Chapter 139: Another Encounter with Bandits

Two days later, on the morning of the departure, Xu Mo set out with Qin Mutou and the delivery team.

Just like in the previous few days, the caravan was intercepted by bandits half an hour after leaving Gushan Village. It was the same group led by White Hair and Peng Dong, but this time they were armed with bamboo spears, just like Xu Mo’s men.

As soon as the bandits appeared, Niu Da immediately shouted, "Form the formation!"

In an instant, the team quickly snapped into a circular defensive formation. The short-spear and shield bearers in the front row held their wooden shields firmly in front of them with grim expressions. Behind them, the bamboo spearmen stood in the gaps, their sharp spears pointed outward, ready to strike. The three archers climbed onto the carts, seeking the most advantageous positions to fire.

Niu Da bellowed, "Front row, listen up! Deploy the caltrops!"

On command, the shield bearers tossed the strings of bamboo caltrops they had been carrying onto the ground before them. A defensive perimeter of spikes instantly surrounded the circular formation.

Meanwhile, the bamboo-spear-wielding bandits approached, though their pace was significantly slower than before, likely still haunted by the slaughter they had witnessed last time.

Niu Da gripped his spear, watching the bandits intently, and whispered to Xu Mo, "Boss, your foresight is truly divine. These guys really did start using bamboo spears."

Xu Mo, also holding a spear, kept his eyes on the approaching enemy and replied, "Captain Niu, the three of us will handle the gaps. We must not let the formation be broken!"

"Understood, Boss!" Niu Da replied with a powerful shout, his voice brimming with excitement.

Xu Mo immediately turned to the three archers on the carts and ordered, "Shoot as soon as they get close! No need to wait for my command!" The archers nodded, pulled back their bowstrings, and aimed into the distance.

From the back of the bandit ranks, Peng Dong’s voice boomed: "What are you dawdling for? Faster! Move!" He was clearly frustrated by their sluggish pace. However, his words had little effect; while the bandits sped up slightly, they remained hesitant. It was hardly surprising—the memory of the circular bamboo-spear formation had left a deep psychological scar.

Peng Dong roared, "Hurry up! We have the numbers and the same weapons! What are you afraid of?"

White Hair, not wanting the morale to collapse further, interjected, "Brother, let me handle this..." He then shouted at the top of his lungs, "Listen up, everyone! Five strings of cash for every head you take! Ten strings for a pair!"

The promise of such a high bounty energized the bandits, and their advance quickened instantly.

*Twang!*

Suddenly, an arrow whistled out from the spear formation.

"Argh!" A bandit clutched his chest, screaming as he collapsed, his clothes quickly soaking in blood. While not immediately fatal, the wound was deep enough to render him unfit for combat.

"Watch out! They have archers!" the lead bandit shouted, prompting most of them to hunch their necks and crouch, as if that would shield them from the arrows.

"Argh!" "Argh!" Two more cries rang out as two more bandits fell, howling in pain. The three archers continued to fire, but as the bandits grew more cautious, the accuracy of the shots began to drop.

Peng Dong, unable to stand it any longer, yelled, "Damn it, charge! Do you all want to be shot to death?"

Unwilling to remain target practice, the bandits finally surged forward with their spears. Seeing others charge, the rest followed with desperate shouts. Their momentum spiked, and the situation shifted instantly.

"Front row, hold the line!"
"Back row, prepare to attack!" Niu Da roared.

As the bandits collided with the formation, the air was filled with the sounds of battle—roars, clashing metal, and screams. There were other noises, too. The bandits in the front, having stepped on the bamboo caltrops, began cursing in rage.

"Damn it! What the hell is this?"

Many had spotted the caltrops earlier and tried to avoid them, but the sheer press of the crowd behind them forced them forward, causing them to step on the spikes.

After weathering the initial wave, the shield bearers began their counterattack. Though their spears were shorter, the protection of the shields allowed them to strike with great agility. The bandits who had been wounded by the caltrops were quickly skewered, leaving them dead or maimed. The spearmen in the back continued to strike, and the count of fallen bandits grew steadily.

Xu Mo, Qin Mutou, and Niu Da joined the fray, plugging gaps whenever a man fell, which greatly stabilized the team’s resolve. As the battle wore on, Xu Mo’s side gained a clear advantage, though their own casualties rose as well. Seven or eight men had already fallen, their fates uncertain. Many of the wounded shield bearers had discarded their short spears, using only their shields to hold the line and create space for their comrades.

Watching their numbers dwindle, White Hair and Peng Dong began to panic. "Brother, what do we do? We’re no match for them!" Peng Dong cried out.

White Hair, having realized the enemy's strength, was already looking for an exit. "Let’s retreat, brother. As long as the green hills remain, there’s no need to worry about firewood!"

Though frustrated and unwilling to concede, Peng Dong saw that the battle was lost. "Sigh! There’s no other choice. Let’s fall back..."

With that, White Hair and Peng Dong slipped away with a few of their core cronies. They had no intention of helping the men still fighting; they only hoped the others would keep the caravan busy long enough for them to escape.

"Boss, they're running!" Qin Mutou spotted them and shouted.

Before Xu Mo could respond, Qin Mutou skewered a bandit with his spear, shoved the man aside, and broke out of the defensive formation. He cast his spear away, drew his pair of bronze hammers, and sprinted in pursuit of White Hair and Peng Dong.

"Mutou, come back!" Xu Mo tried to call him, but the young man was already too far away to hear.