Chapter 799: Continuing Forward, the Dilemma of the 'Iron Barrel

For some, that night seemed extremely long, while for others, it was just an ordinary night in these times.

Although they had encountered a bandit attack during the day, the group had after all "repelled" the bandits, especially since they hadn't relied entirely on the help of Knight Jier. For some in the Refugee Team, this at least allowed them to breathe a partial sigh of relief.

After all, Knight Jier had long since told them all that he and Priest Bata'er had other missions, and that these were the primary missions of their journey; taking along the hundreds of refugees who had been starving in the Baishi Chengqiang Guanka was merely an act of kindness.

The reason the refugees followed Knight Jier was still to assist the two with their mission; in reality, not only had Knight Jier and Priest Bata'er been delayed in their respective missions, but they had also worried themselves sick over these people.

Knight Jier was not only covered in blood, but Priest Bata'er also exhausted his Divine Power every day, not only bringing what could truly be called a "God-given food" miracle to the team, but also taking excellent care of the injured civilians.

Many people had likely never received a single prayer treatment using Divine Power from birth until now, and today, the injured civilians had experienced the taste of it thoroughly—it was not pleasant.

The reason was that although the prayer treatment Divine Art could quickly stop bleeding and heal wounds, it could not create something from nothing; what filled the wounds was still the civilians' own physical strength and bodily nutrients.

Every time an injured person received treatment, they would be extremely exhausted and get hungry very quickly. The experience was not pleasant, but fortunately, because of Priest Bata'er, there was plenty of Wheat Porridge in the Refugee Team, and everyone could always eat their fill.

Interestingly, some civilians who had not lived in good conditions even before fleeing had developed the illusion that their current life was far better than before. If it weren't for the fact that they were constantly being watched and attacked by hateful bandits while walking on the Shanglu, these civilians would even hope that such days would last as long as possible, preferably never ending.

"Everyone, be careful when dismantling the tents. There are no extra tents; if they are damaged, there is nowhere to repair them!"

The former Merchant, Mr. Bafute, held a small booklet in one hand while using a Charcoal Pencil to make a mark in it. Every time a dismantled tent was loaded onto one of the team's dedicated wagons, he would heave a sigh of relief.

The civilians assembling and dismantling the tents were truly too careless; they often bumped into the main support poles of the tents while waving their Iron Shovels. Moreover, since almost everyone had a Dagger or similar item for self-defense, there were always idle hands that would slice one or two small holes in the hard-to-repair tent Fayu Bu.

One couldn't even ask who had done it, so Mr. Bafute could only have the skilled female civilians in the team use thick needles and thread to repair the torn tent Fayu Bu during the intervals of their daytime march.

Having been attacked by bandits yesterday during the day had left Mr. Bafute terrified, but fortunately, he had remained in the middle of the team and had not encountered the attacking bandits yesterday.

Sighing, he looked toward Knight Jier, who he heard had barely rested at all last night, and performed a merchant's salute from afar, hoping that Knight Jier would continue to protect this team safely—er, at least until he could make a comeback using the strength of these hundreds of civilians.

"Those who are ready, carry your own personal belongings. Please be understanding; our team's transport capacity is insufficient, so we have to trouble everyone to carry some supplies on their backs or carry them together in pairs."

Amidst the chaotic preparations for the team's departure, Mr. Bafute's voice remained quite loud, which made some of the civilians who had experienced the bandit attack just yesterday feel a sense of relief.

The blood-covered Priest Bata'er wearily climbed onto Jier's wagon, not even bothering to wash the blood off his hands before lying down inside the carriage and resting in exhaustion.

The prairie horse he had ridden to fend off the bandits yesterday was currently being led, limping, beside the driver's seat of the carriage, licking a block of Coarse Salt held in the hand of the driver, Xueya Siter.

Xueya Siter glanced at Priest Bata'er resting inside the carriage, neither disturbing him nor saying anything; he was still complaining about the Priest's reckless mounted combat yesterday, which had ended up injuring his horse.

Although he knew the Priest had acted with good intentions to fight and fend off the attacking bandits, Xueya Siter was still somewhat unhappy; after all, Priest Bata'er had not considered during the fight that the horse he was riding was not his own.

"Sigh..."

He sighed and patted his horse's forehead. The horse's injuries had been simply treated by the Priest yesterday evening, which was why this young prairie horse was able to barely manage the journey today. Although it could not be ridden until the wounds on its chest healed, leading it along the carriage without tack was no problem.

"Actually, it would have been better if you had stayed in the stable where I bought you; you've suffered quite a bit in the days since we came out."

Xueya Siter muttered a few words, and seeing that the team was ready to set off, he picked up the long horse whip leaning to the side, flicked it, and struck the rump of the horse pulling the wagon.

The obedient horse immediately followed Xueya Siter's will, slowly picking up its pace and moving forward.

Before the wagon had even left the perimeter of the camp where everyone had spent the night, they saw a huge burnt pile outside the camp; that was where the bodies of the dead bandits and civilians had been processed yesterday. To distinguish the identities of the two, the bodies burned facing the camp were those of the team's deceased civilians. On the side facing outward were the bodies of the bandits who had died yesterday.

It was just at the break of dawn, and the side of the huge pile facing outward was still emitting large amounts of black smoke and heat, but the side where the civilians' bodies had been burned had already been actively extinguished, and some civilians who had lost relatives and friends were using Iron Shovels with lengthened wooden handles to scoop up the still-scalding ashes of the deceased.

Although friends and relatives had already died, their ashes still had to be carried along together.

These ashes, just shoveled out from the pile, were still very hot, not only emitting smoke but also releasing a large amount of choking fumes. It was unknown where these people had found small cylindrical wooden barrels made from blocks of wood, but they poured these ashes into them one after another; just like before, without distinguishing who these ashes belonged to in life, they carried them with them, satisfied in their grief.

It wasn't that Jier hadn't slept last night; he had tried to force himself to lie down for a while, but as soon as he closed his eyes, those bandits who had died at his hands appeared before him again, chasing him in chaotic dreams.

It was likely not long after he had fallen asleep that Jier struggled fiercely and soon woke up. Since he didn't want to sleep anymore, he had no choice but to lead the patrol to walk and guard the safety of the camp until dawn.

Now that the team was departing at daybreak, he finished the Wheat Porridge in his bowl in one go, threw the empty bowl to a civilian serving as a guard, mounted Tianxuecao—which was not wearing Horse Armor—and deliberately stayed near the middle of the team.

In this way, whether the front or the back of the long, stretched-out team encountered an attack, he could quickly arrive on horseback to repel those bandits.

Yesterday evening, the alien Mao Mao he had hired actually brought him the two bandit corpses they had taken down, using these two bandit bodies to show that they had also played a role during the bandit attack yesterday.

"Well done. Then, how about you take responsibility for the rear of the team from now on? When we stop to rest on the road, you get off the wagons and spread out around the team to watch for potential dangers! If you do well, I will reward you accordingly. You want metal, right? Then make yourselves useful just as you did now."

After receiving Jier's praise and promise, the wagon where the Mao Mao were located was specifically arranged by Jier to the end of the team, letting these alien long-tailed kittens with some combat capability help him share the pressure of the entire team's safety.

Strangely enough, those bandits yesterday had been aggressive, attacking his team time and time again, but today there was no movement.

As Jier rode his horse back and forth, patrolling and guarding the team, he gazed at the rolling mountains and forests surrounding the Shanglu.

By noon, the Armed Squad walking in front sent someone back with a message: there was a clear Chalu on the Shanglu ahead. That Chalu looked like it was frequently traveled by heavy wagons, but it led into the mountains and forests on the left side of the Shanglu, that is, in the northern direction.

Because they didn't know what to do, the front of the team had already stopped.

After hearing the news, Jier answered loudly: "Don't stop, continue moving along the Shanglu. That Chalu leads to a former lumber yard, but it has now become a bandit lair. That has nothing to do with us; continue forward."

"Yes, my lord."

The Armed Civilian who delivered the message ran quickly back to the front, and the stalled team soon began to move again.

When the middle of the team, where Jier was, also reached the aforementioned Chalu, his gaze followed the road extending into the mountains ahead. He widened his eyes and muttered a sentence under his breath; soon, his vision was enhanced, and he saw things in the distant mountains and forests that were not clear.

He saw the location of the former lumber yard he had learned about from the bandit captives. That place was not on the other side of the mountain ridge but was actually right before everyone's eyes; it was just that because the trees on the mountain were dense and the buildings of the lumber yard were all crude structures built from raw logs, it was difficult for the naked eye of an ordinary person to see.

But to Jier, whose vision had been enhanced several times over by Divine Art, it was clearly distinguishable.

He didn't just see those few crude log-built lumber yard buildings; he also saw some interesting things.

A group of about fifty bandits was attacking that lumber yard.

Most interestingly, the people defending the lumber yard buildings were also a group of bandits in their dress and appearance. Although their numbers were small, by relying on the defensive power of the crude logs and their bows and arrows, these people were defending very stubbornly.

Every time the attacking bandits rushed up holding wooden boards, they would be beaten back by arrows shot from the windows of the few lumber yard buildings. Those defending bandits had almost established a crossfire with no blind spots; unless the attacking bandits could be like the Roman legions of Zhao Ji's original world, possessing shield defenses with almost no blind spots, it would be very difficult to take down those few wooden lumber yard buildings.

Jier was walking on the Shanglu at the foot of the mountain, but his gaze remained fixed on the battle in the distance, which ordinary people could barely see. A smile played on his lips because he could see that among the attacking bandits, the one leading them was the very Bandit Leader who had attacked them yesterday.

The other's fat and tall figure was very easy to identify; after all, in this era, few people could grow that fat and strong.

"Idiot, try using fire!"

Jier muttered to himself. He wasn't siding with this group, but seeing their offensive frustrated, he naturally wanted to find a method for the attacking side, just like onlookers at a chess game who like to offer advice. After all, if it were him leading people to attack that place, he wouldn't keep launching reckless attacks like this, but would change tactics after one method failed.

After watching for a while, just as Jier was starting to feel bored, he saw the attacking bandits, while once again charging with wooden boards, throw more than a dozen burning Grease Torches at one of the log buildings all at once.

But immediately, Jier saw that from the windows on the second and third floors of the log building, which had been barely ignited by the torches, the bandits remaining inside poured out buckets of water that flowed down the outer surface of the building.

It seemed the defenders had been prepared.

Thus, the initial fire ignited by the torches was quickly extinguished.

Not only that, because the attacking bandits found it difficult to get close to the buildings they were attacking, they couldn't retrieve the torches they had thrown and could only lose them in vain.

Jier was not only frustrated by the attacking Bandits, but his eyes rolled as he thought of a new idea: "Idiots, since fire attacks don't work, just cut down wood to make a human-powered battering ram. Have ten people carry it to ram the door under the cover of others; I don't believe the flimsy wooden door of a wooden house can withstand a few hits from this thing!"

But Jier's muttering was destined never to be heard by the attacking Bandit Leader, "Iron Barrel".

His thinking was very simple; he did not believe the "Dead Spot" Bandits in the house really had enough water prepared to extinguish a fire.

"Brothers! Whose animal hide clothing is the greasiest? Bring it over to make some more oil-soaked Torches! I don't believe it; after a few rounds, they will still have enough water to put out the fire! It's not like there's a well inside the house, right! Come, I'll provide a fur vest myself first."

Soon, new Torches were finished, and "Iron Barrel" shouted: "Prepare to attack! Haha, this time these people will probably have to pee out a few buckets of water to manage!"

The Bandits laughed, swarming forward while holding up wooden boards they had found. Behind every board was a Bandit holding a newly made Torch, ready to light and throw it at any moment.

Soon, the Bandits holding the wooden boards to block the Arrow fire reached the edge of the "safety distance line." If they walked any further forward, the two other log buildings on either side of the front structure would be able to shoot at the space behind the boards at an angle.

However, this distance was barely enough for the Bandits with outstanding arm strength to throw the Torches onto the side of the house.

"Light the Torches!"

Amidst the terrifying sound of flying Arrows, Bandit Leader "Iron Barrel" commanded loudly.

One by one, the Bandits holding the new Torches lit their gear, then gathered their strength, preparing to throw.

"Throw them for me! Burn them to death!"

As soon as the words fell, more than a dozen Torches flew out with roaring flames, subsequently landing more or less at the base of the three-story log building in front.

"Iron Barrel" watched the front expectantly. As long as he could ignite one building, he could prove that his side had the strength to ignite other resisting buildings, and thus, by relying on negotiations and persuasion to surrender, he could take the other houses in one go.

Although this place was sandwiched between two villages, at least for now, he and his subordinate Bandits had no other choice, right?

Settle down temporarily, then gather more men later and think of a way to take revenge.

But "Iron Barrel" thought well, yet he did not expect that the people "Dead Spot" left behind to guard the nest had long ago calculated that wooden houses were afraid of fire. Therefore, before this group went to raid New Clear Spring Village, they had made several log water barrels that a few people could sit in inside every Lumber Yard log building.

This thing was made by hollowing out the core of an entire thick log; it was crude, but there was no problem with holding water for a short time.

So, when this wave of more than a dozen newly made Torches had just ignited the log building, basins of clear water were quickly splashed out from the windows above, extinguishing the fire points at the base of the building. Along with it, the revenge determination of "Iron Barrel" and his group was also extinguished.

The attacking Bandits quickly retreated in a panic. Loud mockery and filthy verbal abuse came from the windows on the second and third floors of the front building. The Bandits, whose attack had been thwarted, were low in morale. After retreating to the woods next to the Lumber Yard, they threw away the wooden boards stuck with Arrows and gathered in small groups, either sitting or lying down.

"Try again!"

As soon as he spoke, "Iron Barrel" saw pairs of eyes that had originally bowed to his orders looking straight at him, without any respect. Although no one spoke out to denounce him, that was only because they feared his personal strength.

Reading the hidden meaning in the gazes looking at him, "Iron Barrel" flushed, and the Great Axe he had raised suddenly lowered.

He was not a fool; on the contrary, unlike his crude and fat appearance, his mind was quite cunning and flexible, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to organize these pieces of human trash.

"Forget it, no rush. It's noon already, everyone eat first. Someone! Bring out the glowing food we snatched yesterday! Let everyone have a taste. Some brothers who were injured yesterday and didn't arrive in time, come and taste these things that the Church masters and Noble Lords eat. This stuff actually glows! And look, every grain of wheat is so plump; after eating your fill, it feels great!"

With the distraction of these things, most of the Bandits present had their attention diverted, which made "Iron Barrel" breathe a sigh of relief.

As a Bandit Leader who had been doing this for several years, he clearly knew one thing: if this bunch of trash had no way out, then even if he led everyone to fight and fail every time, it would mostly not matter. After all, with no way out, they could only listen to him, and maybe they could even survive.

This was the reason why he was able to survive with his subordinate Bandits after being driven into the mountains by the local Knight Lord a few years ago.

But now the situation was very different. This bunch of damned trash had other ways out—they could sneak away and join "Dead Spot" or "Hanging Ghost" to seek another path.

They could even leave here and develop elsewhere. Anyway, the current world was very suitable for Bandits to develop; no matter how many bad things they did, no one would come to punish them.

Even more terrifying was that these people might even subdue or kill him, and take him or simply his head to find "Ken the Cutter" to exchange for that guy's favor or reward.

"Hoo..."

Slowly exhaling, "Iron Barrel" felt that the current situation was very bad. Fight? He couldn't take the seemingly ordinary Lumber Yard building in front. Retreat? Where could he lead people to retreat to?

Thinking of this, he even wondered whether he should just take some reliable confidants and leave. After all, he hadn't put all his family property in New Clear Spring Village; there were still more valuables at his old nest where he had hidden in the mountains for a long time.

Thinking of this, he looked at the performance of these guys around him and made up his mind.

He didn't join the excitement of stir-frying wheat grains or cooking Wheat Porridge. He secretly called over less than ten trusted Bandit subordinates, didn't take much supplies, only secretly carried two barrels of the glowing food they had just snatched, and then led the people to sneak away.

Jier finally turned his head and stopped looking at the Lumber Yard battle he was about to pass behind him. He had a better understanding of the Bandits' specific combat level. When these people faced simple and direct combat situations, they could still think of some strategies like luring the tiger away from the mountain, but once they faced slightly more complex combat situations, their depth and level were clear at a glance.

"Sigh, what about myself? What level am I, having fallen for the Bandits' trick?"

Jier smiled self-deprecatingly, tapped the horse's belly, and signaled Tianxuecao to speed up to catch up with the Refugee Team.