Chapter 159: The Chaotic Situation, and the Bandit Leaders with Different Agendas

The atmosphere grew tense. The Warriors who dismounted skillfully donned their weapons and equipment. Those who had already put on their Plate Armor while riding trotted to the front of the Caravan, with Shield-bearers in the lead and ordinary Warriors behind.

The Archers, possessing ranged capabilities, climbed back onto the Caravan wagons after donning their armor, forming shooting points on the wagons in squads of three. Due to the sudden nature of the situation, and taking advantage of the fact that the potential battle had not yet begun, one of the three ran toward the supplies stored in the rear wagons, preparing to make several trips to bring over the Arrows from the wagons for use.

Xueya Site turned and ducked into the cabin of Jier's wagon, picked up the Heavy Crossbow placed inside, and struggled to cock the bow and load a Heavy Crossbow Bolt. Finding a moment, he also donned his assigned set of Heavy Armor Plate. While driving earlier, he had only worn a thin, cool piece of coarse Linen Cloth because he felt hot.

"Jier, should we turn the wagons around?" He carefully lifted the cloth curtain and looked toward the seemingly calm Shanglu ahead, and the motionless wilderness on both sides.

"Wait a moment. Archers, stay at your positions. Drivers, get moving and help everyone transport the Arrows."

A commotion broke out at the rear of the Caravan; it turned out that the Dwarves, having donned their Dwarf Warrior armor, were heading to the rear of the Caravan to provide protection, but these Dwarves caused many of the ignorant Shop Assistants in the Caravan to shout in alarm.

Although it quickly quieted down, it left the protecting Dwarf Warriors looking depressed, and those screams and exclamations also heightened the tension of the situation.

Jier rode his horse around the chaotic Caravan twice, directing the people in the Caravan to compress its length, reduce the defensive area, and try to change the Caravan from a long line into a more compact olive shape.

He did not let the front wagons move, but instead had the rear Caravan wagons move forward as much as possible, even if the road was too crowded, they could squeeze into the wilderness beside the road.

At this moment, he looked toward the front frequently, wondering why those numerous Bandits who were lying in ambush had not yet made a move.

If you don't make a move soon, I'll be finished with my defensive preparations! You must know that the combat effectiveness of an armed Caravan in a moving state is naturally far inferior to its combat effectiveness in a defensive state.

Just whether or not the Warriors on the wagons have donned their Armor and put on their Helmets represents two different dimensions of combat effectiveness.

Are those Bandits stupid? Just letting them switch to a defensive state on the spot like this? Could it be because the ambush was seen through in advance, and they don't know what to do now?

Believe it or not, Jier's guess was completely correct.

At this very moment, in a Shulin on the high ground to the north of the Shanglu, the Bandit Group leaders near the edge of the Shulin were arguing up a storm.

Because Jier the Knight's Caravan did not enter the pre-prepared ambush circle as they had expected, the massive amount of preparation work they had been doing since last night had all been in vain.

After all, Jier could completely turn the Caravan around at this time and take a wide detour around the ambush circle set up by the Bandits. Even if the wilderness without a Shanglu was not easy to traverse, the speed of a horse-drawn Caravan was still far superior to human legs; without the advantage of an ambush, the Bandits could not possibly catch up to Jier the Knight's Caravan on foot.

But they did not want to give up.

"Everyone, please calm down. In my judgment, since this ambush was unsuccessful, we should decisively abandon this attack on the Caravan." 'Blood Dagger' lowered the cloth covering his face and shouted loudly to the dozens of Bandit Leaders who were arguing.

He still had some face here; hearing his words, some nodded in agreement, but more Bandit Leaders were unwilling to give up just like that.

After all, everyone had set out since last night, digging hiding pits and cutting wood to assemble heavy obstacles, and they hadn't eaten or drunk anything in between; the food and drink only came from Bandits who arrived later after dawn. And they had been hiding in the pits after the sun rose, enduring the scorching heat and high temperatures all day. Now that it was afternoon, they were suddenly told the operation was void.

Heh, if those Bandit Leaders went back, wouldn't they be sprayed to death by the spit of their own brothers?

After all, these leaders were hiding in the shaded Shulin, and they had enough food and drink brought by horses; even though they had waited all day, their condition was much better.

"We cannot give up! If we give up, what will happen to everyone in the future? If we give up every time just because the other side sees through our ambush in advance, then are we going to give up every time?" a certain Bandit Leader shouted loudly.

His words drew agreement from many Bandit Leaders, who felt that what he said was right. They were already in a line of work where they licked blood from the blade; how could they be so cautious and careful? At a moment like this, they should give it a try. Even if it didn't succeed, at least they had tried, and it would be an explanation to their brothers.

"If a real fight breaks out, it will be very hard to stop. You all need to think it through!" 'Blood Dagger' tried to persuade them one last time; if he couldn't persuade them, he wouldn't stop everyone. If the raid failed later, at least he would have proven that his temporary judgment was correct, and he could continue to exert influence over these Bandit Groups afterward.

In fact, there were some things he didn't say out loud.

He felt that since this ambush had failed and the Caravan had discovered some clues in advance, if they couldn't ambush the Caravan, they might as well shift their target and focus on the team led by the Oakes Brothers.

They could completely rely on their numerical advantage to find and catch up to the Oakes Brothers' team and defeat them.

As for the gains from the battle, they could take advantage of the situation to attack the Bianji Cun where the Oakes Brothers were located, and by looting and occupying a wealthy Village, provide a profit and an explanation to all the Bandits.

By then, he, 'Blood Dagger', would naturally take over the Oakes Brothers' Shanglu inn. After all, the Bandits probably wouldn't be good at running an inn; he had already stopped being a Bandit and had about two years of experience in running an inn!

Although the Siren Ganzi inn was not run very well by him.

"No more waiting! Brothers, those willing to move, follow me! Although there is no ambush, looking at that Caravan, they haven't turned around and left either. We still have a chance. Surround them and fight them in close quarters! As long as we get mixed in, the Caravan won't be able to run! Charge!"

A hot-headed Bandit Leader kicked his horse's belly hard, making the horse run.

Behind him, the other Bandit Leaders followed immediately, some followed after hesitating for a while, and others ordered the Bandits waiting at the edge of the Shulin to take the tools for signaling everyone, and after striking them, to have all the Bandits move out to fight.

But there were still Bandit Leaders who did not follow, instead explaining a few words to 'Blood Dagger', feeling that they were not optimistic about attacking a Caravan outside an ambush circle. Without the element of surprise, the Caravan had made full preparations for defense. Never mind whether they could successfully take down the other side, or if the other side would run away after a battle. The potential for massive loss of combat personnel in this battle alone made these Bandit Leaders who cherished their brothers fearful.

If the team really suffered heavy losses, how would they explain it to the families of those Bandits in the Yingdi?

Well, your husband or child went out to raid with you as the boss, and as a result, the raid not only failed, but the person died? What kind of shitty group leader are you, what kind of boss?

If such a situation really occurred, it is estimated that many Bandit Groups would collapse from within.

The Bandit Leaders who stayed behind and did not attack voiced their concerns. After all, they were Bandit Groups that had been winning all the way; the team could not accept the result of heavy losses.

'Blood Dagger' rolled his eyes: "Then what are you still standing here for? Do you think I'm some kind of Mage who can solve your predicament? Hurry up and follow them out."

"Ah?" They were a bit confused.

"It's not for the battle, but to call back the subordinates in your respective teams. Look, those Bandits have already crawled out to fight following the signal."

'Blood Dagger' pointed, and on the empty and quiet wilderness outside the Shulin, with the loud sound of a Bandit striking an iron plate with a Small Iron Hammer in his hand, countless Bandits who had waited all day suddenly rushed out of the pits they had dug, grabbing the clothes they had been wearing on their heads, putting on their clothes while shouting loudly with the weapons in their hands.

"Hahahaha, move, move! I've been waiting all day, now I want to kill! I want to kill hard!"

"Charge! Robbery! Robbery!"

"%%￥, it's hot as hell, I'm very angry right now!"

The number of these Bandits emerging from the ground was extremely large, and they were very spread out. As soon as they came out, they followed the prior instructions and rushed straight toward the direction of the Shanglu, preparing to surround the entire Caravan blocked on the Shanglu.

But after running a few steps, they were stunned.

Because the Shanglu ahead was empty, and there was no panicked and screaming Caravan as they had expected.

In fact, not only were these Bandits hiding in the pits in the wilderness stunned, but the Bandits who were originally hiding in the ruins of the inn near the Shanglu were also stunned.

Because they had watched with their own eyes as the Caravan in the distance stopped at a position before entering the ambush circle, and then switched to a combat state on the spot.

But they did not receive a signal, and most of them did not know what to do at this time.

Should they rush out to fight in advance? Or follow the predetermined plan and have several people work together to quickly lift the heavy obstacles at hand onto the Shanglu to block it?

Just as the Bandits in the ruins were arguing with each other and even starting to fight, a loud metallic clanging sound came from the north.

This was the pre-arranged signal.

Most of the Bandits who had no idea what to do carried the obstacles in groups of six, rushed out of the ruins, ran quickly to the Shanglu, and then blocked the Shanglu with the obstacles.

But the Shanglu in front of them was empty. The Bandits who finished doing these things looked blank; they didn't know who they were? Where were they? What were they doing now? What were they going to do next?

But the stupid look on these people's faces was far inferior to those Bandits who had prepared in advance to block the end of Jier's Caravan.

These people also hid in pits near the Shanglu in advance. Unlike the simple pits dug far away that were very casual and relied only on distance and perspective to avoid being discovered, these pits near the Shanglu not only had no ready-made building ruins for them to hide in, but also had to prepare space in advance to hide the thick logs that made up the obstacles.

Therefore, these pits were not only dug very deep, but their camouflage was also done very well.

The few dry, yellow withered grasses and shrubs on the wilderness were all pulled up by the Bandits and pressed onto the camouflage atop the pits, just so that when the Caravan passed by, they would not see that people were hiding here.

And when the entire Caravan passed by them and was blocked at the front, these Bandits would, at the signal's prompt, suddenly rush out of the pits, carry heavy logs to the Shanglu, support the logs on the ground using a series of techniques, and then temporarily bind them firmly with hemp ropes.

The attacked Caravan might fiercely counterattack, attempting to escape this place. These Bandits were also prepared for a fierce battle. In fact, apart from those who could fight among the Bandit Leaders, the rest of the Bandit Group had been arranged here.

The manpower here was also the greatest; in even a tiny patch of land, nearly one hundred and fifty people were crowded together.

But the development of things often does not go as smoothly as people expect.

The Bandits hiding in the pits heard the approach of the Caravan, but they did not feel the movement of the Caravan passing in front of them.

This made many people suspicious in their hearts, and they became anxious and uneasy.

And when they heard the "dang-dang-dang" signal, they immediately lifted the cover above their heads, and after rushing out of the ground, what they saw was the Jier Caravan stopped outside their encirclement, and it was still dozens of meters away from them!

What to do? The target was not in the ambush circle; should they still carry the logs in their hands over there?

Is all of this meaningful?

The hundred-plus Bandits who rushed to the Shanglu carrying logs looked at one another, and most of them stood in place at a loss. Some stubborn fellows ignored the situation entirely and went on to stack the logs, then used thick hemp ropes to bind them at the joints, forming loose, makeshift anti-cavalry obstacles.

Just at this moment, a group of mounted Bandits rushing out from the Bei Mian of the Shanglu attracted everyone's gaze.

After these people rushed out of the Shulin, they spread out on horseback; some circled around to gather the scattered Bandits, letting the Bandits follow them to form a team and charge toward the Caravan. Others headed straight for the Shanglu beside the ruins, telling these people to follow them and charge directly along the straight Shanglu to fight.

Looking at those somewhat dazed Bandits who couldn't muster any strength in their hands and were hesitant in their steps, this Bandit Leader shouted loudly: "Don't think too much, we have many people; since they didn't fall into the ambush, then we will directly crush them! This time, we will crush the Caravan's defense through a frontal battle and officially control the entire Shanglu!"

"Frontal crush, dominate the Shanglu!" he shouted.

The Bandits hesitated and followed suit, shouting: "Frontal crush! Dominate the Shanglu!"

The more they shouted, the more the Bandits' new motivation to work returned; their steps quickened, their hands gripped their weapons tightly, and a massive, swarming crowd rushed straight toward the battlefield at the other end of the Shanglu.

However, there was still an interlude; the Bandit Leaders who finally rode out of the Bei Mian Shulin shouted the names of their own groups, yelling for the brothers in their own groups to follow them.

They did not say directly that they wanted to withdraw from this raid, so as not to provoke the hostility of other Bandit Groups.

But the scene was too chaotic at this time; a large number of Bandits who had endured the scorching heat for a day, once mobilized, loudly cursed everything, and carrying Cleavers or Short Swords, they ran aimlessly across the wilderness in a mess. They ran for a while, and wherever they saw more of their own people, they strode over.

Everything around was chaotic; the Caravan that should have been in the ambush circle was not there, and the leaders were also divided into several waves, each doing what they thought was correct. The calls of a few people were not heard clearly by many; these Bandit Leaders who wanted to retreat ultimately only called back ten or so subordinates as the situation ahead began to fight.

But as soon as these ten or so subordinates heard they were to withdraw from the battle, they also cursed the leaders a few times and turned to rush toward the place where the battle was intense.

There was no way; they couldn't just run away without bringing back a single person, could they? If this raid were to succeed, even if the losses were heavy, these few fellows who retreated halfway would have no place to stand in the future.

So, seeing this situation, these few Bandit Leaders could only bite the bullet and rush to where the battle was taking place to join the fight.

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