In the Name of Empress-Chapter 290 - 199: Disguised as Merchants for a Surprise Attack? Courting Death!
Northern border of the Hansa Province, Oro Town.
This is a military fortress and a crucial checkpoint to fend off northern invasions.
Since Roland took over the Three Overseas Provinces, the garrison here has changed twice and is now manned by the New Guard Team.
The current station in Oro Town is the integrated infantry twenty-ninth battalion, primarily composed of coal miners from the Hansa Province.
These miners became qualified firearms soldiers after receiving simple but rigorous military training. Although their combat skills are somewhat lacking, their discipline and morale are exceptionally high.
Compared to the coal mines which could collapse at any moment, serving under the Governor not only offers better treatment and higher social status but the military uniforms are also particularly stylish.
Roland, adhering to the design concept of a certain artist, invited professional fashion designers to make the military uniforms extraordinarily stylish. Young men reluctant to take them off and young women dazzled upon seeing them.
The commander of the twenty-ninth battalion, Jacobs, was a Silver Knight from the original White Rose Knight Order. While retaining the Silver Knight title, he was also promoted to the rank of army major.
Standing on the watchtower of Oro Town, Major Jacobs raised his binoculars, his hawk-like sharp eyes fixed on the northern mountain pass.
The Suyige Hills form a natural border between the Oden Kingdom and the Hansa Province, where patrols from both sides often meet, occasionally exchanging greetings and even local specialties.
Though the upper echelons of the Oden Kingdom held deep hatred for the Sussex who crushed the kingdom’s navy a century ago, exchanges among the people were quite frequent.
Hatred belongs to the top tier; what does it have to do with ordinary people?
The Oden Kingdom is geographically small, requiring many industrial products to be imported from the Hansa Province, with merchant caravans frequently passing through the Su Yige Pass to trade goods.
However, just a few days ago, Jacobs received a warning from the Hansa Province.
"Stay alert!"
It was a small, vague piece of paper with scrawled handwriting, clearly written haphazardly with an unskilled left hand.
But Jacobs dared not neglect it.
The paper was the Knight Order’s office paper, though masked, it was still apparent.
This warning was meant to alert him to be vigilant, yet without exposing anything.
In Oro Town, who else can be on guard against but the Oden people?
However, three days passed after receiving the note without a hint of disturbance.
Every day, caravans came from the Oden Kingdom.
For example, right now, a large caravan was slowly approaching.
Jacobs exhaled a long breath, putting down the binoculars, planning to notify his subordinates to prepare for reception.
This caravan was large, moving too slowly, maybe even requiring an extension on the closing time of the city gates.
The caravan consisted of at least seven to eight hundred people, even more than the town’s garrison. Such caravans often bore significant commercial tasks and had to be taken seriously.
Jacobs took only two steps before stopping warily.
Wait, recent caravans to the Oden Kingdom were only about a hundred people. How could such a large caravan suddenly appear here? Does the Oden Kingdom’s trade need this much?
A story flashed through his mind, about a super macho man who had his home robbed by people disguised as a caravan, leading to their defeat in battle.
This was a lesson taught by Governor Roland, warning them to stay vigilant at all times and scrutinize any anomalies.
Disguising soldiers as merchants was a very despicable act but highly effective.
Jacobs grabbed his binoculars, continuing his surveillance, instantly drawing a cold breath.
Are these damn merchants? Where in a caravan are there burly men on average, without a single fat person?
It’s well known that merchants enjoy good living conditions; wine, meat, and women are their main entertainments, so many merchants tend to grow sideways.
In an era where health education is yet to be popularized, at least three out of ten merchants are fat.
In a caravan of six or seven hundred, even if the obesity rate is low, there should be at least a dozen fat people.
But this caravan had none at all.
Jacobs snapped his fingers, called the messenger, and ordered his subordinates to prepare.
Knowing the suspicious nature of the caravan, a trap could be set, like the Governor’s hunting operation.
A faint smile touched the corner of Jacobs’ lips.
Half an hour later, this caravan, moving noticeably faster than average, closed in on the already closed gates of Oro Town.
The caravan leader waved a small white flag, signaling they were unarmed, and loudly called for entry from the soldiers on the city wall.
"The gates are closed. Please, members of the Rusong Commerce Association, come back tomorrow morning."
"Hey, buddy, this is the top-grade pine wine ordered for the celebration by your Governor. It must be delivered quickly. I have a letter of introduction from the Governor’s Mansion, so I implore your leniency."
The squad leader on the wall hesitated before asking the caravan to send the letter of introduction to the gate. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶
The caravan had no idea that this "squad leader" was actually Jacobs from the garrison camp.
Nor did they know that Jacobs had already discerned the authenticity of the letter.
After a silent moment, an unassured voice came from above the gate, "The city’s reception capacity is limited. Please enter the city in batches. The first batch may include two hundred people."
The caravan leader Rusong couldn’t help but lower his hat brim to hide his smile.
Two hundred people were enough.
The opposing side was unprepared, and two hundred could easily cooperate to seize the city.
He smiled and replied, "At your command, officer!"
He called for two hundred people, secretly armed, to slowly enter through the open gate.
