Alex mobilized part of Lark's army, as well as his personal troops, to search for the matriarch. Before leaving, he ordered the Resh to intensify their attacks. Although the Gnolls had finally reacted to their conquests, they had done so in a disordered and disorganized manner, which had given them a massive advantage that should not be wasted.
"Mr. Dregg, are you staying behind?" a confused Lark asked.
"That's right, the lad left me behind to take care of the newly liberated Gnolls. It'll be hard for you to put them to work without the presence of a Gnoll," Dregg replied.
"Oh, the lad is right. I'm still struggling to adapt to that part. I don't understand how Atarra and Atasha adapted so quickly," Lark commented.
"The matriarchs don't have it easy either. It's been really tough to keep up with the lad's orders. It helps a lot that instead of punishing us and whipping us, he guides us on how to improve things," Dregg explained.
"That's true. This management system is so new and ambitious that I've never seen anything like it. Villages and towns are planned and built following patterns and designs. They all have goals in mind. Resh has never seen anything like this in history, and it's shocking to see how exceptionally it works," Lark remarked.
"From what I know, these systems are characteristic of the most civilized races. Dwarves, Elves, and humans plan cities in this way. For races like us, it's much more challenging to control populations to participate in these projects," Dregg added.
"That's true. It will be almost impossible to force the other major Resh settlements to follow Alex's dictates. Although, to tell you the truth, I would like to see them comply," Lark admitted.
"You'd like to see the Resh subjected to Alex's reign," Dregg teased.
"Why not? The lad has done more for the Resh in this short time than any other leader. Not only in terms of the security of our people, but now our villages are very productive too. His agricultural reforms have helped start generating large amounts of food, combined with those fish farms and protein factories, our people are close to achieving a positive balance in food generation, and if projections are correct, we'll soon generate more than we need," Lark expressed.
"It's incredible to think about it. The Gnolls have also started to see an increase in the amount of available food. If it weren't for the rapid pace at which we rescue Gnolls, we might have been close to achieving a positive balance," Dregg added.
"Yes, I never thought I'd see such progress. I never thought I'd discuss such advances with a Gnoll," Lark reflected.
"Life is a crazy adventure, old lizard. The craziest thing of all is that these aren't even our two races, but it seems that more and more Dwarves are joining the lad's side," Dregg observed.
The old Lark sighed, "I don't understand where the lad even started to convince the Dwarves to work alongside us, but I'm truly grateful. They are the main reason why the fish farm projects have been successful."
"And let's not forget, most of the high-quality weapons come from the Dwarves," Dregg remarked, then pondered for a moment. "What do you think, old man? Do you think he'll ever call himself king of the Resh? For now, he's just the general commander of yours."
"Not only do I think so, but I'm willing to bet my tail on it," Lark responded without hesitation.
Dregg glanced carefully at Lark and his tail. "Would you die for the lad?" the Gnoll asked.
This time, it was Lark's turn to study the Gnoll's expressions. "I don't know," he said honestly.
"I would," Dregg declared.
"Why?" Lark inquired.
"The lad has been the only one interested in giving us a legitimate way not only to resist but also to prosper. I don't care if in the end it all turns out to be a lie and there's no way forward. I'd rather die in the mire of a great Gnoll kingdom than live in the paradise of the matriarchs' government," Dregg explained.
Lark pondered the Gnoll's words. "I'm not willing to go back to our past either. Welcoming the Gnolls may have been the best thing that's happened to us in years, even if it involves giving up our freedoms to some extent. For the first time in too long, Resh mothers can feed their children without fearing tomorrow's scarcity. That sweet dream is too hard to give up."
Both leaders took a few moments to reflect on their duties as they contemplated the challenge ahead.
"Lieutenant, assemble the troops. We have a settlement to take down," Lark commanded.
"Scouts, prepare to take advanced positions. I want all escape routes cut off before the siege begins," Dregg shouted.
Everyone present immediately understood the objective, although there were still some exploitations and smaller villages to take down; it was clear that the leaders' intention was to attack the major settlement. Alex's orders had left both leaders slightly confused due to his apparent haste; however, there was no reason to think that this was a bad decision.
While Lark and Dregg marched toward the settlement, Alex, Kragash, and Lunaria hunted down the enemy patrol. At this point, they had realized that what they were chasing was not a small patrol, but rather marks in multiple parts of the road indicating that more and more Goblins were joining, forming an army of considerable numbers based on Alex's estimates.
"Why would they gather such numbers just for one matriarch?" Kragash asked.
"I doubt it's just for the matriarch. There may be something else at play here. Clearly, something is happening, and we don't have enough information," Alex replied.
"We should accelerate our march; maybe we can catch up with their rear guard," Kragash suggested.
"It won't be worth it. If we don't know why we're fighting and what our goal is, we can't make that decision. Simply killing Goblins doesn't contribute anything to our cause, especially if we lose our soldiers in those rash decisions," Alex explained.
Kragash pondered over those words. He had heard them many times before, but now he truly began to understand them. Before, he thought that simply killing Goblins or rather killing his enemy could lead to victory, but now, helping Alex organize and plan the villages under his command and those of his vassals, he understood very well that the game had different rules; simply killing the rest didn't make you win—prospering was the goal.
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"Why not send the scouts ahead to find out what the enemy is hiding?" Kragash suggested.
"I sent a team, but I don't think they'll be able to recognize what we're looking for. However, knowing how far our enemies are is a good start," Alex replied.
When the scouts returned some time later, the results were as Alex had predicted. Although these small felines were able to identify and follow the enemies, and this time they were even able to not do anything stupid or impulsive, they couldn't answer much about their compositions and cargo—nothing that would allow Alex to develop a theory about their motives for moving further away from populated areas.
"I told you they weren't so useless," Lunaria said, puffing up her chest with pride for her patrol's accomplishment.
"Of course, they have been crucial in this operation," Alex praised her, though they hadn't managed to provide key information, Alex knew it wasn't due to incompetence but rather the fact that, to the scouts, everyone looked the same, like prey.
"They are only five days away from us, sir, and although the scouts were unable to distinguish the matriarch, they were able to recognize the presence of Gnolls, apparently some as high-level warriors. There are some patrols, and there are quite a few scattered groups in the area, although it doesn't seem like they are aware of our presence," Kragash summarized the information they had received from the scouts.
"We can make a forced march and shorten the distance. Even if the matriarch isn't there, our stronger brothers will be a great addition to our ranks," one of Alex's initiates suggested.
"I don't think it's prudent. It would be better to eliminate the enemies before they can surround us and cut off our retreat," another initiate responded.
Alex's initiated warriors began to discuss their possible course of action, with these two approaches being the most approved.
"There's something else we should focus on. The scouts mentioned some kind of structure in the distance. They didn't get too close because they found it 'spooky.' I think it's pretty safe to assume that our enemies are heading there," Kragash added.
"It seems that place is a natural source of evil energies, and if we add the factors of the presence of a Kesha with a great predominance of high-level Gnoll warriors, I think it's safe to assume that our enemy is attempting a ritual sacrifice," one of Alex's initiates voiced.
Alex listened attentively to his young assistant's conjecture, and although he knew little about Goblins and their Kesha's, one thing was clear: if they resembled the matriarchs in any way, then ritual sacrifices were a distinct possibility.
"If that's true, we must hurry even more. It's imperative that we eliminate them before they reach that place and can lay a hand on our warriors," one of the initiated who supported a direct approach said.
"We can't be so hasty. Remember, our lord is with us. If we blindly throw ourselves into the fray and then can't return, we won't have a face to claim to the gods for our end. It's better to deal with them methodically. With the help of the scouts, we can still rescue some of them," another initiated pointed out.
Both sides began to discuss more animatedly, but Alex noticed that Kragash had not yet joined either side; the young man had not yet spoken all that was on his mind.
"There are still many things we don't know. The fact that the Kesha's started mobilizing makes me think they've received an order from something or someone else. I think it would be prudent to observe this change," Kragash finally spoke up.
"What exactly do you have in mind, lad?" one of the warriors who supported the frontal attack asked.
"They are five days ahead of us, and the structure is another five days away. Usually, a large ritual sacrifice for the matriarchs takes 3 to 5 days to organize," Kragash explained.
"I don't understand, lad, what do you mean by those times?" one of the warriors who supported the other approach asked.
"I think we should infiltrate their lines and go unnoticed. We can take a longer route that will take us about 12 days to reach with the help of the scouts. If we're lucky, we'll be able to spy on the enemy camp and learn more about their plans. We can still attack when they're even weaker during the ritual," Kragash proposed.
Alex pinched the bridge of his nose as he weighed this plan. Meanwhile, the group almost erupted into shouts at the young man's wild proposal. What was there to observe, they exclaimed? The enemy was right in front of them, and they were going to sacrifice their brothers. It was best to rescue them as soon as possible and not leave things to chance. After all, there was a not small possibility that they would arrive too late.
Alex raised his hand, and with just a signal from his palm, silence fell.
"I approve your plan, Kragash. We'll change course, take a detour to the right. Luna, scout ahead exploring the passage. It's crucial that we reach our destination without being discovered, and it will be much better if we don't give the enemy any reason to doubt us. Therefore, we must try our best not to raise suspicions or kill any guards," Alex decreed.
Some wanted to argue and show their disagreement with the plan, but the vast majority immediately got to work once Alex's orders were issued; for most, there was nothing more to discuss after that.
Alex was immensely satisfied with his young assistant's intervention. Finally, he had started to consider the big picture instead of focusing on what was immediately in front of him. It was very important for the human that his assistant developed these skills because he knew that effective bureaucracy required trustworthy people with good surveillance skills in those parts where he couldn't be, which would become more and more numerous as the lands he controlled grew. After all, another major reason for adopting a feudal structure in his government was the fact that the means of communication in this world were not developed in the same way as in his own world, making governing large stretches of land exponentially more difficult.
While Alex and his group cautiously advanced among enemy lines, the matriarchs faced problems on their respective front lines. Both matriarchs had been confronted by several enemy Kesha's, making the situation chaotic in their locations.
"My lady Atasha, we've lost contact with the first battalion. After defeating an enemy patrol, they seem to have vanished, presumably pursuing the remnants of the patrol," one reported.
"My lady, we've lost one of the exploitations. After our soldiers took it, they began to chase a large group of Goblins in the vicinity, and apparently, a small group of those bastards sneaked in to burn down the warehouses and our supplies," another informed.
The negative reports continued to pour in one after another, and Atasha felt her head spinning. Although they had won each battle in some way, she felt they were still losing, and she hadn't been able to rectify the situation.
All she could do at this moment was send scouts to bring back her troops and prevent further losses. They must protect their materials and supplies. That was, after all, the reason they were here, in addition to rescuing Gnolls, of course.
Just after Atasha finished issuing her orders, she began to wonder if the other fronts were facing the same problems and how they were dealing with them. At that moment, one of her students entered to announce the arrival of two messengers.
"My lady, there is a messenger from Matriarch Atarra and another from Lark," the student reported.
"Oh, how opportune. Bring them in," Atasha replied.
Atasha was even more surprised when she saw that Atarra's envoy was one of her apprentices. For the matriarchs, these were quite valuable, and they wouldn't send them for simple messages. As for the Resh, Atasha couldn't tell if this particular one was important or not.
The first messenger to speak was Atarra's, and she began to relate a series of problems very similar to what Atasha was currently experiencing.
Both discussed the events slightly, and Atasha summarized how she was having similar problems. After a while, Atarra's messenger was able to ensure the exchange of items she had come for and was ready to leave when Lark's envoy stopped her.
"On the orders of Supreme Commander Alex, Leader Lark has sent a summary of the situations on our front, as well as the tactics and strategies used by Commander Alex to deal with them," the messenger reported, producing a bundle of rough papers with a great deal of information written on them to hand them over to Atasha.
Both Gnolls were initially annoyed by the interruption from the Resh, but as Atasha read the summaries presented, she better understood what was happening and how it could also benefit the other matriarch.
"It would be better for you to wait. Let me make a personal copy and add some notes, and I will send you a copy," Atasha told the young Gnoll.
Atasha couldn't wait to implement the techniques she had been informed of and investigate the points mentioned by Alex. If it was true that the source of their problems was the Kesha's, the matriarchs had many ways to deal with those little green imitators.