Chapter 665: The Return Journey After the War
Early the next morning, Bunduk got up.
When they walked outside the tent, the soldiers in the troop were preparing to receive their own breakfast. The aroma of the food was very rich.
When they saw Bunduk, they all bowed and greeted him.
After eating this breakfast, they were about to walk out of the Undead City and trek back through the desert.
Bunduk walked around the military camp and took a look. He met a subordinate officer who was supervising his subordinates as they refilled the camels with water and fed them food.
After greeting his subordinates, the officer jogged over to Bunduk and bowed, “Commander Bunduk, good morning.”
Bunduk nodded and looked at him, “What’s the matter?”
“The list of the troops stationed in the Undead City has been calculated in detail,” the officer replied.
“Yes. Remember to leave more supplies for the soldiers who are staying back. The repair team from the main city will arrive in a few days,” Bunduk instructed.
“Alright.” After hearing Bunduk’s instructions, the officer immediately left the place. He began to arrange for the distribution of supplies.
The Sun gradually rose into the blue sky, and the temperature of the surface began to heat up.
The soldiers of Drondheim had packed their backpacks and were standing in familiar positions.
After the soldiers at the front of the line sounded their orders, the remaining 900 soldiers of the war began their journey home.
On the way back, they should be more relaxed and active than when they came, but the soldiers of Drondheim were very quiet.
After all, the comrades who had stood beside them when they came had already been buried under the yellow soil.
Even though they had won the war, the process that had taken place was indeed a pity.
On the way back, Bunduk and his men encountered the follow-up troops that were rus.h.i.+ng to the Undead City, as well as the reinforcements from the Elf Kingdom.
Two weeks later, Bunduk and his men finally stood in front of the city gates of the main city.
When they were within sight of the main city, the news of their triumphant return was spread by the soldiers on top of the city walls.
When Bunduk rode his horse into the city gates that were opened for them, the commoners standing on both sides of the street burst into cheers.
Among these commoners, some of them were relatives of the soldiers in the procession. Seeing their husbands and sons return safely, they were all overjoyed and wept.
After traveling for a while, Bunduk saw the guards of the palace who had rushed over from the other side.
The captain of the guards stopped in front of Bunduk’s horse and saluted, “Commander Bunduk, Congratulations on your victory. The Lord sent us a message saying that he wants to meet you.”
After Bunduk stopped his horse, he replied, “Alright, after I return to the barracks with the troops, I will go to the palace to meet the Lord.”
“Thank you, Commander.” The guard stood up and left with the soldiers behind him.
When he reached the front of the palace, Bunduk dismounted and pa.s.sed the horse to the soldier at the side and stepped into the palace.
Under the lead of Kant’s attendant, they walked to the Senate Hall.
“Commander Bunduk, I will take my leave first. The Lord has been waiting for you inside for a long time.” After the attendant brought Bunduk to the front of the door, he walked down another small path and left.
In the hall, Kant was sitting on the chair in the main seat, reading the text sent by the ministers. When he saw Bunduk arrive, he stood up to welcome him. “Thank you for your hard work.”
After saluting Kant, Bunduk stood up and shook his head at Kant’s words. “I only did what I had to do. Moreover, the progress of the warriors is indeed astonis.h.i.+ng.”
Kant smiled noncommittally and invited Bunduk to sit down.
“Now, the only force in the Nahrin Desert that can threaten Drondheim has been eliminated. Lord, you can rest a.s.sured.” Bunduk described the situation of this battle in detail once again, and explained the details omitted in the letter one by one, finally, he concluded with joy.
“Haha.” Kant clapped happily and replied, “The warriors are indeed brave. After this battle, all of you take a vacation and have a good rest for a few days. The reward distributed by the imperial court will also be sent directly to the families of the warriors within this period.”
“Thank you, Lord.” Bunduk expressed his grat.i.tude.
“During this battle, if you discover any outstanding subordinates, you can also treat them as important training targets. After all, within the army, you are the only one who has the ability to lead. “With such a large number of people, it is inevitable that there will be times when we can not take care of them.” Kant seemed to have thought of something, and he suggested it to Bunduk.
“Yes, Sir.” Bunduk agreed to Kant’s request.
The two of them didn’t talk for long. Kant was concerned about Bunduk’s health, so after the conversation ended, he asked the palace attendants to bring him back to his residence in a carriage.
Kant himself stayed in the palace to continue handling the government affairs.
All the warriors who partic.i.p.ated in the battle of the Undead Kingdom were given three days off. This was already very rare for them. When they returned home and saw the bountiful rewards that were delivered to their doors, they were even more delighted.
The officers in the army were having a harder time. With a sense of responsibility, they followed the soldiers who had not partic.i.p.ated in the battle to the homes of the soldiers who had sacrificed themselves. While apologizing, they handed over the medals and rewards that the imperial court had given to the soldiers who had sacrificed themselves.
Bunduk also followed the officers of various squads to go there a few times.
He spent the rest of his time resting in his own residence.
On the morning of the first day after the end of the holiday, he went to report to the army.
The subordinates of the army prepared a welcoming ceremony for him.
At the last moment, they invited him to speak. Bunduk walked up to the stage and said, “I hope that everyone can properly complete their daily tasks. Imagine yourself being needed to go to the battlefield at any time. Only then can you turn defeat into victory in a time of crisis.”
“Alright!” the soldiers below replied in hot blood.
Bunduk continued with some lighter topics. At the end of announcing the end of the welcoming meeting, he scanned the team, he called out, “Bill, Portlem, and Derrick, come to my place after your morning training ends.”
With that said, he walked down from the main general stage.
The few officers who were called out didn’t know what Bunduk wanted them to do. They looked at each other, but they still didn’t understand.
After the morning training ended, the three of them gathered with Bunduk in the military hall beside the training ground.
“How do you feel about this expedition?” Bunduk asked as he sat across from the three of them.
Portlem was the first to answer that he hadn’t made sufficient preparations for the battle strategy.
Bill spoke of his observation of the soldiers, while Derrick commented in praise on the soldiers’ ability to break through the encirclement.
Bunduk looked at the three of them and nodded in his heart.
Then, he asked softly, “Among you, does anyone have the confidence to stand on a higher level and lead the entire team?”