King
Chapter 966 - 966 115 Dizzy from Cured Meat_3

966: Chapter 115: Dizzy from Cured Meat_3 966: Chapter 115: Dizzy from Cured Meat_3 Under such circumstances, it was sufficient to send someone to contain Hudson; there was absolutely no need for the queen to come in person.

After all, a Sanctuary Powerhouse alone wouldn’t be enough to mobilize the entire Human Race to conspire, yet an Elf Queen could mobilize power from all sides of the Human Race.

This Elf young woman before their eyes was not only a Sanctuary Powerhouse herself but also had a Sanctuary Divine Beast.

Exchanging glances, the kings unanimously replied, “Respected One, please be assured, we have located the enemy’s main force.

With our combined strength, we will definitely be able to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop!”

There was no need to hesitate, they should just go forward and fight freely.

They had always had an advantage in strength, and now with the reinforcements from the Elf Race, their advantage was even greater.

…

While some were joyous, others were sorrowful; upon hearing the news of the elf reinforcements’ arrival, the atmosphere in the Expeditionary Army suddenly became grave.

In the era when the Human Race dominated the Continent, the Elf Race had always been at ease externally, due to not only their strategically remote location but also their formidable strength.

Their long lifespans ensured that the number of strong individuals in the Elf Race far exceeded that of ordinary species.

The biggest difference between the Elf Army and other armies was the greater number of powerhouses in their ranks.

Even though they hadn’t gone through thousands of trials like the Expeditionary Army, their terrifying individual combat abilities were enough to awe the Continent.

“Marshal, although we are not afraid of the Elf Army, their strength is still not to be underestimated.

According to the intelligence gathered, in previous battles, the knight corps of the three grand duchies encountered an Elf Army with less than half their number in open field battles and were utterly defeated by the enemy.

Though our troops are somewhat more elite, I fear we might not necessarily have any advantage in terms of combat power.

The situation on the battlefield has changed, and our original strategic plan can no longer be implemented as planned.

In the upcoming battles, we must adjust our strategy based on the changes on the battlefield,”

Jose said grimly.

The carefully prepared battle plan had not even been implemented before it was already declared a failure.

With no prior indications, the Elf Race had suddenly deployed their troops; who could withstand that?

“Marshal, if it is futile, we might as well take the bait and retreat.

Destroying fifty thousand of the enemy is not a wasted effort,”

Count Albert suggested.

While military achievements were important, preserving strength was even more crucial.

The Expeditionary Army had gathered most of the elites of the Alpha Kingdom; if they were to be lost on the battlefield, there would be no way to explain it later.

From the beginning, the Expeditionary Army bore the national fate of the kingdom, endowed with the mission “victory is mandatory, defeat is not allowed.”

“Send the orders down, let the soldiers light smoldering smoke on the outskirts of the copse, and get all the accompanying magicians moving.

I want smoked meat!”

Hudson immediately ordered.

Originally, he had planned to set fire to the forest, but unfortunately, the Alien Coalition Army truly wasn’t picky eaters; they had ingested leaves and grass and were now starting to strip the bark from trees.

The once lush copse was now left with bare trees, and there was nothing left to ignite.

If a fire attack was not feasible, then smoke it would be.

After all, driving the enemy out from inside meant completing the mission.

“Yes, Marshal!”

…

Bellowing thick smoke surged up and, assisted by magicians, not a single bit was wasted as it all poured into the copse.

Already cramped at the mountain top, the soldiers of the Allied Forces quickly succumbed to chaos amid the Smoke Attack.

In no time, the sound of coughing was everywhere and, before long, the first group of soldiers, unable to endure the intense smoke, began to emerge from the copse.

“Don’t… cough… cough… shoot arrows…

Don’t shoot arrows; we surrender… cough cough…”

The words were barely out when three beasts collapsed.

The soldiers fleeing behind hurriedly completed the word “surrender.”

It was evident that the Expeditionary Army’s political slogan “Surrender and you will not be killed” had begun to take effect.

To make everyone believe, Hudson had deliberately placed prisoners caught on the road at prominent locations.

“Damn traitor…

cough cough…”

Before he could finish cursing, Carway was choked by the smoke.

The Evil-eyed Giant, covering his nose and mouth with a wet cloth, stepped forward and urged, “Brother, this smoke is too vile, our people can hardly bear it anymore.

If we stay, we’ll turn into cured meat, and many from different races have already surrendered.

Perhaps, we should surrender too!”

“Cough, cough…”

Just as he was about to scold the idea of surrendering, Carway was choked by the smoke again.

It was the fast-acting Evil-eyed Giant who tore a piece from his wet cloth for him, giving him a moment to catch his breath.

“What is this thing, why does it have a scent of…”

Mid-sentence, Carway got his answer from the Evil-eyed Giant’s embarrassed smile.

There was no water in the forest, so they had to use urine.

“You little rascal, actually using…”

Despite his curses, he still couldn’t bring himself to toss the rag away.

Compared to the threat of the smoke, using a urine-soaked cloth was just a matter of pride.

Adhering to the principle of “if I don’t speak of it, no one will know,” Carway decisively swallowed the rest of his words.

Looking around, everyone was covering their nose and mouth with wet cloths, and there was no doubt, they were all self-sufficient.

Those slow to react either fled and surrendered or were struggling against the smoke in their last moments, and some soldiers with insufficient lung capacity had passed out.

However, a urine-soaked cloth over nose and mouth could only provide temporary relief.

Under the smothering smoke, tears still involuntarily streamed down everyone’s faces.

“I can’t take it anymore.

I’d rather die in battle than be smoked to death!”

No one knew who shouted it, but the scene in the forest went completely out of control, with countless disintegrating soldiers desperately scrambling out.

The bulky Carway stamped his foot, ultimately unable to make a decision to surrender, and instead instructed his subordinates, “Let’s break out first!”

Watching the groups of disintegrating soldiers rushing out, the prepared Expeditionary Army exclaimed in unison, “Lay down your weapons, those who surrender will not be killed!”

There weren’t many weapons to be laid down; after running such a long way, most of the soldiers were unarmed.

After breaking out of the small woods, they collapsed on the ground one by one, gasping for air, completely oblivious to their surroundings.

Having skirted the edges of life and death, they realized the preciousness of living.

Carway, originally prepared to die in battle, no longer had the desire to fight to the death.

“Surrender…

we surrender…”

Through smoke attacks and curing like meat, the Expeditionary Army finally annihilated fifty thousand enemy forces at minimal cost.

When it was time to tally the accomplishments, Hudson noticed something amiss—more than ninety percent of the enemy soldiers had collapsed, unable to stand.

“Priest Ron, what’s the condition of these guys?”

Hudson asked with concern.

The battle here had ended, but that didn’t mean subsequent battles had.

The enemy’s reinforcements were on their way, and the Expeditionary Army had no time to care for a group of immobilized prisoners.

“Marshal, most of these guys have collapsed from exhaustion, and a small portion are suffering from smoke poisoning.

Their bodies are fragile now and cannot be treated; they can only recuperate slowly,”

Ron shook his head and said.

treatment was actually possible, but the cost would be too great.

The Expeditionary Army could not afford to spend their precious Magic Potions on these prisoners.

With this answer, Hudson was not angry but rather pleased.

“No killing the surrendered” was the political slogan of the Expeditionary Army used to entice the enemy to surrender, and it certainly could not be refuted.

If the prisoners died on their own, that was none of his concern.

As long as it wasn’t a massacre by the Expeditionary Army, it wouldn’t be considered a breach of contract.

Regardless of the law common across the continent, there was no stipulation requiring the treatment of prisoners; the unwritten rule was simply: treatment must be provided for Aristocratic Military Officers.

They were a declining species from the era of the tribe, internally managed by tribal leaders, where the strongest tribal leader was everyone’s king, and no noble system was established.

Even if someone awkwardly copied the noble system without gaining recognition from the species across the continent, at least the Human Race had never acknowledged it.

Gazing into the distance, an idea struck Hudson.

The Expeditionary Army couldn’t just retreat.

Hearing that they would retreat at the arrival of Elf reinforcements would certainly demoralize the troops, and in future battles against the Elf Army, they would feel psychologically inferior.

Whether for political or military reasons, Hudson needed to engage the enemy in battle, preferably keeping the Elf Army permanently on the battlefield.

“Send out the order, have someone feed the wounded prisoners a bit of rice porridge, then the army will move south with the able-bodied prisoners!”

Hudson ordered with a cold laugh.

…