webnovelfull Chapter 615 The curtain opens
Chapter 615 The curtain opens
"So, you've decided to accept my employment?"
In the meeting room, the noble sat on a high-backed chair covered with faded velvet, tapping the armrests excitedly.
The butler beside him clenched his rag, his eyes flickering between his master and the group of dusty but sharp-eyed mercenaries before him. Five gold coins to hire a mercenary group? This was simply a fantasy.
Griffith knelt on one knee, and the armor made a dull sound when it collided with the stone bricks.
"Yes, my lord."
His voice was clear and respectful,
His white hair fell on the edge of his shoulder armor, reflecting the flickering fire in the fireplace.
The nobleman leaned forward:
"Then follow the contract. If you help me fight off Yoda's knights across the river, I'll pay you five gold coins."
He raised his hand to call the butler, who quickly took out a piece of parchment from the mahogany cabinet and spread it on the scratched table.
Griffith leaned over to read the terms of the contract and the handwriting above, and finally dipped his pen in ink to sign.
"Sir, when are you going to send out your troops?"
The noble rubbed his fingers together.
Griffith looked out the window at the darkening sky:
"It's getting late now."
"Then tomorrow..."
"I will set off immediately with the mercenary group."
"what?"
The noble sat up suddenly, almost knocking over the wine glass in front of him.
"I mean, you should be prepared..."
"The enemy is numerous and we are few, so a night attack is most suitable."
Griffith briefly explained.
"Five hundred against five thousand, a head-on confrontation would surely lead to defeat, but darkness can conceal the disparity in strength."
The noble opened his mouth, but finally said dryly:
"I wish you a triumphant return."
The camp outside the castle was shrouded in dusk, and the campfires were crackling.
Guts was lying in the tent, his two-handed sword stuck diagonally in the mud beside him, the blood stains on the hilt had solidified into a dark brown color.
He stared at the hole in the roof of the tent, and kept replaying the duel with Griffith in his mind. The man's sword was as fast as lightning, but his strength was as heavy as a mountain. He was almost suppressed and beaten to exhaustion.
"Gorkas, are you sure you want to do this?"
The sound of a faint conversation came through the gap in the tent, and Gus sat up suddenly.
"Don't back off now, there are seven of us..."
It was Gorkas's voice. When Guts heard it, he knew what they were going to do tonight.
Nowadays, it has become a regular program for the Eagle Group for Gorkas to gather a group of people to assassinate him in the middle of the night. However, every time they are scared away by him who has been prepared in advance and wields a two-handed sword.
Gus lifted a corner of the tent and saw several figures swaying under the shadows of trees not far away.
I saw Gorkas lowering his voice and instructing his accomplices:
"Believe me, this time we're starting two hours later than before. He must have fallen asleep. His shoulder is injured, so he can't swing his sword at all. When we're done, we'll dump the body in the forest. Tomorrow, when Griffith asks about it, we'll just say he ran away..."
"What are you doing?"
A clear female voice cut through the night. Casca stood fully armed behind Gorkas, her sword unsheathed, the cold light reflecting on her stern face.
"none of your business!"
Gorkas turned around abruptly and suddenly narrowed his eyes.
"Oh, I see. You slept with him for two days and fell in love with him, right?"
"rub!"
Casca's sword blade instantly pressed against Gorkas' throat, leaving a thin mark on the edge of the sword.
"Say that again, and I'll chop off your head."
"Calm down, it's just a joke..."
Gorkas raised his hands in surrender and turned to wave to his accomplices.
"Leave quickly."
After the group disappeared into the darkness, Guts walked out of the tent and met Casca's eyes, but she immediately turned around and strode towards the center of the camp.
"This is the second time you've done something nice for me."
Gus whispered.
"At least you should say thank you."
"Do not misunderstand."
Casca's back was stiff.
"I was just following Griffith's orders. If it weren't for..."
She paused, her voice lowering even more.
"Who would help a stranger? Just die on the battlefield."
"Everyone wake up, assemble!"
At this moment, shouts were heard all around, and Guts immediately returned to the tent to put on his equipment.
Some time later, on the tower bridge outside the castle, Griffith, fully armed and on horseback, gave combat orders to the mercenaries who were also on horseback.
"The enemy has over 5,000 men on the opposite hill. What we need to do is inflict heavy damage on them, destroying their warehouse reserves and all their artillery."
"The enemy has concentrated their forces at the front, so we must follow the river and attack from behind the enemy camp. After completing our mission, we will return to the castle directly through the center of the enemy camp using the shortest route."
"Through the enemy's heart?"
Gus thought as he rode on his horse that this plan was too bold. If they were delayed for even a moment, the enemy would react and surround them.
"Where are the reinforcements?"
Jiedu asked.
"No, the defenders in the castle need to prepare for enemy pursuit or retaliatory counterattacks."
"These nobles are a bunch of cowards."
There was cheerful laughter in the team.
"As for today's defender."
Griffith said and looked at Guts.
"Gus, it's up to you."
"Although this is a straight route through the forest, your mission is to divert a hundred or more enemy troops to aid our escape."
"can you do it?"
"That's an order, right?"
Gus said solemnly.
"Yes."
Griffith smiled.
"This is a test for him."
"He'd be lucky if he came back alive."
The mercenaries around were talking in low voices.
Casca was in shock.
"No, Griffith wouldn't use such an important mission to test one person. He truly trusts Guts."
She thought with mixed feelings.
The wind was blowing in the forest at night, and the members of the Eagle Group were crossing the river with their horses.
Forget about following the river. They were going to attack the camp across the river because Griffith suspected that the enemy would attack upstream. At the same time, the current wind direction was just right to bring the flames to the enemy camp.
Guts was wading through the water while recalling that Griffith had planned all this long ago.
At this moment, the Jiedu in front gestured to the people behind him to stop.
Everyone immediately pulled the reins, and the horses raised their heads and sprayed out white mist.
Jiedu crouched down and cautiously moved towards the other side.
On the opposite bank of the river, a Yoda soldier was seen collecting water with a bucket.
The soldier had his back to them, concentrating on carrying the bucket. The tinkling sound of water was particularly clear in the silent night.
Jiedu's eyes flashed, and he quickly took out a throwing knife from his waist. With a wave of his arm, the throwing knife flew straight into the neck of Yoda's soldier like a silver lightning.
The soldier's body suddenly stiffened and he opened his mouth, but before he could make a sound, he fell into the river, splashing water and the bucket overturned on the shore.
At the back of the Yoda camp, some Yoda soldiers were roasting a fire.
The dancing flames reflected on their tired faces, allowing them to temporarily forget the tension of war.
A Yoda soldier was shivering in a blanket not far from the camp, his eyes staring into the darkness of the forest.
He kept rubbing his hands, breathing out hot air, and muttering:
"It's so cold. Why do I have to be on guard tonight? Even wolves won't come out tonight."
At this moment, many flames suddenly appeared in the forest, flickering in the darkness like ghostly eyes.
The soldier looked around and saw Griffith and his mercenaries riding towards the camp.
enemy?
The soldier immediately stood up and then turned and ran away.
His legs were so cold that they felt heavy as if they were filled with lead, but the instinct for survival made him run forward desperately.
"How come the enemy is behind us!"
The soldier ran and shouted:
"Enemy attack!"
The Yoda soldiers who heard the sound rushed over, but found that there were hundreds of fully armed cavalrymen opposite them. Their momentum frightened them so much that they dared not stop them.
Griffith led the Eagle Group directly to the back of the camp, and his men also used their weapons to start clearing out the surrounding Yoda soldiers.
Griffith brandished the sword in his hand. The blade flashed coldly in the firelight, and every swing brought up a splash of blood.
His eyes revealed calmness and decisiveness, as if everything was under his control.
"set fire!"
Griffith ordered again.
After receiving the order, everyone immediately threw torches at the surrounding tents, and soon the back of the camp turned into a sea of fire.
The flames were like the tentacles of a devil, devouring everything wantonly.
The tent was burning with a crackling sound, and the items inside were also ignited, and the fire was getting bigger and bigger.
"not good!"
A team of Yoda soldiers who came to support arrived near the warehouse and found that the gunpowder barrels in the warehouse were already in flames. They were about to escape when they disappeared in the explosion.
Thick smoke rose from the back of the camp, and the fire was blown towards the center of the camp with the wind.
After seeing his plan succeed, Griffith gave the order again.
"Don't engage the enemy, just charge forward!"
The Yoda soldiers deployed in the front immediately fell into chaos after seeing the fire in the rear, or rushed back to put out the fire. No one stopped Griffith and others from evacuating.
"General!"
A soldier climbed up the hill and reported to General Yoda, who was surrounded by the crowd:
"The wind is carrying the flames towards our base camp!"
When General Yoda heard this, he was immediately furious. He also saw that this group of cavalrymen were not numerous, but they directly killed his camp of more than 5,000 people and destroyed the supplies and artillery in the warehouse.
If this continues, let alone attacking, his knights will have to return to the rear to rest.
"Damn it! Send out the cavalry to chase us! If we lose to such a small group of people, our Knights will be disbanded!"
In the woods, the members of the Eagle Group were running towards the castle.
The sound of horses' hooves rang out in a chaotic manner, rustling the dead branches and leaves under their feet.
Gus fell behind the group, and as he rode, he recalled the thrilling raid that had just taken place.
"It's unbelievable. I've never seen such an effective raid."
He looked at the woods around him, which were illuminated by the firelight and flickered in the air, and he still felt a little uneasy.
The swift charge, the precise delivery of kerosene, and the fire fueled by the tailwind, everything was just as Griffith had expected, perfectly destroying the camp of the Yoda Knights.
Just then, the sound of horse hooves came from behind him, getting closer and closer, becoming clearer and clearer.