CHAPTER 536: REBELLION 4

TL: Rui88

The slight sound of footsteps, accompanied by the rustling of leaves, came from afar, gradually approaching the camp.

Victor silently counted in his mind.

The first wave of enemies…likely the cannon fodder that the intelligence agent Brandy had mentioned…held long spears or single-handed swords. They carefully crept near the lord’s camp, each of them moving forward bit by bit in a crouched position.

Many of them had terrible night vision and could only vaguely see things at a slight distance. But their master’s command was something they could not defy, and there was also a hefty reward, which made these men a little bolder.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A series of explosions erupted from the lord’s camp. Huge flames and smoke spewed out suddenly, like the scythe of the Grim Reaper. In that instant, the camp was illuminated as if it were broad daylight by these flames. The men who were close to the lord’s camp fell to the ground one by one.

“Ahhhhhhh!”

Piercing screams instantly rang out, echoing continuously through the woods.

The tragic fate of their comrades effectively deterred those who were trying to approach the lord’s camp. They began to feel fear, to hesitate.

“Grayman’s men are still there.”

Ferguson and the others, who were supervising the battle from a distance, were overjoyed.

They stayed at a safe distance. The burst of fire just now was indeed intimidating, but as long as Grayman was still there, they could overwhelm them with their numerical advantage.

“Archers! Fire into the camp with arrows!”

With a rustling sound, those who could use bows nocked their arrows and began to attack the lord’s camp.

Arrows flew overhead, making a whooshing sound. Paul bit his lip tightly, waiting anxiously for the rain of arrows to end. Beside him, Ladi’s eyes were tightly shut, as if everything around her had nothing to do with her.

“Six o’clock!” Ladi suddenly shouted.

Several guards immediately pointed their gun barrels in the direction she indicated. They concentrated, identified the moving black shadows, and after a few gunshots, the shadows fell to the ground.

Unlike their enemies, the guards of the Lord’s Residence had all undergone rigorous selection. Their night vision was top-notch.

The rebels’ ranged attack was not effective because Victor had ordered all the lights in the camp to be extinguished early on, and everyone had found cover. So, their arrow attacks all missed.

Some tried to sneak close to the camp to throw torches or light some flammable materials, but they were shot down by muskets while still at a great distance, as if something was constantly watching them. After losing several lives in a row, no one dared to do so anymore.

After nearly twenty minutes of blind firing, the rebels finally stopped shooting arrows.

“Everyone, charge!” Ferguson shouted, simultaneously raising his sword and swinging it fiercely in the air.

“Follow me!” A burly man in full armor took the lead, raising his double-edged broadsword and starting to charge towards the lord’s camp.

“Kill!”

A large number of people emerged from the woods, either by the moonlight or holding torches, and charged along with the burly man. In fact, it was not just this direction; people were charging towards Paul’s location from all sides. Unlike the first wave of cannon fodder sent to scout the camp, they all had basic protection, and many even wore metal armor. This group was the armed force maintained by the various families participating in the rebellion.

“A large number of enemies are approaching from all directions!”

There was a hint of tension in Ladi’s voice as well.

Even without her reminder, everyone had already judged the situation from the sound of the enemy’s footsteps and shouts.

“The most dangerous moment is upon us!” Paul shouted to everyone. “Gentlemen, I am very honored to have such a group of loyal subordinates. After this battle, everyone will receive a reward of at least five thousand silver shields, and the families of the fallen will receive an additional five thousand silver shields in compensation. Our request for help has been sent out, and reinforcements will arrive after dawn. Before then, please fight with all your might and slay the traitors who dare to approach us.”

“Long live Grayman!”

“Alda forever!”

Paul’s words greatly boosted the guards’ morale and spirits. Led by Victor, they began to shout slogans.

Just as the camp was about to be surrounded, a large number of grenades were thrown from the hands of the guards. The fuses burned rapidly in mid-air, and the grenades exploded before they hit the ground.

A large amount of shrapnel was propelled outwards by the rapidly expanding gas, fiercely embedding itself into the flesh of nearby people. Exposed faces, arms, and legs without protection had no resistance to these small objects. The shrapnel easily created wounds that, while not immediately fatal, caused immense pain to their owners.

“Hiss~ Hiss~”

“Ahhhhhhh!”

“I need help!”

The grenades threw the charging rebels into chaos.

Seeing this, Paul’s guards immediately raised their guns and fired, focusing on those who were uninjured or whose injuries did not affect their ability to move.

It was the first time the rebel army had been baptized by firearms, and they had not been sufficiently mentally prepared beforehand. They even thought that their armor could withstand the lord’s muskets.

The firepower of the guards of the Lord’s Residence was very dense. They adopted a method where some people were responsible for firing and some were responsible for loading. The sound of gunfire was continuous, and each shot meant that someone in the rebel army had lost their combat ability, or more likely, was about to die.

After a continuous assault for half an hour, the rebels’ charging tide was finally stopped.

Obtaining such a result, Ferguson and old Warren, who were commanding from behind, were furious.

“Useless! All of you are useless! A few muskets can beat you into this state.”

Ferguson’s only memory of muskets was from the time they crusaded against the pirates. Back then, Paul had just cobbled together a matchlock for the craftsmen to manufacture. The soldiers would use those muskets, fire a few rounds to scare the enemy, and then immediately have the spearmen charge to finish off the terrified enemy.

But since he left Lakeheart Town, he had been completely ignorant of the subsequent development of firearms.

He didn’t know that the loading speed, durability, range, and accuracy of muskets had undergone a qualitative change since they first appeared.

“Grayman’s black magic!”

That’s what old Warren thought. Compared to Ferguson, his knowledge of firearms was basically zero.

He called his son Chakon over. “My son, on the day you were born, the town priest said that you were blessed by the Lord of Light and would surely be able to overcome Grayman’s evil magic. Go, for the glory of the family and the Heavenly Father, go and fight!”

Looking at his father, Chakon nodded heavily.