The bandits selected a few strong villagers, unloaded the packers from the mules and horses under their watch, and then carried the packers into the village church along with the goods on them. At the same time, they found several other villagers and ordered them to lead their mules and horses to the village well to give them water and food.

Gandino knelt on one leg in front of the cross hanging from the church wall, bowed his head and prayed silently, while two henchmen and bodyguards stood guard at the door of the church with rifles.

With a cross on his chest, Gandino looked up at the icon of Jesus nailed to the cross, then lowered his head and muttered a prayer in his mouth.

When the bandit leader had finished praying, he stood up and walked over to the stacked goods by the wall, and opened the lid of one of the crates. A box full of twelve Carcano rifles, the smell of butter in the air, Gandino's fingers brushed over the pitch-black and shiny bolt, and the thug twisted his fingers and rubbed the grease off the wooden plank.

Gandino had sworn that sooner or later he would make everyone look at him differently, even the arrogant nobles who were dying with arrogance, and they would obediently kneel in front of him.

In this mob's dictionary, the belief that might is the axiom of the world, and the cornerstone of all power is the weapons used to kill people in front of them. Twenty identical crates were stacked here, containing two hundred and forty brand-new Carcano rifles, which would allow him to arm a new infantry company and a new territory.

He might still be able to try his hand at collecting taxes in his territory, the former sergeant now had a large loan to pay, and the cunning German arms dealer would never allow anyone to run his bills.

"Colonel, everything is arranged, the village chief invites you to his house for dinner." Coming in was a Pisa man named Carrot, who had also served in the Italian army and was trusted by Gandino because of his simple mind.

"You take two men to guard these goods, don't let anyone come near here."

"Don't worry, Colonel, I'll take care of it." Karot patted his chest and said.

"Well, if anyone dares to enter the church, you're going to shoot that guy in the head." Gandino smiled and patted his henchman on the shoulder.

"I don't need a gun, I can dig out his intestines with this." Karot pulled out the Turkish short knife that was stuck diagonally on the belt around his waist.

"Well, do a good job, after you go back this time, I'll make you the commander of the new infantry company." Gandino nodded with satisfaction, of course, this kind of obedient subordinate must be attentive.

"Thank you so much, Colonel." Karot hurriedly stood up and gave a military salute to Gandino.

"Hmm." Gandino grinned, punched Carrot in the chest, then turned around and strode out of the church door.

This time he ventured to leave his territory and troops in order to get on the line of German arms dealers, who demanded that he only be willing to negotiate with him in person.

The Germans offered a fair price, stating that all the goods were captured by the German army, and that the price was only half that of the Italian military, and that they did not make any embarrassing demands other than that they had to pay for a cash transaction.

Because it was the first transaction, the other party even allowed Gandino to take credit and only need to pay a small amount of interest, and he could take the weapons he needed in advance. The former army sergeant immediately nodded and placed an order for the first batch of 500 rifles, because the capacity on hand was limited, he agreed with the other party to pick up half of the goods first, and then choose another place for trading, and then hand over the remaining half of the weapons, and repay the previous arrears.

The German businessman's performance was impeccable, and for Gandino, who was in dire need of weapons, it was like a gift from God, and perhaps a pie falling from the sky smashed his head, and the Italian sergeant began to dream of becoming a warlord in his heart.

He had no idea that all of this was arranged by the German intelligence service, and he had already been included in the Eye of Odin's elimination list.

In order to curry favor with the butcher, the village chief carefully prepared a sumptuous feast, and took out the fine wine that had been treasured for many years, so that the murderers could feast on the table.

The village chief smiled at the table, flattering the villains as much as he could, praying in his heart that they would tell the truth and that they would leave his village after eating, and that he had collected a ransom of 50,000 lirah, begging them not to hurt the villagers of Casassola again.

After a full meal, Gandino took the money from the village chief, counted the thick stack of banknotes, and the sergeant's mood became cheerful, and he decided to spare the village and its inhabitants as a way to show his gratitude to God.

However, it is still necessary to set a fire before leaving, this is a rule he has set, of course, he cannot take the lead in violating it, this village has deceived itself, and it is necessary to give them some unforgettable lessons. Just for God's sake and for the banknotes, the bandit leader decided to burn down the village barn.

The straw and wood made the flames soar so high that within a minute the fire burned through the roof, and the whole building was soon enveloped in flames.

"This is to deepen your memory, Mr. Sagio." Gandino put his arm around the village chief's neck and whispered into the old man's ear.

"Next week, my men will pass by here, and I'm sure you'll remember how to entertain my soldiers." Letting go of the village chief, Gandino came to his white mount, his shiny riding boots trampling on the back of a villager, and the little bandit leader turned over and rode on the tall warhorse.

"Remember, I'm Colonel Gandino and I've rarely been so lenient with anyone who dares to deceive me, so thank God and don't forget to thank me at the same time. Remember the name, Your Excellency. ”

"I will, Your Excellency Colonel Gandino." The village chief stood in front of the horse and bowed respectfully.

The former army sergeant laughed and proudly held his horsewhip aloft, asserting his authority to the villagers and subordinates around him.

But a second later, in full view of everyone, the raised arm suddenly broke in two, and then a dull thud was heard in the distance.

The leader of the gang was splashed with his own blood, and Gandino didn't understand what was happening at first, he looked blankly at the severed arm sprayed with blood, and his expression was overwhelmed.

Immediately afterwards, the white horse under his seat was suddenly frightened, perhaps because the sensitive animal felt the murderous intent in the air, or because of the strong bloody breath, the war horse neighed and stood upright, and its two front hooves struggled in the air, trampling the bandit holding the reins to the ground.

Gandino slid off his horse with a scream, his back slamming to the ground, and it was only then that he realized what had happened to him, and the bandit leader rolled on the dirt with his severed arm in his arms, and let out a beastly howl from his mouth.

The scene was suddenly in chaos, and the villagers instinctively sensed danger, and they began to flee in all directions, screaming in alarm. Although the number of his subordinates with Gandino is small, most of them are veterans with actual combat experience, even if they are placed in the Italian army, they can be regarded as first-class elites.

At this time, you can see the difference between the veteran and the rookie, after encountering a sudden attack, these people did not panic, but quickly looked for cover around and hid themselves.

The medic quickly dragged Gandino behind a low wall, and tightly tied a tourniquet to his upper arm, compressing the arteries and preventing the severed limb from continuing to lose blood.

(To be continued.) )