intelligence along their route, including the terrain of certain areas, the size and situation of the forces occupying those places, and the traffic locations.

At the same time, through the transaction markets at the border Stronghold City, after a year of infiltration, they easily integrated the wild Beastman Tribes attached to the Dragon Nest Tribe at the border, supporting them with food and resources, forming a vassal army under the leadership of the Dragon Nest Tribe.

These vassal army alliances are basically led by the Pioneer City at the border of the Dragon Nest Tribe. They form alliances with each other, dividing into several different power groups, and within a short time, gathered a vassal army of fifty thousand people.

Of course, the commanders of these power groups are directly controlled by the Dragon Nest Tribe itself.

To enhance the strength of the vassal army, the Dragon Nest Tribe also provided Beastmen with a certain number of metal weapons, armor, and other equipment, while establishing a merit system. Beastman soldiers who perform well and make significant contributions can earn the right to join the Dragon Nest Tribe and receive certain Extraordinary Secret Techniques for cultivation.

That’s right, the right to join the Dragon Nest Tribe!

In the early stages of the Dragon Nest Tribe’s development, they welcomed almost any stray Beastmen from the wild. As long as they underwent early military training, they could become members of the Dragon Nest Tribe.

But as time went on and the Dragon Nest Tribe grew, acquiring resident status within the Dragon Nest Tribe is no longer so easy.

Due to rich resources, the life of every Dragon Nest Tribe beastman is what the wild Beastmen envy.

Starting this year, the Dragon Nest Tribe has stopped recruiting those stray Beastmen from outside, instead using this resident status as a reward for Beastman soldiers who performed outstandingly in the proxy war.

Contributions to the Dragon Nest Tribe and achievements are required for eligibility to join.

The benefits and conditions of formal residency in the Dragon Nest Tribe are excellent.

This qualification, clearly holding enormous allure, is considered an incentive for the vassal Beastmen to work hard.

...

In the second year after the war, while the Dragon Nest Tribe focuses on developing technology and constructing railways.

Using the vassal army, they command large forces to conquer other regions’ Beastman tribes, subsequently mining ores from the mountains and collecting various valuable magical plants, continuously expanding their controlled territory.

Though the vassal army was established with the support of the Dragon Nest Tribe, their equipment was provided by the Dragon Nest’s weapons and armor, with direct command under Dragon Nest Beastman officers.

Such an army might not be noteworthy compared to the Dragon Nest Legion, but for dealing with those wild Beastman tribes, it is more than formidable.

As the forces sweep through, large areas of the Beastman tribes outside the Dragon Nest Territory are wiped out.

Meanwhile, the large populations captured are put to work excused from regular duties, thanks to the food support from the Dragon Nest Tribe, involved in mining and gathering magical plants.

The deposits located in the deep mountains require too much human resource to exploit, making it most appropriate to let these vassal armies handle the mining.

Only when faced with dangerous Giant Beasts, Magic Beasts, and monsters does the elite troops of the Dragon Nest Legion occasionally intervene to ensure the vassal armies can explore and gather more safely in the mountains.

Despite the different management systems within the vassal armies, resembling chaotic warfare between Beastman tribes in other regions,

and considering it’s already the second year post-war, as time passes, the flames of war within the Kawa Great Forest become less noticeable with the Dragon Nest Tribe’s activities.

Located in a remote position and given that those behind-the-scenes attention is gradually shifting away from the Kawa Great Forest, it provides a relatively safe development environment for the Dragon Nest Tribe’s expansion.

To better construct, under Dragon Nest Tribe’s support, the Beastmen of the vassal system developed gathering cities in conquered areas, serving as bridgeheads for the Dragon Nest Tribe’s expansion.

Supported by these gathering spots, the vassal army expands step by step.

And once the rear provides the vassal army with a solid foundation, the Dragon Nest Tribe then claims those matured fruits, effortlessly completing annexation.

Time flows in the midst of the Dragon Nest Tribe’s development and the chaos within the Kawa Great Forest.

Soon, the second post-war year has ended, and including the territories controlled by the vassal army, the Dragon Nest Tribe’s domain area has more than doubled.

Of course, the vassal army’s grasp of the occupied forest land is far less than the Dragon Nest Tribe’s.

A vast amount of ore and magical plants are collected from the vassal army and gathered into the Dragon Nest Tribe, greatly enhancing the Dragon Nest Tribe’s overall strength in various aspects.

With substantial mineral resources, especially the discovery and mining of a large open-pit mineral vein by the vassal army, the speed of railway construction increased considerably, reaching near completion before the winter set in.

Additionally, due to different types of ores gathered from the forests, the metallurgy industry experienced great development, with explorations in material science aided by alchemy technology advancing rapidly.

Similarly advancing rapidly were aspects like the medical system and agriculture.

The presence of the vassal army, much like the colonies in Austin’s previous 18th or 19th-century context, continuously provides the sovereign nation with strengthening nutrients.