Chapter 56: Ambush
Chapter 56: Ambush
September 25, 2017
Special thanks to 'Otaku Apprentice' and 'Life's Passerby yy' for their generous support.
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Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
On the official road connecting Qiangyin County to Shanwu County, a group of about a hundred raiders rode with an air of dominance. As they appeared, the sparse travelers on the road quickly vanished, as if the entire path was reserved for them. This formidable force belonged to Dark Wind Fort.
In the center of this group were three tightly sealed carriages, each leaving deep imprints on the road as they passed, indicating an extremely heavy load.
In this world, one unit of gold weighed approximately one hundred grams. Ten thousand units of gold would weigh nearly five tons, an impossible load for these three carriages. However, if they were indeed carrying gold, it would amount to several tens of thousands of units.
Several hundred meters away from the road, on a high ground, Lu HaiKong surveyed the Dark Wind Fort's caravan from above.
"One hundred and twenty-three raiders, including only three leaders with the strength of bandit chiefs, and the strongest among them has a mere 42 strength points. The rest are all at the level of bandit captains."
Using his 'Investigation Skill', Lu HaiKong effortlessly gathered the desired information about the enemy, even from a distance of several hundred meters.
The opposing force was powerful, but it didn't exceed Lu HaiKong's expectations.
If Lu HaiKong were to engage in a direct confrontation, it would be a futile endeavor. Even if he managed to defeat them by chance, he would still lose several of his subordinates, each trained at an average cost of 170 gold. Lu HaiKong was not one to squander his resources so carelessly.
"They're in good shape and relaxed, with little vigilance. It seems our plan has a high chance of success. Let's go and prepare a proper welcome for these fellows." Lu HaiKong said, leading his subordinates away from the high ground.
On the Dark Wind Fort's side, the leader of this expedition was once again Li Xiong, the second-in-command, whom Lu HaiKong had identified as the one with 42 strength points.
This time, Dark Wind Fort had dispatched a larger force compared to their previous encounter. Apart from collaborating with the Zhang Family to eradicate Niujia Village in the hopes of luring out Lu HaiKong's group, and escorting the fifty thousand gold, there was also an underlying message of deterrence.
Although Dark Wind Fort typically maintained a humble attitude towards the aristocracy, this humility came with a precondition. If their humility could secure a stable business environment, they were more than willing to part with a few tens of thousands of gold. However, if the Zhang Family continued to exploit them, Dark Wind Fort would use their strength to send a clear message.
As for Lu HaiKong's group, Li Xiong genuinely didn't consider them a threat. They were merely a bunch of petty thieves, incapable of causing any significant trouble. He couldn't understand why the Zhang Family was so anxious, especially since they were a powerful and established clan. Perhaps they had become overly cautious after experiencing a single defeat.
What Li Xiong found amusing was the Zhang Family's idea of using Dark Wind Fort to eradicate Niujia Village to lure out these petty thieves. The notion that a group of thieves would risk their lives for unrelated villagers seemed ridiculous.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
In Li Xiong's opinion, it would be more sensible for the Zhang family to focus on preparing to suppress the surrounding bandit forces.
However, there was one thing Li Xiong dared not underestimate—the ruthlessness of the Zhang family. They had mercilessly wiped out an entire village of several hundred people without batting an eye, allowing the Dark Wind Fort to annihilate them. The Zhang family was truly heartless!
"Second-in-Command, there's a small canyon ahead with a narrow terrain. Should we send someone to check it out?" At that moment, a raider rode up beside Li Xiong and asked.
"Send a few brothers to take a look."
Although Li Xiong didn't believe anyone in Shanwu County would dare to challenge them, it was still prudent to exercise caution.
Immediately, four raiders took the lead, charging directly into the canyon.
This canyon wasn't very large; it was only two to three meters wide and about thirty meters long. The barren surroundings offered little cover, and the steep cliffs above made climbing nearly impossible. Additionally, the raiders didn't anticipate any threats within Shanwu County, so they casually inspected the area before returning to report.
Upon receiving the scout's confirmation of safety, the raider group resumed their journey, with hundreds of them slowly entering the canyon.
Due to the canyon's narrow width, the raiders could only proceed in pairs. Moreover, the three heavily-laden horse-drawn carriages carrying gold slowed their progress, resulting in a lengthy procession of over a hundred raiders.
Fortunately, despite the length of the procession, the canyon itself wasn't very long. Soon, the first raiders exited the canyon, and the entire process went smoothly and securely. The raiders' initial vigilance gradually dissipated.
The raider group continued their journey, and as the last of the hundred raiders passed through, disaster struck!
A creaking sound echoed, and the raiders, upon looking up, were terrified. At the canyon's entrance, several massive boulders teetered precariously, seemingly ready to fall at any moment.
In the chaos, a commotion erupted.
"Run! The canyon is collapsing!"
"Boulders! Huge rocks are falling!"
"Get out of my way, you fools!"
The canyon descended into chaos as the raiders frantically tried to escape, even triggering a minor stampede.
"Everyone, calm down! Don't worry, the rocks won't fall that easily. Stay composed and exit one by one!" Li Xiong, the Second-in-Command, demonstrated his composure and leadership, using his personal influence to successfully quell the disturbance.
Just as the raiders' panic subsided, the boulders, which had initially seemed on the verge of falling, suddenly tumbled down!
The scene erupted into chaos once more, reaching its climax as the boulders fell, taking the lives of over a dozen raiders in the most gruesome manner. The raiders outside the canyon were now separated from those within, intensifying the situation.
At that moment, the sound of galloping hooves filled the air. At the canyon's entrance, several dozen raiders who had managed to escape looked back in panic, only to see a group of ten bandit chiefs, led by Wang Chao and Ma Han, charging towards them with unparalleled ferocity.
Witnessing this, Li Xiong's face turned deathly pale. He hadn't anticipated that someone within Shanwu County would dare to challenge them, and their attack had immediately put them in a perilous situation.
(End of Chapter)
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