Chapter 73: Chaos in the Army

The chaos outside the city of Esola intensified. A group of city guards troops was driving away the civilians who had come seeking refuge, insisting they clear the main road. The rabbitfolk and mousefolk civilians, blocked from entering the city, began to wail and cry, which in turn attracted brutal beatings from the soldiers.

Of course, the conscripted mercenary groups were not included in this. The robust beastfolk, such as the horsefolk and pigfolk, capable of serving as soldiers, were also unrestricted. This was clearly a decision made purely from the perspective of securing the city.

In such turmoil, Wu Qingsong, as the leader of an obscure mercenary troop, naturally had neither the privilege nor the opportunity to meet the high officials of Esola. In fact, the one who received him was only the foxman who had previously assigned him the mine.

The foxman was visibly startled upon seeing the troop behind him, as they hardly resembled a newly formed mercenary group, and were entirely different from the one he remembered. However, he quickly approached to convey a few words of encouragement on behalf of the sheriff, then arranged accommodations for them, as well as their defense zone.

Gilgood was obviously terrified by the news of the mass emergence of insect people, otherwise, he wouldn’t have likely mobilized Wu Qingsong’s newly assembled mercenary group.

All kinds of rumors were flying around, concerning the number of insectpeople. Some said there were thousands, tens of thousands, and even over a hundred thousand. Everyone swore with conviction that their sources were internal and absolutely reliable, but the details they described were always filled with imaginative content, casting doubt on their credibility.

As a merchant who had only recently come to Esola to do business, Ram couldn’t gain insider information as timely as she did in Umber. However, with her help, Wu Qingsong quickly learned that in reality, not many mercenary troops had actually responded to the recruitment call. 

The Eryk mine, where the incident had occurred, lay nearly forty kilometers north of Esola City.

Initially, as the distress calls from Eryk lacked concrete information about the ant people, there was no widespread belief that the situation was of significant importance. Such occurrences were not uncommon in Esola. Oftentimes, the misfortune of one mine or mercenary troop signified opportunities for others.

However, mercenary groups attempting to aid Eryk soon encountered swarms of emerging antpeople and were forced to flee in panic.

Even at this stage, large mercenary groups near the incident site still believed they could withstand the ant people’s siege until reinforcements arrived. Unwilling to abandon their territories and properties, they stayed and prepared for a desperate fight.

But it didn’t take long for the infamous Dark Hand Mercenary Troop, with over forty years of history in Esola, to be completely wiped out, leaving only a few survivors who managed to escape. They brought back more accurate information.

It was said that all life forms around that area had been slaughtered. The ant people attacking the Dark Hand were estimated to be at least three thousand strong, mixed with many other insectoid species. At that moment, they were supposedly besieging another mercenary troop’s territory, known as the Saint’s Eye.

Upon receiving such news, nearby troops, who considered their combat strength inferior to that of the Dark Hand, began to retreat away from the Eryk mine.

However, the means of information transmission in this world were not very advanced. Ram believed that many mercenary groups who hadn’t received the news and still lingered in their territories would be annihilated by the antpeople.

Among the mercenary troops that received the news in time, aside from a few who had been operating in Esola for a long time and were just one step away from acquiring their own territory, many chose to retreat to surrounding areas upon learning of the situation.

Troops like the Thirteenth Mercenary Group, which responded to the call, were almost uniquely exceptional.

While the defense forces could oppress defenseless beastfolk villages, they were hardly reassuring to the high officials of Esola in the face of such a crisis. For this reason, they began to accept beastfolk with considerable combat capabilities into the city and extensively recruited Esola’s blacksmiths, conscripting them as militia.

Fortunately, Esola itself was a city renowned for its smelting industry. While the availability of other weapons could not be guaranteed, there was no shortage of long-handled iron hammers for everyone.

“As long as everyone fights bravely, Esola will never fall,” Philip, a foxman, said while delivering provisions to Wu Qingsong and his group. “Rest assured, I will faithfully report your loyalty to Lord Gilgood. The news of the massive insectoid invasion has been sent to Riniconia at top speed, where they have magical artifacts for long-distance communication. The message will soon reach the imperial capital. We only need to hold out for a few days, waiting for the arrival of the great Immortals. Once they come, those damned insectoids will surely be annihilated. By then, your achievements might even reach the ears of the Marquis, and your rise to prominence will be inevitable.”

Wu Qingsong, of course, did not believe such words, but the emotions of the official personnel he had encountered indicated that the situation was indeed dire.

By evening, more news arrived with the people who had fled for refuge.

The highly anticipated Saint’s Eye Mercenary Group also fell, and to worsen matters, the antpeople’s army began to move south, following the trail of the refugees, sweeping through the territories of various mercenary troops along the way.

No one believed any longer that they could withstand such a force for long. It was foreseeable that, by no later than tomorrow morning, the antpeople’s army would be at the gates of Esola City.

Wu Qingsong’s mercenary troop was finally called to take up defensive positions. They were assigned to guard the southeastern wall. Perhaps because this area was deemed less likely to be attacked, the only quasi-military force stationed there was their group, supplemented by temporarily conscripted horsefolk, pigfolk, and bearfolk.

The horsefolk and pigfolk had decent strength and should have been capable of wielding hammers against the impending insectoid assault. However observing their fearful and anxious expressions, Wu Qingsong had serious doubts about the reliability of this arrangement.

The only ones he could really count on were the temporarily conscripted bearfolk blacksmiths. Their strength was formidable, and swinging hammers was almost instinctual for them due to their constant blacksmithing work. In a bid to save their own lives, they had even equipped themselves with the finest armor and weapons from their shops. Facing the threat of the insectoids, aside from his own mercenary group, they were perhaps the only ones capable of putting up a fight.

Regrettably, there were less than thirty bearfolk assigned to this section of the wall.

A half-elf official from Esola was appointed to command them in battle. However, shortly after stepping onto the city wall, he claimed to feel ‘a strong physical discomfort’ and irresponsibly handed over command to Wu Qingsong before hastily fleeing the area.

“Damn it,” Wu Qingsong exclaimed.

Wu Qingsong had no choice but to steel himself and take command of this section of the wall. His first action was to appoint all the bearfolk blacksmiths as squad leaders, dispersing them among the horsefolk and pigfolk to stabilize morale. He also designated his own mercenary troop as the reserve and military law enforcement unit.

“Those who flee the defense zone out of fear, face death!”

He ordered his houndmen to roar this decree loudly, ensuring everyone heard it clearly. Then, he tasked Harold with keeping watch over the area while he rushed to the sheriff and city guard’s residences, hoping to secure more supplies and resources.

Fortunately, the looming threat and his previous bribes had earned him some goodwill with the officials. They allocated a batch of food and lighting oil for him and even provided some laborers to transport these supplies to the wall. They also agreed to place the wolfmen under Ram’s command in his charge.

But beyond that, they could offer little else.

“Can I dismantle the nearby houses?” Wu Qingsong asked.

The officials hesitated momentarily before responding, “Go ahead. As long as it saves lives, we can always find a way to deal with those things later.”

Wu Qingsong instructed Ram to oversee the transportation and distribution of supplies. He handed over the elderly, women, and children allocated to him, asking Ram to lead them, along with Ling and Liuli, in cooking, preparing stretchers and bandages, and clearing out some houses to serve as field hospitals.

Ram, though inexperienced in this area, quickly grasped his intentions and sprang into action.

Meanwhile, Wu Qingsong, accompanied by his mercenary troop and a group of horsefolk, charged toward the houses closest to the city wall.