The wicked female is extremely fierce, but she's pampered by her seven beast husbands.

Chapter 343 Extra Chapter: Jinglan Military Town
Chang Tianchen arrived at the front line in the afternoon.

The battlefront was located at the southernmost tip of the Mulan Plain, less than a kilometer from the Xuemu River.

When Chang Tianchen arrived with his men, the team had to retreat to the second line of defense due to heavy casualties.

The southern tribes, who had crossed the river to fight, seized the front-line positions from them in just half a day.

When Chang Tianchen jumped off Wu Zhuo's back, he looked at the chaotic second-line camp and frowned, asking, "Who is the commander of the second line?"

"Didn't they say that after the first front line went into battle, the second-line generals had already sent people to provide support?"

Looking at the tragic scene before him, Chang Tianchen was momentarily confused about what had happened at the front lines.

Wu Zhuo flew into the air, circled once above Chang Tianchen's head, and said, "I'll go ahead and scout things out."

Chang Tianchen nodded slightly and said, "Be careful."

Wu Zhuo's sharp eagle eyes flickered, and he nodded slightly before spreading his wings and flying towards higher and farther places.

The second line of defense is located near Jinglan Creek. Since the line of defense was set up here, the army has begun to build defensive fortifications on the spot. The scale is not as large as that of the attached city, but it is already the size of a small town. It is distributed in a strip along Jinglan Creek. The outer ring is made of earth walls built by earth-type ability warriors, which have been hardened with their abilities and are as hard as rock.

Therefore, the military town of the second line of defense was also known as Jinglan Military Town.

Chang Tianchen and his group landed in Jinglan Town, where there were many dusty tents. Outside the tents, fallen soldiers could be seen everywhere on the ground. These soldiers still showed signs of life, but they were all groaning in pain...

Chang Tianchen walked towards the nearest wounded soldier, lifted the vomiting warrior with one hand, and turned back to the orcs who had followed him, still somewhat bewildered, and shouted, "The accompanying medic, come and take a look. What's wrong with them?"

The military doctor following Chang Tianchen was a 12th-level Pallas's rabbit orc. Upon hearing Chang Tianchen's order, he immediately ran over, but instead of directly treating the patient, he bent down to examine the vomit on the ground.

The accompanying military doctor was named Sun Miao. He was a short male orc with a round head and face, a head of short, mottled hair, thick eyebrows, round eyes, and protruding ears.

Seeing him shoveling the disgusting vomit with a twig, Chang Tianchen didn't urge him. After a while, he asked, "Can you tell what's causing them to vomit and have diarrhea?"

Standing next to Chang Tianchen, Ke Yang said, "We initially suspected poisoning, and we sent Xuan Yan over first, but we don't know where he is right now..."

Sun Miao glanced at Ke Yang without speaking, and instead reached out to examine the patient leaning against Chang Tianchen. He first checked the patient's eyelids and then examined the tongue before extending his supernatural power into the patient's body. The whole process was quite lengthy.

Having grown accustomed to Yu Heng's methods of providing results and even immediate treatment, Chang Tianchen was somewhat unaccustomed to Sun Miao's somewhat inefficient diagnostic methods. However, he remained rational and knew that most witch doctors were actually the same as Sun Miao, needing some time to confirm the diagnosis.

He waited patiently until Sun Miao stopped, then asked, "How was it?"

"Poisoning."

Ke Yang was speechless for a few seconds, then said, "Judging from the symptoms, it's poisoning. What's the difference between saying this and not saying anything? What kind of poison is it? Can you find out? Even if you can't find out, what's the solution? If this continues, the number of troops we can mobilize will only decrease."

Although no one died, without combat capability, what difference is there between them and decorations?

The soldiers trained hard in combat skills, not to die in such a humiliating way.

Sun Miao shook his head and said, "Before I saw them, I thought it was the venom of the Black Baman Snake Clan, but upon closer inspection, it's not. This warrior is not from the Cloud Brocade King Snake Clan, but rather a warrior from the Crocodile Clan, and has no ability to resist the venom of the Black Baman Snake Clan."

“He had been poisoned for more than three hours. If it were black bamushi venom, he would have died long ago.”

Ke Yang frowned and said, "So, it's poison, but not as potent as black basa snake venom?"

“A chronic poison.” Sun Miao raised his eyes and said, “We need more time to confirm the specific components, but one thing is certain: this poison needs time to accumulate, it’s not as simple as being bitten by a poisonous insect and getting poisoned immediately.”

Chang Tianchen vaguely understood his meaning, his eyes narrowed slightly, and his gaze darkened: "Has the food or water been tampered with?"

Sun Miao nodded slightly and said, "That's very likely, but I can't guarantee it's definitely true."

Chang Tianchen handed the dying soldier in his arms to Sun Miao, stood up and said, "You help him heal first, I'll leave a few people to assist you."

"We can't just leave the poisoned soldiers lying around in the camp. We need to immediately set aside a designated area to house them, and then differentiate them according to their condition, prioritizing the treatment of the most seriously ill."

Sun Miao said solemnly, "Yes, we will take care of these poisoned soldiers as soon as possible, just as you have instructed."

……

There wasn't much vegetation in the Jinglan Town campsite; it was mostly low-lying weeds. Occasionally, you could see a few large trees with lush canopies but incredibly smooth and straight trunks.

Chang Tianchen moved quickly, heading towards the main tent. After seeing him, Wu Zhuo landed beside him and followed him, reporting as they walked: "The front-line positions have almost completely fallen. Only the westernmost section of the defense line, which is under the responsibility of the Luo E tribe, has not yet been captured."

"But their situation is very bad right now. They are almost surrounded and attacked. I don't think they can hold out for much longer."

"Isn't anyone going to help?"

"Most of the troops on the second line of defense were deployed to the front to engage the enemy. The remaining reinforcements encountered enemy forces blocking their way."

Chang Tianchen gritted his teeth, a hint of anger rising in his eyes: "You really want to strike first and wipe out the entire Luo E Clan team, giving us a taste of your own medicine?"

How can we let them succeed in this!
Ke Yang soon returned with the news, reporting: "The commander of Jinglan Town is Jing Shan. He has led his troops to support the Luo E tribe and is not currently in the camp. The Jinglan Town front is now being defended by the deputy commander Bai Ba, who is also not in the main tent."

"What about the others?"

"Outside the military town, directing operations on-site."

"Currently, the military town is being used as a wounded and sick camp. All the military doctors are being assigned by Xuan Yan, and Sang Ting is also here. He has been assigned by Bai Ba to the military town to be in charge of overall logistics."

They're all acquaintances.

Chang Tianchen stopped and thought for a moment before finally deciding to go to the main tent first.

The first line of defense almost completely failed, but with Jing Shan going to support the Luo Crocodile Clan, the problem isn't too serious.

However, the longer it drags on, the greater the casualties among the Luo Crocodile tribe.

After Chang Tianchen opened the tent flap and went inside, Wu Zhuo immediately lit the lamps inside. Ke Yang stood in front of the long table, looked at Chang Tianchen who had sat down, and asked solemnly, "Commander Chang, what should we do now?"

How many troops can be mobilized to the second line at present?

"On the front line, there were 11,000 troops previously, 2,500 of whom were from the Luo Crocodile Clan. Currently, there are about 700 soldiers who have been poisoned and transferred to Jinglan Town. The number of soldiers guarding the western section of the front line is estimated to be less than 1,800. This includes the casualties who were not transferred out in time. The actual situation is likely to be more severe than this number. I estimate that there may not even be 1,000 casualties."

After all, several hours had passed between the time the news reached Ten Thousand Beasts City and their arrival there. The southern forces that had crossed the river and occupied their positions were now focused on encircling and annihilating the Luo Crocodile Clan.

"Within the military town, the number of soldiers who have been poisoned has now exceeded five thousand."

"The second line of troops that Jingshan led to provide support numbered about three thousand."

"Therefore, the number of troops that can be mobilized for the second line at present is only slightly over 10,000."

Chang Tianchen sighed softly, but didn't show any sign of frustration. He sat up straight and quickly gathered the information from the front lines, beginning to make orderly arrangements and deployments. ...

On the defensive line guarded by the Luo E tribe, blood had already soaked large areas of land. After Jing Shan fought his way through the troops blocking their way, he arrived at the Luo E tribe's defensive line. Almost every Luo E tribe warrior was wounded. Before he could say a word, Jing Shan joined the battle to resist the southern encirclement and annihilation.

The battle was completely over when the sun was about to set.

At this moment, the western sky was filled with brilliant rosy clouds, but above the vast sky of the Mulan Plain, large patches of low-hanging dark clouds appeared. These clouds piled up together and moved rapidly from the east to the southwest.

Just as the dark clouds were about to fill the sky above, a cry of an eagle rang out high in the sky. Jing Shan looked up at the golden-topped giant eagle circling in the air, wiped the mottled blood and sweat from his face, grabbed the short whistle inside his collar, and blew it hard.

Soon, the giant eagle above locked onto the direction of the sound and flew over.

Jingshan planted the large sword in his hand into the ground, looked at Wuzhuo lying on the fallen tree trunk, casually untied the cloth wrapped around his arm, wiped the wound on his chin, his Adam's apple slowly bobbed twice, and touched the water pouch at his waist, wanting to drink some water.

But when his fingertips touched the water bag, he realized that all the water inside had leaked out.

Because he was accidentally slashed by an enemy's knife during the battle, his water bag was torn in a large hole.

Wu Zhuo tossed a water pouch into his arms. Jing Shan caught it with one hand, raised his eyebrows slightly, and said, "Thanks."

Wu Zhuo shook his head and said, "No need to thank me."

"This battle was tough."

Jing Shan shook his head, too lazy to say anything more. After pulling out the stopper, he tilted his head back and gulped down a large mouthful of water. Once his parched throat had recovered, he cleared his throat and asked, "Has Chang Tianchen arrived in Jinglan Town?"

"They arrived in the afternoon, but they were redeploying and directing the battle at the front."

Looking at the devastated land before him, Jing Shan asked, "Should we defend this side, or retreat?"

Wu Zhuo answered succinctly, "Guard."

Jing Shan coughed softly twice, not surprised by the order: "Has the commander in charge of the garrison been decided?"

"You take charge."

Wu Zhuo took a small bamboo tube from under his wing, held it in his beak, and tossed it into his hand.

"This is a letter for you."

After Jingshan removed the stopper from the bamboo tube, he looked at the somewhat messy handwriting and Chang Tianchen's personal seal on it, nodded and said, "I'll take the people who came to support us today to guard the area. You take the Luo E Clan people back to recuperate."

Wu Zhuo said, "Boss Chang means that the seriously injured should be transferred back, while those with minor injuries should stay here."

"The 2,500 troops previously stationed here were already being suppressed."

“You only left three thousand troops, not even counting the men you lost on the way. If you withdraw all the Luo E tribe warriors, your small force will suffer the same fate.”

Jing Shan looked up calmly at Wu Zhuo and said confidently, "I won't."

"I am from Nanyuan, and I understand the enemy's methods better than the Crocodile Clan. I will not fall for their tricks easily."

"Do you have any clue about the poison they were given?" Wu Zhuo asked in return.

This question left Jing Shan speechless.

He paused for a few seconds, his lips pressed tightly together, and then he silently took another sip of water.

Wu Zhuo had anticipated his reaction and did not show any sarcasm. Instead, he calmly said to him, "Before I came out, Xuan Yan had already figured out what kind of poison it was. They should be able to prepare the antidote and send it over soon. Those soldiers with mild or moderate poisoning will recover quickly after taking the antidote."

"Also, Boss Chang asked me to remind you that during this period, you should not use the water source of Xuemu River for cooking or water, and you should also be careful when using the water source of nearby streams."

"This poison is a chronic poison, and it is very likely that there is a problem with the water source, which is why there is such a large-scale poisoning situation."

Jingshan pondered for a moment, then asked in confusion, "What kind of poison is it? It's so strange."

"Xuanyan says it is a complex toxin."

"Plant venom mixed with snake venom."

"But because it wasn't used directly on the soldiers, in order to maximize its effectiveness, the poison was scattered into streams and rivers. The soldiers used the poisoned water, which is why they were poisoned."

Jingshan asked in bewilderment, "The river water is alive and constantly flowing, how is that possible?"

Xuan Yan was unsurprised by this and said, "What's impossible about that?"

"As long as we figure out when the army cooks and calculate the water flow rate, we can poison a large number of soldiers by poisoning the river at a specific time."

"The remaining soldiers who were not poisoned were mostly those who were on duty for shift changes and were resting at that time, which is why they did not drink the poisoned water."

Jingshan was still deeply moved after hearing this.

He never imagined that poisoning could be done this way.

I feel there was an element of luck involved.

However, it must be said that this method is extremely difficult to defend against.

Before they were poisoned, they had no idea what had gone wrong.

Even after something went wrong, the first suspicion was that there might be a spy within their ranks who poisoned their food.

Wu Zhuo straightened the feathers on his wings and said to Jing Shan, "Boss Chang also instructed that when we are on guard duty, we must pay special attention to the spies around us. If we find anything unusual, we must not take any chances. We must be on high alert immediately and send a message if anything seems wrong."

"I brought ten Wind Dragon warriors with me. They are incredibly fast and powerful, and few can rival them in the high sky. Pass on the message that we should stop using the Raven Clan warriors for now."

"Is something wrong with the Crow Clan?"

Wu Zhuo shook his head: "The Crow Clan is definitely fine, but they are too weak. When they deliver messages, they are too easily intercepted by the enemy. The previous delay in military intelligence transmission was because the messenger was intercepted and killed halfway, and the message was delayed."

"They are good at gathering information, but they are not suitable for transmitting important military intelligence, so their work has been temporarily adjusted."

"When the warriors of the Wind Dragon Clan are delivering messages, they must be arranged to work in pairs so that they can look out for each other."

Jingshan nodded and said, "That's all?"

Wu Zhuo nodded and said, "That's all. I'll go arrange for the transfer of the seriously wounded soldiers."

"Take care of yourself."