Boiling Beast Bloodline
Chapter 1143 - 306: The Elven Little Prince

Chapter 1143: Chapter 306: The Elven Little Prince

Through roving patrols dispatched between the main force and the Yale Oasis, Liu Zhenhan had ascertained the general direction of the main army’s movements, catching up with the Expeditionary Army in less than a day.

The recent progress of the Beamon Expeditionary Army had been exceptionally smooth.

The fleeing Mulan Flying Camel cavalry, after all, were natives of the Taklamago Desert; following the trail of camel dung left by the camel riders, the Wolf Riders stealthily tracked their footsteps, managing to avoid quicksand and other traps, successfully trailing the enemy’s main force.

The Mulanese were located in an incredibly vast area of rock desert.

Taklamago consisted of 80 percent desert, but there were also areas composed of rock and gravel desert. The rock desert region where the Mulanese army was located was littered with large quantities of sandstone, limestone, chalk, and basalt. The barren gravel was sporadically dotted with tamarisk and camel thorn bushes.

Rows of red ocher build-up formed continuous mountain ranges that spread out along the horizon, dazzlingly red, with giant cacti standing amidst the desert as tall as ancient trees.

When Richard arrived at the camp, Prince Lionheart was in the midst of a tense pre-battle meeting.

The last hoofprints of the Mulan Flying Camel riders disappeared thirty miles away in a valley squeezed between two ochre mountains. According to reports from Wolf’s guerilla scouts, beyond this valley on the vast Gobi plateau, there was an ancient city half-buried by sand and wind. The main Mulanese force, around 40,000 strong, was now darkly encamped about fifty miles to the north of the ancient city ruins.

Based on the advance speed of the Beamon Expeditionary Army, in another day and a half, the Beamon main force would collide head-on with the Mulanese, like Xiang Pa colliding with Emperor Polo, in a tough, life-or-death confrontation.

So far, the Beamon scouts and the Mulan scouts had already engaged in a few small-scale skirmishes; however, neither side had deployed their airborne units— perhaps the Mulanese out of caution, while on the Beamon side, because Richard had not yet arrived with the aerial forces—The old rogue had delayed for four full days at the Yale Oasis and spent another half day on the road, causing the Griffin riders much anxiety over these few days.

After settling Golinny and the airborne troops, Liu Zhenhan arrived at the main commander’s tent, dusty and weary, to report his presence.

Seeing Richard, whom they had been eagerly awaiting, returning at last, all Beamon officers and shamans immediately rose to welcome him. Helen was about to stand up too when Moer promptly tugged her back down.

"Richard," General Kahn roared with laughter as he stood up, grabbing Liu Zhenhan’s hand in a joking manner, "please allow me first to congratulate you on your happy marriage."

The legion had dispatched Griffin cavalries as messengers to and from the legion and the oasis every day. General Kahn knew quite a bit about the events at Yale Oasis over the past few days.

"Your Highness, you really are bored..." Liu Zhenhan laughed as he playfully punched the Prince, then swept Helen up in his arms and sat down in a chair, placing Helen on his knee.

"Richard... let... let me go..." Helen was extremely embarrassed, struggling futilely against Liu Zhenhan, which prompted another round of laughter from the surrounding crowd.

Before, when Beamon discussed Richard’s romantic history, everyone did so with relish; but those who had spent significant time around him had become accustomed to his antics.

Moer pursed her lips non-stop, her face full of jealousy and envy, making no attempt to hide it. Her mouth turned up even higher. Guoguo leapt from Liu Zhenhan’s shoulder into Moer’s arms, causing a ruckus, which finally brought a smile to the young girl’s face.

"Your Highness, why not just tie me up and accuse me? Our reserves of fresh water have been completely destroyed by the Mulanese!" Liu Zhenhan grabbed Moer’s little hand, dragging the butterfly beauty onto his lap and casting a sideways glance at Prince Lionheart, feeling a bit puzzled inside. Why did the Prince seem not to be anxious at all?

Upon the Shaman of Divine Songs’ words, all the generals in the camp sprang up from their seats, and the three golden-robed high priests looked ashen as if struck by death, with Helen and Moer both dumbfounded—The Underground Sand Boat Corps’ surprise attack on Yale Oasis had poisoned the lake waters, turning it into a pit of arsenic. Given that Griffin riders handled message delivery directly between the oasis and the camp, General Kahn had kept everyone, excluding those involved, in the dark, and the matter was never made public.

"With your presence, Richard, what’s a little fresh water to worry about? Besides, the entire legion still has a five-day water reserve; we’re not yet at the point of desperation," General Kahn smiled faintly at Liu Zhenhan, glancing around at the Beamon generals and high priests, "This is a matter of great importance. I trust that all present will keep tight-lipped."

The generals and high priests nodded hurriedly in agreement.

They were all veterans, aware of the devastating impact the loss of water resources would have on the morale of the Beamon forces and the detrimental consequences for the campaign if word were to spread.

"This guy is truly cunning!" grumbled the old rogue inwardly, now thoroughly admiring Prince Kahn’s profound and composed disposition. Without knowing about the magic teleportation array coordinating water support from the homeland to the frontline—a fact known only to the elders in Feilengcui— Kahn had managed to remain as steady as a mountain. Whether it was to stabilize the troops’ morale or not, the prince’s cultivated and poised demeanor surely required years of experience to master.

Liu Zhenhan knew nothing about the use of magic teleportation arrays to arrange water support from the homeland for the frontlines, aside from the elders of Feilengcui. Yet even without knowledge of the circumstances, Kahn had still managed to stay unshakeably composed, and whether this was to stabilize military morale or not, just the quality of such temperament and its refinement required many years of experience to achieve such steady composure.