Cataphracts, surviving in a world full of mods

But Thesolius didn't even flinch:

"Perhaps you think you have other options, but I must let you know that from the moment you entered the city gates without warning, you became a traitor to this city... No matter what reasons or excuses you give yourself, you have undeniably allowed us into this city and destroyed your father's rule..."

As he spoke, the fully armored man crouched down, reached out and grabbed the Hols man's golden hair, forcing him to look up at him:

"When you led your troops to their complete annihilation, you did not resist me. When you were captured and brought before me, you did not challenge me. When you lost to my standard-bearer, you begged for mercy. When you entered the city gate, you remained silent. But now you have the courage to attack me. Let me guess where your courage comes from?"

The Hols' head slammed to the ground, causing him to grunt. But the expression on his face grew increasingly uneasy and panicked... He seemed genuinely terrified of what the other was about to say.

He desperately reached out, trying to grab the other person's foot, which was encased in iron armor, but the foot pressed heavily down on his wrist.

"It's because we've already arrived in the inner city, and you think we need to rely on you to get in, and you're certain we won't be killed... right?"

Amidst the sudden, agonizing screams, a cold smile crept across Thesolius's lips. Looking into the Holstein's despairing eyes, he spoke, word by word:

"You are still a coward who wants to live after all... No matter how you try to escape, that is the truth... Your only choice now is to continue helping us, to keep going down this path. There are no other options."

"The reason you suddenly mustered up courage here is probably because you have other plans, right? You want others to see it, you want your father to see it, you want the residents of this city to see it."

"You think you have something to rely on, so your life won't be threatened. Only in this way can your shameful deeds be covered up, your cowardly behavior be concealed, and you can continue to enjoy your wealth and glory!"

"When we leave, you might become a hero who dares to resist the invaders. Your father will rely on you even more, the residents of this city will trust you even more, and even the garrison will regard you as their master... It's a really good idea."

Two cavalrymen reached out and grabbed the Hols man's hands, dragging him off the ground. The strong young man was now as limp as a noodle, unable to muster any strength.

"But unfortunately, you think too highly of yourself and too foolishly of your father. If I'm not mistaken, he already knows what's going on..."

Surrounded by heavy armor, Tersolius looked at the buildings built of fine marble in the inner city, high above, and narrowed his sharp, bright eyes, as sharp as a hawk's.

More and more archers are gathering on the city walls, looking from a distance like patches of green plants growing on marble...

P.S.: The author tried out Chenggua Typing and feels it's pretty good so far; the words written can be saved at any time. ?(^?^*)

Chapter 44 Capturing the City (4)

In the darkness, the mountain man frowned, drawing his longbow, taut and purple, deep into the air. The arrowhead pointed high into the night sky, his eyes fixed on the torch burning on the city wall, its flame reflecting a bright light.

"Is it going to work or not? If it's not, give me back the bow."

The mountain man frowned, about to burst into curses, when he saw the bright reflection under the torch suddenly move. He knew he couldn't delay any longer; in a little while, the person would have to leave that spot...

He took a deep breath, silently estimating the angle and distance, then pulled the bow back a little more, his fingers quietly releasing the string... As the bow arm snapped back and the bowstring vibrated, the light arrow, specially made for long-range shooting, disappeared into the night sky in the blink of an eye.

Even with his eyesight, he couldn't see the sword's trajectory; he could only stare intently at the swaying helmeted head under the torchlight.

One second, two seconds... thud! Ouch!!

Two seconds later, a cry of surprise suddenly came from the city wall. A spark flew from the gleaming iron helmet, producing a dull knocking sound, and a small black shadow was also thrown out.

The crossbowman guarding the city wall was startled and quickly pulled his head back. The mountain man shook his bow in frustration, blaming it on his bad luck...

In fact, at this distance, any slight factor can greatly affect the landing point. To put it bluntly, it's all about luck... And these mountain people are indeed gambling on luck. It's just that they have been hunting in the forest since they were young, so their probability of hitting the target is much higher than that of ordinary people.

These mountain people gathered in front of the fountain in the city square, keeping their distance so as not to bother others, and then, as if playing a game, fired arrows at the archers.

Although most of the arrows would be blocked by the thick battlements and the helmets on the enemy's heads, there were always some unlucky guys who would be hit right in the face. At such a distance, even if you were hit by an arrow, it would not be easy to die; you would just suffer excruciating pain and scream in agony.

The commotion they caused here drew more and more archers, who even used their own crossbows to fire at each other.

But none of the mountain people carried torches, and it was pitch black all around. In this dark night, they hid by the fountain and kept firing arrows at the soldiers who had torches.

The archers on the city wall couldn't see anyone at all, so they could only fire arrows haphazardly in a general direction. How could they possibly hit the loosely positioned mountain people? They could only take a one-sided beating.

The soldiers had to defend the city wall, but they couldn't extinguish the torches, otherwise they wouldn't know when the enemy climbed up. So one by one, they could only shrink inside the city wall and dare not stick their heads out.

Seeing that their opponents were so badly beaten that they didn't even dare to show their heads, the mountain people laughed even more wildly and unrestrainedly. Their lawless nature suddenly became unbridled, and they started making a lot of noise and provoking each other.

Hunters in the mountains could only communicate by shouting, so each of these mountain people had a great voice, loud and penetrating, which disturbed half the city.

The city's residents huddled in their homes, trembling with fear that those terrible barbarians would suddenly break in, and every family propped their doors shut with thick bars.

………………

The attention of the entire inner city was drawn there, and on the left side of the fan-shaped city wall, the sound of armor plates rubbing together rang out continuously. Under the cover of moonlight, a full 50 armored cavalrymen, holding sabers and chain hammers, were ready for battle.

Several figures dressed in thin black clothing were making their final preparations here...

"Why do you want to go yourself? It's so dangerous! You could easily get surrounded..."

Tarina was still wearing a black cloth dress with a short coat over it to keep warm. Her voice was urgent, but so soft that it was almost inaudible unless you listened carefully.

But the girl's dissatisfaction was still clearly visible on her face, and she was obviously very opposed to Tersolius's decision.

Tersolis carried a shield in his left hand and a long sword in his right. He was not wearing his heavy armor, but only a black short coat that was completely flat and close-fitting, without any tightness.

Upon hearing the girl's words, he replied without hesitation:

"Of course, only if I go can we succeed... If we are discovered, only I can force my way in and open the door."

Seeing that the girl was about to speak again, he quickly interrupted her:

"Alright, alright, don't worry too much... I'm the champion... the bravest man in the army. After you open the door, we'll need you to heal us, so remember to hide behind them... You guys, don't forget to protect the doctor."

As soon as he finished speaking, Colin, who was also dressed in black, and several quick-handed mountain people gathered around. Seeing that the soldiers with torches on the city wall had left, they threw out the rope hooks in their hands and hooked them into the gaps between the stone bricks.

Several people grabbed the rope and slowly climbed up. Colin and the other mountain people were no exception; they could even climb trees dozens of meters high to take bird eggs. Tersolius, with his long and strong limbs, climbed just as fast as them.

Seeing that she couldn't persuade him, Tarina puffed out her cheeks and stomped her foot in frustration.

After stomping, he looked anxiously at the city wall, fearing that some soldiers might be idly peeking out to watch...

But even if that were to happen, there was nothing to fear. A dozen or so skilled mountain archers had already drawn their bows and were waiting below for anyone who dared to stick their head out…

It took them a long time to climb the more than 10-meter-high city wall. Whenever a torch passed by, they would carefully lie in wait. But in the end, they climbed to the top of the wall without any problems and then slipped in smoothly.

………………

The wait that followed felt incredibly long for everyone, and their hearts pounded faster and faster in the silent night.

After an unknown amount of time, the two heavy oak city gates suddenly and slowly opened amidst the extreme terror in the eyes of the stationed soldiers…

The cavalrymen let out a cheer, their battle cries shaking the heavens. Densely packed in armor, shields raised, swords drawn, they surged into the city gates without hesitation. A small squad of garrison soldiers who tried to stop them were instantly torn apart like a tide crashing against rocks.

A dense barrage of crossbow bolts shot in from behind the door, but the cavalrymen blocked them with their heavy armor and shields. They charged in with unstoppable force, slaughtering every enemy who stood in their way.

These invincible elite troops of the era were not only unstoppable on horseback, but also unmatched in close-quarters foot combat.

Relying on their sturdy armor and superior weapons, they ruthlessly slaughtered one garrison squad after another, and in the blink of an eye, the entire inner city was ablaze with torches.

A sudden, rapid sound of hooves echoed in the center of the city. Under the dim moonlight, the cold gleam of iron armor could be faintly seen. The horses approached the inner city gate at great speed, forming a very thin column, and charged straight in like a long steel spear.

The inner city has been breached...

Chapter 45 Family Members (1)

A sharp scream echoed far and wide inside the marble building... and due to the building's unique structure, it had a long, drawn-out echo that sent chills down one's spine.

In the spacious bedroom, a figure was huddled in a corner, shivering. She was wearing an exquisite satin robe.

The satin produced by the Hols is extremely exquisite. Unlike ordinary fabrics that are thin, it has a heavy, substantial feel. It feels cool to the touch when worn every day. Every summer, countless merchants from even the capital come to this country just to take away this magical fabric.

The robe worn by this slender figure was not only exquisitely made, but also embroidered with delicate patterns using extremely fine silk threads of various colors. Each pattern looked as if it had grown naturally, lifelike and meticulous... The embroidery alone was enough to make this garment worth dozens of gold coins.

This shows that this Hols man must have been a high-ranking nobleman to enjoy such a privileged life, but now he was as frightened as a runaway slave found by his master, curling up in the shadows in the corner.

Flames raged throughout the manor, and the panicked shouts and screams of soldiers echoed everywhere. The desperate wails lingered like ominous crows.

With each scream, the figure huddled in the corner would shudder violently, as if there were some connection between them. As heavy footsteps began to echo in the corridor, it was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over them, and the figure trembled even more violently.

Door after door was kicked open, and the cavalrymen rushed in, killing all who resisted on the spot. Those who did not resist were tied up and driven outside the buildings. Every corner of the inner city was quickly cleared, and every clump of grass was carefully searched.

As the kicked-open door drew closer, the extreme fear nearly drove her mad. She could only grip the small dagger tightly in her hand, afraid to let go. But when she thought of the terrifying armored figures she had seen during the day, she suddenly felt that she could barely hold onto the dagger.

All they could do was pray that those terrible enemies would leave empty-handed and never notice them...

But what you fear most is what is most likely to happen... A series of heavy footsteps approached the gate, paused slightly, and then struck it hard. The iron lock on the gate was loosened by the impact, and even the crack in the door was kicked open, revealing a sliver of light.

She desperately covered her mouth to stop herself from screaming, but tears streamed down her face, wetting her hands.

Another heavy kick slammed the two doors against the wall, and a tall, dark figure appeared before them.

Her mind suddenly went blank, and an unknown force suddenly propelled her to her feet and rush towards the door. She dared not open her eyes due to extreme fear, hoping to unexpectedly escape past that tall figure.

Her steps quickened at that moment, and a sliver of light seeped through the slits of her eyes—the firelight outside the door. A surge of hope made her open her eyes slightly, only to suddenly find herself unable to move forward…

A large hand had somehow grabbed her head, just like holding down a kitten, making her feet slide desperately on the floor but unable to move forward.

She reached out to try to push the other person away, but her arms were too short to reach them. In a panic, she could only struggle desperately, but because her arms and legs were too short, she couldn't reach anything and could only watch helplessly.

Anxious and anxious, fear surged up again, and she could no longer stop her tears, which quickly soaked her round little face. She cried and screamed, hitting the big hand that was grabbing her head.

"Whose child is this? They're dressed quite nicely."

A large hand grabbed the girl by the back of her neck and lifted her up. No matter how much she thrashed her arms and legs, she couldn't reach her.

The torchlight illuminated the man's face, highlighting his sharp, deep-set eyes and brows, which immediately frightened the girl into closing her eyes tightly, too afraid to open them.

But after a short while, her feet were back on the ground.

"Take them to the group of women and children, and don't let them run around."

A large, armored hand grabbed her collar again, lifting her away like a kitten… She spun halfway through the air, watching the tall man turn and walk deeper into the corridor. Armored cavalrymen followed him…

………………

“General, according to the information we obtained, the lord of this city left two days ago, apparently to take care of some business, and has not returned since… During this time, his wife has been in charge of the inner city's defenses.”

Tersolius received an unexpected piece of news: he hadn't expected that the one who had built such an impenetrable wall was actually a woman. If he hadn't known the way to the inner city, it would have taken much more effort to storm the city.

Just now, he and Colin, along with several agile mountain people, sneaked into the inner side of the city gate unnoticed by scaling the city walls. The garrison was completely attracted by the noisy mountain people, so they opened the gate without any hindrance, without even drawing blood.

Everything that followed unfolded naturally. The city's garrison was no match for the elite cavalry. Relying on their thick armor, the garrison easily routed them in foot combat. They also ransacked the entire inner city, trying to capture their lord...

But who would have thought that the commander who repelled the cavalry yesterday was actually the lord's wife...

Thinking of this, Thesolius instinctively wanted to stand up and see what kind of woman could have accomplished such a feat.

Before he could even get up, he saw a Holstein woman slowly walking toward him. Two maids tried to follow, but the cavalrymen chased them back, and they tremblingly crouched down among the women and children.

Judging from the woman's calm demeanor and dignified elegance, she was most likely the lord's wife. Therefore, Tersolius was in no hurry to get up; he wanted to see what she had to say...

This short stretch of road was not easy to travel; anyone else would have been terrified by the menacing cavalry on both sides.

But this tall and dignified woman continued to walk towards him unhurriedly, without showing the slightest sign of panic, as if she were not in a dangerous situation, but in a warm and comfortable ballroom.