Magic, steel, heavy industry

Chapter 58 Ambush

"May the god of iron law protect us, is war coming...? What should we do? Should we really go with them?"

Behind Vilan, several obviously timid refugee leaders looked around in panic, their faces a mixture of bewilderment and fear.

They were just ordinary refugees. Although they could become leaders, it didn't mean they had the courage of Bear Eye and Mad Cat.

Hearing this, Bear Eyes turned his head in disgust and snapped, "What nonsense! What kind of war is this? They're just a bunch of bandits! Do you think Lord Vilan's guard can't beat them? Don't forget who gave you food and a place to live!"

"Yes, yes...we were wrong, we'll never say it again..."

The leaders of the refugees were startled by Xiong Yan's imposing presence and immediately lowered their heads.

Vilan noticed this scene but didn't say much. This was a test in itself. These refugee leaders all had experience in leadership, and those who remained calm in the face of danger were even more worthy of attention.

At least four leaders have not shown any obvious signs of panic, and Vilan silently noted their names down.

"Alright, let's go to Old Valley. Reliable sources say the bandits are planning a night raid on Anvil Territory from Old Valley, intending to slit our throats while we're still asleep. As their lord, I will not let these bastards get away with this. If anyone is afraid, they can stay here; I won't force them."

Vilan glanced at the crowd, then mounted his horse and extended his right hand to Igris, saying, "I told you you didn't need to come over."

Igris hesitated for a moment, then stubbornly raised her head, took Vilan's hand, nimbly mounted her horse, and gently wrapped her arms around Vilan's waist.

The darkness concealed the rosy glow on her face; only a decisive yet slightly flustered voice could be heard.

"I'm not afraid. I want to witness those despicable bastards go to hell."

Vilan shook his head helplessly. He hadn't originally planned to bring Igris along for tonight's operation, but it didn't matter. This bandit-suppression campaign was destined to succeed, so there was no need to worry about her.

"drive!"

Vilan rode out on his horse, and the others ran after him.

Of course, Merino couldn't handle such high-intensity exercise, but fortunately, Veran was understanding and provided him with a horse, with Mad Cat as the rider.

Merino is a must-go, because he is the chief alchemist. How can one know which direction to take in the future without witnessing firsthand the power of his creations on the battlefield?

……

Meanwhile, to the southwest of Iron Anvil Territory, rows of torches lit up, illuminating the sharp blades and greedy grins.

The bandits, armed, marched out of their camp.

The Strong Wind Bandits consisted of about 150 bandits. They left only 20 men to guard the camp, while the rest set off eastward along the wasteland.

The bandit leader, Strong Wind, rode his horse at the head of the group, with four other horses scouting ahead of him.

Beside Qiangfeng was Gangsuo, the down-on-his-luck mercenary, whose face was filled with coldness, as if boundless rage was about to erupt.

"Hey, relax, my brother. I know you want revenge. Tonight you can kill to your heart's content. That captain of the guard, and that wretched little lord, they're all yours."

Strong Wind revealed a savage smile, his tone filled with deep disdain.

Steel Cable nodded. "I'll hang them at the town gate so everyone knows what happens when you offend us."

While uttering the most vicious words, Steel Cable was already cursing Strong Wind as an idiot in his heart.

Trying to push the most difficult opponent onto me? That's quite cunning. Unfortunately, you don't know that you've already walked into their carefully laid trap.

Steel Cable glanced around casually; there was no fire or movement.

Indeed, Mount had already conveyed the detailed plan to him. All he needed to do was lure the bandits to the Old Valley, and Viran would handle the rest.

The Old Valley is a dried-up riverbed that was once a tributary of the Amber River. It has low hills on both sides and a narrow wasteland in the middle, but it is now occupied by hordes of goblins, so few people come here.

This was also the reason Steel Cable suggested taking this route, because it was secluded enough.

Strong Wind didn't think much of it, because that's what he thought too.

No matter how you look at it, going through the old valley is safer than going through the main road. They are bandits, not regular troops, so they naturally need to preserve their strength as much as possible.

Soon, the scouts who had gone ahead to explore returned on horseback.

The four scouts were all mercenary friends that Steel Chain had brought in, and they were experts in reconnaissance.

This time, it was the eccentric Morata who returned. He whispered, "Everything is normal up ahead. Those stupid serfs should still be sleeping right now."

Upon hearing this, Qiangfeng could no longer conceal the savagery in his eyes. He chuckled softly, "Then let them sleep forever. Kill all the men, leave the women. No one cares about a barren territory. From tonight onwards, this place belongs to us!"

His highly inflammatory words immediately excited the bandits behind him. Thinking of the supplies and women in Iron Anvil Territory, they gripped their weapons tightly, their blood boiling, and they couldn't even feel the biting cold wind.

Strong Wind didn't notice that after Morata finished speaking, he exchanged a brief glance with Steel Cable.

……

"Thank you for your hard work. Just stay here and keep watch."

On the low slope on the north side of the old valley, Vilan spoke with a smile, and the three mercenary scouts beside him nodded nervously.

Yes, after exchanging information, the three mercenaries stayed behind, leaving only Morata to inform the bandits.

The mercenaries looked towards the front of the low slope. It was just before dawn, and the sky was already bright. They could clearly see 30 soldiers lying in three neat rows, each holding a powerful crossbow they had never seen before.

Hidden among the weeds and slopes, these people appeared extremely well concealed.

What's even more terrifying is that these people are moving in exactly the same way. Although some are still trembling, their aura is truly astonishing to the mercenaries.

"So this is the man behind the tightrope. It seems he wasn't lying to us..."

One of the mercenaries glanced at Vilan furtively, startled by the man's youth.

At this moment, Llorente suddenly stepped forward and stood between the mercenaries and Vilan.

"Sir, it's almost dawn, and the enemy will soon spot us. We should go down and hide."

Belin, standing behind him, spoke with concern. With Carreras and Rossi not around, Belin dared not let Vilan get hurt.

Vilan nodded, then said, "According to the measurements at the scene, by the time they discovered the ambush, they would still be about 400 meters away from our soldiers. At that distance, they shouldn't pose a threat to my soldiers, right?"

After speaking, Vilan looked at the mercenaries beside him, clearly hoping they would answer.

The leading mercenary immediately said, "Those thieves don't have proper bows and arrows, only a few broken ones. We don't need to worry about anything beyond two hundred meters. But... if I may be frank, crossbows don't have a very long effective range. Since they've seen the ambush, it's unlikely they'll enter the crossbow's range again..."

Vilan smiled with satisfaction, then said somewhat mysteriously, "That's not necessarily true."