Chapter 76 The Mating Season of the Wild Bull
If there were local residents familiar with animals around, they would tell them that this smell was bison dung, and specifically from female bison.
It was currently bison mating season. Bulls in heat were violent and aggressive, and if cows were present, fights between bulls were inevitable.
Todd told Anne that a herd of bison had been roaming near Savannah in Sigma Wilderness. Residents had to avoid the area because the large animals were dangerous - they could charge or trample people, and they always traveled in groups.
Todd said there were only about ten bull bison now, but when they smelled females, more bison would come rushing in to compete for mates.
After hearing this, Anne immediately thought she could use this as a backup plan, letting the bison take care of some of the coalition soldiers.
She first asked Todd to collect some female bison dung, grind it up and put it in bags, then have Cynthia shoot it into the air to secretly sprinkle it on the soldiers during battle.
As for Savannah, they had already made arrangements. They prepared dung from large predators in advance and spread it around Savannah before the deserters left, to prevent some animals from being drawn by the smell.
Hearing Anne thank him like this, Todd instinctively reached to take a swig of alcohol, but grabbed at empty air. Only then did he remember that to stay, he had promised Anne to temporarily stop drinking so it wouldn't mess up the plan.
He rubbed his nose, a bit uncomfortable with the change. "Alright, enough talk. But there are still a few hundred people escaping. Are you really sure the bison herd can take care of all of them for you?"
Anne shook her head. "No, it's best if they do, but if they can't, there's still a benefit."
"Why?"
"When people face danger, where do they run?" Anne sneered. "They run to where they think is safe."
"The coalition forces don't know much about the Soth Empire. If they're going to run, they won't just charge around randomly in Sigma Wilderness. They'll run back with purpose, returning to Else Mountains."
"Before I came, I heard Lord Friedel say they seem to have a small outpost inside Else Mountains. If we deliberately search the mountains, we'd easily be discovered and face counterattacks. But if their own soldiers lead the way and we quietly follow behind without alerting them, we'll have a chance to fight."
Everyone suddenly understood.
Someone asked, "But we also got some bison dung on us. Won't we be attacked by bison when we go chase them later?"
Duncan glanced at Anne. "That's why you told us from the start to try not to expose our skin. We just need to change our clothes now, right?"
Anne nodded. "When I first made this plan, I had people rush to Warlinekza to bring clothes back. They should be here soon."
"Once things are about done with the bison, we can get ready to move out."
On the other side, the charging bison caught up with the Third Quick March almost instantly. These animals, which spent years running to avoid danger and find food, could nearly match the fastest horses when sprinting at full speed.
People couldn't dodge in time. Some were directly knocked flying or trampled to the ground by bison, instantly becoming piles of mush. But the bison weren't done yet, thundering after the remaining soldiers, surrounding them and shoving them around.
The few hundred deserters were reduced to almost nothing in mere moments.
The smart soldiers jumped into a nearby lake ahead of time. Without the smell, the bison, though frenzied, wouldn't charge directly into the water.
When the bison herd found no trace of female bison and left the area, the few remaining people dared to swim out of the water, trembling as they looked at the bodies and mangled flesh covering the ground.
"What do we do?" Someone's teeth were chattering with fear. "Our unit is down to just us few. Do we still have to stay?"
The survivors looked at each other. When their three thousand men arrived, they had been confident, thinking taking a small town would be easy. But not only did they encounter a strong enemy, they also ran into a bison herd while escaping. Now with only four or five people left to go back, how would they explain this to General Frol?
Finally, the person with the most seniority among the survivors spoke up. "Let's go. We're going back."
"We'll return to the outpost in Else Mountains, tell them about this, and have them contact General Frol and Marshal Saslov to create a new plan for attacking the Soth Empire."
With someone taking the lead, the others agreed. They didn't dare stay in the Soth Empire any longer. Who knew if another pack of wild animals might show up and take their lives.
People joined the army to build careers and achieve glory, not to die. If there was a better way to stay alive, they were definitely willing to take it.
After making their plan, they quickly checked their surroundings to make sure no enemy forces were nearby, then headed toward Else Mountains.
Morris, who had been lying on a rooftop watching them through binoculars, saw the movement. "The bison herd is gone."
"A few people are still alive, no more than ten. They seem to be getting ready to head toward Else Mountains."
Hearing this, Samira laughed. "Anne, you really got it right. They're going back the way they came to cry to mama."
Anne was changing clothes inside. Earlier, the knight she'd sent to Warlinekza had returned with a cart of new clothes, dried food, and a thousand soldiers. Best of all, they brought a military doctor, which was a pleasant surprise for Anne.
Now hearing Samira's words, she smiled slightly. "Has everyone rested well? We're about to move out to track them."
"But I need to explain one situation. If they don't enter the Else Mountains outpost, or if there's no outpost in the mountains at all, then the enemy forces will cross directly over Else Mountains and return to the Viller Empire's military camp. If that happens, our archers will kill the targets directly, hide the bodies, and return to Warlinekza via the northeast mountain path."
Everyone nodded.
Anne first arranged for a soldier to ride a fast horse back to camp to report the current situation and their destination. If they really needed to attack the Else Mountains camp, they'd need coordination from Friedel's side.
In this battle, the seriously wounded soldiers would stay behind under the military doctor's care.
Some of the newly arrived soldiers would clean up the battlefield and escort residents back to the city. The rest would gear up and prepare to enter Else Mountains with Anne.
Todd just stood to the side quietly watching. The upcoming battle wouldn't need this old man and his hammer anymore. Besides, Anne had just told him that once they finished cleaning up here, soldiers would accompany him into the forest to bring back the other residents.
If nothing unexpected happened, there wouldn't be another army attacking Savannah in the near future.
For some reason, Todd suddenly remembered a long time ago, when there was also a man who, like a hero descending from the sky, had saved them in Warlinekza.