novelAbuy Chapter 33 This bandit's equipment is really shabby.
Chapter 33 This bandit's equipment is really shabby.
As the explosions ended and the smoke gradually dissipated, some bandits, covered in dust and dirt, got up from the ground.
Because of the violent explosion, many of the bandits were now hard of hearing, surrounded by sharp explosions, and couldn't hear what the people around them were shouting.
"Oh my god, what happened?"
"Holy crap, I've been bombarded!"
In a moment of utter confusion, one of the bandits suddenly thought of the terrifying artillery. Then, when he looked at the horrific state of his companions and the traces left by the explosion, his eyes widened in horror.
Without a doubt, that thing was clearly a cannon!
Regardless of what kind of cannon it is, whether it's a tiger crouching cannon or something else, it's definitely a genuine artillery piece!
Otherwise, besides cannons, what else could hit such a long distance at once, and even explode around them?
The thought that the enemy below even had artillery instantly shattered the bandits' will to fight.
Several bandits shouted that they wanted to surrender, but because their companions were hard of hearing, they couldn't understand what they were saying. So even with their gestures, they couldn't get the others to agree.
Their third leader was still yelling at everyone to keep fighting, but unfortunately, at a time like this, not only could no one hear what the third leader was shouting, but even if they could hear him clearly, they wouldn't be willing to keep fighting.
It wasn't that they weren't capable, nor that they were reclusive and wanted to be cowards, but the enemy had artillery!
Do you know what it means to have artillery? How could these be ordinary bandits?
Faced with such a ruthless group, what else could they do but surrender? Were they supposed to keep going back to battling the enemy's artillery?
Just kidding, they're just bandits, not some battle-hardened veterans!
The bandits' continued silence was making Rock increasingly impatient.
He had been waiting patiently down there, expecting the bandits to surrender or react in some other way after the bombardment.
Unexpectedly, these bandits acted like ostriches burying their heads in the sand, all pretending to be dead and making no move!
"Damn it, these guys aren't giving me any face!"
"Keep bombarding them! Don't stop! Give them two more rounds and see the effect!"
Upon hearing Rock's order, Hojo Shintenrai skillfully loaded ammunition and then launched another artillery barrage.
Originally, Hojo Sentenlei was also quite dissatisfied with the bandits on the mountaintop, feeling that their performance did not meet his expectations.
Having received the order, they were even more eager to show their abilities. Otherwise, what if Rock thought their equipment was all show and no substance?
They don't want to be relegated to the sidelines!
The dazed bandits were still somewhat bewildered by the shelling, or rather, they hadn't yet recovered from the massive explosion.
Before they could react, another barrage of shells rained down, and the overwhelming explosions instantly engulfed their hiding place.
After the explosion, fewer than ten bandits remained behind the walls of the stronghold, and almost all of them were wounded.
If it weren't for the fact that the power of Hojo's Thunderclap Bomb was quite limited, they probably wouldn't have been left alive after being bombarded by other types of mortars.
One of the bandits frowned. He noticed that their third leader was still busy shouting and yelling, which made him want to curse.
Damn it, what time is it already, and you still want to keep fighting?
Brother, they have cannons!
No matter if it's a big cannon or a small cannon, as long as it's artillery, it's already incredibly powerful, okay?
Because of the explosion, all of them are now partially deaf, with tinnitus everywhere, and they can't hear each other at all.
But it didn't matter. The surviving bandits exchanged a knowing glance, made a hand gesture, and then simultaneously pinned their third leader to the ground and tied him up with ropes.
The third leader, lying on the ground, stared in disbelief at the men who had attacked him, still cursing under his breath, but to no avail.
Anyway, the remaining bandits are all deaf and can't hear what he's shouting, so let's tie him up first!
As for why they didn't secretly shoot their third leader from behind?
Is there even a question? Of course, it's to serve as their pledge of allegiance!
When Rock saw a white flag finally rising on the distant mountain stronghold, he nodded in satisfaction.
"Indeed, although those bandits were much more tenacious than I had imagined, they eventually surrendered!"
"Quickly, rush up there and take over that stronghold! Then loot all the treasures inside!"
Looking at such a large mountain stronghold, a look of anticipation appeared in Rock's eyes.
Although most bandits spend money like water, there should be some food and treasure in such a large mountain stronghold, right?
For such a large gang of bandits to operate normally, it's no longer enough to rely solely on bravery and loyalty; they need a more scientific management system.
Regardless of what scientific management methods they use, there is no doubt that they must have a certain amount of capital reserves.
As a large number of Queen Dragon Riders, carrying carbines, marched to the gate of the stronghold, the few surviving bandits had already opened the gate ahead of time.
Upon seeing these fully armed soldiers, they all knelt down and kowtowed in surrender, with many bandits showing signs of terror in their eyes.
Without a doubt, the sight of this group of foreign guns and identical uniforms clearly indicates that this is an army, not a mob!
Although they didn't understand why these guys, who also seemed to be Han Chinese, insisted on wearing Western clothes, it didn't stop them from realizing that they were in big trouble today!
Behind them, the bound third leader continued to curse, but because he was hard of hearing, his voice sounded distorted.
Looking at the guy in the passageway, Rock waved to the cavalry behind him, telling them to quickly get a cloth or something to gag him.
This time he was more experienced and didn't kill the man outright. This guy was obviously a bandit leader, and might know where the treasure was hidden. If he was willing to cooperate, then it would be easier for Rock to accept the bandits' wealth.
It's a pity, judging from his appearance.
At least in the short term, he is unlikely to be very willing to cooperate.
"Hmm, not bad, really not bad, this place is much bigger than the old Little Black Mountain stronghold!"
After entering, Rock nodded in satisfaction.
Although the place looked somewhat messy due to the previous bombardment by Hojo's thunderbolts, it wasn't a big problem. With a little repair, the village could be used again.
After a rough study, Rock estimated that the village could accommodate at least three or four hundred soldiers. Moreover, the village not only had access to the spring water from the mountain behind it, but also had two wells dug inside, making the water source very abundant.
Having a sufficient water supply is very important. If the water supply is cut off when the enemy is surrounded by a large army, it is even more terrible than running out of food!
A person dies faster without drinking water than without eating, and thirst is more agonizing than hunger.
Back then, Ma Su lost Jieting because he was stationed on a mountain and the water supply was cut off. After that classic negative example, it seems that no fool would ignore the water supply problem when stationing troops.
In the system's settlement, Rock and his team gained a total of 400 experience points in this battle. It's unclear whether this was because the stronghold's resistance was not strong enough, or because Hojo's Thunderclap was too overwhelming, resulting in insufficient experience.
Unfortunately, this experience wasn't enough for Rock to level up, but the system rewarded him with two thousand taels of silver after the battle, which was still quite good.
After a while, the bandits' hearing gradually recovered. Although their hearing was still quite poor, they could at least understand human speech.
"Where are your warehouses located? Where are your grain depots, armories, and cash stored?"
Upon hearing this, one of the bandits quickly led them the way, and soon they arrived at a huge stone cave behind the mountain stronghold.
Upon entering the cave, Rock discovered that several small tunnels had been dug inside. Each tunnel was shallow and essentially served as a storage room.
The central area was used to store grain. After counting the amount of grain there, Rock realized that the bandits didn't actually have as much grain as he had imagined.
He originally thought that these guys must have more surplus grain than Liu Sanpang, since he had found a considerable amount of grain in the Liu family compound after killing Liu Sanpang.
But looking at the amount of grain these bandits carried, Rock suddenly had a suspicion:
It's possible that the grain Liu Sanpang had was actually intended for Heilong Mountain, but before it could be transported, Luo Ke and his men intercepted it.
Besides the granary, after inspecting the armory, Rock found that this run-down place really didn't have anything of value.
A large number of weapons, such as broadswords, spears, and bows and arrows, dominated the armory. It seemed that the homemade guns he had used to kill the bandits were the main weapons in the hands of this group of bandits.
He had already arranged for those homemade guns to be transported back to the village in Xiaoheishan. To be honest, he didn't intend to bring them back here, because he didn't care about those junk.
When the opportunity arises, he can arrange for someone to take these things out and sell them. There is no need to arm his men with these things, even the militiamen he just recruited. He doesn't need them to have a foreign gun either.
But when Rock arrived at the vault, he was astonished by what he saw inside.