HCB Chapter 178 Assassin (4)
Chapter 178 Assassin (4)
On the vast plain, two teams of cavalry were galloping westward, one behind the other. But from a closer look, the cavalry in the front were wearing black robes, which formed a sharp contrast with the cavalry in armor behind them.
"We must not let them reach the Franche-Comté border!" The cavalry officer at the back shouted to the cavalry beside him, then immediately swung the reins and ran towards the black-robed man in front.
Looking at the cavalry approaching from behind, a man in black robes asked the leader next to him:
"Chief, they are catching up!"
"Concentrate on riding, now is not the time." The leader on the side responded. This was the first time he encountered such a critical moment since he embarked on the path of an assassin.
After being discovered that night, the leader and his men immediately hid in the bushes, and under the cover of darkness, they avoided the soldiers' blockade and crossed the border.
Along the way, they tried their best to choose routes with grass and hills, and tried to avoid fighting with patrols. Finally, they arrived at the heart of Nilan Territory at dawn.
But the price he paid was that, except for the three tribesmen around him, the leader lost contact with the rest of the assassin team, so that all subsequent plans were completely disrupted, and he could only move forward with the heavy responsibility of restoring the country.
The leader thought that the frequency of the Midlan patrols would decrease after passing the border, but he never expected that as he went deeper into the Nilan Territory, the soldiers searching for them not only did not disappear, but appeared more frequently not far from them. However, thanks to their proud hiding skills, they were able to escape danger again and again.
Despite this, the leader's heart was filled with anxiety and uneasiness that should not exist for an assassin, and this anxiety intensified as he got closer to Franche-Comté.
When he first became an assassin apprentice, the senior who taught him warned him that if an assassin had emotions that he could not control, he would have become weak before he even met the enemy. The leader always remembered this warning and was extremely careful to control his emotions every time he performed a mission and in his daily life. But the current situation made the uneasiness in his heart spread like a raging fire.
Although all of Bakiraka's assassins are assassination experts, and those who participated in this assassination mission are the elite among the elites, they are surrounded by soldiers dozens or hundreds of times their number on the open plains, and only death awaits them in the end.
Moreover, the leader discovered that these soldiers were equipped with a very unique long-barreled long-range weapon. Although white smoke would be emitted when firing, exposing their position, its firing speed far exceeded that of a bow and crossbow, making it impossible for the assassins to dodge.
Numerous enemies, open fields, strange weapons, these factors make it impossible for assassins to maximize their assassination methods in a small space, and even more impossible to ensure their own safety, thus resulting in the current passive situation.
Sweat soaked the black turban wrapped around his head. The leader looked at the cavalry approaching and ordered the people next to him:
"When they get closer, shoot arrows at them. Remember to shoot the horses first and get rid of them first."
Even as they were talking, the cavalry behind them had gradually closed the distance with them. One of the soldiers operated a crossbow, aimed at one of the men in black robes, and pulled the trigger.
The man in black robe saw the soldier shooting a crossbow at him out of the corner of his eye. The moment he pulled the trigger, he quickly leaned sideways to hug the horse's neck and pressed his body close to the horse, thus avoiding the attack of the arrow.
"Now, shoot!"
As the leader shouted, the assassins immediately turned around, took out the crossbows from their robes, aimed at several different cavalrymen behind them and pulled the trigger tacitly.
The crossbow arrows accurately hit the horses of several cavalrymen. With the horses' wailing, the cavalrymen fell off their horses one after another. Seeing this, the cavalrymen behind them quickly pulled the reins and rushed to both sides to avoid hitting the soldiers in front who had fallen off their horses.
Looking at the cavalrymen behind him who were gradually getting further away, the leader breathed a sigh of relief and finally got rid of these cavalrymen who were like a pack of wolves.
"Everyone, don't go forward any further. Turn south and take a rest in the hills nearby." Looking at the horses breathing heavily, the leader knew that if they continued to march forward like this, the horses would surely die of exhaustion halfway, so he asked the assassins to hide in the nearest hills.
At the foot of the hill, when everyone was resting, the leader sat cross-legged and opened a map of the Nilan Territory provided by the Yoda people.
The original purpose of this map was to allow Yoda assassins to take a shortcut to Franche-Comté and meet up with the Yoda people in the settlements marked on the map, thereby causing unrest in the territory of Niland.
However, it seems that it is impossible to rely on the Yoda villagers. Since entering the Nilan Territory, the leader has seen nothing but endless plains, fortresses protruding from the plains, and soldiers patrolling on the plains. Instead of joining the Yoda people, it may be easier to approach the Franche-Comté border.
At this moment, the leader discovered a dense forest bordering Franche-Comté from the lower left corner of the map. It was located at the junction of Franche-Comté and Niland. Below was the southern battlefield. They could enter the dense forest to avoid the cavalry who came and went freely, and sneak into Franche-Comté under the cover of night.
"Drive! Drive!"
Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves and shouts filled the area near the hill, and the assassins who were resting hurriedly stood up and looked at their leader.
The leader did not panic at this time, but ordered them to ride their horses and hide in the nearby rocks. Just as they hid, a dozen cavalrymen rushed in from the entrance of the hills. They were all wearing heavy armor, and the soldiers wore wolf-shaped helmets and carried long swords, axes and other weapons on their waists. Several hounds passed by them, sniffed the ground carefully and barked immediately. Looking at this attire, the leader had heard that this heavy cavalry team came from John's most elite White Wolf Knights.
"Looks like this is the right place." One of the White Wolf Knights looked around the surroundings. Although the assassins tried their best to deal with the traces they left behind, the White Wolf Knight, who was famous for chasing the enemies, discovered some suspicious points through his hounds and observation of the surrounding things.
"Everyone! Form a defensive formation in teams of five and search the surroundings." As the order was given, the White Wolf Knights immediately formed three teams, holding thick metal shields and weapons, and accompanied by hunting dogs, they searched among the surrounding rocks.
Looking at the fully-armed White Wolf Knights, although the leader believed that there was a possibility of fighting with them, reason suppressed his thoughts. If he fought with them here, not only would he be unable to escape, but if they had reinforcements following behind, then his team might be completely wiped out here.
Just as the White Wolf Knight was approaching their hiding place, suddenly, an assassin jumped out from the rocks and rushed towards the White Wolf Knight on horseback.
"Ping!"
The assassin's rapier scratched the White Wolf Knight's huge shield, leaving a scratch on the shield, and then he rode towards the exit of the hill.
"Hurry up and get on your horses!" Seeing that their prey was about to escape, the White Wolf Knights immediately jumped on their horses and chased after the assassin.
After a while, the leader walked out of the rocky forest with the remaining two assassins.
"Chief, Sasin..." An assassin was about to say something when he was interrupted by the chief:
"Sassin did this so that we could reach Franche-Comté safely. If we go to save him, everything he did will be meaningless. All we can do now is to complete the mission successfully with the blessing of Allah, avenge the dead, and find a piece of land for the remaining people to survive."
After hearing this, the remaining two assassins had no choice but to follow their leader and continue on the journey to Franche-Comté. The dice had been cast, and the success or failure of the mission depended on them.