At eleven o'clock at noon, Claude, Michael, and the big man Gemie parked the carriage at the entrance of the winding mountain road, which is also the junction of the mountainous area and the black forest. The streams flow down from the mountains and converge into a small river here, and then flow into the depths of the black forest. The small river beach here has become the best place for passers-by to stop and rest.
We set off from Hesse Town at 6:30 in the morning and it took us nearly four and a half hours to get here, which was already very smooth. In addition, I was also lucky. I didn't encounter any trouble at the four campsites along the Black Forest area, that is, I encountered a sudden attack by the so-called gangsters.
"Rest for half an hour, let the horses drink some water and some concentrate, and we will also eat some dry food. If everything goes well in the afternoon, we can arrive at White Deer City at four o'clock. But since we didn't meet the gangsters in the Black Forest, then We have to be careful, we will be attacked on the winding road next. You two should be alert, I don't want to see you in bad luck before you get home." Claude dismounted and led his mount to the river. Let the mount lower its head to drink water.
Mike was still sitting in the driver's seat of the carriage, holding a monocular telescope in his hand and carefully observing both sides of the mountain road. The big man Germi jumped out of the carriage, parked it, then unloaded the two pack horses pulling the carriage, untied the reins of the two strong horses tied behind the carriage, and led the four horses towards the river beach.
"Sir, there's no movement on the mountain. I didn't find any sign of an ambush." McJack put away the monocular and said.
"Then there is none. I don't believe that the ambush of a few bandits can escape our eyes. Let's take a rest first, and we will do some reconnaissance before setting off." Claude knelt down and searched in the small river beach. I washed my hands in a puddle.
"Jack, bring over the bag of fine materials from the carriage." Big Germi called.
"I got it." Mike stood up and pulled down the bulging bag of fine materials placed on the back of the carriage, and placed it on the ground next to the carriage with difficulty.
He jumped off the carriage and untied the bag, then took out five smaller linen bags, and then separated the mixed fine materials such as oats, black beans, and chopped straw from the large fine material bag. Packed in five sacks. After these sacks are tied to the horses' necks, the five horses can eat the concentrate from the open mouths of the sacks. This is the basic way to feed the horses on the road when traveling long distances.
The big man Gemie took down a luggage carried on the back of a strong horse and handed it to Claude. He then went over to help McJack tie the five linen bags around the horse's neck, open the mouth of the bag and put it in the horse's mouth. Let the horses consume the concentrate on their own. Claude found a flatter rock, opened his bag, and took out the dry food prepared in the town tavern.
The most famous delicacy of the Hound Tavern in Hesse Town is the roasted rabbit. The rabbit's belly is stuffed with fresh and tender mushrooms. It feels very delicious when you bite it, and the mushrooms are soaked in the gravy. Of course, this refers to the time when it is steaming hot. Now the three roast rabbits are cold, and the taste is not very delicious. Claude took two bites of the mushrooms and felt that they had no taste. He took two slices of white bread and spread them with butter and Honey, add a slice of dried meat and have it for lunch.
McJack only tore off the hind legs of one roasted rabbit, and all three roasted rabbits ended up in the belly of the big man. Because they were likely to encounter the gangsters in the afternoon, the three of them didn't drink, and finished their cold lunch with cold boiled water in military leather kettles.
After resting for a while, we got back on the road. This time, Claude rode in front of the carriage, the big man Gimi drove the carriage, and Michael took a monocular to carefully observe the movement ahead.
The mountain road was very quiet, and there were no caravans or pedestrians coming from the direction of Bailu City along the way. There were only the sound of rumble wheels and the clatter of horse hooves made by Claude, three people and five horses in a carriage.
After walking for an hour and a half, Mike finally discovered something was wrong: "Sir, look ahead."
The big man Germi stopped the carriage, and Claude stopped his horse from moving forward, turned the horse's head and returned to the carriage. He took the monocular telescope from McJack's hand and followed the direction that McJack pointed. Looking ahead.
The place where the three of them are now parked is on the high slope of the mountain road, followed by a valley. The carriage must follow the mountain road to the bottom of the mountain valley, and then climb up the mountain road to the opposite hillside, which is where the mountain road turns. There was a big tree growing unexpectedly on the hillside next to the mountain road. In the frame of the monocular, you can clearly see that the leaves of this big tree are half withered, and there are messy traces of being tied with ropes on the trunk...
Looking at the gentle slopes and dense weeds and bushes on both sides of the valley, what else doesn't Claude understand? Obviously, the gangsters gave up ambushing merchants at the junction of Panshan Road and Black Forest because they felt the terrain here was better. As long as pedestrians and vehicles reach the bottom of the valley, the big tree on the hillside in front will be put down and block the turning mountain road. If the mountain road in the back is blocked again, the merchant vehicles at the bottom of the valley will become a turtle in a urn, unable to gain wings. escape. The success rate of robbery here should be much higher than on the small river beach at the entrance of the mountain road. After all, the terrain on the small river beach is open and easy for people to escape...
"How many gangsters did you find lying in ambush?" Claude asked McJack in a low voice while using a monocular to check the terrain on the hillside.
"I only found four things that were wrong. I guess there weren't many people in ambush in front of me, only five or six. There were too many weeds and shrubs on the hillside nearby. I didn't find anything suspicious, but I'm sure those gangsters were here. There is also an ambush on the hillside..." Mike replied in the same low voice.
Claude nodded. They were all veterans who had followed him to ambush the reconnaissance cavalry of the Principality of Karnas. They were naturally very proficient in ambush and hiding. This was forced out on the battlefield, and it was much more perfect than the messy concealment of these gangsters. The scouts of the Principality of Karnas have eyes sharper than eagles. Anyone who goes a little wrong with an ambush on the battlefield will be discovered. The ambush will turn into an ambush. Those who fail pay the price with their lives. Those who do not know how to hide perfectly will be Already eliminated...
The ambush of these gangsters was naturally full of flaws in the eyes of Claude and the three of them. They didn't even know how to block the light, allowing the reflection of the blade to shine brightly in the weeds. Even the big tree growing on the hillside at the corner of the mountain road looks very unnatural, and anyone with a discerning eye can see something fishy at a glance. No caravan would let such a big tree growing on the side of the mountain road pose a threat to its vehicles. Those found would have been cut down long ago.
The only thing that confused Claude was that there were not many gangsters ambushing on the hillside in front of him. But thinking about the gentle slopes on both sides of the valley bottom, and considering his current position, it was obvious that this group of gangsters should be soldiers. Divide into two or three groups to outflank them to prevent the trapped fat sheep from turning around and escaping. It's a pity that they don't understand that such division of troops is useless to Claude and the three of them. They don't understand that distance will have a great impact on the result.
"Let's go down. Don't let them wait too long. Also, deal with the enemies on the opposite hillside first, and then use the terrain to block the rest of the chasing enemies behind the carriage. Do you understand?" Claude made a decision.
"Drive!" The big man shook the reins, and the carriage sped along the mountain road to the bottom of the valley. Claude rode behind the carriage. The mountain path goes down for two to three hundred meters, and the gentle mountain path at the bottom of the valley is nearly more than one hundred meters. When many caravans arrive at such a place, if they save their horsepower, they will slow down at the bottom of the valley, and then slowly let the packhorse pull the truck up the hill.
But the big man Germi wanted to use the momentum of the downhill to directly let the two packhorses pull the carriage across the gentle bottom mountain road and rush to the opposite hillside. This was beyond the expectations of the gangsters who were ambushing on the opposite hillside. They didn't even care about exposing themselves, and jumped directly from the grass nest where they were ambushing, shouting to release the tree quickly, release the tree quickly, etc. …
The big tree that grew unexpectedly on the hillside at the bend of the mountain road finally fell down, and when the carriage approached a distance of fifty or sixty meters, it lay across the mountain road, blocking the way. Seeing that the carriage was stopped, the six bandits happily waved their weapons and rushed down the hillside, shouting something like "Robbery! Surrender with your hands up! You want money but not your life..."
But what was waiting for them was just a gunshot. Claude had dismounted and stood beside the carriage. He raised the musket in his hand and shot the guy who was running at the front with a stone crossbow in his hand. Then he handed the musket to McJack and asked him to load it. He took the other musket and began to aim at another gangster holding a bow and arrow in his hand.
Four gunshots were fired, and the four gangsters fell to the hillside. The last two gangsters armed with daggers and spears had already rushed to a place about ten meters away from the carriage, but their steps slowed down. Claude and Michael were loading the muskets in a hurry, while their four gangster companions had fallen to the ground, looking at the daggers and spears in their hands. Neither of them knew Should I rush forward and fight hand-to-hand...
The big man Gemi had already rushed forward, and the two javelins in his hands had been thrown out. The two gangsters seemed to be struck by lightning. They tremblingly touched the handle of the javelin inserted into their chests, and fell to the ground with blood spurting from their mouths and noses.
At this time, a dozen gangsters appeared on the hillside where Claude and the others had parked their carriage. On the gentle slopes on both sides of the valley, a dozen gangsters also jumped out of the weeds and bushes. It's just that the gangsters on the opposite hillside are still more than 400 meters away from Claude, and the gangsters ambushing on both sides of the valley bottom have to run about 200 meters before they can rush to Claude's carriage.
This was an unexpected situation that the gangsters had never thought of. It was very simple for them to ambush these passing merchants and lone carriages. The hillsides at both ends were blocked, and as soon as the accomplices on the hillside next to the bottom of the valley jumped out, almost all the people who fell into the trap surrendered obediently, hoping to save their lives by sacrificing their wealth.
But this time something really happened. No one expected that these three people, a carriage and five horses would rush up the opposite hillside without stopping. Although the big tree over there was put down to block their way, none of the six accomplices who were ambushing there survived, and they were easily eliminated by the three people.
But it doesn't matter, there are still many people on my side, nearly ten times as many as those three people. A one-eyed gangster wearing a black eyepatch brandished an old-fashioned musket in his hand, pointed at Claude and the other three, and shouted at a dozen gangsters at the bottom of the valley: "Rush up, kill them, and avenge Heim and the others!"
At this time, the three muskets had all been reloaded and were leaning side by side against the carriage of the carriage. Michael looked at the dozen gangsters rushing up the hillside and curled his lips: "Why don't they ride horses?"
Then McJack thought about it and answered: "Oh, they couldn't hide the horses during the ambush, and they might have killed all the horses they grabbed to fill their stomachs..."
This is really possible. Thirty or forty people are not easy to get along in the mountains. There is not enough food source, let alone horses, and even their dead accomplices may have entered their stomachs.
The big man Germi shouted: "Jack, bring the two horses behind the carriage, and I will try to drag this big tree blocking the road away."
When Michael came back after leading the two strong horses to the big man Gemi, the dozen gangsters running up the hillside were still more than a hundred meters away from them.
"They are running very slowly." Mike said disdainfully: "Are they not full enough..."
"It's really possible." Claude replied: "Look at their steps, they are a bit staggering, as if they lack the strength to support their bodies. I guess they may be short of salt, which can't be bought or snatched in the wild. Go to Yan. You can also shoot later. You shoot on the left and I shoot on the right. I think the time it takes for them to rush in front of us is enough for us to reload ammunition three times."
Claude was right. When the dozen gangsters rushed to a distance of 100 meters, they actually didn't fire three rounds at all. They only fired five shots. The remaining six gangsters turned around and ran back crawling. When they escaped to the bottom of the hillside, they ran into a dozen gangsters coming from the opposite hillside.
It's just that these gangsters no longer have the courage to go uphill. Eleven of their accomplices have fallen, and there are only about twenty of them left. But they were unwilling to give up Claude and his group, so the six gangsters who fled back became their scapegoats and were beaten and insulted by the dozen or so gangsters behind them.
The big man Gemi had already used two strong horses to drag the big tree lying on the mountain road aside. He felt it was an eyesore. After untying the rope, he simply kicked the big tree down the hillside and led the two strong horses back. Seeing that the enemies at the bottom of the hill had not yet rushed up, he asked, "Sir, how about we leave and ignore these cowards below."
As soon as he finished speaking, McJack pointed at the gangsters at the bottom of the hillside and said: "Sir, look at the one-eyed guy wearing a black eyepatch. Is that the leader of the gangster named One-eyed Longback? The second lieutenant of the security battalion in Hesse Town said that his The reward is eighty gold crowns..."
Claude jumped on his horse and said, "Let's lure them over, rush within a hundred meters, aim and shoot. If they chase us, we'll pull back."
Claude, three men and three horses, rushed down the hillside. They approached the gangsters a hundred meters away and started shooting with guns. The three gangsters were hit and fell to the ground. The remaining gangsters were surrounded by the shouts and curses of the one-eyed gangster with a black eye patch. He rushed towards the hillside with the sound of urging.
By the time Claude and the others rode back to the carriage, dismounted and loaded their ammunition, the enemies down the slope had not yet come within a hundred meters of shooting range.
This time, Claude aimed and fired all three muskets. When the first and second shots hit the two gangsters running at the front, the remaining gangsters had already turned around and fled back. On the other hand, the one-eyed gangster with a black goggle and another gangster who also held a musket also fired at Claude and the others with their old-fashioned muskets, but the guns didn't even know where to fly. Then the two gangsters also turned around and ran away. .
"Germi, get on your horse, don't let go of the two with muskets." Claude got on his horse and ran down the slope, and the big man Gemi followed him with several javelins.
Fifty or sixty meters away from the escaping gangster, Claude stopped his horse, calmed down, and aimed at the one-eyed gangster wearing a black eye patch. The big man Gemie galloped past him.
"Bang!" The gun rang out, and the one-eyed gangster with a black eyepatch covered his chest and fell to the ground. The gangster next to him screamed in fright: "The big leader was killed!"
The big man Germi was already very close to the fleeing gangsters. He threw the javelins one after another. Four or five gangsters were penetrated by the javelins, including another gangster holding a musket.
"Oh no, the second leader is also dead."
Several other gangsters had gathered together, and one of the gangsters shouted: "Don't run away, they are coming, we will fight them, otherwise no one will be able to escape!"
Claude had already rode up to them, holding a shotgun in his hand: "Bang!"
These three or four gangsters became the sieve, and the world was immediately clean.
"Put down your weapons. Those who surrender will not be killed!" Claude pointed the discharged shotgun at the remaining gangsters.