"Sergeant Major, why did we set up an ambush here and not on the mound over there?"
Myjack asked Claude, who was resting against the mud puddle with his eyes closed. He wore a hat made of weeds and shrubs that looked like it was made of grass and twigs. He poked his head out and observed the surroundings.
"It's simple. We're in the enemy's half of the field. Due to our ambush, the enemy scouts have learned their lesson. They're no longer moving in groups of three or four. Instead, they're working together as a scout unit.
The mound in front of us is the only vantage point in the field, and if the enemy scouts want to come to our side, they must first climb the mound and observe the surroundings, to see if there are any soldiers lying in ambush in the area.
"I noticed that the enemy scouts split into four groups and fanned out towards the vantage point.
If we set up an ambush on top of the mound, we won't be able to deal with enemies coming from all directions even if we have a clear field of vision.
"Since we're using muskets and not cannons, even if we can take out one or two of them, at least half of them will reach us. An unloaded musket will be no different from a fire stick.
"I've asked those who didn't return last week and found out that they're all lying in ambush at the vantage point, just like you said.
"The ones who didn't return last week were indeed shot dead, but none of them managed to escape the pursuit of the enemy.
"The enemy aren't fools either. They'll be the most vigilant when they reach the vantage point, but when they realize there's no ambush on top of the mound, they'll relax. That's our chance," Claude explained patiently.
Claude explained patiently to Myjack. Firstly, the kid wasn't of age yet. He was only 17 years old.
Secondly, he had been by Claude's side for close to a year and was diligent and careful. He was close to Claude and Claude would often treat him like a younger brother.
The May sun shone down on them, giving them a lazy feeling that they didn't want to move.
Gemi, the big guy, was curled up in a corner, snoring softly.
He could eat and sleep and was the most simple-minded among Claude's subordinates. He didn't ask for much as long as he could eat his fill. Nothing else mattered to him.
"Sergeant Major, they're here."
Myjack, who had his ear pressed to the ground, revealed a nervous expression. He heard the sound of hooves in the distance and raised a finger. "It's a scout unit."
Claude kicked Gemi's leg to wake him up. "Wake up, the enemy is here."
Gemi hurriedly rubbed his face and checked the straw mat covering the pit. After making sure there wasn't anything amiss, he laid down beside Claude and stared at the mound through the grass.
The hill in front of them was only 70 to 80 meters away from Claude's pit. Berklin brought two men with him in a pit about 15 meters behind Claude on the left. Moriad brought three soldiers to the right. Just like Claude, they covered the pit with a straw mat and wore a camouflage ring over their heads.
Not long after, tall, sturdy horses appeared on top of the mound. They were Canasian cavalrymen in dark blue uniforms.
Clearly, the scouts on top of the mound immediately relaxed. They formed a circle and laughed loudly, allowing their mounts to stroll on the mound. There were even a few light cavalrymen who dismounted and took out their water pouches to feed their beloved horses. There were even some who used towels to wipe the sweat off their horses.
Claude aimed at one of the cavalrymen who was observing their surroundings with a pair of binoculars. He was probably the commanding officer of the squad and was probably a second lieutenant.
At the very least, the other soldiers spoke to him with a more serious attitude.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out. The cavalryman with the binoculars wobbled on his horse and fell to the ground.
Panicked cries rang out from the mound. A few of the soldiers on horseback turned their horses around and looked at Claude. The sound of the gunshot and the smoke revealed Claude's location. The cavalrymen pressed their mounts together and charged towards Claude.
Bang!
Claude fired again and another cavalryman who had just mounted his horse fell to the ground as well.
The remaining ten Canasian scouts were already in a state of rage. They drew their snow-white curved blades and cursed loudly as they galloped down the mound. The first three riders were less than thirty meters away from Claude's hiding spot.
Claude grabbed the third gun that was already lit and continued to aim without batting an eyelid.
Myjack was reloading the gun that Claude fired first. Gum was holding two javelins in her hands. They were similarly unfazed by the approaching scouts.
Less than twenty meters away from Claude, the three riders at the front suddenly fell. The one with the worst condition was sent flying high up into the air before his neck hit the ground with a crack. He died on the spot with his neck broken.
"Tripwire!"
The riders at the back hurriedly reined in their horses and controlled their speed. They kept their eyes peeled to see if there were any more tripwires in the bushes.
However, the moment they slowed down, Claude had the perfect opportunity to fire.
"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"
Four shots were fired and only three of the seven riders at the back fell.
Damn it, there's another two shots fired at the same time. They're only twenty to thirty meters away, so there's no way they could've missed.
The remaining four Canasian scouts didn't expect there to be two more ambushes. But they only paused for a moment before two of them charged towards Berklin and Moriad while the other two charged towards Claude's hiding spot.
Claude had already fired three shots and Myjack was still reloading his first gun.
Claude wasn't too worried about Berklin and Moriad. They still had two unfired guns in their hands and should be able to deal with a light cavalry rider.
As for his side, he could only rely on Gum.
Gum roared and charged out of the mud pit, hurling two javelins at the two riders charging at him.
Unfortunately, the first javelin missed the rider in front and the rider behind was hit by it. He cried out in pain and fell off his horse while clutching the javelin in his abdomen.
The rider in front raised his scimitar and swung it at Gum's neck. Despite his size, Gum was extremely agile and fell to the ground.
The saber flashed past the top of his head and cut off half of the bushes he was wearing. The scout and his horse fell into the muddy pit.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Another three shots rang out from behind. Claude didn't know if Berklin and Moriad had dealt with the two riders charging at them.
However, Claude's group was in a much bigger crisis and didn't have the time to pay attention to what was happening behind them.
Myjack scrambled to avoid being trampled by the horse's hooves. Claude picked up a gun and swung it at the rider's head.
However, the rider raised his scimitar and knocked the gun away before swinging it at Claude's chest.
Claude hurriedly retreated, but the mud pit wasn't big and there wasn't much room for him to dodge. Fortunately, he still had his gun and used it to block the attack.
Clang! The sharp scimitar cut into the body of the gun and almost severed the barrel.
Since it was a matter of life and death, Claude swung his gun at the rider's head while he was trying to pull out his sword.
The rider leaned back and dodged the shot. He looked at the unarmed Claude with a menacing smile.
The way he saw it, Myjack was still on the ground in front of his horse and Claude, who should have been the leader, was already cornered. All he had to do was swing his scimitar and that detestable enemy would be decapitated.
Claude didn't wait for his enemy to raise his scimitar. He raised his hand and shot a Magic Missile at the rider's chest.
The rider didn't expect the enemy to have such a move up his sleeves. He froze on his horse for a moment and slowly lowered his head to look at his wound. His scimitar fell to the ground and he fell off his horse.
Claude pulled out a dagger from the back of his boot and pounced forward like a cheetah. He stabbed the dagger into the wound caused by the Magic Missile and stirred it a few times.
Even though the soldiers who came with him were his subordinates and were close to him, he didn't want others to know that he knew magic.
Now that he was done, Claude looked up from the mud pit to see what was happening behind him.
He didn't expect to see a scene that made him pale with fright.
The rider on Moriad's side had already been killed and the rider who charged at Berklin's side had beheaded a soldier.
As for Berklin and the other soldier, they were circling around the rider with their bayonets. Moriad was rushing over with two other soldiers to support him. There was still a soldier who hadn't fired his gun and was kneeling to take aim. However, his target was entangled with Berklin and the rider and he wasn't confident that he wouldn't accidentally injure his own men. Not to mention, the three of them kept moving and he couldn't aim properly.
Damn it, how did this happen? Claude cursed. He hurriedly picked up an intact gun from the ground and loaded it, hoping that he could make it in time.
Bang!
The musket in the soldier's hand finally rang out. Unfortunately, it still missed, the bullet brushing past the cavalry scout's back.
The rider's cry of pain served as a reminder to him. He left Berklin and the other soldier, as well as Moriad's men who were about to arrive, and rushed towards the soldier who fired the gun.
The power of light cavalry was that when their warhorses started galloping, they wouldn't be as threatening anymore. That was the reason why the rider was entangled with Berklin and the other soldier for so long.
The two bayonets posed quite a threat to the rider who was circling around. If Moriad and the other two arrived, the rider wouldn't have a good time.
Seeing the rider charge towards him, the soldier who had just fired his gun panicked. He was alone, after all, and his gun had become nothing more than a fire stick. He didn't even have his bayonet on and it only took two to three seconds for a rider to cover a distance of ten meters.
He threw his gun away in panic and turned to run. The light cavalryman had already placed his scimitar horizontally. As long as his horse ran past the soldier, the scimitar would be able to cut off the enemy's head effortlessly.
Claude suddenly realized that the ten or so seconds required to reload his gun was a long time. For a musket shooter, being able to fire three times in a minute was already extremely fast. But now, he felt that the process was far too complicated. He had no way of saving the soldier and could only close his eyes helplessly.
"Bang!" The sound of a gunshot was so pleasant to the ear.
Claude opened his eyes and saw the rider wobble a few times on his horse before falling.
It was Myjack who fired. He fired at the last second just as the rider was about to catch up to the fleeing soldier. The distance was about fifteen meters and the target didn't dodge, so it was a one-shot kill.
Claude breathed a sigh of relief and reloaded his gun before climbing out of the mud and heading towards Berklin. There, a few soldiers surrounded the decapitated corpse and looked dejected.
"How did Aliger die, Becker? Tell me!"
The decapitated soldier was one of the eight who were slow to react. There were only three of them left and he didn't think he would die that day.
"The enemy suddenly hid on the side of the mount when he rushed over. I-I fired at him, but he missed.
Aliger thought he had killed the enemy and stood up. But that fellow suddenly appeared from the back of his horse and with one slash … "
It turned out that the rider knew how to hide. His horsemanship was rather impressive. However, Myjack had already avenged Aliger.
It was just that a perfect ambush had resulted in the death of one of his own men. That made Claude feel rather sad.
"Pack up. We're bringing Aliger back," Claude ordered after pulling himself together.
"Boss, we got quite a good haul this time. We ambushed a squad of enemies and got more than ten good horses," Moriad said with a chuckle.
Moriad said with a grin. He pulled over one of the enemy's horses and mounted it. "There's another horse on the mound. I'll go get it."
That was the first enemy killed by Claude. He was probably the leader of the scouting squad. His mount was still on the mound.
Just as Claude was about to ask the enemy to bring him a telescope, he heard a few more gunshots and Moriad fell off his horse. The two soldiers beside him also fell to the ground.
"Enemy attack!
Quick, get down! "Claude crawled to Moriad's side in a flurry.