Quickly, Durant's team set up camp at the foot of a mountain close to a water source.

After confirming there was no danger nearby, Durant led six squads of soldiers to settle down, start a fire, and cook food.

Most of these squads were new recruits, with only twenty veteran soldiers serving as elites, occasionally guiding these inexperienced young men.

The war with the Bailu Clan had heavily cost Count Hawk, leaving him with few seasoned veterans under his command.

He needed to recruit more new soldiers swiftly, rebuilding the military strength.

And for Count Hawk, the Lord of Black Pine Ridge was an excellent target for martial training.

Due to the abundance of new recruits under him, Knight Durant was exceptionally cautious.

He dispatched two patrol squads of five men each, and also arranged four sentries to guard the surroundings.

Actually, Durant was not worried about a team ambushing them; he was more concerned about attacks from beasts.

As night fell, by the campfire, Durant casually tossed the bone he had finished chewing into the fire.

Then he wiped his greasy mouth and took a long, comfortable breath.

Meat is human food; those hard and dry bread are only fit for dogs.

Next to him, Oren put down his food, filled with thoughts, and asked in a low voice, "My lord, the Count's orders were only to plunder, so what should we rob? It seems our group can't capture the town."

"Can't capture the town? You overestimate that Baron."

Durant snorted lightly, speaking with confidence:

"First find the town, then capture those exiting the city, learn about the situation inside the town, find their weaknesses, and then raid Frost Leaf Town."

If Luo De were a seasoned baron, perhaps he would be apprehensive.

But now, he is just a small newly minted baron in such a barren place as Black Pine Forest, what kind of military power could he have.

Even though most of his troops are new recruits, Durant still had confidence in taking that small town. If it weren't for training new recruits, he would certainly not bring these burdens along.

"Alright, don't overthink it, I've already arranged everything,"

Durant yawned, "Get some rest soon, understand we need to be on the move early, find that cursed town quickly."

"Yes, my lord."

Oren nodded and bowed, then patrolled among the soldiers, reminding the sentries to stay alert and keep changing shifts.

After finding no anomalies, he returned to his own campfire, lay on the hay, and closed his eyes.

Late at night, snoring began to rise.

The moonlight cast dense shadows across the forest.

No one noticed a graceful figure quietly weaving through the nearby woods, circling the campgrounds.

Then, it quietly moved away again.

...

...

A moment later, a graceful figure quietly appeared in the woods far from the camp.

It was Hunter Alya from the hunting team.

And ahead of her, Luo De's team was already silently crouching in the shadows of the woods, patiently waiting without a sound.

Alya knelt on one knee, reporting to Luo De in a low voice, "Lord, they have four sentries, located in the southern woods, western grasslands, northern mountain ravine, and eastern hill.

Additionally, there are two patrol teams constantly circling the perimeter."

She unfolded the map in front of Luo De, pointing to the top left corner and said, "Their camp is just at the foot of this mountain, and there are four sentries by the campfire.

Judging by the number of campfires, I estimate about fifty to eighty people."

"Their leader is very clever,"

Alya's eyes flashed with sharp light, "He uses patrol teams to draw attention while placing sentries around.

If not for my naturally low presence and talent for concealment, I wouldn't dare approach easily and ascertain their arrangements."

Luo De nodded and asked, "How many wearing armor?"

"Not many, I roughly counted at most twenty-five people; I think they should be your main focus, the rest seem not very threatening."

Alya couldn't help but frown, "By one campfire, there are only two people sitting, I guess they should be knights like Lord Durant, they give me a very dangerous feeling."

"Such a team surely has a knight leading."

Luo De was not surprised, and asked again, "How many warhorses are there?"

"Five," Alya answered without hesitation, "all in the center of the camp, guarded."

Luo De pondered for a moment, then instructed those beside him, "Rein, quietly go with the hunting team and Alya to take out those sentries."

His voice was deep as he advised, "If you accidentally alert the patrol team, don't hide anymore, finish it quickly."

Luo De was very confident in the prowess of the hunting team.

These people had long roamed the forest; though they might not excel at storming castles, they're definitely adept at hunting enemies as if they were beasts in the wild.

But Luo De also does not underestimate any opponent, hence he devised a contingency plan.

He turned to Gang Le and Durant, speaking in a low voice, "If the other party is awakened, you must charge swiftly from both sides to scatter them, giving no time to react.

Especially keep an eye on those two by the campfire, don't allow them to cause us serious harm."

These soldiers were carefully selected, even new recruits were precious resources for the territory.

Losing even one would cause him heartache.

He continued to order, "Everyone else, face them head-on, don't let any enemies escape."

"Yes, Lord!" Gang Le and Durant replied in unison.

Luo De turned to Prophet Bai Shuang: "Tell your Wildmen, should the enemy become aware, I want you to throw all the long spears into those groups in the shortest time possible.

Don't worry about accuracy, just be quick; once all spears are thrown, pick up your axes and charge."

This time, Luo De was indeed making a significant investment.

——13 hunters in the hunting team, 5 guards, 5 veterans, 20 soldiers, 30 reserve new recruits, and 40 Wild Spear Throwers, totaling 113 people, nearly 80% of Black Pine Ridge's military strength.

The guards and soldiers were fully armed, and new recruits were also allocated leather armor, while 40 Wild Spear Throwers carried three long spears each.

He must completely eliminate these invaders in this place.

If the enemy advanced further, they would enter the agricultural area of Frost Leaf Town.

Luo De couldn't be sure if they would destroy the farmland, so he must not let the enemy cross this line of defense.

"Good, good, good."

Prophet Bai Shuang nodded repeatedly, translating Luo De's orders to Gray Stone, Giant Wood, and Tasa and other Wildman chiefs.

It's worth mentioning that the names of Gray Stone and Giant Wood are actually extremely lengthy, so Luo De simply referred to them directly as "Gray Stone" and "Giant Wood".

This was the Wildmen's second battle against the Imperial People.

Due to last time's battle with Gang Le leaving a psychological shadow, they felt somewhat fearful, even Prophet Bai Shuang's voice carried a slight tremble.

Luo De noticed their nervousness and explained, "Don't be afraid."

"Last time you used stone tools, but this time they're all iron tools. Your spears have ample power, and under the enemy's unprepared state, even armor is difficult to block. Also,"

Luo De's lips slightly curved, "Remember what I said?"

Prophet Bai Shuang answered quietly, "I remember, you said you would bestow us with power."

"Very well, now I will bestow you with power."

Luo De intrigued, muttered to himself in a low voice, nobody comprehended what he was saying.

In fact, even he didn't know what he said.

But all of this was unimportant.

Once he finished chanting the spell, Luo De told Prophet Bai Shuang, "Tell them to eat all the half-pound of meat they carry today.

From now on, they will receive the power bestowed by the Saint Master."

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