Thus, the night raid force overcame tremendous hardships and followed the drainage ditch all the way forward, successfully reaching the outside of those courtyards.
Just as they approached the courtyards, Barbarians inside began shouting.
Many in the night raid force understood basic Barbarian speech. They knew the Barbarians were preparing for battle and assembling. Judging by their words, the five courtyards housed quite a few Barbarians—exactly one hundred-man unit.
Moreover, these Barbarians were likely all Barbarian warriors, and at least elite archers. That was why they had been assigned the task of firing cold arrows at the nearby small fortress.
Although these Barbarian archers were ranged troops, they were Barbarian elites and outnumbered the night raid squad. They could not be underestimated.
Fortunately, all this had been considered before the operation. Saster's night raid squad had the largest number of soldiers among the several squads, so they were not at much of a numerical disadvantage, and every one of them was an elite.
Their equipment was also the best. Besides their usual long and short weapons, most of them carried a type of hand crossbow produced by the territory's arms factory.
This hand crossbow could be held in one hand. It was extraordinarily powerful and easy to carry, making it especially suitable for dealing with lightly armored targets.
They also wore finely crafted leather armor lined with steel plates, ensuring defense without hindering movement. They were armed to the teeth.
Saster divided everyone into five teams. He led one of them himself, while Big John followed another team, whose captain was Old Scarface.
They pressed close to the courtyard wall. Inside, more than a dozen Barbarian soldiers were lighting a bonfire and organizing their bows and arrows, seemingly preparing to continue firing cold arrows at the fortress.
Old Scarface did