Chapter 553: Ambush

In Wu Ming’s previous life, there were many myths and legends regarding the West.

Among them, the most captivating were the various races.

The beautiful and proud elves, the stubborn yet passionate dwarves, the small and clever halflings, the mysterious and seductive sirens, not to mention dryads, trolls, ogres…

Now that he had arrived in a world similar to the Western myths, he naturally found these extremely intriguing.

However, Nia Town and even the entire Windfly Plains were territories ruled by humans, and he had never seen any non-human race. Even some ambiguous rumors were merely heard from the mouths of wandering bards, and their authenticity remained uncertain.

In the minds of many simple townsfolk, any foreigner who slightly differed in appearance and had vastly different living habits was considered an outsider.

For example, the true wild tribes active in the wilderness—they were savage and cruel, uncivilized, and even retained the tradition of cannibalism. In Nia Town, they were even referred to as ogres.

Wu Ming strongly suspected that the legends of ogres told by the bards originated precisely from such stories.

Of course, there were also dragons and giant serpents, which couldn’t simply be imagined into existence. There must have been similar creatures that inspired the bards.

The next day, as dawn’s light was just breaking, Sir Takur urged everyone to set off.

They traveled for three consecutive days, and the surroundings became increasingly desolate and wild. Shadows of dire wolves could be seen among the bushes, and some desperate beasts even dared to attack the group directly.

Their fate, naturally, was to be surrounded and killed by soldiers, becoming that evening’s dinner. However, other hidden threats were far more difficult to guard against.

For instance, well-camouflaged venomous insects and snakes, or even contaminated water sources.

The harsh environment had already caused three non-combat-related casualties by today.

Fortunately, no one had died yet; otherwise, the morale of the group would have plummeted.

“Set up camp! All captains, assemble here!”

Takur glanced at the sky. Though it was still early before sunset, they had already reached their destination.

All the captains seemed to sense something, their eyes slightly ablaze, as if burning with anticipation.

“You’re all here!”

Sitting on a rock with a greatsword planted in front of him, Takur nodded slightly as he looked at the four gathering around.

Among the three who arrived were the squad leaders of the guards, including the blond-haired Arthur, and the last, naturally, was Wu Ming.

Or rather, in Takur’s mind, twenty mercenaries barely equaled the strength of a ten-man guard squad.

Takur’s voice was hoarse yet firm: “I believe you’ve all either guessed or heard from various sources… Correct! We’re now very close to our target for this campaign!”

He swept his gaze around, lowering his voice: “It’s a village composed of tax evaders and runaway serfs, with about three hundred people—women, elders, and children included… Our mission is to destroy it, forcing those debt-ridden tenants to pay their dues to the lord, making the escaped serfs wear shackles again, and naturally, slightly filling our own pockets!”

With just this sentence, Wu Ming immediately realized that the so-called chivalric virtues from his past life were mostly lies.

Although there might indeed be some virtuous knights in this world, more likely, people like Takur dominated—those who followed orders without mercy or pity once the enemy was identified.

“Three hundred people…”

A burly man uneasily twisted his hands: “That means at least fifty to sixty adults…”

Takur shot him a disapproving glance: “Fifty men with no armor, wielding only sticks and stones! Tell me, Joseph, are you afraid?”

“No! Of course not, Sir Knight! I just… I just…”

Joseph hesitated, mumbling softly before falling silent.

“Good! Now, everyone rest. Tonight, we’ll sneak up and launch an attack! This will be a victory as easy as a parade!”

Sir Takur concluded.

Using fifty fully armed elite soldiers to attack a village naturally wouldn’t result in any unexpected issues, especially with a night raid. If everything went smoothly, there wouldn’t even be many casualties.

Clearly, if it were a tough mission likely to result in heavy losses, Lord Terry wouldn’t have sent Sir Takur.

Wu Ming, however, while announcing the knight’s orders and watching his subordinates cheer, still felt puzzled.

“Where exactly did this intelligence come from?”

“And… who provided the route through the wilderness?”

Unfortunately, he was merely an ordinary mercenary captain, lacking the authority to question Takur about such secrets or participate in major decisions.

Therefore, Wu Ming could only summon Joey, Andrew, Henry, and his own four mercenaries, solemnly instructing them: “During tonight’s operation, follow me as closely as possible. Don’t break formation without orders. Understood?”

“Understood…”

Their voices were uneven, tinged with dissatisfaction, revealing their dismissive attitude.

Wu Ming was well aware of the discipline of these men. Obviously, when it came time to claim the spoils of war, they wouldn’t care about their captain’s commands at all. Perhaps some of them had already disregarded his warning.

“Whatever. If they want to die, let them.”

Wu Ming maintained a solemn expression, yet inwardly indifferent, scanning the varied expressions on their faces with a faint thought.

…

The moonlight was hazy.

Tonight’s moon bore a slight reddish hue, exuding an ominous atmosphere.

In the darkness, a group advanced with high morale.

Wu Ming wore an iron-studded leather armor made from high-quality tanned cowhide, with iron plates embedded in key areas, offering better protection than ordinary leather armor. A fine steel longsword hung at his waist, and a longbow was slung across his back—he was fully armed.

As a captain, he naturally enjoyed some privileges, which others considered only natural.

Motivated by the lure of plunder and encouraged by dried meats and broth before battle, even these mercenaries displayed excellent discipline tonight, covering anything that might reflect light and advancing under the moonlight.

The path in the dark was far more difficult than during the day. When the moon climbed to the center of the sky, the leading troops suddenly halted, and soon whispered orders spread back: “Rest here!”

Wu Ming’s heart tensed—he immediately realized the destination was near.

He crouched low and slowly moved forward, eventually reaching the front of the formation. A small village came into view.

It lay nestled between two low hills, with a river flowing gently behind it. In front stood several simple wooden watchtowers and a fence.

This simple defensive structure made Wu Ming’s heart tighten. The village was surrounded on three sides, with the only passageway blocked—it was naturally easy to defend and hard to attack.

Moreover, whether or not they were prepared would make a significant difference.

On the wooden watchtowers, faint lights and moving figures could be seen, indicating there were guards on patrol.

Wild tribes lived in harsher conditions than the lord’s subjects, facing more dangers, and thus maintained a high level of vigilance.

Half an hour later, Sir Takur ordered the entire unit to prepare for battle. Then, with a wave of his hand, several agile shadows stealthily moved toward the watchtowers.

Wu Ming narrowed his eyes slightly.

Under the moonlight, he could see these figures skillfully using obstacles and darkness to conceal themselves, slowly approaching the base of the watchtowers, climbing up silently—clearly experienced scouts.

As the shadows reached the top of the towers, a confident smile appeared on Takur’s face.

Piu!

But suddenly, a bone arrow shot from somewhere, striking one of the scouts. He cried out in pain, the sound especially piercing in the silence of the night, before crashing heavily to the ground.

Shouts and cries echoed, and from the watchtowers came the loud beating of drums.

“Damn it… there’s a hidden sentry!”

Sir Takur spat angrily on the ground, watching the village stir into chaos. A moment’s hesitation flickered in his eyes, but he still gave the order: “Attack!”

“Charge!”

The soldiers, who had been waiting for a long time, rushed forward at once. Takur led the way. Due to terrain and secrecy, he wasn’t mounted, but he was already wearing heavy armor. With a mighty roar, he swung his two-handed greatsword overhead, smashing through the fence.

“They’re the lord’s hounds!”

“Ironclad men!”

“Kill them!”

…

Shouts erupted from the village, and from nearly every household, men wielding weapons rushed out. A large number of arrows flew from the shadows.

The arrowheads were dull and unreflective under the moonlight, pale and unmistakably made of bone.

Sir Takur, clad in armor, was unaffected by such arrows. Laughing loudly, he leaped forward, swung his heavy sword in an arc, and several wild tribesmen cried out in pain and fell back.

Under his leadership, the troops quickly broke through the outer defenses and entered the village.

Someone lit a torch, and the fierce flames consumed the wooden planks, thatched roofs, houses, and everything in their path.

Under the blazing torchlight, Wu Ming saw the diverse wild tribesmen.

Their appearance wasn’t much different from the ordinary villagers, except they were thin and wore tattered clothes. Now, regardless of whether they were women, elders, or children, they all wielded sticks or even stones as weapons, resisting the foreign invaders.

Witnessing this scene, Wu Ming’s gaze remained indifferent: “Survival of the fittest—that is the law of nature…”

“Evil lord’s hound!”

A curly-haired middle-aged man roared and charged forward, swinging an iron axe.

Wu Ming swiftly dodged aside, agilely drawing his fine steel longsword from his waist. With a sudden thrust, the sword pierced the man’s chest, and he fell in disbelief.

“Owo!”

Another tribesman rushed forward, wielding a sharpened iron sword, clearly trained in swordsmanship.

Wu Ming exchanged several blows with him, then suddenly spun around, using immense force to knock aside his blade, sending blood splattering.

“Whirlwind Slash!”