Volume 3: Warfire in the Cold Wind Chapter 13: Return to Camp

  Sophia Ryaton gazed at the warehouse so clean a mouse could skate on it, and felt a wave of dizziness wash over her.

  "These blasted Noldorin Elves, have they left me nothing at all?"

  She set her sights on Emon Port before the expedition because she believed that the Imperial Army would inevitably be weak in defense at the frozen port, and at that time, they could plunder a large amount of supplies to make up for the shortage caused by the intentional difficulties in the rear. They could also connect with the thousands of remaining troops in the North Pole Port, making it easier to coordinate actions. In Sofia's view, if the situation developed favorably, it was not entirely impossible to take down the sparsely defended northern half of New Dazalier with over 10,000 soldiers and more than 200 warships at her disposal.

  But the problem is that things have been going wrong since the start of the voyage. First, these old ships are not suitable for long voyages and have a high accident rate, which has swallowed up a large number of troops and supplies. Moreover, because the sailors and soldiers were forcibly recruited from subordinate countries, occupied areas, and even prisoner-of-war camps, there were countless mutinies along the way, with as many as ten assassination attempts against commanding officers, and almost daily desertions by ships that she couldn't catch no matter how hard she tried, leaving her exhausted.

  Although Sofia was skilled at grasping troops through bloody suppression, the rapid decrease in troop strength and ammunition during this period was inevitable. The only benefit was that the remaining officers and soldiers were already trembling with fear under her brutal methods, completely submitting to the "Ghost Rose" tyranny, becoming obedient little white rabbits, even if they were asked to collectively commit suicide, there would be no doubt about it. This is the greatest advantage of terrorist rule.

  When this ill-fated fleet finally reached its destination, even if Sophia abandoned all the ships and scattered the sailors among the landing troops, there were less than 8,000 soldiers left. Moreover, the degree of resistance from the enemy also exceeded the original expectation, fortunately, her army was still defeated, but the meager spoils that followed made the joy of victory disappear without a trace.

  "We still have some gunpowder left, but our food can only last for another week or two." She scanned the surrounding officers with a stern expression on her scar-covered old face, as if calculating who could be made into dried rations. Everyone was silent under this invisible pressure, hardly daring to breathe. Wherever Sofia's gaze fell, the people around her would unconsciously take a few steps back, like cockroaches driven away by insecticide, clearing out a large circle of empty space with the commander at its center.

  "Report... report..." An officer who had drawn a bad lot, trembling under the mocking gaze of his comrades, walked up to Sofia, "Commander, commander. We've just captured some prisoners and they've given us important intelligence, please come take a look."

  Sophia gave the still-shaking officer a glance, turned around and walked out of the empty warehouse. The hapless officer hadn't even had time to catch his breath when Sophia's cold voice came from outside the door.

  "Hang this guy who can't even speak properly on the flagpole and let him blow in the wind for a while, calm down. His stuttering problem should be cured!"

  "Spare my life, sir!"

  His illness indeed healed quickly in a short period of time.

  Through this prisoner, who had been trampled half to death by his companions and left behind, Sophia learned with a bad mood that the Empire had already cracked down on the Elf Kingdom's spy network, even her own itinerary was squeezed out of those soft-boned captives. These bad news made her mood even worse, even the officers standing far away could feel the aura around their superior

  But just as she was about to go further ballistic, the captive who saw that things were not going well for him managed to reveal in time that the truth was that the garrison had been scared off by smoke bombs, which made Sophia feel much better.

  "Hahaha... Cowards, a group of cowards, can actually be intimidated by their own delusions! Haha..." Sophia's heart suddenly cleared up and she mercifully cut the prisoner's throat with her dagger, without letting him suffer more.

  "Since you Nords won't give me anything, I'll take it myself!" A cruel smile spread across her face. "Pass on my orders: the entire army will enter the city to rest for a day, and we'll continue our attack tomorrow! Those cowards who can scare themselves to death are nothing to be afraid of!"

  The second day of 1991 was still very cold, and although the sun shone brightly, the strong winds blowing on people's faces felt like a sharp knife cutting through, causing hidden pain. If one had to walk outdoors in such weather, it would be nothing short of torture.

  A small river completely frozen, a rough wooden raft in the shape of an irregular polygon slowly moving upstream, the iron chain unloaded from Heilong's body became a thin rope, one end nailed to the wooden stake on the raft, the other end stretched across the ice surface all the way to the hands of the people pulling the rope. A group of dejected soldiers stood on the snowy bank, taking turns pulling the roughly built wooden raft and the paralyzed Heilong on it forward.

  "Sir, I protest! Those other guys got dragons and they get to ride them around with pride, but this old piece of junk dragon is making us work so hard just to pull it? Who's riding who here?" Dwarf Bam trudged along at the front of the porter team, his heavy iron chains clanking as he gazed enviously at the figure floating effortlessly ahead using flight magic.

  Muttering in discontent on one side.

  "Don't be angry." Fili, who was observing the surroundings, turned around and patted Bam's shoulder to explain, "Bam, this time we lost the battle, so it's inevitable that they'll pick out a few examples to punish. Otherwise, it would be hard to justify internally and externally. At that time, our team will probably be the first to be scapegoated as the main culprits of the defeat!"

  "This I understand, but at that time whose troops didn't collapse?" As soon as he mentioned yesterday's inexplicable defeat, Bam's tone softened. At the time, not only did he not stop the fleeing soldiers, but he was also the first to rush back into the city to grab some things before leaving, and his dereliction of duty as an officer was truly severe to the extreme.

  "But what does this have to do with us coming to pull this guy? You also said earlier, Officer, that this scrawny old thing is basically worthless and can't be sold for much money. If it's about the intelligence in his mouth, we can just leave a few people here to watch him and then go report back to headquarters and have them send someone to take him away!"

  "Idiot, this way the credit won't be ours!" Fili angrily knocked on Bamm's head. "We were still counting on him to clear our names of desertion! With the merit of persuading the Black Dragon, most of the misfortunes wouldn't fall on us. Moreover, it would also boost morale, so even if this dragon is a waste, General Norm would still proclaim us as heroes who bravely captured the giant dragon. How could they then punish a group of heroes with the crime of desertion?"

  "Is that so." Bamm shook his head, still finding it hard to understand. "But I and my fellow dwarves are proud knights," he said with a glance at the other dwarves who were also struggling to drag their iron chains, "even if we ride pigs, but pulling one of these beasts around makes me feel like a mount myself, and I don't know what to say about it."

  The mighty Black Dragon has actually been reduced to a beast, which makes Phil feel both amused and annoyed. However, Holmes' performance is indeed very easy to look down on, so it's no wonder that Bam looks down on him.

  "What's wrong with you!" Fili adjusted his thoughts and began to persuade the brain-twisted subordinates, "Even if he is a dragon knight, what does it matter? If we are accused of deserting in battle, at most I will be demoted, but those soldiers will still have to stay and continue fighting, usually nothing will happen. But you line commanders who failed in your duties just became scapegoats! General Norm may very likely have you shot!"

  "Is it really that serious?" Bamu asked skeptically.

  "Of course!" Seeing his subordinate's attitude, Ferry felt extremely offended. However, he usually didn't have much presence in the independent battalion that was nominally under his command. If not for this last company commander by his side, it would be difficult to directly command the soldiers below. He sulked for a moment, then licked his dry lips and continued with the arduous persuasion work.

  "You think about it, you people were originally promoted from soldiers, and it's easy to replace you with a new batch. At that time, execute you on the charge of desertion, and then promote another batch from your subordinates. It can be explained to the outside world and also serve as a warning to the escaped soldiers. It's really normal. On the contrary, if we want to protect you guys who set a bad example for the soldiers, what method should we use to maintain morale? What kind of excuse should we use to convince the public?"

  "So......" Bam turned back with an unpleasant expression and gazed at the old black dragon who was dozing off on the wooden raft, as if suddenly enlightened.

  "So, Mr. Holmes on the wooden board is your lifesaver, for the sake of life and position, continue to work hard! " Phil patted Bam's shoulder again, encouraging him to continue to stick to this very promising profession.

  But he didn't think that these small abacuses would later prove to be completely unnecessary.

  Fili spent the whole journey using up all his words, and with great difficulty brought a group of reluctant porters and plundered spoils to a small village with people, where he asked for directions. Then he took Holmes, who had barely recovered enough to move, through the rugged mountain roads, and finally returned to New Morsborough before sunset.

  Looking at the chaotic camp in front of him, the forest of flags and the rising smoke, Phil couldn't help but feel a sense of "finally finding an organization". He ordered his subordinates to wait outside for the time being, and he himself walked into the military camp alone.

  Although he looked a bit disheveled, the sentry guarding the perimeter still recognized Fili's distinctive bald head and, without saying a word, hastily led him directly to the largest tent in the center of the camp. The speed was so fast that Fili had to jog all the way to keep up. Moreover, at this time, he also noticed that there were only two or three thousand soldiers in the military camp, with pale faces, gathered together in clusters, whispering to each other, and occasionally fighting in a ball, but no officers or military police came to maintain order. When they saw him coming in, many people showed a strange expression of relief.

  "What's going on here?" After repeatedly asking the porter who was leading the way with a full squad of guards without getting any response, he muttered to himself, full of doubts, and lifted the door curtain of the tent.