Chapter 335: The Bandits' Counter-Attack

Meanwhile, inside the lair of the Thieves of Luodai Cave.

Several Bandit Leaders were gathered together listlessly, arguing inside the room of one of the leaders.

"Bullshit! Bullshit! Now you're blaming me? Who knew you lot were so useless? Before, everyone was full of confidence, all saying you could definitely hold off the Militia on the mountain path for at least seven or eight days. Now that you've failed and been beaten back, you're here complaining that my men didn't act sooner." Tie Gebo waved his hook-arm, retorting to the other three Bandit Leaders with dissatisfaction.

The once most ferocious Duan Tou Zhe Delang no longer had that arrogant air from before. During the day, he had personally organized a group of men, preparing to crush the Militia's line in one fell swoop and reverse the unfavorable situation for the bandits, just like when they encountered tough targets during their usual raids.

But when the time came to strike, he felt he had been locked onto by that Knight riding a tall, armored warhorse in the distance below.

A sense of death enveloped his entire mind.

He could even directly feel that if he had personally led his most trusted subordinates to charge, that Knight on the opposite side would definitely have taken action to kill them and cut them down.

Feeling that he had been targeted and unable to move, Duan Tou Zhe Delang had no choice but to let his subordinates charge, only to run into the other armored person he had encountered earlier, along with the valiant resistance of the Spear Militia he led, while the Militia in the rear followed up with ranged fire at the bandits who lacked sufficient armor.

The bandits retreated in a panic after losing more than half their men.

Although the returning bandits feared him and said nothing, that silent blame and disdain left Duan Tou Zhe Delang feeling as if he had lost his soul.

He realized that his subordinates, whom he had considered valiant, were truly no match for those Militia who had still been farming just a short while ago.

In the room, the other two, who had been spat on, were also in low spirits. The Bandit Leader who had been steady all along, and who had been the one commanding the defensive line on the first day, also realized something after being beaten back.

As for the other, more cowardly Bandit Leader, once Tie Gebo's spitting had subsided, he boldly proposed an idea.

"Should we try to retreat during the day today? After all, if things go on like this, who knows, by the time it gets dark, our cave entrance might be blocked. By then, we'll really only be able to wait for your previous arrangements, Tie Gebo, to take effect."

Tie Gebo slammed his hook onto the table: "They will definitely take effect! Does everyone not know what the defenses at Bingxun Pass are like? My ten subordinates have long been prepared. As soon as those damn fellows have the supplies ready, they can directly burn those large quantities of follow-up supplies that are poorly guarded at night. Then, they can take the opportunity to set fire to other places in the pass. Bingxun Pass, which is already in chaos, will definitely turn into a kicked-over pile of firewood! Hahahaha! It's a pity, a pity, if only there were another hundred men to attack from outside the pass during the chaos, we might have made a fortune there." Tie Gebo said with great regret at the end.

The cowardly Bandit Leader narrowed his eyes, stared at Tie Gebo for a while, and then stopped speaking.

Seeing that everyone had stopped talking, Duan Tou Zhe Delang got up from his chair and walked toward the door: "The fighting is still going on outside, so I'll head over there first. If there are no other ways... sigh, then everyone just guard the cave entrance well. Some things to block the road should be prepared now."

"Understood! I'll arrange for people to prepare immediately." The steady Bandit Leader raised his head and began calling his subordinates over to assign tasks.

Bingxun Pass, in a farmhouse courtyard where poor people lived, leaning against the stone wall of the pass.

The drafty house had been simply patched up with some branches and mud; when the cold wind blew, the damp mud froze rock-hard. Although it didn't look like a long-term solution, it was at least enough to survive the winter.

Nine bandits sat around a fire in the middle of the room, chatting casually and warming themselves. On the fire, a wooden rack stood high, roasting a simply prepared Roasted Chicken.

The chicken's Viscera and feathers had been casually tossed into the corner of the room, placed together with the corpses of the house's original owners. The male owner of the house was piled at the bottom of the corpses, his neck twisted at a strange angle. The original female owner of the house had died from a blade piercing her chest, large amounts of blood soaking and staining her simple dress. The two children of the house owners were covered in wounds from being beaten, many of their teeth knocked out; after being beaten by the bandits as if for fun, their necks were twisted, and they died.

These bandits had been lurking inside Bingxun Pass for over two days, relying on eating the poultry raised by this family in the small courtyard to survive. Now, the Roasted Chicken on the wooden rack was the last one, and all the bandits were prepared to cause a scene; they were just waiting for the people who went out to scout for information to return. Once they received the latest news, they would cause a massive disturbance tonight.

In a corner of the room far from the fire, some pottery jars were stacked; the tightly sealed jars still emitted a rather pungent odor, filled with flammable Lamp Oil. This had originally been goods obtained during a robbery by the bandits, but after anticipating that the Militia would definitely come to attack their lair this year, they were arranged by the Bandit Leader Tie Gebo to have these Refining Qi bandits carry these items and hide in Bingxun Pass in batches, keeping an eye on the replenishment of the Militia's supplies at all times, so they could burn the supplies that had been painstakingly prepared in the pass with one fire!

Creak, creak.

A set of footsteps walked into this remote courtyard; the accumulated snow in the uncleaned courtyard clearly exposed the visitor's footsteps to the bandits inside the room.

The bandit near the door immediately went from a lying position to a half-squat, quietly drawing his Long Sword and lifting his axe.

The footsteps walked steadily to the outside of the thick wooden door and stopped.

The bandits inside the room fell silent, leaving only the crackling sound of the grease dripping from the Roasted Chicken into the fire.

"Who is trekking on this snowy night?" a bandit guarding the door asked in a low voice.

The visitor outside replied immediately: "One who craves wealth and slaughter."

"Come in." Hearing the answer, the bandits breathed a sigh of relief and put down their weapons.

The wooden door opened, and a young man who looked nothing like a bandit walked in. He was wearing a tattered Cloak on the outside, which did not look out of place compared to the surrounding slum area.

But underneath the tattered Cloak was an exquisite servant's uniform.

"How is the situation?" the bandit squad leader asked the visitor.

"Judging by the situation, the supplies provided by the Merchants are all in place and are currently being packed and counted. They could depart at any time." said the bandit who had hidden himself in the inn as a servant.

The other bandits became excited; they had been bored, hiding in the room for two days, and were already frustrated. If it weren't for the leader saying that anyone who dared to run out without permission would have their feet chopped off, these bandits would have long since run off to the streets with Red Houses and taverns to play.

But the bandit squad leader looked at the sky outside, and his expression was not good: "It's only afternoon now, they won't leave right now, will they? If they set off during the day, how are we supposed to burn those supplies?"

The bandit hiding as a servant shrugged: "It's hard to say. I heard some of the guarding Militia say that their situation seems to have changed, and they might need to immediately prepare a third batch of supplies, so this second batch has to be sent over right away. After all, there aren't many Caravan Shop Assistants who dare to transport supplies to the mountain forest where we are hiding. Only after the previous batch returns can the next batch of supplies be transported."

The other bandits also caught the drift, and someone asked: "Boss, you don't mean we have to try to burn the Militia's supplies during the day, do you? Who could pull off a job like that? If we really do it, it's impossible to come back alive, right?"

The hidden Refining Qi bandits were not a suicide squad; they only participated in this operation because they had the confidence to escape during the chaos after setting the fire. Moreover, before coming, the boss Tie Gebo had made a promise that after completing this mission, each of them could personally lead a squad, and each would have at least two subordinates.

Big or small, they would finally have people under them and would no longer be the lowest-level bandits.

But rushing over to burn supplies in broad daylight, they knew that was seeking death. Even if the Soldiers of Bingxun Pass were incompetent, their numbers and weapons were there. In order to sneak into the pass, they didn't have many of their usual weapons; only the leader and the two bandits guarding the door carried their own weapons, while the others only found some crude weapons after entering the pass.

Fortunately, the many jars of Lamp Oil for burning the Militia's supplies had been transported in through a very normal process after paying a tax.

The bandit squad leader considered for a moment and made a decision. Regardless, the Militia's replenishment supplies must be burned; otherwise, it was hard to say how long their lair could hold out.

As for the daytime raid on the inn where the supplies were stored, that could only be done through other means.

"Do you have any way to delay those escorting Militia? It doesn't need to be long, just until it gets dark. Any method will do." The bandit squad leader looked at the hidden bandit and asked.

The young bandit looked troubled; he thought for a while and didn't know what to do, but he suddenly remembered a piece of intelligence: "Right, when I was serving those Militia earlier, I heard them mention that the Captain leading them this time seems to have an extraordinary status and is very important."

"How important?" someone asked.

"How should I put it? Neither what the other party eats, wears, nor where they live is something an ordinary person could afford. Think about it, they actually booked a detached small building in the most luxurious inn in the pass."

"That doesn't prove anything; don't some powerful Merchants in the pass also live there?" the bandit squad leader said.

"But earlier, the leading Militia Captain, the one I mentioned, actually invited some powerful officials and many influential Merchants in the pass to go over and talk. I hid in the corner of the inn and saw it with my own eyes; everyone who came bowed to that person. You know, in Bingxun Pass, those officials are no different from the local king. If they are willing to bow, it means the leading Militia Captain is definitely not simple." the young bandit said with certainty.

After hearing the young bandit's explanation, the other bandits felt that this person was indeed not an ordinary person. They looked at the squad leader. The squad leader stared at the young bandit and said in a deep voice: "Then focus on him! No matter what method you use, you must delay that leader. As long as the Militia cannot leave and there is no one to escort the supplies, they naturally won't be able to leave either."

The young bandit's brain turned, and he giggled, rubbing his fingers: "Boss, I have a way, but it will cost a sum of money. And since time is so urgent, you'll have to give me more."

The bandits asked in unison: "What way?"

"It's to go to the entertainment street in the pass, go to the Red House, spend money to hire a group of girls, and use accusations of the leading Militia Captain abandoning them or getting them pregnant to entangle the leader. Although they will probably realize something is wrong soon, from the time the girls start making a scene until they get it cleared up and calmed down, it should take until nightfall." the young bandit said excitedly, rubbing his hands.

The other bandits also felt this method was brilliant and urged the squad leader to give the money quickly.

The bandit squad leader also thought this method was good, but he took out his money bag and weighed it: "This is all I have, see if it's enough?"

The young bandit took it and looked: "Boss, there's so little money in here, what level of girls can we hire? If we give people the bottom-of-the-barrel kind, they won't even want them."

The other bandits jeered: "If others don't want them, we do. Hahaha."

Glaring at the other Bandits to keep them quiet, the Bandit Leader leading the group said, "Quiet, quiet. Who carries a lot of money when going out to do business? You are all so excited, does that mean you all have money on you? Hand it all over to me; we'll count it for now, and when we return, I will ask the Bandit Leader for it and reimburse you."

The Bandits were very unhappy, but under the pressure of the small leader, they weighed the options between attacking the supplies during the day and being surrounded and killed, versus successfully dragging it out until nightfall, setting fire to the supplies in the dark, and then escaping during the chaos.

Between the two, the Bandits still chose the latter. So they obediently handed over the money bags they were carrying.

The young Bandit excitedly found a cloth bag to hold the loose coins from all these money bags, then stuffed some of the higher-value coins into the inner pockets of his clothes.

He immediately said goodbye and left the place.

After the man left, the Bandit small leader immediately gave a wink to one of the Bandits. That Bandit put on his coat, hid his Long Sword inside his clothes, turned his head to grab a Roasted Chicken leg, then walked out the door and stealthily followed behind the young Bandit.

The other Bandits also began to pack up; each of them ate a piece of hard Bread with the Roasted Chicken, then each took a jar of Lamp Oil, hung it on their chest with a rope, and hid it inside their clothes.

After everyone was ready, the Bandit small leader led them out, leaving the house as it was, completely unattended. If they succeeded, they would use the firelight and chaos of the night to escape Bingxun Pass. If they failed, there would naturally be no need to worry about this hideout being discovered.

The poor family who were the victims would likely not be discovered to have died long ago until next spring, when the weather warmed up and the bodies began to stink.

Although the young Bandit was greedy for money, he was indeed doing the job properly.

The sword-wielding Bandit hiding and following behind saw that the young Bandit first exchanged a large amount of loose Iron Coins and copper coins for neat Silver Coins at a Merchant Guild shop. Then, the young Bandit took a small bag of Silver Coins and headed toward a lively street with various entertainment shops.

The following Bandit saw that the kid entered several Red Houses and actually called for seven or eight thickly wrapped girls and three or four bouncers who were keeping watch.

The money bag that was originally held in his hand looked much flatter, and there seemed to be no problem.

With that, the following Bandit stopped following the young Bandit and instead turned back to return to the hidden house. But he was stopped by a fellow Bandit on a street in the slum area, and then they followed together toward the street behind the luxury hotel where the Militia stored and counted supplies.

In the deserted alley behind this bustling street, the rest of the Bandits were each hiding in inconspicuous corners.

"How is it? Did that guy go take the money to do the job?" The Bandit small leader asked immediately after seeing his subordinate who had been following return.

The sword-wielding Bandit nodded: "That kid didn't lie; he first exchanged the coins, and then he indeed hired seven or eight girls from the Red Houses and walked all the way toward the hotel."

Just at this moment, from the front of the luxury hotel, a wave of girls' rowdy shouting came over.

The Bandits burst into laughter.

"It's starting; I hope it works." The Bandit leader let one of his subordinates crouch down, then stepped on the other's shoulders to quietly poke his head over the wall of the luxury hotel's backyard.

In the backyard open space on the other side of the wall, many supplies were neatly stacked on the ground. Inside were cold-weather supplies replenished locally from Bingxun Pass, as well as tools for setting up tents and replacement tents, jars of Grease for burning, many tools and consumables for repairing various weapons, and bundles of packed food bags. In addition to this, there were bundles of ready-made Crossbow bolts specifically transported over by Kendall before the Militia cleared out the Bandits.

A large number of donkeys carrying supplies were also kept in a wooden pen on one side, and some people from the Merchant Guild were providing feed to the donkeys.

And the few Militia members who were originally guarding the supplies also curiously walked over to watch the excitement after hearing the female commotion coming from the front.

But even so, there were still more than twenty waiters from the luxury hotel and Shop Assistants from various Merchant Guilds here, and even a few burly mercenaries.

At this time, a big Merchant was waving his hands at these mercenaries and saying something.

The Bandit leader listened with difficulty and found it was something about what was valuable and that he must get a piece of the action.

He couldn't understand it.

In order not to be discovered by the people inside the wall, he didn't dare to look too much and quickly climbed down.

"Boss, how is it?" The Bandits asked.

"It has some effect, but I don't know if it can tie down the Militia Captain leading the team." He considered it for a moment, then called over another guy in the group who didn't look like a Bandit who lived by the sword, and instructed him to go tell the young Bandit inside the hotel that he must tie down those Militia members. If it really went bad, he should take advantage of the chaos when things started to stir up, stab a girl, and frame it on the Militia.

Even if those people could settle it later, who knew how long that would take.

The Bandit who received the order looked at the clothes on his body; no matter how he looked at it, they didn't look like clothes that could blend into a luxury hotel.

The Bandit Leader twitched his mouth, just in time to see a set of clothes hanging outside a second-floor wooden window in the alley. Several Bandits formed a human ladder to climb up, took down the clothes that were frozen stiff, and forced them onto the Bandit who was doing the job.

He looked decent enough.

This Bandit had to endure the chill brought by the icy clothes, jumping as he walked out of the alley to keep warm.