Panic

"Ha!" Alexander snorted coldly and left with a furious expression.

"Captain, will there be trouble?" Brenton asked with concern.

Brenton wasn't worried about himself; he was worried about Jake. After all, Jake had once again openly clashed with Alexander. Judging by Alexander's demeanor, he wasn't the forgiving type.

"Nothing will happen, don't worry." Jake reassured.

In reality, Jake wasn't entirely confident either. Although he had appeared composed just now, he was still in Skylark Camp, under Alexander's command. If Alexander wanted to cause trouble for him, it would be quite simple. Jake would only be truly safe once he managed to leave Skylark Camp.

However, he wouldn't say these words to Brenton. It would serve no purpose and would only make Brenton worry needlessly. There was no need for that.

Just at that moment, cries of battle suddenly erupted from both sides of the road. Soon, the members of the supply convoy looked around in fear as numerous figures emerged from the bushes on both sides. These figures had a murderous aura and their eyes glowed with an eerie green light as they fixed their gaze upon the convoy. More specifically, they stared at the supplies on the carts.

Ambushed! The realization struck the convoy members. Due to their haste to reach their destination and the fact that they were merely a supply convoy without dedicated scouts, Alexander hadn't arranged for reconnaissance ahead of the convoy.

Eli, who had experience from the regular army, had indeed suggested reconnaissance to Alexander. After all, the times were turbulent, but Alexander had directly rejected his suggestion. One, he was eager to proceed without wasting time on such matters; two, he genuinely didn't believe the supply convoy would encounter danger. This was the heartland of the Empire, and he considered it to be safe.

Moreover, if he had implemented reconnaissance only after Eli's suggestion, wouldn't that make him appear ignorant of military affairs, inferior to Eli? Considering this, Alexander naturally wouldn't heed Eli's advice. And the result of not heeding advice and arranging reconnaissance was the current ambush.

"That damn bastard!" Eli cursed Alexander under his breath while loudly directing the members of the 3rd Battalion to defend.

If Alexander had taken his advice, they wouldn't be in this predicament now. However, regret was useless at this point. The most important thing was to overcome the current danger.

"All members of the 3rd Battalion, listen up! Form a circular formation with the carts, people on the inside, carts facing outwards!" Eli commanded loudly.

Facing this sudden crisis, the members of the 3rd Battalion, like those of the other battalions, were initially stunned, even panicked. Yet, after several shouts from Eli, they quickly came to their senses. Following Eli's orders, they began implementing the plan.

At this moment, the value of their prior training became apparent. Although they were still afraid, they instinctively followed Eli's instructions instead of panicking or running aimlessly. Their movements were somewhat frantic, but at least they were acting, and it had an effect.

Comparatively, the members of the other battalions were completely lost. Some screamed in terror, others knelt begging for mercy, some stood frozen in place like statues, while a few even began preparing to flee into the distance. Very few were actually focused on defending and resisting. The reactions of the other battalions were entirely different from those of the 3rd Battalion.

"General Alexander, quickly organize the formation and prepare to face the enemy!" Eli shouted at Alexander. At this moment, he put aside their past grievances; with a major threat before them, they had to unite to stand a chance of repelling the enemy.

However, Alexander's response left Eli utterly disappointed. Looking at the oncoming rebels, Alexander turned pale, paralyzed with fear. Gazing at the enemy forces that outnumbered his own several times over, his mind went blank. He trembled uncontrollably and even fell off his horse.

Alexander, after all, was only a person who hadn't been on a battlefield and had achieved his position through connections. Faced with such a sudden and perilous situation, he was utterly panicked. He hadn't even thought about organizing the formation to face the enemy.

Therefore, once Alexander snapped back to his senses, his first instinct wasn't to calm his subordinates down, prepare them for battle, or organize them to face the enemy. Instead, he frantically climbed onto his horse, half-lying on its back, urging the horse to gallop forward. This place was too dangerous, the enemy force was overwhelming, he couldn't stay here, he would die if he did. He had to leave.

To leave! That was the sole thought echoing in Alexander's mind. As for the supply convoy, his soldiers, the mission to deliver supplies – he didn't consider any of that now. He only wanted to survive and escape this place.

"That damn bastard! Let me catch him, I'll slaughter him!" Eli, witnessing this scene, cursed angrily.

Alexander's act of fleeing directly accelerated the collapse of the entire Skylark Camp. Even the commanding officers began to flee. As for the remaining soldiers, how much courage for battle could they retain? Naturally, they followed their commanders in escape.

However, they all forgot that even if they managed to flee, those supply carts couldn't escape. Their mission was to deliver supplies, and if the carts met with accidents or were plundered, even if they managed to escape now, they would be held accountable by the Empire afterwards. And that accountability could very well lead to a death sentence. Therefore, Eli's anger at Alexander's actions was well-founded – Alexander had endangered them all.

"Haha, the Imperial soldiers are running scared! Everyone, charge!" Easton saw the supply convoy members panicking and scattering in all directions, which brought a gleeful expression to his face. It seemed like this ambush had been quite successful – the food was about to be within his grasp!

Seeing the carts of supplies right in front of him, Easton felt as if he was witnessing the rapid expansion of his own force, filling him with excitement. Those among the rebel forces who had been somewhat apprehensive of the Imperial troops were now emboldened by seeing them scared off. Their morale surged, and their charge became even more ferocious.

Just then, Easton suddenly noticed a horse charging towards him. He was taken aback – did the enemy have a valiant warrior who was coming straight for him to execute him?

With this thought, Easton's heart sank slightly, nervousness creeping in. However, he didn't retreat. Instead, he gripped his large blade tightly and prepared himself for whatever was coming.

Alexander looked at Easton, who was not far from him, and felt like crying. Charging toward Easton was none other than himself! However, Alexander wasn't aiming to execute Easton; it was because the horse he was riding got spooked. Nervous himself, he had fled in a panicked state and ended up charging straight towards Easton.