The mercenaries nodded.
They were certain they had done a thorough job, leaving not a single trace of carriage tracks behind.
Matthew immediately turned around, pulling Little Fish back with him.
Little Fish, unsure of the situation, glanced back and asked, "Don't you need me to keep watch anymore?"
Matthew smiled. "No need. They're already here."
The mercenaries instantly tensed up and looked back as well.
At that moment, the group of riders in the distance had drawn closer.
Squinting, they soon spotted movement on the crest of another hill.
Before, they thought Matthew was just being paranoid, but now it seemed the tavern really meant business.
"My Lord, what should we do?"
The mercenaries knew exactly what kind of enemy they were facing, and unease began to spread among them.
Matthew led Little Fish forward step by step, remaining silent. He couldn't be bothered to explain things one by one.
Once back at camp, Matthew let go of Little Fish and faced the gathered group, shouting loudly:
"The stupid rabbits have run right into the trap! Everyone get ready. We must make sure none of them leave."
A mercenary behind him couldn't help but shriek, "My Lord, those are Harford family men! If we provoke them, it'll be hard for us to survive around here. Don't forget, Sow's Horn is their territory too."
"So what?"
Matthew glanced back with a cold stare that made the mercenaries' hearts constrict.
"I need a victory to make a name for myself. As for the declining Harford family? Let them go to hell."
After hearing this, everyone fell silent.
However, Matthew grinned.
His smile made the mercenaries' scalps tingle.
But the younger ones among them felt a thrill of excitement.
Yeah, so what if we kill Harford family men?
More and more of the young men began to smile.
Observing the situation, Matthew felt the atmosphere was just right. He looked at Morty and Bernarr and ordered, "Take your men to the opposite side now."
Bernarr nodded, immediately grabbed the prepared long weapons and crossbows, and led his men into action.
Morty hesitated, appearing to want to say something. But in the end, he kept quiet and followed along.
Watching Morty's back disappear onto the opposite side, Matthew felt a vague, inexplicable irritability.
Suddenly, he felt uneasy.
So, Matthew ordered Little Fish, "Go around and keep an eye on Morty."
Little Fish immediately trotted off.
Next, Matthew looked at Ser Harwin and Perth, speaking decisively, "You two follow me. Once the pursuers arrive, push the cart down and block the road completely."
With that, Matthew went straight for his crossbow.
After picking up the crossbow and quiver, he tossed a thick wooden spear lying on the ground to Perth.
"Take this. If anyone tries to run into the woods, impale them."
Perth caught the arm-thick log clumsily, then asked foolishly, "Do I really have to use this thing?"
Matthew glanced over, smiling. "Why? Do you have a better weapon for stopping horses?"
Perth shook his head and scratched his head. "This wood feels awkward. Not as good as my hammer. I could just charge in when the time comes."
Matthew laughed loudly, then wrapped an arm around Ser Harwin. "Tell this guy what the consequences of charging in with a hammer would be."
Ser Harwin shrugged off Matthew's hand, crossed his arms, looked up at Perth, and scoffed, "Ignorant kid. Just hold your spear and watch closely. Don't ask so many stupid questions."
Seeing this, Perth decided Harwin wasn't a good person and ignored him. He took the long spear, walked to the edge of the bushes, and crouched down to wait.
Matthew followed, highly amused, surrounded by a group of young men.
Ser Harwin, his face as black as thunder, cursed under his breath and walked off to the side alone.
The remaining older mercenaries, seeing their resolve, exchanged glances and had no choice but to grit their teeth and follow.
What else could they do? The man in front was the boss now.
The group reached the hidden cart, stuck branches into the soil to camouflage it, and hid themselves.
Once hidden, the forest returned to silence.
---
Clop, clop, clop...
The herd of horses galloped, arriving at the fork in the road amidst a cloud of gray dust.
The riders reined in their horses. Their armor gleamed in the setting sun, making them look particularly spirited.
As the gray dust settled over the green surroundings, the vanguard dismounted.
Dividing into two teams, chatting and laughing, they examined the tracks on the ground along the left and right forks, scanning the area.
But the forest was dense and quiet, the light dim. They couldn't see anything clearly.
And it wasn't easy for cavalry to enter the dense woods.
So, they turned around, mounted their horses, and shouted to the rear:
"No tracks on the left, but there are some on the right! We chase right!"
The cavalry immediately gripped their reins, turned their horses' heads, and surged to the right in unison.
The sound of hooves thundered once more.
Their horses were excellent, running incredibly fast on the narrow path, seemingly merging with the earth.
Matthew watched with his own eyes as these men drifted through the yellow dust like phantoms.
Then, he couldn't help but smile as he watched them frantically pull on their reins, desperate to stop.
The road ahead was blocked, dead-ended by dozens of logs and pits.
Crashing into it meant death or severe injury.
But a fast horse can't just stop on a dime.
The vanguard gritted their teeth, struggling to halt their mounts, but the men behind slammed into them.
Several couldn't stop in time and were knocked directly into the pits.
At that moment, Matthew stood up, pushing the cart and shouting:
"Surrender and live!"
Ser Harwin and Perth quickly helped, shouting along with him.
The cart was heavy, but with several people pushing together, it was easy.
Loaded with rocks and wood, the cart crashed through the bushes, rolled down the slope, and uncontrollably tumbled onto the narrow road, becoming a formidable roadblock.
Then, Matthew hid behind a tree. Leading the mercenaries who had jumped out, he yelled at the top of his lungs, repeatedly urging them to surrender.
What he said didn't really matter; what mattered was causing panic or making them give up resistance.
The massive commotion indeed gave the pursuers a huge fright.
Looking all around, they realized they were surrounded.
Panic spread among the cavalry.
Not just the men—the horses were anxious and restless too.
Seeing the situation turn bad, the tavern handyman immediately shouted loudly:
"We are mercenaries heading to Sow's Horn! We can give you whatever you want! Can you let us go after that?"
Matthew hated liars the most.
Raising his crossbow, he took aim.
Then, a bolt shot from the groove, heading straight for the speaker's head.
Thwip...
The speed was incredible, the trajectory almost invisible.
The handyman was still speaking when the arrowhead pierced his neck, knocking him off his horse.
The horses, already uneasy, were sent into chaos by the thud of the handyman's corpse hitting the ground. They began bucking and colliding wildly.
The pursuers with mediocre riding skills couldn't control their mounts at all. They fell from their saddles one by one and were trampled to death by hooves.
The mercenaries on both sides looked at the bloody road and felt it was a bit cruel.
But the pursuers weren't all useless.
They regretted their carelessness, but their courage remained.
"A bunch of damned cripples and old men, daring to ambush us! Brothers, charge!"
Unwilling to wait for death, the survivors spurred their horses, trying to charge into the woods on either side.
If one went, a dozen followed.
But before their horses could even get close to the gaps cut in the forest, the front-row mercenaries held their long wooden spears steady, stabbing them back one by one.
Attacking alongside them were the wooden bows from the back row and the other two crossbows.
Many horses were wounded or killed on the spot, tumbling over with their riders.
Matthew winced at the waste of horseflesh, but the crossbow in his hand didn't stop for a second.
Load, loose, kill.
At close range, no armor could withstand the power of a crossbow.
Every twang was almost a mercy from the Stranger.
After a few rounds, there were no riders left on the horses.
Dead horses and men littered the ground, along with the wounded wailing with broken legs.
The surviving pursuers curled up behind the bellies of dead horses, afraid to lift their heads.
When the sound of arrows stopped, these men began begging incessantly:
"We surrender! Don't kill us..."
Matthew didn't plan to kill them all. To those clinging to life, he shouted:
"If you want to live, drop all your weapons! Take off your armor and clothes!"
Hearing this, the mercenaries couldn't help but laugh.
The pursuers felt utterly humiliated, but they didn't dare risk their lives to resist.
Moments later, weapons, armor, and clothing were scattered on the ground.
Looking at the six naked men, the mercenaries kept cracking jokes and critiquing their bodies.
The pursuers were so ashamed they wanted to hide.
But Matthew shouted again:
"Stand up! Get away from the horse carcasses!"
The pursuers could only cover their crotches and backsides, awkwardly crawling up and walking to the side.
Matthew looked at them as if they were spoils of war, smiling.
"Very good. Now, please tell me, how many men are left at the tavern?"
The captives cowered, looking at each other, unable to utter a word for a long time.
Matthew clicked his tongue, decisively raised his crossbow, and prepared to load a bolt.
The captives trembled, terrified to their cores.
Then, they heard the crisp click of the crossbow string locking into place.
Some people are naturally fragile when facing life and death. Abandoning all shame, they immediately raised their hands high and shouted:
"I know! Only the boss, three cooks, and a child are left in the tavern!"
Matthew was very satisfied with their answer. Placing his finger on the trigger, he smiled and asked:
"Then are you willing to forsake the darkness for the light? Will you follow us back to kill and punish the bastards running that black shop?"