Li Meng looked southward with a slight lift of his head.

  "Do we really have to withdraw the southern tribes?"

  A trace of reluce fshed in Li Meng's eyes.

  Withdrawing the southern tribes was to avoid fighting on two fronts.

  This would effectively dey the war with the Ratmen tribe.

  But deep down, Li Meng was unwilling to pull back the southern tribes.

  It had been hard enough to establish a foothold in the south.

  If they withdrew now, it wouldn't be easy to return iure.

  Ohe Goblireated, the Ratmen would surely expand northward.

  By then, both sides would be locked in a proloug-of-war in the Goblin Forest.

  her side could easily locate the other's main base.

  Even if they captured the main base, it would be difficult to pletely elimihe oppo.

  Li Meng didn't aspire to annihite the Ratmen tribe.

  He wao ehem in a decisive battle.

  To destroy their living forces so that the Ratmen wouldn't dare to invade again in the short term.

  "The's go all out with the troops!"

  Li Meng grinned fiercely and stood up.

  Ohe tribute from the Bck Mountain tribe arrived,

  The presence of three thousand female Lizardmen would make it possible for the tribe to rapidly expand its forces.

  In just half a year, they could amass 70,000 to 100,000 Goblins.

  "It seems there's no time to waste!"

  Li Meng strode towards the depths of the northern forest.

  In the following days, the throribe was bustling with activity.

  As more and moblins arrived at the throribe,

  A new round of expansion projects began.

  On the first day, nearly a thousand Goblins were chopping down trees around the throribe.

  By the third day, the number had increased to two thousand.

  By the fifth day, it had risen to five thousand.

  Half a month ter, the number of Goblins reached ten thousand.

  The forest around the throribe was a hive of activity.

  The forest was disappearing at a visibly rapid pace.

  The sound of chopping wood echoed around the clock.

  Goblins would sleep when tired, eat when hungry.

  Once full, they tiheir work.

  Li Meng was also busy, trying every possible way to increase equipment produ in the Iron Cave.

  It was another new day, iernoon.

  On the underground riverbank of the Iron Cave.

  The cave was bustling with noise.

  The g of ironwork was incessant.

  Looking towards the underground river, tless water-powered bellows stretched as far as the eye could see.

  Each water-powered bellow was ected to a bst furnace.

  The t bst furnaces, nearly teers high, emitted astonishi.

  A spiral staircase led to the top, just like the water-powered bellows, extending endlessly.

  Nearly three thousand Goblins were b in the cave.

  Their figures were everywhere.

  Some were f iron, others were running around the bst furnaces.

  Beside each bst furnace was a square pond.

  Molten pig iron from the bst furnace would flow into the pond.

  After rapid stirring and decarburization, steel could be obtained.

  The key to low-carbon steel and high-carbon steel y iirring time.

  To achieve the most precise timing,

  Li Meng experimented for several months before finding a method.

  The wooden sticks used by the Goblins to stir the molten pig iron were made from specially selected wood.

  Each time they stirred a few rounds, a se would burn away.

  The number of burned ses was used to precisely gauge the time.

  "Prioritize making ons and arrowheads, armor wait."

  Li Meng wiped the sweat from his cheek and walked towards the cave entrance.

  "Boss, don't worry, everything's fine."

  Gobu Ge, following behind the boss, had a fawning expression.

  "And make sure to stockpile plenty of arrowheads, the more the better."

  With a war immi, military supplies were of utmost importance.

  Having troops without ons was useless.

  Goblins were simply too weak.

  Without quality ons, no matter how many there were, it wouldn't make a difference.

  "Boss, are we going to war?"

  From the boss's words, Gobu Ge could se.

  Ever since learning to smelt iron, it seemed to have beuch smarter.

  Things that were hard to remember before were now easily recalled.

  "Yes, we're going to war!"

  After ing the ghost beastman, Gobu Ge had undergone signifit ges.

  Not only had it evolved into a Goblin Soldier,

  It was just a step away from being a Goblin Warrior.

  Its once small and thin frame had grown inte build.

  Its height was nearing 2.4 meters.

  "Benben, e back with me, you're not needed here!"

  For over a month, Benben had been helping Gobu Ge with odd jobs in the Iron Cave.

  Following behind the two, Benben looked down at the helmet in its hand.

  "Boss, I want to go to the mountains!"

  Emerging from the cave entrance, Li Meng was bathed in the scorg sunlight.

  Li Meng turo look at Benben behind him.

  "Will it be dangerous?"

  Benben shook its rge head and put on the helmet.

  It patted its chest armor with its massive hand.

  "Boss, I'm strong!"

  Li Meng grinned and waved his hand.

  "Then go, remember what I told you."

  "Remember, if you 't win, run; if you're tired, run; if you're out of magic, run!"

  Li Meng nodded in satisfa.

  "e back soon!"

  Benbeed its massive spiked club onto its shoulder.

  It turned and strode into the forest.

  There were mountains to the north, where Benben's little followers were found among the peaks.

  Watg Benben's t figure disappear into the depths of the forest, Li Meng remained silent.

  Who knew when Benben would return from this journey.

  Only when Benben's rge figure vanished into the forest depths did Li Meng look away.

  At the cave entrance, Gobu Ge also watched the boss leave.

  Only when the boss's figure disappeared into the forest depths did it turn bato the Iron Cave.

  As the boss of the Iron Cave, it couldn't leave for a moment.

  Otherwise, the underlings would sck off.

  It had to keep an eye on them, or it wouldn't be able to plete the tasks assigned by the boss.

  Time passed quickly, and before long, more than half a month had gone by.

  After walking through the forest for a short while, Li Meng heard the noise ahead.

  "It's the boss!"

  "Boss, boss!"

  Before long, Li Meng saw the Goblins panting as they chopped down trees in the forest.

  The boss's arrival excited the Goblins immensely.

  They looked at the boss's t figure with a mix of fanaticism and fear.

  Li Meng grinned and waved his rge hand.

  "Keep w hard, boys. Iure, the boss will let you feast on the Pigmen tribe!"

  The boss's words made the Goblins in the forest cheer excitedly.

  Pigme was delicious.

  Even oilier than Forest Boar.

  Oe and your mouth was full of oil.

  Although many Goblins hadn't tasted Pigme,

  They had heard oblins who had eaten it talk about it.

  The Goblins panted happily as they worked.

  Drool almost dripped from their mouths.

  Li Meng leisurely tinued walking towards the dire of the tribe.

  When Li Meuro the throribe, half an hour had already passed.

  On the way, Li Meng climbed the wooden wall to watch the logging project outside for a while.

  The initial phase wasn't much to see.

  It was simply about cutting down all the trees in the designated area.

  The sed phase involved using the felled trees to build a wooden wall.

  Ohe wooden wall stood oermost perimeter,

  stru of various internal buildings would begin.

  "Goblin!"

  Li Meng had just stepped into the entrance of the throne cave.

  Inside, he heard the resentful voice of the Dark Elf.

  Looking into the wooden house, the Dark Elf was no longer hanging.

  She was tied to the bed, in a cru position.

  Her belly was round and full, not far from giving birth.

  Fag the Dark Elf's hostile gaze, Li Meng grinned.

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