Cataphracts, surviving in a world full of mods

The cold reality, like a venomous snake, seeped into the hearts of everyone on the city walls, silencing the cheers that had just been building in their throats...

The warhorses galloped at full speed, carrying the lightly armed knights at breakneck speed. In the blink of an eye, they had already traversed the long road. At this distance, they could even clearly see the patterns on each other's cloaks and know which family the knights belonged to.

A cheer and screams erupted from the crowd. These cavalrymen were the children of wealthy citizens in the city. Seeing their children's fate unknown, the men, women, the elderly, and children in a panic began to make a scene in front of the city gate.

"McPherson, is there something wrong with your eyes? There are only a little over 100 people here, what were you doing just now?"

The city gatekeeper glared at a soldier. It was because of that one sentence that such a huge commotion had broken out, and several people had died.

"Captain, I'm absolutely not mistaken! ...That cloud of smoke and the commotion must have been at least six or seven hundred, if not a thousand, otherwise it couldn't have been created. There must have been more following behind!!"

"ah!!!……"

No sooner had the soldier finished speaking than another gasp rang out.

A thick cloud of dust billowed towards the city like a high wall. Grim armor gleamed within it, and the powerful neighing of warhorses reached their ears…

Hearing the commotion, these utterly defeated soldiers immediately whipped their horses, increasing their speed to rush into the city before the pursuers arrived.

The soldier named McPherson suddenly turned to look at the officer:

"My lord! They won't make it in time. At this speed, once they rush in, the others will follow. We must close the city gates immediately!!"

The officer stared at McPherson in disbelief:

"Do you know what you're saying?!..."

“I know, sir!…”

The soldier gritted his teeth and said, word by word:

"We must abandon these brave cavalrymen and lock them out of the city along with the enemy, otherwise the enemy will charge into the city with them!"

"You shameful coward!!"

Before the officer could reply, a large Holstein rushed up the city wall, grabbed the soldier by the collar, and upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the city's largest slave trader...

Leading the fleeing soldiers, besides the city lord's son, was his eldest son...

The officer sighed. He knew that no matter what the soldier said, the city gate could not be closed. To be honest, he also wanted to close it, after all, the menacing armor and warhorses in the distance made him feel scared... But he was just a lowly city gate officer and could not make such a decision.

………………

As the distance grew shorter, the crowd that had been crying and fighting in front of the city gate suddenly retreated involuntarily... The heavy hoofbeats, like war drums and thunder, were too terrifying, as if a mountain was collapsing towards them, and they had no courage to face it.

The crowd that had been so crowded and noisy just moments before suddenly receded like a tide, making way for the fleeing soldiers who rushed into the city gate. These men, covered in bruises, blood, and dirt, ran straight up the city wall as soon as they entered the gate.

With the earth-shaking sound of hooves, the terrifying cavalry finally arrived at the city wall. The dense armor reflected the sunlight, and the rows of swords and spears reflected a blinding cold light.

The warhorses beneath them were all magnificent and tall, and without the slightest hesitation, they surged straight toward the gate.

The massive city gate, riveted with steel bars, was still slowly descending, and it would be some time before it was completely closed. Even the soldiers guarding the gate fled inside in panic, and no one could stop them.

"Get out of my way!!"

"Bang!! Bang!! Crash!"

In desperation, the city gate officer grabbed a huge axe, not knowing what it was originally for, and swung it heavily at the iron chain on the winch, trying to lower the city gate.

But the iron chains that held the heavy city gate together were so thick that he could not possibly cut them with just an axe. He only managed to exhaust himself and break a few thin cuts on the chains.

The soldier named McPherson rushed in, also holding an axe. Instead of cutting the chains, he went to chop the huge winch. He also realized what was happening, and the two of them, each with an axe, quickly chopped the massive winch to pieces, and the chains on it came loose.

But the city gate still didn't fall; the twisted iron chain didn't untangle itself and remained firmly stuck in the gaps of the marble.

The two were in a panic and were about to push open the chains when a fierce battle suddenly came from the nearby city wall... Before they could react, a large group of soldiers wearing green cloaks rushed in...

When swords and spears were at their throats, the city gate official finally noticed... these people all had round ears!

........................

The panicked cries of the people nearly shook the city towers to their core. The heavily armored cavalrymen poured into the city like a river of steel, and before long, the banner of the Alpert family, which had been flying on the towers, was thrown down.

The silk banner, covered with intricate patterns and various coats of arms, fluttered down into the moat outside the city gate. It was quickly soaked through and floated downstream like an ordinary rag.

Chapter 42 Capturing the City (2)

The greatsword in his hand swung swiftly, drawing silver streaks through the air and bringing with it gusts of fierce wind that sent chills down the spines of anyone who watched.

Her opponent was naturally frightened, constantly dodging the sharp blade and retreating step by step. But the moment her back hit the wall, the blade in her hand moved like a snake, swift as lightning, and aimed at her eyes.

Logically speaking, when you dominate your opponent like this, it's easy to lose control. That's exactly what this Hols man was planning, and he's defeated his opponents more than once using this tactic.

The sword thrust was ruthless and swift; countless people had their heads pierced by this sudden counterattack. Although the man in front of him was short, his sword never missed its mark…

The blade sliced ​​through the air without cutting into flesh, but just as the Hols man's eyes widened, a sharp pain shot through his knee.

But then, the short fellow rolled over on the ground and appeared behind him. The greatsword in his hand sprang up from the ground and slashed viciously into the back of his knee.

Before his scream could even escape his throat, the sword was drawn in an arc and severed his head from behind...

The hot blood gushing from Colin's neck cavity steamed and stained his hair crimson. The girl wiped the blood from her face to clear her vision.

The city gates were not lowered after all, and the cavalry, like an iron torrent, rushed into the city unimpeded. As soon as they entered the city gates, they immediately split into three groups and launched a rapid assault along the city's three main roads.

The city's roads are quite well-constructed. After the soil is compacted, gravel and fine sand are laid on top, followed by a layer of neat stone slabs.

Such a road is very convenient for both caravans and town residents, and it is also particularly suitable for large cavalry units to launch attacks.

How could those hastily assembled city garrisons withstand the onslaught of armored cavalry? In the blink of an eye, they were scattered and fled in all directions.

The crisp sound of horses' hooves striking the stone slabs echoed everywhere on the road. The residents, who had been making a ruckus just moments before, now cowered in their homes, listening to the sound as if it were a death knell, fearing that those terrifying soldiers would suddenly break down their doors and hack them to death.

The cavalrymen silently spurred their warhorses, scattering every enemy who attempted to resist, trampling them under their hooves, and slashing and killing them indiscriminately, but not one of them kicked open the houses along the street to plunder their belongings.

Resistance in every corner of the city weakened, and the garrison was driven like sheep to the central square, many of them terrified.

This city has been at peace for far too long. Every day, slave owners bring in large numbers of slaves from war-torn regions, but the people here have never seen war in their entire lives.

The city's garrison only deals with trivial matters every day; how could they have ever seen such a scene?

Those cavalrymen, their bodies gleaming with bloodlust, plowed up street after street, and anyone who dared to resist was swiftly and decisively killed by their spears.

For the first time in 52 years, blood, except for that of slaves, was spilled on the cobblestones of the street... The mangled, missing limbs and bodies piled up by the roadside, and the seeping blood seeped into the cracks of doors, causing the residents hiding in their homes to let out screams of terror.

Under such a terrible attack, seeing the gleaming armored vehicles swarming in, many garrison soldiers simply dropped their weapons and knelt on the ground to surrender.

They quickly occupied most of the city, leaving only the small inner city to put up a stubborn resistance.

........................

A mountain man looked at the bustling shops on the street with a resentful expression. There must be countless good things inside. Not to mention the money these people had accumulated, even the fine dried meat and sausages in the shops made his mouth water.

But he just watched longingly, not daring to take a single step out. The mountain people around him, who were used to being lawless and unrestrained, were the same as him, just drooling over the shops, not daring to go in and vandalize them.

The girl with dark blonde hair was also incredibly envious, but she still slurped her saliva and then obediently led her people toward the city's central square.

It wasn't that they didn't want to do it, but they were afraid... Although this new boss usually made sure they were well-fed and clothed, and even gave them money, he wasn't arrogant and would sometimes chat with them.

But once people saw him on the battlefield, none of the mountain people were not afraid. Even the most unruly mountain people would tremble at the sight of Tersolius frowning.

The cavalrymen didn't know what was going on. Even when panicked merchants threw their glittering gold coins by the roadside, they didn't even glance at them and recklessly spurred their horses forward.

Even they received military orders to reach their destination in the shortest possible time, without delay. So they could only watch the gold coins scattered on the roadside, wincing in pain.

No one wanted to know what the consequences of disobeying orders would be, and even if they had never seen such consequences, they didn't dare to try it...

Walking briskly onto the city's neat and beautiful stone-paved road, the mountain people, with their swift legs, arrived at a corner of the square in the blink of an eye.

In the center of this spacious square is a beautifully constructed fountain that draws water from underground wells, flowing day and night into the surrounding canals to supply the residents of the entire city.

To protect this water source, a pavilion was specially built over the fountain... Perhaps this wasn't originally a fountain, but rather it was formed naturally because the well water gushed out so violently.

In one corner of the square, backed by the city wall on the other side, there was a small inner city... This inner city was built on a towering hill, and an arc-shaped city wall completely blocked the way.

This wall connects to the city's original walls, forming a fan shape with the three walls. Combined with its elevated location, many of the city's garrison troops fled inside, which actually made the defenses here much stronger.

The cavalrymen looked at the heavily fortified gates and were somewhat helpless. They had just tried to take advantage of the situation to storm the inner city, but were driven back by a hail of crossbow bolts from the city walls.

Although the heavy armor prevented any casualties, many were wounded by the powerful crossbow bolts and had to retreat temporarily to prevent their warhorses from being damaged.

The cavalry were at their wits' end, but when Colin arrived and saw what was happening, he knew it was time for his men to come in handy...

Chapter 43 Capturing the City (3)

Do you know what to do?

Tersolius washed his hands by the fountain, watching the dried blood on them turn into red threads that flowed into the clear water, along the canal, and all the way to the moat outside the city... The city's structure was quite ingenious; with such a well and fountain, no matter how long it was surrounded, the city's water supply could be guaranteed to remain unaffected.

The city wall was constructed from thick marble blocks, with extremely narrow gaps between each block, bound together with the finest adhesive. Even a heavy catapult wouldn't be able to break it down for at least a month...

In addition, the city's main output is grain, so there are a total of 13 warehouses, each filled with mountains of grain, enough to feed the entire city's residents for a whole year with a surplus...

Add to that the towering structures every 20 steps, riddled with arrow slits and battlements, and it's chilling to think what if there were a large number of archers guarding them...

Tersolius estimated that even if he brought a full army of tens of thousands of men, it would take him several months to conquer the city.

But now the city has fallen into his hands, and he has paid no price or suffered no loss... it's practically free.

A pale-faced young man from Hols was pushed and shoved in front of him. This was the city lord's son. It was thanks to him and another well-known figure in the city that Colin and his mountain people were able to sneak into the city without any hindrance.

When the guy could barely stand when he saw him, Tersolius knew that he was terrified and only wanted to survive. So he changed his plan on the spot, having Colin hide behind him and using his small stature to his advantage, he kidnapped the guy and rushed into the city.

As expected, facing the dagger pressed against his back, the young man, though flustered and stammering, never uttered a warning, allowing them to seize the city.

Now, facing Tersolius's questioning, he was horribly pale, unable to stand, and knelt on the ground... completely disregarding his image, he burst into tears.

After washing his hands, Thesolius shook them slightly to remove most of the water before slowly saying:

“I’m not an unreasonable person. You can cry as much as you want until you feel you’ve cried enough… and then we can talk about cooperation.”

The young man suddenly stopped crying, raised his head sharply, and lunged at Tersolius, desperately reaching for his eyes with his fingers, wanting to blind this despicable imperial man completely!

But he was completely unaware that the short girl next to him was looking at him with an expression of awe and surprise...

In the blink of an eye, the scenery in his eyes began to spin rapidly. Before he could react, his body had already crashed heavily onto the stone pavement. A crisp cracking sound came from his fingers, and intense pain shot through his entire body.

The pain was so intense that it penetrated his lungs, causing him to open his mouth wide and veins to bulge on his forehead, yet he couldn't utter a sound.

They could only gasp for breath, "ho, ho, ho ho," and the two of them huddled together like a boiled shrimp.

Saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth, but he no longer had the strength to wipe it away. He could only writhe on the floor in humiliation, like a stupid slave.

But unimaginable resentment and anger were building in his eyes. At this moment, he was like a brave fighter, still resisting fiercely after the enemy occupied his homeland.