"Little Lin Ke, what's going on?"
In the ox cart, Lin Ke's mother poked her head out, looking at him curiously yet with some concern.
"Mother, there might be enemies, like some thieves or bandits." Lin Ke said solemnly.
"Ah!"
Lin Ke's mother exclaimed, rushing forward to hug Lin Ke as if afraid arrows might fly out from the woods.
Then she nervously looked around, anxiously saying, "Where, where."
Her small hands still patting Lin Ke's back to comfort him.
Lin Ke felt a wave of warmth in his heart and said, "They haven't shown up yet, it's dangerous outside, mother, you should go inside." He also wasn't sure who the enemy might be.
"What about you! No, you come inside with me." While speaking, she prepared to pick Lin Ke up and retreat back into the cart.
She didn't ask how Lin Ke could sense the enemy, but she was used to trusting her son.
However, in such situations, her first thought was always to find a place to hide.
"Mother, I'm not going, I'll be in the rear commanding the guard team in battle."
Lin Ke gently reassured, "Don't forget, I am the future Viscount Azanen, with the blood of warriors flowing through my veins, Azanen's glory needs me to inherit it."
Upon hearing this, Lin Ke's mother disregarded it, determined to take him back into the cart.
She didn't care about glory or not; her son's life was the most important!
Lin Ke helplessly said, "Mother, trust me, if you keep doing this, we'll both die!"
We'll both die!
Lin Ke's mother was frightened upon hearing this.
"So, mother, now let me down and let me command the guards." Lin Ke extended his milky white small hand and patted his mother's hand.
Actually, he didn't know if they would die or who the enemy was.
But they had to take it seriously, otherwise, underestimating any enemy could really be fatal.
Lin Ke's mother slowly put him down: "Just make sure to be safe!" she said, her eyes full of worry and unease.
Lin Ke nodded, pushed her, and finally got her inside.
"Young... Young Master, did you say there are enemies?"
At this time, John, standing by the guards, asked with a trembling voice.
More than three hundred guards were lined up next to him, all focusing their attention on Lin Ke.
Enemies!
There are enemies! And they are the guards!
Scanning these guards' expressions, Lin Ke inwardly sighed.
Calling them guards was a stretch; they were just farmers lacking bravery and martial spirit.
"Of course, it's true!"
Lin Ke's little face turned stern.
Before anyone could comment, he leaped off the ox cart and approached a guard.
"Clang!!!"
Lin Ke instantly drew the guard's somewhat rusty iron sword.
"If anyone tries to flee during the battle, I will execute them now!"
The sword was a bit heavy, needing both hands for a steady grip. When Lin Ke raised it single-handedly, it wobbled a bit, but he could still swing it.
Yet this didn't prevent Lin Ke from speaking resolutely.
The guards were startled by Lin Ke's words, and attendants in the ox carts seemed to have heard the news of enemy invasion, starting to whisper inside.
Seeing the guards' varied expressions, Lin Ke's expression softened:
"Don't worry, those enemies are just thieves and robbers, they can't defeat you! You are guards of the Azanen Clan!"
Azanen!
This surname seemed to carry magic, making the guard team abruptly quiet.
This was an era where information spread poorly.
In Azanen's territory, nearly everyone took pride in living under Azanen's rule, especially the Viscount Azanen, who was an undefeatable viscount!
And leading them was the exceptionally wise eldest son of the Viscount, Young Master Lin Ke, known for his extraordinary abilities since childhood.
In this world, some people are born extraordinary, often due to their wondrous bloodline...
Their Young Master Lin Ke was such a person!
The golden child blessed by Azanen's glory!
Unlike the last world, where precocious ones might be mistakenly thought to be possessed and beaten to death.
"Yes! We have Azanen's glory with us!"
"The ancestors of Azanen will protect us!"
"We still have the clever eldest master! He is Azanen's future!"
Speaking disorderedly during training was taboo, but Lin Ke didn't stop them, waiting for a while before speaking again:
"Also, if anyone performs well later, I will reward them with fifty copper coins!"
One copper coin could buy a one-meter long rye bread, enough for an adult slave to eat for a day.
Fifty copper coins equal five silver coins, equal to half a gold coin!
The monetary system here was both simple and chaotic, with an exchange rate of ten to one.
One gold coin equals ten silver coins, equals one hundred copper coins.
So, after announcing the reward, the guards' breaths noticeably became heavier.
First, there was the threat of "execution for fleeing," then the hope of "promising victory," and finally the temptation of "generous rewards."
Such tactics Lin Ke had mastered in his previous life, many others probably played it even better.
Unfortunately, there weren't many onlookers, nor did many understand his tactics.
Perhaps only a few at Azaenn Castle, aside from the lady and Butler Billy, understood.
After all, with no nine-year compulsory education here, most only managed to scrape by, lacking exposure to so much information and high comprehensive quality.
What a pity, there was no one to appreciate it.
"Alright, each team leader patrol from the front to the end of the convoy… make sure to watch the forest closely! The enemy will surely come from the forest, do not ignore any sign or movement!"
"Our mission is to ensure everyone's safety… if necessary, abandon the belongings! Your lives are the most valuable!"
Lin Ke tried his best to shout with his underdeveloped vocal cords, luckily the guards were gathered together and could hear his voice.
"Yes!" "Yes!" "Yes!"…
Though their responses weren't in unison, lacking the uniform momentum.
But these shouts somewhat calmed the servants on the carts who'd never seen such scenes before.
Of course, the most critical was Lin Ke's line "Life is the most precious," which stirred a deep sense of emotion among the servants.
Moreover, Lin Ke seemed not finished.
"For… Azanen's glory!"
Suddenly, Lin Ke, as if inspired, raised his sword above his head and shouted.
Below the cart, before the guards reacted, John also raised his fist high: "For Azanen's glory!"
The guards caught on this time, promptly drawing their swords and shouting loudly.
"For Azanen's glory!"
"For Azanen's glory!"
"For Azanen's glory!"
…
The shouts grew louder, and the guards vented their fear through this shouting, which instead boosted their morale significantly.
Even some of the servants in the carts stuck their heads out and yelled a couple of times.
Visual and auditory stimuli typically have a stronger effect on people than olfactory ones.
Plus, being part of a group often diminishes the fear that individuals feel when alone.
Lin Ke slightly nodded.
The morale was usable!
As for Lin Ke's mother…
At this moment, watching Lin Ke's back, listening to the guards' not fully mature shouting, Lin Ke's mother felt a moment of trance.
So familiar, really so...
Then she withdrew her head, secretly wiped the crystal at the corner of her eyes, as if wiping away the bitterness of longing.
Lin Ke didn't know what his mother was doing behind him, but he was also one of the lookout, closely watching the forest at all times.
"In the future, I must train some scouts." Lin Ke looked at the dense forest ahead, making up his mind internally.
However, in a world of professionals, perhaps there are professions more suitable for reconnaissance than scouts.
Ten minutes passed, Lin Ke still thinking about the necessary forces in battles or wars.
Such as scouts, priests, tanks, warriors, assassins, archers…
However, in the midst of his deep contemplation, a sudden change occurred.
"Look there! Look there!"
A cry of alarm suddenly came from behind.
Lin Ke was instantly alert, quickly scanning the thick forest ahead.
Lin Ke looked in the direction the guards were pointing.
Is that…
An enemy?!
"""