Chapter 71: Loyalty

Ram believed that the stockpile of sturdy hides she had acquired was more than sufficient. However, the machine designed by Wu Qingsong significantly expedited the most labor-intensive step in the armor production process. Consequently, the raw materials were quickly depleted, and Wu Qingsong’s houndmen were all outfitted in uniform dark red armor.

Though essentially novices, they now presented a formidable appearance.

This development considerably deepened the houndmen’s loyalty to Wu Qingsong. After all, despite every member of their dogkind accepting their expendable destiny, each harbored an innate desire to strive for a better existence.

It was uncommon for houndmen to serve under powerful lords. They typically fought for comparatively destitute chiefs. Many of their ancestors died without ever having worn armor. But now, within just a few months, they had accomplished a lifelong aspiration of their predecessors.

An affluent leader who ensured they were well-fed and was keen to equip his troops, what was there to complain about?

When the multitude of chicks and ducklings Ram had ordered arrived and were nestled in the hills behind the mine, the houndmen began to trust Wu Qingsong’s promise that soon each person could have an egg a day. They even started to believe his other promises for their future.

Eager to pass the assessments described by Wu Qingsong and become the ‘formal workers’ he mentioned, to bring their families from Bota for a better life, all the houndmen began to train with a zeal bordering on madness.

In the Esola Hills, the prevailing aberrations were the insectoids, creatures mostly encased in tough exoskeletons. Ordinary spears and arrows struggled to breach their defenses in the narrow tunnels.

Wu Qingsong had originally planned to emulate Qi Jiguang’s Mandarin Duck Formation, which would allow his warriors to be divided into two small combat teams. Yet, upon consulting with seasoned warriors, he was compelled to forsake this strategy. Instead, he adopted the formation commonly used by other mercenary groups, establishing roles for two-handed shield bearers, long hammer wielders, and short hammer wielders.

The two-handed shield bearers had the duty of forging paths at the forefront and at critical moments, sealing off corridors to avert encirclement by the enemy. Their large shields were lined with razor-sharp edges and spiked with piercing steel spikes, making them formidable weapons even in open terrain.

The wielders of the long hammers constituted the main offensive force, brandishing three-meter-long iron hammers that could inflict fatal blows to the insectoids’ armored carapaces. The short hammer fighters, with round shields and sixty-centimeter hammers, served as a rapid response force, engaging the enemy in hand-to-hand combat when the lines broke, and specifically targeting the small, nimble dwarf insectoids.

All three roles required immense physical prowess, which was perhaps why the towering, muscular mastiffmen were predominant in Esola’s mercenary groups. Regarding Wu Qingsong’s Thirteenth Mercenary Group, the territory officials who came to observe had little confidence in its success. Some, out of genuine concern, even warned Wu Qingsong against gambling with his fortune and life, suggesting that he replace the houndmen at once with more promising recruits.

Such admonitions fostered a potent sense of urgency among the houndmen, though Wu Qingsong himself harbored no particular concerns about it.

He tasked Ram with acquiring a supply of oil and set out to develop incendiary bottles with greater stickiness and higher burning temperatures. After all, how impervious could the insectoids’ thick shells be to the ravages of fire?

He began to train specialized grenadiers within his ranks, which gave the houndmen a clear goal to strive for. Many of them became capable of throwing jars filled with water, mimicking the weight of actual oil bottles, with pinpoint accuracy at targets thirty meters away, even in cramped and dimly-lit conditions. Such skill left even the seasoned wolfmen warriors under Ram, who had been playing at war for the better part of a year, thoroughly impressed.

“I think Angus has figured out Ram and her men’s true identities,” Harold said to Wu Qingsong one day, out of the blue.

His nonchalant demeanor took Wu Qingsong, who was accustomed to setbacks, by surprise.

“Do you think she can be trusted?”

“Why don’t you ask her yourself?” Harold countered.

Thus, Wu Qingsong summoned Angus to his office for a private conversation.

“Do you know who Ram and her men are?”

Angus’s fur bristled ever so slightly but soon relaxed. “Yes, my lord. They’re all wolfmen, and clearly not just a normal trading caravan. The more they mingle with us, the less cautious they seem to become.”

It seemed Ram’s subordinates were in dire need of discipline.

Wu Qingsong sighed.

“What are your thoughts?”

“I believe, sir, that you are not truly one of them, but merely cooperating with them for the time being,” Angus said after a pause.

“Is there a difference?” Wu Qingsong asked. “If it’s discovered, collaboration is as punishable by death as being one of them.”

Angus fell silent.

“Would you report us?” Wu Qingsong asked once more.

“That’s impossible!” Angus burst out, his anger flaring up momentarily before he urgently reassured, “My lord, the houndkin would never betray a master to whom we’ve pledged our fealty. Please trust in our loyalty.”

“Why?” Wu Qingsong pressed. “I find it hard to believe you would be unconditionally loyal to someone simply because of an oath. I want to know the real reason.”

“You have given us the best treatment,” Angus asserted, without a moment’s delay. “Plentiful food, shelter, equipment, training, and above all, hope, not only for us but for our families as well. You don’t scorn us like the half-elves do, who see us as mere tools to be discarded when used. You treat us as true people. That’s something no other master has ever done.”

Wu Qingsong felt a touch of embarrassment at these words, especially the idea that they considered training to be a benefit. These things, he thought, were the least they deserved for their efforts.

“Who else is aware of Ram and her company’s true nature?” Wu Qingsong asked.

“I can’t say for certain who all knows, but it’s likely that the number is not small,” Angus admitted with a trace of unease. “Lord Tagraedi, I implore you to believe us. We would never commit treason against you!”

Without waiting for Wu Qingsong to speak, Angus pledged fervently, “I vow to protect your safety with my life. If anyone dares to betray you, if there’s even a slight sign of it, I will personally eliminate them for you.”

Wu Qingsong regarded him intently for a long stretch, then nodded his head.

“I trust you, Angus. Let it be known that you have passed the evaluation. I hereby appoint you as the Second Vice-Captain of the Thirteenth Mercenary Group. You may send word to Bota and have your family brought here.”

Overwhelmed with joy, Angus retreated from the room.

“You trust him so easily?” Harold asked.

“I trust my judgment,” Wu Qingsong replied. “If he’s willing to bring his family over immediately, it’s unlikely he will betray me. Moreover, it proves his genuine wish to make this place his home.”

Harold gave a nod. He also believed that Angus wouldn’t betray them, but his reasons differed from Wu Qingsong’s. Yet Wu Qingsong’s method seemed more instinctive and trustworthy.

Without a real sense of belonging to their mercenary group, Angus wouldn’t be so joyously inclined to bring his family, especially knowing their affiliation with the rebels.

Harold had never quite grasped Wu Qingsong’s recruitment criteria, particularly the emphasis on selecting houndkin with families, especially those with children.

He had initially assumed it was a strategy to secure more labor in the future. However, the canine folks were not known to be particularly good laborers. It was the enduring and compliant sheep, rabbit, and mouse folks that were the more suitable labor force.

But due to some reason, he had never countered Wu Qingsong’s approach.

Now, at last, he grasped the rationale behind Wu Qingsong’s actions.