Chapter 193: Demanding Cannon Fodder

Chapter 193: Demanding Cannon Fodder

The next morning, Airael and Arthur once again led the legion on their journey.

Though the pace was still slow due to the rough road, they were gradually getting used to it.

Slow was slow, but it was certainly better than standing still.

In a similar vein, while their speed wasn’t fast, the arrival of reinforcements still attracted the attention of the Orcs and Dark Elves.

Upon learning that humans had already sent a support unit into Orc territory, the Beast King was naturally very anxious.

Dealing with the current human force was already painful enough; if human reinforcements reached them, it would be even more troublesome!

Thus, the Beast King found the arrival of human reinforcements to be quite the headache.

At this moment, he was powerless to stop the reinforcements from coming.

Unless those Dark Elves decided to assist him.

Thinking about the Dark Elves, the Beast King felt an even greater headache.

They were people he had to pay for their services, while he had effectively invited an ancestor to return.

He couldn’t scold them or hit them, or they might flip on him at any moment!

And such a scene was exactly what the humans were eager to see.

So, the Beast King bit his tongue.

Fortunately, those Dark Elves didn’t require him to overly woo them.

Compared to the Beast King, Dark Elf leader Mork had it a bit better, but he still felt a significant amount of pressure.

This was because he had received even more intelligence.

Unlike the Orcs, the Dark Elves were able to infiltrate human territory more easily.

So, Mork had learned some internal news from the human nations.

Taking the Machia Republic as an example, the entire country was in a state of combat readiness.

Humans were really preparing to have a serious fight with the Orcs.

Mork understood this situation well; the Orcs had certainly offended the humans quite a bit over the years.

After years of resentment piling up, they had finally decided to take action. It would be strange if humans didn’t seize the opportunity to retaliate fiercely.

After contemplating for a while in his tent, Mork summoned the Dark Elf guard outside and said, “Go summon Amons.”

“Yes!”

The Dark Elf guard acknowledged and left to take care of it.

Before long, a familiar Dark Elf appeared in Mork’s tent.

This Dark Elf was none other than Amons, who had spoken with Mork after the Orc envoy had left.

Standing firm in the tent, Amons called out, “Master!”

Without beating around the bush, Mork directly stated, “Amons, I called you here because I want you to handle something.”

Amons replied, “Please give your orders, Master.”

Mork continued, “I want you to go and negotiate with the Orcs, telling them that while it’s not impossible for us to help them attack the human camp, they must agree to some additional conditions.”

“Master, that might be a bit inappropriate!”

Amons was stunned, hesitating a moment before finally speaking.

This deal had already set a price beforehand; asking for extra benefits now was indeed quite improper.

Even if their work wasn’t very honorable, they still had to follow principles and rules!

“There’s nothing inappropriate about it; things are different now. If the Beast King doesn’t agree, then you tell them we can’t help them.”

“Understood!”

Since Mork was so insistent, Amons had no choice but to agree.

“Go on, I believe the Beast King will agree; otherwise, the Orcs will have to become like us.”

With that, Mork smiled.

Honestly, he was quite eager to see that outcome.

After all, it wouldn’t be his misfortune—only the humans would truly benefit from it.

“Master, what do you mean by that?”

Amons looked confusedly at Mork.

When did the situation for the Orcs become this dire?

Moreover, hadn’t their arrival significantly improved the Orcs’ situation?

Though they hadn’t completely driven the humans away, it didn’t seem too far off.

As long as they wanted, they could help the Orcs repel the human army camped before them at any time.

But the sacrifices they would need to make would undoubtedly be greater, making it a losing endeavor.

Because of this, Amons harbored some doubts about Mork’s sudden change of heart.

Were they really going to disregard everything to help the Orcs fight the humans?

“Amons, this isn’t something I should be telling you, but in order for you to face the Beast King with more confidence, I’ll share a bit.”

Mork stated.

“Thank you, Master!”

Amons quickly expressed his gratitude, looking a bit flustered.

“I just received word from the scouts that human reinforcements have entered Orc territory, and all of human society is mobilizing for war. Thus, their goal isn’t just to retrieve the human force currently surrounded by us and the Orcs; they aim to annihilate us all here. The human force we see is merely bait—a lure to attract us.”

Upon hearing this, Amons instantly advised, “Master, if humans really plan this, we should withdraw promptly.”

There was no need for them to exhaust themselves fighting the Orcs and humans to the bitter end.

“No! If we walk away now, it’ll be like we’ve worked for nothing!”

Mork rejected outspokenly.

His previous expedition to Mils Fortress had already failed; this time he didn’t want to fail again.

“Master!…”

Amons began to speak, wanting to persuade Mork again.

Mork raised a hand to stop him, stating, “Amons, I have my own considerations; you just need to follow my orders.”

“Understood! So, what additional conditions do you plan to demand from the Orcs?”

“The conditions I ask for are not difficult for the Orcs; in the upcoming battle, I need an Orc unit to serve as our vanguard.”

“I understand now!”

Upon hearing this from Mork, Amons immediately grasped his intention.

Although they also had Orcs and human slaves acting as cannon fodder, those slaves ultimately belonged to them as Dark Elf wealth, and losing too many would be painful.

Mork’s plan was to have the Orcs directly send a unit over to act as their cannon fodder.

This way, the sacrifices of the Dark Elves in this battle would be greatly reduced.

After all, they would have two waves of cannon fodder ahead of them, and those cannon fodder would be no weaklings.

In this light, helping the Orcs to overpower the human unit wouldn’t be impossible.

“Since you understand, then go!”

“Understood!”

Having figured out the situation clearly, Amons felt confident about the upcoming negotiations.

After all, this was a positive development for the Orcs, and not something difficult for them.