Chapter 217: The Southern Wasteland
Oaths are shackles placed on one's own heart.
Breaking an oath will result in a backlash from one's own power.
"Very well, you may leave!"
Just like that, Sandra came and left in a rush.
Shortly after Sandra's departure, the barbarian army in the Great Canyon also began to stir.
Amid the rolling clouds of dust, the barbarian army started to retreat.
"They're retreating! They're retreating! The barbarian army is withdrawing!"
The retreat of the barbarian army brought cheers to the walls of the Garrison Fort.
The happiest, of course, were the ordinary soldiers.
On the battlefield, these common soldiers were nothing more than cannon fodder.
Once the war began, the death toll among the soldiers would be in the tens of thousands.
Sandra also gained significant fame from this war.
This was because Lady Sandra had gone alone to the barbarian camp.
Shortly after her return, the barbarian army retreated.
Anyone would attribute the credit for the barbarians' retreat to Lady Sandra.
---
The next day, in the Ogre Mountain Range:
"Boss, why didn't we do anything this time?"
Dust clouds rolled through the Great Canyon.
The massive army stretched for tens of kilometers within the canyon.
In the army, Benben followed closely behind the boss.
"Benben, this is war. Fighting and killing is the essence of war, but sometimes war ends through negotiations."
"Boss, Benben doesn't quite understand."
"Haha, it doesn't matter if you don't understand, Benben. Just follow me and fight when needed."
"Got it! I understand now!"
Standing high up and looking far ahead, the dense shadows of soldiers filled his vision.
Although the Garrison Fort wasn't captured this time, the gains were substantial.
Not only did they reclaim several barbarian tribes in the Southern Wasteland, but they also drove the demons out of the region.
As for whether the ghost beastmen would return to the Southern Wasteland, Li Meng didn't know.
But Li Meng wouldn't just sit idly by.
---
Five days later, the barbarian army split into two in the Ogre Mountain Range.
The goblin army would return to the Goblin Forest, while the barbarian army returned to the Southern Wasteland.
Li Meng didn't follow the goblin army back to the Throne Tribe.
Instead, he accompanied the barbarian army to the demons' former encampment in the Southern Wasteland.
---
Half a month later, in the demons' encampment in the Southern Wasteland:
"How did you sustain yourselves before?"
In a tent, Li Meng gathered several beastmen chiefs.
"Your Majesty, in the Northern Continent, each clan had its own hunting grounds!"
A beastman chief answered the king.
Seated on animal hides, Li Meng fell into deep thought.
So, beastmen were nomadic barbarians.
Previously, they had relied on the barbarians of the Southern Wasteland for sustenance.
Now that the ghost beastmen had been driven out, it was time for the beastmen to become self-reliant.
Li Meng spread out a map drawn by the demons and circled an area.
"From now on, this area will be your hunting ground. How it is divided will be up to your clans to decide."
The Southern Wasteland's resources, while not overly abundant, were not meager either.
Most of the Southern Wasteland was sparse savanna.
Several rivers flowed from the Ogre Mountain Range, extending to the sea.
There were also several large lakes, with most areas not lacking in water resources.
Additionally, the Southern Wasteland covered a vast area.
From north to south, it spanned over 700 kilometers, and from east to west, over 500 kilometers.
Feeding a mere population of less than 300,000 barbarians would be no problem.
If the ecosystem of the Southern Wasteland was systematically protected, it could support even more people.
Teaching the barbarians to engage in animal husbandry could transform the Southern Wasteland into a treasure trove.
As for farming, that was out of the question.
The Southern Wasteland wasn't suitable for agriculture due to its soil conditions.
"Any objections?"
Li Meng looked at Pig Dajin and Wolf Howl.
Territory division required the agreement of the barbarian chiefs.
After all, the pigmen, gnollmen, and centaurs were the true masters of the Southern Wasteland.
Though reluctant, neither Pig Dajin nor Wolf Howl dared to object.
"No objections, Your Majesty. It's up to you!"
Pig Dajin nodded reluctantly, his face full of pain.
Wolf Howl also quickly nodded in agreement.
Margarita naturally had no objections either.
Granting the beastmen some land was far better than supporting them indefinitely.
"I know the wars with humans have cost you dearly. I don't have any particular demands for you—just rest and recuperate. By the way, send me a few females to birth little goblins for me. Ten each will do. They'll become my Princesss. I want the best—big and sturdy ones, good-looking, and fertile. If you try to deceive me, I'll turn you into jerky."
Faced with the king's ferocious gaze, the tribe leaders in the tent were visibly terrified.
They nodded fervently.
"Um... Your Majesty, perhaps you should choose yourself. We don't know your aesthetic preferences."
Li Meng turned to Margarita beside him.
"Margarita, I'll leave this to you. Once selected, send them to the Throne Tribe."
Margarita froze, clearly caught off guard by the task.
Although she was a woman, she had no idea about the king's preferences either.
The appearances of females varied greatly among the tribes.
How could an outsider discern beauty or ugliness?
"What's your name?"
Before Margarita could refuse, Li Meng addressed a beastman.
The beastman chief hurriedly stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, my name is Iron Hammer!"
"Iron Hammer, from now on, you're the Grand Chief. This encampment is yours!"
With that, Li Meng donned his helmet, stood up, and strode out of the tent.
"Alright, return to your clans. I'm heading back!"
The tribe leaders quickly got up to send him off.
They stopped at the edge of the encampment, watching the king's massive figure fade into the distance.
"Queen Margarita, please help us!"
"Yes, you were the first to follow the king. Surely, you know his preferences."
"I... I don't want to be turned into jerky."
The beastman chiefs looked at Margarita pleadingly.
Margarita felt a headache coming on as she faced their gazes.
"I... I don't know either. Bring a female in front of me, and I can't tell if she's beautiful or ugly."
She glanced at the beastmen.
Though beastmen had rough skin, their figures were decent.
Female beastmen didn't have the unsightly tusks of their male counterparts.
Beauty and ugliness should be distinguishable.
As for the pigmen…
Margarita looked at Pig Dajin's chubby form, her face full of doubt.
At least by her standards, female pigmen were far from beautiful.
As for the gnollmen…
Margarita rubbed her temples in frustration.
Gnollmen were upright beasts covered in fur—beauty wasn't a concept for them.
"Stop! Stop! Stop! Enough noise!"
The noisy chatter only worsened Margarita's headache.
"Big and sturdy, that's what matters most. As for beauty, send your best females to the king. The king won't complain. His Princesses are rotated annually—you decide what to do!"
Hearing this, the chiefs' eyes lit up.
This way, even if the king found them unattractive, they had a good excuse.
"Prepare the tributes quickly. I'll set off for the Throne Tribe tomorrow."