White nodded, a cold sweat beading in his palm as he listened to the ever-approaching sound of hooves.
The three of them were positioned just off the road leading away from the village. Once the bandits were within the straw encirclement and the signal was given, the people hiding nearby would immediately set the fire, and the firecrackers hidden among the straw bales would be ignited simultaneously.
The fierce flames and crackling firecrackers would startle the enemy horses, causing them to bolt. Then, amidst the chaos, the villagers’ arrow volley would be loosed. Following the arrows, the enemy would inevitably experience a brief moment of confusion—the perfect window for the trio to launch their surprise attack!
The objective of the raid wasn't mass slaughter, but to sow further disarray, facilitating the villagers' smooth escape.
White’s plan—striking from the rear to cover the front line’s retreat—was certainly meticulous.
“Thump-thump…”
The herd of horses swept past them like a violent gust of wind, charging straight toward the straw bales. But before they reached the straw, they suddenly halted!
“Why did they stop? Did they spot the flaw?” White’s pupils contracted sharply, a sense of foreboding gripping his heart!
…………………………………………………………………………………
“Boss, you really have a knack for this. Robbing during the Festival of Divine Advent? No one would ever expect it. We’ve certainly made a handsome haul this time!” a bearded man clad in dark bronze armor roared excitedly.
In front of him stood a burly man encased in dazzling silver armor, gripping a massive iron hammer weighing over a hundred pounds, his bearing incredibly imposing.
“The church guards are tied up with the Festival mass, unable to deploy escorts. Naturally, we can be blatant about our robbery. Come on, quicken your pace! There’s one last stop ahead. Once we finish, we head home!” The silver-armored brute’s final words were loud, carrying clearly over the violent drumming of the hooves to every man’s ears.
“Finish and go home!” All the bandits shouted back in unison, exhilarated.
The heavy hooves pounded the earth, churning up streams of dust that billowed like a long dragon of thick smoke.
The sound of the horses was the most soul-shaking; the villagers hiding behind the straw bales felt as if the ground itself was trembling, the intense vibration unsettling their very spirits.
A bandit force of 300 men…
This group was immense—over 300 strong!
However, thankfully, fewer than fifty were equipped with armor; otherwise, even a storm of arrows would struggle to fell them all.
“Hmm, something’s not right?” The bandit leader suddenly roared, “Halt!”
“Whoa…” Over 300 horses stopped simultaneously.
“What is it, Boss?” the bearded man asked.
“Something feels off,” the bandit leader stated.
The bearded man scanned his surroundings but detected nothing amiss. “What’s wrong? I don’t see anything?”
The bandit leader pointed ahead. “It’s the Festival of Divine Advent today. By rights, this village should be celebrating. Why is everything so dim?”
“Could it be they heard we were coming and all fled in fear?” one of the bandits offered.
“I don’t think so,” the bandit leader frowned. He took a torch from a subordinate and illuminated the road ahead. “Why are there so many bundles of straw lining both sides of the road, and even the middle? Straw is usually stacked high for winter fuel, yet it’s strewn all over the path here. I smell something fishy!” The leader’s attention to detail was acute; he immediately spotted the anomaly.
The fact that this gang had evaded multiple punitive raids by the church guards and dared to strike during the Festival testified to the intelligence of their leader. Even in thievery, without a capable head, the only end is swift annihilation.
“You’re right, it is strange,” the bearded man conceded after the leader pointed it out.
“Xiao Shun, Xiao Hou, you two go take a look. This is the last job; let’s hope nothing goes wrong!” the bandit leader commanded.
“Yes, sir…” The two men behind him dismounted and headed toward the straw bales by the roadside.
“What do we do?” Er Dan’s face slicked with cold sweat as he watched the two men approach.
He had just finished pouring the pine oil and hadn’t managed to reach his designated spot yet; now they were hiding behind this bale. If these two were cautious, discovery was inevitable.
The torchlight illuminated the shadows behind the straw bales, causing the dark shapes to writhe and spin.
Er Dan’s face was drenched in sweat; he held his breath, daring not to utter a sound. The enemy horses hadn't entered the straw accumulation zone yet, so setting the fire now would be useless. Moreover, if he were discovered, the enemy would instantly know the entire plan, and the single able-bodied man left might all be slaughtered!
The “thump-thump” of approaching footsteps sounded in his ears like the summons of death. Cold sweat instantly soaked his clothes, and his whole body couldn't help but tremble.
He nervously glanced at Da Zhu Zi beside him, only to find the man staring blankly, seemingly unconcerned.
“Swish-swish…” Xiao Shun and Xiao Hou stepped onto the straw bales, making a crisp sound.
“The Boss is being overly cautious. It’s just some broken village. With 300 of us, we should be able to cut them to shreds!” Xiao Shun shook his head, clearly unconcerned by his leader’s excessive prudence.
“Agreed!” Xiao Hou responded.
The two men swept their torches around the straw piles. The flame wasn't far from Er Dan’s head, where he lay hidden behind the bale.
Er Dan saw the torchlight coming—his body couldn't stop shaking violently. After all, he was only sixteen, small of heart and…
“Listen, what was that noise?” Xiao Shun heard the rustling of the straw and tracked the sound with his torchlight.
“Ambush! Someone’s hidden…” Xiao Shun shouted loudly…
…………………………………………………………………………
White clenched his fists, but a moment later, a wry smile touched his lips. Although his scheme was flawless, these villagers were ultimately a rabble; how could they not betray their cover?
Watching the villagers being rounded up by the bandits before any fighting had even begun, he shook his head in helplessness.
Even the finest general is useless without capable soldiers, it seemed!
These bandits lived their lives on the edge of a knife, each one cunning beyond measure; deceiving them was never going to be easy!
Chen Feng noticed White’s look of dejection and offered comfort. “Your plan was excellent; it was just the execution by these people that failed! If you had a proper garrison force, you probably could have wiped out these bandits without a single scratch to your own men!”
White seemed not to hear him. He rose from his hiding spot, tilted his head back, took a deep breath, and strode purposefully toward the bandits.
“Three more still accounted for…” one of the bandits shouted as they spotted White and the others emerging.
The bandit leader surveyed the group and sneered, “You laced the grass with oil. You intended to spook my horses once we set it alight, didn’t you? A clever trick. Tell me whose idea it was, and I might spare them. Otherwise, I’ll slaughter all of you!”
“It was mine!” White strode forward.
The bandit leader scrutinized White for a long moment, his eyes glittering sharply. “I never expected such hidden talents in a small village. It seems I truly underestimated your Houtang Village!”
“Men, tie this one up! Kill all the rest!” the bandit leader commanded.
“Wait!” White’s eyes snapped wide open, and he roared, “Didn’t you just say if they told you who planned it, you would let them go?”
The bandit leader looked at him as if sizing up a kitten or a puppy, shaking his head. “I said if they told me, I would let them go. But you confessed yourself. Why would I spare you?” The leader delivered the twisted logic with a smug smile.
“You… despicable!” White roared, about to lose control.
The bandit leader laughed softly. “There is a way not to kill them all: come with me and serve as my strategist. How about it?”
The leader had only glanced at the villagers’ hiding spots and the surrounding deployment to gauge just how formidable this man was. If he hadn't been cautious and charged straight onto the road covered in straw, his entire force would have suffered a mortal blow. The precision in the hidden archers’ positions was evident—they seemed calculated to perfectly envelop the entire force with no blind spots. It was this level of precise planning that sparked his desire to recruit the talent.
“Be your strategist? Hmph, you are not worthy!” White radiated an aura of looking down upon the world. This bearing couldn't be faked; it was born from having witnessed true magnitude.
The bandit leader sized up White again, realizing that a man of such character, if unwilling to submit, would become a significant obstacle. He then stated, “Kill them all, and then pillage the village!”
“Yes, sir…” The bandits behind him had been waiting for this order, their eyes now fierce and hungry.
White felt a surge of guilt looking at the surrounding villagers; if he hadn't insisted on fighting, this situation wouldn't have occurred! Commanding troops and setting formations was second nature to him, but his personal strength simply wasn't enough. That incident from years ago… If not for that, why would he have fled to such a remote place!
Sighing again, White straightened his spine, and a sharp light shot from his eyes like an eagle’s gaze. He knew now that words were useless. Once the villagers were accidentally exposed, the enemy wouldn't spare him or them. Understanding this, he hadn't uttered another sound. Furthermore, even pleading now meant death. Given his former status, begging a band of brigands for mercy was a humiliation he couldn't stomach!
“I’m sorry for dragging you into this mess,” he said quietly to Chen Feng, only to see the latter wearing a knowing smile, apparently unbothered.
“If we survive today, how about serving as my subordinate later?” Chen Feng suddenly recalled that he needed an expert in military deployment and strategy. If he’d had such a person when attacking Hu Yu, how could they have suffered such a tragic loss?
“Of course, if we make it! But… is it possible?” White knew Chen Feng wasn't ordinary—he could casually produce ten Perfect Crystal Stones. But even with high status, age was a factor. How could a seventeen-year-old boy possibly stand against 300 bandits?
“It’s a deal!” Chen Feng immediately agreed. He stepped forward from behind White, fixing his gaze on the bandit commander not far away, and stated coldly, “You want to kill them? Have you asked me first?”
ps:: No more delay; only 7,000 characters today... (To be continued. For the rest of the story, please log on to www**com for more chapters, support the author, and support genuine reading!) First published