Our family is in decline

"I don't think those people were bandits~" Barristan frowned, as if recalling what happened at that time, "I think they might be the army."

"Hey! How is this possible?"

Disma looked surprised, but Lance nodded in agreement.

"I think so too."

"It's impossible for the army to show up here and attack civilians~"

Even Leonard thought this was a bit problematic until Lance took out two things.

"Look at this."

A crossbow, and the other was the long-barreled flintlock in David's hand.

Disma knew a little about these, and after taking over and looking carefully, he understood something.

"These are the standard weapons of the Imperial Army, but the markings have been worn away."

"These things should have been captured by David after he killed the bandits, so that means those people were actually the army. But why did the army mix with the bandits?"

"deserter."

Barristan spoke a word that made everything make sense at once.

Although the soldiers in this world are also professionals, their treatment is definitely not good, not even as good as the treatment Lance gave to the new recruits.

But it is too difficult to survive in this world, and many people join in just for a bite to eat, but the treatment of these soldiers is not even as good as that given by Lance.

Even the little money may not be in his hands. It is very common to be in arrears, and he will also be exploited and beaten by the officers.

This kind of army can fight with a favorable wind, but it will be easily defeated once it encounters a headwind. Once they become deserters, they will either be wanted by the authorities, or even if they all die in battle, they will be directly deprived of their status, and their pensions will be eaten up.

Drinking the blood of soldiers is a routine practice for the upper class. It has not changed even in modern times, let alone in such an ignorant era.

Therefore, these deserters whose identities have been deprived can only become bandits and cause trouble until a certain point attracts the attention of the people above. Of course, it is more likely to harm the interests of those people, and then regular troops will be sent to exterminate them.

The use of the military may have spawned new deserters.

This is an infinite cycle, but these things happen in remote areas, and those living in big cities will not notice them at all.

People at the top won't notice these - ants.

But it is obvious that the ants of the empire are now ferocious wolves in front of this town. They just bit off a large piece of flesh and blood not long ago. It is impossible for Hamlet to withstand another robbery.

After a moment of silence, Lance finally spoke.

"An unknown number of troops with muskets and artillery are entrenched and may attack the town at any time. If this is the case, I don't think a few of us plus the untrained militiamen can do anything. A shell comes over No one can bear it."

When this judgment was made, everyone felt a pressure.

What I am talking about directly is a very real issue. Although they have experienced hundreds of battles, they are all elites among ordinary people individually.

However, the battles they encountered before were either run-down mercenaries who were wasted by alcohol and sex, or ordinary people who were just ordinary people who had not encountered any strong bones at all, so they seemed to be devastated.

But it's hard to say how to deal with a large-scale attack by an army with guns and cannons. Barristan's previous fate has shown that the power of an individual is really limited.

Disma, who originally wanted to fight cultists with great ambition, also fell into depression. He knew that what Lance said was very realistic.

"Hahaha~"

But in this solemn atmosphere, Lance suddenly laughed, which made them feel strange.

Why is the lord laughing?

Feeling their questioning looks, Lance explained calmly.

"You actually overlooked a very important factor, that is, they are deserters and not a real army.

In other words, they could not get logistical supplies after the last attack on Hamlet, but the consumption was real. How much ammunition can some deserters carry? "

Lance's words opened up their thinking. If they don't have artillery, they only need to hold their position. No matter how strong the bandits are, it will be difficult to break in.

"So now we are mainly training our troops and starting to prepare with the bandits as the target. When they come again, we will give these guys some color to see. I, Lance, am not the trash like the mayor!"

After setting the tone, Lance started giving them tasks.

As a veteran, Barristan was familiar with military drills, so basic training and formation were left to him.

Leonard has outstanding swordsmanship and is responsible for teaching the new recruits close combat.

Disma had been waiting for Lance to give him a task, but the lord's arrangements were all focused on them, and everything was arranged down to the smallest detail.

And he didn't even have a simple task like patrolling. It was like he was separated from the team. Disma couldn't help but fall into some kind of self-blame.

Was it because of his cowardice in facing corruption and his failure to control his lower body and find prostitutes that made the lord dissatisfied...

This tangled emotion has not been alleviated as time goes by, on the contrary, it has become more intense.

"Disma I have a mission for you."

It's finally my turn!

Disma felt that the lord had pulled him up from hell with one hand, and his whole body was filled with energy. He urgently needed to prove himself to the lord with action.

"Sir, just tell me, I will do whatever you ask me to do."

Lance was a little surprised to see him excited, but he didn't pay much attention and immediately started describing the tactical arrangements.

"Training troops requires time and a lot of resources, and what we lack most now is time. No one knows when those bandits will attack.

At the same time, we know too little about the bandits, do not know their equipment, and do not know the specific number of people. If we want to change this situation, we must understand the bandits' strongholds and whereabouts, as well as the wilderness terrain. "

As he spoke, Lance put on a serious expression.

"This information will be of great help to us in exterminating the bandits, but in order to carry out this operation we must have someone go deep into the vicinity of the old road to investigate the situation. This is a very difficult task. I hope Disma will complete it."

"Leave it to me and I will ensure that the task is completed." Disma agreed directly and did not resent the lord for entrusting this dangerous task to him.

On the contrary, he believed that this was because the lord trusted his ability and gave him a chance to prove himself. He had been waiting for this.

That shame will be washed away with blood.

Lance didn't expect so much, simply because Disma was more familiar with bandits and the wilderness, and he still wanted to use Veteran and Leonard for training.