967: Chapter 116, Blazing Flames Burn…
967: Chapter 116, Blazing Flames Burn…
“Increase the speed!”
In the ranks of the Allied Forces, various kings constantly urged the army to move forward.
According to the news from the front, the enemy had launched an all-out attack.
The last few dozen miles would directly determine the fate of the besieged Alliance.
“My King, the battle at the front has ended, and the enemy has turned southward and left…”
Upon hearing this answer, Snow Eagle King’s face darkened; they were just twenty miles shy of the last stretch.
Without any hesitation, Snow Eagle King hurriedly relayed the message to the kings of all the clans.
With the enemy already fleeing, there was no longer any point in a forced march.
Chasing down the enemy was out of the question; it has always been the cavalry hunting down infantry, never the other way around.
The Allied Forces did not have an organized cavalry, not because the clans did not understand the importance of cavalry, but because they were cornered and could not afford to maintain such gold-eating beasts.
“Since the enemy has left, let’s set up camp first and let the soldiers rest for a couple of days!”
Shadow King suggested.
Speed is of the essence in warfare, and in recent days the soldiers of the Alliance had been desperately marching, continuously breaking the Alliance’s march records.
The consequence was: the physically weaker soldiers had dropped out of the march.
Some species had even fallen behind with their entire clan’s troops.
They had rushed only to end up with nothing, which was understandably frustrating.
“Shadow King, it might be a bit too early to rest.
According to the spies, the enemy did not massacre the…
There are still many of our injured on the battlefield waiting for our treatment.”
Snow Eagle King added somewhat awkwardly.
Admitting in front of outsiders such as the elves that a great number of soldiers had been captured was a huge loss of face for the Alliance.
Unfortunately, Snow Eagle King was too candid, and he inadvertently let the truth slip out.
Even with his afterward remediation, he was only adding fuel to the fire.
There was nothing to hesitate about; if their people were still alive, they must be rescued.
The clans were not wealthy, and the fact that soldiers had surrendered and been taken prisoner was something they could only choose to selectively ignore.
Upon arriving at the front, the sight of countless wounded left the kings dumbfounded.
Their understanding of ‘wounded’ and the actual wounded left on the scene were two entirely different concepts.
There were only fifty thousand in the army, yet there were more than twenty thousand lying on the ground.
Such a high proportion of severely wounded might set a record in the continent’s warfare history.
Abandoning them was not an option.
The closer-knit the small species, the more tightly-knit their internal relations.
In the presence of many clan members, anyone who dared to abandon the wounded would have difficulty maintaining their position as king.
Providing treatment for the injured was a severe test for the Allied Forces, which lacked medical facilities.
“Damn Human Race, to be so despicable, they actually…”
The words were on the tip of Giant King’s tongue when he suddenly stopped short.
He knew that the wounded littering the ground were burdens the Expeditionary Army had left for them, but as a king, he could not just state it outright.
The other kings were also angrily cursing the Human Race for being despicable, but the specifics of their despicableness remained tactfully unmentioned.
“Respected One, you are learned and well-informed.
Do you have any methods for treatment?”
Shadow King asked hopefully.
With the medical level of the Ancient Heritage Alliance, those injured who had been sapped of their vitality could only rely on fending for themselves.
If one or two out of ten could survive, that would be considered fortunate.
Even if one were rescued, they would not have many years left to live.
Watching so many comrades dying before their eyes, the impact on the morale and spirit of the troops was unimaginable.
“We don’t have many Magic Potions on hand; we can’t save so many people all at once.
I will have someone send it over later.
You can dilute it with water and distribute it to the soldiers to consume.
These potions can only save the lives of the injured; they will still need one or two years of recuperation.
After recovery, living a normal life should not be a problem.”
Upon hearing the slightly somber words from the Elf Young Woman, the kings’ spirits sank even lower.
They couldn’t save everyone, so they had to choose whom to save first, right?
But they could only keep such thoughts to themselves.
The Magic Potion was provided by the Elf Race; it was their right to decide how it was to be used.
The idea of asking the Elf Race to send more potions was unthinkable.
Allies were not nannies; just the fact that they had provided these Magic Potions in an emergency was already a great favor.
According to the traditional practice of the clans in the past, when such a contingency occurred, they would normally prioritize treating the most valuable members of the tribe.
They would rather let ordinary clan members die than to allow their elites to recover to their peak condition; this was the way for the survival of the species.
But the Elf Race was different; they followed a different set of values.
When such a disaster occurred, their first thought was to save the lives of their people.
Whether or not they could regain their combat strength, that could be figured out later.
With the initiative in the hands of the Elf Race, this clash of values naturally ended with a resounding victory for the elves.
Watching the diluted potion being poured into the mouths of their clansmen, the kings’ faces lightened a little.
Even if the effect of the diluted Healing Potion was greatly reduced, it was better than nothing.
After all, they were their own people; being alive was definitely better than being dead.
Then the thorny issue resurfaced: how to deal with the large number of wounded?
Taking them along on the march was definitely out of the question; the jostling along the way would kill them.
If they could not be taken along, then part of the force would have to be allocated to take care of them.
As the army continued southward and had gone about seventy or eighty miles, Hudson suddenly gave the order, “Pass the command down, set up camp right here.”
The generals responded in unison.