Summoning Total War - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: The Last Serenity! (Part 2)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“Your Excellency, the gnolls are camped ten miles away. Judging from the size of the group, there seems to be 3,000 to 4,000 of them.” Because there weren’t any light cavalries, the soldiers in the General Guards had to serve as a substitute. The light cavalry would be responsible for scouting when they appeared.

“Got it,” Murphy said. He stood in the plaza and behind him stood a few secretaries allocating strategic supplies.

It was now noon, and the sun was glaring.

Murphy had already guessed the reason why these gnolls were camping instead of attacking. The creatures must have some sort of night vision ability and could see better at night than to humans. This was why the gnolls weren’t eager to attack and were instead waiting for nightfall.

Fortunately, all of this had been a part of Murphy’s plans all along.

Although this would reduce their odds of winning, he couldn’t just assume his opponent was just a bunch of beasts without the slightest bit of intelligence.

Since they wanted to fight a night battle, then let them battle to their hearts’ content!

. . . . . . . . . . . .

“How much more meat is there?” Murphy asked. He wiped his sword and turned back around to face the finance officer behind him.

The man was in his fifties and had a full beard. He took out a book and did a calculation, then respectfully said to Murphy: “Your Excellency, the cattle have all been moved. There are still thirteen sheep and fifty chickens in town. And there are fifty ducks and about six hundred pounds of fish.”

It was impossible for the cattle to stay in town, as they were the mainstay of farming.

For now, Murphy absolutely could not allow any cattle to be killed.

“Kill six sheep and take two hundred pounds of fish!” Murphy said in a deep voice while he recalculated the budget of the battle again.

The battle would end by tomorrow afternoon at the latest!

If the gnolls weren’t defeated by tomorrow, then morale would collapse. If not, the only thing Murphy could do was retreat to the other side of Nidoria River and start afresh.

“I want to see all the soldiers eating meat at noon today!” Murphy didn’t forget that mobilization before war was indispensable.

“Yes, Your Excellency!”

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Heavy footsteps sounded from behind Murphy, and the sweat-stained Hamilton came to his side. The brave general saluted Murphy and bowed to him before saying in a deep voice: “Your Excellency! The obstacles have all been set, and the hay has all been stacked!”

“Okay,” Murphy said and nodded. “Very good. Go grab something to eat first, and then familiarize the soldiers with the retreat route. There can’t be any confusion!”

“Yes!” Hamilton responded.

One by one, the sheep were pulled out and slaughtered. The cooks placed dozens of cauldrons filled with boiling water in the plaza.

Obviously, this wasn’t a time for elaborate cooking. The slaughtered sheep were cut into numerous pieces and thrown into the pot, then stewed with some seasoning. After a while, the strong aroma of the food drifted around the plaza. Many soldiers and townsmen salivated when they walked past the pot. In this era, ordinary townspeople only ate two meals per day. It was only during holidays and New Year that meat was served. The soldiers were treated better. Murphy planned for the soldiers to have meat once every three days to maintain their combat effectiveness.

But in most cases, the soldiers mainly ate fish.

Normally, mutton was only enjoyed on a daily basis by lords, generals, and senior officials.

It was about three in the afternoon.

The obstacles and defenses had finally been laid out. After simmering for two hours, the mutton in the pot had stewed and now filled the plaza with a rich aroma. Not only the soldiers, but the secretary behind Murphy also swallowed. Even if these Westerners were modern, lunch still wasn’t very important. The most important meal during the day was still dinner.

Three o’clock. It was about time.

It was currently early spring at this point in the year, and the sky usually grew dark around six o’clock.

Their military strategy should be based on the actual situation at hand. From the beginning, Murphy had considered all kinds of possible scenarios in his strategy. Only by doing this could he increase his odds of winning and ensure that they would survive!

He couldn’t run away forever, so he had to face danger himself!

Starting from four in the afternoon, it took about three hours for the sky to completely turn dark. This was sufficient time for the soldiers to digest their food after eating and convert it into energy. Enough meat also made the soldiers fuller for longer periods of time so they would have plenty of physical strength for the night.

But Murphy had to remember that too full of a stomach wasn’t good for fighting!

He planned everything again. It was currently 4 o’clock in the afternoon, and the food needed for 1,800 people was finally ready.

“Let’s eat!” Murphy said and picked up a bowl of simmering broth along with two pieces of white bread. He took a bite.

Seeing that Murphy had eaten, the soldiers cheered and gathered together to get their own food.

Although this was wartime, Murphy and the soldiers enjoyed the food together.

But rank still existed, and certain social rules had to be followed. The soldiers could only eat after Murphy had eaten first. This was also a form of respect.

There were no chairs in the plaza, but this wasn’t a problem at all.

Murphy took a sip of the broth and figured he might as well sit on the ground, so he proceeded to take a seat on the steps in the middle of the plaza.

Seeing Murphy sit on the ground to eat his dinner, the soldiers did the same, and they all sat on the ground with their bowls of broth. The townspeople gobbled up their food, while the soldiers ate with their weapons beside them. The soldiers ate relatively slowly, as they knew that chewing slowly would help them digest their food. Otherwise, it would affect their strength in the upcoming battle.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

A fragrant aroma passed by Murphy as the high priestess, carrying a small bowl of broth and a piece of bread, sat down to his left.

With her slender fingers, she broke the bread in two and placed the larger half in Murphy’s bowl. She noticed Murphy looking over at her and smiled softly. She dipped her bread in the broth and then took small bites out of it. Her snow-white sacrificial robes were covered in dust, and it seemed that she had been busy all morning, but she still looked beautiful. Unlike when he saw her earlier at the temple, she looked more feminine now.

As if they had coordinated this ahead of time, just as the high priestess sat down next to Murphy, Lady Elizabeth also sashayed over, carrying her broth and meat, and sat down to Murphy’s right.

The two women, who were meeting for the first time, glanced at each other, and they involuntarily turned their heads and fixed their eyes on Murphy.

Sparks flew!

Murphy was concentrated on finishing his food, and it didn’t look like he had noticed any of this.

The two women looked at each other for a moment, and then immediately smiled elegantly at one another, like blooming flowers!

Murderous intentions…