In just a few days, under the guidance of Brasca, the two-headed cannibal demon, Yang Ling led his army to continuously conquer five cannibal tribes. Not only did he expand the Cannibal Heavy Infantry Legion to 1,500 people, but also gained more than 3,000 strong labor forces.

  After sending the labor force of the man-eating demons back to Weisen Town in batches, Guo was busy running around. He had to command the crowd to explore the surrounding mines, cut down trees to build temporary wooden houses, and also form a logistics team to provide supplies for Yang Ling. Fortunately, Yang Ling's space ring could hold a lot of materials, otherwise, just transporting food and consumable crossbow arrows would have taken up a large amount of manpower.

  Originally, the snowy winter was not suitable for building houses, but in order to settle more and more laborers, Gu De had no choice but to rack his brains to build simple wooden huts. As long as they could get through a few months, after the weather warmed up, they could start large-scale mining of stone mines and build solid houses.

  With the support of Weisen Town, Yang Ling continued to lead his army in a sweep of the scattered tribes in the Ladakh Mountains, hoping to capture enough labor before the spring opened tomorrow.

  According to the plan, large-scale development of timber and iron ore resources is scheduled for next year. A large port needs to be built at the mouth of the Danube River, and the road from Visen Town to Alashan Kou needs to be expanded. All this requires a large amount of cheap labor.

  Time is limited, everything must be ready before next spring!

  At this time, although there was no movement on the side of the Bantu Empire, and the mercenaries and adventurers in Weisen Town also did not make any moves, Yang Ling still did not dare to be careless.

  Head west-southwest from Wiesen Town, and after crossing the vast desert, it is the Bantu Empire where friend or foe is unclear. Guarding the Aras Pass can block the enemy's large-scale attack; but in other words, as long as the enemy sends a large army to surround the Aras Pass, Wiesen Town will lose all its land outlets.

  Head south from Weisen Town. It's the endless ocean, where pirates are as common as cow hair and there are even many sea tribes that kill without batting an eyelid. Although Hai'er Beili promised to provide assistance in building a large port and providing part of the navigation chart, whether or not it is possible to open up a safe route, she herself probably doesn't have any confidence either.

  Next year is the most crucial year, whether it can consolidate its territory, whether it can establish a bridgehead for exploring this world, depends on next year's results. And the premise of all this is that before the spring of next year, a large amount of cheap labor must be obtained, otherwise everything will be empty talk.

  This day, after a half-day forced march, Yang Ling ordered the army to halt and rest in a mountain valley. The target this time was a semi-beastman tribe ten miles away.

  Minotaur is a general term. Refers to humans with beast-like characteristics. There are cow-headed people with horns on their heads, fox people with tails, and swan people with wings on their backs.

  Legend has it that a long time ago, there were no half-beasts on the mainland. Thousands of years ago, after humans rose with the help of the Church, they engaged in repeated tug-of-war battles with the Beastman Empire, and both sides captured many prisoners. Gradually, some different species emerged.

  For thousands of years, the half-orcs have neither been recognized by humans nor acknowledged by orcs. Despite their large numbers, they do not even have an independent territory, let alone an empire or a republic. They are without status and dignity, and are the main source of slaves on the continent.

  "General, according to the scout's report, ahead of us is a mixed-race half-beastman tribe settlement, with approximately over 3,000 people!" Just as Yang Ling sat down, a scout rushed over to loudly report.

  Mixed-race half-beast tribe?

  Yang Ling was a bit curious, under Agu's explanation. Gradually understood what was going on. It turned out that the half-beast people had different abilities, some had great strength, some were good at calculation, and some had no power to bind chickens. In the same encounter, in order to survive stubbornly, many half-beasts lived together, forming a mixed tribe.

  "Elder, the scout has found the trail of the Dog Head tribe in this village. We must be careful when we act, or else we might easily be discovered!" Agu's brow furrowed tightly, as he knew that the Dog Heads were sensitive and agile, born hunters in the forest. To conquer this tribe smoothly, perhaps they would have to put more thought into it.

  "Dispatch Angle Beast to deal with the opponent's hidden signal, everything goes according to the original plan, go!"

  Yang Ling said as he turned over and rode on the unicorn, the dog-headed man was an outlier among the half-beasts. Although his combat power was not outstanding, he had a keen sense of smell, extremely fast speed, and was the best candidate for reconnaissance and vanguard. If they could conquer a tribe of dog-headed men, it would be of great benefit to their future plans.

  Under the guidance of Ji Hou, after half a time, everyone quietly rushed to the vicinity of the Half-Beastman tribe. To prevent any unexpected events, Yang Ling ordered everyone to hide behind a low thicket, sit down with their legs crossed, and prepare to command the Angle Horned Beast to deal with the opponent's hidden sentry.

  The half-beast tribe was located in the middle of a dense forest, with only one small path in and out, and the defense was very strict. In the dense forest, in addition to the dark sentry, many long vines full of thorns were also planted, which made it difficult for ordinary people to set foot.

  Awesome, indeed a tight defense!

  Through the swift flight of the horned wasp beast, Yang Ling soon roughly understood the distribution of the half-beastman's forces. On the outskirts of the forest, there were twenty or so dark sentries, either hiding under dry leaves or in the treetops. If not for the horned wasp beast's keen senses and large numbers, it would have been difficult to detect their presence at all.

  The forest perimeter was heavily guarded, and as we approached the village, the defense became even more severe. In addition to the secret sentries, there were also teams of warriors with hunting dogs patrolling back and forth, defending against the cannibal tribe with a strength that was many times greater.

  Lure them out and surround them to kill, or simply send a man-eating demon to launch a strong attack?

  ******

  After realizing that the other side was heavily guarded, Yang Ling hesitated. Unlike the man-eating demons, the half-beastmen's intelligence was much stronger, and sending a spirit to lure them out might end up being counterproductive, like beating the grass to scare away snakes.

  Just as Yang Ling was hesitating, suddenly, a low and powerful horn sounded from within the Half-Beast tribe. Warriors emerged from the wooden houses, quickly gathering together, fully alert and on guard.

  "Distant travelers, our tribe doesn't have much in store either, would you mind taking a look elsewhere?"

  Soon, under the escort of a group of warriors, an old man with piercing eyes walked out in big strides. Holding a black staff in his hand and revealing a small tail behind him, he seemed to be a fox-like priest. From what he said, it seemed that he took everyone as native bandits who came to rob food.

  Although he didn't know how the other party had discovered his whereabouts, since things had come to this point, Yang Ling no longer hid and stood up openly.

  "A few days ago, a merchant caravan was massacred nearby, do you have any news?" After being asked to reveal his identity, Yang Ling's face didn't redden, nor did his heart skip a beat. He continued, "I am the lord of Weisen Town. If you can provide accurate information, I will reward you heavily!"

  Seeing that the other party was guarding tightly and couldn't be easily taken, Yang Ling's heart moved, preparing to take a different approach. Many times, what you want can be obtained at the negotiating table, not necessarily by resorting to force.

  It's like the United States on earth, using its strong political, economic and military power to solve most problems through so-called international exchanges, except for the Gulf War, it really didn't take action many times.

  Viscount?

  Look at the calm and composed Yang Ling, then look at the mighty demon army behind him, the old man's expression changed. After consulting with the warriors beside him and confirming Yang Ling's identity, his face became increasingly gloomy.

  The scouts of the tribe had seen Yang Ling himself in Weisen Town, and with the dense army of horned beasts, evil eyes and spiders behind him, his identity was absolutely certain. But he, a lord, suddenly led a large army to his own tribe, what did this mean?

  As the elder of the Fox tribe, the old man had experienced countless storms over the years, but he had never been as tense as today. Even tens of thousands of elite Bantu soldiers were no match for Yang Ling, and if his goal this time was to attack his own clan, the consequences would be unthinkable.

  The old man of the Fox tribe had a clear understanding, and the tribe's defense was strict. For the native people who were accustomed to plundering in the Ladakh Mountains, there was still some deterrent force. But for Yang Ling, whose strength was unfathomable, they were absolutely no match.

  Seeing the other's pale face, furrowed brow, and silence, Yang Ling appeared calm on the surface but understood in his heart that the plan had already succeeded halfway.

  He signaled the warriors behind him to put down their weapons and said, "No need to be tense, we're just passing by. Even if you don't have any information about bandits, perhaps we can cooperate in other ways!"

  After making the other party understand his identity and strength, Yang Ling took the initiative to withdraw the demon beast army. Sometimes, giving the other party a warning is necessary; but if one keeps pressing on, it will be counterproductive.

  "My lord, I am the elder of the Fox tribe. Welcome to our half-beastman tribe." As expected, seeing Yang Ling withdraw his army, the Fox tribe's elder let out a sigh of relief and gestured for the warriors beside him to give way.

  After ordering Agu Su to lead the army to camp outside the dense forest, Yang Ling led several cannibal demons into the dense forest at the invitation of the Fox tribe's elder. Soon, they arrived at the Half-beastman tribe.

  On the road, he saw many children running around happily and playing non-stop. On the east side of the tribe was a row of wooden houses for raising animals, and some women were feeding them. It seems that the half-beast people are meticulous in their calculations, and there should be more stored grain in the tribe than the man-eating demons and earth spirits.

  "Please take a seat, sir!"

  The elder of the Fox tribe led Yang Ling to a spacious wooden house, with an attitude of respect and enthusiasm. Since he understood that Yang Ling was not there for his own tribe, he felt more at ease in his heart, secretly thinking about how to take advantage of this opportunity to cooperate with him. After all, Weisen Town may not be big, but it is the only human territory within a thousand miles, and getting along well with Yang Ling would be extremely beneficial to the tribe.