“If we’re fighting, then let’s fight. We have over twenty warhorses, that’s more than twenty cavalry. Are we really going to be scared of them?” an old soldier said eagerly, patting his horse. “When they come, we’ll charge and flatten them.”
“It’s true that cavalry counters infantry, but don’t forget, Monkey said there are over twenty archers among these bandits, perfectly suited to counter cavalry,” Jin Feng said, glancing at the old soldier.
The official road was only a few metres wide, too narrow for cavalry to manoeuvre. If the bandits started shooting arrows, there’d be nowhere to hide, and they’d be sitting targets.
Apart from Qing Mulian and her personal guards, neither Jin Feng nor the old soldiers had armour. They might not even survive the first volley.
Just as Iron Hammer was about to speak, a soldier on lookout shouted, “Who’s there?”
Everyone turned to look. A bush about fifty metres ahead in the woods shook slightly.
A figure darted out from the bush, sprinting into the forest.
“It must be a bandit scout. Take him down,” Jin Feng ordered.
The soldier who spotted the scout immediately pulled the trigger.
Whoosh.
An arrow flashed, striking the scout in the neck.
“Sir, you’re right. There’s no avoiding this fight,” Iron Hammer said, drawing his long blade. “Sir, get back in the carriage. Everyone else, prepare for battle.”
At the command, the old soldiers and female soldiers formed a defensive formation.
“Iron Hammer, we’re standing on the open road with no cover. Fighting here puts us at a huge disadvantage,” Jin Feng said, frowning.
“What does Sir suggest?” Iron Hammer asked quickly.
“We’re outnumbered. A direct fight is a losing battle. We need to use favourable terrain,” Jin Feng replied.
“Sir, I already checked. The best terrain nearby is where the bandits are ambushing,” Monkey said.
Jin Feng looked around and confirmed Monkey’s assessment. One side of the road was a cliff, the other a dense forest, with no defensible terrain to hold.
“There has to be a way,” Jin Feng said, his mind racing. “We need to maximise our advantages. What do we have over the bandits? Our old soldiers have stronger combat awareness and better individual skills. Our weapons are sharper, the female soldiers have armour, and our crossbows have greater range and power than their bows.”
As Jin Feng mentally listed the advantages of his soldiers, his eyes lit up when he thought of the crossbows’ power.
“Everyone, gather round. I have a plan,” Jin Feng said, quickly explaining his strategy to the group.
“Sir, this puts you in danger,” Iron Hammer said, frowning.
“If it gets dangerous, I’ll run. Can two-legged bandits outrun warhorses?” Jin Feng replied. “Get ready.”
“But…” Iron Hammer hesitated.
“No buts. Follow orders,” Jin Feng said coldly.
“Yes, sir,” Iron Hammer replied, leading the old soldiers and their horses into the small woods beside the road.
“If there’s no favourable terrain, we’ll create it. Why didn’t I think of that?” Qing Mulian said, giving Jin Feng a thumbs-up. “Sir, you really are brilliant.”
“Enough flattery. The bandits are coming. Get ready,” Jin Feng said, lifting Xiao E out of the carriage. “Xiao Rou, Dong Dong, Run Niang, you all head up the hill now.”
“Be careful, my love,” Guan Xiao Rou said, knowing her presence would only distract Jin Feng. She glanced at him reluctantly, holding a crossbow in her left hand and Xiao E’s hand in her right, following the old soldiers up the hill.
“Stay safe,” Tang Dong Dong and Run Niang said, each giving Jin Feng a deep look before following Guan Xiao Rou.
Soon, only a lone carriage remained on the mountain road.
Jin Feng sat in the driver’s seat, waiting silently.
Ten minutes later, the sound of running footsteps echoed in the distance.
The bandits, not hearing back from their scout, had come after them.
If they had looked up at the hill, they would have seen the old soldiers and female soldiers hiding there.
But at that moment, Jin Feng flicked the reins, driving the carriage forward, instantly drawing the bandits’ attention.
“Boss, why’s there only one carriage?” a bandit asked.
“Isn’t it obvious? Jin Feng must have spotted us and fled with his elite riders. The carriage is too slow and got left behind,” another bandit answered before the boss could respond.
“The carriage is here, so they can’t have gone far. Chase them down. Don’t let them escape,” the boss shouted, waving his machete. “Archers, shoot.”
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Over twenty arrows flew, embedding into the wooden planks at the back of the carriage. Jin Feng, driving at the front, was unharmed and kept the carriage speeding along.
The bandits chased relentlessly.
“Everyone, get ready. Take out their archers first,” Iron Hammer said coldly from the wooded hillside. “I’ll take the one in front.”
“I’ve got the second,” another said.
“I’ll take the third,” another added.
The old soldiers and female soldiers each locked onto their targets.
The bandits, oblivious, kept chasing Jin Feng under the boss’s urging.
As they reached the spot where the convoy had stopped, a volley of whooshing sounds came from the hillside.
Every bandit archer was hit by crossbow bolts, collapsing one after another.
The sudden attack stunned the bandits, who instinctively stopped and looked up at the hill.
In that moment of hesitation, the second volley from the soldiers came.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Another twenty or so bandits fell.
“We’ve been tricked,” the boss roared. “There’s a big rock over there. Everyone, take cover.”
The bandits scrambled behind a rock the size of a small house, which blocked the soldiers’ line of sight, giving them a moment to breathe.
“Damn it. Damn it,” the boss shouted, smashing his fist against the rock.
Calming down, he peered through a gap in the rock toward the hill.
“They’re hiding just twenty zhang away. We outnumber them. If we charge together, we’ll win once we reach them,” the boss said fiercely, gripping his long blade. “When we charge, stick close to the trees so they can’t hit us.”
The bandits were a ragtag group, good for bullying civilians or merchants in easy fights, but they faltered against opponents willing to fight back.
The two volleys had shaken most of them, and they hesitated to charge with the boss. Just then, they saw the fleeing carriage return.
The carriage stopped about a hundred metres from the bandits, then turned, its rear facing them.
“What’s that kid doing?” the bandits wondered.
As they puzzled, Jin Feng opened the carriage’s back door, revealing a gleaming heavy crossbow.
With a cold smile, Jin Feng aimed at the bandits and pulled the trigger.
