In mid-June, the weather began to turn hot, but Tinietz County experienced a rare heavy rain.
Where the north-south trade route passed through Birch Forest, a rider in a black cloak sat on a black warhorse, behind him a felt-covered two-wheeled donkey cart was loaded with grain and a small amount of smoked meat, and three men in worn cloaks followed beside the donkey cart, the group of four walked quickly into the Birch Forest.
In the Birch Forest, Leiduoan, the Big Boss of the bandits, who had been waiting for a long time, was standing on tiptoes, eagerly looking forward to their arrival.
"Big Boss, they're here, four people and one cart," a bandit minion returned to the Birch Forest, braving the rain.
Leiduoan wiped the rain from his face and instructed his two trusted subordinates, "Remember, these brothers are all the ones who escaped last time and found their way back on their own, and these grains and supplies were also robbed by them. Remember, don't let it slip, or our heads won't be safe."
The two trusted minions nodded repeatedly.
"Let's go, we'll go welcome our brothers."
Saying that, he led the way out of the Birch Forest in the rain and ran towards the approaching group of people.
Leiduoan ran forward and grabbed the rider's reins, wiped away the raindrops, and said with a smile, "Master Angus, thank you so much for personally delivering the grain and supplies. Your subordinate is truly grateful."
The rider lifted his cloak and said to the bandit Big Boss in front of his horse, "Leiduoan, from today on, you will call me Baron Doyle, and I will call you Big Boss." Angus did not want his name to appear among the bandits, as this would cause Art a lot of unnecessary trouble.
The bandit Big Boss pondered for a moment, understood Angus's meaning, and quickly changed his words, "Yes, yes, Baron Doyle. The rain is heavy here, let's go into the forest to shelter from the rain."
Angus had the people who came with him hide the donkey cart, then rode his horse and followed the bandit Big Boss into a hidden spot in the Birch Forest.
"This is the first batch of supplies allocated to you by the Master: six hundred pounds of barley, fifty pounds of smoked meat, and ten knives, swords, and axes under the grain bags. This donkey cart is also allocated to you."
"Thank you for the Master's generosity and kindness. Please convey my gratitude to the Master on my behalf."
"The Master said that since you have become his subordinate, he will not let you and your brothers work for him on an empty stomach. As long as you work diligently, you will not be shorted a single bit of grain or supplies. If you can achieve merits for the Master, rewards of money and wealth are also possible."
"But if you dare to play tricks, the Master doesn't mind adding a few more heads to the trade route in the south~"
Leiduoan waved his hands repeatedly, "No, no, I will do my best to serve the Master."
"That's good. Also, I'm telling you that your son has been settled in the Master's territory. After his belligerence subsides, the Master will arrange for him to study in the priest's parish school. You don't have to worry about him..."
"Thank you, Master, for taking care of my son~"
Angus looked around and quietly asked Leiduoan, "How is the matter the Master asked you to handle coming along?"
"It's being handled. Currently, I have gathered twenty-eight men, plus the three old brothers you brought back, making a total of thirty-one. We are currently ranked third in the entire county in terms of power. Ranked first is a group of over sixty people in the mountainous area west of Tinietz County City; second is a group of over forty people in the canyon near Thorn. The rest are small teams of ten or twenty people and scattered bandits and vagrants throughout the county."
"Have you found out all their bandit lairs?"
"We have located the lairs of the stronger groups, and we have even noted down the entry and exit routes. As for the remaining scattered bandits and vagrants, they are always on the move, making it difficult to pinpoint their hideouts."
"Hmm, any news about Laine Manor?"
Leiduoan leaned close to Angus's ear and whispered, "I've inquired among the bandits in the nearby mountains, and Laine Manor is indeed not clean. Baron Bazel condones the Manor Steward organizing a group of strong vagrants and ruffians recruited by his subordinates to plunder farms and settlements in the surrounding area. They also frequently ambush passing merchants and travelers in the dense valleys of the mountains."
"How many of these Bastards in human skin are there?" Angus asked.
The bandit Big Boss thought for a moment and replied, "The number is not large, less than twenty, but there are a few Soldiers who escaped from the army among them, and their weapons are quite good, and there are even a few cavalrymen."
Angus was silent for a moment after hearing this, then looked up and quietly instructed the bandit Big Boss, "Recently, the Master will personally bring a large batch of valuable southern goods from the south. You send someone quietly to Laine Manor to tell those Bastards that you want to unite with them to intercept this large merchant caravan. At that time—"
"Wood Fort recently dispatched a group of peasant Soldiers to Jushi Town to temporarily guard the camp, so I can take two Soldier companies and preemptively hide about half a mile outside the pre-set ambush location. As soon as you blow the horn, we will immediately rush out and attack. At that time, Leiduoan will also cooperate with us in lurking, and after we start fighting with those Bastards from Laine Manor, Leiduoan will lead his men to seize the opportunity to attack Laine Manor, and then we will coincidentally pass by Laine Manor and drive away this group of bandits attacking Laine Manor."
Art listened quietly to the plan discussed by Angus and the bandit Big Boss Leiduoan, then looked up and asked, "Only Leiduoan knows about this plan, right?"
"Yes, I repeatedly reminded him to keep it a secret until the last moment. Even if Leiduoan and his men can't help at that time, our own merchant caravan guards plus thirty Soldiers will be enough to deal with those Bastards from Laine Manor."
"Alright then! Let's do it this way. The merchant caravan will continue north tomorrow morning. You return to Jushi Town, take the Soldiers, and go to the pre-set location in advance, lurking in the dark. Be sure not to be discovered. I will have the guards hide their weapons so that those Bastards think we are weak."
"Yes, I'll return to Jushi Town in a moment and set off with the Soldiers first."
"Oh, and tell Leiduoan to find a way to select a group of strong serfs from those imprisoned in Laine Manor and bring them out. These serfs are the strongest vagrants, and it's a pity for those Bastards to use them as livestock. I want to rescue them and treat them well in Valley Knight Territory. In the future, whether for farming or joining the army, they will be the best candidates."
"The Master is considerate. I will convey your instructions to Leiduoan."
"Okay, then you can go."
History repeats itself, and yesterday's scenes are always replayed today.
When the Laine Manor Steward, who had become a bandit leader, led his seventeen or eighteen "fierce bandits" to ambush a large merchant caravan with another group of bandits, he would never have imagined that the target of this wolf hunt was themselves from the very beginning.
Time rewound two days.
A man who came out of the Birch Forest to the south quietly entered Laine Manor and found the fat Manor Steward, quietly introducing himself and inviting the Manor Steward to conspire on a big business deal. At this time, Baron Bazel had already returned to another more luxurious manor castle, so Laine Manor had once again become the fat Steward's independent kingdom, but all matters in Laine Manor were decided by the fat Steward alone.
After Baron Bazel personally led troops to plunder a group of vagrants who had fled from the south to Laine Manor two years ago and made a fortune, plundering vagrants and passing merchant caravans had become a means for Laine Manor to accumulate wealth and become rich. By recruiting brave ruffians and strong vagrants, Laine Manor secretly organized a group of formidable bandits. These bandits usually stationed themselves in Laine Manor as Manor Guards, openly and legitimately collecting business taxes and transit fees from those passing through Laine Manor. When they encountered travelers with immense wealth or merchant caravans that could not be forcibly taxed, these Manor Guards would disguise themselves as mountain bandits and robbers to surround and intercept them.
The profits obtained from looting and plundering were too great, so when the fat Manor Steward heard the news provided by the "man in the mountains," he was immediately itching to act. However, he was still cautious and sent two riders to the southern trade route to investigate, confirming the news provided by the "man in the mountains."
How could a greedy wolf let a fat sheep fly into its mouth just like that? The Manor Steward immediately sent someone to contact the "man in the mountains," and after consultation, both parties formulated this old-fashioned ambush plan.
The scene returns to the Birch Forest. The bandit Big Boss Leiduoan occasionally looked back at the dense forest behind him.
A small minion beside Leiduoan saw the Big Boss constantly looking behind him and asked, "Big Boss, should I take a few men to check behind us?"
Leiduoan turned his head and sternly rebuked, "Check what? Look how clever you are, stay here and don't go anywhere."
The small minion originally wanted to show off but was reprimanded, feeling very wronged, and grumbled, "If there's nothing to check, why are you looking~"
Leiduoan ignored the small minion's muttering, turned his head, and said to a few fierce bandit small leaders, "Later, don't rush to charge. The opponents have excellent weapons and strong combat power. Wait until they have charged enough, then we will go up, understood?"
"Yes~"
"Okay~"
On the other side of the trade route, a thin, shifty-eyed fellow hunched over and returned behind a bush beside the trade route, saying to the sweating, masked fat Big Boss, "Steward, the fat sheep are here! The fat sheep are coming!"
The masked fat Big Boss raised his hand and slapped the thin fellow, cursing, "Bastard, how many times have I told you Bastards, don't expose your identity when you're out working! Do you want to die?!"
The thin fellow quickly corrected himself, "B-Big Boss, the fat sheep have entered! Very fat, very fat, and they're not very guarded. It seems like a group of Bastards from the south who thought those black-robed dogs had wiped out all the bandits in the Northland, so they didn't even bring many guards."
"Didn't bring guards?"
"Yes, sixteen carriages, only four or five armed guards, and three riders."
"Did they have the crest of any family or noble?"
"No, not even a merchant caravan flag."
"No flag? And no guards? How is that possible! Bastard, did you see clearly?"
"I saw clearly, they just didn't have a flag~"
"Strange~ It doesn't make sense~ Could it be a trick?" The masked fat Big Boss muttered to himself, stroking his belly.
"You, go investigate again."
"You two, go check behind."
The masked fat Big Boss gave orders to a few subordinates beside him, then stood up from behind the bush and waved to the opposite side.
After a while, a middle-aged man ran over from the other side of the trade route. He reached the masked fat Big Boss and quietly yelled, "What the hell do you want to do? The fat sheep are about to come in, what are you still rambling about?"
The masked fat Big Boss smiled through his mask and said, "Brother Leiduoan, could there be a problem with that fat sheep? I just feel like something's not right~"
The middle-aged man glanced at the masked fat Steward and chuckled, "With your little courage, you're trying to be kings of the mountains like us? My men have also reported on the situation of that merchant caravan from the south. If I had known earlier that they didn't even bring many guards, why would I need you? If you're worried, then withdraw immediately. My brothers are eager to enjoy the fat sheep all to themselves~" The middle-aged man said, about to turn and leave.
The masked fat Big Boss grabbed the middle-aged man, took off his mask, and said with a fawning smile, "Brother Leiduoan, look at you, I was just saying. There are only about twenty dogs around the fat sheep, and you alone have over thirty warriors, and I have a dozen elites here. What are we afraid of!"
"I'll say it again, if you're scared, leave quickly. Now, without your help, I can still swallow this fat sheep. Don't expect to drink the soup without putting in any effort. Even if I agree, my brothers won't," Leiduoan said coldly to the man behind him, then left without looking back.
The fat Big Boss glared at the departing figure and said fiercely, "Bastard, sooner or later I'll wipe you out!" Then the fat Big Boss put his mask back on.
Seeing the middle-aged man's figure disappear into the bushes on the other side of the trade route, a fierce bandit with sinister eyes beside the masked fat Big Boss asked, "Big Boss, what do you say, do we fight?"
"Fight! Not only fight, but fight with all your might. Later, you lead the men to charge at the very front. Try to kill a few more dogs. Then we'll speak with heads, lest those guys on the other side say we sent too few troops and cheated our share."
"Don't worry, we're definitely much stronger than those mountain Bastards."
........
At the southern entrance of Birch Forest, Art sat on horseback and looked back at Raven, the Vice Steward of the merchant caravan. Raven nodded, then gave a few instructions to the merchant caravan guards behind him. The merchant caravan immediately split into two parallel columns and advanced. About twenty guards and attendants walked between the two rows of carriages, their hands reaching into the carriage compartments where weapons were hidden.
Seeing that the caravan was ready, Art quietly retreated a few steps, positioning his warhorse behind the cover of the carriages on both sides, then gave the order, and the caravan slowly walked into the Birch Forest.
Before long, the caravan had reached the deepest part of the Birch Forest. Art saw a pile of seemingly casually placed stones on the trade route and knew that they were about to enter the pre-determined ambush location.
"Pass down the order, everyone be careful and vigilant, ready to act at any time," Art turned to Ron, who was beside him, and ordered.
Ron turned his horse around and shouted loudly to the caravan behind him, "The Master said, everyone speed up. The campsite is just ahead. When we get there, everyone will have meat and soup."
The guards of the caravan immediately became alert, gripping the hilts of their knives and swords tightly...