It seemed they were stationed specifically to guard the cave entrance against any unexpected trouble.
That made the answer obvious: the Snake Demons captured by the Queue Army were almost certainly being secretly imprisoned inside this cave!
As Cui Jiuyang carefully made his way through the camp, he discreetly observed its internal layout, as well as the condition and equipment of the patrolling soldiers.
He grew increasingly certain that the Queue Army had something considerable in mind to warrant such a massive operation.
These days, the armies of regional warlords were mostly a mixed lot, made up of impoverished commoners who had enlisted simply to keep themselves fed, or able-bodied men who had been forcibly conscripted.
Most had been left with no choice and harbored little patriotic feeling, so naturally, they could hardly possess any genuine, heartfelt fighting spirit.
A man who wore his cap straight, fastened all his buttons, and knew roughly where to aim when firing already counted as a decent soldier.
Yet the Queue Army soldiers in this camp were entirely different from the warlord troops Cui Jiuyang remembered.
Every one of them could be considered among the best soldiers.
Not only did they look sharp, but their morale also seemed high, without a trace of the weariness and numbness common among ordinary troops.
More importantly, the vast majority gave off a faint but unmistakable bloody aura.
That aura showed that they were clearly veterans who had fought real battles and had blood on their hands.
A handful among them carried an intensely bloody aura, faintly tinged with a chilling savagery. They had clearly killed a great many people.
This only puzzled Cui Jiuyang further. Battle-hardened veterans were the most precious asset of any army. What exactly was the Queue Army planning by gathering these soldiers here?