Part Two: The Human World Chapter Thirty-Three: The Virtue of Madness
The nights in the wild highlands are always very quiet. Only the occasional cry of the wyvern echoes in the night sky, but the soldiers have become accustomed to it. Ever since they left Bracada, this huge beast has been hovering above their heads at any time.
At high altitude, at first some soldiers couldn't help but try to attack with bows and arrows, but the height and the airflow when the flying dragon flapped its wings meant that all long-range attacks could only fall back to the ground, causing injuries to their companions from time to time.
The orcs obviously cherish this precious creature and are unwilling to rashly command it to fly down and attack. When they set up camp that night, there were always dozens of soldiers armed with strong bows and crossbows guarding the fires throughout the camp.
Be on guard against the sneak attack of the flying dragon.
Several werewolves approached the camp in the dark. Even in the silent night, their approach made no sound, and they did not need any lighting. Even in such a moonless night, they could see things clearly.
They are very clear, so they can approach without revealing any sound or light. This is an ability that humans absolutely cannot achieve, making them excellent sneak attackers.
There were no soldiers patrolling the edge of the camp, and it was eerily quiet. The werewolves quietly approached the edge of the camp. Of course, with such a small number, they would not cause any effective damage. This was just a test and harassment.
Suddenly, a strange squeaking sound came from the camp. It seemed to be the sound of some animal. Before the werewolves could react, the entire barracks had been activated by the sound. Torches were lit everywhere, and the soldiers came from the camp.
The soldiers swarmed out. The barracks that had been silent just now suddenly turned into a sea of boiling shouts, and waves of soldiers rushed towards the werewolves.
The soldiers did not have any superiors to issue orders and command. They were just like the hooligans who spontaneously fought in the streets, shouting and rushing out with weapons in hand without any structure. What commanded them was not discipline but anger and hatred.
The two soldiers at the front immediately fell victim to the meteor hammer in the hands of the werewolf. The broken corpses flew far away, and blood splashed everywhere. However, those soldiers who were stained with the blood of their companions did not show any hesitation or hesitation.
Instead of being timid, he rushed forward more bravely, and the screams coming out of his mouth no longer sounded like humans, but like wild beasts. Under the illumination of the torch, those bloodshot eyes were full of signs of crazy fighting spirit.
Several werewolves were frightened by such a scene. They began to turn around and run away.
A huge body in the group of soldiers rushed to the side of a werewolf with a few steps at a high speed that was not commensurate with the body. He held up a huge ax and slashed at the werewolf. This was a man who was almost as tall as a werewolf. His hands were
The huge ax inside also shows extraordinary lethality like the werewolf's meteor hammer.
The werewolf turned around and narrowly avoided it, and swung the meteor hammer in his hand at the attacker. This weapon, which could smash shields and armors to pieces, collided with the other ax in the man's hand and made a loud noise.
.
The werewolf let out a miserable howl, and the other ax that had missed the shot was retracted by the user's strong arm strength and skill, slashing horizontally, completely cutting off the werewolf's weapon-holding arm.
Under the severe pain, the werewolf's empty claw also grabbed a piece of flesh from the opponent's body. Just after such a pause, the surrounding soldiers rushed forward, and the werewolf only had time to kill two or three soldiers with his claws and teeth.
After that, he was chopped to pieces by countless swords and spears around him.
Several other werewolves had already started to turn around and run away. The upper body of the man who had just chopped down the werewolf was soaked with blood. If he had not dodged with experience and in time, this claw would have been enough to disembowel him.
The long-lost pain and the passion of fighting completely aroused his fighting spirit. He roared, took a step forward and threw the giant ax in his hand. The ax whizzed fiercely in the air and chased after the werewolf who was escaping in front.
With a wailing sound, the werewolf fell down. The other werewolves quickly disappeared into the night.
Asa came out of the camp and saw the general returning surrounded by soldiers with high morale. The bloodstains all over his body did not make the general feel depressed or exhausted at all, but made him even more energetic. The battle injected fresh vitality into him. He saw
Asa pointed to a few small animals tied to the corners of the tent and smiled and said, "Thanks to your idea."
Those are pikas, a small herbivorous animal in the wasteland, with a particularly sensitive sense of smell. When Asa was still discussing wilderness operations with the general in Brakada, Asa once told the general this method to capture these sensitive small animals.
Tethered throughout the camp, they would make a collective cry as soon as they smelled the unique stench of carnivores. This method was originally used by adventurers when they rested in places where wild beasts roamed. Asa made some changes, and he couldn't think of a way to deal with it.
This silent sneak attack by werewolves is indeed effective. The general has already asked all the soldiers to fall asleep with their weapons in hand. As soon as they hear the cry of pikas, they will immediately get up and kill the attackers. This arrangement has indeed produced a huge effect.
The soldiers behind tied up the werewolf who was chopped down by the general's axe, and carried him in. The general's ax was not a fatal injury, and the werewolf was not dead due to its own tenacious vitality. The general ordered the werewolf to be married.
Tie it firmly in one place.
One person knocked down two werewolves. In the eyes of these young soldiers, the general was completely the incarnation of the god of war.
The soldiers surrounded the general and watched him pour soju on his wounds. The wounds were deep on the plump muscles. The general himself used needles and threads to connect the two sides of the flesh. He used needles and threads to pierce his own flesh, and from
Pull it out next to the wound, insert it again, and then tighten the thread. The skin and flesh 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 they had great respect for the general when they saw such a scene.
Asa watched coldly. He did not step forward to use the healing technique on the general. He did not want to help this person who he wished to die quickly. Besides, he could also see that the general's heroic performance was originally a way to boost the morale of these young soldiers.
method.
After the performance, the general asked the soldiers to go back and have a good rest. After this time, there should be no more sneak attacks.
Asa did not leave. After the soldiers left, he and the dying werewolf were the only ones left here.
He wanted to see this werewolf. He was the only one here who had no hostility towards these orcs. When he was in Oufu, he had long been used to seeing these orcs working with tools and living like humans, so in his eyes they were nothing like humans.
Big difference.
Judging from the physique, this is probably just a werewolf that has not fully grown up. Even the white fur on his body has not completely faded. If converted to human age, he is probably only a teenager. The general's ax left a mark on his back.
There was a very deep wound, and the broken ribs were clearly visible from the wound. If it weren't for the hard leather armor on his body, this would have killed him.
The werewolf had been tied tightly by the soldiers with ropes, but even if he hadn't, there would be no room for him to struggle. His face, like that of a wolf or a dog, looked very weak, and his eyes were half-open as he looked at Asa, half dead, with a sudden look in his eyes.
Tears fell from his eyes. His young age made him look weak.
There were once poets who praised tears as a specialty of human beings, but those who know about animals know that this is not the case. Although Asa never thought that this kind of thing had any special noble meaning, he still felt a little strange when he saw the werewolf's tears.
The feeling. He leaned down, stretched out his hand and pressed on the werewolf's wound to use a healing spell.
Because he always thought about going on a trip, during his free time in Brakada, he would still study various spells and ask his priests for advice. Although he prayed for various auxiliary blessings with cumbersome spells,
I don’t remember much, but effective spells such as treatment and detoxification have made great progress. Probably the leaves of the World Tree and the power of the Sunwell in the body are also of great benefit to magic. Although his healing skills are still not up to the
The old man Sandro was so superb, but he was already much higher than the average priest. As soon as he used it, the werewolf's wound immediately stopped bleeding and even healed a lot.
"Thank you... thank you." The werewolf said in a vague voice as his spirit improved a little. These young orcs are usually trying to learn human language. Here they actually received such unexpected help.
The little werewolf was also very surprised. "Please... please... let me go."
Asa made a helpless gesture and said, "That won't work. If you let you go, they will chop me into pieces as a spy. Maybe that crazy old man is looking for something to use against me."
"I...don't want...to die." The little werewolf's expression twitched and he whimpered like a wounded dog.
After hearing this seemingly familiar plea, Asa's heart moved. But he also knew that he couldn't let the werewolf go. "Actually, you really shouldn't have come for a sneak attack..." Sympathy made Asa move.
Sa himself felt a little awkward. It was precisely because of his suggestion that the general was able to thwart the sneak attacks of the werewolves so easily. According to common sense, if we really have to be prepared for the sneak attacks of nocturnal orcs like werewolves, it would be a huge waste of military strength and morale.
things.
The werewolf regained his energy a little, and said in the weird tone unique to werewolves: "We are not doing a sneak attack... we are just... coming to investigate... General Gru wants to find out the purpose and intention of your unit.
...." It can be seen that this is just a very smart little werewolf, and it doesn't seem that it is difficult for him to speak human words.
Intention and purpose? Should it be said that it is to destroy Oufu, or that it is just to die.
Asa can almost predict the consequences when this army encounters the orc troops led by General Gru. Of course, General Gru alone cannot resist all five thousand soldiers here, but if he rushes directly into this
It is not difficult for thousands of troops to come and twist off the general's head like an apple or crush it like a tomato. Soldiers who have lost their commanders and spiritual leaders will witness such a disparity in strength, no matter how high their morale is.
It collapsed immediately, and then had no choice but to be slaughtered by the orcs.
And the purpose of his participation this time is to try to avoid this situation and save five thousand young lives... To be honest, Asa never thought that he was so great, he just didn't want to see mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
, I don’t want to have a massacre that is dozens of times more brutal than the one I experienced half a year ago. No matter what the general, the old psycho bastard, thinks, after all, these five thousand soldiers are innocent.
But as for how to solve the current situation, Asa still can't think of any way. He can only follow the army's advance and hope that the car will find its own way to the front of the mountain.
Looking at the little werewolf in front of him, what will the general do with this captive? Will he use it to kill Li Wei when the two armies confront each other? In fact, he is just as innocent as the five thousand soldiers. Asa patted the werewolf.
The leader said: "I tried my best not to let them kill you. This battle actually has nothing to do with you."
The little werewolf watched Asa keep nodding and wagging his tail, expressing his gratitude, and said: "Thank you for your help... The Lord of the City said that peace talks will begin immediately, and there will be no need for war after the peace talks. Please come to Oufu."
....”
Suddenly hearing such an innocent invitation, Asa couldn't help but want to laugh. He suddenly had the idea of rescuing him. He patted the werewolf on the head and said: "Don't worry, I will take you back to Oufu."
of."
The little werewolf howled twice in a low voice, and there were actually tears in his eyes.
Asa got up and walked back to his tent to sleep. He suddenly felt that it was indeed meaningful for him to come with the army this time. It was always good to save innocent people from dying.
I was vaguely awakened by the noise outside, and when I opened my eyes, I realized that it was already dawn.
The soldiers are ready to go. They are standing together in one place, listening to the general's orders.
Asa walked over and was surprised to find that the general was standing next to the injured werewolf, with one foot on the werewolf's head, pointing mightily at the tied orc prisoner on the ground and shouting: "Everyone has seen it,
These beasts that have maimed our compatriots are not worth fearing. Because what we have is incomparable courage and justice to avenge our compatriots."
The soldiers responded with a passionate cry. Although the methods were different, the general would provide similar encouragement every day to prevent the flame of revenge from extinguishing in the bodies of these soldiers and to ensure that their fighting spirit was high and crazy.
The general continued to speak: "The orc's lair is very close, and it will soon be crushed to pieces by us like bed bugs. All the orcs will die under our sword of justice. Now let's kill this one first.
Werewolf, all the warriors come and chop him down and wash our swords with his blood."
The soldiers howled again.
"Hey, wait." Asa didn't expect that the general would use this prisoner to sacrifice the flag this morning, so he quickly jumped forward to stop him. "This prisoner has no ability to resist. Aren't you soldiers...
..”
"Go away." The general waved the ax in his hand menacingly. "You weak clergyman. Do you think we don't know? You were also instructed by those nobles and powerful people to soften our soldiers."
Asa knew that it was useless to say anything to the general. He turned to the soldiers and shouted: "This werewolf is only five or six years old at most. It is impossible that he has ever killed humans. Those werewolves who have eaten humans have long been
Have we all been killed? There is no need for us to do this again..."
"Is the blood debt owed by these barbaric races settled just because they die? Is this the hatred of the compatriots who were killed and eaten by them?" The general waved his arms with an excited expression on his face.
Let every soldier feel it through the sound and momentum even if he can't see it clearly. "Everyone, tell me, can we just leave it like this?"
"No!" With a high-pitched and fierce response that matched the general, Asa felt that he was almost deafened and drowned by the shouts around him.
The little werewolf on the ground struggled desperately. He could hear that he was probably going to die, but the rope was tied tightly, and he could only beat in vain on the ground. The werewolf suddenly let out a series of deep roars.
.
Amidst the deafening shouts of the soldiers around him, Asa still heard the werewolf's voice clearly, and he understood clearly that it was the sound of the desire to survive and animalistic nature tortured in a desperate situation. At this moment, he actually felt like lying on the ground.
What's on the ground is another illusion of myself.
The general swung his huge ax and said in a voice full of mission, as if he was giving a historical mission: "Kill it." The soldiers shouted and began to swarm forward.
Asa wanted to go up and stop him, but he was immediately pushed back by thousands of people. The soldiers gathered around like a group of hungry ants surrounding a locust. Countless swords slashed at the werewolf on the ground.
.
The werewolf screamed horribly, and the screams were mixed with the sounds of bones breaking and skin and flesh tearing apart, as if they were the direct screams of the flesh. Goosebumps suddenly appeared on Asa's body.
Asa has been squeezed away, and he cannot see how the werewolves are being cut into pieces in the crowd. He can only see blood and small pieces of fur and flesh flying upwards as the soldiers wave their weapons, and then scattering.
onto them.
Probably because of his strong physique and strong vitality, the werewolf did not die for a while. The miserable howl continued, and after a while it slowly weakened and gradually became silent. But later, the soldiers continued
The ground kept rising, and they kept slashing, and the horrifying sound of flesh turning into meat didn't stop at all. The soldiers rushed forward and lined up to cut and stab the flesh, as if they were participating in a competition.
Just like the long-awaited sacred ceremony.
It took a while before this grand ceremony came to an end, and the soldiers returned to the ranks.
The werewolf was gone, and there was a large puddle of deep red mud on the ground, which looked like some kind of garbage. Except for some relatively large bones and some traces of the fur of young animals, a first-time visitor would never be able to tell who it was.
thing.
The soldiers waved weapons stained with these scarlet objects, and many of them had blood stains on their faces, but without exception they were all impassioned, as if those red things were medals of honor, proof of warriors, loyalty and bravery.
Keepsake.
The soldiers were howling and happy. They knew very well that what excited them was a kind of virtue. Killing enemies, aliens, and enemies was the noble virtue of loving one's family, one's country, and one's own nation. This primitive collective fanaticism and values have a strong respect for oneself.
The full affirmations are mixed together and complement each other, making morale infinitely higher.
Asa looked helplessly at the soldiers in front of him. Only now did he realize how naive he was, that he actually wanted to save them. But in fact, they didn't need it at all, and they didn't want to cause trouble for him.
He was neither angry nor sad. Looking at the bloody broken limbs over there, he just felt sick.
The general remained motionless, looking down at everything happening in front of him like a statue.
Asa turned around silently, led a horse, mounted it, turned the horse's head and walked towards Brakada.
"What's wrong? Aren't you here waiting for me to die? No matter what I lead them to do?" The general finally spoke, with a look of victory in his eyes. He could see what was going on with this young man.
.Finally scared away this annoying boy, the general felt proud of the shocking power of this glorious cause that he devoted himself to. This is war, war is like this, and these are just a piece of cake, very small.
The dish is not worth mentioning.
The morning sun in the east has risen, and it is bright red. Under the morning sunshine, Asa felt that his blood was burning. He turned his head and stared at this fanatical leader and his five thousand supporters, and shook his head.
, said feebly: "Go to hell with you, I don't care, I can't control it."
In the city hall of Orfor City, Lord Cedros was standing reviewing a mountain of documents.
The city of Oufu continues to expand, the population continues to increase, foreign orcs continue to join, how to manage it better, the attitudes of various countries towards this place, the empire's army... all things require his mind to deal with them.
Analyzing and sorting out the myriad of relationships, he came up with the most effective solution that could kill two birds with one stone or more. During this period, the Lord of Cedros never slept for more than three hours a day.
But this old man who is over seventy years old is still so full of energy and energy. He even keeps standing and working like this to concentrate more energy. Because he is not completing the work, but enjoying the work.
Every time he completes a piece of work, he knows that the city he created has become stronger and more complete. The constant joy, satisfaction and relief he gets from it all inject new vitality and new ideas into him.
Life. In fact, in his eyes, these things are definitely not even work. They must be classified and are more like games. He enjoys the joy of accomplishment just like a child carefully building a clay castle. The only difference is that he works harder.
Thousands of times, the sense of accomplishment gained is also tens of millions times stronger, and the project itself is countless times bigger...
Footsteps sounded outside the door, and Cedros frowned, knowing that there might be some trouble. He could hear that it was General Gru's footsteps, and they were a little hurried. There were not many things that could make his friend look hurried.
.
General Gru opened the door and reported: "A force leaving Bracada on the border of Ironfast is approaching here with all its strength. Judging from the current speed, it will arrive here in about seven or eight days."
"Well." Cedros didn't even raise his head, still looking at the document. "What is their intention?"
"I have been observing them for several days. Without the slightest concern or hesitation, I took the most direct route and headed here. I sent a few bipedal flying dragons to take a closer look. There was no backup, no ambush, and no sign of logistical supplies. There was only
That unit. I sent someone to test their attitude last night," Gru snorted coldly. "Their attitude is very clear."
"Huh?" Cedros was surprised. He finally stopped what he was doing and looked at Gru. "Please tell me everything in detail."
After listening to General Gru's words, Cedros pondered for a while and shook his head helplessly: "Envoys from various countries have gathered in the royal capital, and we have expressed enough friendly attitude. They should understand that this is a futile war, not to mention
Ronis should also express his position, so it is impossible for the Emperor of Ironfast to order them to attack, and I guess the order to retreat should have been given. But such a small group rushed in hastily without any plan of war.
They are so murderous... I really can't figure out why they would do such a thing." Cedros sighed, bent down, twisted his neck, stretched his muscles, and went over to pat Gru.
The general's shoulders. "Come out and walk around with me."
The two Ouf leaders walked out of the city hall and walked on the street. The orcs around them didn't look too surprised. At most, they only gave an occasional salute and hurriedly went about their work.
"The attitude of that troop is indeed very clear. They are here to die." Cedros looked at General Gru and asked: "What are you going to do?"
"Simple. I will lead the charge when they are most tired after a long journey." General Gru's tone was very relaxed, as if it was really a very simple thing. "I will kill the leading general first."
If they die, the remaining soldiers will naturally be discouraged and may even scatter and flee, which will make it much easier to deal with them."
"How much damage will we suffer if that happens?" Cedros asked.
"There will never be more than five people." General Gru replied calmly. His tone was no longer confident, but the tone that should be taken for granted. It seemed that a person would never doubt that he could bite a hard-boiled egg in one bite.
Same.
"Five?" Cedros raised his right hand, looked at the wrinkled fingers carefully, sighed, and put it down as if he was reluctant. "No, none of them can die."
"Although a small number like five is probably nothing compared to the size of our current army, what we need to avoid is not the loss itself, but the impact. If one's own people are killed by other races in the war,
There will inevitably be hatred of human beings. Hatred between races is of no benefit to anyone, and it is even more dangerous to a multiracial country like ours. So it must be avoided.”
"You don't want to persuade them to go home?" Gru asked.
"Since we came against the emperor's will, it means we have lost our minds, so fighting is inevitable. And this is also the time for us to show our fighting power to other countries. We might as well annihilate them in one fell swoop...
..." Cedros pondered. The sunlight in the highlands was very strong, shining his silver beard and hair, making him look like a statue symbolizing wisdom. It was impossible to tell that he was thinking.
How to kill five thousand people.
The two walked to the street where the workshops gathered. The craftsmen and the orc apprentices were working hard. The heat from the fire made the air rise, and the sunlight formed some water-like shadows on the ground under the distortion of the hot air. Cedros
He looked at the shadows, then looked up at the dazzling sunshine, nodded, turned to Gru and said, "You can take a wyvern and send me a message to the southeast, and then pick up a few people."