Chapter 388: In the Middle of the Night
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
As the troops set off, the knights and servants of Avilis Castle lined up neatly and galloped on the muddy and rugged dirt road.
The five hors.e.m.e.n militiamen from Nali Village led the way in front. The group was very fast, and not long after, they could see the Nali Village from far away. It also included the temporary camp illuminated by the bonfires on the grain drying field.
The stars released a gentle light, mixed with the bright moonlight, and the entire land was shrouded in a veil.
The night march did not hinder or trouble them.
There was plenty of light.
Moreover, as the knight attendants of Avilis Castle, they received a daily ration of high-quality food. They did not lack fresh meat and various fruits, so they did not have night blindness like the poor.
In this feudal era, the poor had a lot of night blindness caused by the lack of vitamins.
This was especially prominent in the most barren North County.
Of course, in comparison, the East County and the South County were much better.
After all, according to what the scholar had seen and heard, the relatively wealthy free people in these two counties lived much happier lives than the small squire, small landlord, small merchant and the like in the North County. Perhaps the only difference was the size of their power.
It was just that in the current era, no one cared about this, much less the so-called human rights and life security.
The average life expectancy of a commoner was less than 45 years old. These commoners did not care about the luscious privilege.
To be able to live was their greatest and only desire!
Viscount Gibran was already 67 years old, and he was also considered an old man in the Dukedom of Leo. However, he was still the pillar of support in the East County. In addition to his daily diet and exercise, he did not look as weak as an ordinary old man.
Among the n.o.ble families, he could be considered a long-lived person. He was a happy old man who did not suffer from serious injuries.
He rode on his horse.
In front of him were black buildings lined up on the plains.
It was Nali Village, which belonged to Avilis Castle. It was not big, but it had completed with essential facilities. There were lights shone through the windows of the houses, adding a bit of liveness to this quiet night.
However, the most eye-catching thing was still the grain drying field in front of the village. Dozens of tents were illuminated by piles of bonfires.
From the looks of it, it was obvious that a large team was stationed there.
“Stop moving forward.” Viscount Gibran tightened the reins at this time. His right hand, which was holding the horsewhip, had already raised up to signal.
Behind him, many of the knight attendants tightened the reins one after another, controlling the warhorses beneath them to slow down. Although there were more than 300 people, they were all orderly and without the slightest bit of panic when they lined up.
Viscount Gibran nodded in satisfaction at this. After all, they were the attendants that he had carefully trained.
“Lord.” Bertram rode his horse closer.
He had a slightly puzzled expression. It was clear that he did not understand why they were stopped moving forward, so he asked, “We are still a few miles away from Nali Village. If we stop here, I’m afraid that even if we wanted to rush over at top speed, it will take about 15 minutes.”
They were still in the wilderness. They would still have to pa.s.s through a piece of reclaimed farmland before they could reach Nali Village.
Viscount Gibran did not explain further. He only said, “Let’s dismount and lead the horses over.”
“This…”
Not to mention Bertram, even the other three Grand Knights were a little hesitant.
This distance was not close.
They were now wearing a full set of mail armor and chain armor. If they walked all the way, it would be troublesome if they sprained their ankles on such a rugged dirt road, not to mention overexerting their physical strength.
Although they were well-trained, most of them were skilled in horsemans.h.i.+p, spear arts, swordsmans.h.i.+p, and other combat skills, they did not have much experience in trekking.
n.o.ble lords rode horses.
Only the lowly commoners and the armed civilians, or the mercenaries who wandered around, would walk. As for the commoners who had a little money, and the wealthy free civilians, they would buy their own pack horses to carry them.
“Let’s go.” Viscount Gibran had no intention of explaining.
He directly got off his horse and led his beloved horse forward. He actually really did walk on this rugged dirt road. Under the starlight and moonlight, he strode towards Nali Village.
Behind him, Bertram and his three seniors also helplessly got off their horses and followed on foot.
This included the knights and knight attendants at the rear.
They all advanced on foot.
The sound of their footsteps was intermittent, but it was much quieter than the galloping of their horses in groups.
Especially in the quiet of the night, when they advanced on foot, not only were their voices low, but if they listened carefully, they would be able to detect the abnormal sounds around them in advance, greatly increasing their concealment.
This was what Viscount Gibran wanted, and he was very curious.
He had some understanding of the barbarians.
However, this was the first time he could disguise himself as a mercenary.
They could simply launch a surprise attack, Viscount Gibran was very familiar with the violent way. However, for the sake of the long-term stability of the East County, as well as the safety of the western border, he decided to first investigate and obtain the information he wanted.
If those barbarians really learned too much knowledge because they came into contact with the Dukedom of Leo and the Silver Platter Kingdom, then it would be worth worrying about.
As the only viscount of the East County, Gibran would definitely not show mercy.
The slaughter would break out if necessary.
Moreover, they would charge towards the higher wilderness in the west.
When they united and began to learn all kinds of knowledge towards the human compatriots of the Dukedom of Leo, these barbarians would no longer be the barbarians of the past, but civilized people who were about to be enlightened.
At that time, the Dukedom of Leo, which was bordered by most regions, would welcome a new enemy.
This was really dangerous.
They gradually approached Nali Village.
Looking at the bonfire in front of them, the group quietly moved forward, and their footsteps became lighter.
Their left hand was holding the reins, while their right hand was already holding the hilt of their sword. Under the starlight and moonlight, they emitted a faint cold light, which was very terrifying.
Viscount Gibran, including all the knights and knight attendants, did not relax.
They had already prepared for the worst.
This was their traditional concern.
When they had fought b.l.o.o.d.y battles to defeat the main force of the Silver Platter Kingdom on the north bank of Resniston River, they had been full of spirit and had made preparations before finally winning the battle and achieving success.
Even a lion would use all of its strength to hunt a rabbit.
Right now, they would not be the slightest bit careless.
The reputation of Viscount Gibran, a famous general of the East County Territory, was definitely not undeserved!
However, they were quickly discovered.
Pulling out a small half of the longsword, it flickered with a light under the moonlight, like tiny gla.s.s mirrors. From afar, the sharp-eyed Desert Bandits, who were on guard against the eastern county territory, could observe that something was amiss.
Although they were camping in the grain drying field beside the village, they had to be vigilant.
There were also many sentries and hidden sentries.
They were all on duty.
When someone noticed the abnormal reflection of light in the distance, they reported it.
The number of sentries decreased, and the patrol team hid in the tents. There were only a few people who seemed to be standing guard lazily, but in fact, they were each relying on an obstacle. They could lie down at any time to avoid long-range attacks such as bows and arrows.
As for the hidden sentry posts, they had all shrunk their guarding area and hid at the outer layer near to the tents.
Even the sleeping personnel were woken up.
They were holding their hide-covered round s.h.i.+elds.
Their right hand was holding their spears or heavy machetes.
All of them were slightly curled up inside the tent, but they could kick their legs and rush out of the tent at any time, brazenly launching a counter-charge. Hence, the enemy who dared to sneak attack them in the night would receive an unexpected counterattack.
Even Kant, who was in the middle of the temporary camp, had woken up. He was wearing a chain armor and a linen robe.
A group of Lion Knights and Lion Squires were also guarding the surroundings.
There was no problem with their safety.
There were 30 Sarleon Lion Knights. Even the Dukedom of Leo could not gather so many grand knights.
They might be a little weak in the large-scale legion battle might be a little bad, because hey still had to dodge the fatal arrow rain. But a small-scale military conflict was the best place for them to display their strength.
Just like now.
Although the Elite Desert Bandit was prepared, these level 6 grand knights and level 5 Lion Squires were also prepared.
With just 80 of them, they were enough to protect Kant and kill their way out. Moreover, they could also take advantage of the night to kill all the 300 riders who had quietly attacked. Moreover, there would not suffer too many casualties.
Kant was even more cautious. He ordered in a deep voice, “Pa.s.s down the order. Stay alert and wait for the order.”
“Yes!” the Sarleon Lion Squires in chain armor nodded immediately.
At this moment, they were the messengers. They left the tent nimbly and walked quickly in the dark where the bonfire could not reach. At the same time, they pa.s.sed down Kant’s order so that everyone could receive it and make arrangements.
At this moment, the commander in the front row was Rolf.
He was in the tent at the very front.
Through the gap, he looked at the glint that flashed outside from time to time. His eyes were cold.
Especially when he looked at the village next to him, he could not help but snort coldly, “Looks like this Nali Village is not an honest village. It is still a vicious bandit’s nest.”
They paid to stay one night at the village, it was not illegal.
But at night in the village, there were troops with evil intentions approaching.
Not only did they draw their weapons, but they also sneaked over. If they weren’t bandits, they still weren’t good people either.
Rolf wasn’t a kind general. Once in the Continent of Caradia, he was a notorious scoundrel n.o.ble who specialized in solving problems for certain fractions, such as bribing informants in the village and killing them in the middle of the night. It was common to him.
Money moved people’s hearts, not to mention the poor peasant in these villages.
“You filthy intruders better get ready.” Rolf grinned hideously.
He turned his head to look at the group of Elite Desert Bandits and berated them in a deep voice, “Lord Kant said that those guys wouldn’t launch a sneak attack, so we don’t need to attack. But those guys are clearly charging towards here, so let’s use your pilums to attack first!”
“Understood!” the Elite Desert Bandit answered in a low voice.
While they were speaking, they changed their scimitars and spears into pilums.