Chapter 23, a Small Encounter Between Militiamen and Bandits

A team of ten militiamen were responsible for close combat. They were each wearing a variety of one-handed weapons and wooden shields, and behind them were carrying crossbows that were rarely seen in the city.

From the moment the militiamen and bandits discovered each other, the militiamen had the upper hand.

They were divided into three teams, each with three people. The team leader was leading a small team of exactly ten people. Their respective groups hid behind adjacent trees, leaning out one after another to aim and launch their crossbows. The remaining two people hid behind the tree trunks and wound up, waiting for their next move.

After Kiel and the others saw one of the bandits being shot down by the militia's crossbow, they were suppressed behind a rock, cursing and discussing what to do.

On the militia side, under the command of the squad leader, they asked the left and right squads to stop shooting and outflank them further to the left and right. The team leader then asked two of his team to follow and occupy the place where the previous team was staying, and continued to maintain shooting suppression.

"Great job!" Pengbutuo, a young hunter, praised in a low voice. Kiir also saw the strategy and cooperation of the militiamen below. This doesn't feel like a tactical arrangement that an ordinary group of militiamen can accomplish.

Either this team of ten people were familiar with each other before participating in the militia training and received simple training, or the team leader in command is not an ordinary young farmer's family, and maybe the elders in the family have participated in the regular army. some type of.

The two teams of six people who were outflanking them quietly circled an arc to surround them. The distance between them from one tree to another was exactly the short period of time after the companions behind them fired their crossbows.

This ingenious time selection can take advantage of the limited observation of the bandits when they are hurriedly avoiding the crossbow fire, so as to quietly complete the siege mission.

After the two groups of people reached a place where they could attack behind the rock where the bandits were hiding, they each drew their weapons and used the reflection of the bright sword blades to remind the team leader behind them that they were in position.

Then, the team leader who was located in front of the bandit and the rock led his three men to shout from behind the tree trunk, pretending that their militia was going to launch a general attack.

Sure enough, the bandits have been overwhelmed by the firing of crossbows. They carry shields, but the bandits' shields are very crudely made. Basically, they use their own imagination to splice them out of chopped wooden boards. Yes, it was okay to withstand the small hunting bows used by the people for self-defense, but when faced with dual-wielding crossbows that required stringing of the legs and feet, they simply could not withstand the powerful arrows fired by the crossbows.

Therefore, when these bandits heard that the militiamen on the opposite side could not bear to launch an attack, they were immediately overjoyed. They were delighted and divided into two teams. They walked around from the rocks to the left and right, holding up their shields to guard against possible crossbow shots from the front, and ran quickly. rushed towards the open space in the middle.

As long as they cross this open space and fight in close quarters with the children of farmers who are farming, they who are experienced in close combat will be able to gain the upper hand and reverse the situation of this battle.

But the bandits' expectations were dashed.

What they met when they rushed out was not the militiamen who also rushed out, but a volley of crossbows from behind the tree trunks on the left and right sides.

The crude shield held in front had no chance of defending against shots from the left and right sides, and was knocked over by three bandits who were not quick enough to react.

Then the bandits immediately cursed something like digging for food in the ground, and moved the teams attacking from the left and right closer to the center. The shields also immediately defended from left to right, back to back.

But the four militiamen who were originally facing the front, under the command of the militia captain, released a wave of crossbows that had been aimed for a long time. The four crossbow arrows immediately followed the movement of the crossbow body and the vibration of the tough crossbow strings, hitting the two bandits closest to them.

From the discovery of each other to the battle, six of the bandits had been knocked down by crossbows. There were only twelve of them, but half of them were defeated. This made the remaining bandits risk their lives and didn't care. The other militiamen rushed over to a small group of militiamen in one direction.

The crossbow is very powerful and good for everything, but it is very troublesome to string. Especially for the crossbows used by the militiamen, you must touch one end to the ground, step on the protruding wooden pole of the crossbow with your feet, and then pull the crossbow string with both hands. Only when the crossbow string is stuck in the mechanism position can you loosen your feet and pick up the crossbow. , then took aim with the crossbow.

So after all the militiamen fired their crossbows, they could no longer use this powerful weapon for a while. Facing the six bandits who rushed over and risked their lives, these three militiamen were not afraid and half-cocked their weapons. Putting their crossbows aside, they immediately picked up their shields and grasped their one-handed weapons, preparing to entangle these bandits and let other companions defeat these bandits.

These three militiamen had good ideas and were very brave, but the captain of their team did not see it that way. He rushed forward with his men, and while approaching the bandits, he shouted: "You guys! Retreat! Don't do it!" Resist forcefully! There are many of us, don’t resist forcefully! You guys retreat!"

After hesitating for a moment, the three militiamen obeyed the command of the squad leader, turned around and ran back.

The bandits' plan to fight closely with the militiamen to avoid crossbow shooting failed, but they were still chasing after the three militiamen and they still had no intention of giving up.

But the three militiamen who had not moved on the other side had already loaded the second round of crossbows. They nervously aimed and fired, and after three rounds, one of the crossbow bolts hit a bandit who had been moving.

The remaining five bandits were whining and shouting random things and ran faster.

They are not afraid of death, well, some are. The main thing is that they don't think there's anything wrong with dying in a bloody fight with the enemy. After all, anyone who comes out to be a bandit will inevitably die at some point. What they are really afraid of is being worthless, without blood, and without dignity, being attacked from a distance and shot to death on the ground from a long distance.

Just like several other bandits in their team who had been shot to the ground.

The bandits who were shot by the crossbows were not dead for a while, but the severe pain and the spurting blood forced the shot bandits to lie down on the ground and wait for others to slaughter them.

If they bandits finally win the battle, the less seriously injured bandits can still be saved. But once the militiamen won the battle, these injured bandits who fell in the snow could only wait for an even worse ending.

He was kidnapped by the militiamen and used in exchange for merit.

According to the laws of Kendall County and the general laws of the kingdom, large gangs of bandits like them who formed a camp were always punished by death. No one would think that such bandits would do any good if they were caught, or that someone would come to rescue them.

These bandits who fell to the ground sincerely hope that they, the bandits, will finally win.

Three militiamen who were being chased by the bandits ran toward the hiding two men, followed by five bandits who were running faster, and further behind were four militiamen who were chasing after them.

Keir and Pembutoto looked at each other.

Seeing that Pembu Toto was a little nervous, Kil whispered to him to hide it, then took off his backpack, half-drawn the long sword at his waist, and quickly took the shield fixed behind his back in his left hand.

Probably because their attention was focused on escaping during the run, the three militiamen who ran past the two Kiirs did not notice the two Kiirs lying in the snow.

But Keir didn't think the five thieves failed to notice them when they came over.

So when the bandit ran more than three meters in front of them, Kil jumped up from the snow, suddenly rushed out, hit one of the bandits with his shield, and stabbed the sword in the other hand into the side. The body of a bandit.

"Ah?" The bandits were shocked.

The militiamen chasing behind were even more surprised. They did not expect that on the battlefield fighting the bandits, there would be a third force hiding at such a close distance. The militia leader was surprised and immediately shouted loudly Questioning Kiel’s identity: “Who are you?”

"A team of hunters under Knight Lanessa." Kil's voice came from under the helmet, joining the team of female knights to attack the wolves in the north of the county. Naturally, this identity must be used when it is time to use it.

The militiamen did not believe Kiel's answer, but seeing Kiel's fierce battle with the bandits, at least they were sure that he was not a bandit.

After Kir used the surprise attack to stab one bandit to death, he immediately hit the next bandit with his shield. The previous bandit was knocked to the ground by Kir's shield. At this time, one of his arms was broken. At this moment, he was struggling to get up and prepare to fight again. .

Kiir planned to keep these bandits here and take advantage of the militia's large numbers to kill all the bandits.

So he didn't use his long sword very much, but held up his shield to block the weapons of each bandit, then used his steps to push forward and knock over the bandits.

The four militiamen who came from behind immediately drew out their swords and hacked the fallen bandits to death one after another. The team leader stopped the three militiamen who were running away and asked them to turn around and come back to fight.

It is convenient to have more people. After just a few clicks, the last bandit was surrounded by the militiamen and Kiel.

This bandit has a beard all over his face, and he looks fierce and determined to be captured.

The leader of the militia team snorted coldly, and called three militiamen with their crossbows strung over. In front of the bandit, they fired them together, shooting the bandit directly to the ground, and then he was chopped down by a militiaman using an axe. Head.

After the bandits were eliminated, all the militiamen moved closer. They half-surrounded Kiel, wary but not hostile. They all heard what Kil said. He was a knight's subordinate. Although these militiamen didn't know who the knight was, and why they sent people to this mountain forest full of bandits.

But Kil was wearing a set of full-covered hard cowhide armor that their entire family could not afford, and the long sword in his hand was not a bargain like their ordinary iron swords. It looked like a weapon made of high-quality steel.

The shield also has a metal inside and a high-grade wooden and leather shield on the outside. It is far from the standard wooden shield used by militiamen.

Kil was wearing another set of wolf fur cloaks he carried. When attacking the bandit camp, the original one resisted the bandits' sword attack and was cut into pieces. Although it can still be repaired, it cannot be done by someone in the wild.

In order to show goodwill, Kil first put away his sword and shield. Opening his visor, Kil said: "I am Joe Kil. I used to be a warrior who cleaned up monsters in Kendall City, but now I have joined the hunter team led by the female knight Lanessa."

The militiamen took a look and found that two militiamen living in a farm near Kendall City had heard of Kiel's rumors and immediately shared what they knew with others.

Seeing that someone in the team knew that Joe Kil was indeed there, the militia captain led the team and asked his men to disperse and clean up the battlefield.

Kiir stopped the militiamen and blew a whistle to ask Pembuto to come out.

The militiamen were surprised to see someone hiding, but they also knew that Kiel and the others did not mean any harm.

Kil took the backpack and ax handed over by Pembutoto, carried it behind his back, and looked at the militia captain who was still there with three people, he said: "You are still waiting for us to answer why we are here, right? "

"Yes, then why are you two here? There is a large bandit camp near here, which is very dangerous. It is a war zone now. If you have nothing else to do, please leave." The militia captain also You're welcome, you put your hands on your hips and let Keir and the others explain their purpose.

Kil did not panic. He pointed to Pembu Toto beside him: "This is hunter Pembu Toto. May I ask your name?"

The militia squad leader introduced himself: "My name is Os, and my brothers and I are militiamen from the Kendall River Ferry area."

Nodding, Kil said: "So do you know about Warcraft?"

"Warcraft? Before we came here, we heard that there seemed to be a Warcraft in the county. Does this news have anything to do with you?" Upon hearing the news about the Warcraft, the militiamen became faintly excited. They were all young guys. They had only heard about World of Warcraft in the stories of their parents who threatened them to sleep. Now that they heard this guy Kiel talking about World of Warcraft, they all seemed a little eager to give it a try.

Kil and Pembu Toto looked at each other, and then smiled bitterly. These people looked the same as before. They were all excited when they had not seen the Warcraft before, but actually saw the Warcraft and fought with it. Finally, at this time, everyone felt a faint fear in their hearts.

Although they defeated the Warcraft with Knight Lanissa, the Warcraft's huge and tenacious vitality, mysterious and terrifying abilities, and powerful magic have already made them retreat when facing the Warcraft again.

The ignorant are fearless. Only those guys who have fought and won against Warcraft know how difficult it is to deal with Warcraft.

"It has something to do with it. Knight Lanessa is one of the knights of Kendall. She was ordered by Baron Kendall to fight against the evil beasts that were infested on the road from Kendall City to Dem Forest Village." Pengbutuo said.

Kil continued: "I joined in halfway. Knight Lanessa first ambushed the monster in the forest near the Gloomy Forest Village. After severely injuring the monster, it drove the monster south. After climbing over two windy and snowy mountains, it drove the monster to the Further south, that is, in a forest some distance west of where we are now."

Pengbutuo continued what Kiel said: "But it was bad luck. That forest turned out to be a forest where bandits used to hide and spend the winter in order to avoid being cleared by the militia. There were many camps set up by bandit gangs inside, and Warcraft attacked those bandits. , and regained strength after swallowing it.”

"What?" As expected, this news shocked the militiamen. It is no longer easy for them to clear out this bandit gang called Luo Pocket Cave. Unexpectedly, as these two people said, it is deeper to the west of here. There are actually more gangs of robbers hiding from them.

"Is your news true? This is no joke."

"Do you think we are joking? Don't worry, this news will definitely be reported to the Crow Knight who leads your team." Kil said.

Hearing Knight Crow's name, the militiamen calmed down: "Yes, that's right. Knight Crow must know this, and he will deal with it."

Kil shrugged, briefly went over the next battle with bandits and monsters, and focused on the subsequent arrangements of Knight Lanissa.

"You mean to ask us militiamen not only to deal with bandits, but also to go deep into the mountains and forests to transport out the huge monsters you mentioned? Hey, that sounds like some trouble."

"Haha, I'm surprised you don't want to see with your own eyes what the real World of Warcraft in the story looks like? Maybe this is the only chance in your life?" Kil joked.

The militiamen then thought about it and realized that this was the truth. Warcraft and knights were frequent guests in various stories. Knights were common, but Warcraft became increasingly rare as humans developed and multiplied the land.

If possible, they would like to see what a real Warcraft looks like. And it's not a living monster, but a dead monster that has been successfully defeated. There is no danger, which is quite good.

Next, the militiamen collected the loot of the bandits, then cut down a big tree, gathered the corpses of the bandits together, cleared a piece of snow, and set fire to the corpses of the bandits and the big tree chopped into firewood to clear out the bandits. corpse.

The dead bandits at the scene were dealt with in this way. This was the method explained to them by a priest from the Church of the God of the Dead before they came.

If possible, be sure to burn the deceased to avoid hasty handling of the body, which could lead to something bad.

The living bandit was tied with a rope, his injuries were simply treated, and he was just dragged along.

Then, this group of ten militiamen and four captured bandits followed Kiel and Pembu Toto, leading them to meet the group of hunters behind them.

After seeing what Kiel said about the team behind them, they believed what Kiel said even more. After the two groups of people met, they were led by the militiamen and walked towards where the main force of the militiamen was located.

This group of ten close militiamen is part of the advance force sent out to compress the space for bandit activities. As the main force of the militia, a large number of spear militiamen are slowly approaching the Luo Pocket Cave bandit's lair with sufficient supplies. .

Combined with the guidance of people escaping from the bandit's lair, and the elite detective team of Luokangdong bandits who raided the prisoners, the militiamen have mastered the location of the bandit's lair and some nearby mountain roads that can allow vehicles to pass.

As they approached the bandits' lair, Knight Crow also released many melee militia teams that had performed well in training, allowing them to compress the bandits' patrol and investigation teams, putting some pressure on the bandits without completely overwhelming them.

His large army gradually approached the bandit's lair steadily.

That bandit lair was a place where the bandits had been operating for a long time. Given the stingy and greedy nature of the bandits, unless they exerted overwhelming strength, the bandits who had the advantage of geographical location and defensive supplies would probably want to fight to the end.

This was delayed until the militiamen ran out of supplies and had to retreat in the severe winter cold. By the next year, this group of bandits will be able to use this achievement to recruit scattered bandits and become even bigger and more troublesome.