Green Monster Epic

"Target the peach forest three kilometers away, attack!!!"

The dwarf goblin Locke, riding his most beloved partner, a strong and robust gray-white dire wolf, issued the command loudly. As the word 'attack' fell, the five hundred dire wolf knights behind him surged forward, stirring up a cloud of dust.

Although the cavalry numbered five hundred, and the weight of each knight and dire wolf was at least five hundred pounds, the dire wolves still did not make too much noise when galloping.

The thick pads on their canine feet allowed them to effectively reduce the sound of their footsteps even when charging, making their movements more concealed.

"Prepare throwing spears!!! Fire!!!"

Seeing that they were less than five hundred meters away from the tall peach tree in front and the relatively short surrounding bushes, Locke issued the order once again.

Swish! Swish! Swish!!!

Countless throwing spears flew swiftly from the short arms of the dwarf goblin knights, whistling sharply as they landed in the peach tree thicket ahead.

The throwing spears landed, activating the mechanisms in the bushes. One after another, humanoid targets made of thick wooden boards wrapped in weeds suddenly stood up.

Immediately afterward, Locke issued a low, urgent command, and the dire wolf knights, holding their cavalry spears, which were even longer than their height, at a slant, charged towards a target in formations of three to five.

The sturdy targets were torn into pieces in mid-air. The skilled dwarf goblin knights did not miss any target in the bushes, and they did not collide or rub against their companions while charging, demonstrating their proficient horsemanship.

"Stop!!!"

From galloping to a sudden stop, it was only Locke's single-syllable command. When the team came to a halt, Locke looked back to check, and even during the gallop, their cavalry squadron was able to maintain the integrity of the overall formation.

The dire wolves under the knights' command were breathing out white air from their noses, and occasionally shook their heads. The light scale armor they wore made a crisp sound. This short sprint was just an appetizer for the dire wolves.

"Very good, today's training is over. I'll give everyone a three-day holiday. Everyone go back and prepare. Three days later, we will advance east to Nasir Fortress to replace the infantry battalion for a year of garrison duty."

"Those who want to reunite with their families, or have anything that needs to be settled, should take care of it during these three days..."

Locke's voice echoed in this familiar wilderness. The five hundred dwarf goblin knights facing him were silent and calm, and did not make any unauthorized movements because of this sudden news. Seeing this scene, Locke was filled with gratification. This cavalry team was the hope for his future and the revival of his family.

Locke's great-grandfather, Linnaeus, originally had a good start. As the first dwarf goblin in the Greenwood tribe to possess caster talent, Linnaeus was highly valued by the chieftain Allen. Allen spent a great deal of resources to send him to study at the Druid Academy in Thornsburg. Later, after returning from his studies, he was cultivated to become the tactical commander of his generation's adventure team.

Unfortunately, such a good start, even counting as half a student of the great chieftain Allen, was later demoted by his descendant, Mayor Terek, for embezzling public property in his later years, and the family declined as a result.

It was not until Locke appeared, showing his excellent knight and commander talent, that he was painstakingly placed in Elder Cole's student group by his elders. With Cole's connection, Locke finally secured the position of captain of the cavalry battalion at the age of thirty-seven.

Don't underestimate this cavalry of only five hundred men. As an elite force built by the tribe with huge resources, Locke is confident that he can lead his team to defeat at least three thousand elite infantry. If time and terrain are not limited, Locke even has the confidence to defeat a five thousand-strong infantry phalanx, with his own losses not exceeding half.

In the Greenwood tribe, Locke's current position as battalion commander is almost on par with the tribe's deputy commander, which shows the status of the cavalry in the tribe.

Of course, Locke's dire wolf cavalry is not the only cavalry team in the tribe. In addition to his battalion, there is another five hundred-strong dire wolf cavalry, as well as two thousand heavy cavalry composed of earth goblins and bear goblins. This cavalry is even stronger, and its battlefield lethality is naturally greater.

"Disband, free riding, assemble at the military camp in half a magic hour!!!"

"Hoo-ah!!!"

The cavalrymen, according to their respective squad formations, began their competition with each other at Locke's disbandment call. As a pair of leather boots lightly kicked the dire wolves' soft bellies, the dire wolves, sensing their masters' thoughts, shook their wolf heads, and their lithe limbs quickly began to run.

The pasture on the horse-grazing slope was a lush green. The luxuriant aquatic plants, nourished by the Turbid Water Creek, were verdant. Rectangular pasture areas, separated by fences, were either in a period of rest, with fertilizers made from horse, sheep, and other livestock manure emitting a foul odor, being sprinkled on the grassland by the diligent goblin herders; or it was the time when the alfalfa was ripe, and Mondo horses with smooth, shiny coats lowered their heads, burying themselves in the lush alfalfa bushes to feast.

In the gradually flourishing wilderness in the distance, herds of antelopes, takins, and other large animals appeared from time to time, either playing in the Turbid Water Creek or gnawing on the lush turf by the creek.

Scattered dire wolves, in groups of three or five, hid in the shadows, choosing today's prey. After selecting a relatively weak and old prey, the undulating low nasal sounds were transmitted between the dire wolves, followed by a hunting activity with no suspense began.

"Yo, training ended so quickly today!!"

The supervisor of the horse-grazing slope was the earth goblin Mickey, who had retired from the position of chief of the Green Lake Town Security Bureau. Seeing Locke and his team return at this time, he asked with a curious expression.

"Yes, Grandpa Mickey."

Locke looked up and replied respectfully.

"We have to go to the east to garrison in two days, so I gave everyone a holiday today to let them pack up."

"There will be a long time in the future when I won't be able to hear your teachings, old man."

Mickey was a partner of Terek, Facardo, and their generation. Now, as they got older, according to the tribe's management practice, these old guys would be arranged to relatively unimportant places to retire.

"Eagles should soar, and fierce lions should show their sharp claws!! Go, the future is yours!!"

Hearing Locke's answer, Mickey's expression was somewhat desolate, but more of it was expectations for these cubs.

Although Mickey's position was the owner of the ranch, his actual rich experience in adventure and combat, coupled with his personality, Mickey would usually go to the cavalry training camp not far from the horse-grazing slope, watching the young goblins drill, while generously using his experience to guide Locke and them.

"We are going to hold a bonfire party in the military camp tonight. If you have time, Grandpa, come and join us."

Locke, remembering his evening plans, quickly extended an invitation to Mickey.

"Forget it. With an old guy like me around, you probably wouldn't have as much fun. I won't bother you," Mickey said, shaking his head in refusal. Although he was somewhat touched, he considered his age and status and ultimately declined.

The two exchanged pleasantries along the way, which served as their farewell. As Locke led his dire wolf towards the military camp north of Mustang Slope, Mickey's wandering thoughts were quickly pulled back by the loud neighing of horses and the thunderous sound of a galloping herd.

Just across the river from where he stood, young horses, confined within the river bend, joyfully pranced, kicking up the lush grass and creating a messy scene.

These were over three hundred foals born last year, not yet broken in, so they were full of energy. As long as they were fed, they would gallop around, leaving no peaceful spot on the pasture they occupied.

Even so, Mickey and his ranch hands were reluctant to confine them. They provided them with good food and care every day, allowing them to expend their energy.

These were the tribe's treasures. The best would be selected as breeding stallions when they matured, the next best would be taken by the cavalry as replacement mounts, and even the worst colts wouldn't be wasted. After castration, they would be sent to Green Lake Town, Rapidwater Bay, and other places to be used as pack animals or draft animals.

The ranch seemed to have little and easy work, but in reality, it required a lot of effort, especially the improvement and purification of breeds, which was the top priority.

Currently, the Green Field Tribe's breeding stallions mostly originated from the Mundo warhorses of the Centaur Plains. They had good endurance and strong sprinting ability, indeed superior breeds. However, after years of training cavalry and summarizing combat experience, these Mundo warhorses still fell short, at least for the Green Field Tribe's goblins.

Bear Goblins generally had a height of over 1.9 meters, and many exceeded 2 meters. Although Earth Goblins were slightly shorter, they were not much smaller, averaging over 1.8 meters. With such height, their weight was naturally not light, basically over 300 pounds, plus the heavy cavalry armor and the warhorse's custom-made armor, a 1,000-pound load was somewhat strenuous for the Mundo warhorses.

Moreover, many Mundo warhorses did not meet the height requirements. Slightly taller Bear Goblins often had to wait for several batches of foals to mature before choosing the tallest one that was barely suitable.

Therefore, over the years, the tribe had been searching for breeding stallions of various excellent bloodlines. Under the research and improvement of the druids, they had selected warhorse breeds more suitable for their tribe.

And the authority in this regard was in the hands of Mickey, who controlled the ranch. Decades of research had finally yielded some results. By continuously crossbreeding Mundo bloodline mares with Thor bloodline stallions, a new breed of horse with stable bloodline attributes had finally emerged.

This new breed of warhorse inherited the Mundo warhorse's advantages of high endurance and high burst, while also inheriting the Thor warhorse's tall and sturdy build. Although it lacked some flexibility, heavy cavalry was already bulky enough, so a little less flexibility was acceptable.

However, this new breed of horse was scarce in number, and its dominant bloodline characteristics had not yet fully stabilized. It would probably take decades to breed it on a large scale.

But Mickey was not in a hurry. Anyway, having this breakthrough during his tenure was enough to record a note in his book of merits. The remaining merits that could definitely be completed during his tenure could just allow him to continue to sit firmly in the position of ranch owner.

Although the position of ranch owner was no longer considered the tribe's core echelon, it could more or less allow his family to benefit from it.

For example, Mickey could use his power to allow his family's children to act as agents between buyers and sellers to earn a certain price difference from a batch of unqualified horses that needed to be processed each year; also, children in the family who had the talent and wanted to take the knight route could also have early access to and learn horsemanship. No one would make things difficult for them to ride warhorses in the ranch that had just been tamed and had not been sent to the cavalry.

Of course, if there were truly excellent warhorses, Mickey could also use his power to secretly sell them as inferior horses to those in need.

The price, of course, did not need to be said, but such things could not be done in large quantities or too frequently, but at least it was no problem for his family to live a comfortable life.

"Ranch owner, people from Rapidwater Bay are here again urging us to send this year's packhorses over."

A female Earth Goblin slowly walked over and said in a deep voice after arriving in front of Mickey.

"They're really urging us to death. Don't we still have to discuss how to allocate these packhorses? No one else is in a hurry, just them, what's going on?!"

Mickey raised his head, his face displeased.

"Rapidwater Bay is about to turn the land and plant the next season's crops, so they probably want packhorses to help with plowing because they don't have enough manpower," Amy, the female Earth Goblin, also knew her ranch owner's personality and opened her mouth to explain for Rapidwater Bay. After all, the people of Rapidwater Bay would always bring some fresh fruits and vegetables to the members of their Mustang Slope from time to time, so this favor should be repaid.

"Hmph!! If they don't have enough manpower, don't they know to hire people? Look at the families in our Mustang Slope now, so many people don't have a stable income, they're idle all day long, it's annoying to see!!"

The settlement of Mustang Slope was now quite large. If you included the members in charge of grazing, breeding, and other positions, the population living in the settlement was nearly ten thousand. Although most of the families who settled in Mustang Slope came with family members working in Mustang Slope, the salary offered by the tribe could basically guarantee the expenses of a family, but too many goblins without work, doing nothing all day long in the settlement of Mustang Slope, would indeed bring some trouble.

Amy didn't say anything. As the ranch owner, Mickey couldn't possibly not know about the issue of employing people in their respective units. The approval of the budget was not so easy. At this time, Mickey was just complaining to vent his dissatisfaction.

"Send them twenty first, and tell them that the rest needs to wait until we finalize the specific allocation plan and send it to Green Lake Town for approval before we can give it to them."

"Okay."