The World Dragon's Heir
Chapter 175: Vague Loyalties

Chapter 175: Vague Loyalties

Three days after the last ambush, Dominic and Princess Alexis were ready to head out again.

The locals had quietly collected the goods from the military convoy and disposed of the bodies. As far as Dominic could tell, they were more likely to be loyal to the bandits feeding them than to the Lords who claimed dominion over the region.

At least until the army showed up.

That was what the Natural Sons would be preventing today. The last convoy going missing had stirred up trouble within the camp, with many reports of random punishments and increased training. From the viewpoint of the scouts and locals, it appeared that the camp overseers believed the entire unit had deserted.

"Your Highness, we have confirmed, there were survivors from the attack, over twenty of them." Commander Dax reported.

Princess Alexis gave him a sly smirk. "Yet, the word never got back to the training camp that they were ambushed? Perhaps they aren’t wrong to say that the unit deserted. Just not as many of them as they had thought."

Then her face returned to her serious scowl, used only when doing strategic planning.

"As before, we will set up camp and pretend to be travelling nobles, but this time with a trio of guards. That should make it more believable. But this time we will attack in broad daylight, so don’t expect to be able to keep up the element of surprise as easily.

This is our target camping spot, just on the edge of a stand of trees, but fifty metres out, so it doesn’t immediately look like we’re trying to lure them in. I want fifty mortar men south of the road, hidden in the fields and hedges.

The remainder of the strike team will be behind us.

Once the attack starts, it is your judgment call whether to charge out, start with rifle fire, or continue to use the mortar launchers.

Advisor Dominic has made quite a few of them, and most of you now have one in your possession. So, don’t be stingy with the artillery. Daytime attacks should allow you to reload safely as well.

This unit is larger than the last one, and they’re not headed along the village route. They’re headed toward Cygnia.

They can’t be allowed to pass." She reminded the unit.

"Understood." They responded in unison.

Dominic and Alexis rode with their guards for the mission, who hid their mechanical horses in a crumbling barn next to an abandoned farmhouse a hundred metres from where they were setting camp.

That was close enough for a rapid retreat, but far enough that they wouldn’t be noticed by the approaching military unit.

Dominic started a small cook fire and began roasting some of the cured pork they had claimed from the soldiers’ rations. If that didn’t get the attention of the military unit, nothing would.

They had looted the villagers dry, none of them would be expected to have meat of any sort.

"You there! Who are you, and why haven’t you reported for military service?" The leader of the approaching military unit demanded.

"I am Earl Nick of Totbu. What level of entitlement are you peasants on, to assume that a titled and landed Noble was subject to the draft?" Dominic demanded.

The unit commander spluttered for a moment.

"My father was Baron Orland of Venezia, a war martyr at the siege of Burton." He stammered.

"So, an untitled younger son, not a Commoner? You should know better than to speak that way to your betters." Dominic retorted.

Behind him, Dominic heard the guards chuckle. If this man didn’t challenge him to a duel, he was definitely going to try to kill the Advisor without the formalities of a duel.

The rasp of steel on leather marked the moment that the Commander drew his blade, and then a single crack of a pistol signalled the moment of his death.

The Commander toppled from his horse, and Dominic turned to the officer next to him.

"It seems that I have happened upon an entire unit of Commoner revolutionists." He gasped with overly dramatic hand gestures, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

{The Advisor enjoys killing Dagos soldiers a little too much.} The Rifleman on his left whispered.

{There is history between him and Dagos.} Princess Alexis agreed, while the other Commanders struggled to come to terms with the fact that their leader had just been shot dead half a day from the training camp, and by one of their own Nobles.

"Capture them! The General will know what to do with them." One of the officers shouted.

From out of the nearby bushes and long grass, a hundred riflemen rose up, mortar launchers on their shoulders, and began to bombard the convoy.

Then, from behind them, four hundred more cavalry rushed past, firing into the survivors, while the front rank switched to their rifles.

"You traitorous bastard!" The surviving Command officer realized, a full ten seconds too late.

"Goodbye." Dominic agreed, as he ended the man with a single shot.

He was getting better at that. The pistol was proving easier than expected to learn.

Carefully, the Riflemen who had dismounted for the ambush approached, and began to search the bodies before dragging them off the road.

"Not a single storage cube to be found. Is there one among the officers?" Commander Dax asked.

Dominic checked the bodies, and tossed the two that were on the convoy’s leader to Dax.

"Load them up. All the supplies we can get, then weapons if there is space." Princess Alexis directed.

Rapid hooves clicking on the road in the distance caught the attention of the scouts, and a shrill whistle went up.

"Everyone regroup, get away from the road, don’t be spotted as you return to the ambush position. The attack has been noticed, but we’re still going to take out the second group.

Ambush team, retreat a hundred metres north and prepare to engage the second wave. Reload in advance." Dominic ordered.

Everyone shifted into position, and Dominic ran to the trucks, kicking them into gear and letting them drive over the evidence of the battle as they trundled down the road at an idle. That would confuse the enemy as to the location of the attack.