The nature of the Lancelot Empire's Military Academy was different from that of the Babylon Academy. The Lancelot Empire's academy specialized in nurturing military talents that excelled in battle strategies. Mages, swordsmen, and knights weren't part of the academy's training scope. Just like all the other academies on the Profound Continent, the Imperial Military Academy would always be dominated by the noble academies.
The reason why there were so many noble students was because the Imperial Military Academy's exorbitant tuition fees would cause commoners to shrink back. On the other hand, even if commoners truly entered the Imperial Military Academy, it would be difficult for them to systematically learn military knowledge from the truly powerful teachers.
However, nothing was absolute. The Imperial Military Academy would occasionally produce one or two commoner students. Even under such unfavorable conditions, they would still be able to stand out. Their dazzling brilliance would even steal the limelight of the noble students.
Normally, these kinds of people would be accepted into the Imperial Military Academy in a variety of ways. They would be able to successfully learn under the best teachers. As long as these outstanding commoner youths were obedient and docile, there would always be nobles or generals who recognized talent recommending them to their families or subordinates.
Of course, there were also some commoner youths who were rebellious and didn't know how to conceal their dazzling brilliance. In the end, they would anger other noble students. In the worst case scenario, they would be killed by those jealous nobles. In the best case scenario, their careers would be obstructed and they would never have the chance to enter the army.
Dorcas was one of these unlucky commoner geniuses. The young Dorcas had once been incomparably dazzling in the Imperial Military Academy. Unfortunately, because he was too rebellious and didn't know how to hide his brilliance, he fell in love with a count's daughter and fell in love with her. This angered the count's father and the girl's fiancé's family.
The final result was that Dorcas was forcefully charged with a groundless crime. Not only was he expelled from the Imperial Military Academy, but he was also hunted down by two families and almost lost his life. He became a fugitive who couldn't see the light of day.
This matter had happened a year ago. There was a description of it in the Dark Mantle's records. Back then, Han Shuo had used his authority in the Dark Mantle headquarters to look through the records and had a deep impression of it. He hadn't expected to meet this commoner military genius in such a place.
Standing on the wooden raft, Dorcas' originally unruly face was now a bit gloomy because of his bitter experience. He stood ramrod straight as he gazed into the distance, turning his head to the bandit leader, "Leader, those people holding torches should be people from Brettel City. After taking these fifty thousand gold coins, we need to go as far away as possible. It's best if we don't appear in the vicinity of Brettel City anymore. This city lord Brian isn't someone easy to get along with. If we don't leave in time, not only will we have to cough up the fifty thousand gold coins, but we'll also lose our lives. "
"Don't worry. I won't foolishly stay behind to be surrounded and killed by someone who can destroy Redbeard Troda and the others. Hehe, let Laxie and the others suffer this person's wrath. 10,000 gold coins is enough for us to enjoy ourselves for a while. " The bandit leader wasn't a fool either. He laughed rudely as he said this. He had been fooling around for a long time and was very satisfied with his share of ten thousand gold coins.
Through the yin demon, Han Shuo had seen everything. He carefully observed the wooden raft Jack, Fabian, and the others were on. After a while, he said to Faulke beside him, "Take out the cart with the fifty thousand gold coins and give it to them. We can't let anything happen to those merchants."
"Sir Count, are we just going to give in like this? We've thought of many ways to deal with this beforehand." Faulke was eager to make a contribution. He couldn't help but feel suspicious when he heard that Han Shuo was going to hand over the money without any resistance.
"Dorcas, the top student of the Imperial Military Academy, is there. After careful consideration, we're already at a complete disadvantage in this transaction. It's also in the water, so we have no chance to make a move without harming the merchants. Let's give them the gold coins to redeem the war equipment and merchants. We'll deal with the bandits after we've secured the merchants and equipment. "
Before coming over, Han Shuo had planned on using the earth elite zombie to launch a sudden attack. If they were in the forest, the wood elite zombie would be able to protect the merchants for a short period of time. It was a pity that the crafty Dorcas had set the location of the transaction in the river. As the water elite zombie hadn't been born yet, Han Shuo had no other way to complete the transaction in the water.
"Alright, I'll go right now!" Faulke didn't have any better ideas and only nodded in response. He rode forward on his warhorse, yelling, "Move the chests of gold coins to the riverside. We're going to start trading with those bandits."
This time, Han Shuo had purposely loaded the box of gold coins instead of crystal cards. His original plan was to pour the gold coins into the group of bandits before the wood elite zombie and earth elite zombie made their move. The bandits in the alliance would definitely be suspicious and fight over the scattered gold coins on the ground first. This way, the earth elite zombie and wood elite zombie would be able to make a sudden move.
Han Shuo's group, who were currently in a passive position, naturally had no way of reaping this kind of effect. When the sound of gold coins clattering rang out, the bandits on the other side drove their wooden rafts closer. The bandits at the back raised their bows and aimed at the knights on the shore, while the bandits at the front slowly pushed the merchants and chariots into the slightly submerged river.
Dorcas was indeed sufficiently cautious. He didn't allow the wooden rafts to reach the shore from start to finish. The merchants and chariots all fell into the water before reaching the shore, not giving Han Shuo and the others any chance to make a move.
When the box of gold coins was lifted onto the wooden rafts by two bandits who had entered the water, loud cheers came from the bandits' mouths. The arrogant bandits laughed heartily in excitement, and quite a few of the bandit leaders praised Dorcas of the Imperial Academy for his strength.
Dorcas, who was in charge of the plan, didn't have any joy on his resolute face. He was gloomy and apathetic from start to finish. Amidst the bandits' cheers, there was even a trace of hesitation in his eyes. It was as if this supposedly perfect plan was a humiliating and helpless move.
Amidst the excited clamor, the bandits took advantage of the fact that the wooden rafts were gradually moving further and further away. When the rafts were fifty meters away from Han Shuo and the others, the torches in their hands suddenly went out. The bandits stopped laughing crazily under the berating of their leaders. The moonless sky was pitch black, and the bandits had lost their voices and torches. Apart from Han Shuo, no one could clearly see their movements from fifty meters away.
These bandits didn't cross the small river to the shore, but instead rowed downstream along the river's flow. Dorcas shook his head at the bandits who were silently twisting their bodies in all sorts of strange postures to express the excitement in their hearts. He sighed softly in his heart. He didn't know if using these bandits for revenge was the right thing to do. However, he was now a fugitive. Unless he did something outrageous like betraying the Empire and defecting to another country, who would be able to help him take revenge?
Sigh, he was a native of the Lancelot Empire after all. No matter what, he couldn't become a traitor who would never be able to wash off this stain. Being a bandit was better than being a traitor to the Empire that everyone hated, right?
"Faulke, immediately send them safely back to the city. This place is a bit far from the city, don't let anything happen to you." In the pitch black night, Han Shuo's vision was similarly affected. As the wooden rafts gradually moved further and further away, Han Shuo was about to lose sight of the bandits. When the merchants and war equipment had all been brought ashore, Han Shuo hastily instructed Faulke.
"My Lord Count, are we not going to chase after those damned bandits?" Faulke asked after staring blankly for a moment.
"If you can safely send these things and the merchants back to the city, I can forget about your previous negligence. Remember, the outside of Brettel City isn't peaceful right now. You must be careful not to make any more mistakes! " Han Shuo cautiously warned Faulke when he thought of the threat of the seven grand duchies returning at any time, as well as the even larger bandit groups lingering between the seven grand duchies and Brettel City.
Faulke's main goal this time was to atone for his crimes by meritorious deeds. It was precisely because he kept this thought in mind that he'd lost his usual calm during the operation. Now that he heard Han Shuo's cautious warning, he suddenly realized that his mind was about to be completely occupied by his obsession. He immediately jumped in fright and calmly said, "My Lord, please be at ease, I will safely send them back to the city."
Seeing that Faulke's eyes had regained clarity, Han Shuo knew that Faulke had walked out of the urgent need to atone for his crimes. Only then did he relax and pat Faulke's shoulder, saying in a gratified tone, "Be careful!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Han Shuo floated away like a gust of wind. Han Shuo's figure disappeared in a flash in the dark night. Faulke and the others had no idea what Han Shuo wanted to do.
"You guys use your horses to tow the carts. You guys come down and give the horses to the merchants. Hurry, take advantage of the darkness to return to the city. Keep your eyes open along the way. Everyone will be in trouble if there's even the slightest mistake …" Faulke loudly commanded after Han Shuo left. The knights that Faulke had brought with him quickly arranged for the merchants to tie up the chariots and other equipment according to his orders, gradually returning to Brettel City.
* * *
The cool night breeze blew gently. Half an hour after the wooden rafts on the river were far away from Faulke's knights, the torches were once again lit. Cheers that had been forcibly suppressed suddenly rang out, incomparably ear-piercing in the silent night sky. The birds that had been quietly perching on the trees and rivers in the surroundings were startled awake, fluttering their wings in panic as they fled from their sweet dreams.
Standing on a wooden raft, Dorcas' gloomy face flickered between red and dark under the flickering light of the torches. He looked at the bandit leaders who were dividing up a chest of gold coins on the other raft. He asked in an untimely manner, "When will you help me complete what you promised me?"
"Don't worry, Dorcas. As long as you help us do a few more of these transactions, when we have more gold coins and we've recruited enough troops, it won't be a problem even if you want us to help you get rid of an imperial duke!"
One of the bandit leaders casually said perfunctorily, then said to another leader with a lewd smile, "Tuka, let's bring our brothers to the Full Spring Garden to have some fun. These gold coins are enough for us to play to our heart's content. Heh heh, our brothers have always wanted to go and experience it. It's a pity that the refugees in Brettel City don't have much to offer. We haven't made much money in the past few years. Now that we've struck it rich, we must enjoy it first! "
"Laxie, I like your suggestion. Haha, let's go together." Bandit leader Tuka let out a strange laugh, rubbing his chin as he spoke.
Each of these small bandit groups had at least seventy to eighty people, while the largest had less than two hundred people. They'd mixed in with Brettel City and Seamist City to do some business of robbing refugees. They didn't have much ambition or future prospects, otherwise they would've long since robbed Brettel City. With the gold coins, these people weren't thinking about upgrading their subordinates to better weapons and armor. They only wanted to enjoy themselves without restraint. They didn't seem to take Dorcas's promise to heart at all.
Dorcas, who'd entered the Imperial Military Academy to study, wasn't an outstanding swordsman or knight. He'd spent all of his time and energy on learning war strategies and combat techniques. Although he was a hundred and ninety centimeters tall, his personal strength wasn't that great. Against these crude and barbaric bandits, this kind of person with weak intelligence couldn't pose much of a threat. However, he was able to give them advice and suggestions. Dorcas wasn't in a hurry to avenge him at all.
"You promised me that you'd help me get revenge when you got the gold coins!" Dorcas said in a low voice as he looked at the bandit leaders who were unscrupulously discussing which woman had the biggest breasts and which woman had the biggest buttocks.
"The most important thing right now is to let our brothers who've been busy for so long enjoy themselves. Dorcas, we'll talk about this later. I'll help you find a girl to enjoy yourself. She'll definitely be better than that noble lady you like, haha!" Even the leader that Dorcas was following laughed heartily without a care in the world. He didn't take Dorcas's promise seriously at all.
"Aha, we've arrived. We'll reach Narsen Duchy's Tulian Town after a short walk ashore. The girls from Spring Full Garden must be waiting for us there!" Laxie laughed excitedly and instructed his subordinates beside him, "Hurry up and stop the rafts. Boss will take you to have some fun."
Dorcas had an ugly expression on his face. He resented these untrustworthy bandits, but he knew that his strength was limited. Although he was furious, there was nothing he could do. He could only look on helplessly as all the bandits disembarked from the rafts one by one and happily made their way to Spring Garden in Tulian Town.
"Fellow bandit friends who took my fifty thousand gold coins, I've been waiting for you for a long time!" Suddenly, a young man's laughter rang out in the darkness. Under the illumination of the bandits' torches, an extremely tall figure gradually appeared in front of them, blocking their path.
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