The nights in the Wild Highlands are always exceptionally quiet. Only occasionally the cry of the Wyvern echoed in the night sky, but the soldiers were accustomed to it, and the massive beast hovered high above them at any moment since leaving Bracada. At first, some soldiers couldn't resist trying to attack with their bows and arrows, but the height and the airflow of the wyvern flapping its wings meant that all ranged attacks could only fall back to the ground, and occasionally wound their companions. And the orcs obviously cherish this precious creature too, and refuse to rashly command it to fly down and attack. When it was time to camp at night, there were always dozens of soldiers armed with strong bows and crossbows standing by the fires throughout the camp to prevent the sneak attack of the wyvern.

Several werewolves took advantage of the darkness to move closer to the camp. Even in the silence of the night they approached without making the slightest sound, and they did not need any lighting, even in such a moonless night they could see things clearly, so they could approach without any sound or light. This is a capability that humans absolutely cannot match, making them excellent sneak attackers.

There were not even patrolling soldiers on the edge of the camp, and it was eerily quiet. The werewolf quietly approached the edge of the camp. Of course, with such a small amount they do no effective harm, it is just a temptation and harassment.

Suddenly, a strange squeak came from the camp. It seemed to be the sound of some kind of animal, and before a few werewolves could react, the entire barracks had already been activated by this sound. Torches lit everywhere, and soldiers swarmed out of the tents. The barracks, which had been quiet just now, suddenly turned into a sea of boiling and shouting, and waves of soldiers rushed towards the werewolves.

The soldiers did not have any commanders to give orders or commands, and they rushed out with their weapons in their hands, just like the hooligans who spontaneously brawl in the streets. It is not discipline that directs them, but emotions of anger and hatred.

The two soldiers at the front immediately fell victim to the meteor hammer in the werewolf's hands, and the mangled corpses flew far away, blood splattering everywhere. But the soldiers, stained with the blood of their comrades, did not show the slightest hesitation or timidity, but rushed forward more courageously, and the cries from their mouths no longer looked like men, but beasts of extravagant blood. Under the light of the torches, those bloodshot eyes were full of signs of mad fighting spirit.

Several werewolves were frightened by this scene. They began to turn and run away.

A large body in the group of soldiers rushed to the side of a werewolf with a few arrows at a speed disproportionate to the body, and slashed at the werewolf with a huge axe in his hand. He was about as tall as a werewolf, and the huge axe in his hand was as lethal as the werewolf's meteor hammer.

The werewolf narrowly dodged, and the meteor hammer in his hand swung at the attacker, the weapon that could break the shield armor to shreds with the other axe in the man's hand with a loud sound.

The werewolf let out a terrible cry, and the other axe, which had been missed, was already retracted by the user's powerful arm and skill, and slashed sideways, cutting off the werewolf's weapon-wielding arm entirely.

In severe pain, the werewolf's empty claws also scratched a piece of flesh from the opponent's body. As soon as he paused, the surrounding soldiers swarmed up, and the werewolf only had time to kill two or three soldiers with his claws and teeth before being slashed and poked by countless swords and spears around him.

Several of the other werewolves had already begun to turn and run away. The man who had just cut down the werewolf was already soaked with blood, and if he hadn't dodged it in time, this claw would have been enough to disembowel him.

The long-lost pain and the passion of the battle completely burned his fighting spirit, and he roared, took a step forward and threw the giant axe in his hand, and the axe roared fiercely in the air and chased after the werewolf fleeing in front. With a wail, the werewolf fell. The other werewolves quickly disappeared into the night.

Asa came out of the tent just in time to see the high-morale soldiers returning from the general. The bloodstains on his body did not make the general feel the slightest depression and grievance, but he looked even more energetic, and this battle injected fresh vitality into him. When he saw Asa, he pointed to the small animals tied to the corner of the tent and smiled, "Thanks to your idea." ”

Those were pikas, small herbivores in the wasteland with a particularly keen sense of smell. While discussing wilderness warfare with the general in Bracada, Asa had told the general about this method, trapping these sensitive little animals and tethering them around the camp, where they would make a collective cry whenever they smelled the peculiar stench of carnivores. This method was originally used by adventurers when resting in a place infested by wild beasts, but Asa changed it a little, and did not think that such a silent sneak attack by the werewolf would really work. The general had already put all his soldiers to sleep with their weapons in hand, and as soon as he heard the cry of the pika, he would immediately get up and kill the attackers. This arrangement has really made a huge difference.

The soldiers in the back tied up the werewolf who had been cut down by the general's axe. The general's axe was not a very fatal injury, and with its own tenacious vitality, the werewolf was not dead. The general ordered the werewolf to be tied up in one place.

One person knocked down two werewolves, and the general was completely the embodiment of the god of war in the eyes of these young soldiers.

The soldiers gathered around the general and watched as he poured soju over his wounds. The wound on the full muscles was deep, and the general himself used needles and threads to connect the flesh on both sides. He stabbed the needle with a thread into his flesh, pulled it out of the wound, pierced it again, and tightened the thread. The flesh and skin are squeezed together under the pull of the thread.

The general's face was quiet and calm, as if he was sewing clothes. Most of the young soldiers were on the battlefield for the first time, and seeing such a scene was extremely reverent for the general.

Asa watched coldly, he didn't step forward to use the healing spell on the general, he didn't want to help this man who he wanted to die quickly. What's more, he could also see that the general's heroic performance was originally a way to boost the morale of these young soldiers.

After the performance, the general told the soldiers to go back and have a good rest, and there should be no more sneak attacks after this time.

Asa didn't leave, and when the soldiers left, he and the dying werewolf were left alone.

He wanted to see the werewolf, he was the only one here who was not hostile to the orcs. When he was in Oufu, he was used to seeing these orcs working and living with tools like humans, so in his eyes, they were not very different from people.

Judging from the physique, this should be just a werewolf who has not fully grown up, and even the white fluff on his body has not completely faded, and if it is converted to the age of a human, he is probably just a teenager. The general's axe had left a deep wound on his back, and the broken ribs were clearly visible from the wound, and if it weren't for the hard leather armor on his body, it would have killed him.

The werewolf had been roped up by the soldiers, but even then he had no room to struggle. His face was as weak as that of a wolf or a dog, and his eyes were half-open and half-dead as he looked at Assa, and tears suddenly fell from his eyes. His young age made him look weak.

There was once a poet who sang the praises of tears as a human specialty, but those who know about animals know that this is not the case. Although Asa never felt that this kind of thing had any special noble meaning, he still felt something strange in his heart when he saw the tears of this werewolf. He leaned down and reached out and pressed a healing spell against the werewolf's wound.

Because he was always thinking that he was going to travel, he would still study various spells and consult his priests when he had time during his time in Bracada. Although I don't remember much of the tedious incantation prayers that support the various blessings, the effective spells of healing and detoxification are progressing a lot. Presumably, the power of the World Tree Leaf and the Sunwell in his body is also very beneficial to magic, and although his healing skills are not as powerful as that of Old Man Sandru, they are already much higher than those of ordinary priests. As soon as it was used, the werewolf's wound immediately stopped bleeding and even healed a lot.

"Thanks... Thank. The werewolf was in better spirits, in a muffled voice. These young orcs are generally struggling to learn the human language. The little werewolf was also amazed to receive such unexpected help here. "Please.. You.. Let me go, okay. ”

Asa made a helpless gesture and said, "That's not good, if you are released, they will treat me like a spy and cut me into meat sauce, maybe that crazy old man is looking for my handle." ”

"I ..... Don't want to.... Die. The little werewolf's expression twitched and whimpered like a wounded dog.

Hearing this seemingly familiar pleading, Assa's heart moved. But he also knew he couldn't let the werewolf go. "Actually, you really shouldn't have come to sneak attack....." Sympathy made Asa himself feel a little awkward. It was because of his proposal that the general was able to thwart the werewolves' sneak attack so easily. According to common sense, it would be extremely military and morale-consuming to really guard against a sneak attack by nocturnal orcs like werewolves.

The werewolf's spirit recovered a little, and in a strange tone peculiar to werewolves, he said, "We are not sneak attacking... It's just that.... Let's scout..... General Gru wants to find out the purpose and intent of your troops..... "I can see that this is just a very clever little werewolf, and he doesn't seem to have a hard time talking to people."

Intention? Should it be said to be to destroy Oufu, or to just send him to death?

Asa could almost already have imagined the consequences of this force encountering the orc forces led by General Gru head-on. Of course, General Gru alone could not resist all the five thousand soldiers here, but it was not difficult to rush directly into the thousands of troops and horses to twist off the general's head like an apple or pinch it like a tomato. A soldier who has lost his commander and spiritual leader, and witnesses such a disparity in strength, no matter how high his morale will immediately collapse, and then he can only be slaughtered by the orcs.

And the purpose of participating in this time is to try to avoid this kind of situation. Saving 5,000 young lives..... To be honest, Asa never felt that he was so great, he just didn't want to see a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, and he didn't want a massacre that was dozens of times more tragic than the one he experienced half a year ago. No matter what the general's old neurotic bastard thinks, after all, these five thousand soldiers are innocent.

However, as for how to solve the current situation, Asa can't think of any way now, only as the army advances, hoping that the car will have its own way to the mountain.

Look at the little werewolf in front of you. What will the general do with this captive? When the two armies face each other, he will use it to kill Liwei? In fact, he is just as innocent as the five thousand soldiers. Asa patted the werewolf on the head and said, "I'll do my best not to let them kill you." This battle is none of your business. ”

The little werewolf looked at Asa and kept nodding and waving his tail, expressing his gratitude, and said, "Thank you for your help.... The lord of the city said that peace talks are going to be held soon, and there will be no need to fight after the peace talks, so please come to Oufu...."

Suddenly hearing such an innocent invitation, Asa couldn't help but want to laugh a little, and he suddenly had the idea that he must also save him. He patted the werewolf on the head and said, "Don't worry, I'll take you back to Oufu." ”

The little werewolf whispered twice, and there were tears in his eyes.

Asa got up and walked back to his tent and went to sleep. He suddenly felt that it really made sense for him to come with the troops this time, and it was always good to be able to die fewer innocent people.

I was vaguely woken up by the noise outside, and when I opened my eyes, I realized that it was already dawn.

The soldiers were ready to go. They were standing in one place, listening to the general's orders.

Asa walked over and was amazed to find the general standing beside the wounded werewolf, with one foot on the werewolf's head, pointing mightily at the bound orc captives on the ground and shouting, "Everyone has seen that these beasts that have mutilated our people are not worth fearing." Because what we possess is incomparable courage and justice to avenge our fellow citizens. ”

The soldiers reciprocated with an impassioned shout. Although the methods vary, the generals would give similar incentives every day, not to let the flames of revenge go out in the bodies of these soldiers, and to ensure that their fighting spirit was high-pitched and insane.

The general continued: "That orc's lair is already very close, and will soon be crushed by us like bedbugs. All orcs will die by the sword of our righteousness. Now let's kill this werewolf first, and all the warriors will come and slash him and wash our swords with his blood. ”

The soldiers howled again.

"Hey, wait. Asa didn't expect the general to take this prisoner to sacrifice the flag this morning, so he hurriedly jumped forward to stop it. "This captive is no longer capable of resisting. Aren't you warriors......."

"Go away. The general waved the axe in his hand menacingly. "You weak clergyman. Do you think we don't know, you were also instructed by the nobles and powers to soften our warriors. ”

Knowing that it was useless to say anything to the general, Asa turned to the soldiers and shouted, "This werewolf is no more than five or six years old, and it is impossible that he has ever mutilated humans. Aren't all the werewolves who used to eat people long gone.....?

"Is it just because they are dead that these savage races owe a blood debt, and is it just the hatred of those who have been killed and eaten by them?" the general waved his arms, and the passionate expression on his face made it feel by the voice and momentum of every soldier, if not clearly. "Everyone said, whether it can be or not, just forget it. ”

"Can't!" Echoing the high and fierce echo that matched the general, Asa felt that he was about to be deafened and drowned out by the shouts around him.

The little werewolf on the ground struggled desperately. He could tell that he was probably going to die, but the rope was so strong that he could only throb in vain on the ground. The werewolf's mouth suddenly erupted with a low roar.

In the deafening shouts of the soldiers around him, Asa still heard the werewolf's voice very clearly, and understood very well that it was the voice of the hope of survival and the beastly nature tormented in a desperate situation. At this moment, he had the illusion that he was lying on the ground with another self.

The general's huge axe swung and said in a voice full of mission, as if he had given some historical task: "Kill it." The soldiers shouted and began to swarm.

Asa tried to go up and stop him, but the crowd of thousands immediately swept him back. The soldiers gathered like a flock of hungry ants surrounding a locust. Countless swords slashed at the werewolves on the ground.

The werewolf's terrible scream, mixed with the sound of bones breaking and flesh tearing, as if it was a mournful cry directly from the flesh, suddenly had goosebumps on Assa's body.

Asa had been pushed out of the way to see how the werewolves were being dismembered in the crowd, only to see blood and tiny pieces of fur flying upwards as the soldiers waved their weapons, and then spilled onto them.

Probably because of his strong physique and vigorous vitality, the werewolf did not die for a while. The screams continued, and after a while they slowly weakened, and gradually there was no sound. But the soldiers who followed continued to pour in and slash and slash, and the creepy sound of the flesh turning into meat sauce did not pause in the slightest, and the soldiers rushed forward to slash and stab at the flesh, as if to participate in a long-awaited sacred ceremony.

It took a while for the grand ceremony to come to an end, and the soldiers were grouped into the ranks.

The werewolf was gone, and there was a large puddle of crimson mud on the ground, like some kind of garbage, except for some relatively large bones and some traces of the fur of young beasts, and no one who came at first would have seen what it was.

The soldiers wielded weapons stained with these crimson objects, and many of them had blood on their faces, but without exception they were all impassioned, as if the red things were the badges of honor, the proof of the warriors, the tokens of loyalty and valor.

The soldiers were shouting and rejoicing. They know very well that it is a virtue that excites them. Killing enemies, aliens, and enemies is the noble character of loving one's family, loving one's country, and loving one's own nation. This primitive collective fanaticism and the affirmation of oneself in values are mixed and complement each other, and the morale is infinitely high.

Asa watched as he watched the soldiers in front of him. He only now realized how naïve he was, and he would want to save them. But they don't really need it at all, and they don't want to do it themselves.

He was not angry, nor was he sad. Looking at the bloody and broken limbs over there, he only felt sick.

The general remained motionless, looking down at what was happening in front of him like a statue.

Asa silently turned, took a horse, mounted it, and turned its head in the direction of Bracada.

"What's the matter? aren't you here waiting for me to die, whatever I lead them to do?" the general finally spoke, and there was a victor in his eyes. He could see what was going on with the young man. Having finally scared the pesky boy away, the general was proud of the shock of the glorious cause to which he had devoted himself. This is war, war is like this, and these are just a piece of cake, a very small piece of the pie, not worth mentioning.

The morning sun in the east has risen, and it is red. In the early morning sun, Asa only felt that his blood was burning, and he turned his head to stare at the fanatical leader and his five thousand followers, shook his head, and said weakly: "you, I don't care, I can't care about it." ”

In the city hall of Ofu City, the lord of Cedros was standing and reading a mountain of papers.

The city of Ofu is constantly expanding, the population is constantly increasing, and the foreign orcs are constantly joining, how to manage it better, the attitude of various countries towards it, and the army on the side of the empire..... Everything needs his mind to analyze the myriad of relationships, straighten them out, and come up with the most effective solutions that kill two birds with one stone or more. The Lord of Cedlos never slept for more than three hours a day during this time.

But the old man, who was in his old age, was still so energetic and energetic, and he even kept standing and working like this to concentrate more energy. Because he's not doing his job, he's enjoying it.

Every time he completes a job, he knows that Oufu, the city he has created, is stronger and more perfect. The joy, satisfaction and relief he received from it all injected new vitality and new life into him. In fact, in his eyes, these things are definitely not even 'work', they must be classified, more like 'games'. He enjoyed the joy of accomplishment like a child building a clay castle with his heart, but the difference was that he worked harder and more earnestly, and the sense of accomplishment was also ten million times stronger, and the project itself was even more huge.

Footsteps sounded outside the door, and Cedros frowned, knowing that there was probably some trouble. He could tell it was General Gru's footsteps and a little hurried, and there weren't many things that could make his friend seem hurried.

General Gru pushed open the door and reported: "A force from the border of Einfast is closing in on here with all its might, and at the present rate it will be here in about seven or eight days." ”

"Yes. Cedros didn't look up, still looking at the papers. "What are their intentions?"

"I have been observing them for several days, and without the slightest hesitation or hesitation, I have taken the most direct route towards here. A few bipedal wyverns were sent to take a closer look, and there was no backup, no ambush, and no sign of logistical supplies, only that one unit. I sent someone to test their attitude last night," Gru snorted. "Their attitude is very clear. ”

"Huh?" said Cedros, who was taken aback, finally stopped what he was doing, and looked at Gru. "Please tell me all the details of the situation. ”

After listening to General Gru's words, Cedros pondered for a while, and shook his head helplessly: "The envoys of various countries have gathered in the royal capital, and we have expressed enough friendly attitudes, they should understand that this is a useless war, not to mention that Ronis should also make a statement, so it is impossible that the emperor of Einfast ordered them to attack, and I estimate that the order to withdraw should have been given." But such a small group of people rushed forward without any planning and the art of war, and they were so murderous..... I can't figure out why they would do such a thing. Cedros sighed, bent over, twisted his neck, moved his muscles, and patted General Gru on the shoulder. "Come out and walk around with me. ”

The two leaders of Oufu walked out of the town hall and walked down the street. The orcs around them did not seem to be much surprised, at most they occasionally made a salute and hurried about their work.

"That unit is really very clear, they are here to die. Sedros looked at General Gru and asked, "What are you going to do?"

"Simple. When they were most tired after a long journey, I led the lead and rushed over. General Gru's tone was relaxed, as if it were really a very simple thing. "I will kill the leading generals first, and the remaining soldiers will naturally be frustrated, and they may scatter and flee, then it will be much easier to deal with. ”

"How much damage do we have in that case?" asked Cedros.

"There will never be more than five. General Gru replied lightly, his tone was no longer confident, but all the light tone that should be taken for granted. It's as if one would never doubt that one can bite into a hard-boiled egg.

"Five?" said Cedros, holding up his right hand, looking carefully at the wrinkled finger on it, and sighed, as if reluctant to put it down. "No, not a single one can die. ”

"While it is true that five is a small number for the size of our current force, it is not the loss itself that needs to be avoided, but the impact. If one's own people are killed by other races in the war, there will inevitably be feelings of hatred for human beings. Hatred between races is not beneficial to anyone, and it is even more dangerous in a multi-racial country like ours. So be sure to avoid it. ”

"You're not going to try to convince them to go home, are you?" asked Gru.

"Since it was against the emperor's will, it means that he has lost his mind, so the battle is inevitable. And this is also the time for us to show the nations our fighting power, and it ......would be better to annihilate them in one fell swoop," Cedros groaned. The sun on the heights shone brightly on his silver beard, making him look like a statue of wisdom, and it was not evident that he was thinking about how to kill five thousand men.

The two of them walked to the street where the workshops gathered, where the craftsmen and the orc apprentices were hard at work, the heat from the fire making the air rise, and the sunlight distorted the hot air to form some rippling shadows on the ground. Cedros looked at the shadows, looked up at the dazzling sunlight, nodded, turned to Gru, and said, "You sit on the two-legged wyvern and send me a message to the southeast, and then pick up a few people." ”