I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 205 Fierce Battle
Inside the military tent.

Inside a tent made of canvas and oak, fang-shaped lamps flickered, and Luc was hidden in the light and shadow, carefully flipping through maps while making Alpine notes.

"Yes, Lynn wrote explicitly that he suspected one of the routes the Thorne Brothers used to smuggle salt was from Salan-les-Bains through Auvergne and the Allie River, by both water and land, to Macon County. It is very likely that this was a section of the Ponytail Leader's secret route."

"And coincidentally, Hugo's map also marked a deserted path along the border of Viscount Moore, overgrown with weeds and with treacherous terrain."

"Could it really be such a coincidence?"

The salt mines of Burgundy are mainly concentrated in the northern region of Salan-les-Bains, radiating to almost the entire Duchy of Burgundy, the County, and a small part of the southwestern Holy Roman Empire. It can be said to be one of the most important industries of the Dukes of Burgundy. Compared to this, the salt mountains of Luc are simply insignificant.

He picked up the oil lamp and carefully compared the patterns. "No matter what, even if it's not the Salt Road, having this road will save a lot of costs in transporting stones."

"Yes, it's worth going to see."

Since Luc had chosen to build the church, he wouldn't just go through the motions. He needed to maintain his friendship with Hugo, and besides, he also needed some reputation.

In the Middle Ages, a noble’s reputation was very important, or rather, reputation was important at all times. To a large extent, one’s reputation and status were directly reflected in the titles one would use when introducing oneself, such as the commander of a certain battle or the owner of a certain territory. But Luc’s title was quite ridiculous—Dus’s husband.

"The builders of the magnificent church have a good reputation."

The moon was dim tonight, and to prevent any slaves from escaping, George and others were specially ordered to keep watch.

After pondering for a while, Luke's eyelids began to droop. He put the steel sword and bow and arrows beside him, blew out the oil lamp, lay down on the hay, and soon began to snore.

Just as he was sleeping soundly, he suddenly heard a faint commotion beside him. Luc, who never slept deeply when he was out, immediately opened his eyes. Before he could even think about it, he heard George shout in alarm outside the tent:

"Night attack! Someone's launching a night attack!!"

……

The moonlight was extinguished by the dark clouds.

Upon hearing George's shout, Luc's expression changed drastically. Without thinking, he grabbed his steel sword and shield and rushed out of the tent. As soon as he peeked out, he felt a gust of wind in his ear. Instinctively, he raised his shield to block, and with a stomp, a powerful arrow pierced the Iris Shield.

"damn it!"

Luke gritted his teeth. There were archers!
……

"Damn it, they spotted us! Huss, keep firing! The rest of you, follow me and charge!"

The man in the ram's horn mask, who thought he was well hidden, heard a warning coming from the camp ahead and realized he had been exposed. He simply waved his hand, ordering a silent, nodding archer to provide cover while he led eight or nine strong soldiers behind him, howling as they charged out of the jungle.

Just a few dozen steps from the camp, Luke saw the enemy charging towards him and, unable to mount his horse in time, could only use his shield to continuously defend against the arrows of the seasoned archer deep in the night, while ordering his men to form a battle formation.

Luc never relaxed the army's training. Several soldiers instinctively huddled together. Hans, who had forgotten to bring his heavy crossbow out of the tent, stood in front, holding a large Viking shield. Behind him, George Miller and another soldier quickly cocked their light crossbows. "Damn it, when they get close, shoot them back!"

Luke had also forgotten to bring his bow and arrows. He gritted his teeth and looked at the approaching enemy. The prisoners around him ran around the camp like headless flies, scattering firewood as they stepped on it. Some fled into the depths of the forest, while others squatted on the ground trembling. The entire camp was in chaos.

Having no time to deal with them, Luc gathered a few trusted men around him. The experienced George and the daring Miller quickly loaded their crossbows. At this point, the two sides were only twenty paces apart. With a roar from Luc, the two raised their hands, aimed, and pulled the trigger!

Whoosh!Whoosh!
An arrow missed its target and embedded itself in the grass.

Another arrow pierced the abdomen of the enemy running in front. Amidst the enemy's screams, the group formed a shield wall and clashed violently with the enemy!
Hans was enormous, making his Viking shield even larger. Ryan drew his knight's sword and, hiding behind him, slipped through a gap in the shield wall and plunged it into the chest of an enemy soldier. The crude leather armor offered no protection against the fierce thrust, and blood immediately flowed from the blade, dripping onto the gravel and yellow mud. Miller followed suit, aiming at a skinny man without armor or shield, his eyes gleaming with malice. Amid the man's gasp, he plunged the sword into his waist. George, on the outermost edge without a long weapon, chose a nearby enemy and charged at him with a scream, hacking at his neck with the scimitar he had captured from Bohemia.

Luke and his men fought back fiercely, but their opponents were no pushovers either.

Even though several people died, they still fiercely broke through the formation of those few people!
Miller, who had lost his weapon, was struck in the chest by a short sword before he could even pick it up from the enemy. George's slash was dodged by the enemy, who not only dodged it but also raised his shield and knocked him to the ground with a shield bash. Ryan was also surrounded by two soldiers and was forced to fight his way back in a sorry state.

Only when Hans roared and swung his heavy hammer, taking advantage of his height and strength, smashing the heads of two enemy soldiers whose shields couldn't stop him, was he finally stabbed in the thigh by the man in the ram's mask.

This is a gang of thugs, definitely not just a simple bankrupt farmer!

In fact, Luke and his men had already anticipated their attack.

Who has ever seen a group of bandits, just over ten in number, with four wearing leather armor and six carrying shields?
Luke raised his iris shield and positioned himself at the back of the crowd. Ignoring the clattering sounds from the shield, he swung his longsword horizontally and with a tearing sound, slashed open the stomach of the man who had struck Miller. A pile of red and yellow entrails instantly spilled out, regardless of the enemy soldier lying on the ground, barely breathing.

George instinctively raised his shield to save his life. Seeing that his opponent's weapon was stuck in the leather shield and he couldn't pull it out, he tackled the man to the ground. The two rolled around on the ground, and Luke seized the opportunity to kick the soldier who was straddling George and choking him. Then he smashed the shield down on the man's head. While the man was dizzy, Luke thrust his longsword down and pierced his throat, pinning the dead bandit to the ground.

"Go help Ryan!"

Luc kicked the knife back to George, glanced at Miller lying on the ground still panting, and breathed a sigh of relief. Without further ado, he pulled a dagger from his boot and hurled it at the ram-headed man. A sound of sharp blade shattering bone rang out as the dagger pierced the man's shoulder blade.
"Ah! Retreat! Retreat quickly!"

The ram-headed man, in pain, finally saw the situation on the battlefield and hurriedly called for the two surviving soldiers to flee. Seeing this, Luke did not pursue them, but quickly returned to the military tent, took out the heavy crossbow, and forcefully drew the bowstring, aiming it at the ram-headed man's heart.

The whistling crossbow bolt pierced the night sky. In its haste, the aim was slightly off, but it accidentally struck the calf of a man next to it. The three-edged iron arrowhead pierced through the entire shinbone, instantly knocking the unfortunate fellow to the ground. The ram-headed man and the other man ignored him and fled straight into the forest.

"Ryan, bring the prisoner back! Remember, don't pursue the fleeing bandits; they still have one archer!"

Panting heavily, Luke steadied himself by leaning on his sword. He glanced at his men, almost all of whom were wounded except for himself, and then turned to order Ryan, who was the least injured, to mount his horse, carry a torch, and bring back all the prisoners.

The battle, though seemingly long, actually lasted only five minutes, and the prisoners couldn't run very far.

Once Ryan had ridden away, the guards on David's Watchtower noticed something was wrong at Luke's camp and hurriedly rang the alarm bell.

(End of this chapter)