The cold wind made people a little tired, but the thick smell of blood in the air was enough to make all the sleepy fellows regain their spirits, and their hearts throbbed and fidgeted.

The originally quiet and peaceful wilderness was full of all kinds of twisted and deformed corpses, both orcs and humans. Lying on the ground in a miserable appearance, he dyed the earth with red paint.

Soldiers of all stripes walked up and down the neighborhood with happy faces, carrying the corpses on the ground under the command of their commanders and sending them to the large pits that had been dug for burial - of course, only the corpses of their own people, and the corpses of the enemy were left to the vultures and crows that swirled in the air.

Theodore, with his sword in hand, sat tiredly on a raised stone, gasping for breath, and never left the soldiers not far away. Behind him, the loyal Captain of the Valence Guard stood guard for him.

A not-so-arduous assault - for Theodore, the small orc tribe was thrown into chaos in an instant by the onslaught of cavalry led by Terenus, and although they were still resisting to the death, it was clear that the knights did not intend to give them a chance.

When they attacked the cavalry stationed on the hillside in groups, the beasts were waiting for them in formed phalanxes of infantry, with swords and shields blocking their attacks and encircling them on three sides. Those who took the opportunity to flee to the east became the military exploits of General Belisarius and his new men, the Gato Rangers.

For the Coalition, this battle was just a run-in to prepare for future battles, and to overcome the fears of some soldiers who had not yet experienced fighting orcs - whatever the monster was, once fully understood and accepted, it would just look ugly.

"You look tired, Mistress Julian. A somewhat immature but proud voice came from the side: "Is it because you killed too much, is your wrist sore?"

"The fight isn't over yet. Duke Bran, this isn't Savencro yet. Theodore looked up and smiled at Bran Elfvan, who was walking slowly. This seemingly child-like guy was dressed in delicate chain mail and velvet satin burqa, and with the long sword at his waist, he showed a heroic aura. It's just that it looks so clean that it's barely dusty.

This is also inevitable, Theodore could not let a guy who was still a child go to war - even if the other party was a noble duke, so the Duke of Laria had always been in the rear line, responsible for holding the flag and giving orders to the herald, and Theodore would never dare to let him go to war.

"The enemy was annihilated, and our casualties were minimal. Bran had a proud smile on his face. Looking at the soldiers who were cleaning the battlefield in the distance: "It seems that the enemy orcs are nothing to be afraid of—just a group of beasts." ”

"That's because it's a raid, and we have an absolute numerical advantage as well as terrain, Lord of Bran. The heavy-faced Salad walked over with his two-handed swords, and said in a disdainful tone: "If it were a face-to-face positional battle, there would be no such good thing!"

"Moreover, among these enemies there are a considerable number of women, children, old and weak, who may also have great strength, but they cannot be called 'warriors'" Theodore nodded and stood up, inserting his sword back into his waist: "How long will it take to get it straight?"

"It will be evening. Also set up camps. Bran pouted: "Lord Terenus suggested that the spoils be divided among the soldiers and rewarded with a reward, and I don't think there should be any objection to this question, so I ordered the men to do it." There should be quite a few left. ”

The so-called trophies are naturally the livestock kept by this small tribe - the orcs have been raising a kind of bullock, which is a little shorter than the northern cattle breed, but the leather and meat are quite good, and they are still the main source of food for the orcs. The disadvantage is that there are not many edible parts. And low fertility.

Fighting a war is a very physically demanding thing, and it is common to allow the soldiers to quickly replenish their strength by allowing things that are not normally agreed upon, or doubling food rations, etc., - since there are ready-made livestock to slaughter, of course, it is a good thing. Theodore and Salald nodded in agreement, agreeing with Bran's approach.

"Hey, I was looking for you. A laughing Aaron walked over and beckoned to Theodore: "Dinner is ready—bread, vegetables, roast tenderloin, and fish." Ah, and wine and mead, I'm guessing you're hungry – I'm hungry anyway!"

"It would be better to have a pretty girl at this time, but it's always nice to have a drink. Salald tilted his head and looked at Theodore and Bran, "Hurry up, don't make Aaron's guy wait." ”

"Of course, it would be rude to let a duke wait at the table for a long time. Bran looked at Bran, who had already left: "But I don't think he will mind too much - the Brennos know how to enjoy food better than everyone else, in a ...... Feast in an extremely brutal way. ”

"Ah, by the way, Your Excellency the Duke of Elfwan. Theodore suddenly seemed to remember something, and asked Bran, "...... are those orc cubs?"

"Buried, all buried, old and young, all buried alive, I personally ordered. Bran tightened his gloves and glanced back at Theodore, "Let's not be taken alive, will we, honorable Lord Julian?"

“...... Of course. Theodore looked at him calmly, and on his slightly immature face was a pair of cold sapphire eyes, which made people tremble darkly: "You are right, Duke. ”

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The late arrival of the night in the middle of summer also gave the soldiers plenty of time to set up their barracks after a busy day—a four-meter-high wooden fence, a watchtower for sentries to patrol, and a clean and tidy road...... A standard barracks is actually not much simpler than a small town.

The abundant food was a source of solace for the soldiers who had fought bloodily during the day - although the orc-raised cattle did not taste very good, and the meat was not much, it was always a delicacy that was difficult to enjoy in normal times, and the abundance of cheese and bread brought from the Kwyn River made them forget the horrors of the orcs for a while.

Soldiers and knights joined the army with high ideals and fought for the fate of their homeland. But their desire is only to be able to feed themselves and have a full meal. In the era of material poverty, it is always very hard to support yourself and your family, and it is rare to have the opportunity to eat.

Bran Erfwan, who was alone, sat in a watchtower on the parapet, looking boredly at the laughter and laughter in the camp below, the lights were bright, the corners of his mouth were slightly curved, he leaned against the cold wooden wall and looked up at the starry sky, closed his eyes without saying a word, and gasped softly.

"I thought you were going to dine with your knights, Lord Bran. A gentle voice made Bran straighten up and stand up, and the smiling Theodore climbed up the parapet with a little difficulty and stood in front of him: "Why are you here by yourself?"

"I let the sentry out of the way - I don't really like crowded places, it's too noisy. Bran replied softly, "That isn't the place for me." ”

"Then go back, Aaron and Salald are still waiting. Theodore laughed, "It's rude to let the Duke wait at the table for a long time, isn't that what you just said?"

"No, they're not waiting for me, they're just waiting for you to go back. Bran smiled slightly self-deprecatingly, grabbed the parapet and looked out, leaving only Theodore with a slightly thin back: "I'm different from you and them, you know it very well, don't you, but it's still here." ”

"If it's because of me that you're right...... If others are estranged, I can daoqian. Theodore said solemnly: "But please don't think like that anymore, no one will deliberately reject you." ”

"No, you're mistaken, Mistress Julian, in fact I admire Aaron and Salald. Bran whispered, "They are natural commanders, and they can make the soldiers believe in them from the bottom of their hearts, as if they were brothers." But in Larria, in Laria, the soldiers obeyed me, only because I was Duke Elfwan, and that's it. ”

"You have a lot of time to spare, and enough energy to be loved by the soldiers. Theodore smiled and said, "Helena has told me that Bran Elfwan is kinder than anyone else, and that such a person cannot be unloved by others, but others do not know him well enough. ”

Helena...... Hehehe," Bran smiled suddenly, "You must not have told her about that, did you? I'm sure you already know who did it." ”

"Helena wasn't hurt, and I'm not going to dig into it. Theodore said slowly: "For the present North, unity is more important than anything else, and there is no need to make any more extraneous branches. ”

"But I won't forgive myself, even though I made up my mind. Bran said: "I am a man of the Elf family, and pride and ambition are always with me, just as the people of the Ultok family always talk about victory and dignity." ”

"Hehe, sometimes think about it, you really have a lot of similarities with Aragorn, respected Emperor Bixia. Bran turned his head with a smile: "Without warning, it appeared in everyone's sight like a meteor!"

"Are you Theodore Julian, or the reincarnation of Aragon?" (to be continued......)

PS: I have a friend rewarding a monthly pass, I'm so happy!