Sauron People

On the wasteland dozens of kilometers north of Fran City, a sizable Sauron army was slowly marching north.

The troops carried carts and wagons loaded with grain, cloth, and various supplies looted from within the Great Wall. Mixed among them were many Goldflower Kingdom civilians, strung together by ropes and wearing numb expressions.

However, compared with those Soren Battle Groups that returned from their winter raids truly laden with spoils and arrogance, this army's haul seemed much more meager, and the atmosphere was gloomy and oppressive.

A Sauron Cavalry scout named Ragnar drove his short, sturdy northern warhorse swiftly in from the army's flank toward the center.

He came up beside the leader, Thorsten, and reported, "Battle Group Commander, we've completely passed through Goldflower's Great Wall defenses. That enormous dark shape to the east is Fran City."

Mounted on an especially majestic warhorse, Thorsten was a Sauron Battle Group Commander with a rugged face and a thick, tangled beard.

The Sauron people followed a system combining military and political authority. From top to bottom, they were divided into Corps, regiments, and Battle Groups.

A Battle Group consisted of roughly three hundred men, while a regiment consisted of five Battle Groups, totaling nearly fifteen hundred men.

A Corps was the largest military unit. The Sauron people had eight Corps in total:

Wolf Corps

Bear Corps

Tiger Corps

Sparrow Corps

Horse Corps

Hound Corps

Sword Corps

Rain Corps

The names of the Corps had no special meaning. They were merely designations.

The Battle Group led by Thorsten belonged to the Sword Corps.

After hearing the scout's report, Thorsten merely grunted an impatient "Hmm," his expression dark enough to drip water.

His Battle Group's luck had been atrocious during this autumn's raid into the kingdom.

They had been assigned to attack a small border town, Winsend City. They had expected to occupy it easily, but the city's defenders had proved extraordinarily tenacious, resisting for a full half month!

Thorsten's Battle Group had suffered heavy losses in men and time during the siege. When they had finally managed to break into the city, they discovered that its stored grain and important supplies had already been exhausted by the prolonged siege, leaving them with hardly any worthwhile spoils.

In a fit of rage, Thorsten had ordered the city's inhabitants slaughtered to vent his anger.

But after killing everyone and calming down, he had bitterly regretted it.

Not only had they gained little in material spoils, but they had also wiped out all the people who could originally have been taken as slaves.

When he returned, he would have no way to explain himself to the Corps Commander.

Whenever he thought about the distribution of spoils and slaves after spring arrived, he grew incredibly irritated. His Battle Group was certain to receive the smallest share, and might even be punished.

Ragnar read his leader's expression and saw that he was in an exceptionally foul mood. His eyes shifted, and he lowered his voice. "Battle Group Commander, while scouting ahead just now, I happened to capture a Goldflower farmer who had fled from Fran City. I pried some information out of him..."

"What information?" Thorsten asked casually, showing little interest.

"He said that the day after tomorrow is when those newly appointed Northern Border Pioneer Lords of the Goldflower Kingdom will all leave Fran City together! You know, those useless fools shoved forward by the noble lords. What fighting ability could they possibly have? Most of the soldiers they brought are just there to make up the numbers. Shouldn't we... wait here for two more days?"

A hint of greed and cunning appeared on Ragnar's face. "Once they leave the city and travel some distance, we can suddenly strike and rob them blind! Grain, supplies, and the noble youths themselves would all make valuable ransoms! We might even capture plenty of new slaves! That would make up for the shortfall from this raid, and we might even make a huge profit!"

The gloom in Thorsten's eyes suddenly vanished, replaced by a sharp gleam!

That was right! How had he not thought of it? Robbing those pampered, inexperienced Northern Border Pioneer Lords would be far easier than attacking a fortified city! They were simply a flock of walking fat sheep!

Great risks often came with great rewards.

Although staying for two days would increase the risk of exposure, compared with the possible gains, it was completely worth the gamble!

The gloom on his face was swept away, replaced by the vicious excitement of a hungry wolf discovering its prey.

"Excellent idea, Ragnar!" Thorsten forcefully slapped the scout on the shoulder. "Pass on my orders! The entire army will leave the main road immediately and enter the Black Forest to the west! Advance toward Fran City! Send out every cavalry scout and keep a close watch on the movements around Fran City! Without my orders, no one is to light a fire or make a loud noise!"

"Yes, Battle Group Commander!" Ragnar accepted the order excitedly and departed.

Before long, the Sauron army, which had originally been lifeless and dispirited, seemed to have been injected with a stimulant. It swiftly and silently changed direction, slipping like ghosts into the dense, gloomy Black Forest west of the road and setting out toward Fran City.

The barbarian soldiers sharpened their weapons, bloodlust and greed once again blazing in their eyes.

They were like a pack of hungry wolves lurking in the darkness, honing their claws and waiting patiently and ravenously for those completely unsuspecting "fat sheep" to leave the safety of their den and step into the hunting ground they had carefully chosen.

Thorsten stood at the edge of the forest, gazing toward Fran City as a cruel sneer tugged at the corners of his mouth.

The young masters of Goldflower, you couldn't have come at a better time... I'll use your wealth and blood to make up for my losses!