Fungus Castle Puki Update Log: To enhance the battle experience of the Empire Army, we have removed the newly added [Combat Instinct] and demoted some Puki from elites to cannon fodder.

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Duke Eugene dispatched more than four thousand main troops, led by a general named Leonard, an Elder Lizardman with Palace Level strength.

Leonard was not a native Empire demon but was born in a tribe near the Empire’s border, often harassed and pillaged under the guise of military training by the Imperial Border Guards.

Unable to endure the harassment, Leonard once led a tribal resistance and even achieved some victories.

However, when they truly caught Duke Eugene’s attention, facing the encircling army that surrounded their tribe, they had no choice but to surrender.

The Duke appreciated his command and fighting skills and took him under his wing. Now, thirty years later, the former tribal resister has become one of the Duke’s trusted confidants, high in rank and authority.

William K. Duke sent him to command this time, valuing his experience on the Northern Territory and with the tribes.

Besides Duke Eugene’s troops, the Demon Race side also dispatched a team of eight hundred warriors.

Although not numerous, the Demon Race, as a war race created by the Demon King, relies on the innate Demon Pattern engraved upon birth, coupled with their outstanding Attribute Values, making it normal for each Demon Race soldier of the same Level to battle two to three other demon races, even more when dealing with wasteful half-demons.

Considering factors like morale, these eight hundred Demon Race warriors are in no way inferior to Leonard’s troops.

Due to command issues, both forces did not meld into one but marched parallel, maintaining a certain distance.

General Leonard’s expression was grim at this time, having just received news that the vanguard was halted.

Only two days into the march, he caught up with the vanguard.

Their camp was set against a steep icy cliff, surrounded by frozen rivers, in a perilous defensive posture, one might think they were the ones being attacked.

"Harson, according to the plan, you should have been clearing the path for the army. What are you doing now?" Leonard questioned the vanguard commander who came out to greet him.

Harson bowed his head, did not argue, merely led the general into the camp.

The sights along the way were shocking.

Most soldiers sat silently around the campfire, many wrapped in blood-stained bandages, with vacant or fearful eyes.

The air was thick with the scent of herbs, blood, and a faint hint of decaying bodies.

Back in the commander’s tent, Harson finally recounted the vanguard’s encounter.

In short, a mere skirmish has left Harson afraid to act rashly.

The enemy’s strength and numbers far exceeded expectations, resulting in a pyrrhic victory, plummeting the soldiers’ morale. Fearing further isolation leading to total annihilation, he chose to camp and wait for reinforcements.

"Hmph," the general expressed his dissatisfaction with a cold snort, "A battle fought like this, and you’re at a standstill? Do you want the Demon Race to laugh at us? Duke Dean’s men are watching from nearby!"

Though dissatisfied, Leonard took Harson’s words to heart. He refrained from further reprimand but convened all the officers.

After further discussion, Leonard discarded his initial disdain for the Northern Territory and altered the deployment strategy.

Firstly, he ordered the main forces to merge with the vanguard, reorganize, shorten marching distances between units, reinforce flank patrols and scout presence, ensuring rapid response support in case of attacks.

Secondly, he modified the established marching route.

He preferred detouring half a day’s journey to avoid spots likely suitable for ambushes or raids.

Lastly, the most crucial strategic goal adjustment.

He temporarily shelved the primary mission of "investigating the cause of unusual Northern Territory cooling," prioritizing "locating and crushing the Northern Territory tribal resistance forces."

This avoids scattering for searches, risking heavy losses by providing opportunities for tribal forces to defeat us separately.

Deployment complete, Leonard pondered and sent the skirmish details along with the revised marching plan outline to the Demon Race unit commander marching at a distance.

Though the two sides secretly eyed each other competitively, Leonard was not one to lose sight of priorities.

Then, in this cautious military atmosphere, they encountered the Puki again.

Still in a quantity of four thousand Puki.

The commander who encountered the Puki adhered to Leonard’s orders, promptly forming a defensive formation and alerting other units for support.

The Puki rushed in with white feathers, the demon army engaged, gained an advantage, and eventually obliterated the attacking Puki.

Without falling into a prolonged struggle, Leonard arrived with reinforcements only to find the battle concluded.

This thousands-strong unit incurred merely a dozen casualties.

However, their kills were all Puki; the tribal Puki Masters, seeing the unfavorable situation from afar, abandoned the Puki and fled.

Due to Leonard’s orders, the commander had to forgo pursuit.

Given this outcome, all officers couldn’t help but glance at Harson, the vanguard commander, whose face turned red but remained speechless.

Against the facts, any explanation seemed like an excuse.

Finally, Leonard intervened: "It’s possible the enemy feigned weakness; these tribes rebelling against the Empire must resort to some ruses. Maintain caution, all units, don’t allow mistakes!"

Yet following that, encountering several more Northern Territory Puki units, everyone’s initial caution diminished.

These Northern Territory Puki units weren’t completely defenseless.

The sheer number of Puki willing to die fearlessly, when strategically coordinated, was an annoyance to demon leaders.

But beyond that, there’s nothing worthy of praise.

Particularly the individual Puki strength, nowhere near the prowess Harson claimed.

The reasonable explanation then is that Harson committed rookie mistakes in command resulting in the pyrrhic victory, exaggerating the Puki’s strength to conceal his fault!

For a moment, everyone’s gaze at Harson carried a hidden contempt; even Leonard no longer showed him favor.

The general could imagine, after receiving warnings on our side and authentically encountering Northern Territory Puki forces, how those Demon Race would ridicule our incompetence.

If not for being amidst marching battle, Leonard would confront Harson thoroughly!

Nonetheless, while Puki strength was negligible, their sheer numbers were quite absurd.

Seeing the right flank once again exterminating over a thousand Puki and repelling the Puki Masters, Leonard furrowed his brow.

In this cold Northern Territory, how many Puki do these tribes actually possess?