Near the Kobold village, Zhao Fu first had everyone prepare by covering their noses and mouths with a piece of cloth to avoid accidentally hurting themselves.
To make persuading them to surrender easier, Zhao Fu had also ordered his men to capture a Kobold. They tortured him until he submitted, forcing him to act as their interpreter.
Then the soldiers formed up and marched toward the Kobold village.
Before Zhao Fu and his party had even appeared, the entire village was already on alert. The Kobolds' noses had caught the scent of a large number of approaching enemies.
A while later!
Zhao Fu arrived in front of the Kobold village with 900 soldiers. Every Kobold in the village had come to the entrance with a weapon in hand, and the two sides faced off.
Zhao Fu's side made no move to attack, and the Kobolds didn't dare strike first either. Zhao Fu's force already numbered 900, while the Kobold village had only just under 1,000 residents. If Zhao Fu attacked, the village would suffer countless casualties.
"I don't want to shed too much blood. Surrender, and I'll treat you just like my own people!" Zhao Fu shouted to the crowd of Kobolds from atop Little Black.
After he finished, Zhao Fu signaled to the Kobold who had already submitted, telling him to translate loudly.
"Chitter-chatter..."
The Kobolds' language sounded a little like mice squeaking. After the Kobold on Zhao Fu's side finished translating, a Kobold who seemed to be their leader stepped forward from the village and chattered at length. Zhao Fu couldn't understand him, so he turned to the Kobold beside him.
The Kobold immediately translated, "The Kobold chief says, 'Humans, go back. We Kobolds will never easily submit to anyone.'"
At that, Zhao Fu's expression remained impassive. He had expected this, so he didn't bother with further courtesies and directly gave the order to use their secret weapon. The Shield Bearers raised their shields, while the Archers readied their bows.
A cloth pouch was tied to each arrow. The pouches were loosely woven and filled with chili powder; a slight shake was enough to make the powder spill out.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."
Arrow after arrow shot out, trailing red clouds of powder as they flew toward the Kobolds. Not a single arrow hit them. Instead, they sailed high over their heads, showering them with chili powder until the entire group was surrounded by it.
When the Kobold chief saw Zhao Fu's attack, he had been about to order the Kobold Spearmen to strike. But the very next moment, they inhaled the chili powder. Their noses burned as if they were on fire, and every Kobold began coughing desperately, tears pouring from their eyes like springs.
Even ordinary people would be badly choked by so much chili powder, which was why Zhao Fu had ordered all his soldiers to cover their noses and mouths. He hadn't even brought Little Gray along this time. The Kobolds, with their sensitive sense of smell, were in an even worse state.
Seeing what was happening in the village, Zhao Fu didn't stop. He gave the order again, sending even more chili powder toward the Kobolds. Countless clouds of red powder surrounded them like dense fog.
No one in the Kobold village could stand. They all clutched their noses and cried out on the ground, their tears flowing more and more. It was as if they had been hit by a biological weapon—which, to the Kobolds, the chili powder essentially was.
Seeing the scene before him, Zhao Fu smiled faintly and ordered his men to capture the helpless Kobolds.
At last, Bai Qi and Zhang Dahu tied up the Kobold chief and brought him before Zhao Fu. It took several buckets of cold water poured over his head before he began to feel a little better and recover from the unbearable, nose-searing pain. He glared furiously at Zhao Fu and chattered angrily.
Zhao Fu was still mounted on Little Black, looking down at the Kobold chief from above. He couldn't understand what the chief was saying, so he turned to the Kobold who had already submitted.
The Kobold translated nervously, "My lord! The chief says you're despicable. You didn't dare face him head-on and used such a shameless trick. He says you should be ashamed of yourself."
Hearing that, Zhao Fu couldn't help laughing.
"Your Highness! Let me teach him a lesson."
Though the others couldn't understand the Kobold chief, they could tell that he was cursing Zhao Fu. Liu Mei, who had a penchant for mistreating others, rode over and asked Zhao Fu for permission.
At that, Zhao Fu nodded in agreement, then rode Little Black toward the Kobold village.
With Zhao Fu's permission, Liu Mei smiled seductively as she looked at the Kobold chief and slowly drew out her whip.
After reaching the Kobold village, Zhao Fu went straight into the Kobold barracks. He found two Class Transfer Steles and reached out to inspect them.
[Kobold Warrior]: F-grade unit. Description: A warrior among the Kobolds. Unit effect: Upon class transfer, grants [Kobold Blade Technique].
[Kobold Spearman]: F+ grade unit. Description: A spearman among the Kobolds. Unit effect: Upon class transfer, grants [Throwing].
To Zhao Fu's surprise, the Kobold Spearman wasn't a special unit. There was no limit on how many could be transferred into it, meaning he could transfer as many as he wanted.
After inspecting the barracks, Zhao Fu checked a few other places, but found nothing else of note. By then, the Kobold chief could no longer endure being mistreated by Liu Mei, a woman with a somewhat sadistic streak, and surrendered to Zhao Fu.
"Notification! The Kobold Duo Ke has surrendered to you. Do you accept?"
Zhao Fu chose to accept, then entered the Kobold Village Chief Hall and selected "occupy." He was notified that he had gained 100 Battle Merit, and his rank rose once again, from Citizen to Subject. The next promotion, from Subject to Third-Rank Baron, required 1,000 Battle Merit.
Zhao Fu also checked the village's attributes.
Village Name: Duo Ke Village (Blue)
Level: Intermediate (400/30000)
Village Area: 3 square kilometers
Village Territory: 15 square kilometers
Residents: 1002/2040 Soldiers: 618/618
Public Sentiment: 78
Special Attributes: Territory crop yield +8%, territory crop growth time -8%, population and unit limits +2%.
Number of Subordinate Villages Allowed: 2
Its attributes were much better than those of an ordinary village, but it still couldn't compare with Great Qin Village. Zhao Fu chose to relocate it and gained 540 experience. (To clarify, an intermediate village needs 5,000 experience to level up, so relocating and destroying one grants this experience bonus. That's why Zhao Fu gained 540 this time, not 40.)
This time, the spoils included over a thousand pieces of ordinary equipment and more than 8,000 copper coins. None of that really mattered, though. The most important gain was the 1,000 residents.
With these 1,000 Kobolds joining them, Great Qin Village could now defend itself against the 5,000-strong Orc Tribe. That was what mattered most. Zhao Fu first selected 500 of the 1,000 Kobolds: 300 Kobold Warriors and 200 Kobold Spearmen.
Great Qin's total force now stood at 1,400, a substantial increase in strength. This changed Zhao Fu's plans for future battles: he would rather spend more time than risk losing people. Population was always the scarcest resource for any force.