Rogue bandits with low literacy do not know how to maintain concealment. Their patrol units are not so much on guard as they are just coping with the tasks assigned by the superiors.
The burning bonfire spread the smell of firewood embers far away after the wind direction changed, and the strong smell of alcohol filled everyone's mouths and noses even after the boat slowly floated out.
In this way, they escaped from the cover of the reeds, but no bandits noticed this. Obscenities in feudal accents and northern slang were uttered, accompanied by loud laughter and belching. It was fashionable and midday, but they had been drinking for hours. As if they were worried that the ship would float away, Henry and his party came closer and found that they had tied all the boats together with chains.
At the request of Henry and Narumi, everyone lowered their bodies and approached without making a sound. Some of them were out of calmness, while others like the strong men in the hot spring village might be more nervous.
This is an extremely bold move. Because the fleet speeds are not exactly the same, some people are fast and some are slow, Henry coordinated with Narumi in sign language, so that the people on both sides responsible for melee and long-range slowly arrived at similar positions.
There was no rush to launch an attack. Since the opponent did not have a sentry tower, lacked a bird's-eye view, and had lax defenses, they were able to remain hidden even after passing through the reeds with the help of the visual obstruction provided by their own boats.
Until the remote personnel formed an array at a distance of about 20 meters, secretly dropped the anchor into the water, knelt down and began to draw their bows and arrows, while the forward personnel tightened their weapons and approached the ship that was tied to the iron chain. , the loud laughter and curses in the camp never stopped.
"Pull the bow——"
Narumi raised his hand.
"put!!"
The rain of arrows formed by more than a dozen arrows could not be considered to cover the sky, but they still caused an astonishing effect when they roared down.
Kazuto's archers are not as good at long-range projectiles from a few hundred meters away as the Yavenela long archers. They are more accustomed to shooting flatly at close range. Although this lacks the ability to carry out ultra-long-range intensive strikes, the hit rate of arrows is relatively higher.
Nine times out of ten, the target is hit. Some of the failures were due to tension or the shelter of the tents. The gangsters who gathered outside to drink and have fun instantly received a severe blow. Many people were drinking wine one second and were hit in the neck by an arrow and fell to the ground the next.
"Enemy, enemy attack!"
"Damn it! It hurts me to death!!" After all, a hunting bow is not a battle bow. Most of the people who were hit by the arrows failed to hit the fatal part were injured but survived. Some of them with a more tough temperament directly broke the arrows on their shoulders. He picked up the knife beside him, stood up, and rushed over.
"Enter." But this is also the time when Henry and others are responsible for taking the stage.
"Crack!" The small boat the vanguard were riding collided with the enemy's small boat tied to death by iron chains. The tied ships became a stable landing platform, but they were not in a hurry to advance.
"Stop it right here." Henry took out his big sword and cut off the hands of a drunken gangster who rushed up with a short gun with a horizontal slash. The opponent tried to lift the block with the hardwood gun pole. Block, but how could he block Kramer's power.
The samurai and ashigaru, wearing armor and light forehead protectors, held large guns and sabers on their waists and formed a horizontal line on the connected boats.
"Raise up and shoot the target at the rear!" Narumi shouted loudly in the fleet that was anchored and floating on the water in the rear. The team of archers, composed of hunters and samurai, was in disarray but finally succeeded in firing his order. The bow and arrow were raised downwards and converted from flat shooting to projectile shooting.
"30 meters away, release!" The second round of arrows passed over Henry and others who did not rush forward, and landed directly in the center of the formation of rogue bandits rushing over in a swarm.
"Oh my god!" The swarm of enemies rushing over were interrupted by arrows and split into two groups. The dozen or so people who were cut off in the forward line were already injured in the first wave of arrows. At this moment, they did not realize that their teammates had been cut off and that they had lost their numerical advantage. The moment they rushed forward, they met Henry and his entourage who were already prepared. .
"Ha!" The young master, Lao Qiao and the great master all stabbed their fingers with the big spears in a steady posture. The bandits' weapons were mixed, some had long knives, some had big spears, and some only had one-handed mountain knives. After being trained well, There is no doubt that they will lose in front of the samurai.
"Same distance, keep shooting!" Narumi then gave the order, and the archers shot arrows one after another. Before they set out, they had already confirmed that it would be difficult for the young man from Hot Spring Village, a hunter, to pursue the accurate killing of human opponents. Therefore, the mission of the archers has always been to use long-range strikes to intercept the enemy and disrupt their formation, so as to prevent the forward from being overwhelmed by the overwhelming force of forty or fifty people in one breath.
This kind of cooperation obviously worked. The bandits who lacked fighting consciousness and good armor were able to curse "fuck" and rush up with arrow wounds in the first wave of morale boosted by drunkenness. Once this first wave of aggressive charges was hindered, they quickly became hesitant under the subsequent continuous rain of arrows, fearing long-range firepower attacks and not daring to move forward.
But this effect cannot last forever, because archers who are hunters are not good at continuous shooting. They don't need to draw the bow so frequently when dealing with prey, so the speed of drawing the bow obviously slows down after the first 10 arrows. After all, the opponent has an overwhelming strength advantage, and the hunting bow's lethality is insufficient. When the density of the arrow rain drops, the rogues will definitely organize another charge.
Narumi did not doubt the strength of Henry and others, but the ants would bite the elephant to death. If there were enough bandits, most optimistically, someone on their side would be injured. The anxiety made the samurai leader frown, but he did not show it more obviously. Because these militia archers, who are already demoralized, will definitely be demoralized once they see him losing his cool.
"Hold it!" Henry and others formed a tighter front and used small-scale attacks to knock over weapons and repel the bandits. Because of the obstruction of vision, these enemy archers were unable to hit, and as the arrow rain became sparse and sparse, the enemy archers were unable to hit them. Many people took advantage of this opportunity and rushed forward.
The pressure on the forwards was increasing little by little. Although the sage chopped many people to the ground, these bandits could hardly feel the pain whether it was because they were drunk or for some other reason.
Many people had one of their hands cut off and were still attacking wildly. Old Qiao and Young Master, who relied on their armor to advance a little bit, almost lost the battle. If the sage hadn't kicked the enemy in front of them in time and moved forward. They were bound to be overwhelmed by a counterattack to repel the rogue bandits. But Henry's departure created a gap in the defense, and the pressure on Galeva, Lulu and Mira on both sides of him instantly doubled.
After all, there are still some problems with fighting more with less. Although these people don't know any fighting techniques and have average equipment, they are not afraid of death.
Trouble - countless plans flashed in the mind of the samurai leader, and he began to blame himself, thinking that maybe he shouldn't rush into Ryunosuke's side and launch the attack first.
Fortunately, looking at the open space in the distance through the tents of the bandits who had been overthrown by the charges and avoiding the rain of arrows, a group of heavily armored horse warriors rushed out of the reeds at this time, and from behind they were planning to The rogue patrol that came to support was cut to the ground.
"Go!" Ryunosuke acted decisively and mercilessly. The bandit who was cut to the ground was trampled by the horse until his flesh and blood flew everywhere. And he obviously noticed that a battle had begun here. With an order, the thirty cavalrymen accelerated and rushed directly into the shoal. Using the higher mobility of their war horses, they waded into the lake and rushed to the island in the middle of the lake.
"Back, back! Fucking back!" The gangsters who noticed that there were enemy troops behind them turned around and prepared to resist, but the condescending and heavily armored gangsters waved their swords and at the same time commanded their horses to trample them with heavy iron hoofs. His formation almost collapsed.
"Stop shooting, lift anchor and approach!" Narumi, who was worried about accidental injuries, gave the order decisively, and Henry and others also seized the moment when the bandits were confused due to the attack from behind, defeated the few remaining people in front of them, crossed the boat and pushed forward. .
"Spread out!" The forwards were, after all, professional warriors with a professional background. Under the command of the sage, they were divided into three groups and spread out to attack the bandits from different angles. No longer facing the friendly forces in a tight line formation, Narumi once again ordered the archers to draw their bows and set arrows when there was an opening.
"Let go!" Shooting at close range is not difficult for hunters active in dense mountains and forests. They have shown amazing efficiency at a distance of more than ten meters. Many arrows have hit the vital points of the bandits. Even if these people are Under the influence of alcohol, they are not afraid of death, and arrows that hit their vital points can still make them fall to the ground and die.
"Withdraw! Withdraw!" Attacked from the front and back, the originally loose formation of the bandits was gradually forced to become denser little by little. Qishu.com
The overturned tent in the panic fell on the fire and gradually started to burn. The sage picked up the top with his sword and threw it into the swamp to extinguish the fire, lest the burning flames become smoke that would alert the rogue reinforcements.
"Cavalry, come back!" The horse-riding ronin who charged back and forth and trampled the bandits for a while were ordered by Ryunosuke to pull back because the larger elite infantry team had already pressed forward. Their tactics were the same as Henry and others. , but how can the team of samurai archers with two-meter long steps, large bows and palm-wide killing arrows be comparable to the likes of Orion.
"Release!" The moment the cavalry pulled back, the 40 samurai archers who were squatting down released a hail of arrows. They lowered their posture to prevent the arrows from passing through and hitting Henry and his party. This heavy and lethal arrow was It penetrated deeply into the body of every bandit who hit it. The sharp, thin and very wide arrow cut open their skin, muscles and injured the important organs and blood vessels of unarmored targets. It was originally under the influence of alcohol and tension. The red-faced bandits quickly lost their color and fell to the ground one after another.
"Infantry team - move forward!" The confrontation only lasted for a short period of time. More than two-thirds of the active forces had been killed, and most of the remaining ones were injured. The bandits crowded around and saw people on both sides pressing forward.
Henry lowered his sword and rejoined Galeva, the Luoan girl, Lulu and others with Lao Qiao, the young master and others who had dispersed to the other side. The panting forwards pressed forward in a relatively loose formation. The archers led by Narumi also landed on the side. Several of the strong men from Hot Spring Village who participated in the battle for the first time vomited directly on the ground when they saw the dead people, while the hands of the remaining people who were holding the bows lost their blood due to exertion, and their whole bodies were shaking.
A strange sense of excitement and tension permeated their hearts, but based on the public tone of the entire Moon Kingdom that they extremely hated beings such as rogue bandits, they did not feel guilty.
These young and middle-aged people participated voluntarily. In their view, fighting against bandits and later eradicating crocodiles were all contributions to their villages. There were actually far more people willing to participate, but Narumi only selected people who were good at using bows.
Ryunosuke ordered his cavalry to return to the road to guard, while the remaining fully armed infantry came to the island in the middle of the lake.
From more than 20 people against more than 80 people, to 100 people against more than 10 people. The situation was over, and the balance of victory was clearly on Henry's side.
"I, we surrender!" What came out was the familiar accent of the feudal lord, but looking at these fellow villagers, Yajiro Kou showed no trace of kindness or sympathy.
"These belongings." The boxes in the overturned tent were filled with luxurious silk women's clothing and various supplies. This was obviously not obtained by these people through any legitimate income.
The samurai sword scabbard held by the man who shouted for surrender was still stained with blood. It is not difficult to imagine the fate of the original owner.
Like dirty and hungry rats crossing the border, they surrender decisively when the situation is unfavorable, but once the balance tips to their side, they will reveal their greedy and ferocious nature.
Angry looks flashed among the surrounded bandits. Once the people on their side looked over, they would immediately lower their heads and show obedience. At the same time, many people couldn't help but look towards the depths of the swamp, as if expecting something to come now. This further confirmed Henry's previous inference - Ryunosuke, who obviously also noticed this detail, immediately ordered half of the troops to return to the road and immediately begin to deploy defenses on the spot.
They are not rogues. The elite rogues under Ryunosuke are not only soldiers but also engineers. They moved various camping equipment and large bamboo shields from the carriage, and quickly built simple fortifications on the swamp land with a few changes.
The carriage accompanying them was the reason why they were late, but it was also because they never gave up their baggage that they could quickly build fortifications on the spot like this.
"Tsk -" One of the bandits couldn't help but made a smacking sound. After Ryunosuke noticed this person, he ordered his subordinates: "Catch that person and torture him severely."
"Kill the others." The ruthless Ronin leader ordered. The gangsters immediately crowded together anxiously. Three or four people dropped their knives and rushed out. They knelt down and cried bitterly, saying that they were all forced. There are elders and younger ones, while others gritted their teeth and expressed their determination to fight to the death.
No matter how they struggled, it was a fact that the situation was over. Because Ryunosuke and his party were the main force in this battle, Henry and others stood aside and did not intervene too much. Originally, dealing with these bandits at will was the condition for Ryunosuke's agreement to help. Later, they had to rely on their manpower to help eradicate the crocodiles. The people in the hot spring village just turned a blind eye.
These people's lives are already set. If there is still a way for young and ignorant people to turn back, these bandits, whose average age is already thirty, are basically unable to return to normal life.
They will not work seriously because they have already tasted the joy of breaking the law and know the taste of it, so they have lost their down-to-earth heart.
If you can only eat brown rice or even yellow rice and white potatoes while farming, but if you go to work as a gangster, you can eat popular food, drink spicy food, eat meat and fish, and drink alcohol all day long, then not many people can feel at ease.
Just like a bear that has killed people will transform into a wild god, the karma of people who have indulged in robbery has become so strong that it cannot be eliminated.
Ryunosuke would be so ruthless to them, perhaps because he had such a group of people before, and the ronin had something in common with them to a certain extent.
He can still bind himself and his men to revenge and what the samurai believe in, but what happens once the revenge is over?
Many people always feel that they will forgive once they understand the other person. Indeed, some hatred and resentment are based on misunderstanding and ignorance. But everything cannot be summarized. In Ryunosuke's case, it is precisely because of his deep understanding that he refuses to forgive.
There are still main forces to deal with next, so there is no time to waste.
Both those who surrendered and those who resisted were shot dead with one arrow. The bandit who clucked his tongue as soon as he saw the fortifications - obviously recognizing what they were doing - was wounded and then captured. . The rogues came and took away the building materials from the camp to further strengthen their position, but turned a blind eye to the property inside.
"Bury the corpses in the ground in front, leave a few to be thrown by the water, and guard them with bows and arrows." The Ronin leader's further orders further highlighted his rich combat experience. The buried corpses were to protect against the scorching summer heat. The corruption below caused the plague to spread among the army, and what was left was used to lure crocodiles.
After luring it out and then killing it, another mission will be completed.
He chose to camp on the land road in front of the island in the middle of the lake to prepare for an attack further into the swamp or to resist the enemy - all this depends on the information that can be obtained from interrogating that person.
Ryunosuke did not choose the small island in the middle of the lake because the part that seemed to be surrounded by water and had only one way out was not deep enough. Once something happens, there is no way to retreat in time.
The ronin were building the camp non-stop, and the young master and Narumi and his party were also watching and learning. They only removed the reeds near their camp, but quickly built a simple sentry post using the camp of the rogues and various tools from their own baggage.
Basic walls and sentry posts in the distance were set up above the reeds, and then they covered the large wooden shield and the simple anti-arrow roof of the sentry post with soaked animal skins to prevent them from being ignited by rockets. After the fortifications were established, they set up camp.
A series of incidents were dealt with vigorously and resolutely, so fast that no one had any real feeling of fighting. "It's over, let the villagers take the boat back to report. Do you want to stay too?" Ryunosuke said to the group, and Henry decided to stay here for the time being after discussing with Narumi.
After all, the sage's fighting methods and experience are those of the Rigal mercenaries, and the combat methods of the ronin, who share the same origin, are more valuable for warriors to learn. In addition, they also need to act as a supervisor to ensure that this matter is implemented.
After getting permission from the samurai to select some belongings from the rogue camp, the tired young men of Hot Spring Village took the boat back with satisfaction, while the group who stayed behind had to consider the second stage of the battle.
Some ronin began to torture the famous bandit at an invisible place behind the camp. The screams kept making Mira feel a little bad, so she called Lulu and Galeva to go to the island in the middle of the lake. Henry and the samurai finally decided to camp on the messy island in the middle of the lake instead of joining the wanderers. Although this would lack the protection of fortifications, they could also leave by boat if something happened.
Cooperation does not mean closeness. After all, it is more reassuring for them to maintain some distance and vigilance.
