Everything in Place

The darkness before dawn still heavily covered the earth, as if a thick black curtain tightly enveloped the whole world.

But even in this darkness, Victor could see a bright spot in the distance from his horse— the Temporary Camp of the Southern Marching Legion outside Blackwater City.

From afar, the campsite was brightly lit, with tents, campfires, and torches creating a magnificent and colorful scene.

The camp was bustling with noise, a stark contrast to the silence of the night.

Victor galloped over and finally reached the outskirts of the camp. He reined in his horse and slowly brought it to a stop.

At this moment, chaos reigned at the camp entrance, with crowds surging and various sounds mingling together, making it difficult to distinguish between them.

The guards at the gate were doing their best to maintain order, but they seemed somewhat overwhelmed by the massive flow of people.

Upon seeing this, Victor frowned. He quickly waved to signal the people behind him to stop and tightened the reins to bring his horse to a halt.

Perhaps it was because Victor and his men were all riding tall and powerful warhorses, making them particularly eye-catching? Or perhaps it was simply that their presence standing directly at the gate was too conspicuous.

In short, the guards quickly noticed the conspicuous group.

However, at that very moment, a large number of mules and horses were pouring into the camp.

These mules and horses were short in stature but strong and powerful; they were clearly "coolies" specifically used to carry heavy loads.

Due to their long-term interaction with humans and their fear of the war environment, these mules and horses instinctively avoided Victor and his group's mounts upon seeing them, not daring to approach them even a step closer.

This made Victor and his group stand out even more, and the guards even sent a small squad to come closer. At first, perhaps because it was dark, they couldn't see Victor and his group's faces clearly.

But as they got closer to Victor, the leading soldier suddenly seemed to see Victor's face clearly and immediately pulled his comrade to salute Victor.

"My lord!" Perhaps worried that the chaos at the camp gate would be seen by the lord and displease Victor, the soldiers' voices were somewhat flustered!

Victor smiled at them. Even if he was dissatisfied, he wouldn't get angry at ordinary soldiers. He waited until the soldiers' expressions softened before continuing, "You've worked hard, still carrying out a mission so late!"

"It's no trouble at all, it's our duty, my lord!"

This time the answer was quite loud, perhaps because Victor's reassurance had an effect.

Where is your commander?

Are you the only ones here with so many people and goods?

"My lord, because this camp gate is too congested, our captain has led another convoy to our other camp gate!"

After listening, Victor's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly.

The guards quickly organized the mule caravans to make way for Victor and let him into the camp.

Victor walked into the camp and found that the various units preparing to participate in the operation had begun packing their gear, and many Cavalry units were receiving their warhorses with the help of grooms and Auxiliary Troops.

However, the interior of the camp was not as scattered as the entrance. Perhaps because the camps of each unit had been arranged in advance, everything was not chaotic but orderly.

Many troops had completed all preparations and started making breakfast, with wisps of smoke rising from the camp.

"My lord, you've arrived!"

Victor saw James, Ron, and other officers approaching, nodded to them, and then asked, "How are the preparations going?"

"All troops are in place; only the distribution of supplies and animal power is pending. They can depart on time!"

"Good!"