noveltune Chapter 69 Mission to Sweep Away Lawbreakers
Chapter 69 Mission to Sweep Away Lawbreakers
"My lord,"
The number of refugees outside the city is increasing, and Sigurd has led his men on patrol again. What should we do next?
"What should we do?"
Harald did not answer immediately.
He pointed to the large wooded area east of East Lake.
"I need to find out if there are any pirates in this area!"
Let's send out a large number of scouts first!
Find out if this 300-strong pirate force has reinforcements and where they are specifically stationed...
We must find out everything about their background!
"Yes, my lord!"
Steward Terry responded, paused, and continued his report:
"My lord, I have been pushing this step forward."
Three cavalry scouts have already been dispatched to explore southward along the lake shore…
"Not nearly enough."
Lord Harald interrupted him abruptly.
"A medium-sized pirate force, instead of robbing the rich coastal villages, has chosen to come to this remote area east of East Lake!"
"Their repeated raids on villages without a swift retreat are highly suspicious!"
"You need to send more men to find out their purpose and see if there are any follow-up pirate forces..."
This group of pirates may be colluding with certain forces within the alliance!
Terry, the general manager, felt a chill run down his spine. He had heard about the power struggles within the league before, and he quickly bowed in agreement.
He composed himself and continued to report on the current thorny situation: "Sir, there is one more thing."
"More and more villagers are gathering in the city, especially in the last two days."
Many criminals have appeared in the area outside the city.
They specifically targeted civilians and merchant caravans for looting, and many fleeing villagers suffered as a result, leading to growing public resentment.
"The caravan was robbed?"
"This won't do!"
Harald's face darkened.
When pirates caused chaos at sea, inland bandits seized the opportunity to emerge, their timing impeccable.
Based on his years of political acumen, he almost instantly concluded that this was no coincidence.
There is definitely a conspiracy behind this group of pirates.
"These pirates and outlaws, even if they aren't part of the same group... at least they're being instigated and provoked by someone!"
Harald spoke in a deep voice, his eyes filled with coldness.
Seeing this, Terry revealed the idea he had already come up with:
"My lord, the surviving villagers from the villages that were previously raided have spontaneously formed many small mercenary teams."
"I settled them on the outskirts of the city."
"Do you think we could assign them some tasks, like clearing out bandits, which would also relieve some of the pressure on the city's defenses?"
Upon hearing this, Harald immediately scoffed, his tone full of disdain:
"Those mercenaries made up of farmers?"
They're just a bunch of farmers, carrying rusty knives, yet they dare call themselves mercenaries.
"Forget about clearing out bandits; they'll scatter if they encounter even a slightly more organized group of thugs. They'll never amount to anything!"
As a lord, he knew all too well the strength of these conscripted militiamen.
No training, no armor, no coordination.
Once on the battlefield, they would only be used to attract enemy cavalry.
"Sir, other groups are indeed not very useful, but I recently discovered a mercenary squad that is quite interesting."
"That mercenary group made up of villagers from Duanpo Village, I heard, after more than a hundred people died in the village, still dared to raid the pirate camp at night, killing more than a dozen pirates and stealing dozens of chainmails!"
He paused, noticing a flicker of surprise in Harald's eyes, and continued:
"Now that small mercenary group, everyone is equipped with leather armor, and their strength is much better than that of ordinary groups!"
"That's enough to clear out some bandits!"
"Broken Amber Village?"
Upon hearing this, Harald's eyes lit up for a moment. He pondered for a moment and made up his mind.
"Right now, the main force of the fortress is focused on dealing with the sea pirates. We need to find out what other tricks these pirates have up their sleeves!"
"Since these small mercenary groups have some strength, let's let them go and clean up the outlaws!"
"Go and arrange it, issue a few tasks, pay the bounties as usual... but don't overfeed them!"
"Understood!" Terry quickly bowed in response, slowly backed away, turned around and left the room, then quietly closed the study door behind him.
……
The situation at Ganders Fortress deteriorated rapidly in just two days.
That morning, a blood-soaked cavalry scout rushed back to the fortress, bringing news:
Pirates attacked a small town on the outskirts of the city.
Sigurd, the commander of the fortress guards, encountered this group of pirates while on patrol with his four hundred conscripted militiamen, and a battle ensued.
The result was, naturally, a crushing defeat for Sigurd!
The militia that Sigurd recruited was a hastily assembled peasant army with little training. Naturally, they crumbled at the first touch when faced with the pirates who could throw javelins and axes from a distance!
The militia suffered more than half its casualties, and even Sigurd himself was slightly wounded. It was only with great difficulty that he managed to retreat with the remaining troops.
When the news reached the main castle, Lord Harald was furious.
Instead of leaving the city to fight, he increased his investment in wages and commissions.
……
Meanwhile, in the temporary camp outside the fortress, Rogge frowned deeply.
Back in Duanpo Village, they made some money by blacksmithing.
Now he's in charge of the team's food, drink, and other expenses, and daily training consumes a lot of money, so he's practically living off his savings.
Now, his funds are almost exhausted, and in another week he may not even be able to afford food.
He had considered returning to his old trade and leading his brothers to blacksmithing to make some money, but after careful consideration, he gave up on the idea.
The fortress was crowded with people and eyes, and his blacksmithing skills were too conspicuous. Once exposed, they would inevitably attract unnecessary trouble.
Moreover, there is a blacksmith shop here. If their output is low, it's not worthwhile. If their output exceeds that of the blacksmith here, they will inevitably attract unnecessary attention.
Besides, the castle is all the lord's property. Don't they consider the lord's feelings when they're forging iron?
Just as Rogge was worrying about funding and wondering whether to embark on the journey directly, he heard the villagers talking outside the camp:
"A batch of bounty missions have been posted at the lord's main castle! Complete the missions and you'll get paid!"
Upon hearing the word "money," Roger's ears immediately perked up.
"Yeah, and the bounty isn't low either..."
After hearing what he had heard, Rogge decided to go and check out the main castle.
"Virgil, come with me!"
They summoned Virgil, and the two hurried through the crowded lower town, making their way to the square in front of the main castle.
A large crowd had gathered in front of the bulletin board in the center of the square, mostly mercenaries and villagers.
One by one, they craned their necks to look at the incomprehensible content on the bulletin board.
A servant in a gray uniform stood by the bulletin board, glancing disdainfully at a few mercenaries. He was responsible for answering everyone's questions.
Rogge walked up to the servant and asked directly:
"Does the lord have any bounty missions issued?"
The attendant looked him up and down, and seeing that he was wearing neat chainmail, with an iron sword at his waist, and a burly man who was also fully armed behind him, his attitude immediately became much more polite.
After some interaction, Rogge learned that there were three missions in total:
"Bounty Hunter" mission: Kill outlaws causing trouble outside the city, bring back their members' ears and corresponding weapons and equipment, and you can exchange them for the corresponding bounty based on the quantity.
"Clean Up Bandit Lairs" Mission: Locate and eliminate established bandit lairs on your territory. A high fixed reward will be given based on the size of the lair.
"Reconnaissance Mission": Venture deep into the wilderness and coastal areas to investigate the movements, troop strength, and bases of pirates and criminals, and bring back valuable intelligence. A reward will be given according to the value of the intelligence.
After learning about a few of the tasks, it became clear that these tasks were tailor-made for them!
Rogge's team has trained for so long, has a solid foundation, and is disciplined enough, but what they lack is real combat experience.
No matter how well you train on the training field, if you've never seen blood or been on the battlefield, you'll always just be a new recruit.
These tasks of clearing out bandits are a good opportunity for team members to accumulate practical experience.
What appealed to Rogge most was the high degree of flexibility these missions offered.
There are no hard time limits or mandatory goals; it's entirely up to him to manage.
If you encounter a weak bandit, take them down and earn the bounty.
If you encounter a tough nut to crack, you can always run away!
Without the slightest hesitation, Rogge immediately informed the attendant:
"I'm Rogue from Broken Amber Village, and I'm interested in all three quests!"
……
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking and the morning mist had not yet dissipated, Roger led his fully armed squad out into the wilderness.
The group continued forward, and after most of the day had passed, they hadn't seen a single bandit!
Roger frowned, thinking that outlaws weren't fools or monsters; they wouldn't roam the wilderness forever!
He was preparing to order the return trip.
Just then, he suddenly detected a group of figures:
【Invaders led by "Iron Pants" Halef (15 people)】!
Roger's spirits lifted, and his previously furrowed brows relaxed.
"Pay attention, we've spotted the prey!"