Love and passion, cutting up the wasteland

"We failed to reach the Sand King Tower - you all know the battle report."

Kang sighed.

Lu Meng nodded. There were still many good news coming back from the front line.

At first, Scone Town would publicize the news a lot. Later, not only did the people listening become numb, but they themselves began to be perfunctory when issuing notices.

"What is said in the battle report is not wrong..." Kang considered the words, "But it only records one aspect."

"At the beginning, all we encountered were stragglers from the sand bandits. They had just invaded the kingdom and their foothold was not yet stable. Even if there were a few larger forces, they would immediately fall apart when they encountered the army."

"Soon, the troops were pushing to the borders of the kingdom."

"If we follow the historical strategy, we may stay to strengthen the border defense, and then send manpower back to completely eliminate other sand bandits still hidden in the country."

Lu Meng was speechless.

Judging from this, it is obvious that the bandit activities in the Shark Kingdom have not yet been eliminated.

"But this time Si Kun was so well prepared and put in so much effort, naturally he would not be satisfied with such a record." Kang didn't know what Lu Meng was thinking, and continued: "So the commander decided to continue to the 'border' Push forward and hit the King of Sand Tower directly."

The Border Land is a vast wilderness at the junction of the Kingdom of Shark and the Holy Empire. It is either uninhabited or in chaos.

The hub station is now included. When Lu Meng went to Scone Town, it could only be said that he had crossed about a quarter of the border.

The Sand King Tower is hidden inside.

"Your Excellency, Commander, your decision cannot be miscalculated." Lu Meng responded promptly.

Just like the Central Plains dynasty's response to nomadic raids, it was useless to simply repel the marauding troops. Only by taking the initiative to attack the royal court could an effective deterrent be achieved.

As long as we prevent the other party from becoming entangled again, we can at least gain decades of peace before the next hero is born.

This is true for the desert bandits under the leadership of the Sand King today, and it was also true for the Sharks in the past.

Without Kral to unify the Shaker tribe and establish a country, no matter how much they robbed, they would only be doing small things and not become a threat to the Holy Kingdom.

Now the tide has turned, and the side that has a headache has become the Kingdom of Shaq.

"Yes." Kang nodded, "So neither the queen's envoy nor the city lord's reply opposed the commander's decision."

"After entering the borderland, the environment suddenly became harsh."

"Drought, sandstorms, rift valleys and high slopes...not only delayed our march, but more importantly, put huge pressure on logistics."

"Without reliable transportation roads, many wheeled carts and carts cannot be used, and supplies can only be transported by camels, pack oxen, or even human power."

"In addition to logistics, bandits are also attacking more frequently. That is their home ground - every slope and every piece of sand may contain bandits holding swords and sharp weapons."

"There are difficulties, but these are originally within our psychological expectations." Kang seemed to recall the fighting spirit at that time, and said loudly: "Except for some people who were new to the battlefield started to complain, everyone is still high-spirited and Full of confidence.”

"Even if the bandits used the terrain to ambush us several times, the final result was always that the Shaq army successfully broke through. The corpses left by the bandits were far more than the number of soldiers we died in battle. They were unable to stop the entire army from advancing. pace!"

Lu Meng listened patiently.

In his opinion, compared to the plan of Shaq's army, the harassment tactics of the Sand Bandits are more worthy of learning by him now.

However, the number of suicide attacks needs to be reduced - but for the Sand King, there are as many cannon fodder sand bandits as there are, and there is no need to cherish manpower.

"We crossed the dry swamp river and arrived at a sacred village that has become ruins... According to the local guide, it can be speculated that it is not far from the Sand King's hiding place."

Lu Meng nodded secretly, it was indeed the case.

He had thought about whether it would change the situation of the war if he informed Shaq's army of the location of the King of Sand Tower in advance——

But this is at best just thinking about it.

He spoke softly and was not a local native, so why should the military leaders believe him.

What's more, the real King of Sand Tower is not a paper castle that will be destroyed once exposed as the world thinks.

"At this time, we received news from Scone Town that Fearless Tora has escaped from prison!"

Speaking of this, Kang looked at Lu Meng, as if asking.

People who have stayed in Scone Town may know more about this matter.

In this regard, Lu Meng could only show his hands.

He said that I didn’t know the inside story either.

Kang reluctantly looked away and didn't think about it carefully.

Also, with such a big change, ordinary people have no time to hide, so how can they know more than the official?

Let alone being a part of it.

"At the beginning, we also hesitated whether to withdraw the troops and go back to support... The queen's envoy stopped everyone, and the commander was unwilling to give up the opportunity, so the troops only rested and observed for one day before continuing to set off."

Lu Meng looked calm on the surface, but felt light in his heart.

The Queen's Special Envoy should be something like a military supervisor. The decisions of the Special Envoy and the Commander can be either courageous or reckless.

For example, if the turmoil of the Skeleton Corps was a plan to encircle Wei and rescue Zhao, then they would have successfully cracked it; but if Scone Town was really taken, even if the troops sent out to attack could break through the Sand King Tower, the two leaders would still be responsible. .

Lu Meng had a second thought.

Perhaps they have enough confidence - Scone Town is not that easy to breach.

In the original world background, even if Admark, the capital of the Shark Kingdom, fell, Skun could still stand in the canyon, but it had returned to the state of a military town and could not regain its current prosperity.

And when the time comes, it is the city lord of Skun, Dashan Mukai, who is appointed to inherit the status of Stone Demon Isata.

This city lord is quite mysterious and low-key, and it is difficult for players to find traces of his public activities before he succeeds to the throne.

"This all sounds very smooth." Lu Meng took it as a compliment.

The soldiers have high morale, the officers and soldiers work together, the supervisors and commanders have the same goal, and everyone overcomes difficulties and obstacles and advances step by step...

Compare the current results.

If nothing else, it's time for an accident.

"Just when we sent out a large number of scouts to search for the King of Sand and his bandits, this man appeared directly - with sand bandits all over the mountains and plains!"

Kang recalled the scene at that time and couldn't help but admire the courage of the bandit leader.

In everyone's eyes, although the King of Sand is the nominal leader of the sand bandits, facing the army of the Shangshak Kingdom, he is nothing more than a mouse hiding everywhere, prey waiting to be caught.

What Shaq's army didn't expect was that this prey dared to appear in front of the hunter and exposed his fangs.

What Shaq's army didn't even expect was that this time the King of Sand was no longer a mascot of the border land. He had actual appeal to the major sand bandit gangs.

The previous harassment and retreat were all this man's bait, all to lure Shaq's army deep into the wilderness and into a trap.

"But," Lu Meng objected, "even if the sand bandits gather, they are no match for Shaq's army."

If the sand bandits were so powerful, they wouldn't just huddle in the borderlands - wouldn't it be better to break into Admark and win the bird position?

The former is caused by gangs and the latter is caused by the new dynasty's elegant politics, which are completely different.

"That's right, so we won." Hearing that Lu Meng was so confident in their Shaq army, Kang felt a little proud in his heart.

"But... the price of victory is beyond imagination."

Thinking of what happened next, he couldn't help but sigh.

"Because, just when we were fighting with the sand bandits, an army suddenly rushed out from behind the entire army, which no one had even considered."

"They are," Shaq paused, "skeleton men."

"A legion composed entirely of skeletons joined the battlefield."

"Skeleton man?" Lu Meng narrowed his eyes.

He didn't expect this result.

The so-called Skeleton Man... is simply a robot.

They have no flesh and blood and have bare metal skeletons, which are like walking skeletons to other races.

"Where did so many skeletons come from? What is their purpose?" Lu Meng asked.

The existence of Skeleton Men is not a secret, there are legends about them all over the world.

For example, the Holy Empire's "Narco Minions" initially referred to skeleton men, but eventually expanded to include all mechanical creations and alien races.

Except for the Holy Land, other regions do not have much ill will towards them - it may be that the number of Skeleton Men is too rare. Ordinary people will never see a Skeleton Man in their entire lives, so naturally there is no malicious intent.

Now Kang says they encountered an army of skeleton men?

Several answers flashed through Lu Meng's mind.

"I don't know," Kang just shook his head. This was actually the first time he had seen this rumored race with his own eyes. "These skeleton men don't speak, they just roar. They attack indiscriminately as soon as they join the battlefield."

"My injury was caused by being attacked and cut by several skeleton men," Kang admitted, recalling the scene: "These skeleton men are highly skilled and fearless of death... From this perspective, they are indeed superior warriors. "

Even among the Sharks, who regard dying in battle as an honor, there are deserters - otherwise there would be no "Soldier Law". The more something is prohibited, the more it shows the prevalence of this phenomenon.

Survival is an instinct engraved in biological genes, but machinery is different. There will never be a problem of morale collapse...

"And it seems that both the Shaq army and the Sand Bandits are the target of their attack - but because we are closer and bear the brunt, in fact we are attacked by the Sand Bandits and the Skeleton Men at the same time."

"In the face of such a change, our Shaq army can still repel the enemy, which is considered brave." Kang couldn't help but defend himself.

misfortune……

Is it a coincidence?

Lu Meng had reservations about this.

The world often thinks that skeleton people are elusive, but Lu Meng knows that truly intact skeleton people have their own independent way of thinking, which is a little paranoid at best.

Especially now that the manufacturing technology of intelligent machines has been lost, every time one of the Skeletons dies, one is missing. They will not get involved in a war that has nothing to do with them for no reason.

Unless...it's controlled by a program.

'But obviously, no matter how capable the King of Sand is, he is not a programmer. ’ Lu dreamed, ‘Whether the Bone Man is acting out of his own will or being controlled by others, it shows that someone does not want the forces of the Shaker Kingdom to dominate the border areas. ’

"In the end, our commander believed that this was a big defeat. In order not to violate the warrior law, we could only continue to march to the King of Sand Tower and achieve actual results." Kang was a little tangled, "But the Queen's envoy said that we repulsed We defeated the enemy several times, and the King of Sand fled in panic... This is already a great victory, so it is better to withdraw our troops directly."

He knew very well that the special envoy was giving everyone a step down.

They won the battle, but it was a miserable victory.

After this battle, more than half of the army was lost, the wounded were scattered all over, and a lot of the supplies and supplies were looted and burned. If they continued to advance and encountered a few more ambushes, they would probably be completely wiped out - a complete strategic failure.

"Yeah." Lu Meng stopped asking.

From now on, without Kang's further introduction, it is known that the Queen's special envoy convinced everyone that the army returned to the city in advance and stopped losses in time, at least retaining a bit of "triumph" face.

He found it a bit funny.

In ordinary stories, it is usually the armchair military supervisor who drags down the talented and strategizing coach; but in the Shark Kingdom, it is the queen's special envoy who is the supervisor-like figure who puts an emergency brake on the army and preserves the strength of the army.

The long-standing evils cannot be undone in a short period of time, and Shaq's new policy is still advancing.

"Lao Kang, does it matter if you tell me this?"

Lu Meng finally asked.

This is a military matter after all.

"There are too many people who have witnessed this war, so we can't hide it." Kang waved his hand casually, "If you are interested, you can read the clues from the official propaganda. When the loot is counted tomorrow, you will probably be able to see the 'Capture of the Bone Man' Reports like "Manju"... even the literal data cannot be accurate."

The spoils of war…

Lu Meng's eyes lit up.

This is good news. If you know the time when the loot will be settled in advance, you will have more opportunities to pick up the missing items.

The joint store in Scone Town started by reselling loot, so this time it will be able to buy a lot of new goods.

Although he will definitely be selected and assigned by the military in advance, there is probably no one among the Shaqs who is interested in what he wants.

"Thanks, Lao Kang." He meant it this time.

"Oh, let's talk about this..." Kang, a tall and powerful Shaq, was a little embarrassed in a rare way, "You healed my injury, but I haven't thanked you yet."

He thought Lu Meng was referring to introducing the battle situation.

To them, these are just topics for conversation at the table after a meal.

For example, the story of the Stone Demon Queen's challenge to Shagar and her success in ascending to the throne is a long-lasting hot topic among warriors.

For the Shaq people, 'regicide' is not a serious matter, but it shows the bravery of the Stone Demon - if anyone is dissatisfied with her, it is only because of the New Deal.

The only problem is that every time this topic is brought up, the final result is often a quarrel between the two waves of warriors who think the Stone Demon is stronger and those who think Shagar is stronger. In the end, they even duel on the spot and exchange swords... It is also a very lively chat. Atmosphere.

Compared to them, Kang even felt that his conversation with Lu Beiyou was too harmonious.

This human always knows how to answer and ask questions at the right time, and is a perfect listener. He unknowingly revealed everything and felt very accomplished and satisfied.

After saying this, the two of them said goodbye.

Kang was left alone. He looked around outside, then turned around and locked the door, as if he was afraid of being discovered.

Then the Shaq man sat back at the table and opened the wine bottle neatly.

A faint fragrance floated out.

"Imported from Union City..."

Kang was a little surprised.

Wandering warriors often dislike this kind of drink, saying it tastes bland, smells feminine, and is girly... not a drink that good men should drink.

Only Kang knows that this wine is soft in the mouth, but in fact it has a strong stamina and a long aftertaste. It is no exaggeration to say that you can even get drunk and carry an ox.

Those people don't like it, probably because they can't afford it.

"How does that guy know that I'm good at this?" Kang muttered, surprised and puzzled.

The aroma of the wine made him feel hungry.

——The wound also moved.

"broken……"

do not drink alcohol.

Kang suddenly remembered the "doctor's advice" left by Lu Beiyou.

"A little, just a little should be okay..."

Shaq struggled for a long time, and finally screwed the lid on, and just stared at the jug in a daze, restless and itchy.