Chapter 11: The Eve of Battle

Several days later, in a campsite near the other side of the Black Mud Swamp, Qianye encountered a rather large patrol unit. This time, he had to go through a bitter battle to kill all the spider demons, and then spent the entire night chasing down werewolves in the swamp.

However, some special members of this squad cast a shadow over Qianye’s heart. He quickly ended the attack, even without erasing all traces, and prepared to return.

The special additions were giant lizards capable of moving freely in the swamp. These massive creatures, which could reach over ten meters in length, were able to crawl and swim with immense strength. Their carrying capacity was several times greater than that of the swamp spiders.

Qianye inspected the supplies tied to the backs of the transport beasts. The tightly packed crates contained various weapons, medicines, ammunition, and battlefield rations. One of the crates even held twelve bloodline force grenades.

Estimating that each transport beast could carry several tons, the dozen or so beasts would be transporting dozens of tons of supplies. The dark races typically didn’t have much pressure on their supply lines, as they had abundant food sources and were adept at using local materials, such as humans.

Therefore, these tens of tons of military supplies, escorted by an enhanced patrol unit, suggested that the scale of the dark race forces preparing to move through the Black Mud Swamp was significant.

It must be an army of at least a thousand!

A thousand regular warriors, not just cannon fodder!

The combat power of the dark race’s regular soldiers had always been stronger than that of human soldiers. In the Battle of Earth Castle, though the participating dark races were mostly cannon fodder, a few hundred regular warriors had already annihilated an elite reinforced battalion of the Imperial Army and over a regiment of the Expeditionary Force.

If the size of the dark race forces in this direction was indeed as Qianye judged, not only would the Black Mud Town be indefensible, but the entire Black Flow City theater would be in great danger.

Qianye had no more heart for hunting. His immediate priority was to relay the military situation back. A thousand dark warriors would certainly be led by warlords, not to mention the several times more cannon fodder troops. In terms of numbers, equipment, and powerful fighters, the front line here would be under immense pressure. He only took the crate of force grenades, then set fire to and destroyed all the remaining supplies, and rushed back as fast as he could.

Three days later, Qianye returned to Black Mud Town. The first batch of a hundred Dark Flame Mercenary soldiers had already settled in the town, led by Aqi. Song Hu would arrive soon with the ammunition and supplies.

When Aqi saw the backpack-like object behind Qianye, she was startled. “Master, what is this?”

It was three large outdoor bags tied together, almost as tall as Qianye and twice as wide. Even Qianye found it quite heavy. He took off the straps from his shoulders and said, “This is the harvest from the swamp. You should get someone to count them.”

Aqi immediately called over a few logistics-savvy soldiers. When the bag was opened, the girls screamed. Rolling out from the bulging first bag was a pile of spider demon heads!

Aqi, though still composed, gave a brief scream and then directed the soldiers to stack the spider demon heads aside. Although they looked frightening, they were proof of valor, each head fetching at least a dozen imperial gold coins.

Next, from the bag, came a few smaller packages tied haphazardly. From the loose edges, a few ears with dried blood on the ends fell out. The shape and mane clearly indicated they were werewolf ears, and at least five or six had high-ranking warrior insignia earrings.

The soldiers, now prepared, managed to avoid another scream, though their hands trembled slightly.

Aside from these, there were also some weapons—ten third-grade force guns, six or seven force weapons, and about a dozen pieces of force armor. However, while the quantity was considerable, the dark race’s weapons required dark force to unleash their full power. Thus, their market value was generally determined by their artistic appeal to humans, and the spider demons’ and werewolves’ weapons never sold for much.

Aqi counted these items, her face filled with joy. After exchanging them for military merit and selling the supplies, they could earn over a thousand gold coins, enough to sustain the mercenary group for several months.

Qianye, however, felt a heavy heart. He wrote a letter, detailing everything he had seen and heard in the swamp, and sent a team of soldiers to Four Rivers Base to deliver the intelligence to Wei Bernian as quickly as possible.

At this moment, Hu Wei, who had been hastily summoned, arrived. Qianye didn’t give much explanation and directly ordered him to begin evacuating the townspeople.

Hu Wei was taken aback. Full evacuation meant the situation was dire. Without even asking if Qianye had received orders from the Seventh Division, he promised to arrange it immediately and left without even saying goodbye.

Two days later, Song Hu arrived at Black Mud Town with the mercenary supplies. After hearing the situation from Qianye, he immediately dispatched people to Black Flow City to gather cargo trucks. With enough trucks, they could transport more people and food back to Black Flow City. In private, Song Hu instructed the soldiers to buy, rent, or, if necessary, seize whatever they needed.

What made everyone uneasy was the lack of news from the Expeditionary Force. The messenger Qianye sent returned with a mercenary supply team, having delivered the message to the Seventh Division, but Wei Bernian did not send a reply.

Fortunately, there was still some time. The environment in the Black Swamp was terrible, and even the formal dark race units would need over ten days to cross it. Moreover, after Qianye had destroyed most of their camps, any reinforcements from the dark race would be delayed.

A week passed, and Qianye finally received news from the Expeditionary Force.

When a convoy of troop transport trucks appeared outside Black Mud Town, Qianye thought he was seeing things. The endless convoy stretched across the only road outside the town. There were nearly a hundred transport trucks, and dozens of supply vehicles. Qianye even spotted ten heavy artillery cannons being towed by trucks!

This army numbered nearly three thousand, almost two divisions. Given the current state of the Seventh Division, besides the necessary defensive forces in the two cities and the front line, probably all available main forces were now present.

Wei Bernian leaped out of the jeep and immediately wrinkled his nose at the stench.

Seeing Wei Bernian, Qianye jumped down from the town wall and approached him, surprised. “General Wei, why are you here too?”

Wei Bernian replied, “I read your letter. A thousand regular dark warriors, we can’t possibly hold them back. I moved the main force of the Seventh Division here to hit those black-blooded scum hard right at the exit of the Black Swamp. They’ll get a surprise! The camps in the swamp can only handle so many, and they’ll have to come out in batches, perfect for us to pick them off one by one. Such a good opportunity is rare!”

Qianye was slightly stunned. Upon reflection, he had to admit Wei Bernian’s plan made sense. He had seen the size of those camps firsthand, and even without cannon fodder, the dark race couldn’t bring a thousand regular soldiers all at once.

Still, he had some concerns. “What about the front lines?”

Wei Bernian said, “Let the existing forces hold their ground. With so many coming from the Black Swamp, the other front lines will likely face mostly feigned attacks or mainly cannon fodder. It might be tough, but they can hold.”

Qianye remained worried. “What if the enemy forces exceed our estimates?”

If the front line was breached, even Black Flow City could fall, and losing half the theater would make victory in the Black Swamp meaningless.

Wei Bernian calmly said, “I’ve been reviewing the defense history. Sanhe County is poor, with no natural resources and little strategic value. Black Flow City is even less important. Although Wu Zhengnan is a troublesome figure in the Expeditionary Force, the Seventh Division’s theater has always been a third-rate defensive area.”

Qianye sighed inwardly. The Wei family had thoroughly investigated Wu Zhengnan. His later growth probably relied on underground trade, maintaining the status quo in the theater.

“Think about it. No resources, no strategic value, why would the dark race commit major forces here? Also, if the front line really can’t hold, deploying a large force here would be pointless.”

Qianye understood. If the dark race committed major forces to the front line, once they combined with the forces emerging from the Black Swamp, the Seventh Division wouldn’t be able to stop the massive army. At that point, without reinforcements, even Black Flow City would fall, and they’d have to retreat to a more fortified county city.

Wei Bernian beckoned Qianye to walk into the town, discussing his ideas further.

His plan was clear: deploy the entire main force in Black Mud Town, taking advantage of the dark race’s forced division due to the terrain, and strike unexpectedly to defeat this first wave. This would give them the upper hand in the following major battles.

It was a bold idea.

Upon entering the mayor’s conference room, Wei Bernian couldn’t help but wrinkle his nose. “Why does it smell so bad here?”

Qianye smiled. “This is the unique stench of the Black Swamp, a mixture of hundreds of odors. But it’s not a bad thing for us; it’s just a bit smelly. For werewolves and bloodline beings, it cripples their keen sense of smell. Spider demons, though adaptable, have reduced perception in the Black Swamp.”

Wei Bernian laughed, patting Qianye’s shoulder. “Suddenly, I find this smell rather pleasant!”

The dark races’ advantages in night combat and perception were too great, so interfering with their sense of smell weakened their combat power.

Wei Bernian laid out a military map on the table, pointing out several locations to Qianye. The map was densely marked with symbols, revealing the Seventh Division’s complete defensive layout.

Wei Bernian said, “These will be the weak points in the future defense line. After this, you can choose one or more places to garrison, with a 30% increase in pay.”

Qianye examined the map, raising an eyebrow. After this, would they withdraw or redeploy?

Wei Bernian smiled and continued, “There’s another job, if you’re interested. This place was originally a small mine, with some output. Now it’s occupied by deserters from the old Seventh Division. I don’t have the manpower to deal with them. If you can take it, it will be part of your territory. Just pay me a 30% tax, and I won’t interfere with the rest.”