Old Hamm came out of the hut, and as soon as he pushed the door open, a dozen emaciated dogs immediately gathered around his master, wagging their tails affectionately. Reaching out and touching the dog's head, and checking the equipment again, Old Hamm began his day's work.

Five months ago, on the orders of Victor, Ham Sr. and Butz marched for more than 50 days with more than 400 men to enter the Randalls' northern territory and establish a settlement.

Victor's territory in the north is only 300 square kilometers in size. The cavalry of the House of York patrolled the north only once a year, merely to assert sovereignty. There are no castles, no villages, no freedfolk settlements, only wild beasts and monsters, and it is a real wilderness.

Before leaving, the elder Ham and Boots were mentally prepared for hard work, but the strength of Victor's support was also something they did not expect.

Victor recruited more than 300 followers, 10 guards, 60 alchemy militias, and 10 alchemy auxiliaries. Among these followers were many fierce and skilled mountain people, and Victor equipped each young man with sophisticated rattan leather armor, bows and arrows, spears and other weapons. These equipment, ready to arm more than 200 young hunters, plus guards and alchemy militia, this is a formidable army.

Victor prepared forty cartloads of supplies for the migration and gave Boots 3,000 gold soles. As the convoy passed through the town of Blackcastle, Butz purchased a large number of cows and goats to feed the settlement. In addition to this, every 6 months, Victor will send a convoy to supply the settlement.

And that's just the support on the surface. Victor secretly built two small cottages in the mountains and forests of the Northern Territory, and installed 50 alchemy militias, 10 alchemy auxiliaries, 20 war mastiffs, and 80 alchemy crows.

Victor has invested enormous human, material and financial resources in the Northern Territory, which is equivalent to 200,000 gold soles if converted into currency.

In the eyes of the other lords, 300 square kilometers of northern territory is worthless, and it is absolutely insane to spend a huge amount of money here. However, this territory is of great strategic importance to Victor.

The Northern Territory is at the northernmost point of the Centaur Hills, and further north is the sphere of influence of the Kingdom of Dordor. Victor plans to build a small town here, and the name has already been decided, and it will be called Raven Town. It will be the starting point for the Free Folk Merchant Guild to travel north, similar to that of Pinewood.

In addition, the northern territory is close to the mountains on the west side of the Centaur Hill, and sentry posts and source collection points are built in the nearby mountains and forests, which can not only monitor the movement of the Ant-Man army, but also exploit mountain forest resources. Raven Town can serve as a storage, processing and transshipment center for resources. Therefore, Raven Town is a border town that integrates trade, military, and resource distribution functions.

In Victor's plan, the construction of Raven Town could wait until three years later. However, Sauron had already begun to build his territory, and Victor had to open up the northern frontier in advance to avoid being overrun by Sauron's men. Victor arranged for Butz to be the village chief and Hamm Sr. to be the militia leader, and the demand for them was simple: to gain a foothold in the north.

Obviously, Boots and Old Hamm did a good job.

Before entering the North, Old Hamm thought that he was going to fight monsters first, but it turned out that there were no monsters here. That's because the alchemy creatures cleaned up this area in advance, and there were 6 alchemy war mastiffs to form a wolf pack, occupying a large area of territory on the periphery of the territory, forming a barrier.

Without the infestation of monsters, Butz built a village covering an area of 60,000 square meters in just three months. The village has moats, iron oak fences, and arrow towers, which are enough to withstand the invasion of wild beasts and monsters.

After the village was built, Butz and Old Hamm decided to raise cattle and sheep, free up manpower to hunt wild boars, collect wild vegetables and sweet potatoes, and spend another month to fill the village's warehouse. Even if the supply convoy does not come, these more than 400 people will be able to survive the water season.

Old Hamm was in charge of the security of his territory, and he formed 3 militia squads, each consisting of 3 to 4 guards, 7 alchemy militias, and 10 mountain hunters. These militia squads are responsible for patrolling the border, guarding the border and guarding the villages. And Old Hamm joins a different militia squad every day, and today he will be in charge of protecting the villagers' guard squad.

Old Hamm walked to the entrance of the village with a militia squad and happened to bump into Butz. Behind Butz was a large crowd of people, with shovels and hoes in their hands, and 20 ox carts.

"What are you going to do today?" asked Old Hamm curiously.

"I'm going to dig a stream reservoir. Boots laughed.

"There are more than 200 people, and they still want to dig the stream reservoir? When it rains heavily, they have to stop work! I think it's okay. How about letting the big guys practice archery? ”

"Why can't you dig it? If there are fewer people, dig a smaller one! I'm going to dig a 20-acre reservoir. After a few rains, we don't have to run to the mountains to fetch water in the future. Butz said with a glare.

"Twenty acres, that's a cistern, right?" said Old Hamm unceremoniously debunking Butz.

Old Butz's face turned red, and he craned his neck and shouted, "The reservoir is the reservoir, at least you can grow some vegetables." ”

"What are you doing with vegetables? Just herd the sheep. Old Hamm pouted disapprovingly.

Just as the captain of the steppe militia and the head of the farmer village were arguing with each other about herding sheep or growing vegetables, an alchemy militiaman came running over and said, "Captain Hamm, a team of men and horses are coming towards us!"

"What's going on?" asked Old Hamm solemnly.

"Judging from the information transmitted by the Dust Falcon, there are 27 people, coming from the northeast, 40 kilometers from the village, most likely the knight team, and they are coming towards us. The alchemy militia replied.

Old Hamm and Butz were shocked, and the villagers were in an uproar. Victor had told them that the greatest threat to the Northern Realm was not monsters and beasts, but knights of rival families. Today, Victor's worries have finally come true.

"Are you sure it's a knight?" asked Old Hamm in a low voice as he pulled the alchemy militiaman aside, not believing that the Dust Falcon had the ability to recognize knights.

Of course, the Dust Falcon can't tell the difference between knights and ordinary people, but this team of people ignores the intimidation of the alchemy mastiff and passes directly through the territory of the war mastiff, then there is no doubt that it must be a knight team. Instead of hunting the alchemy mastiff that looked like a ferocious wolf, they didn't return the same way, but continued to move forward, and their purpose was self-evident.

The alchemy militia wouldn't explain the specific reason to Old Hamm, just nodded.

Old Hamm didn't ask, turned around and left. These powerful soldiers have many secret means, but they can be trusted, and that's enough.

"Do what you do. I took someone out to intercept it. You organize the villagers and prepare for the retreat. If we can't stop it, you go into the mountains at once. I'll leave you 10 elite militiamen and 7 guards, and they know that the cottage built by the adults is there. Old Hamm said to Butz.

In response to the current situation, Victor designed a set of plans. Old Hamm led the alchemy militia to annihilate the knight squads of rival families in the wilderness, while Butz led the villagers to prepare for refuge in the mountains. The fence of the village can't stop the onslaught of the knights, and intercepting the knight squad in the field can give the villagers time to flee for their lives, but these elite soldiers and old Hamm who go out to fight are probably more than lucky.

Thinking of this, Butz was a little unbearable, and he said to Old Hamm: "Viscount Sauron's territory is in the east, these people are from the northeast, they are not necessarily the knights of the Sauron family!"

"Don't put your life in the hands of strangers. There are no priests in the village, no matter what knights they are, even if they slaughter us, no one will know. Old Hamm said in a hoarse voice: "As long as they are willing to turn back, it will be fine, if they don't listen to persuasion, I can't disgrace the Randall family!"

"That's right! You 。。。。。。 Be careful. Butz said softly.

The alarm bell was sounded, the unknown enemy was less than 40 kilometers away, and if the speed of the knights' squad marched, it would take up to 3 hours to appear at the entrance of the village. Time is running out.

The villagers sprang into action. The young man put on a thick rattan leather armor, picked up a spear and a hard bow, and the women and children packed up the supplies that could be taken away. Old Hamm mounted his war horse and roared out of the village gate with 3 guards and 50 alchemy militiamen.

After more than an hour, Old Hamm finally saw the team.

These twenty or so cavalrymen were well-armed and well-moved. The cavalry at the head was dressed in fine armor, and there were 5 cavalrymen in scale armor by his side. Old Hamm's heart sank, 1 knight, 5 apprentice knights, 21 elite cavalry, this is indeed a standard knight squad.

"This is the territory of the Randall family, and we are the guards of Viscount Randall. Knight, please explain your intentions!" shouted Old Hamm.

The knight paid no attention to old Hamm, and shouted to the left and right, "Dismount, raise your shield, and kill all the bandits!"

"Shoot!" Old Hamm roared in response, "Destroy them!"

Less than ten breaths of contact between the two sides broke out.

The two barberry militiamen rushed towards the knights, and the charging distance of more than ten meters allowed their strength to climb to the peak, and two heavy long knives made of fine iron slashed straight down with unstoppable momentum.

"Huh. ”

The knight was a little surprised, he had just noticed that there was an evenly matched opponent among the enemies, and the two warriors did not have a coordinated physical character, but they showed enough strength to match him. This is a sign that they are all fierce warriors. Although the fierce warriors are far more powerful than ordinary people, they are not yet the opponents of knights. The knight was just strange that he actually met two fierce warriors at once.

In the face of the two fierce warriors, the knight was not shocked. The Adamantite Long Sword changed to flirtation, the blade of the sword was attached to the side of the long blade, leading the opponent's weapon backwards, the body turned, slid forward, the shield in the left hand was raised upward, just on the long handle of the other long knife, the power suddenly exploded, swinging the long knife away. In just a split second, the Cavaliers defused their opponent's attack and cut into the inner circle.

The knight unleashed a standard thrust, and the sharp adamantite sword pierced the brutal warrior's chest. He was about to draw his sword and slash another fierce warrior, but he saw a pair of indifferent and merciless eyes. Ignoring the piercing sword, the Tyrannical Warrior stepped forward and gripped the knight's arm tightly.

The stagnation of this moment decided the fate of the knight. From the bushes on the hillside, a streamer of light shot out, and a crossbow bolt made of fine iron pierced through the knight's side shoulder, carrying a puddle of blood, and piercing out from under his armpit.

"Military heavy crossbows! The knights of the Randall family are firing dark arrows!

The thought had just risen in the knight's mind when the long iron sword of another fierce warrior slammed into his chest. The blade pierced the breastplate and stabbed into the chest and abdomen, and the tremendous force lifted the knight into the air.

"Ahh

The knight let out a wild roar, and his fighting spirit raced, and he kicked away the fierce warrior wrapped around him, and the sword was pulled from his chest, turning into a drill that slashed off the head of another fierce warrior, and blood sprayed from his neck like a fountain. Then, another bolt slammed into the knight's head.

"Despicable。。。。。 ”

The knight's consciousness gradually fell into darkness, and he did not understand until he died, what was he facing?

The Thur Silver Heavy Crossbow can pierce through a 30 Physique Ant-Man Boss, but is not effective at killing a Knight. A piercing wound doesn't have much effect on the knight, and unless he is shot in the heart and head, the knight will quickly leave the battlefield with the crossbow arrow, or it won't be long before they heal. If you want to shoot the knight head-to-head, only Victor or the Wind Knight can do it.

The Barberry Militia will not be killed by the knight as soon as it comes into contact, in fact, the Barberry Militia wearing the armor of the Silver Ant-Man can completely entangle with the knight. The barberry militia deliberately sacrificed themselves precisely to create opportunities for the spirit monkey militia, and if the knight had seen the spirit monkey militia with heavy crossbows, the situation would have been different.

Before the engagement, the Alchemy Raven had already exposed the whereabouts of the knights' squad, and this was an ambush battle. Four spirit monkey militiamen sneaked into the bushes in advance, and they shot the knight like a ferocious bear.

Old Hamm was a little excited, and more sad. The battle proved that the knight was not invincible, but at the cost of the sacrifice of two of his companions. Old Hamm has experienced many battles and witnessed many sacrifices, but the meaning is completely different, the previous sacrifice was to make more people flee for their lives, this time the sacrifice is for victory.

The battle was over, the enemy was completely annihilated, only one was captured, and on the side of Old Hamm 2 were wounded and 3 were killed.

Old Hamm walked over to the captive, a midshipman who was being firmly pressed to the ground by several militiamen. If it weren't for the capture of him alive, another Spirit Monkey militia wouldn't have died in battle.

"I demand treatment that is in line with who I am. The midshipman struggled.

"Who are you, and why did you attack us?"

"I'm a midshipman of the Erikson family. On the orders of the Duke, the freedmen settlement here was cleared. ”

Old Hamm was stunned, Duke Erickson was the lord of the northern kingdom of Dord, and his sphere of influence bordered the northern realm. However, Victor had already sent a note to the surrounding lords through the church. There's no way Duke Erickson didn't know they were villagers of House Randall.

"Why did Duke Erickson attack our Randall family's territory?"

"I don't know. The midshipman shook his head.

Old Hamm sighed and ordered: "Don't leave the mouth alive, kill!" The alchemy militia did not hesitate to kill the apprentice knight.

"Clean up the battlefield, bury the corpses, and inform the village chief to move the cattle, sheep, women and children to the mountains to prevent Duke Erickson's revenge! ”10