Lord: My Shop Connects to Modern Times

The wind was strong at Dark Crow Pass.

Lynn stood on the high ground to the right, squinting as he looked north. The early autumn wind swept through the pass, making his clothes flutter.

The sky was overcast and the clouds hung low.

"My lord," Leon approached, holding a simple defense map, "all positions have been arranged."

Lynn took the drawing and examined it carefully.

The map clearly shows that three artillery pieces were deployed on each of the two high grounds, camouflaged with tree branches and turf.

The musketeers were divided into two groups of sixty men each, and they were hidden in the trenches at the edge of the high ground.

The mine-laying team consists of twenty men, carrying incendiary and smoke bombs, ready to provide support at any time.

At the bottom of the pass, within a range of two hundred paces from north to south, the words "landmine" were densely marked.

"Is it all buried?"

"They're all buried." Leon pointed to the markings on the map, recalling the names of the weapons Lynn had mentioned: "Trigger mines are mainly buried in the middle of the road, tripwire mines are on both sides of the road. Directional fragmentation mines are facing the road, specifically for officers."

Lynn nodded and looked up at the northern horizon.

There was nothing there.

But his heart was racing.

According to the intelligence brought back by Lia, the Southern Alliance will arrive by the end of the month at the latest.

He and Lehman had been corresponding for the past two days. If Lehman's information was accurate, and if Roland's guess was correct, Karl's men would be coming with a large force from the north—the direction of Frostfire City, the only way through Dark Raven Pass.

He will come.

He will definitely come.

Lynn turned to look behind the hill. There were several makeshift tents where the musketeers were resting. Some were cleaning their guns, some were talking in hushed tones, and a few young men were dozing against the rocks.

They were all veterans of Grayrock Town.

I've fought Gavin, I've fought monsters, I've seen blood.

But this time is different.

This time, we're facing nearly ten thousand men—the entire Southern Alliance!

"Leon," Lynn suddenly spoke.

"exist."

Do you think... we can win?

Leon remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he said, "Sir, you taught me a saying—'Do your best and leave the rest to fate.'"

He paused.

"We've done everything we could. The rest is up to God."

Lynn glanced at him, raised an eyebrow, and smiled.

"I don't recall ever specifically telling you this. When did you learn to say things like that?"

Leon didn't laugh, but said seriously, "I learned it from adults."

Lynn patted him on the shoulder and didn't say anything more.

……

Dust billowed on the northern horizon.

Karl sat on his horse, squinting as he looked ahead.

Behind them was a long and winding procession that stretched for a full three miles.

Leading the way were his two thousand men—the elite of Frostfire, veterans who had fought alongside him in many battles. Behind them followed the other lords' forces: Willard's five hundred, Patrick's two hundred, Raymond's one hundred and fifty, and a dozen or so minor lords' several hundred men scattered together.

total……

He glanced back and made a rough estimate.

It's probably a little over six thousand.

Including those teams that took other routes, a total of more than 8,000 people were gathered this time.

More than 8,000 people attacked a viscount's territory.

A complex mix of emotions welled up in Karl's heart.

Logically, he should be happy. With so many people, even if Lynn is that wicked kid, they should have been crushed into mincemeat.

But he couldn't be happy.

Because he knew that among these 8,000 people, very few actually took this operation seriously.

Willard complained the whole way about the bad roads, the cold weather, and why he had to come. Patrick spent all day drinking with a few minor lords, saying things like "relax before battle." Raymond was quiet, but that was because he had the fewest men with him and dared not make a sound.

If a fight really breaks out, can we count on these people?

Carl shook his head.

Forget it.

His mission was simply to lead the troops to their destination. As for fighting...

He thought of the two failures, of the fire-breathing iron pipes, and of the exploding iron cans.

This time, he needs to be careful.

"My lord," the adjutant beside him urged his horse closer, "Dark Raven Pass is just ahead."

Karl looked up.

In the distance, a low mountain range stretched out in front. There was a gap in the middle of the mountain range, which the locals called Dark Crow Pass.

After passing the pass, walk another twenty li to reach Tieshibao.

"Send someone ahead to scout ahead," Carl said.

"Yes."

A troop of cavalry broke away from the main force and headed towards the pass.

Karl stopped his horse, signaling the group to halt.

After waiting for about half an hour, the scout cavalry returned.

"Sir, there's no one in the pass," the leading cavalryman reported. "We've walked all the way to the southern exit of the pass and haven't found any enemy troops."

Carl frowned.

Nobody here?

Doesn't that kid Lynn know they're coming from the north?

impossible.

That guy's intelligence is always very accurate, and Karl still vividly remembers the losses he suffered at the hands of that guy before.

"Have you checked it carefully?"

"We've checked. We've climbed up both sides of the hillside to check, but there's nothing there."

Karl was silent for a few seconds.

Then he waved.

"keep going."

……

Lynn lay on the high ground, watching the black dot in the distance slowly grow larger.

The scout cavalry has already returned.

Now, the enemy's main force has begun to move.

The massive procession was slowly moving toward the pass, like a giant, gray-black python.

He estimated the distance.

Two miles.

One mile.

Five hundred steps.

The vanguard of the team began to enter the pass.

Lynn took a deep breath and lowered his voice to Leon beside him, saying, "Pass down the order: no one is to move without my permission."

Leon nodded and gestured behind him.

The orders were passed down one after another.

Lynn looked back at the pass.

The enemy vanguard had entered within two hundred paces. Leading the way were light infantrymen clad in leather armor, carrying spears and shields.

Behind them were officers on horseback, followed by the main force—infantry, archers, and several wagons carrying supplies.

Team 1. Team 2. Team 3.

More and more people are entering the pass.

Lynn's palms began to sweat.

He had mentally prepared himself countless times, telling himself, "This is just a war, no different from before."

But when you actually watch thousands of people walk into the trap you've set, the tension is still hard to suppress.

What if the landmine fails?

What if the cannon explodes?

What if the enemy charges up to the high ground?

Various thoughts raced through my mind.

But he didn't move.

He just kept his eyes glued to that team.

The enemy's vanguard has already advanced one hundred and fifty paces.

One hundred steps.

Eighty steps.

"My lord..." Leon's voice was a little tense.

Lynn raised his hand, signaling him to be quiet.

The enemy's vanguard has begun to enter the densest minefield.

The soldier at the front stepped across the ground, and nothing happened.

The second, the third, the fourth...

suddenly--

boom!!!

A loud bang.

Lynn saw a burst of fire erupt in that direction, with dirt and rubble shooting into the sky. Several soldiers were thrown into the air before crashing heavily to the ground.

Then, the second sound, the third sound—

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Landmines detonated one after another.

Firelight, smoke, and screams mingled together.

The soldiers had no idea what was happening. They only heard a deafening roar, and then people around them were thrown into the air, with severed limbs flying everywhere.

Some people stood frozen in place, some turned and ran, and some knelt on the ground, holding their heads and screaming.

The officers desperately shouted "Calm down!" and "Maintain formation!" but their voices were drowned out by the continuous explosions.

A mounted officer stepped on a tripwire mine, which exploded beneath his horse. The horse neighed and fell, throwing him several meters away until he landed motionless.

In another direction, a directional fragmentation mine was triggered, and hundreds of iron balls were launched in a fan shape, causing more than a dozen people to fall at the same time.

Blood, screams, panic.

The entire team felt like they'd been slapped hard by an invisible hand; the front end completely collapsed.

……

Carl's horse was startled.

He was thrown from his horse and fell to the ground, his shoulder throbbing with pain.

But he couldn't care less about any of that.

He stared wide-eyed at the pass ahead.

What's happening there?

explode?

Where did the explosion come from?

He saw his men fall one by one, saw flames erupt from the ground, and saw the soldiers fall in droves like harvested wheat.

There were no bows and arrows.

There is no magic.

There weren't even any enemies!

Only explosions.

Explosions again and again!

"Retreat!" he yelled hoarsely. "Retreat now!"

But his voice was drowned out by the chaos.

……

On the high ground, Lynn saw the enemy begin to retreat.

But he didn't relax.

"Order the artillery," he said in a deep voice. "Target: northern end of the pass. Cut off their retreat."

Leon paused for a moment, then said, "My lord, they're already retreating..."

"That's not enough," Lynn said. "We need to throw them into complete chaos."

Leon nodded and turned to give the order.

Moments later, all six cannons opened fire simultaneously.

boom--!

The deafening roar of cannons echoed through the valley.

A solid shot streaked across the sky and landed in the enemy ranks at the northern end of the pass.

A cannonball struck a carriage directly, shattering it into pieces, and the horses pulling it collapsed with screams. Another cannonball passed through the crowd, kicking up a trail of blood mist, killing seven or eight people instantly.

The soldiers, still reeling from the shock of the landmines, were thrown into panic once more.

"magic!"

"It's magic!"

"Run!"

The team completely collapsed.

Some ran north, some ran south, and some climbed up the hillsides on either side. The officers had completely lost control of their soldiers, and some of them were running themselves.

Willard poked his head out of the carriage, his face deathly pale: "What happened! What happened!"

No one answered him.

Patrick had been pushed off his horse, struggled to his feet in the crowd, and was pushed down again.

Raymond had already run away—he took his few men and ran north without looking back.

The first advance force has completely fallen into chaos...