Volume 9: Home Chapter 295 "The Traitors"
“Hahahaha, hahahahaha—!”
In the expeditionary camp, Admiral Andrew, the tall and strong Moon Bear, wearing mithril armor, slapped his thigh and laughed.
Opposite the admiral, Basel, Wood, and General Black Bear, who were sitting cross-legged, looked increasingly unhappy.
"How ridiculous!" Admiral Andrew, who was as tall as a mountain when sitting, leaned forward and slapped the ground, raising a cloud of dust. "The grassland people who captured you fed you well for half a year? They released you unconditionally and even prepared food and luggage for you to eat and use on your way back?! Bazel, Wood, do you think everyone else is a fool!"
General Black Bear stood up and said excitedly: "Watch your words, Andrew!"
Although Andrew, the admiral of Moon Bear City, did not mention his name, it was obvious that General Black Bear, who was in the same situation as Basel and Wood, could not help but feel humiliated.
Admiral Andrew glanced at him calmly, his eyes sweeping across his rounder cheeks and slightly protruding belly, and sneered, "I will hand you over to my emperor, Aubrey, you should think about how to explain to my emperor. Take him away!"
Before General Black Bear could figure it out, a dozen of the admiral's personal guards rushed over and pinned him down like Bazel and Wood, tying them up...
"How ridiculous! How ridiculous! Andrew is a bastard, an idiot, a pig!!"
In the makeshift "prison" surrounded by a giant baggage wagon pulled by six-legged lizards, the Black Bear General, who was tied up like a bread roll, lay on the ground, angrily slapping the ground with his barely movable feet, and roaring at the Moon Bear Warriors who were guarding them: "Andrew, this idiot, will regret this! All of you idiots will regret this!"
Bazel and Wood, who were also tied up like bread rolls, were staring blankly at the huge carriage wheel as tall as a person, and lying flat on their backs, staring at the sky.
"Are you two stupid? Do you really want to be treated as a spy by Andrew?!" General Black Bear was furious when he saw their deadly looks.
"Forget it, there's no point in saying anything." Bazel turned his head and smiled bitterly, "Didn't you notice, Aubrey, that you, me, Wood, and our soldiers are all fatter than when we set out last year... and with the supplies given by the grassland people... no one would believe that we were enslaved by those hateful snow wolves for a whole six months."
Black Bear General Aubrey was struggling to sit up, but he was stunned when he heard the words and his eyes turned to his stomach.
The bears tend to be sturdy and thick. The smaller black bears also have strong waists, but... there is a difference between being strong and being fat. For example, now, Aubrey found that the flesh on his belly would actually tremble with his movements...
Aubrey raised his eyes stiffly and scanned Bazel and Wood one by one.
Moon bears should have relatively obvious facial features, but Bazel's face has now become a completely flat oval.
The white bear was originally big and bulky, and now Wood's body had expanded in thickness...
Black Bear General Aubrey's jaw gradually dropped, and his angry expression gradually turned into surprise, helplessness, and despair...
The bear-headed people who had been staying in the prisoner camp had very low enthusiasm for work, but even if they were just forced to work under the supervision of the snow wolf warriors, the physical strength and endurance of the bear tribe were enough to earn enough food.
For a whole six months, I didn't do combat training, and I had to do repetitive light physical labor every day (compared to the bear tribe), and I had three meals a day with sufficient portions and tasted above the standard (sufficient oil and salt) + desserts. I couldn't have any fun and I had to work and sleep. Basically, it was impossible not to gain weight...
Aubrey stopped struggling and yelling and swearing, and just lay back down.
If he were Andrew, he would not believe that this group of people who had been "fallen into the hands of the enemy" for a whole six months, and who were free and unrestricted when they appeared, not only had rosy faces but also carried sufficient supplies, did not betray...
Wood, who was looking up at the starry sky, seemed not to have heard the conversation between the other two people and was still staring blankly at the night sky.
Basel saw that his fellow army was so excited that their vigilance dropped. Aubrey was used to the superior treatment of the black bear clan. Only Wood, a white bear, found something wrong when he was surrounded by a large group of scouts and "rushed" into Andrew's camp.
The three of them were separated from their respective NCOs, and even their adjutants were isolated. This was not at all the normal treatment for a "reunion" of two armies.
The subsequent developments tragically did not deviate from Wood's premonition. Admiral Andrew received them and tied them up the moment they turned around... The non-commissioned officers and soldiers who were not allowed to enter the camp were probably captured earlier than the three of them.
“It’s over!”
These three big words were circling in Wood's mind.
The failed operation of the three of them in late autumn last year had warned the Bear King. This time, not only did they send General Andrew of the Moon Bear, but they also sent an army of over 10,000 people and auxiliary troops that were no less than the regular troops - just looking at the size of Andrew's camp and the number of six-legged lizards carrying supplies was enough for a veteran like Wood to guess the scale of the troops.
An expeditionary force of 20,000 people, this is the limit of the number of troops that the Beast King can command in such a short time... Mobilizing troops and preparing supplies are both very troublesome matters, especially when it is impossible to plunder supplies at will in the cursed land - robbing the cat tribe is fine, but if they rob the minotaurs, the elves who find an excuse will definitely make this expeditionary force never return.
Wood was convinced that an army of 20,000 people could definitely inflict heavy damage on the grassland people. This was why he felt that he was doomed... Being regarded as a spy, he had no chance of making any contribution in this war! Even if he was cleared of suspicion of being a spy afterwards, he would not be able to face the Bear King or his people after being defeated!
With an inaudible sigh, Wood closed his eyes tiredly... Well, it would be a good thing for the White Bear Clan to bring back those bewitched tribesmen with the help of Admiral Andrew.
The unfortunate General Wood, along with his fellow sufferers Bazel and Aubrey, were taken on the road by the expeditionary force the next morning and reversed the direction they came from.
The three generals were tied up like bread rolls and thrown into a baggage wagon, isolated from the others. They swayed in the dark for most of the day and became increasingly listless.
"Not good!" Basel, who was huddled dejectedly in a pile of debris, suddenly thought of something, jumped up suddenly, and fell back heavily, his face pressed against the mud-stained tent cloth.
Regardless of his embarrassing appearance, Bazel used his head to push open the tarpaulin of the baggage cart and shouted loudly: "Tell Andrew to be careful of traps! There are many traps in this area--!!"
Although Basel was forced to enjoy the treatment of a spy, this expeditionary force was Moon Bear's army and all of them were his people!
The auxiliary soldiers beside the baggage cart were startled. They were ordinary young men and did not dare to yell at Basel, who still had the halo of a general, and they hurried to the front to report to the sergeant.
After a while, several guards hurried over and took Basel away.
Aubrey thought that if Bazel's words were listened to, their suspicion of being spies would be cleared, so he lay down at the door of the baggage cart and looked out expectantly. As a result... Bazel was carried back after a while... and he was still in the form of a bread roll.
"Andrew, this bastard! Bastard!"
This time, it was Basel who was cursing and struggling to hammer things.
Well...it's no wonder Admiral Andrew didn't want to listen to advice. Last year, the coalition forces of Barzel and Wood were constantly on the alert after entering the southwest region, and this expeditionary force of 20,000 people had a smooth journey before encountering the "traitor". It couldn't be smoother. Barzel shouted that there were traps everywhere, and Andrew, who had never encountered it, would definitely think that this guy wanted to use alarmist words to wash away the suspicion of betrayal.
The three generals who were hanging at the rear of the team and locked in the baggage cart felt the speed of the baggage cart slow down after it got dark, and heard the auxiliary soldiers outside start to run, as if they were preparing to set up camp for the night.
Basel, who was tired of scolding and lying on the miscellaneous items to rest, suddenly thought of something. He tried to bend his body again and moved to the edge of the tarpaulin. While trying to push the tarpaulin open with his head, he shouted hoarsely: "Tell Andrew not to camp in the valley, on the platform, or too close to the water source!!"
The auxiliary soldiers who were moving tents from other baggage carts looked at each other, hesitating whether to report it, when suddenly there was an earth-shattering explosion in front of the army...
The blasting holes drilled last year were finally used this year.
The loud "boom, boom" sounds were heard more than thirty times, and the earth shook. The Moon Bear auxiliary soldiers, who had never seen such a scene, panicked uncontrollably. Some of them ran around subconsciously, and some screamed.
What was even worse was that there were hundreds of six-legged lizards pulling carts and carrying cargo in the auxiliary troops' positions. These big guys, who were usually more docile than rabbits, were frightened by the series of explosions and completely lost control, running around in all directions, and the auxiliary troops lined up in a long snake formation were instantly in chaos...
The baggage cart in which the three generals were imprisoned was first dragged wildly for dozens of meters, banging into several horse-drawn carriages and knocking countless people away, and then it crashed into an ordnance cart, flipping over and overturning to the ground.
The three generals, whose hands and feet were tied and unable to control their bodies, were shaken around all over. After being thrown out of the baggage cart, they were stepped on by countless big feet. Even the strongest black bear general Aubrey could not withstand it and spurted out a mouthful of blood.
"Calm down! Don't panic! Calm down!" Basel saw many of his people lying on the ground. He was so distressed that he didn't care about the pain all over his body. He struggled to stand up and shouted.
Several auxiliary soldiers, like headless flies, saw that he was one of the famous generals of Yuexiong City. In panic, they didn't care whether he was suspected of being a spy or not, and ran over to untie the iron chains on him.
Basel, who finally gained his freedom, stood up by holding the shoulders of a young auxiliary soldier, yelling to stabilize the situation and let the uninjured auxiliary soldiers gather around him. He also arranged the organized auxiliary soldiers to try their best to drive away the six-legged lizards that were running rampant around them to avoid more injuries.
Seeing that the chaos around him had subsided a little, Basel raised his hand to wipe the sweat mixed with blood that was dripping down his chin. He was about to arrange for people to go to the front to investigate the situation when his eyes suddenly bulged.
About two hundred meters away, countless snakes holding crossbows and pulling bows appeared from the hills, among the trees, in the grass, and behind the bushes. Their cold snake eyes and even colder arrows were aimed at the Moon Bear auxiliary soldiers who survived the disaster.
Harris, who was in charge of the ambush on this section of the road, took off the vine camouflage hat on his head and shouted: "Ready - shoot!"
Basel looked at the rain of arrows under the hood in horror, and his blood instantly turned cold.
