The Invincible Overlord of Heroes.

Before Xu Lai could speak, Elena, who was called by Xu Lai, grabbed Xu Lai's sleeve first.

Elena is none other than the local native who is the one Xu Lai trusts the most.

What Xu Lai is going to do next concerns the entire grassland. Except for Yu Lan, Elvy, Roland and others are not good people to discuss with.

After the New Year, Jilong should have returned to the team quickly and helped Xu Lai lead a group of logistics personnel to provide support.

But as Xu Lai's territory grew, there were dozens of city lords, financial officers, legion commanders, deputy legion commanders and the like who reported directly to him.

Not to mention municipal reports, financial reports, personnel reports, etc. at all levels.

Some of these things are not important, but Xu Lai must know them; some are very important and must be approved immediately.

With so many reports, if Xu Lai just read the documents, he would be exhausted to death and would not be able to do anything else.

Therefore, Xu Lai has reached the point where he must have a full-time secretary, and one is no longer enough.

After the underground world was pacified, the threat to Mingyue City was not that great, and there was no need to imprison Yu Lan there.

Xu Lai planned to hand over the entire Mingyue City to Dill and let him be the city lord, rather than just being responsible for military defense.

Xu Lai doesn't have to worry about Dill's loyalty. The only thing he is worried about is his ability.

After all, even if Dill had some experience, it was all experience in combat and military organization. Although the underground population was not large and most of them were criminals and their families, they could be managed in a militarized manner.

But from Mingyue City to Dakhol, this vast territory has been planned for Xu Lai.

The underground cities destroyed along the way are enough for Mingyue City to be upgraded to a large castle-level city.

After the city wall of Qingfeng City was built, Xu Lai had already gradually transported some farmers to Mingyue City to mine the gold first.

Judging from the current situation, farmers who rely solely on monthly growth have a long way to go to fully tap into underground resources.

So Xu Lai started to think about the prisoners of war.

This time when the castle was captured, Xu Lai was not in a hurry to recruit prisoners. He hoped to send all the impure soldiers to the underworld after screening.

Therefore, Mingyue City will not only recruit farmers, but its population will also increase in the future.

After thinking for a while, Xu Lai simply suggested to Bello that he serve as the deputy city lord to assist Dill.

Bero has been the king of the grassland for so many years, and his management ability is unquestionable. With his assistance to Dill, he will definitely be able to manage several underground cities properly and achieve Xu Lai's goal as soon as possible.

However, considering the increasingly numerous secretarial work in the future and the large number of captives, it would be impossible for Xu Lai to personally identify them one by one.

He asked Jilong to select some qualified secretaries in Martell City and Qingfeng City, and then bring the logistics personnel over.

Xu Lai planned to set up a special secretariat, and the secretary-general would naturally be Yu Lan, whom he had long dreamed of.

Jilong still serves as adjutant, which is equivalent to a full-time assistant, and is mainly responsible for military assistance.

The secretariat is responsible for all matters, big and small, and is involved in everything. They are equivalent to Xu Lai's clones. Of course, except for Yu Lan, the other secretaries have no decision-making power.

The secretariat had just been established and the staff had not yet been recruited. Those present were not able to discuss important matters, so Xu Lai invited Elena over.

Hancock is smart enough, but unfortunately he has not yet gained Xu Lai's trust, so he cannot appear here.

It was only because he saw Elena was present that Aini dared to take this gamble.

Generally speaking, oaths, no matter in whose name they are sworn, are just idealistic.

But in this magical world, swearing in the name of the true God is not just idealistic, it must be based on material cause and effect.

Especially since Xu Lai is a favored one of the God of War, if he swears in his name but breaks his oath in the end, no matter how much the God of War favors Xu Lai, he will definitely punish him.

Even if Xu Lai is right, the punishment will not be light. Even if the power of the God of War cannot extend into the material world, at least it will be impossible for him to have divine favor again.

If only the two of them swore in a secret room, even if Xu Lai broke his oath, whether he would be punished or not would depend on the mood and considerations of the God of War.

But once there is a third witness, especially when a temple priest is present, God's authority cannot be challenged, and Xu Lai will inevitably be severely punished.

Xu Lai was not afraid of losing his identity as a person favored by God, but he would have to worry if the medal on his chest lost its effect.

Although the God of War Medal of Honor does not add any attributes, the Gaze of the God of War on it can help him block the sight of other gods.

At the same time, its characteristics that cannot be divined or predicted also make it difficult for Xu Lai to fall into the calculations of underground sorcerers, stronghold shamans, necromancers and hell cultists.

It is precisely because of the protection of this medal that Xu Lai has been able to survive safely until now.

Otherwise, these guys in the evil camp would have the ability to plot against him to death.

Even some evil witchcraft does not require getting close to Xu Lai. As long as you obtain some samples from Xu Lai, you can use the spell to snipe at a super long distance.

But the fact that he cannot be divined or predicted makes it impossible for any evil wizard to target Xu Lai.

Even if Xu Lai didn't understand the risks involved, Elena had to explain them to him clearly.

Like Yu Lan, she also didn't think Aini had any good intentions.

And even if Ainifa and Xu Lai made the same oath, it would be useless.

Because Xu Lai is a person favored by God, and Aini is not. Aini cannot even be considered a devout believer of the God of War, at most he is just a general believer.

Pan-believers do not enjoy any benefits, and naturally do not have to bear any responsibilities.

Elena did not avoid Aini. Except for outsiders like Xu Lai, everyone who was born and raised in this world knew about this kind of thing.

Moreover, saying these things in front of Aini can also make Aini feel at ease.

After all, Aini's purpose was not to use the oath to punish Xu Lai, but to make Xu Lai consider the power of the oath.

If Xu Lai really didn't know anything and still treated it as an oath without any binding force, people might turn around and kill him.

At that time, even if Xu Lai was punished by God, he, Aini, would have nothing left.

After thinking for a while, Xu Lai swore in front of Aini:

"I swear in the name of His Majesty the God of War that if you defeat the orcs with the help of Aini, I will spare his life.
If, with the help of Aini, I can inflict heavy damage on the orcs, I will help him and his family restore their due honor.

If I break this oath, I am willing to bear all the punishment from His Majesty the God of War."

After the oath was over, Xu Lai said to Aini: "Do you agree with this oath?"

Xu Lai's tone was serious. He was forced to swear in public, so he naturally felt uncomfortable.

If Aini's answer cannot satisfy him, Xu Lai will definitely let Aini know how serious the consequences of angering him will be.

Aini also noticed Xu Lai's anger and knew that if he made any other requests at this time, something might happen.

"Of course I agree, of course I agree." Wiping the non-existent cold sweat from his forehead, Aini knew that it was time for him to reveal some of the truth.

This guy Xu Lai doesn't seem to be a very patient person.

Aini pondered for a long time, and after organizing his words in his mind, he began to speak:

“It was about a month ago, after the conflict in Fort Conaston was settled.

I know that relying solely on my own strength, I can no longer get back what I lost, I must seek external help.

But you also know that there are wars going on in various parts of the empire, and I really can't find any reinforcements, so I decided to attack the orc stronghold."

"Alright, stop flattering yourself. Everyone knows the situation. Just tell us how you colluded with the orcs."

Aini was stunned for a moment. He knew that this was a shameful thing, so he subconsciously wanted to defend himself.

However, Xu Lai did not give him any face and directly exposed him.

“Ahem, I sent a delegation to the base, led by my mage advisor Parame.

We just had a long-distance magical communication just this morning.

What has been confirmed so far is that the orcs will need one to two months to prepare for combat.

Previously, when they attacked the grassland, they were vanguard corps organized nearby.

But the vanguard corps suffered a setback on the grassland, and you destroyed its logistical supply lines.

According to the last news the orcs gave me, the ogre tribe, orc tribe and wolf cavalry tribe near Pingfeng Mountain were all hit hard.

Therefore, if they want to attack the grassland, they must mobilize troops, food and supplies from other places.

Even so, I promised to give them enough food and fodder. They only need to carry the food and fodder they need to cross their own Gobi Desert, as well as enough meat for the Behemoths and Cyclopses to eat."

"Behemoth, One-Eye? It seems that the orcs are really going to send out their entire army this time."

On the previous occasion, although Behemoth and One-Eye also appeared, their overall number was not large, so they could not be considered the main force.

This time, from what Aini said, it is obvious that powerful legions such as the Behemoth Legion and the One-Eyed Legion will be dispatched.

The existence of the Cyclops makes up for the problem that the orcs have to travel long distances and cannot carry long-range equipment.

And Behemoth is the king of field battles. Not to mention that the scale of Xu Lai's Paladins has not reached the level of the Behemoth Legion, even if it did, they might not win in a field battle.

Behemoth's characteristic of ignoring defense has too great a restraint on defensive techniques. Even if Rena is leading the troops, the difference is not that big.

Aini quickly agreed, "This is inevitable. You may not know that in order to prepare for this attack, the orcs and the swamp camp signed a peace agreement."

Yu Lan frowned and said, "We already know these. Tell me something we don't know."

Aini said bitterly: "You even know this, then you must have guessed the orcs' movements a long time ago."

Yu Lan nodded and said, “Yes, we have long known that the orcs want to invade the grassland again.

In order to deal with this orc invasion, we decided to eliminate the threat on the grassland in advance."

The so-called threat on the grassland is naturally Aini and several other nobles who have not surrendered until now.

Aini opened his mouth, but he had no reason to refute others. He was indeed a threat on the grassland.

"The orcs asked me to prepare enough food for 50 troops for a month.

We did not reach a consensus on this point. Although there are many animals on the grassland, it takes manpower and time to catch them.

Orcs mainly feed on meat. Just 3000 Behemoths and 2 Giants need to consume several thousand tons of meat at one meal.

If we add the thunderbirds, wolf riders and orc warriors, even if we clear the entire grassland, it would not be enough for them to eat for half a month.

Therefore, due to food restrictions, the orc army could only reduce its main force appropriately and increase the number of big-eared monsters as reserve military rations.

If you just want to drive the orcs away, I suggest using the strategy of clearing the countryside and moving all the towns and villages west of Stonehold to behind Stonehold.

Moreover, in addition to food and livestock, all people must be relocated, as orcs also have a unique preference for human food.

It is best not to store too much food in the Stone Fort. Leave a few days' worth of military rations and use the city defense weapons to hold out for a few days before retreating.

The first ones who can’t stand exchanging space for time will definitely be the orcs.”

Xu Lai knew that what Aini said made sense, as Aini and the temple had done the same thing before.

However, compared with the past, not only has the number of our own troops been greatly reduced, but the enemy's strength has increased several times.

At that time, they had the help of the tower and the elves, but Xu Lai had nothing.

Therefore, it is necessary to build strong defenses and clear the fields, but it is not enough to use the Stone Fort as the boundary alone.

"We must clear the countryside, but this is far from enough. What if I want to save Stone Castle as well?"

Aini licked his lips and said, "Then there is only one way. Try every possible means to weaken the orcs' fighting power, such as poisoning their food."

"Poison? Do we have such a large amount of poison? The orcs are not fools, can't they conduct a toxin test?"

Aini looked at Xu Lai and said, "Even if it was the food and grass I personally delivered, they wouldn't be able to rest assured and would definitely detect the poison.

However, we can poison the water source, but they will definitely not suspect anything when they draw their own water.

And even if they find out, they have no other options. They either have to find a way to crack the toxin or take over our town before the water reserves run out."

Xu Lai's heart skipped a beat, but he immediately shook his head and said, "The orcs are coming from the west, and they are heading upstream of the river.

If we poison upstream, our own people will also be affected.

Even if we have the antidote, it is impossible for all the crops and livestock along the river to take it.

This method won't work. The hidden dangers are too great. Even if we drive away the orcs, we will still suffer huge losses."

Aini thought for a moment and said, "If you don't want to attack the water source, then there is only one way left."

Xu Lai quickly asked: "What method?"

Aini said: "This was originally my last resort to threaten the orcs. These guys have no credibility at all.

Orcs only test food for poisons, but they generally do not test living things.

I have two methods for you to choose from. One has a higher success rate, but may be more cruel. " (End of this chapter)