"Valin, have you collected the item I asked for?"
After mentally reviewing the attack plan one last time, Vanigo asked the chieftain. The item the blacksmith needed was crucial for the attack, so he asked again.
"It's already been found. That kind of thing is everywhere in the forest. My people are very good at finding these things. I can already imagine what they'll look like when they explode among the Bulgars. That scene will be spectacular."
The chieftain's face was full of schadenfreude. He had personally led the team to collect those things and had gotten into a lot of trouble for it, even causing chaos at one point. He couldn't wait to see those damned Bulgars suffer.
"Alright, let's proceed according to the plan."
"Good."
Commands were relayed in hushed tones, and the lurking troops began to move according to the plan.
"Everyone, pay attention. Ahead is the Bulgar camp. Keep your mouths shut later. Everything according to plan. Don't show any fear."
Valin sat on the large cart, appearing completely natural, issuing orders to the surrounding soldiers.
The large cart slowly advanced along the dirt road, pulled by mules. It was loaded with something covered by linen cloth, making it impossible to see what it was.
Valin wore armor stripped from a Bulgar officer, and all the soldiers around him were dressed in Bulgar armor.
During the previous guerrilla warfare, Valin had consciously collected a large amount of Bulgar armor because he knew these things would eventually come in handy, and now they could all be used.
The disguised group would advance with the cart, while other warriors who couldn't be disguised would lurk in the bushes along both sides of the road.
The chieftain was a bit nervous, his usual expression even breaking down, but then he thought of Vanigo's perfect plan and how many people he had brought for support, and realized he couldn't falter.
He adjusted his expression, facing everything with the appropriate normal demeanor.
The chieftain actually wanted Vanigo to impersonate the Bulgar officer; he couldn't speak the Bulgar language.
Vanigo, however, not only could, but also understood Bulgar customs and culture very well. But the blacksmith insisted that he should be the one, stating it was the most suitable strategy.
There was no other way, Valin could only bite the bullet.
The chieftain sat on the cart, looking at his former chieftain's stronghold not far away. In fact, the stronghold after the Bulgars' modifications was better than the original.
The stronghold was now very well-built, with sturdy wooden walls, deep moats, and towering wooden watchtowers. The only access to the camp was through the main gate, connected by a drawbridge, but the drawbridge was currently raised.
Next to the main gate were two simple wooden watchtowers, though without battlements or shields, where several archers stood.
The current stronghold was already close to the standard of a military fortress in the northern lands. With a little development, it could become a population center, as people always hoped to live behind city walls, which could give everyone more security.
However, the decorations he had put so much effort into creating and the flowers he had cultivated were all destroyed. The Bulgars removed them as if they were trash, which still made him very angry and dissatisfied. Those things had cost him a lot of money.
As they got closer to the stronghold, Valin, who was on the cart, stood up and patted Vanigo's shoulder, who was by the cart.
The blacksmith wore a set of heavy chainmail, with a long axe tied to his back. The cloth under his armor had a strong Bulgar style, and the rings on his hands were full of Persian flair. At a glance, he was clearly a wealthy Bulgar, not some Meria blacksmith.
The reason Vanigo knew so much about everything Bulgar was because during the period when trade was restricted by the new city, he had done a lot of business with Bulgar smugglers. Through these interactions, he gradually understood their culture and customs.
Although he no longer needed to be so secretive, this knowledge remained.
The blacksmith immediately understood, blew a whistle, and several bird calls responded from around them. Valin nodded in satisfaction upon hearing the response.
Valin's team formed two lines, with a flaming dragon banner fluttering above their heads. They quickly approached the stronghold. A row of chevaux de frise was placed at the stronghold's entrance, with a dozen soldiers standing behind them. A warrior in scale armor stood in the center of the soldiers, with the raised drawbridge behind him.
"Stop."
Seeing Valin and his group approach, the warrior shouted at them, and the soldiers behind the chevaux de frise pointed their long spears at the newcomers.
If it weren't for the fact that these men had just held their long spears as if they were hoes, Valin might have been intimidated by them.
But the next moment, he thought that the soldiers around him were pretty much the same, and his mood immediately soured. They were all so terrible, what was the point of comparing who was worse?
The archers on the wooden watchtower also aimed at them. Similarly, if it weren't for their earlier fumbling, the chieftain might have been scared. The deterrent power of this group was truly insufficient.
"Everyone, stop."
Valin gestured for the team to stop. After everyone stopped, Valin got down from the cart, let out a sigh of relief, easing some of his tension, and then walked with Vanigo towards the chevaux de frise.
"Hello. I am Haval, transporting supplies. This is our dispatch note."
The warrior also walked towards Valin at the same time. After they met, Valin handed the credential to the warrior, while Vanigo spoke in Bulgar beside him, indicating that communication should be left to him.
The Bulgar couldn't help but take another look at Vanigo, because Vanigo was very burly, clearly a good soldier at first glance.
"Hmm… this is fine." The warrior scanned Valin and the others with a suspicious gaze. "But, why don't you speak our language?"
"He is a mercenary. You know, Emir Akad always likes to use brave foreign warriors. I am the translator assigned to him."
Facing the question, Vanigo did not panic, but slowly uttered the lie he had prepared, which he had fabricated based on his understanding of Akad, deliberately doing the opposite of what was expected.
Vanigo thought like this:
In the current situation, this obviously problematic combination would actually be fine, because everyone knew Akad's habits, and doing this would be too risky. The Bulgars wouldn't believe anyone would do this, so it would actually be easier for people to believe.
"Alright then, go ahead."
Vanigo had gambled correctly. It was well-known that Akad used foreign mercenaries, and they were accustomed to him sometimes making mercenaries officers.
The Bulgar warrior's guard dropped, and he directly let them pass.
As soon as the warrior finished speaking, the Bulgar soldiers began to move the chevaux de frise, and the drawbridge also lowered with the sound of sliding chains, opening the main gate.
Through the soldiers, one could see rows of tents behind the main gate, with some soldiers moving and resting, and wounded soldiers receiving treatment.
The chevaux de frise were quickly moved. Valin waved towards the main group, and the team moved again. Soon, dozens of soldiers entered the main gate.
The Bulgar warrior stood by, watching these people enter, but seeing the unfamiliar faces, his heart couldn't help but pound.
Just then, the large cart passed by him, and at the same time, he noticed the very burly translator walking towards him.
Hmm? What does this person want to do? Watching the burly translator approach, the warrior thought, and then suddenly, he saw killing intent in this person's eyes.
This is? These people are enemies!
Just as the warrior was about to shout "Enemy attack!", he found his vision suddenly pointing towards the clear blue sky. He wanted to say something, but couldn't say anything, and then everything went black, and he knew nothing more.
"Attack!"
After the warrior's head was cut off, the chieftain immediately shouted, and the disguised soldiers immediately attacked the Bulgars around them.
Those who had just recently transitioned from farmers to soldiers were completely unprepared. In an instant, they were either stabbed and fell onto the chevaux de frise, or were cut down and fell into the moat filled with sharp wooden stakes.
Just as the disguised soldiers attacked their surroundings, the cloth on the cart was also pulled back, revealing soldiers holding bows and arrows.
The archers rose with extreme speed, quickly drawing their bowstrings. Their arrows were fast and accurate. The archers on the wooden watchtower fell with screams before even firing a single arrow, and some even jumped down in fear.
A chorus of shouts and slashes also rang out from the forest, as a large number of soldiers rushed out of the forest, charging towards the wooden bridge laid over the moat.