166 Trash, Lowly Life, War
The elves retreated.
Although it was only a temporary retreat, it was still a retreat.
This meant that the sudden and tragic defense of the city had finally ended.
The rumbling attack that was like the collapse of the world pressed down wave after wave. It even almost made the elf cavalry rush to the top of the wall, causing this city to be snatched away by the elves who were rushing over. The powerful combat strength of the elf army left a deep mark on this city wall and in the hearts of many people.
The people on the city wall watched silently as the elves retreated.
Even the people who were not on the city wall—the City Lord who led this battle, the mages who carried out magic support, and the warlock troops who played a huge role—many people silently looked at the temporarily retreating elf army and only watched silently without any reaction.
They had clearly repelled the elves.
The elves had clearly retreated.
The morale of the enemy who had attacked for a long time was dampened. They called back their troops. According to the military law, the garrison in the city should take the opportunity to open the door and pursue an attack to expand the results of the battle… However, there was no movement in the city, and no one asked to fight.
Even the elite city defense troops who appeared on the city wall in the end and completely decided only silently watched the elves leave without any reaction or actions.
This was because the elves were really too powerful.
It was the kind of strength that even the militia who had just entered the battlefield could tell.
Even if they retreated, they maintained the arrogance of the strong army. They did not escape in panic but calmly retreated against the attacks of the bows, war machines, and magic in the city. The cavalry troops and the arrow regiment covered each other, quickly and orderly. Moreover, their fighting spirit was still high. They firmly remembered the humiliation and hatred of this failure and waited for later.
Kang De even saw many elf cavalries cut their chests with their weapons and smear them on their faces with blood. Then, they waved their spears and roared at the city.
Even if he had already experienced it on the Holy Seal Islands, the elves of this style still left a deep impression on him.
Without a doubt, the blood flowing in the bodies of these top predators who walked out of the forest was the blood of the law of the jungle. Wisdom creatures who could walk out of an extremely developed ecosystem and complicated food chain would definitely maintain an extremely wild and ferocious nature, so how could they be weak and love peace?
Therefore, there was no movement in the city, let alone any intention of leaving the city to pursue.
This was because everyone knew that if they left the city to pursue, they would only die. Facing such a ferocious and powerful army, defending the city to death was the only hope. As for fighting in the wilderness, it was simply impossible.
However… how many days could it last?
Kang De and Hong San looked at each other and saw the helplessness and powerlessness in each other’s eyes.
The reason why he could win this time was only by chance. Coincidentally, Kang De was here. Coincidentally, he had a way to shatter the soil slope created by the elf mage. In other words, if they had attacked another city wall this time, or if Kang De was not accidentally teleported to Valentine City—then the entire city would have been slaughtered today.
But what about the next time?
Next time, if the elves were fully prepared and gathered all their military strength, they would not have to plan a surprise attack. Instead, they would brazenly attack the city with an upright army. What should they do?
No matter how many methods Kang De had and how capable he was, he was only one person. At most, he could defend a small portion of the city wall. How could he resist these countless elves? In war, a person’s bravery was not worth mentioning.
This time, he had really participated in the war and experienced it. Only then did he know how terrifying war was and how suffocating this terrifying beast that had devoured countless lives since ancient times was.
He asked softly, “Do you still want to defend?”
Just now, he had asked Hong San what it was.
Hong San did not answer.
This time, there was still no answer.
The footsteps of steel boots sounded. A Goethe officer walked over. He was the leader of the group of elite soldiers who had attacked the elves at the last moment. After the elves retreated, he turned a blind eye to the casualties on the ground. Instead, he asked the veterans in charge of leading the militia one by one. After confirming, he walked towards Kang De.
“Cathayan.”
After he stood still, the spear stopped and made a muffled sound. Then, he pounded his chest and bowed to Kang De.
The soldiers in the city bowed with him.
“Thank you for doing the right thing at this critical moment. We’re all indebted to you.” He said the fabricated Cathayan name in an obviously very inappropriate accent, “Dong Zhuo.”
It was very out of character.
Normally, Kang De did not mind chatting and laughing with him. After all, his personality was very ordinary. As long as others treated him well, he did not mind chatting with them.
However, now, he was not in the mood.
Accepting this gratitude calmly, Kang De said calmly, “You’re not the ones who should thank me. I’m not the only one you should thank. The casualties of these people not only protected this city, but they also protected the wealth and lives of many people…”
When the Goethe officer heard this, he looked up at Kang De and said calmly, “You’re in a very bad mood now. I can understand, but with all due respect, the person who protected this city is you, the mages, the warlocks, the projection troops, and us, but not these people. They’ve only done their duty.”
Kang De was furious and said sternly, “What did you say?”
“If my words make you uncomfortable, I apologize. However, war is like this. If you insist on arguing, you won’t be able to finish it in three days and three nights. It’s not my intention to argue with you.”
Seeing that they could not agree, the officer nodded calmly. “Goodbye.”
He turned around and left. Kang De was furious and wanted to pull him back and make things clear, but he was pulled back by Hong San. He turned around. The Cathayan was expressionless, but his eyes were clearly burning with flames.
Hong San said in a low voice, “It’s useless to argue with him.”
This group of elite soldiers temporarily took over the defense of the city wall. Although the elves had retreated, there were still many things to do. They had to clean the city wall, evaluate the damage, replenish resources, and count the casualties.
79 people died.
253 people were injured.
Almost half of them were gone.
The greatest death came from the sudden spell bombardment. The rain of arrows thrown by the elves injured a large number of the militia, and they were only responsible for guarding a section of the city wall. Most of the powerful spells were intercepted by the mages.
However, this was still the outcome.
After putting away the corpses, Hong San looked out one by one and read their names. When he encountered those whose bodies were damaged and could not be identified, he asked others and deduced their identities. He also checked the injured people one by one. From the beginning to the end, Hong San was so calm that it was a little terrifying.
Most of the militia were stunned and silent. A small number of people with good mental fortitude cried and begged Hong San to let them go home. The injured people even broke down and cried. There were even people who cursed Hong San, saying why he had brought them to war and asking him why he did not protect everyone.
Kang De was furious when he heard this from the side and wanted to kick that guy. However, when he saw the other party’s bloody and injured appearance, he could not kick him anymore.
The power of magic, the terror of the rain of arrows, the long-range attack of the cavalry, and the military literacy and destructive power displayed by the elf army even shocked him, a knowledgeable modern person, let alone ordinary mortals from another world like them… It was already good enough that they were not crazy.
He only felt a bundle of flames suppressed in his heart and did not know who to vent it to.
Not long after, Hong San was still busy helping the injured. There was a commotion on the city wall. Mayor Nick was dressed in military clothes and went up the city wall under the protection of the guards. The west wall was very long and there were several troops defending. Everyone endured the crazy firepower suppression of the elves together. There were many casualties, and their morale was on the verge of collapse.
As the highest-ranking officer of the city, Nick should indeed appear at this time.
Behind him were mages, nobles, and soldiers. They were probably representatives of various worlds. They had repelled the elves. Such a victory naturally had to be rewarded and motivated—they were the first to walk towards the defense area of the Heaven and Earth Association.
Because many people had seen it, the traces of the explosion under the city were clearly visible. At the desperate moment when the soil slope was formed and the cavalry rushed into the wall, the situation reversed here. The veterans could testify that Kang De had done it.
In a sense, he had saved the entire city.
Nick smiled gratefully and warmly from afar and stretched out his arms to Kang De.
However, for some reason, Kang De’s impression of Mayor Nick had already quickly decreased. He looked at the other party with vigilance and scrutiny, so he observed something.
He did not know if it was his prejudice or illusion, but he felt that the other party’s smile… was a little far-fetched, and even his gaze was a little complicated. It was not purely fear and gratitude.
It was as if he was a little angry and helpless.
However, in front of everyone, the mayor still displayed his most enthusiastic acting skills and shouted, “Gentlemen, gentlemen, this is the hero who turned the tide and saved this city. He…”
Before he could finish speaking, Hong San flashed out from behind Kang De.
Then, he passed Kang De and walked toward Mayor Nick.
Kang De stood, his eyes cold. He did not stop him.
He knew what Hong San wanted to do.
It was the question unless it was later. Hong San did not answer because he wanted to know too.
Hong San walked towards the mayor.
Nick’s expression changed slightly and he reacted extremely quickly. He said, “This is Mr. Hong San, the leader of the Heaven and Earth Association. He’s a hero who gathered courage and kindness. He’s the one…”
Hong San raised his three feet and a sword on the ground fell into his hand. He held the sword and pointed it diagonally at the ground. The tip of the sword touched the ground and pulled out a fine spark. He did not stop and walked towards the mayor.
There was a commotion on the city wall. The guards leveled their spears. A few officers walked around from both sides. The mage behind Nick also raised his staff slightly. Thunder flashed in the air.
The mayor raised his hands and pressed them down, stopping the guards from taking the initiative.
He said, “Mr. Hong San, what are you doing?”
Hong San’s expression was heavy and even ferocious. Those who had seen Hong San before felt that he was a good person with an extremely good temper. They did not expect that the amiable Cathayan who was very good at talking would reveal such a ferocious appearance that he wanted to devour people… He was simply like an injured lone wolf.
Not far from Nick, he stopped and hissed, “I just want to ask you a few questions.”
Everyone roughly guessed why Hong San was like this. Someone sighed silently, and someone tried to smooth things over and said, “Now is not the time to talk. If Mr. Hong San has a problem, find a place to talk to the mayor in private. We’re busy with military matters now and have many things to do…”
“I want to ask here,” Hong San said coldly, “because they died here.”
Nick was silent, then slowly said, “Please ask.”
Although he was wearing armor and a helmet at this moment, this mayor’s face still maintained a meticulous and exquisite appearance. He was very fair and elegant, but it made people inexplicably feel firm.
Hong San lowered his voice as if he was also suppressing his anger. He slowly said, “After the elves made a mistake, the mages, war machines, and archers attacked at the same time and accurately grasped the opportunity. Have you been coordinating and commanding the long-range troops from the beginning and waiting for the opportunity?”
Nick said calmly, “Yes.”
Hong San asked again, “The regular army went up to the city to support and also came extremely quickly. Let me ask you, did they wait near the city wall long ago for your further orders?”
Nick nodded. “Yes.”
Hong San closed his eyes, then opened them. He gritted his teeth and said, “Then in the first round, we, the motley crew, defended the city so it would numb the elves who would underestimate the combat strength of this city. We were used to test the enemy’s firepower and exhaust their attacks. Is this a plan you made from the beginning? Did you immediately think of our use after we arrived near the city and were discovered by you?”
Nick looked straight into Hong San’s eyes. There was silence. The air froze and there was silence as he replied.
“Yes.”
Hong San’s body was trembling. The veins on his right hand bulged, and his sword even emitted waves of buzzing. His eyes were red and his facial features were twisted, making him terrifying.
Tears subconsciously surged out, along with snot and saliva. He opened his mouth, and a trace of liquid adhered to his lips. He looked very miserable, but no one laughed. They all knew the reason and weight of these tears.
Sometimes, humans had empathy.
“Is it… is it…”
The Cathayan could barely speak. He exhaled forcefully and squeezed out words.
“Could it be that these people… come from humble backgrounds… are useless… and their lives are especially cheap… that they can die casually?”
He almost sobbed as he asked. His body twitched because of extremely strong emotions.
Hong San, a Cathayan, had never questioned a big shot with a noble status that far surpassed his like today in his life—and it was for a group of insignificant people who were as humble as him.
Nick looked at him. Their gazes met in the air.
“Yes.”
What the mayor said was still concise.
” Their lives are cheap.”
“It’s not worth mentioning. We can sacrifice them as we please.”
“That’s why you were arranged to be here.”
“What else?”
Mayor Nick walked toward Hong San and approached.
“What else?”
“Tell me, if these useless trash are not here, who should be here? Who will test the strength of the elves’ firepower? Who will use their lives to numb the elves and underestimate our resistance?”
Mayor Nick said in a gloomy tone, “Those elite soldiers on standby under the city? Let them guard the city from the beginning and be passively beaten and defended against the elves’ attacks before being blown into pieces by magic?”
“Why are you asking me this? Why are you asking this nonsense? What answer do you want to hear? My confession? My apology? Do I have to kneel in front of these corpses and cry?”
“Do you want me to be deeply ashamed and bring all the soldiers in the city out to fight the elves? I’ll be wiped out and let this city be captured and wreaked havoc by the elves—do you want me to do this?”
“Why don’t you tell me what to do? The enemy’s military strength is completely above Valentine’s. Teach me how to distribute the stretched combat strength. Teach me how to defend this city?”
He approached Hong San and even poked his chest.
“This is war, you idiot. Why don’t you talk to the elves about pity and morals?”
The mayor and Hong San looked at each other without backing down.
“I’ve already answered my question. Can you answer the question I just asked?”
“If I don’t let these lowly lives go up the city wall, who will?”
He said gloomily, “The old soldiers who came up with you are willing. After facing the same death, danger, and pain, and facing the elf cavalry who are about to rush up the city wall, they dare to stand up and form a thin defense line to fight the elves to the death. Do your subordinates dare? They’re useless trash and their lives are cheap. How is what I said wrong? Why don’t you tell me?”
“When those Goethe people who followed you heard the recruitment, who agreed generously? Their home was plundered and destroyed by the elves, so they ran around and were protected by you. Facing the elves, we stayed and fought to the death, but they only knew how to escape! They only want to escape! They’re not trash, but are we?”
“Therefore, the angry Cathayan…”
“—What do you think war is?”
…
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