Five days later.
Thane's group entered Shadowpine Ridge territory.
Wild grass blanketed the vast landscape, with thorns sprouting everywhere you looked.
Dense black pine forests covered the distant hillsides, while frozen streams below still had patches of unmelted snow.
Thane pulled out his spyglass to scan the area. Everything he saw was empty wasteland without a single cultivated field in sight.
No problem—once Thane got here, everything would change.
This place would definitely become a thriving paradise.
Now everything was ready except for seeds and pioneer serfs.
Thane had done his homework—serfs were available in Fontdmer Town up ahead, which would also serve as his base of operations.
As for seeds, they were sitting pretty in the Beuigclair caravan about a mile ahead.
"Time to collect some taxes."
Thane had been taking it easy for five days, following at a leisurely pace. Now that they'd entered Shadowpine Ridge, there was no point waiting around.
"Everyone except Pegin, pick up the pace and cut off the Beuigclair caravan."
Pegin was the blacksmith from the border town.
The morning Thane left, Pegin had shown up leading a donkey loaded with various tools, carrying a blacksmith's hammer on his back.
Thane couldn't get Pegin a horse on short notice, so he had him ride the donkey with the group—which meant they couldn't move fast.
"Yes, Baron."
Everyone answered in unison. Just as they were about to charge forward, the scout they'd sent ahead suddenly came galloping back.
"Lord, it's bandits!"
The scout controlled his breathing, reporting steadily: "The Beuigclair caravan is under attack!"
Thane's eyebrows shot up as he quickly asked: "How many? What kind of gear are they packing?"
"Close to a hundred men. Mixed weapons—swords, spears, you name it. Five or six are wearing chainmail and leather armor, the rest are in regular clothes."
The scout rattled off everything in one breath before starting to pant heavily.
Thane and Pamin exchanged looks. "Sounds like a bunch of refugees and thugs thrown together."
Pamin nodded in agreement.
"Can we handle them?" Thane asked.
"Absolutely!"
Before Pamin could answer, the bear-sized man next to them carrying a massive axe spoke up first.
His name was Eliric, captain of the ten-man team Thane had hired.
"If we can't handle a bunch of lowlifes like that, wouldn't your twenty gold coins be totally wasted?"
Eliric said confidently: "You and your guards don't even need to get your hands dirty—my boys and I will cut them all down!"
Thane was on board with that.
Pamin and the guards were elite soldiers from regular armies, while Eliric's hired men were all military veterans with top-notch equipment.
But Thane stayed cautious, ordering Eliric: "Pamin and I will take the right flank, you take the left and wait for my signal.
After I charge, you follow immediately—don't let a single one escape!"
"The noble lord's got his head on straight. No problem!"
Eliric shouldered his axe, holding the reins one-handed. "Just give the word and we'll mess them up!"
"Good. Pegin stays here, everyone else move out!"
At Thane's command, the group split like two silver arrows heading east and west. Eliric led his team through the black pine forest while Thane approached the Beuigclair caravan head-on along the main road.
Just like the scout had reported, it really was a ragtag mob attacking the Beuigclair caravan.
The Beuigclair caravan's guards numbered over ten, but they weren't as well-equipped as Eliric's crew. Only four wore chainmail—the rest had basic leather armor.
They'd formed a circle with their wagons, keeping goods and caravan members inside, then set up defensive lines to protect their cargo and people.
It looked professional enough, but this kind of defensive setup trying to protect everything would only get them surrounded and picked off by the hundred-plus thugs.
The moment Thane's two teams charged in, these lowlifes would fold like a house of cards.
Pamin, with all his battle experience, could see this too, volunteering: "Leave two guards to protect you—I can drive them off with the others."
Thane smiled slightly: "No rush. Let's wait a little longer."
In this feudal slave era, he wouldn't try to figure out modern society's version of right and wrong.
Thane didn't dare call these thugs evil—many were just regular folks who couldn't afford food, plus runaway slaves who couldn't take the abuse anymore.
Meanwhile, the nobles and merchants who enslaved and exploited common people couldn't exactly be called saints either. Every gold coin in their pockets was probably stained with blood.
So after landing in this world, Thane had ditched his previous life's moral baggage and lived only for himself.
At most, when it didn't hurt his interests, he'd try to keep the body count down.
Originally Thane had only wanted to collect taxes, but now he wanted the whole damn thing.
So waiting was his best play right now.
Pamin understood what Thane was getting at, saying nothing more as he stroked his horse's mane and waited quietly.
Just like Thane expected, pure defense was killing the caravan guards' effectiveness. Under the thugs' assault, four or five guards went down fast.
The defensive line with holes in it immediately crumbled. Thugs started dragging and looting goods from the wagons while caravan workers trying to stop them got stabbed to death.
"Can't let them steal my stuff."
Thane drew his steel sword, pointing forward:
"Scatter them."
"Charge!"
Pamin roared, digging his spurs in hard. His warhorse shot forward like a bullet!
"Kill!"
The guards also shouted their battle cries, while Eliric's team launched their coordinated attack from the other side!
Both teams carved into the thug formation like hot knives through butter, carrying fierce momentum. Instantly, several heads went flying through the air, painting bloody arcs!
The mob was immediately chopped into three groups, then Pamin and the others wheeled around for another pass!
Limbs flew and blood splattered everywhere!
Before Thane could even get some practice in, after just two charges, the previously cocky thugs completely fell apart and scattered like roaches!
Eliric and Pamin had targeted and taken out the mounted, chainmail-wearing leaders first—the rest were no match at all.
"Round up these guys—don't let anyone get away!"
Thane shouted: "Anyone who runs gets an arrow!"
These thugs were ready-made serf labor. Once captured, Thane wouldn't need to spend a dime on wages—just keep them from starving and they'd have to work for him.
Naturally, Thane wasn't about to let them walk.
Half the guards were skilled archers, and Pamin had originally been among the best—unfortunately, losing his left hand meant he couldn't use a bow anymore.
The guards raised their bows and shot down several fleeing thugs. Seeing this, the others quickly threw down their weapons and dropped to their knees—their surrender moves were pretty well-practiced.
"Eliric, tie them all up!"
"No problem!"
Eliric responded cheerfully, leading his brothers to dismount and start tossing the thugs around like rag dolls, tying them up one by one with rope.
Thane called Pamin over, saying quietly: "Check all the wounded. Save who you can, don't let the ones who can't be saved suffer.
Remember—all the wounded."
Pamin stared at Thane in confusion, not expecting his previously ruthless lord to suddenly show mercy.
"What are you gawking at? Go!"
"Yes, my lord!"
Pamin quickly grabbed fine cloth and styptic powder, leading the guards to treat the wounded.
Actually, Thane understood Pamin's confusion but didn't feel like explaining.
Battle was just a way to compete for resources. Now that all the resources belonged to Thane, there was no need for more killing.
At the end of the day, how many people on Earth who'd gotten over a decade of education like Thane were truly cold-blooded killers?
What Thane was doing was just a survival strategy in this primitive, brutal era.
"Thank you, noble sir."
As Thane watched the guards clean up the battlefield, a pot-bellied middle-aged man approached, bowing respectfully:
"I'm Kralfard Beuigclair, the Beuigclair caravan's leader and manager. Thank you so much for saving my caravan."
Kralfard bowed again.
"Hold up, what did you just say? Your caravan?"
Thane didn't bother introducing himself, frowning as he stared at Kralfard: "Before the bandits showed up, you saying this caravan was yours—I had no problem with that.
Now whose caravan are you claiming this is?"
Kralfard stood there stunned: "It's mine, that's right..."
Slap!
Thane backhanded Kralfard across the face!
"Bullshit!"
Thane's gaze was ice-cold as he said: "This caravan is what I captured from bandits!"
"It's mine!"