Actually, there were many bandit groups in the Assyrian territory, but most of them were just a mob, and the damage to people's livelihood was extremely limited, because most of them were small groups composed of bankrupt civilians, escaped slaves, criminals, and refugees, who lacked training and weapons. It was absolutely wishful thinking to expect them to have much combat effectiveness.
Of course there are exceptions, such as Sok's Gray Wolf gang and Bird's Crow gang.
It is worth mentioning that the Gray Wolf bandits led by Sok are cautious and steady, usually hiding in the dark, but once they show their fangs, they will definitely hit the target. Bird is not like this. His arrogant and flamboyant personality makes the Crows the most active and notorious bandit group in the city-state of Lunvington.
Bird was a man with a story. He was originally a well-known gladiator in the city-state of Lovington. Seventeen years ago, he killed his master, and then fled to a place he called "Crow Valley" with his two gladiator brothers and his master's jewelry, gold coins and wife. A few months later, the Crow Bandit Group appeared. In the following years, Bird's Crow Bandit Group grew stronger and stronger, and he himself became the Crow General in the mouths of his men...
The horses stopped and their riders raced up the hill, Bird laughed and led the way.
"General Bird, there is 'business'." Although the man called "Old Four" by Bird was running out of breath, his face was full of smiles.
"Tell me about it!" Bird said, waving his hand.
"When the new governor of Saltmarsh Town, Wuleglindo, took office, he brought 8,500 gold coins with him. They are now kept by the treasurer Baker in the treasury warehouse in the governor's residence." said the fourth brother.
"Eight thousand five hundred? That's a lot. Is the information reliable?" Bird asked.
"Reliable." The fourth brother nodded affirmatively, then leaned close to Bird's ear and whispered something. Bird immediately relaxed his brows and smiled with his eyes curved.
"I just like them fighting among themselves." Bird grinned and continued, "It's still early. Come on, pick me fifty men, two horses with two saddles, and ride as fast as you can. I can rush into Salt Marsh Town before tomorrow evening."
"Yes! General." Someone answered immediately.
…
That night, George hosted a banquet at his mansion to entertain Job and Hodge, and the topic was naturally Woolley and Saltmarsh Town.
"I'm afraid that Woolleglindo has inherited Rini's true skills. Humph, the tricks that Hubble and the others had originally thought of were of no use to him at all." George said.
Job nodded. "That's true. He is exactly the same as Lini. He never fights you head-on. You fight yours and he fights his. You can't figure out his tactics and can only passively follow him."
"Yes." Hodge chuckled, "But that's not all. He asked Henry to come to me this time because he wanted the legion to send some soldiers over. It seems that the weak defense of Salt Marsh Town has scared this guy."
"Everyone would be afraid to go there. The wall is so broken and has gaps everywhere. It's not as useful as a wooden fence." Job laughed. "I roughly calculated it for him. It will take 40,000 gold coins and two years to repair it."
"Forty thousand gold coins? Will he pay for it himself?" Hodges said with a strange smile. "Even though Wuleglindo is rich, there is no reason for him to spend it on this. A town governor only gets three hundred gold coins a year, and the carriage allowance and other things together only add another fifty. This amount of money is barely enough for entertainment. If he wants to pay more, he has to get it from the town treasury. But, does Salt Marsh Town have money?"
"Of course not!" Job slammed the table and laughed. The finances of Saltmarsh Town were basically an empty shell. Any extra money was "confiscated" by the three of them in various ways. Otherwise, several town governors would have been so strapped for cash.
George smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, "Don't be like this just because you two have a few drinks. Wuleglindo is not an ordinary person. He had the courage to do those things in Assyria City. There is no reason for him to remain silent in Salt Marsh Town."
"Which of his three predecessors didn't want to do something great?" Job laughed, tilted his head back, and poured the wine in the glass into his throat. Then he continued, "But did any of them succeed? No, without our support, even if Wuleglindo paid for it out of his own pocket, he would never get anything good."
"He has money. I mean, he doesn't have to pay out of his own pocket." George said, "Eight thousand five hundred gold coins. It is said that Chief Connor specially allocated it to him. Although it is not much, it can do something in Salt Marsh Town."
"This is what Tours told me." Job said, "I asked him to go to Woleglindo and tell him that the salt field needs to renovate the salt wells. In theory, it should be no problem to take a small half of his money. Anyway, this guy doesn't understand the salt industry at all, so how would he know where the money went? When the time comes, the two of us three, hahahaha..."
"As for the weapons in Saltmarsh Town, the Legion can sell this year's share to them." Hodge grinned. "This is a customary practice, once a year, and it's fair to everyone."
"I'm afraid it won't be that easy." George shook his head. "This kid is very cunning, and he has someone backing him up. We can't deal with him like we did with the other guys before."
Qiao Bu suddenly frowned: "Do you think it is possible to get him to stand with us?"
"Absolutely impossible." George shook his head immediately, raised his eyes and looked at Hodge, "What do you think?"
"Is that even a question?" Hodge asked back.
"Hubble and the others are useless. Let's do it ourselves. The Lovington City-State Nobles Conference will be held in three months. Before that, let's make sure that Woolleglindo can accomplish nothing in Saltmarsh Town." George knocked on the table and raised his glass. "Cheers!"
"Cheers!" Hodge raised his glass. Job grinned and raised his hand: "Cheers!"
…
Nearing midnight, Wu Lai set up a welcoming banquet at the governor's residence because Siban Ok and Pu Ya had arrived with the manpower and supplies that Wu Lai wanted.
In addition to Sibanok and Puya, Gulu was also there, and El temporarily served as the cook and maid. Wu Lai had some private matters to discuss, so outsiders were certainly not allowed to be present.
Originally, in the afternoon, Sibanok and his companions had arrived at a mountain bay less than ten miles away from Salt Marsh Town, and had sent people into the town in advance to deliver a message to Wu Lai. However, Wu Lai immediately told the people to rest in the mountain bay and then quietly enter the town at midnight.
"Master, this Salt Marsh Town is so shabby, it's really hard for you." Sibanok said with some emotion. Since he knew Wu Lai, in his perception, Wu Lai has always lived a life of luxury, never lived in such a simple environment. What's the point of being a consul? What's the point of living in an uncomfortable environment? However, this does not mean that Sibanok does not support Wu Lai's ambition. He naturally knows that if Wu Lai wants to achieve a real rise in the Assyrian territory, he must accept these, but he is a little reluctant.
"It's okay. It's a good place, but it was ruined by those guys." Wu Lai said with a smile, while motioning Pu Ya to pour wine for Xiban.
"I'm tired from the journey. I'd better drink less." Xiban hurriedly said politely. He knew that Wu Lai must have something to arrange when he came here, and it was not to eat and drink.
Wu Lai naturally knew what Xiban was thinking, so he didn't force it. He took a sip from the wine glass and asked about the situation of Baishilou. Then he said, "This Salt Marsh Town is a treasure land. It is not only the largest salt producing area in the Assyrian territory, but also has the good things I need. Everyone present here is someone I, Wu Lailindo, trust very much. I will not hide it from you. I will take over this Salt Marsh Town. It is not just as simple as being a consul here. I want to make it my private land."
These words made Gulu and Puya very happy, but Sibanok frowned. If Wu Lai had just said about controlling Salt Marsh Town for a long time, it would be fine, because that was not difficult to do. However, to take over Salt Marsh Town, which controlled the salt industry in the Assyrian territory, and make it his private property, the difficulty would be unimaginable.
"Master, this ideal..." Xiban sighed quietly before he finished speaking. To be honest, he didn't think Wu Lai could achieve it at all.
After all, the young master is still a little hot-tempered. Xiban thought to himself.
The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!
"Take it step by step. I already have some ideas." Wu Lai naturally wouldn't say too much here. His eyes moved and fell on Pu Ya. "Pu Ya, during this period of time, you and the twenty children should not show up for the time being. If my guess is correct, in the next few days, bandits will come to harass Yanhuan Town. My canal defense line will not be completed so quickly, so you have to become a surprise force and catch those guys off guard. Buy a few more days for the first step of the Strong City Plan."
"No problem, young master. I want to know how many bandits will come? Will there be more than 200?" Pu Ya asked. Gladiators are a bloody profession. Pu Ya has been a gladiator for a long time, so he is not afraid of fighting or death. However, he is entrusted by Wu Lai, so he naturally wants to understand the power comparison first so that he can make plans.
"I'm not sure. If there are about a hundred people, they are usually cavalry. If there are more than two hundred, it means that they are half cavalry and half infantry." Wu Lai replied, "After all, this is just a town. The militia is like a defense line, which is useless. So the bandits have never taken this place seriously. In the past few days, I have read the data of attacks in the past five years. Every time, the bandits did not send out too many people."
"If that's the case, I can guarantee that there will be no casualties in the team." Pu Ya answered affirmatively.
"Don't underestimate the enemy. This is not a good habit." Wu Lai reminded Pu Ya, "There must be some bandits hiding in Yanhuan Town. I can't find out who they are for a while. It's always a good idea to be more careful."
"I've taken note of what the young master said." Pu Ya nodded and said.
Wu Lai nodded, and Gulu smiled and took over the conversation: "The residents of Salt Marsh Town are used to being harassed, and the bandits always leave once they come and never linger, so when the bandits come, the people here usually close their doors and windows and don't ask what's happening outside. No one can change their habits in a short time. This means that at least in the first battle, you will have no help."
Pu Ya smiled slightly and said, "Master Gulu, the Daishan team can defeat ten with one man, and the ones who came with me this time are the best in the Daishan team. You can rest assured and wait with our master to see their performance."
"It's good to have confidence." Guru had of course heard about the deeds of the Daishan team, and he had enough confidence in Wu Lai. However, if there were hundreds of bandits, or twenty or so people plus the militia who were accustomed to deserting the battlefield, even if they won, the price would probably be high.
"We seem to have talked too much. Come, have a drink." Wu Lai raised his glass with a smile. "Puya, you and El haven't seen each other for a long time. When she comes back from delivering food to the children, you two should have a few drinks."
"Okay." Pu Ya smiled and nodded.
At the same time, in the cramped backyard of the official residence, twenty young men from the Daishan team sat in three carriages, all wearing black cloaks, leather armor and leather boots, sitting cross-legged, with a leather-covered wooden box two elbows long, one elbow wide and half an elbow thick placed across their knees.
They were having a meal, holding a kettle in their left hand and a piece of bread in their right hand. The bread was just brought by El. What surprised El was that these teenagers were not only orderly when taking the bread, but also had calm expressions, neither happy nor sad. Their movements were clean and neat, and they didn't make any sound.
This is Wu Lai's requirement and the result of Vulture and Puya's training. Not to mention that there are only twenty people now, even if a hundred people were present at the same time, there would not be a single sound when they eat and drink.
They are naturally the best surprise troops.
The conversation continues -
"Teacher Xiban, I asked you to come to this remote place because, firstly, I have a lot of things I want to ask you, and secondly, I have a new project and I want you to help lead it." Wu Lai said, "If I change to someone else, I will be worried."
Sibanok smiled and said, "Well, I'm ready. I've been looking forward to doing something for you in my lifetime. In fact, I have to thank you for giving me this opportunity, which allows me, an old man, to be put to good use."
"Teacher Xiban, you are too modest." Wu Lai smiled and shook his head, "In my eyes, you are a treasure."
Xiban Ouk smiled and nodded. He was very proud that Wu Lai still trusted him at such an old age. Just as he was about to toast, he suddenly remembered something. He put down the glass and said, "Master, on the way here, we stopped in Baiguo Town..."
As he listened, Wu Lai's brows slightly frowned...