After a whole day of negotiation and trade, Baron Berrion bought 20,000 pounds of hulled wheat from Sapp at a price slightly higher than the previous purchase price, Galwin wanted to sell the grain at a high price, but now the trade route was impassable, and the grain had to be transported by Baron Berrion with his troops, and Baron Berrion promised to buy a large amount of grain in Sapp for military supplies in the future. As a sign of absolute sincerity, Galvin provided twelve iron-inlaid carriages with a capacity of 1,500 pounds and ten coachmen free of charge, and of course Baron Berrion was obliged to have Arte's patrol party return the carriages and coachmen back to Sap safely.

While discussing the purchase of grain, the two barons Galvin and Baron Berrion also agreed with Art to help the baron enter the mountains south of Sapp to suppress bandits after the patrol team returned from escorting grain from Provence.

"Originally, the southern trade route has been very stable over the years, but since the war in the south, there have been many bandits entrenched in the mountains......" Baron Galwin briefly told Art about the repeated attacks on his caravans in the south. Of course, as a powerful and wealthy nobleman, Galvin could not let bandits run rampant in his own territory, some time ago, Baron Galvin also organized two knights and more than 30 territorial escort soldiers to go to the southern hills to try to clear the bandits, but was led around in the complex hills by the mountain bandits, and was attacked and lost several elite soldiers.

Baron Galvin rubbed a rare jade wrench on his thumb, looked up at Art, and said, "Art, this is the case. To be sure, although I am a baron, I know nothing about marching and fighting, and several knights in my realm are better at dealing with gold and silver coins. Moreover, the mongrels that roam the hills are a swarm of rats, hiding everywhere and not being able to find their whereabouts. ”

"Lord Baron, I have a general understanding of what you said, I will pay attention to the terrain and the enemy's situation when I go south this time, and how about discussing with you in detail about the suppression of bandits after I return from the south? But I'll have to negotiate with you about the commission in advance......" Art said his ideal commission, waiting for Baron Galvin to make a counteroffer.

"Good! It's this price, as long as you can successfully clear out the bandits, money is not a problem! ”

Art didn't expect the merchant nobleman in front of him to be so straightforward, and after a brief conversation with Baron Galvin, he got up and took his leave.

Just as he was about to open the door of the office, the wooden door was pushed open suddenly, and a figure "bumped" into Art, who was petite and was bounced to the ground by Art.

Art hurriedly stepped forward to help the person on the ground, and between his eyes, Art was a little lost - the person under him had black hair like paint, skin like jade, beautiful eyes, and beautiful facial features......

After staring at each other for a moment, Art came back to his senses and realized that he had lost his manners.

"Noble lady, forgive me for my rudeness." Art slowly picked up the female dependents on the ground, and fled as if leaving with a soft confession.

The eyes of the ladies chased the back of Art's departure......

"Ahem~ Lottie, what are you doing in my office!" Baron Galvin interrupted the woman's confusion and scolded softly.

The lady was softly shouted back to her senses, looked out of the door again, regained the expression on her face, turned to Baron Galvin and asked loudly, "Father, I heard that you want me to marry the Dean family?" ”

Galvin has always doted on his only daughter Lottie, and respects Lottie's wishes in marriage, but this arrogant and unique child has never found a suitable husband, and if she is allowed to continue to be so willful, Lottie will have to become a "saint".

Baron Galvin stroked his forehead and said in a slightly scolding tone: "Lottie, you used to reject the noble prince, and now you don't want to marry a wealthy businessman. You're nineteen years old, and if you don't get married, do you want to be a nun? Your mother is right, I've just spoiled you too much over the years, and I won't let you be so willful anymore!! ”

Lottie retorted, "You don't want to see what kind of people you're looking for?" Either a gentleman or a slippery merchant......"

Galvin was stunned, "What kind of person do you want to marry?" You tell me, I'll find you !! ”

"I'm going to marry a true warrior......"

............

As he drifted away, Art faintly heard the quarrel in the office, shook his head, shook off the beautiful shadow that had just come to his mind, and left the lord's mansion and walked towards the temporary camp of the patrol team in Sapbburg......

Early in the morning of the third day, dozens of men escorted seventeen four-wheeled wagons carrying 23,000 pounds of grain from the main gate of Sapu Fort, and traveled along the horse road toward the southern hills.

According to the deployment agreed yesterday, one of Baron Berrion's attendant cavalry took Ron and Jason to sentry two miles in front of the convoy, and immediately rode back to the convoy to warn if there was danger; Otto led the soldiers of the third squad to the rear of the convoy half a mile behind, and was responsible for reinforcing the convoy when it was attacked, so as to prevent it from being surrounded and annihilated; On the flanks of the convoy, one soldier was sent from each side of the hillside and dense forest, and a hundred paces away from each other to detect the enemy's situation; Art and Baron Berrion personally led the rest of the soldiers, and the coachmen walked in the middle......

In the southbound convoy, Obote, a spear-wielding miner recruit, followed a four-wheeled carriage, and another recruit behind him kept muttering to him all the way, obviously this recruit was a little nervous.

"Obote, you said that there are so many of us, do any bandits really dare to rob us?

Obote ignored it.

"Why do you say that the adults scatter people everywhere, and what to do if the robbers come?"

Obote still ignored it.

The recruit didn't care about Obote's silence and continued, "Do you think we'll make it through this trip alive?" ”

Obote was a little annoyed, and the recruit's mouth was so incessant that the was almost plugging his ears along the way.

"You say ......"

"Shut up, you coward! Don't follow you if you're afraid of death, you're worried that these are useless, it's better to think about the life-saving skills you trained in the valley. ”

Obote's voice was a little loud, and Colin, the leader of the battle group who was walking in front of them, turned his head and shouted in a low voice: "The marching troops must not make loud noises!" Do you want to taste the military sticks? ”

The two were silent.

As the convoy moved slowly, several bandit leaders were arguing loudly in a cave deep in the southern hills.

They were what Baron Galwin called a group of bandits entrenched in the southern hills, and these people were usually scattered in their respective "territories" to rob caravans and pedestrians. However, recently, their survival has become more and more difficult, firstly, because there are more and more bandits entrenched in the southern hilly areas, and there are more people who grab jobs, so life is naturally difficult. The second reason is that there are fewer and fewer caravans coming and going on this bandit-ridden trade route, especially the grain convoy of Sapsburg has not traveled on this road for many months after being intercepted several times. The bandits had discussed forming a gang to attack Sappburg for a fortune, but the high walls of Sap deterred the bandits, who were accustomed to bullying the weak.

Survival is getting harder and harder, and the bandits have packed their bags and planned to leave here to continue their raids in the east, but two days ago, an eyeliner that ran out of Sapp brought a surprise to the bandits who were facing survival worries.

This eyeliner is a slacker in Sapbburg, who is usually idle, doing some stealing chickens and dogs all day long, and is naturally often caught and scolded by Baron Galvin's guards, so this lazy man has a grudge and actually takes the initiative to find the bandit and is willing to become the eyeliner lurking in Sapbburg.

Two days earlier, when Baron Berrion had come to Sapp with dozens of men to buy food, the lazy man had his eye on them, and he had used a few glasses of inferior beer to extract the time and quantity of food from Baron Galvin's slaves, and then immediately ran into the hills to tell the leader of the bandits.

So, the leader of the bandits, who had received the good news, summoned five or six groups of bandits from all over the hills to this cave to discuss the looting of the convoy.

Fifty or sixty bandits, dressed in all sorts of clothes and armed with weapons of all kinds, sat around the campfires, chewing looted food, drinking inferior beer, and shouting and cursing loudly.

In a slightly leveled area on the inside of the cavern, seven or eight bandit leaders were deliberating how to loot the convoy.

A scar-faced bearded leader said: "If you want me to say, what kind of man in black is him, everyone rushed up in a hurry, and after slaughtering a dozen sheep, those guys naturally fled for their lives, and when the time came, they drove the carriage back to distribute the grain." ”

"No, no, the eyeliner said that the group of men in black didn't look like ordinary caravan guards, they were all strong men, and they were all dressed in uniform weapons, I was afraid that they were elite soldiers from the army. It's easy to fall into a trap if you attack rashly. The leader of the bandits, who was outnumbered, shook his head repeatedly.

The bandits in the cave fell silent for a while.

A guy with a pointed face and monkey cheeks in a woman's clothes rolled his eyes and came up with a plan: "We can't storm the convoy." The other party is definitely prepared, and if we can't attack us, we will definitely suffer. So here's how we can do it......"

......……

On the evening of the second day after leaving Sapp, the sky was still glowing with the afterglow of the setting sun. The convoy stopped moving forward and set up camp in a clearing outside the dense forest, and for two days in a row, it was a little relaxing for the nervous crowd.

Art was removing the heavy iron armor from his body with Ron's help, "Ron, have they arranged tonight's sentry post?" ”

Ron replied as he lowered the iron armor on the ground and leveled it out, "Sir, it has been arranged, the first team of Bath is in charge of tonight's sentinels, and they are now eating, and they will go around to guard after the meal." ”

"Now no one is sentry, you go with me to the surrounding area and then patrol around, I always feel that the past two days have been too quiet, there are seven or eight gangs of bandits entrenched in this dozens of miles of hills, but so far we have not seen a trace of bandits, this is too abnormal."

Ron smiled: "It must be those guys who have already run away long ago when they saw that we were too numerous and too strong." You see, we haven't all come over safely in the past two days, and there's nothing to worry about. ”

Art looked at the entourage that had been following him for a long time, and couldn't help but be nervous: "This is just your own thoughts?" ”

"Everybody thinks so, saying that the robbers have to go around us now."

Art hurriedly bypassed Ron, picked up the iron armor from the ground and put it on his body, and walked out shouting, "Let everyone gather at the grain cart and prepare for battle, quick." ”

With that, he fastened his sword belt, took up his bow and arrow, and went out of his tent and ran towards Baron Berion's tent.

Baron Berrion's chain armor was not removed, and he sat in the tent wearing heavy chain mail.

"My lord, I don't think it's right, it's been too quiet for the past two days, and we're too relaxed now."

The baron stood up and looked at the young ranger, and said, "I've noticed this problem, the wolf never makes a noise before it bites your throat. I've already sent two of my squires to patrol the perimeter. ”

Art had to admire the alertness of the military aristocrat in front of him, which was the insight of only those who had been immersed in the flames of war.

As soon as the conversation between the two ended, there was a commotion outside the tent.

Art screamed badly, and immediately turned around and walked out of the military tent, and dozens of bandits armed with long and short weapons had rushed out of the dense forest on one side of the camp......

…………

"Gather and prepare for !!"

When the emergency assembly order sounded, Bensen, who "could not desert", had just put down his wooden bowl and lazily packed his weapons.

Suddenly, a battle team leader suddenly pulled out the long sword at his waist and shouted, "Get down!" ”

Benson turned his head just in time to see a gray-and-white woman running out of the middle of the woods.

"No, no, the woman had a knife in her hand, and she looked very ugly, as if she had a beard. What kind of woman is this, why is such an ugly woman in the jungle?" Countless jumbled thoughts suddenly flashed through Benson's mind.

Then, more people ran out of the forest. A scar-faced, bearded man suddenly stretched out his bow and pulled the bow apart......

At this time, Benson finally understood what Colin meant by suddenly shouting to lie down.

"Damn it, the bandits are coming." Benson only had time to curse in his heart, and then he felt a sudden blow to his left shoulder, and the whole person fell to the ground sideways. Instantly, a sharp pain came from his shoulder, and as soon as he turned his head, he saw a bright feathered arrow stuck in his shoulder. The arrow didn't penetrate deep into the flesh, but the red blood was already flowing and soaking through his black burqa cloak.

The sudden blow and the sharp pain caused Bensen's brain to suddenly explode, and at this moment, he was extremely frightened and completely overwhelmed. I could only lie on the ground and scream in horror like a pig.

"Help! Help me! Help me..."

———————

Art had already shot three arrows at the edge of the jungle, and the distance of more than 100 paces was about to come in an instant, and seeing that the bandits were about to rush to him, Art shouted at the panicked crowd while drawing the arrows:

"Assemble the array!!"

"Shield Array Defense !!"

"All the coachmen hid by the grain carts and were not allowed to run around."

The soldiers of the patrol team were barely rigorously trained, and after surviving the initial panic, they reacted quickly under the leadership of the captain, team leader, and veterans. A dozen or so soldiers formed a linear shield formation facing the edge of the dense forest at the roar of Art.

Five light arrows have been shot, and the robbers who rushed over have been shot down by Yate, and the shield array in the open space has basically taken shape.

"Steady!"

The robbers were still twenty paces away.......

"Steady!"

The robbers have ten more steps.......

Obote, who was standing in the formation with his shield raised, listened to the roar on the opposite side and the "aggressive" sound of arrows nailed to the wooden shield, only to feel his heart pounding in his chest, his throat was dry and tight, and his right hand had turned a little white and blue because of the clenching of the short spear.

"Top!!"

The order of the patrol officer Yate sounded in his ears, and Obote took half a step back with his right leg, leaned forward slightly, and used his shield to resist a slashing hand axe and a strong woman in women's clothes, and the strong man's strength pushed Obote back half a step.

"Thorn!"

With an order, more than a dozen short spears and swords and axes stabbed through the gaps in the shield and slammed towards the bandits crowded in front of the shield array......