Cataphracts, surviving in a world full of mods

Anyone with even a basic understanding of warfare would have realized what was happening. Cavalrymen wouldn't abandon their mounts unless faced with an emergency…

Especially such strong and precious warhorses, the price of one is enough to bankrupt a merchant with a little wealth. They can be said to be the most valuable thing they own. Even if they flee in disarray, they would never abandon their horses.

"I knew it!!"

The minor nobleman stood up excitedly, his eyes fixed on the warhorse as if he were looking at his lover.

"I knew those two women weren't ordinary village women! They must be spies sent by the Empire!! Look! Another one of our soldiers has died at their hands!"

He uttered these words almost at the top of his lungs, the young nobleman's face flushed red, his expression twisted with excitement. Then he charged ahead of the horse towards where it had come from. The cavalrymen looked at each other for a moment, and then dozens of those who were really unwilling to give up also got excited and chased after it in a swarm.

Following the trail they left behind, they arrived at a large open space almost in the blink of an eye. The ground was covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves and the terrain was very flat, making it look like a perfect place for horses to gallop.

Just as the cavalrymen were about to scatter and search, a short scream suddenly rang out, and everyone's eyes were drawn to the opposite hillside, where a shadowy white figure was rapidly disappearing into the distance...

"Haha! Hurry up! Catch this bitch!"

At the command of their nominal commander, the cavalry, already impatient from the all-night search, cheered and spurred their horses toward the other side without hesitation, their shrill cries and ferocious roars filling the air...

Having finally gotten the thrill they wanted, these cavalrymen, eager for amusement, were enraged and became bloodthirsty and savage, vying to capture the two women who had been hiding all night.

"what!!!"

A panicked scream suddenly rang out, but it wasn't a woman's voice; it came from a man with a deep, gruff voice.

The veteran who charged at the front, under everyone's watchful eyes, spurred his horse toward the flat open space. The moment the horse landed, it sank deep into the mud, and a large clump of black mud splashed out, instantly covering the horse's hooves and reaching the soldier's shoes.

This sudden turn of events caught the cavalrymen, who were still in a state of shock, completely off guard. With the added speed of their warhorses, they leaped in one after another, kicking up clouds of mud.

The panicked neighing of warhorses and men filled the clearing, which then revealed its true nature... It was a foul-smelling swamp, bottomless, rapidly swallowing the heavy soldiers and warhorses.

The fallen leaves from the trees layered upon layer on the mud, completely obscuring its original appearance. It was precisely because of this mud that such a rare, flat spot existed in the forest…

Everyone was struggling in a panic. These soldiers were all seasoned veterans, but none of them had ever experienced being stuck in such a terrible quagmire. Their desperate thrashing limbs, along with those of their warhorses, stirred the sticky mud, making it thinner and softer, causing them to sink faster and faster...

An old soldier, his face filled with despair, desperately reached out towards the shore. His legs, however, continued to kick in fear, and his body was slowly and relentlessly sinking inch by inch.

The cries for help around him were chaotic, but they slowly disappeared one by one until the mud completely engulfed his head, submerging his gleaming iron helmet in the mud.

The bloodthirsty nobleman's face had lost all its smugness; his warhorse was struggling desperately, trying to stick its head out of the mud.

But it was all in vain. The warhorse's massive body was sinking at a visible speed, and its feet had already sunk into the mud. The filthy, putrid mud was spreading up to its waist. It frantically clawed at its surroundings, trying to find something to support itself.

But in this soft mud, what could he possibly use for leverage? So he could only desperately pull on the soldiers who hadn't yet sunk in, stepping on their shoulders and armor. The group of men struggled frantically in the mud, trying to use each other's bodies to escape.

But this only made them sink faster... As the last cavalryman's head was completely submerged in the mud, the swamp slowly quieted down...

P.S.: I've been working hard on my drawing these past few days. Once I've mastered the art, I'll try my best to add illustrations for the characters in the book... Of course, they'll definitely be terrible. (°ー°〃)

Chapter 30 Slaughter (1)

The temperature drops sharply at night, especially in this forest. As autumn draws to a close, the outdoors can feel chilling, and one can exhale puffs of white breath. Experienced hunters carry a thick fur coat to help them get through the cold, damp nights.

But these two frail women had nothing—no thick fur, only a short knife as their weapon, their legs aching from walking, and they were even carrying a helpless child…

Dozens of cavalrymen died in the mud, none of them managing to escape back to deliver the message. These cruel and reckless soldiers paid the price for their carelessness with their lives, but also bought the two women precious time.

When the cavalrymen left outside come in to search, they will find their own men stuck in the mud by following the tracks. No one will think that this situation was caused by an insignificant, foolish village woman. The cavalrymen will only be surprised by their commander's negligence and greedy stupidity. At the same time, they will be terrified of losing their leader.

Without their own commander, they would find it difficult to make decisions... and no one would be foolish enough to continue to cause trouble for two village women when such a major event has occurred.

Although the Hols' army was cruel and barbaric, often massacring villages and towns, and the Hols people feared them even more than their enemies, they also knew what was important... So Talina was almost certain that they had gotten rid of that terrible trouble.

This plan was extremely risky, and every step had to be flawless, but for the two of them, this crude plan was the best idea they could come up with...

The terrifying sound of horses' hooves had disappeared from their ears. Without their pursuers, they could travel at a more normal pace and no longer exhaust themselves.

Just as the two women were clinging to a rare glimmer of hope, a rapid hoofbeat suddenly sounded from the mountain road ahead. To the two women, this sound was the most terrifying thing in the world... They would rather face the demon than hear this sound again.

The sound of galloping hooves reached their ears in the blink of an eye. The two wanted to hide, but their legs, which had been walking on the rugged road all night, were sore and weak that they could hardly move. In this situation of seeing hope and then suddenly despairing, even Talina no longer had the strength to run away. The two of them waited for their fate with deathly pale faces.

A massive black warhorse charged out of the forest. The clear sun shone on its black fur, giving it a golden, satin-like sheen. Its incredibly strong muscles slid beneath the smooth coat, exuding a breathtaking sense of power and beauty.

The knight on horseback was covered in heavy armor, with fine scale armor covering the saddle. The armor plates and chainmail rubbed against each other, making a rustling sound. However, he was not wearing a helmet, which revealed his cold and handsome face. A clear scar extended from his forehead to his side.

"Doctor...and this lady, what are you doing here?"

The questioning voice of Tersolius reached their ears, and suddenly Talina's legs went weak, all the strength in her body melted away like ice and snow, and darkness began to rapidly invade the world in her eyes. Before her consciousness completely disappeared, the girl felt a rare sense of relaxation.

All her previous strength and composure vanished at this moment, and all the girl who fainted could show was vulnerability.

————————————————————————————————————————

Hot soup and a blanket can quickly restore one's energy. Adding some wild vegetables and grains from a bag to the well-cooked meat broth can not only relieve fatigue but also fill one's stomach.

Exhausted, Tarina sipped the broth in her hand slowly. She knew she absolutely couldn't drink too fast at this moment, or the scalding soup might burn her throat.

Many starving disaster victims suffered because of this. After their throats were burned, they often couldn't eat anything for days and could only pour thin porridge into their stomachs through a wooden tube. Some people couldn't endure it and died.

After finishing the hot soup in her bowl, she looked at the Imperial General who was waiting quietly across from her. The man was thoughtfully tapping his knee. In addition to the fearsome cavalry, there was also a group of noisy mountain people in the camp. They were savage and strong, and they were fighting over the meat soup in the pot.

"So they massacred the whole village, right?"

"Correct."

"So Peso also died at their hands... his wife and children?"

"Yes."

"Those cavalrymen are still stationed outside the village, right?"

They're still there.

………………

The man suddenly stood up, and two soldiers immediately came over to attach weapons to him. The whole camp was in turmoil. The mountain people were ordered to extinguish the campfire, eat and drink their fill, and then pick up their weapons and prepare themselves.

The cavalrymen began to mount their horses, calming them down, and then surged out of the camp in rows of four along the road beside them.

"Wait here for our doctor. We'll come back after we've finished our business, and then we'll take you away with us."

The man who mounted his horse said this and then tried to urge the horse away... Although the mountain people seemed to want to make a fuss, they obediently shut their mouths after being glanced at by his eyes.

"Wait a minute!!"

The man turned his head.

“I want to go with you too, I’ll show you the way… I know a hidden and easy-to-take route.”

Why did you do this, doctor?

"...They shouldn't have lived..."

Thesolius nodded, then suddenly flipped off his horse and pulled a silver chainmail from his saddlebag:

"Put this on, so you don't die in a daze."

The chainmail was too big and hung loosely on the girl's body, so she had to use a leather belt to tighten it around her waist as much as possible.

"You can't walk anymore, and there aren't any extra horses for you to ride... Grab my hand."

Without hesitation, the girl reached out and placed her hand inside Tersolius's chainmail glove. The man pulled her onto the saddle with a little force. Since there were no stirrups to stabilize her body, she could only reach out and hug his waist.

“Leave 30 men to guard this place… Do not do anything unnecessary, or I will skin you alive.”

A small squad of skilled archers was set aside to protect their camp, as well as the woman in labor and her child. Thethos's words sounded calm, yet they sent chills down their spines. Not one of them doubted whether they would be skinned alive if they had done something truly wrong...

At a command, the swift mountain people chased after the cavalry and disappeared from the sight of those left behind.

Chapter 31 Slaughter (2)

"Why are you here? At the speed of cavalry, shouldn't you have already reached the next city?"

The girl's calm voice came from behind Tersolius. Even through three layers of iron armor, Tersolius could feel the extremely soft touch on his back, which made him sigh inwardly once again.

Are you sure you want to know?

"...I'm sure."

"To break this rather clumsy plan, I need to make sure there are no pursuers behind me, especially since I have a group of skilled archers who will allow me to make many decisions that I wouldn't normally make... Do you understand now?"

"I understand, but I still want to thank you."

“My name is Thesolius, Thesolius Gaius Jarneus… You may have heard of this name.”

The girl tightened her grip around his waist, and Tersolius knew she truly understood what the name meant...

So I'll ask you one more time, are you sticking to your decision?

The girl hugged him tighter:

“I stand by my decision. Although I am just an ordinary doctor, there are things I can do. Besides, I have nowhere else to go now.”

"Then become my doctor. Don't worry, I won't let you handle a sword."

"Um.……"

………………

The cavalrymen stood silently on the hillside, where the dense forest completely concealed their figures. The warhorses pawed restlessly, but were soothed by their masters who gently patted their necks. These war-hardened creatures had sensed the danger, so not a single horse neighed unnaturally.

The mountain people were forcibly divided into four squads. There were a total of 234 strong men who could serve as archers. Each squad consisted of about 60 mountain people. The bravest and most skilled among them served as the captain, and two experienced men served as the vice-captain and the military law officer.

Although this discipline officer may not have any discipline himself, he must first establish this framework so that they can later turn these people into real legion soldiers.

All the mountain people were under the control of Colin, and this girl also possessed superb swordsmanship. With her own strength alone, she was able to defeat every mountain person, which is why she was able to become the leader of this group.

"Listen carefully. Position the first and second squads on that hill over there, and the third and fourth squads stand by on this hill. I want you to split up your ranks, and then, when we charge, within 100 breaths, I want each of you to fire all your arrows, and at least 60% of them must hit the enemy... How about that? Can you do it?"

The girl with short, dark blonde hair nodded, her expression somewhat serious, clearly nervous about what she was about to do, but she still expressed her affirmation:

"Of course, that's no problem. Each of us can do it easily. The gold coins you pay us will definitely be well worth it, I guarantee it!"

Tersolius glanced at the mountain people and nodded slightly:

"Also, everyone keep your mouths shut and stay hidden here."

"Don't worry, any idiot who exposes himself during a robbery wouldn't be alive now."

"Then stop wasting time and let the first and second squads sneak over without making a fuss."

…………

The mountain people wrapped themselves tightly in their animal skins, moving silently through the forest. Even a fox, known for its agility and cunning, could not move as nimbly as they did.