Bho Thong glanced at the towering city, his starving men immediately collapsed in waves as relief finally started flooding back.
In the holy ministry, Roy sat quietly on his chair and beside him knelt Yom Euni and a few altar servers, all clad in flowing white gowns as they served tea on Roy's cup.
Just as the peaceful atmosphere began to settle, a thunder of boots suddenly rang out from the hall as a scout came rushing in, breathing heavily as he relayed a report.
"Urgent news!" the scout said, his voice rang loudly in the silent room.
Roy frowned slightly, the altar servers were equally stunned.
"Soldiers suddenly appeared right outside the southern gates. They look like men from the western kingdom!"
Roy immediately sprinted toward the walls, his silhouette fluttered slightly before fading.
Yom Euni and the altar servers all jolted in shock, just moments Lord Zudra was just sitting quietly on the stone chair, yet right now the same chair is completely empty, as if no one had ever sit on it in the first place.
Roy arrived instantly on the city walls, standing behind the battlements as his face slowly turning anxious and solemn, as if something unsettling has been happening deep inside his mind.
He was afraid if his men clashed against the western soldiers, even if the firearms special unit arrived, they would still be in danger for they still need more training and drills.
Thinking about his beloved people dying, rage and fury suddenly began rising from his heart, his anxious expression suddenly becoming more serious, his brows slowly knitting tightly as he walked with hurried steps.
When he arrived at the southern walls, he saw the ministers already standing behind the battlements with a faint trace of fear visible in their eyes.
Sor Sogon and Rak Mhan immediately approached Roy, bowing on one knee before speaking.
"Lord Zudra, there are about fifteen thousand troops out there."Sor Sogon said, a hint of anxiety evident in his tone.
"Give us your order, Lord Zudra"
Roy looked down outside the city walls, and there, he saw it, he immediately sucked in a sharp breath.
Countless armored figures dotted the fields, all clad in heavy armor, all armed to the teeth, yet Roy discovered something even more unsettling.
The soldiers were all thin, their faces pale as paper and their bones were visible, as if they had been gnawed by hunger for days without ever eating even a single meal.
Roy turned his head toward Sor Sogon.
"What do they want?" Roy asked with a lowered tone.
"They said they only want food and a place to rest, Lord Zudra." Sor Sogon replied, still bowing his head.
"Their commander said that they had marched from Hubog Town to wipe out a southern army detachment, and that they have already ran out of food."
Roy listened to Sor Sogon's report, unease began to creep through his spine as he glanced back toward the western army, unsure wether to trust them or to lend a hand.
"L–lord Zudra, " Minister Bong Bo said with a low voice, "s–should we let them in?"
"Maybe we should let them stay for a couple days to rest until they march back toward the western kingdom again." Another minister said cautiously, deliberately lowering his tone as if afraid to be overheard.
Roy's mind was already racing with thoughts, still unable to make a proper decision.
After careful thinking, he finally decided.
"Let them in for a couple days, when they regain strength, set them back toward the western kingdom."
And with that, Bho Thong and his army went inside Zudrath City.
The ministers had already sent them food and arranged their tents and sent them to the military barracks.
When the western army arrived at the training field, the soldiers of Zudrath City had already prepared their meals, a simple soup with a few slices of meat and vegetables along with a large piece of bread.
To the people of Zudrath City, this meal is already considered as the poorest food for people who could not afford meals and rely only to the free food of the city, yet to the western troops who had not eaten for days, it was already haven.
The western soldiers eyes immediately let up when they saw the feast and was about to charge in and snatch the food, yet the soldiers from Zudrath City immediately stepped in and shouted to the western army.
"Form a straight line and receive your meals one by one." the instructor shouted loudly, still not daring to move unless the order was followed.
The western soldiers cursed inwardly, clicking their tongues as they formed a crooked line.
When the army received their meals, relief finally came flooding back through their hearts, they had suffered starvation for days without even a single slice of meat to fill their empty stomachs, so even a simple bread or a slice of roasted meat would instantly wash away their hostility.
The soldiers continued their meals with joyful expression, licking and chewing what remained on their plates as if wasting even a fraction of the food would be considered as blasphemy.
Bho Thong sipped his soup with visible satisfaction, beside him were also equally satisfied commanders and generals that had been starving from the campaign.
"This city is very prosperous," one general said while stuffing a piece of bread into his mouth, "to think they could feed fifteen thousand men, the people in this city are rich!"
The commanders laughed loudly as they continued eating their meals.
"And i also saw beautiful ladies earlier, all clad in stunning white gowns." Another general added, a terrifying grin slowly began to appear on his face.
Slowly, the generals all turned their heads toward Bho Thong, all wearing the same terrifying expressions of people that are about to do something dark.
Bho Thong immediately straightened his posture, for even if he was just a low-ranking general, it is also his responsibility to entertain his men.
He stuffed a large piece of bread into his mouth, and slowly, his lips also began to curve into an unsettling, terrifying smile.
"Do not worry, because i alread have a plan."