Chapter 018: Collusion

Barty acted extremely quickly. By the time Du Fan returned to the inn, Barty had already gathered his men to load the goods swiftly. Just as Du Fan had said, the warehouses of entire Mendesa City—no, actually those of the entire Els Province—were emptied in half a day. Even the four large iron gates were removed.

In the early morning, the world was bright and clear. Sunlight filtered through the thin mist, gently bathing everything in a beautiful golden glow.

Du Fan got up early on purpose. He knew that once he had the goods, he couldn’t stay in Mendesa any longer, as the construction in his territory urgently needed those supplies.

Under the malicious gaze of Marquis Fernando and amidst Du Fan’s loud laughter, nearly a hundred carriages set off slowly, led by the eight carriages that Du Fan had extorted from Fernando, heading toward the Siluo Province.

“Lord, we’re truly returning with a full load this time! We didn’t spend a single gold coin and still got all these supplies for free. This will be enough to build our city of Doha even more solidly than Mendesa City.” Barty was overjoyed. This trip not only brought him these supplies but also fulfilled his dream of taking that noble girl out of Mendesa City. Thinking back to how the young noblewoman had reacted, Barty felt a thrill of satisfaction. Yet he understood that it was all thanks to his lord.

Boom!

As all the carriages left Mendesa City, the huge city gates closed heavily behind them, only for the gates on the other side to suddenly open.

The sound of hooves echoed as several warhorses burst out of the eastern gate and raced eastward at lightning speed.

Looking back at the increasingly blurred silhouettes of the warhorses, then at the drivers on the carriages and the dozens of people in Barty’s caravan, Du Fan frowned.

Sighing deeply, he returned to the carriage.

In the Els Province, the caravan moved smoothly. Despite the heavy load, it only took a day and a half to leave the province.

“Young master, we’ve arrived in our own province now. You can rest easy, right?” Old Mark said with a smile as he saw Du Fan step out of the carriage. He had followed Du Fan for a long time and could roughly guess what Du Fan was worried about during these past day and a half.

Shaking his head, Du Fan stared at the two provincial boundary markers growing farther away from the caravan and said gravely, “On the contrary, this is just the beginning of our difficulties.”

The carriage continued moving forward, but with Old Mark deliberately speeding it up, the convoy’s pace increased once again. At this rate, Doha City would be in sight in another two days.
Like the Els Province, most of the Silro Province was also vast plains. The convoy of a hundred carriages resembled a giant python winding its way across the land.
Just then, Bati suddenly appeared in front of Du Fan’s carriage, calm yet with a hint of panic: “Lord, it seems there are bandits in the distance. Should we stop and defend ourselves?”
Hearing this, Du Fan was shocked. He immediately stepped out of the carriage to look outside and saw a short plume of dust rising from the horizon, moving at great speed, directly toward their convoy.
Sigh! What’s meant to happen will happen.
With a long sigh, Du Fan ordered, “Form a circular defense with the carriages. Place those equipped with iron bars at the outside, and bring all the warhorses inside.”
“Young master, is this what you were worried about?” Old Mark also put down his whip and began organizing his belongings, knowing a fierce battle was imminent.
“Would you be happy if I took away all your possessions?” Du Fan smiled slightly.
Boom!
The dust grew closer, and the sound of horse hooves echoed everywhere. It seemed even the land itself was trembling. Yet no one could see the true faces of these bandits, as they were still hidden in the dust.
Whoosh!
Just a few hundred meters away from the convoy, the sound of horse hooves suddenly stopped, as if it had all been an illusion. But the dust, thick enough to cover the sun, continued advancing toward the convoy.
“Lord, let me handle this first. After all, I have some connections with those larger bandit groups,” Bati said respectfully, stepping forward.
The Silro Province was not only a vital trade route between the Gavin Empire and the Lani Empire but also a region plagued by bandits due to its barrenness. Besides the five most notorious bandit groups, soldiers from the Lani Empire, troops from the Gavin Empire’s southern legions, and even some civilians would form their own groups to raid weaker caravans here.
Bati had been running caravans for a long time. Aside from dealing with those ad-hoc, laughable bandit groups, he had managed to get along well with the more well-known ones, paying them considerable tribute each year.
“Hmm, go ahead and handle it,” Du Fan said, trusting Bati’s abilities. If he could maintain a caravan for so long, Bati must have his own unique methods.

“Get ready.” Waiting for Du Fan’s permission, Bati happily gave orders to his caravan companions. With a soft sound, over forty caravan members immediately drew their weapons and became tense and alert, while Bati, devoid of any combat energy, strode quickly to one of the wagons, waiting confidently for the dust to clear. As the dust gradually dissipated, the bandits a few hundred meters away revealed themselves. Four men with fierce looks and muscular builds, even their warhorses seeming overwhelmed by their weight, stared at the caravan with malicious smiles. Behind these four men, the bandits, though dressed in various clothes and armor, formed a highly organized formation, numbering over two hundred men and horses. “So it’s the Four Fierce Beasts. Don’t you recognize old Bati?” Bati said with a smile, bowing in greeting. “Hmph! Hand over everything, and you and your caravan better run for your lives,” said the thug on the far left, wearing a black headscarf, in a deep voice. This man was the leader of the Four Fierce Beasts—the Explosive Tiger, Alexander Lane. “How could this be? I visit Chief Kenny every year. Have you mistaken me?” Bati was surprised. These men were clearly from the Hurricane Bandits, the fourth-ranked among the five major bandit groups. Compared to those scattered bandit gangs, these well-known groups valued their reputation greatly. Ever since Bati started visiting them yearly, his caravan had never been attacked by them. “This time you’ve gotten into big trouble. Hmph, no need for more talk. It’s only because of your annual gifts that Chief Kenny has decided to let you and your caravan go. Otherwise, would I be so polite?” Alexander glanced impatiently at Bati, then at Du Fan. At that moment, Du Fan understood their intentions and already knew why they had come here. “Alexander, behind me is my lord, the renowned Duke Du Fan of the empire. How dare you threaten him?” Seeing that his reputation no longer worked, Bati resorted to mentioning Du Fan’s status, hoping to make these men back off—after all, offending nobles was not something these bandits wanted to do. Alexander wasn’t intimidated by Du Fan’s reputation. Seeing that Bati still hadn’t fled, he wasted no time. With a wave of his arm and a cruel smile on his face, he gave the order: “Kill!” A deafening shout rang out. Though it was just a slight movement, it was the signal to attack.

The thundering sound of horse hooves, which shook the land once again, resounded. Over two hundred well-trained bandits, wielding their weapons, charged wildly at the caravan. In this vast expanse, they were like an unstoppable wave rushing against a fragile dam.

Batty gritted his teeth secretly, feeling no fear at all. He quickly jumped down from the carriage and ordered his men and drivers to use their bodies to block it. As long as the carriage remained in place, it would be difficult for the bandits to get in.

But these bandits were no ordinary soldiers. Without their horses or the support of their comrades, they were not much stronger than ordinary people. These bandits themselves were of the second or third rank in strength, and their skills had been honed through countless life-and-death battles.

Seeing the carriages surrounded by iron bars on the circular defense, the bandits uniformly abandoned their horses, suddenly leaping into the air in front of the carriages and heading for the open space at the center of the defense. They believed that even without the momentum of their horses, their strength would protect them from harm.

But they were wrong. If Batty had been able to build a caravan for so long, he surely had his own preparations. His caravan originally had nearly two hundred members, but after years of fighting against bandits, only about forty remained. Yet each of those who survived was an exceptionally strong fighter, even stronger than those bandits.

“Kill!” Batty gave the order decisively, his eyes red with fury.

Glinting blades and screams filled the air. In just one encounter, those bandits, who were unprepared and unable to dodge effectively in mid-air, were struck by the flashing blades beneath them. Blood rained down like crimson showers, along with severed limbs. Some combat auras, glowing in various colors, shattered the bandits’ bodies into pieces.

With just one encounter, forty or fifty bandits were killed. This not only inspired Batty’s caravan but also dealt a severe blow to the bandits. Those who managed to survive were now terrified, frantically waving their weapons and unleashing all their combat auras. Their goal now was not to hurt others but to save their own lives.

Soon, all two hundred bandits rushed in. Although they had lost over fifty lives due to carelessness, they still outnumbered Batty’s men. After a brief period of stabilization, the bandits reverted to their savage nature, charging with red-eyed fury. Many drivers met tragic ends, and once again, a storm of blood and violence ensued.