Chapter 159 — The Sortie
Blade of Dawn · Page 1 of 4
Mercenaries were nothing rare in this world. In fact, the history of the trade could be traced all the way back to the dark age of the Gondor Empire. No matter how dynasties rose and fell, no matter how civilizations flourished and decayed, it seemed people always needed such a band of armed men drifting through the gray zones to fill the gaps in the workings of society. They were the "blood gloves" of nobles, the "coin soldiers" of merchants, and when employers were scarce, they became outlaws of the wilds.
Mercenary work was legal, with formal guilds and even a crude registration system, yet almost every mercenary had done illegal things. But so what? In this savage, backward world, "law" itself was hardly something shining and just...
According to the reports sent back by scouts, roughly twenty well-equipped mercenaries had set their sights on a refugee settlement of over a hundred people, and at least three low-ranked knights and one or two mages were among them holding the line. The rest, even without class levels, were likely stronger than ordinary soldiers. A mercenary band with its elites packed together like this was truly rare in the trade, and it stirred great curiosity and suspicion in Gao Yang. To wipe out these rule-breaking mercenaries, Gao Yang quickly ordered Sir Philip to organize a force of thirty and prepared to lead the "expedition" himself.
No matter where those mercenaries had come from, they were threatening the refugees on this land—which meant threatening the future population supply of the Cecil Domain. Gao Yang would not allow such a thing to continue. Those were all labor!
And a legendary knight leading thirty fully armed Cecil combat soldiers against twenty mercenaries seemed a bit excessive, but Gao Yang had his own reasons:
All thirty fully armed Cecil combat soldiers were the new generation of "magic-guide infantry," freshly re-equipped. Amid the rumbling machines of the manufactory, the first standard-issue magic-guide armaments had rolled off the production line. The thirty soldiers were equipped with brand-new thermal ray guns and magic-energy combat packs, and had undergone basic marksmanship and coordination training. This was a rather green unit—even though half its members were veterans, they were still inexperienced with the new weapons. But Gao Yang believed these new warriors, who could fire off a high-energy beam with a mere flick, would absolutely be more combat-effective than traditional soldiers, so he wanted to drag these men into real combat for testing.
The thirty "magic-guide infantry" assembled on the south bank of the Whitewater River. Behind them stood the recently completed temporary bridge built to connect the two banks. Drawn by the news, the domain's residents—including the serfs and slave laborers who had newly entered the domain and had not yet gained the status of free citizens—gathered nearby, watching with curiosity this army that looked so unlike anything they remembered.
The soldiers wore neat enchanted light armor imbued with basic enhancement magic. On each soldier's left arm was a strangely shaped steel bracer, and on his back a new-generation rigid combat pack that replaced the traditional marching satchel. Enchanted longswords and backup swords were fixed with iron clasps at their waists and along the sides of their packs, giving them an imposing, formidable look.
Gao Yang had drilled these soldiers for a long time with strict discipline and a system of rewards and punishments, and the men themselves knew that serving among the first "magic-guide infantry" was a special honor. So now they all stood ramrod straight; even though a crowd of commoners was pointing and gesturing at them from afar with envious and awed gazes, not one of them turned his head.
Sir Philip stepped forward. "My lord, the soldiers and the supply convoy are assembled. We can depart at any time."