Chapter 472, Borrowing Arrows with Thatched Boats (470 and 471 have been rewritten.)_2
"Sir, madam, we should charge in from the right before the enemy reinforcements encircle us, take out the hidden archers inside, and then retreat." Said a mercenary captain quickly based on experience.
"Right, now is the best timing. Once we're surrounded, I 'm afraid few of us will escape." Another captain commented.
"No, the enemy is well-prepared. The dense forest on the right is too quiet. They wouldn't make such a mistake." Aseti opposed immediately.
"But if we continue delaying, we will end up being more passive." argued a member from the mercenary army.
A disagreement emerged within the team.
The mercenaries, even Rebecca's trusted aides intended to break through from the right.
However, Aseti insisted that they lack enough intelligence, and if they made an inaccurate judgment, they would be throwing themselves into the enemy's trap.
The two parties instantly ended in a deadlock.
They all turned to look at Fang Hao and Rebecca.
"Sir, I can go scout." Lorrey volunteered.
The Blackfoot Cat Tribe are skilled at reconnaissance and gathering intelligence.
But such scouting isn't meant to be under the enemy's watch.
If Lorrey steps out of the mist, chances are he will get targeted.
This approach would be very risky.
"No need, I'll use a Dust Sparrow to scout, you all prepare for a breakthrough." Fang Hao said immediately.
Hearing Fang Hao's decision, both parties immediately quieted down.
Although the mercenaries did not understand what Dust Sparrow scouting means.
They knew Fang Hao was a mage, and he had his quirks all the way.
No more dispute, everyone started to assemble and make the final preparations.
Fang Hao took out a skeletal Dust Sparrow from his bag and placed it on the ground.
"Guard me."
Having said that, Fang Hao closed his eyes and his body went limp.
At the same time, a bluish Soul Fire ignited in the hollow pupils of the skeletal Dust Sparrow.
With the cover of the mist, the skeletal Dust Sparrow quickly flew into the air.
After reaching a certain height, it first flew towards the dense forest at the left rear.
The enemy didn't notice a Dust Sparrow leaving the opposite team even as it flew deep into the forest.
Perhaps they never thought anyone would use this method for scouting.
The Dust Sparrow moved smoothly inside the forest.
It flew straight towards the direction from where the forest was shaking intensely.
Once the Dust Sparrow alighted on a tree branch,
it looked down at the enemy in a somewhat surprised way.
About five hundred people were there, wearing a mishmash of armors.
Cloth robes, leather armors, and some were even bare-chested, like a temporary band of brigands.
They were dragging branches behind them, constantly shuttling back and forth in the forest.
As if deliberately making a huge noise.
At the same time, Fang Hao also noticed a detail.
All the people ambushing him had a common trait.
That was on their arms or chests,
They all bore the same mark.
The pattern similar to a noose.
Life-takers!
As soon as he saw the mark, Fang Hao immediately identified their identity.
They were the Life-takers that Ma Hong had mentioned.
Apparently, Rebecca's information was already outdated.
This band of bandits, originally only a few hundred strong, had long expanded on such a large scale.
More than that, they dared to attack them.
But Fang Hao had his doubts.
Even if these bandits were bold, how could they know that his party would be passing by here at this moment?
Could there be a traitor?
This shouldn't be the case!
Fang Hao made a quick circle in the air, still, he did not find any enemies.
Then, he flew towards the dense forest on the right side of the team.
In the forest on the right, the first thing he saw were the archers launching continuous attacks.
And behind these archers, Fang Hao saw a large crowd of people.
These people, obviously, were the main force of the bandits.
Uniform armors, uniform iron round shields, and black iron knight swords.
He was familiar with these equipments.
He had sold them in the channel himself.
It seemed that there was a fellow in the gang of Life-takers.
These bandits were quietly hiding in this forest.
Like beasts waiting for prey, they were silently staring at the mist outside the forest.
They were many in number, filling the entire area covered by his view.
Probably, they numbered more than two thousand.
The left forest was making a huge noise, the trees were shaking, as if a herd of animals were moving.
On the right, there were archers attacking, but behind them was the hiding place for the bandit elites.
At this point, Fang Hao immediately reacted when he compared the situation on both sides.
These bandits were playing tricks.
If Fang Hao didn't have this scouting method, he would undoubtedly think the left forest was vibrating violently because a large army was enclosing them.
In a rush, people would think that the right side, which was being attacked by archers, but not showing any movements at the back, was safe.
But by doing so, they would fall right into the enemy's trap.
How could these bandits be so smart.
At the same time, Fang Hao was somewhat surprised by the number of bandits below and their overall quality.
In a head-on confrontation, they might not necessarily lose.
There might be some casualties as well.
Moreover, they had a few maidens in the team, including Rebecca, who were completely incapable of fighting.
This was indeed somewhat dangerous.
Having discovered the enemy's layout,
Fang Hao had a plan in his mind.
When he was about to release the God's Presence and prepare for the upcoming battle,
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw heavy machinery being pushed forward at the back of the bandit camp and his heart suddenly tightened.
Four men were straining to push it forward.
The heavy wooden wheels crushed the vegetation, leaving a trail of depressions in the ground.
The wheels were covered with an old sheet of oilcloth that was propped up from the front, revealing a large cannon barrel.