Volume 9: Home Chapter 298 Condensed Milk Tactics
Several shining gold coins were placed on a wooden box that served as a table. Several Moon Bear generals gathered around the box, each looking uglier than the last.
"They actually used such a shameless method to trap our warriors. Did these grassland people sell their souls to the devil?! These shameless people, these dishonorable bastards!"
The general cursed angrily for a long time, but found that no one agreed with him, so he put down his waving arms with shame.
Admiral Andrew slowly raised his head, staring at everyone present with sharp eyes.
None of the generals dared to look him in the eye, and they all turned their gazes away guiltily.
Admiral Andrew's face twitched obviously, anger gradually brewing in his amber eyes, but... he finally suppressed his anger and did not question the generals of his own tribe why they only collected so little - the grassland people used the method of throwing gold coins to lure away hundreds of warriors in just one day, even if most of the gold coins thrown were recovered by them, there would be no way that only a few were left!
Everyone likes golden things. The elders of Moon Bear City have been arguing over the gold mine on Snake Island until this year. Admiral Andrew naturally has no right to blame these guys for not keeping the gold coins confiscated from the soldiers...
"From tomorrow, no, from now on, without my order, no one is allowed to leave the team to pursue!" Admiral Andrew said in a deep voice, "Those cunning grassland people have set up countless traps on this grassland. Everyone, cheer up!"
"Yes, Admiral!"
The next day, when the snake tribe harassed the central army's baggage camp again, there was indeed no Bear Head who left the team to pursue them.
After making several attempts to confirm that these bear-heads were determined to ignore their steady advance, Harris, who was in charge of the "tiring the enemy tactics", discussed with Xia and others and decided to try a new harassment method...
That night, the bear army, which had only advanced a few dozen kilometers, still chose to camp in the plains with a wide view. As the sun set, the hardworking logistics soldiers of the auxiliary battalion were busy cooking dinner, and the combat soldiers and auxiliary soldiers of each battalion were waiting for the meal to start, when a very strong aroma with a mellow milky fragrance suddenly wafted from the east and drifted freely in the large camp covering a considerable area.
“What’s that smell?!”
The scouts patrolling outside the camp, the gendarmes patrolling inside the camp, the soldiers resting in the tents, and the auxiliary soldiers doing odd jobs all stood up and looked towards the upwind side of the camp.
The aroma of milk became stronger and stronger, mixed with an extremely rich sweetness, and it tried hard to drill into the nostrils of the bears who looked up.
"Is this... the milk tea from Tea Bear? No, the smell of Tea Bear's milk tea isn't so strong?" The Moon Bear generals who were discussing tomorrow's marching arrangements came out of their tents one after another, looking towards the east with curiosity.
"Don't worry about what it is. It could be an enemy trap. Send scouts to take a look... Don't get too close. Just watch from a distance to see what the enemy is doing." A general said vigilantly.
The generals nodded one after another and picked out a reliable scout captain to lead twenty scouts out of the camp to investigate.
The important logistics camp, like the baggage camp, was located in the middle of the camp and was surrounded by the tents of the soldiers. When the fragrance wafted over, the auxiliary soldiers and suspected spies who were busy doing miscellaneous tasks stopped what they were doing and turned to look to the east.
"This is Tea Bear's condensed milk tea, right? Did some general bring out condensed milk and black tea? It smells so good." A young Moon Bear auxiliary soldier sniffed, his face full of envy.
Tea Bear's condensed milk tea started to become popular in the Far East last year. The wonderful taste created by the combination of condensed milk produced by the lion tribe and the black tea grown by the tea bears soon won over all the bears - bears love sweetness and the aroma of milk, and the sweet and rich milky condensed milk tea hits the soft spot of all bears.
The only drawback is that it is too expensive... A small can of condensed milk costs three silver coins, and a can of black tea costs two silver coins or more. Most people can't afford it at all and can only smell it to satisfy their desire.
"What kind of milk tea is this? It doesn't smell like tea at all." The hot-tempered Black Bear looked at the country bumpkins with disdain. "This is just condensed milk. It only tastes like milk and sugar."
"Well, it's not the kind of condensed milk that is concentrated in a vacuum tank in the factory. It's condensed milk that is boiled over low heat." Hal also worked in a condensed milk factory. Although cleaning the vacuum equipment was not tiring, it was quite time-consuming. He still remembers it clearly. "Condensed milk boiled over high heat tends to become mushy, and it's hard to control the amount of sugar to add."
The auxiliary soldiers were very dissatisfied with their arrogant attitude as "prisoners". The young man who spoke first sneered and said, "You speak as if you know so much. Can you drink milk tea when you are prisoners of the grassland people?"
The grumpy black bear was unhappy and raised his chin and said, "We rarely drink milk tea that has been diluted with too much water. We eat snacks made from condensed milk. Do you know what condensed milk butter cake is? Can you imagine how delicious it is to mix condensed milk with milk, freeze it into ice cubes, and then beat it into ice chips and eat it with a spoon?"
"Fruits chopped up with condensed milk are also delicious." Someone next to him began to chime in, "Oh, right, one time we went to the cafeteria to help with the general cleaning, and they gave us two large buckets of condensed milk and a lot of leftover steamed buns from the day's sale. We cut the buns into slices and roasted them on the big stove until the skin was charred, then dipped them in condensed milk and ate them. It was so delicious!"
"Yeah, there's always a lot left over in the Welfare Department and the cafeteria, and they always bring it to us. One time, our dormitory was also given a big bowl, and everyone used biscuits to dip it in it and eat it."
"Haha, last time I saw someone pour condensed milk on baked sweet potatoes..."
This group of suspected spies just wanted to bicker at first, but as they talked, they all recalled the life in the prisoner camp that they hated so much at the time but now could not even think about it. Even the aggressive Black Bear who had provoked them at the beginning lost the mood to "show off" and lowered his head to do his work silently.
"It turns out you are just bragging!" When the auxiliary soldiers saw that they suddenly became depressed, they thought that they could not brag any more, so they snorted coldly and continued to work.
On the other side, the scout team that went out to investigate the situation came back about ten minutes later with a straight-cylinder pot with a blackened shell from smoke.
This straight-cylinder iron pot, which had just been taken down from the bonfire, was sent to the barracks where the generals were.
A group of moon bear generals were speechless when they saw the black pot half filled with sweet condensed milk.
"When we arrived, there was no one there. There was only a dying fire, and this was left on top of it." The scout leader tried not to look at the steaming, fragrant thing, but he couldn't help swallowing his saliva while speaking, which gave him away...
The generals struggled hard and barely managed to take their eyes away from the pot of sweet condensed milk - there is no such thing as the bear tribe being unable to tolerate high sweetness!
Super sweet condensed milk with a sugar content of over 50% is no less attractive to bears than cute golden coins!
"Take it out... throw it away! No, bury it!" a general said in great pain, "bury it deeper and don't let anyone dig it out! The grassland people's things - can't be eaten !"
"You must bury it yourself and don't let anyone steal it. No one knows what's added into it!" said another general with distorted features.
The scout captain swallowed hard again.
Five kilometers away, in a cave.
Harris took off his straw hat and fanned himself, then pointed in the direction of the bear army: "Do you think they can resist eating?"
Xia thought for a moment and said, "It's hard to say... They can tolerate the lack of seasoning and the bland taste of food, but they may not be able to resist the temptation of sweets . The Welfare Department has done statistics and found that the sweeter the snacks, the greater the proportion of bears who buy them."
Black Panther Xiao Rui interrupted, "Of course they can't help it. Those who are still hanging around in the prisoner camp will be a little more diligent on the day when the after-meal snack is mainly dessert. I heard A Yan say that herself, right, A Yan?"
Ah Yan, who had led a team of snow wolves to help but had never shown his face in front of the enemy, stroked his chin like Xiao Yun and said, "I think there's no need to go through so much trouble. Invite a chef and create an opportunity for him to stand in front of those guys who had been prisoners. They will definitely rebel against their own people."
Harris, Xia, Xiao Rui and the others all rolled their eyes...
Harris said firmly: "Since their scouts did not destroy the pot of condensed milk on the spot, but took it back carefully, then whether they dare to eat it or not, we can be sure that this high-sugar condensed milk can shake their will. Tonight, we will continue to send them as much condensed milk as possible!"
Xia smiled and nodded in agreement, with a hint of vigilance in his eyes when he looked at Harris... When he came to this mobile team responsible for the "enemy fatigue tactics", he thought he was the only "brain", but he didn't expect that the usually gloomy and silent Harris would be so active in dealing with the bear tribe and vaguely snatched the right to speak.
The gray dwarf Shar'er and the goblin Baron, who provided technical support (burying pipes and detonating explosives), pretended not to see the dispute over "dominance" between the two men. After Harris decided to implement the harassment plan, they immediately and professionally planned the implementation steps - to make more efforts to make it difficult for the generals of the bear army to manage, and to give the enemy's warriors and auxiliary soldiers the opportunity to stuff condensed milk into their mouths!
A few hours later, most people entered the sleeping camp of the Moon Bear Army and were ambushed by the rich and sweet smell coming from all directions...
The Moon Bear generals reacted quickly, and quickly dispatched elite scouts to search for, destroy, and bury those things that were shaking the army's morale; however, the camp was too vast, and there were too many points where the enemy "delivered" fragrant and hot condensed milk, making it difficult for the scouts to clear them out in a short period of time. Some of them were found by auxiliary troops and even combat soldiers themselves, or were hidden, or were tasted and divided on the spot.
When the sun rose, Admiral Andrew led his men to inspect the camp and found that there were no new patients or wounded soldiers, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Well, this batch of condensed milk is a pure gift, with no extra ingredients.
On the second night, when the second batch of condensed milk released its enticing aroma around the entire camp under the cover of darkness, the scouts who were called up to clear it also secretly hid some.
On the third night, when the third batch of condensed milk was delivered to the camp in the middle of the night, even the generals couldn't help but help sharing it...
And then, nothing happened.
On the morning of the fourth day of the implementation of the "condensed milk tactic", the moon bear army was unable to get busy and march out early in the morning like before.
Nearly a quarter of people had diarrhea so severe that they couldn't even straighten their backs...
"Are you idiots? Huh?? Are you really idiots?!"
Admiral Andrew was furious and rushed into the barracks where the generals lived, shouting and cursing.
The dejected General Moon Bear obediently endured a burst of saliva, and suddenly his face changed suddenly. He rushed out holding his stomach and clamping his thighs.
Admiral Andrew almost couldn't catch his breath...
At noon that day, Harris, who was lying on a hill not far away, confirmed that the Moon Bear Army still showed no signs of marching out, and without hesitation summoned all the mobile teams that were scattered and hiding.
"Everyone, remember, we are not the main force, so there is no need to engage in direct confrontation with the enemy. We have only one goal, to destroy their food supplies as much as possible!" Harris carefully reminded everyone before launching the attack.
"Don't worry, we will all act as mounts this time and won't fight with them!" A Yan patted his chest confidently.
Xia & Xiao Rui looked at this guy silently…Why does this sound so weird!
"Xiao Rui, do you want me to carry you?" A Yan didn't realize there was anything wrong with what he said.
"No." Xiao Rui refused immediately, "Xia, give me a ride."
summer:"……"
About half an hour later, the Snow Wolf Clan and non-magician cat warriors turned into mounts, carrying the magicians from the Snake Clan and Cat Clan, as well as the gray dwarves and goblins who were responsible for lighting the fire, and rushed towards the Moon Bear Camp.
They used rain of arrows and magic bombing to clear the way, and rushed straight to the enemy's baggage along the open space between the enemy camps. When they reached the destination, they continued to use rain of arrows and magic bombing to provide cover, while the gray dwarves and goblins threw out a series of thermite combustion tubes...
After setting a wave of fire, everyone didn't care about the outcome of the battle. They took advantage of the chaos while the enemy had not yet formed an effective barrier, broke through the interception, and fled away - it took less than eight minutes from rushing into the enemy camp to everyone breaking out of the encirclement.
When Admiral Andrew led his guards to charge over, he didn't even see the backs of the enemy troops, but only saw the baggage camp burning fiercely, and the fire was particularly difficult to put out...
The Moon Bear Army, having lost most of their food, would then have to think about how to obtain their daily rations under the watchful eyes of the enemy - food could be obtained through hunting and gathering in this season, but it was also easy for the people sent out to never return!
If too many people were sent out for hunting and gathering, the army would not be able to advance even a few dozen kilometers a day...
Two days later, Admiral Andrew had to order the entire auxiliary battalion to cut their rations by half.
Two days later, the share of combat soldiers also began to decrease...
Wood, Bazel, and Aubrey were still imprisoned in the same carriage. When the auxiliary soldiers brought them only soup and no gray bread at lunch, the three of them felt very complicated...
"Oh, Andrew has reached his limit. He can't even put on a show." Black Bear General Aubrey sneered as he leaned against the carriage. His hands and feet had been tied up with chains for so long that they were already a little inflexible. Now he no longer had the strength to struggle or shout. His cheeks were sunken a little, and his chubby belly was flat. He looked a bit like a "prisoner of war".
Moon Bear General Basel, who had also lost a lot of weight, silently looked at the auxiliary soldiers working listlessly outside without saying a word.
Aubrey had not suffered much when he was a prisoner of the grassland people, but he had been "completed" by the Moon Bear Army. Although he knew it had nothing to do with Bazel, he still couldn't help but vent his anger on him. Seeing this, he sneered: "Don't feel sorry for your boys, Bazel, they will soon fall into the hands of the grassland people and live a good life with condensed milk. They don't have to worry about diarrhea or arrows flying from anywhere. Isn't this perfect? They can't live such a good life in Moon Bear City!"
"Ah, Andrew is a big trouble. In the eyes of this admiral, honor is much more important than the lives of the young men. Anyone who wants to surrender should be careful about whether there will be arrows shot from behind!"
"Hehe, before that, we have to worry about ourselves first. When the main force of the grassland people appears, do you think your respected admiral will push us losers who brought him bad luck to the front line to be cannon fodder? We don't have the strength to resist now!"
"That's enough, Aubrey." White Bear General Wood, who was huddled in the corner in a daze, spoke up to stop him.
"Am I wrong? If it weren't for these idiots from Moon Bear City, we might have reached the York Mountains by now. Why would we have to wait here for others to give us some stale gray bread soup and worry about our lives every day?!" Aubrey said angrily, "I could have returned to the Far East with more than 300 strong men and told others not to worry about the warriors left on the grassland. When we saw them, we would be surprised at how fat they had become - but now? Andrew wants to sacrifice the men from Moon Bear City, and he wants to take me with him!"
Wood raised his head and looked at Aubrey dimly: "I think what we should consider now is...when we see those snow werewolves, should we pretend to be nothing and say 'long time no see' with a smile."
Aubrey: “…”
The three generals took ten days to walk, and the Moon Bear Army took more than half a month.
When the army reached a valley only a hundred miles away from the easternmost farm of the Cat Tribe, and saw the earthen wall forts, arrow towers, and the endless military tents behind the forts built by the grassland people, the Moon Bear generals were so excited that their eyes filled with tears... They finally saw the main force of the enemy!
These days, the bear-headed guys have had enough of dealing with those slippery and elusive mobile teams!
The army had more than 20,000 people when it entered the southwest, but in just half a month, it was reduced to only more than 16,000 people!
There are more than a thousand wounded...
There were more than 3,000 people who had their gold coins stolen, those who went out on patrol and never returned, and those who went out hunting and gathering and never returned!
Admiral Andrew, who had lost weight due to the shortage of supplies, looked at the earthen walled fortress that was the size of a small town from afar. He let out a light breath, letting out all the frustration he had felt in the past few days. He raised his hand and pointed forward firmly: "The vanguard army will attack the center, and the central army will guard the two wings! Let these despicable people who hide their heads and show their tails see how our imperial army fights!"
As soon as Admiral Andrew finished speaking, the four gates of the fortress wall opened at once, and four groups of wolf cavalrymen rushed out aggressively...
