Medieval: Kingdom Come: Deliverance

In 1402, Jan Hus, the 33-year-old rector of Prague, preached at the Bethlehem Church. His sermon not only criticized the corruption of the Catholic Church but also implicitly expressed concern about social injustice, particularly the brutal oppression of peasants. At this time, Bohemian peasants were facing widespread bankruptcy due to war, natural disasters, taxes, and banditry. Those who had previously owned land were now destitute, forced into jobs as laborers for wealthy households or as cottagers, barely surviving by selling their labor. Some even fled to the wilderness, becoming bandits and further exacerbating the already deteriorating security situation.

Unfortunately, Jan Hus's appeals were ignored by the upper nobility. The nobles continued their hedonistic lifestyle, and social contradictions intensified.

Vasek and Mikhal from the village of Troski were among the bankrupt farmers of that era.

Fortunately, they met Peter, who gave them a silver coin, temporarily alleviating their survival crisis.

But a silver coin will eventually run out, and new taxes and exploitation will keep emerging one after another.

"The magistrate ordered that everyone pay a 'Grosshen bandit-suppression tax,' and our family of four had to pay four silver coins. But we had nothing left..."

Vasek and Mikhail looked on in despair.

Peter thought for a moment, then took out five Grosshins from his pocket and said, "I have a job offer now. Would you like to give it a try? It's just a bit dangerous."

"You're willing to offer us jobs? That's great! We just want to earn money to buy food for our families; we're not afraid of any danger."

The two answered eagerly, their eyes fixed on the silver coin in Peter's hand, their voices trembling.

Peter handed them five silver coins, saying, "Four silver coins are for your taxes, and one is your reward for your task."

"Thank you, sir. You must be an envoy sent by a merciful God. Praise be to Sir Peter. What work is needed? Please arrange it."

The two men clutched the silver coins tightly; only when people see hope in despair do they truly cherish the bright sunshine.

Peter asked, "How much do you know about the guard? How many people are there? What weapons do they use? Who is the commander?"

"I know, most of these guards are villagers from our village, and some are German mercenaries hired by the merchant guild. They have two rangers who are incredibly fast. Our villager guards prefer lances, while the German mercenaries prefer dual longswords. The commander is Executor Thelush. But his son, Swatia, has started appearing in the guard, seemingly to take over his father's position. Oh, and they also have crossbows, the kind you can hold and fire..."

The two of them took turns talking and shared all the information they knew.

"Very good. You'll be helping people herd sheep in Takhov Village now, which will make it easier for you to leave the village and won't attract attention. So I need you to keep an eye on the progress of tax collection in the village, as well as the assembly of the town hall guards. Report once when the taxes are collected and again when the guards begin to assemble."

This method of arranging spies is crude, but it is simple and effective in a time when there is little awareness of spying.

Vasek and Mikhal didn't ask why, nor did they care about leaking secrets. As long as their benefactor, Lord Peter, needed it, they were more than happy to reveal the movements of Trossky Village.

"Sir, I know Barbara, a waitress who works at the tavern. She's an expert at eavesdropping. The town hall and the tavern are next to each other, so nothing can be hidden from her. We can ask her for help."

Vasek began to consider the steps to take.

Barbara, the beggar woman who appeared when Henry and Hans were in shackles for two days, offered Henry help. She worked diligently, as a herbalist and a waitress, but was ultimately forced into begging. Yet, through her own efforts, she managed to open a bathhouse in Kutenberg, recruiting several bath girls and becoming its owner—a true legend.

"We can graze sheep at the border between Trossky and Takhov. Once we get news, one person will stay there to keep watch, and the other will run to report to you. But where should we find you?"

Mikhail asked with great enthusiasm.

"For the next few days, a herbalist on horseback will be waiting in the village of Zheleyov. Just tell him any news you have. I will reward you after it's done."

Peter made the arrangements and, incidentally, offered them a glimpse of the future.

"That's wonderful, you're such a kind person."

The two were overjoyed and couldn't wait to get started.

After watching the two leave, Peter spurred his horse and galloped back to the camp. Once back, he convened a meeting of the combat team and informed them of the Trotsky Executives' encirclement plan.

"Damn the executive officer, Gules is the most arrogant in our Five Fingers Alliance. Kasper is closest to him, yet he's using me, who's furthest from him, as a scapegoat. Does he think I'm a coward? We'll have to see if he's capable of this."

John the Big Mouth was furious.

Peter said, "The executive officer's guard consists of 20 men, including 2 scout cavalrymen, 3 sergeants, and 15 guards, all equipped with triple armor and well-equipped. If Thelush and his son also go into battle, that will be another two cavalrymen. More importantly, they have powerful crossbows."

The crossbow was a deadly weapon in the Middle Ages. Its swift penetrating power meant that even a champion warrior in full plate armor could be killed by a crossbowman who had only trained for three months.

A silence fell over the crowd. The main reason these bandits couldn't directly confront the official forces was the vast technological gap in weaponry. Heavy armored soldiers could easily kill three lightly armored bandits. Troops with crossbows could easily overwhelm several times their number of ragtag individuals. This was no joke.

"How did you deal with encirclement and suppression operations in the past?"

Peter wanted to get some inspiration from these old bandits.

John the Big Mouth said, "Run, create distance. The forest is so big, and they only have about 20 people; they can't surround us. If they chase, we'll run. Once they get tired in the forest, it'll be our turn to chase, and they'll escape."

This does indeed align with the essence of guerrilla warfare.

Robert, with his white hair, said, "We can also poison them beforehand. Our Charlie Gang used this tactic before, cooking a pot of poisonous mushroom soup in advance and smearing poison on bread and apples. These guards are all greedy guys; they don't care about food. After they fall, we come back to clean up the mess. Last year, we made a name for ourselves with this battle and secured a place in the Five Fingers Alliance."

It's a little underhanded, but it embodies the essence of the art of war.

"Haven't you considered joining forces to counter their encirclement and suppression?"

"How could we not have thought of that? We even formed the Five Fingers Alliance for this purpose, agreeing that if one side is in trouble, the other four will provide support."

"Is it effective?"

"It's not very effective. It's like a flock of sheep trying to scare away wolves. They look like a large group, but they're all just trying to shield each other from being bitten. Gules hides in the mountains and rules his territory, Kasper is cunning and cruel, and Ulcer is cruel and cunning. They're all unreliable."

John the Big Mouth complained incessantly.

"Alright, incomplete unity is utter disunity. Relying on others is not as good as relying on ourselves. We can only defeat the invading enemy with our own strength. Jerry, starting tomorrow, you ride my horse, take some potions, and set up a stall in Zheleyov village. I've placed spies in Trossky village; they will come to you to report the guard's deployment. Even if the news doesn't get out, your location is on the only way to the crossroads, so you can quickly report back on horseback."

"Yes, gathering information has always been one of my specialties."

Jerry stepped forward to accept the mission.

"Don't go near Troski village. They're mobilizing there and will be very wary of strangers. It's better to go through an extra step than to leave yourself with no room to maneuver."

"I see."

Jerry bowed in agreement.

Peter then addressed the others, "According to preliminary estimates, the guard will need another five days to deploy. We can't just wait idly; we must use this opportunity to train and strengthen ourselves. We'll set off tomorrow to practice on our index finger ulcers. First, report your findings from today's investigation."

Tom, as the deputy leader, spoke first, saying, "We followed and found their camp, in the same old place, between Semi village and Nebakov in the valley."

"Would it be convenient to launch a surprise attack?"

Peter asked.

Tom shook his head and said, "It won't be easy. The banks of the valley are slippery and steep, making it impossible to descend. We can only wade along the river for a while before reaching the bank. There are some traps they've laid there. Once we trigger them, we'll have no choice but to launch a full-scale attack."

"Only rats like Ulcer and its gang would like to live in such dark and damp places."

John the Big Mouth despised the ulcer on his index finger, but the terrain was indeed easy to defend and difficult to attack.

"Then we'll lie in ambush at the entrance of the hole and wait for the rats to come out."

Peter stopped trying to handle everything alone and instead chose to work as a team. Since it was a training exercise, the goal was naturally to let the team members develop friendships and hone their teamwork skills through combat.