CHAPTER 331: So What If I Tricked You!

Bandits from the four major bandit groups had gathered on the plains six miles away from Brettel City and were slowly making their way towards the city.

These bandits were very different from the small bandits hiding between Brettel City and Seamist City. Among these groups, the smallest, the Bloodtooth Bandits, had more than two thousand people. The largest, the Greenfire Bandits, had more than six thousand men and was twice the size of the Brettel City City Guard alone.

These large groups of bandits were the same as the Red Beard Bandits, a harbinger of disaster that frequently visited and plundered the seven duchies, spelling doom for every city they entered. Wherever they went within the seven duchies, the cities they raided were wiped clean. Since the seven duchies were constantly at war with each other, and there were many mountains and hills to hide in around the seven duchies, these bandits were like fish in water, becoming parasites hated by the seven duchies.

Unlike the typical bandit groups, these bandits were well equipped. In fact, some of them were former military officers from the seven duchies. They decided to take their men to the plains when they'd run afoul of the nobility in their own duchy or committed some terrible crime.

These men had a military background. Although they had become bandits, their discipline and fighting skills had not diminished. After becoming bandits, they used the wealth and equipment they had looted for soldiers and war horses. As a result, their equipment and combat strength were on par with the official armies of the seven duchies.

This time, the four groups of bandits heading for Brettel City were the Greenfire Bandits, the Battleaxe Bandits, the Flying Dragon Bandits, and the Bloodtooth Bandits. The Battleaxe Bandits and the Flying Dragon Bandits had four thousand and three thousand men respectively. They had excellent equipment and were experienced and bloodthirsty people.

Currently, the leaders of the four bandit groups were walking in the middle of their troops, still discussing the plans for their attack on Brettel City.

"Does Brettel City really have the wealth you mentioned? I visited the city only half a year ago. Apart from stones, there wasn't anything of value there. The brothers who travelled with me didn't get anything!" Bloodtooth's leader Lance asked sceptically.

Lance had only come along this time because the other three had personally invited him. He had planned to pillage a small town in the Duchy of Helon. If he hadn't understood that the other three were even greedier than he was, Lance wouldn't have agreed to join them in this raid on Brettel City.

"Brettel City is different from before. The new mayor is said to be extremely wealthy. The magic cannons of the Helon Duchy Sissies have been confiscated. There are rumours that Helen Tina was even raped by the City Lord. Damn it, that wench Helen Tina is one of the most famous beauties in the Seven Duchies and is also a Grand Duke. Who would have thought that she would be sullied by the new City Lord! The leader of the Battleaxe Bandits, Bynam, was a brute over two metres tall. He had a huge battleaxe strapped to his back, one metre and fifty centimetres long. The exposed skin showed that he was as hairy as an orc.

"Lance, I've received definitive information that Brettel City is definitely different from before. The six magic cannons alone are worth six hundred thousand gold. Then there's the wealth of the governor and the merchants. Brettel City is currently worth at least one million gold. Greenfire's leader Faust explained to Lance.

Faust had once been a high-ranking officer of the Duchy of Narsen and had a good reputation in the ever-raging conflict between the seven duchies. However, he had been dismissed for wantonly slaughtering prisoners in battle. Upon hearing the news, Faust took charge of his men and turned them into bandit mercenaries. From a high-ranking officer to a bandit, Faust was even more in his element, expanding the Greenfire Bandits to their current size of six thousand men, no longer limited by anyone.

Of the four bandit groups, Faust's Greenfire Bandits were not only the largest in number, but also the strongest in battle. After all, Faust had a military background and was extremely skilled at leading and training his men.

Hearing Faust's explanation, the eyes of the other bandit leaders, including the silent, malicious-looking leader of the Flying Dragon Bandits, Afie, gleamed with greed. A million gold was a large sum in anyone's eyes. If even the dukes of the seven duchies knew about it, they might've joined the raid, let alone these bandits!

"Faust is indeed formidable, haha! One million gold! You want to defend that with just the defences of Brettel City? We've really gotten rich this time." Battleaxe's Bynum laughed out loud, as if he imagined endless gold coins raining down on him.

Flying Dragon Bandit's Afie looked at Bynum with disdain. What an idiot. If Brettel City was so easy to conquer, why hadn't the equally brutal and greedy Faust already taken all the gold for himself? He'd even kindly invited them to share the spoils.

Of the four bandit leaders, Faust was brutal, greedy and a brilliant military strategist, but he wasn't ruthless or scheming. Flying Dragon's Afie, on the other hand, had the nickname of "Vicious Dragon", referring to his vicious personality and his tendency to use despicable, underhanded tricks.

When Faust mentioned the one million gold, Graves thought for a moment and secretly decided that he definitely shouldn't be the main offensive after reaching Brettel City, at least not until he had analysed the situation. If not, he could easily lose all his hard-earned capital.

With the temptation and desire for gold, the four groups of bandits marched slowly towards the walls of Brettel City, dressed in their respective colours.

In front of them stood tall and wide city walls, not a single hole in the repaired city walls to be seen. From the outside, Brettel City appeared to have a strong, solid defence.

"Wow, Brettel City has changed a lot, I remember when I was here before, the city gate was riddled with holes. The walls weren't as high as they are now. We could easily break into the city back then. We certainly didn't encounter such strong resistance. Looks like Brettel City is definitely different now. Lance couldn't help but exclaim as he lifted his head and looked at Brettel City.

"Huh? Faust, where are those magic cannons you mentioned?" Battleaxe's leader Bynum remembered that the cannons were worth six hundred thousand gold. He wasn't worried about the destructive power of the cannons. Instead, he was thinking about how he could exchange the magic cannons for glittering gold coins after obtaining them. Bynum felt a delightful sense of satisfaction every time he imagined himself drowning in gold.

Faust rode a large warhorse and didn't immediately answer Bynum's question. Instead, he began ordering the Greenfire bandits to line up in formation, ready for battle at a moment's notice. It was only when the Greenfire bandits were in formation that Faust glanced at the city walls and realised that there really did not seem to be any magic cannons on the city walls.

Frowning as he thought for a moment, Faust replied, "The magic cannons are definitely in Brettel City. Just concentrate on that. Brettel City has four city walls, our four groups will each take one city gate. Follow our previous arrangement. When you see my signal, we will all attack Brettel City together.

"Brettel City's city guard only has three thousand soldiers. A city gate can only be defended by a thousand soldiers at the most. You have all heard of their fighting power. As long as you spread out your troops when you attack, the magic cannons will not be able to deal a heavy blow. Also, the magic cannons need to be reloaded with magic ores. There is also a delay after each cannon shot. They might also be short of magic ores, so there is no need to fear them.

"Our four sides only need to break through one of the walls. Brettel City will be ours because of our strength. There may be a few casualties this time. But think of the one million gold, the glittering gold piled up in the governor's mansion. It's impossible to get that without sacrifice."

Bynum rubbed his hands and said excitedly, "I'm itching to get started!"

"That's good. Leave the main gate to us. The three of you decide amongst yourselves who will attack which gate. I will send the signal to begin the attack in two hours. Whoever enters the city first will get 40% of the gold. Faust said in a low voice.

This was the plan that had been agreed upon before, no one had any objections. After a short discussion, the other three groups of bandits left in their respective directions. On the way to their chosen city gate, "Vicious Dragon" Afie ordered his men, "Take note of the other three city gates.

You are to signal me immediately if any of them have broken through.

"Relax boss, we all know what to do." One of the bandits nodded and left with the others. They already knew of their leader's sinister personality and were used to situations like this.

Afie didn't want his Flying Dragon Bandits to really test the strength of Brettel City's defences. Besides, Afie feared that Faust had deliberately invited them to be cannon fodder.

He was taking precautions against Faust in case Brettel City had powerful artillery. That way, Graves would still be considering whether or not to go along with Faust's plans.

The temptation of a million gold was indeed great. But of course Graves would withdraw without hesitation if he didn't survive to enjoy it. He didn't care about Faust's arrangements.

Only by preserving his own strength would there be more opportunities to gain wealth. If he squandered his capital recklessly, it certainly wouldn't be worth it.

Han Shuo, Dorcas, Faulke, Dick, and the rest had just left the city lord's mansion after a discussion in Brettel City. Han Shuo, Dorcas and Faulke were heading towards one of the city gates, while Dick, Chester and Fabian were heading towards another city gate.

The remaining Yin Demon hovered around, eavesdropping on every conversation the four groups of bandits had. The heavy firepower weapons on the high city walls were all temporarily hidden. The few soldiers at the top of the wall were armed only with bows and crossbows, keeping a close eye on the bandits at a distance.

Of the four city gates, the main gate that Han Shuo went to had the fewest soldiers and weapons. There were only three hundred soldiers and not a single magic cannon. However, he had to face the six thousand members of the Greenfire Bandits. The Greenfire Bandits were the strongest and the main force behind this attack.

"Bryan, do you feel confident?" Little Fatty Jack's voice trembled, a little hesitant compared to normal, as he looked at the dense mass of bandits in the distance.

End of Chapter 1

Jack had come over at Han Shuo's request. He had already told Jack before, "Join me to see this battle through. If you're willing to stay after the battle is over, I'll agree to appoint you as the Finance Minister of Brettel City."

Upon hearing Han Shuo's words, Jack agreed without hesitation. However, as he stood on the tall, wide city walls and looked at the well-equipped, vicious-looking bandits, his heart trembled.

"Why, are you afraid?" Han Shuo chuckled as he teased Jack.

Valiantly puffing out his chest, Jack shouted as if to reassure himself rather than answer the question, "What's there to be afraid of? I'm just a bit nervous, it's my first time. Besides, even if I stay in Brettel City, I will only be a Finance Minister. I won't have to go into battle.

What should I be afraid of?"

"Very well, if you are able to watch until the end of the battle and still have the same strong determination, then I guarantee you will be able to win over that noble girl Jessica." Han Shuo laughed as he spoke.

When he heard Han Shuo mention Jessica, Little Fatty Jack's eyes became slightly downcast, but were immediately replaced by a look of determination. Nodding his head seriously, Jack clenched his fist as he looked at Han Shuo, "Bryan, even if I can't become a knight, I can still become a noble!"

Smiling slightly without answering, Han Shuo watched the Greenfire Bandits in the distance. They were currently using simple wooden frames to form a tall wooden tower, and ten mages of various abilities were slowly climbing up the tower with the help of the other bandits.

The strongest of the mages was a lightning archmage. The rest were all lesser mages from other tribes. The rarity of mages made them highly valued in every country on the continent. Their value varied according to their strength.

It was said that the Greenfire Bandits had kidnapped the Lightning Archmage's family and threatened him with their lives. Otherwise, no archmage would be willing to be an accomplice to a lowly bandit.

However, the equipment of the mages on the wooden tower was rather unusual. Not only were their magic robes exceptionally beautiful, but each of them was carrying a valuable magic staff. It looked like Faust had really invested a lot in them. That made sense, considering the influence mages had on a battle. If a bandit group boasted a mage, their strength would naturally increase greatly. It was also a sign of status for a bandit leader to have a mage in his group.

The wooden tower was six hundred metres away from Han Shuo, with some wheels at the bottom of the tower that could be pushed. A few bandits with shields also climbed the tower, protecting the precious mages from all sides so that they could unleash their magic without distraction. When the battle really began, the tower could be moved closer to the city wall using the wheels. This would allow the mages to rain down their spells on Brettel City.

Six hundred metres wasn't an insurmountable distance for the Demonslayer Edge wielded by Han Shuo. Once the Demonslayer's Edge flew out, the mages six hundred metres away would definitely be caught off guard and either die or suffer severe injuries. However, the battle had yet to begin. It wasn't wise for Han Shuo to unleash the Demonslayer Edge at this moment. Therefore he stood back and watched them finish the wooden tower, and did not act rashly.

When the wooden tower was finished, the bandits also brought out four repeating ballistae. These ballistae had a range of around five hundred metres and could amazingly fire six piercing crossbow bolts in a single charge. Han Shuo had also purchased twenty of them from the Boozt Merchant Guild this time, with six of them hidden on the city walls at this very moment.

Of course, Han Shuo was familiar with the piercing abilities of these carts.

"Jack, when the battle begins, don't leave my side no matter what, and stay within ten metres of me at all times. I can guarantee your safety, but if you happen to be ten metres away, immediately lie down and climb inside the city walls." Han Shuo immediately turned to Little Fatty Jack when he realised that the bandits actually had crossbow carts and were giving cautious instructions.

Jack became nervous again when he heard Han Shuo's words and moved even closer. Almost glued to Han Shuo's side, he said in a cracked voice, "Don't worry, I'll follow you wherever you go.

As the wooden tower and chariots were displayed, Faust haughtily steered his huge warhorse forward and shouted loudly at Han Shuo, "Brettel City Lord Bryan, you know the reason why we brothers have come. My brothers have been surviving under poor living conditions and have recently run out of food. We will leave you and your Brettel City alone if you give us one million gold coins."

"Pitiful Mr Faust, I deeply sympathise with your group's misfortune. But the poverty of Brettel City is also well known.

The people of my city also lack food. I really cannot produce a million gold pieces." Han Shuo lamented miserably with a twisted expression.

His voice was neither loud nor soft, but both the bandits far away and the soldiers on the city wall could clearly hear him. Even the citizens of the city who were closer could hear him. Some of the braver citizens even came out of their homes to see what was going on. There were even those who wanted to go to the city gate to investigate what was happening outside.

"How much can you cough up?" Sensing from Han Shuo's reply that there was still room for negotiation, Faust paused for a moment before answering loudly.

The current walls of Brettel City had no holes. Although there were only a few soldiers on the imposing city walls, they were equipped with shiny new equipment. There were also rumours that the Lord of Brettel City, Bryan, was himself a necromancer archmage. If they insisted on attacking, the Greenfire bandits would definitely suffer casualties. If they could gain a generous amount of gold without losing a single soldier, only a fool would choose the latter. Therefore, when Faust heard Han Shuo's tone, he pondered for a moment before inquiring about Han Shuo's bottom line.

"Ah, Mr Faust. What does a gold coin sound like?" Han Shuo thought seriously for a moment before answering seriously.

"Wahaha..."

The city guards were a bit nervous. They couldn't help but laugh out loud after hearing Han Shuo's reply. Even the citizens who heard the reply had an interesting look on their faces, thinking that this new city lord certainly had a good sense of humour.

"You conniving bastard!" Faust exploded, he hadn't been this angry in a long time. His subordinates also had unpleasant expressions on their faces, wishing they could rush over and tear Han Shuo and his men to pieces.

"Haha, so what if I tricked you! You won't get a single gold coin today. Hehehe. Who knows? You might even leave some gold for my personal use!

How dare you wretched scum steal from me? You obviously want to die. I'll tell you the truth, I've taken all of Redbeard Troda's wealth. Together with Helen Tina's four hundred thousand gold coins and my own gold, there are now more than a million gold coins in Brettel City. But let's see if you can get your hands on a single coin. Stupid pig. Come at me!" Han Shuo laughed wildly, ridiculing Faust as if he were an idiot.

Faust was truly outraged. In all the years since he had left the Duchy of Narsen, he had never been dismissed like this by anyone. Staring at the extremely arrogant young governor on the city wall, Faust had the urge to eat him alive. His men had similar feelings, their expressions steely as they charged towards the city gates.

"Attack! Slaughter everyone in the city!" Faust shouted angrily as he charged towards Brettel City.

"Massacre...! Massacre everyone?!" Jack went weak in the knees, almost paralysed on the cold marble floor.

The citizens, who had previously been relaxed by Han Shuo's humour, now sank into a bottomless abyss when they heard the words "Massacre everyone! Everyone's eyes glazed over, not knowing how to react.

All this time, Brettel City had experienced the cruelty of war, but never a bloody massacre. Otherwise, Brettel City would have become a ghost town long ago. Even if their valuables were stolen, the citizens could still live.

Unless the attacker was a bloodthirsty devil or possessed endless hatred, the order to massacre everyone in the city was not easily given, regardless of bandits looting or war between two countries. This was because it would mean effectively destroying everything in a city. That was the true meaning of creating rivers of blood and leaving nothing alive.

Such a person would normally be condemned by every country. Anyone who dared to massacre a city would be condemned and despised even by his own country, while the side that had a city massacred would spare no expense in taking revenge. Even though the seven duchies were at war, the act of destroying a city was extremely rare. It wasn't something a normal person would dare to do.

The unaffiliated Faust could no longer contain the rage in his heart at Han Shuo's arrogant provocation and utterly humiliating insults. That was why he had given such an insane order. He felt that only by sending everyone in Brettel City to their graves would he be able to cleanse the shame Han Shuo had brought upon himself.

"Huh. Do you think you'll be able to do that?" Han Shuo snorted. He turned to the soldiers at his side and said, "Bring out the catapults, let's see how they die!

As the order to massacre the city was given, the green flame on the flags of the Greenfire Bandits was painted blood red, forming blood red flames. The mages on the wooden tower were also slowly taxied towards Brettel City. The four crossbow carts were also loaded with bolts and pushed forward. Two thousand angry bandits carrying the hooks of the ladders began to charge towards Han Shuo.

Chariots, crossbow carts, catapults, fire oil, giant stones, and other city defence tools were quickly pulled out of their hiding places by hundreds of soldiers and distributed to various locations along the vast city walls. However, the number of soldiers was still limited, as were the number of chariots and crossbow carriers. The wall, which could hold seven to eight thousand men, was defended by only a few hundred soldiers. It seemed shamefully few indeed.

Kill! The bandits had already rushed over. Insulted, the bandits hardened their hearts to kill everyone they saw in Brettel City. Faust was green in the face and shouted hysterically, "The first brother to scale the city wall will be rewarded with a thousand gold coins!

A great cloud of magical flame shot from Faust's hand into the sky. This was the prearranged signal between the four groups of bandits. When the signal shone brightly in the sky, it marked the official beginning of the battle.

The bandits were blinded by gold and blinded by rage. They charged forward with reckless abandon. Han Shuo said nothing as he calmly observed the situation, waiting for the bandits to come into range. Only then did he give the order to the soldiers, who were so scared that the palms of their hands were already sweating, "Attack!

Rumble.

The rumble of the chariots echoed throughout the city, spitting a tongue of flame into the sky. The crossbow wagons fired crossbow bolts at a rapid pace, crashing into the crowd of bandits along with the giant rocks from the catapults, creating a gruesome scene in an instant. There were huge explosions in the areas sprayed by the chariots. Bloodied limbs and heads rolled and bounced from the monstrous clouds of dust.

Huge boulders continued to rain down, turning all the bandits they touched into paste. The crossbow bolts whizzed past, their powerful penetrating power piercing several bandits before stopping. The area in front of Brettel City had instantly turned into a river of blood, with countless corpses everywhere.