In the interval while they cleared the dead tree blocking the road, a sudden change erupted!
"Whoosh—!"
An arrow tore through the air with a shrill howl and sank deep into the trunk they were moving, its shaft still trembling violently!
Immediately afterward, more than twenty figures sprang out from the dead grass and behind the earthen slopes on both sides of the road!
Though these men were ragged and many bore injuries, most wore standard-issue leather armor or lamellar iron armor, battered beyond recognition and caked with filth.
They held standard spears and waist sabers, their eyes fierce and carrying the vicious air of desperate outlaws.
"Listen up, caravan ahead! We brothers came down from the front lines. We lost the battle, and we can't survive anymore!
We won't make things difficult for you. Leave behind some money, wine, and meat so the brothers can fill their bellies, and we'll let you pass!"
As his words fell, the routed soldiers behind him raised their weapons one after another.
Yet their eyes remained fixed on the wagons carrying the caravan's goods, their Adam's apples bobbing unconsciously.
The caravan immediately broke into unrest. The escort agency guards instinctively gripped their weapons tighter and nervously looked toward Qin Mang at the front.
The hired hands turned pale with fright and shrank toward the center of the convoy.
Someone cried out, "Routed soldiers!"
In times like these, the line between soldiers and bandits had long since blurred. The difference often lay only in whether military pay could be issued in full and on time.
Once they scattered, trained soldiers armed with blades were often more dangerous and troublesome than ordinary bandits!
Inside the carriage, Wang Yushuang frowned slightly. This was still an official road—yet in broad daylight, routed soldiers dared openly block the