The middle-aged man sighed, We only have over 300 men, and we still need to leave some behind in the village. I am afraid we will not be able to take them down.
The young man, however, was quite optimistic. Brother, they only have a few dozen guards. From what I saw, the other young and able-bodied men are not even carrying weapons. They will just be lambs to the slaughter.
The middle-aged man fell silent, his eyes darkening. After a long while, he finally made up his mind. Let's do it!
The night was quiet, with only the rustling of leaves blowing in the wind.
Yao Ji, Yun Yu, Xia Chanyi, and Qiu Wu led two squads of soldiers, spreading out around the perimeter to keep watch for the first half of the night.
Usually, two leaders were assigned to lead one squad for the night watch. Today, due to Jiang Jin's concerns, double the usual number of people were arranged.
He Li also sent a few guards to keep watch as a token gesture. To be honest, traveling with Jiang Jin's team allowed him to completely relax; he felt very secure.
Leaning against a tree and resting with his eyes closed, Yao Ji's ears twitched. He suddenly opened his eyes and looked toward the pitch-black dense forest ahead.
His expression turned serious as he listened closely again. Sure enough, he heard unusual sounds.
Gripping his Mo Lin spear tightly, he shouted, Enemy attack!
His loud roar was like a thunderclap in the silent night, jolting almost everyone sleeping in the camp awake.
Before his voice even faded, Yao Ji had already charged out. With a forward thrust of his horse lance, a miserable shriek pierced the night sky.
The male soldiers were arranged to sleep on the outermost perimeter. Their recent training had not been in vain; they moved swiftly, grabbing the swords placed beside them and rushing toward the source of the sound.
During daytime basic training, the soldiers usually kept their swords in the carriages. But at night, they kept their weapons close at hand, just in case.
Jiang Jin opened her eyes, grabbed the Tang sword and bow beside her, and jumped off the carriage. She ordered loudly, Light the torches and campfires, quickly!
She and Feng Qingzhu, along with the other women who lacked combat power, slept in the innermost circle. At this moment, her voice reached their ears clearly.
Everyone moved quickly and with experience. Before long, they had lit over a dozen campfires around the area, illuminating the land.
They finally got a clear look at the swarm of bandits charging toward their camp. There were quite a few of them, estimated to be nearly 200 men.
Yao Ji and the other night watchmen were already engaged in combat. Zhou Sui, Yun Chengxuan, Xie Nanxiao, and others who slept on the outer perimeter quickly led their soldiers to join the fray.
Yun Chengxuan was particularly furious. In his dream, he was roasting a rabbit. Just as he was about to put the fragrant meat into his mouth, the bandits attacked!
They could not come earlier or later; they just had to come right when he was about to eat? Could they not have waited a bit until he was finished?!
He wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth and brought his sword down. A head went flying. Before the head even hit the ground, his blade had already slashed horizontally toward another bandit nearby.
Blood sprayed like mist as almost all the bandits he faced were decapitated.
Gripping her Tang sword, Jiang Jin leaped onto a large rock in the middle of the camp and observed the battle before her.
Although the bandits had the advantage of numbers and were the ones launching a sneak attack, their rhythm seemed to have been disrupted by Yao Ji's sudden shout. Now, their response was somewhat chaotic.
Furthermore, Zhou Sui, Yao Ji, and the others were all veteran warriors, brave and skilled in battle. They were completely incomparable to the untrained bandits. It was almost one kill per strike, every blade drawing blood.
Especially Yun Chengxuan. Who knew what was wrong with this silly nephew today, but he fought with exceptional ferocity. Hardly anyone fell intact under his blade.
The soldiers had also been training for a while and attacked and defended with order. So far, there were no casualties among them.
Closer to the inner circle were the female soldiers.
Their mission was to protect the group's valuables and the women and children from harm. They all watched the battle unfold with a mixture of tension and composure.
At that moment, three bandits broke through the first line of defense and charged into the inner circle. The female soldiers swiftly drew their swords to engage the enemy.
Shuangjiang faced one bandit alone. Gripping her sword with both hands, she swung it down.
Seeing that she was short and a woman, the bandit did not take her seriously and simply raised his sword to block.
Clang.
Upon impact, the bandit's pupils shrank drastically as an intense pain shot through his hand. Under Shuangjiang's tremendous strength, he could not hold onto his sword at all, and it flew out of his grasp.
The cold, gleaming blade slashed straight down, cutting from the bandit's left shoulder to his lower right abdomen. Blood sprayed all over her face, but she paid it no mind, immediately turning to face another bandit rushing in.
Jiang Jin raised her bow and fired arrows at the bandits.
Her archery skills were superb. Even with both sides locked in a chaotic melee, it did not stop her from taking down an enemy with every shot. She specifically aimed for vulnerable spots like the bandits' eyes and necks, reaping several lives in the blink of an eye.
Dong Si stood on a carriage, similarly dropping an enemy with almost every arrow.
In the herd of horses at the very back of the camp, Li Mai watched the fighting ahead. At this moment, his previous fear had long vanished, replaced by a surge of boiling blood.
He hesitated for a moment before asking in a low voice, Dad, I want to become a soldier too.
As Jiang Jin acquired more and more horses and soldiers, the father and son had been assigned to the team responsible for watching and caring for the horses.
Li Su was gently stroking a horse's back with one hand to soothe the herd's emotions. Hearing this, his hand paused. He glanced at his son. Then you will have to ask the lady.
Li Mai was a bit surprised. You do not object?
Li Su smiled. Why would I object? You are grown up now. Do whatever you want to do.
Although he was a farmer, his time with the group had not been wasted; his knowledge and perspective in various aspects had broadened considerably.
He knew that Jiang Jin was bound to achieve great things, so letting his son enlist was a good choice.
Although there was the risk of dying in battle, some things were worth holding on to.
He Li sat in his own carriage, watching the massive brawl before him. Even though this was the second time he had witnessed the strength of Jiang Jin's team, he still felt shocked.
He did not know where this team had found such capable people, but they clearly were not ordinary folks. At this moment, he felt immense confidence and anticipation for their future cooperation.
Although the enemy outnumbered Jiang Jin's forces, fierce warriors like Yun Chengxuan and Zhou Sui slaughtered them as easily as chopping melons and slicing vegetables. The battle was over in less than half an hour.
When Jiang Jin saw the few surviving captives being pressed down before her, she thought to herself, Just as I suspected.
She walked up to a burly man. Despite only having caught a fleeting glimpse back then, she still recognized him as one of the two men who had ridden past them earlier.
She asked, You are bandits? From which territory?
The burly man gave a cold snort and turned his head away, refusing to answer.
Jiang Jin did not get angry. Chop off one of his fingers.
Understood. Xie Nanxiao looked a bit excited as he grabbed the burly man's right hand and brought a dagger straight down on his thumb.
The burly man was terrified. Wait, should she not ask a few more questions? Why did they resort to physical violence right away?
He struggled fiercely, shouting anxiously, Wait, wait, I will talk, I will talk, ah!
Before he could finish, his thumb went flying. He let out a miserable scream from the pain, and the other captives kneeling nearby were scared out of their wits.
It was their first time seeing something like this. The man had already agreed to talk, so why did they still chop off his finger?!
