At Lynd's cavalry speed, after leaving Tumbleton, it only took a little over three hours for him to encounter the bandit alliance orchestrated by the Poison Scorpion Society.
However, Lynd did not attack the bandit alliance; instead, he observed the bandits' equipment and personnel from a distant hillside, then bypassed this several-hundred-strong force and moved towards the well-equipped army behind them.
About an hour later, the scouts returned to report that the three-hundred-strong well-equipped force was only separated from them by a valley.
Lynd did not confront them directly but took a long detour to get behind this force.
The person leading this force clearly had experience in commanding troops; he knew to send out scouts during marches and to maintain formation to avoid surprise attacks, but his attention was entirely focused on the front, completely neglecting the safety of the rear.
Not only did he fail to send anyone to check the situation behind, but to maintain marching speed, he completely disregarded the difficulties of the logistical convoy traveling in the mountainous terrain, causing the convoy to become completely disconnected from the main army.
Although there were dozens of soldiers protecting various supplies in the logistical team, under Lynd's sudden attack, none of them could withstand the first round of mounted archery and were all shot full of arrows like hedgehogs.
After easily taking down the enemy's logistical team, Lynd was very satisfied with the cavalry's mounted archery performance.
He did not personally participate in the battle but left it to Raul and Bryn to lead the team.
The two executed their flanking mounted archery tactic perfectly, leading the cavalry to circle the enemy's logistical team and shoot arrows.
Although some in the cavalry still couldn't shoot arrows well while riding, at least the arrows they shot wouldn't go too far off course, and through concentrated barrages, a few would always land on the enemy.
After a simple cleanup of the battlefield, recovering the shot arrows, Lynd transported all the supplies from the logistical team to a nearby forest, camouflaging them slightly with leaves, intending to send people to retrieve them after the battle.
Perhaps because Lynd's rules had left such a deep impression on the riders, they did not attempt to loot anything this time.
All valuable items found were handed over to Jon Bulwer for tabulation and inclusion in their battle merits.
After a brief rest, Lynd continued to lead the cavalry to pursue the secret army of a certain great lord from behind.
Lynd did not immediately attack but trailed behind, and the force ahead did not detect the danger from the rear.
After crossing a small hill and arriving at a slightly flatter plain, the Commander of that force announced a halt for rest and simultaneously sent someone to notify the logistical convoy behind to catch up quickly to prepare food.
However, as soon as that person rounded a patch of woods, he was pierced through the throat by three arrows that flew out from the trees by the roadside.
After eliminating this messenger, Lynd did not immediately launch an attack but continued to wait for the army to completely relax; that would be the opportune moment for the assault.
This opportunity did not take too long to arrive, as the previous rapid march had pushed their physical limits, and the journey had been too smooth without any obstacles, causing the soldiers of this force to become careless and lax.
Upon hearing the order to rest in place, they completely relaxed and sat on the ground, with most quickly falling asleep.
Although the Commander of this force cautiously sent soldiers to nearby high ground to monitor the surroundings, Lynd had already sent people to those high grounds ahead of them.
When the enemy soldiers arrived, they were directly ambushed and killed, then their clothes were donned to impersonate them, and they secretly reported the situation of the force below the hill to Lynd.
"Do you remember what I told you?" Lynd asked, turning to Raul and Bryn when the time was right.
"Circle and shoot, do not charge directly," Raul and Bryn repeated.
Lynd nodded, then turned to Jon Bulwer and asked again, "Are you really going to charge with me? It would be safer with Raul and the others."
"Lord, I am your Official; I should be by your side," Jon said, putting on his helmet and drawing the longsword from his waist.
"Please do not worry; I have participated in several battles with Ser Roger, and this small skirmish will not affect me."
Seeing this, Lynd said no more, picked up his helmet and put it on, then ordered the ten assault cavalry he had carefully selected, "Depart."
Led by Lynd, the assault cavalry, composed of ten riders skilled in mounted combat, charged out of the formation and galloped along the mountain path.
Raul and Bryn immediately led the remaining mounted archery teams, divided into two squads, following closely behind.
Because there were only twelve riders, the sound of hooves was not particularly loud.
When Lynd and his men passed through a dense forest at the foot of a small hill and approached the force resting there, the sentries on alert had not yet noticed anything unusual.
They even thought the galloping cavalry were the logistical team arriving early with food.
However, when the twelve riders drew close, one sentry finally noticed the difference in their attire and saw the weapons in the hands of the charging cavalry.
"Enem—" The terrified sentry was about to shout a warning, but an arrow shot directly into his mouth, pierced through his head, and pinned him to a tree behind him.
Lynd placed his short bow in the bow-quiver on his saddle, quickly drew the Knight's Greatsword from his waist, spurred his horse, and charged into the still-resting, completely unprepared crowd.
Lynd's sword swings were incredibly swift, and the blade itself seemed to distort into a blur due to the extreme speed.
The impact force of the galloping horse combined with the inherent power of the sword easily cleaved through everything in front and around him.
The cavalry following closely behind Lynd fanned out, cutting down those not affected by Lynd's sword strikes.
Everyone blocking their path became a corpse, leaving a trail of blood.
"Enemy attack!" The Commander of the attacked force immediately shouted a warning and quickly discerned that Lynd had only twelve men.
Perhaps thinking he could deal with Lynd and his group, he simultaneously drew his longsword and led his personal guards and knights to meet Lynd.
Soon, both sides clashed, but before the Commander could even make a sword swing, he saw a flash of light cut through his body, and then half of his body fell to the ground.
Immediately after, the other knights and personal guards who had charged with him one by one fell from their horses; some might not have died but were already unconscious.
Lynd's twelve riders were extremely fast and met no resistance.
In just a few minutes, they sliced through the three-hundred-strong force like cutting a cake, leaving a trail of blood and nearly a hundred corpses lying on the ground, including all the knights and officers capable of commanding this force, which was the very purpose of Lynd's personal charge.
The soldiers of this force were completely stunned.
After waking from their sleep to the enemy attack warning, they hadn't even had time to figure out what was happening around them when Lynd's twelve riders had already passed through the force.
And when they instinctively looked for their respective captains and Commanders, they saw nothing.
As the confused men drew their weapons to prepare for defense, arrows rained down from all directions, piercing their leather armor and embedding into their bodies.
Some lucky ones managed to raise their shields in time to block the arrows in front of them, but they quickly realized that blocking only one side was useless.
Arrows came from all directions; they might get lucky once, but one mistake meant injury or death.
Due to the loss of their Commanders, they were unable to form effective defensive positions, each defending for themselves, and such defenses were full of holes, completely unable to effectively block the incoming arrows.
Raul and Bryn faithfully carried out Lynd's orders, perfectly demonstrating the effectiveness of their mounted archery training during this period.
They were like a pack of wolves besieging prey, moving rapidly around their victims, continuously shooting volleys of arrows at them.
Because the prey were all huddled together, they didn't even need to aim much; they just needed to draw their bows and quickly release arrows.
Soon, no one in the three-hundred-strong force, surrounded by the cavalry, remained standing, and the cavalry had only used a little over one quiver of their prepared arrows.
"Stop, stop!" Raul and Bryn shouted in unison.
Only then did everyone lower their short bows, put them into the bow-quivers beside their saddles, then picked up the war hammers hanging from their waists, slowed their horses, and waited for the next order, their faces filled with excitement.
For anyone, this could be considered an incredible victory.
Facing three hundred fully armed soldiers, they annihilated them without suffering any casualties, which gave them an unprecedented sense of accomplishment.
Some who had initially been skeptical of Lynd's relentless demands for mounted archery training were now completely convinced of him.
They had always greatly admired Lynd for his exceptional strength, but that was merely admiration for individual prowess.
They had been full of doubts about whether Lynd, a hunter by origin, understood how to lead troops in battle, but now that doubt had completely vanished.
In their hearts, there was only worship and respect for Lynd.
At this moment, Lynd also led the men who had just completed the charge to the edge of the position, calmly looking at the corpses strewn across the ground, and in a detached tone, ordered, "Clear the battlefield."
Upon hearing the order, everyone was stunned, because in their memory, after such a great victory, the Lords would usually deliver a rousing speech.
But Lynd was so calm, as if such a victory was as simple as eating and drinking.
"Did you not hear me say clear the battlefield?" Lynd frowned, looking at everyone around him, and ordered again.
Upon hearing this, everyone dismounted from their horses and began to clear the battlefield, recovering arrows, pulling off the leather armor from the corpses, and incidentally helping those who were not yet dead to find eternal rest.
Because Lynd had specifically trained them for battlefield cleanup, with one person cleaning and two guarding, even if someone feigned death and tried to counterattack when a cavalryman approached, someone would immediately notice and deliver a fatal blow.
"No, don't kill me! I am Bert Falwell, and my father is Rhys Falwell, the great merchant of the Westerlands. My father will surely pay a ransom for me," Bert Falwell, feigning death, rolled to dodge the incoming war hammer, shouting for mercy.
Lynd's order was to completely eliminate these people, so the knights ignored his pleas.
Two men had already held him down, and another raised his war hammer, ready to smash his head.
"Wait," Jon Bulwer suddenly called out to the soldiers.
He turned to look at Bert Falwell lying on the ground and said in surprise, "Fatty Bert? What are you doing here?"
"Jon?" Bert was also surprised, then said happily, "Seven Gods above, quickly, tell them to let me go."
"Release him," Jon Bulwer ordered.
The few riders looked at each other, and one middle-aged man said to Jon with a serious expression, "Lynd's order is to clear out everyone, and that means everyone, including your friend, Lord Jon. You are only an Official; you have no right to order us."
Jon then remembered the rules Lynd had set and realized that his order just now had violated the rules.
So he immediately corrected himself, saying, "I am not ordering you; I just hope you can temporarily not act against him. I will go now and seek Lynd's order."
The few men looked at each other and nodded.
Jon gestured to the panicked Bert, then ran towards Lynd.
He quickly reached Lynd, bowed, and said, "Lord, there is someone among these people whom you might find useful."
Lynd looked at Jon and said, "That person is your friend."
"No, a closer relationship, a relative," Jon immediately explained.
"That person is Bert Falwell, the second son of Rhys Falwell. Rhys Falwell is the legitimate son of the former Lord Rayleigh Falwell of House Falwell in the Westerlands. However, because Lord Rayleigh Falwell offended Tywin in certain matters, after his death, the title was given to a collateral branch, and Ser Rhys Falwell was exiled."
"Exiled? Exiled to the South?" Lynd guessed.
Jon nodded in confirmation, "Yes, Ser Rhys Falwell lived in the South for a long time and married and had children. His wife is my aunt, and Bert Falwell is my cousin."
"Now your cousin has become a member of the Westerlands' secret army," Lynd frowned and said, "You should be very clear that if I let your brother go, then the news of us annihilating this Westerlands army is very likely to reach Tywin. At that time, what do you think Tywin's reaction will be?"
"No, no! Lord, I am certain that Bert's joining this army was just an accident; their family has no good feelings for Tywin," Jon quickly explained.
"Although Ser Rhys received a special pardon four years ago and returned to House Falwell, he never stayed at House Falwell for long, nor did he stay in the Westerlands for long. Most of his time was spent at sea because he dared not let Tywin perceive any lingering hatred for Lannister."
At this moment, Bryn also leaned over and said, "I have also heard of Rhys Falwell's name, a famous great merchant of the Westerlands.
There are many land merchants in the Westerlands, but very few sea merchants can achieve his level."
Then he leaned closer to Lynd and said, "Didn't Mus say he had difficulty buying suitable things? Perhaps we can…"
Lynd thought for a moment, then nodded, "Bring that Bert over; I hope his survival won't cause us any trouble."
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