Hart waved for everyone to stop. He noticed some disturbed ground and was about to investigate when a crossbow bolt whizzed towards him. Had he not ducked to the ground, he would have been shot through the heart. Hart rolled into a bush. Then, with another whoosh, he saw another bolt pierce a soldier's head from a different direction.

"Surrounded?" That was Hart's first thought. He waved and hurriedly led everyone back a few dozen meters, scrambling and stumbling. Sensing that the danger had lessened, Hart looked out through the branches and found that no one was following them.

Hart collapsed under the tree, panting heavily. That was truly dangerous.

Having narrowly escaped death, Hart immediately realized he must have grabbed something, otherwise he wouldn't have been hit by crossbow bolts. He excitedly poked his head out again, only to feel a chill run down his spine as if he had been doused with cold water.

The area where he was standing was sparsely wooded, and he could clearly see wisps of smoke rising from distant chimneys and a simple wooden fence.

He didn't discover the ambush; he simply approached the vicinity of the enemy camp.

At this thought, Hart broke out in a cold sweat. He only had ten men; if the enemy caught up with them, they would surely die.

Hart valued his life highly; he only wanted to live and achieve great things, not die and be called a hero. So Hart waved again and led everyone in a hasty escape back to the castle.

The ten people in the woods on the right were not so lucky. They had only been in the woods for a short time when Yun Zhe killed them one by one, leaving no one alive.

When Ars saw that only Hart had returned with his men, he became even more certain that the ambush was in the woods on the left.

However, with such a small force, knowing this wouldn't make any difference. For now, all we could do was wait for the infantry to arrive and then devise a more comprehensive plan.

It was afternoon, and the sun was beginning to set. The camp opposite remained silent. Only wisps of smoke rose regularly from their chimneys.

Meanwhile, Ars received good news: his beloved general, Lorain, had marched back to the vicinity of the castle without rest for a day and a night. He was currently resting not far from the castle and was ready to join the battle at any time.

Along with the army came unexpected news. Lorain said he discovered another army appearing at the rear of their forces; they carried no banners, made no attack, and simply appeared at opportune moments behind the main force. While not certain, he speculated it could only be the Paz family's army.

Upon hearing this news, Ars stood frozen in place for a full minute.

He trusted his intelligence network and the rumors circulating around Donic, but he trusted Lorain's judgment even more. Lorain was not only loyal but also astute, a rare military genius.

Lorain also said that he discovered the location of the troops tracking him in Skano, the place where he had repeatedly warned Ars to be wary of an ambush.

Andrew's decision to split his forces into two flanks was indeed unexpected. However, considering their appearance in suitable ambush locations, we have to reconsider Andrew's intentions.

Ars spread out the map, gestured on it, and walked back and forth.

Hart, standing to the side, dared not speak. He knew his brother-in-law well; if anyone disturbed him at this moment, they would be dragged out and whipped, or executed on the spot.

“Setting up camp on one side but not attacking, lying in ambush on the other but not striking. Is it possible that Andrew has ambushed troops on both sides?” Ars muttered to himself, as if suddenly realizing something. He lunged at the map again, examining it closely.

“But if there are ambushes on both sides, where is his main force?” Ars looked up and saw the trembling Hart. Ars suddenly felt as if he had grasped something, but the thought vanished in an instant.

“Hart, what would you do if the other party tricked you?” Ars suddenly asked.

Hart was taken aback when his brother-in-law spoke to him. After a long pause, he replied, "I will definitely get my revenge."

Upon hearing this, Ars burst into laughter. "Hahahaha, I know! I know where his main force is!"

Ars placed a soldier-like figurine on the map where Jialai and the border intersect.

But after laughing, Ars frowned again. "This can't be a plan that old man Andrew could come up with. Whose idea was this? Could it be the Earl? Impossible, that girl is only thirteen. If she were so cunning, how could she be in such a miserable state now? If it wasn't the Earl, then who could it be? Could it be Andrew's brother, Sind? That shouldn't be possible either, he shouldn't be on his brother's side."

Ars was completely baffled and simply stopped thinking about it. "Hart is preparing to assemble the troops. You lead the troops to attack the camp. I'll have Lorain attack the woods on the right."

Hart's eyes widened. He couldn't understand. They were clearly on the defensive, so why were they launching an attack? And weren't they worried this morning that it was a trap set by the enemy? How come they were taking the initiative to attack this afternoon?

Ars, seeing Hart's puzzled look, didn't say anything explicitly, "Go ahead, there won't be much resistance. This is all an illusion. The real main force isn't here, nor is it in Skano."

Hart didn't think much of it. If he hesitated any longer, his image as a brave and warlike figure in his brother-in-law's eyes would be shattered. He hurried downstairs to assemble the troops.

Seeing that Lorain's nearly 1,000 troops had lined up in front of the woods, Hart led 200 men and charged into the enemy camp.

Sure enough, they stormed into the center of the camp without encountering any resistance. Hart looked around and saw that those who looked like guards were just wooden figures and straw men dressed in cloth armor and helmets.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!