Chapter 8

The Sand Hyena bandits, due to occupying that salt well, continued to survive tenaciously despite their very poor reputation.

This time, apart from the frontier army, a batch of mercenaries had been secretly gathered from the inland to monitor the Sand Hyena bandits.

A cavalry squadron of the frontier army, consisting of over forty cavalrymen, was not a force to be reckoned with, even though not every cavalryman had a mount. However, with enough mounts, they would form a formidable force.

Therefore, when the frontier army saw the more than forty sturdy mounts not far from their camp, they all showed a look of surprise.

"When were these mounts transported here? Why didn't we hear anything?" One of the frontier army soldiers rubbed his eyes, looking at the tall mounts in astonishment.

A more astute frontier army soldier beside him tugged at the other's sleeve, pointing towards Ma Wei, his eyes clearly indicating something.

The other immediately understood, looking at Ma Wei with a mix of awe and admiration.

"Alright, brats, get on the mounts quickly, we still have a mission!" Da Heizi's thunderous voice suddenly broke the brief silence.

The squadron leader, seeing Da Heizi overstep his bounds, his eyes flickered. Then, without showing any emotion, he glanced at Ma Wei, who still had a smile on his face, and his expression became even more gloomy.

Gripping his beard tightly, the squadron leader knew that this time Ma Wei was preparing to seize power. Even if he couldn't openly get rid of him, he would definitely marginalize him.

From the moment Ma Wei appeared, the squadron leader had sensed something was off.

Later, through various channels, the squadron leader learned a bit about the situation.

Rumors had it that a substance called crystal salt had appeared in the Sand Hyena bandits' salt well. The squadron leader didn't know what crystal salt was or why it was so valuable.

But one thing he could be sure of was that the other side didn't want him to continue as squadron leader. If the crystal salt was as precious as rumored, they would definitely want to occupy that salt well.

But to occupy that salt well on the border, they had to go through the frontier army. Because the frontier army was a hardworking military unit, the empire had once issued a decree that any valuable minerals or resources discovered within the patrol range of the frontier army would be managed by the frontier army.

The squadron leader was the highest-ranking officer in the frontier army, so if the Sand Hyena bandits really had a salt well with crystal salt, he would likely gain significant benefits from it.

But before the squadron leader could be happy, Ma Wei started his power grab.

..........................

"Let's go, my brave warriors!" Ma Wei, riding a mount, raised his elegant whip, and the sharp crack of the whip echoed as the more than forty sturdy mounts galloped together.

Rik, Lek, and Monkeyface, along with the girl Sarah sitting in Ma Wei's arms, were the only four who participated in this operation to eliminate the Sand Hyena bandits. The rest of the reserves were locked in a small black room, taken care of by Old Aiger.

Although Rik had practiced riding mounts a few times before, the real galloping of the mounts still made it difficult for him to control them.

After just a few kilometers, Rik felt a burning sensation on the inside of his thighs, and his arms became heavy due to the stiffness of his movements.

Ma Wei, who looked very experienced in riding, came to Rik and the clumsy Lek with ease and enthusiasm, guiding them on their mistakes and shortcomings.

Even though Rik knew that this guy was definitely a bad person, he still felt very useful being guided so carefully.

Compared to Rik and Lek, Monkeyface was more pitiful.

Perhaps because he had been exposed to that blue fine sand too much, his face was now a purplish color, and he no longer had his usual arrogance, appearing very silent.

Rik knew that that blue fine sand was definitely very dangerous. Just touching it almost made him faint on the spot, let alone Monkeyface, who was dragged around by Ma Wei every day.

Moreover, every morning when Rik woke up, he felt an increasingly severe dizziness and nausea, unsure if it was a side effect of touching that blue fine sand.

Ma Wei suddenly raised his whip, signaling the group to stop. Even if he hadn't signaled, everyone had already started to slow down.

Not far ahead, a complete camp had appeared, with a large number of armored and sword-wielding mercenaries waiting there.

Seeing the number of mercenaries, everyone looked at each other in surprise.

The camp was well-organized, and the number of mercenaries was at least two hundred. Unlike the low-level mercenaries they usually saw, these mercenaries were in high spirits, their clothes clean, and they exuded a sharp and intimidating aura.

Even Rik, a novice, could tell something was off.

If it was just to eliminate the Sand Hyena bandits, fifty mercenaries and forty frontier army cavalrymen would have been more than enough.

After all, the Sand Hyena bandits only had thirty cavalrymen and forty ordinary bandits, a total of about seventy undisciplined bandits, yet over two hundred fierce and disciplined mercenaries had been sent?

No one was stupid. After so many years in the frontier army, who didn't have a bit of discernment?

The uneasy atmosphere made everyone instinctively move closer to the squadron leader.

Ma Wei's smile didn't fade, but his voice had a tone that couldn't be refused: "Brothers, don't panic. These mercenaries are all mine. When you charge, these mercenaries will definitely guard all the gaps and provide a safe rear for you..." Ma Wei's gentle smile now looked a bit sinister, and he didn't give anyone a chance to think as the mercenaries surrounded them menacingly.

The squadron leader, seeing Da Heizi trying to move closer to Ma Wei, was stopped by one of the mercenaries with a weapon.

Da Heizi's look of triumph immediately turned to fear: "Sir! I'm on your side, I'm on your side!!" Da Heizi tried in vain to grab Ma Wei's leg but was pushed back by a cold stare.

His facial muscles slowly relaxed, and the kind and friendly smile on Ma Wei's face was gradually replaced by coldness: "On my side? Which side is my side? Tell me!"

Da Heizi was desperate. He understood, completely understood. This damn Ma Wei never intended to give the frontier army a way out. He wanted to kill everyone and then fill the vacancies with his own people, so that the salt well with the crystal salt would become Ma Wei's private property.

Of course, there might be someone above Ma Wei, but at this moment, Da Heizi couldn't think about that.

At this moment, the squadron leader's stiff and rigid voice suddenly rang out: "Charge, eliminate the Sand Hyena bandits!!"