After Being Sold Out By The Empire, I Decide To Assist The Demon King
Chapter 52 - 51 On Tactics... On Strategy...

Chapter 52: Chapter 51 On Tactics... On Strategy...

"The behavior pattern of the Headless Knights on the battlefield is twelve men per squad, right?"

Yila said this, and before the Headless Knight Leader could reply, he continued, "It seems like a very reasonable setup. Just keep it that way. How many such squads do the Headless Knights have in total?"

In the barracks of the Headless Knights, standing next to the ghostly blue flames of the torch, Yila asked...

These torches constituted the Soul Furnace, the place where soul-based magical creatures were reborn. Both Headless Knights and Wailing Banshees could be created from it. However, different races’ Soul Furnaces had different characteristics.

The souls required by the Headless Knights were naturally different from those used to create other magical creatures, but the principle remained the same.

The Headless Knight Leader, with black flames instead of blue flames for a head, sat next to Yila. She said, "During the previous giant bee extermination, the number of Headless Knights was replenished to two hundred squads."

*That many?* But considering the size of the Demon King Territory...

Yila was a bit puzzled. According to the Empire’s situation, an average of five hundred acres of land could only support three hundred soldiers, including ten cavalrymen and two magic profession users.

There were not many civilians among the profession users. Most profession users in the Empire were actually in a kind of contractual relationship, somewhat similar to "contract employees" in Yila’s previous world.

Or the profession users themselves were part of the noble class.

Given the size of the Demon King Territory, even with sufficient offerings, supporting twenty-four hundred knights was still very difficult. But soon Yila realized he was mistaken.

It was worth mentioning that although this Black Flame Headless Knight had participated in banquets before, she didn’t need to eat. Neither the Headless Knights nor their horses needed to eat.

In fact, there were many races in the Demon King Territory that didn’t need food. Headless Knights, Black Knights, Mechanical Bodies, and the undead (witch demons) obviously didn’t need to eat.

Vampires only needed to drink blood. Slimes could eat whatever they wanted. Succubi might need some normal food, like Satan Ye’s Crimson Dragon... but they were not strictly frontline combat races.

Perhaps only Insect Men had a considerable restriction on eating plants... but Blue Ridge Mushrooms were very easy to cultivate.

Maybe this was why the magical creatures always outmatched the Empire even before Yila created the "Governors." One could even say... it was a miracle the Empire held on until Yila made his move.

"I’ve already visited the other leaders. The current number of Insect-man warriors is about three thousand, Black Knights are four thousand, there are three hundred Mechanical Bodies, and seventy Succubi, with thousands of Little Demons."

The Demon King Territory was quite vast. Although the Demon Castle was of standard size, the territory itself extended quite far... so far that large structures could still be seen from the distant Harpy Mountains.

Even the lowest level of Little Demons and goblins served as a considerable labor force, not to mention a significant number of other magical creatures living together.

Although many of them lived in houses made of mud mixed with stones and branches, given time, the Demon King Territory could easily restore its vitality.

After all, no other country outside the Demon King Territory could understand how such a small number of producers could support an army of such disproportionate numbers, and even high-tier troops at that.

"From any angle, the Lizardman Territory is undoubtedly going to be crushed by us. After all, the Lizardmen only have three to four thousand soldiers in total and no air superiority."

Yila said casually, asking the Black Flame Headless Knight in front of him, "How many Headless Knights should we bring for this expedition? Would ten squads ensure a crushing victory over the Lizardmen without any loss? I mean without any support..."

This statement left people wondering if he was joking.

The Headless Knights couldn’t show expressions like "confusion," but if they could, she would certainly look as if to say, "Are you kidding me?" She shook her head and said, "Impossible... not to mention no losses. Without the cooperation of other races, we can’t win."

After all, the opponent was an entire race. Even if the cavalry had an advantage, the Lizardmen also had more than just infantry. They had magic profession users, elders, and shamans.

In this world, high-tier troops could not crush armies with ten times their numbers, especially when precision-guided magic and arrows existed. For races with ranged troops, the advantage of numbers was magnified infinitely.

But after saying this, the Black Flame Headless Knight seemed to recall Yila’s overwhelming "zero casualty victory" against the giant bees. She pondered for a moment and corrected herself, saying, "If you command, then it may be possible to win, but it would be a pyrrhic victory."

Of course, this referred to one hundred and twenty Headless Knights against the entire Lizardman race... an entirely irrational scenario she still doubted could be real, showcasing her confidence in Yila.

*Or rather, it showcased the psychological impact Yila had on magical creatures.*

"Then let’s bring twenty squads."

Yila said lightly, counting the number of soldiers for this expedition to the Lizardman Territory. He said, "Two hundred and forty Headless Knights, two hundred Black Knights, ten Demon Statues... Five hundred Insect-men Hunters should secure air superiority."

"..."

The Headless Knight couldn’t find words, puzzled by why Yila brought so few troops. She asked, "But, Mr. Yila, do we really need a large reserve force?"

After all, Demon King City was surrounded by the territory. Any real invasion would have to pass through various magical creature territories.

"But I have no need to bring a large force either... too many soldiers would slow down our march."

Yila said casually, seeming very dismissive of the Lizardmen, saying, "Besides, Hilena said she wanted to bring the Little Demons to train. Also... I need to visit the Harpies."

Securing air power would probably guarantee zero casualties. The number of soldiers in the Demon King Territory wasn’t small, but was still far from its peak.

"Actually, the number of soldiers might still be too many, but I hope to meet the Black Knight Leader’s wish for minimal bloodshed."

The Headless Knight Leader opened her mouth (?), looking at Yila, who spoke lightly but said nothing, only remarking, "Mr. Yila... I think it’s best to be cautious."

"I know, I will treat each of my enemies seriously in tactics. If the situation gets out of control."

Yila said with a slight smile, his eyes flashing with scarlet light. He stared at the suddenly alert Headless Knight, saying, "I will step in to set things straight."

"..."

Headless Knight Leader: *I hope the Lizardmen have no trump cards, or else if this "trump card" from the name Yila is played, the table and players will be crushed.*