Cataphracts, surviving in a world full of mods

It's important to understand that the generals who remained here were, in a sense, the unfortunate ones and the weaker party in the political struggle—they hadn't participated in the conquest of the South and could only watch helplessly as news of successive victories poured in from the South. They were frantic with worry but powerless to do anything, watching as the lucky ones and victors amassed their wealth, honor, and status like gold coins in the national treasury.

Their desire for glory was no less than that of the young and impetuous soldiers. In fact, their resentment and jealousy from this period of time were becoming increasingly difficult to suppress. At this moment, seeing an opportunity, many of them were even more eager than the messenger, wishing that Natamus would give them the order to advance the next moment.

Of course, they wouldn't be reckless, so even though they were tempted, they all waited patiently for their commander's decision.

"You mean there's such a road, so hidden that even the officials of the entire southern province don't know about it, and then you suddenly appear at just the right moment to tell me? Give me a reason to believe you."

Natamus frowned and asked slowly. He naturally had many doubts about this and was scrutinizing the so-called messenger in front of him with a sharp, ruthless gaze.

Such a gaze was truly terrifying. In fact, even the generals who were often with Natamus found it difficult to directly confront such an aggressive and fierce look... It was no easier than staring into the eyes of a ferocious lion, and deceiving with lies under such a gaze was by no means an easy task.

Once Blatche had a clear conscience, because he knew deep down that his intelligence was correct and that this was indeed what the other party needed, he was able to remain calm even under such scrutiny.

"In fact, not only do the officials throughout the south not know about that road, but even the hunters in that forest don't know about it... because that road is actually a route used by smugglers to profit between the two countries. Very few people know about it, and the exit is hidden. It was secretly opened up by that guy."

"Hmm?... Smugglers, I see... So how did you find out about this hidden route?"

"Ah, that's very simple, sir. The smuggler is one of our uncles. Before he got into this business, he worked with him on this route. They buy up high-quality porcelain, pottery, cloth, salt, and other hard currency in the Empire, and then transport them to Salanod to exchange for medicinal herbs, ores, and furs. They can make several times the profit each time they go, so they've always been extra cautious."

"But later his uncle was caught by the local lord and hanged for poaching. He was so scared that he dared not do it again. Later, after many twists and turns, he became a mercenary. He was basically the only one who knew about this road... If we hadn't realized that the King of Salalod was planning to send us to fill the ditch, we wouldn't have taken the risk."

Natamus scoffed:

"So you were forced into this situation?"

Blatche shook his head:

"Of course not, sir. We just didn't have the opportunity before. If we had known about this path earlier, we would have done it long ago. We are just lowly mercenaries... What we want can only be obtained in the great empire. The noble lords there will never give us anything, not even if we shed our blood for them."

Natamus finally raised his head, looking at the man before him with a strange and sharp gaze, then a smile returned to his lips, but this time it wasn't a mocking one.

"You're quite honest and interesting."

"If what you say is indeed true, then the merit you have made is enough to elevate you to the top. I will not be stingy with rewards and honors. The Empire has always been generous enough to its loyal followers, as long as you can prove it."

"Of course I am willing to prove it, sir. In fact, I will not return before the dust settles after I have come here to deliver the message. If you find any error in my facts, you may deal with me as you please, and I will not dare to complain in the slightest."

Natamus nodded:

“I was prepared to deal with a treacherous man and a deceiver, but it seems I won’t have to order your skinned alive for now… Sotgulos!”

"exist."

A strong general stepped forward from the crowd. His fingers were as thick and rough as if cast iron, his short, dark curly hair was cut short, and his muscles bulged like rocks beneath his clothes.

"Take your men to investigate. If the road is confirmed, then immediately prepare to excavate and widen it. I will have materials and tools sent later. Do not act rashly. Report the situation truthfully."

"Yes, my lord."

"The rest of you should go back to your posts to prepare for battle and advance. Once the order is issued, there should be no hesitation or delay... But before that, no one is allowed to leak the order. Anyone who disobeys my order will be punished according to military law!"

Amidst the scraping of steel armor, the candle flames flickered and swayed. Natamus slammed his fist heavily on the map, then slowly clenched it into a fist.

"Until His Majesty and the Senate issue their permission, you all better keep yourselves in check and don't get carried away, understand?"

Chapter 368 Acting in Secret (2)

Fatigue begins to creep into the mind without you even realizing it, making your eyes dry, your thinking sluggish, and drowsiness surges up. Every part of your body is urging you to rest and fall asleep as soon as possible, making it increasingly inefficient to handle work.

Claudia knew she shouldn't continue. Her eyes were starting to feel dry and painful, and the soft light now seemed glaring, causing her to look away from the parchment on the table and gaze at the silent night sky outside the window.

It was nearly midnight, and the bright stars in the sky dotted the deep blue backdrop, twinkling and making their presence known. Some kind of insect chirped loudly in the grass, while carefully hiding itself, hoping to attract a mate and avoid predators.

On such a night, even the imperial capital would be unusually quiet. The servants had already been rotated and were now full of energy, ensuring that they would not make any mistakes or slips in front of the emperor. However, their master was reluctant to go to sleep, his thoughts still immersed in matters of state.

With the emperor's authority growing ever stronger, even his close maids rarely had the courage to advise him, especially since His Majesty had already decreed that they should not disturb him. So they could only watch as the emperor worked until late at night.

At this very moment, seeing the emperor finally stop what he was doing, wearily rubbing his eyes, the lady-in-waiting who had also been waiting in the study finally saw her chance and silently stepped forward to pay her respects:

"Your Majesty, it is late. Shall we prepare to retire for the night?"

Claudia hesitated for a moment, picked up the parchment in her hand, looked at it again and again, and finally sighed and nodded helplessly.

"Go prepare, we can't wait any longer..."

Half an hour later, the emperor, having bathed and changed, lay on his soft goose-down mattress, surrounded by luxurious silk. The curtains hanging around the bed blurred the candlelight outside, making the surroundings hazy.

"I really ate too much this time..."

The fatigue she had just felt inexplicably relieved after lying down in bed, and the sleepiness that had been lingering in her mind also dissipated. Instead, it made it difficult for Clautina to fall asleep, and she couldn't help but sigh.

Even for an empire of this size, the land conquered this time was indeed too much—the East hadn't even been fully digested yet, and large tracts of fertile land in the South had already fallen into their hands. There were far too few officials to establish a new order... If they hadn't prepared a new policy for selecting and evaluating officials six months ago and accelerated its implementation and adjustment during this period, probably more than half of those newly conquered lands would still be under the control of the military.

But this is already the limit. If they continue, even if they are still invincible on the battlefield and conquer new territories, they will be powerless to rule those newly conquered lands... It's like a person who eats too much meat at once because of greed. Even if his tongue still craves the delicious taste, his stomach can no longer handle it.

This directly affected her, as the emperor had more and more things to deal with every day, to the point that it was difficult to manage properly from dawn till dusk... During this period, she got up early and went to bed late almost every day, but she still couldn't cope.

It should be noted that most matters of slightly lower importance are handled by subordinates. The fact that something reaches her means that she can easily decide the fate of thousands of people, and often she can see the state of the country through it.

To be honest, this even exceeded their most optimistic expectations. In fact, no one in the Senate or the entire upper echelons of the empire could have predicted this... In their most optimistic estimates, they would only conquer the northern plains of the Hols, fight a few battles with the Asel, and then divide up the Hols' land.

But who could have imagined that Tersolius would lead his legion south so smoothly and so decisively?! Now even the legion of the Assele has been crushed to pieces, leaving only 10,000 defeated soldiers huddled in a corner waiting to die, on the verge of annihilation.

This caught everyone off guard. When they came to their senses, they found that the entire south had been opened up to them without any defenses. This terrifying feast had even exceeded the digestive capacity of the entire country.

Thesoris's fame was at its zenith; the poems praising him could fill a table, and the maidens who admired him could line up from the palace all the way to Sophia, not to mention the young people who worshipped him and the soldiers who wanted to join his army... He now controlled everything in the country and continued to challenge and break people's perceptions, reaping victory after victory as easily as pulling radishes from the ground.

She was certainly proud of her most outstanding general, but also weary of this blissful predicament... However, it was indeed time to stop now; continuing would only be counterproductive. The Aselians had learned their lesson, and there was still much work to be done for her as emperor. She could not afford to slack off.

In the final moments before she fell into the dream, the emperor heard the clear clang of clashing swords, seemingly descending from the heavens and instantly surrounding her.

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

The blade traced a fierce arc in the air, but failed to penetrate the neatly arranged armor plates. After producing a loud spark and a sharp metallic scraping sound, it was deflected by the opponent's battle axe, which swung down from above with unimaginable agility. The heavy axe spun in the opponent's wrist, tracing an arc before cleaving down on his head.

Claudina broke out in a cold sweat and quickly took a step back. The heavy axe, accompanied by a fierce wind, struck the edge of her helmet. The sudden impact traveled along the helmet straps to her neck, causing her to sway forward involuntarily.

The exposure of this potentially fatal flaw made her head spin, her whole body tensed up, and she felt a chill run down her spine as if tiny needles were pricking her back. She instinctively raised her elbow, which was protected by the iron armor.

boom! ——

The next moment, a sharp pain came, the nail plate on his wrist bent and deformed, and the rivets on it fell off and scattered, but in the end it blocked the horizontal slash, and the bone was not broken, enough to buy him a chance to regroup.

Sweat soaked her hair and dripped down her forehead, but Clautina had no time to wipe it away. In this life-or-death situation, she couldn't care about anything else. She just instinctively gripped the sword in her hand and stared at her opponent.

She was facing a warrior of medium build, clad in gleaming steel armor. However, unlike the elite soldiers of the Empire who wore chainmail under their outer armor, he wore only a single layer of lamellar armor from his shoulders down to his knees, with cotton linings visible through the gaps under his armpits and shoulders.

The other person's helmet was a distinctive pointed helmet made of eight triangular steel plates, with a face shield covering the bridge of the nose and cheeks, and a bright blue silk headscarf rolled into a loop around the middle of the helmet... but for some reason the face was a blurry, flowing black shadow, like a turbulent whirlpool in the ocean.

The axe blade was badly damaged and far from being sharp. It also lacked the spikes on the back used to pierce armor. The axe head was narrow, making it look like a large chisel mounted vertically on a wooden handle. However, it was still a formidable weapon, capable of breaking a skull with a full swing.

She frowned in confusion—this was not the kind of weaponry any country she knew of possessed, and her opponent was highly suspicious, bearing no insignia or markings that suggested affiliation.

To make matters worse, this guy was holding a round shield in his left hand that was big enough to cover his body, while he only had a short sword in his hand, making it really difficult to deal with this heavily armored warrior.

The opponent didn't give her much time to hesitate. He quickly raised his shield, shouldered his axe, and charged forward—this was a common starting stance for using a battle axe, allowing for a powerful slash at any time, or for flexibly dodging and blocking depending on the situation.

Damn it, I have no choice but to fight with my life on the line!

She gritted her teeth and pressed herself against him, instantly closing the distance between them. Her opponent, clearly prepared, seized the opportunity, calculated the distance, and swung his arm down with his axe, intending to cut her in two.

At this critical moment, Christina suddenly fell to the ground as if she had tripped, letting the axe graz her helmet as she grabbed her opponent's right leg, then shoved and pulled forward, which unsurprisingly disrupted her opponent's balance and forced her to stagger and regain her footing.

But at this critical moment of life and death, how could she hesitate for a moment? Gritting her teeth, she pushed forward desperately, shrinking her whole body into the other person's arms. Before the handle of the axe could hit her waist, she finally managed to push the other person to the ground, and at the same time, she fiercely stabbed the exposed gaps in the other person's armor with the sharp sword in her hand.

when!

The axe struck her heavily on the side of her helmet. For a moment, she almost thought someone had shoved a bell into her head. She was in a daze, but she gritted her teeth and held her hand still. Soon she felt the unique obstruction of the blade piercing her clothes.

Dust flew up beside her; the axe had been thrown onto the yellow earth. A large hand wearing leather gloves viciously grabbed her neck and pressed its thumb knuckle against her throat cartilage, preparing to crush her throat.

Claudina, completely enraged, met the other's hand head-on and bit down hard, shoving the thumb into her mouth and tearing at it with her molars while simultaneously lunging forward with all her might.

*Pfft!* ————

The short sword in his hand went straight into the hilt, and the fingers in his mouth tore through the outer leather and gnawed into the hard white bone. His teeth were in excruciating pain from the immense pressure, and the body that was struggling desperately beneath him was now motionless as if it had frozen.

And her body began to stiffen at that moment... The reason was simple: she did not feel what would naturally happen after piercing a human body, what one would feel immediately after a blade pierces through muscles and soft internal organs—the gushing out of hot blood.

Even the bitten finger in her mouth didn't taste blood. The hard bone did make her teeth ache, but she didn't feel the suppleness of flesh and tendons. It was as if the leather had been torn open and there was only bone underneath...

Unbeknownst to her, her eyes gradually cleared, and her thoughts, which had been shrouded in a thin mist, became increasingly clear... Only then did she notice the twisting and shifting black shadow under the other person's helmet—like a fusion of night and dust, gently stirred by a soft wild breeze.

Looking up, all I could see was a hazy, yellow sky. Not a single cloud in sight, just endless dust and sand, yet the visibility was remarkably high, allowing me to easily see hundreds of meters ahead... only there, too, was a barren expanse of yellow dust.

"Where is this place?...—"

The emperor slowly stood up. In the process, she subconsciously drew the short sword that had pierced the other person's body. The blade was spotless, without any blood or flesh on it, and was as clean as new, with only a few small scratches on the blade.

Clautina silently lowered her head again, cautiously reaching out to touch the gash her own sword had ripped open… Then, her whole body trembled, and her face contorted in pain as she grabbed the fabric beside her and ripped it open with all her might—

Beneath the dim yellow sky, beneath the torn clothing lay not bleeding flesh, but rows of pale ribs, devoid of any flesh or blood. At the joints, a thick, dark color flowed, like a black mist, occasionally seeping back into the dark areas concealed by the clothing.

The torn leather glove revealed only pale, boneless knuckles at the thumb end, as if it had been buried in sandstorms for decades, with the last trace of flesh worn away by the sand.

The emperor stood up in disbelief, took two steps back with a look of horror, and squeezed the sword so hard that the leather on it almost crumbled... The surrounding scenery remained the same unchanging yellow dust, stretching to the horizon.

Just then, a strong wind suddenly blew in from somewhere, instantly stirring up dust from the ground. The dust rushed towards her face with a whooshing sound, making it impossible for her to open her eyes. She could only futilely and carefully cover her eyes, mouth, and nose with her arms, waiting for the sandstorm to pass.

After the sand and dust were swept away from the ground, and after Clautina lowered her arm, what she saw was an endless expanse of pale white mixed with rusted steel—a desolate and hopeless scene of intertwined bones and broken, shattered weapons.

Chapter 369 Nightmare? (1)

Everywhere you look, there are despairing scenes of broken, rusted steel and fractured, weathered white bones intertwined. This land has never been made of loess, but rather a layer of dust accumulated on piles of bones of unknown depth, which is revealed in the blink of an eye when the wind blows.

It's hard to imagine how many people fought and died here to accumulate such a thick layer of bones... Claudina only knows that with every step she takes, she can clearly feel the brittle bones breaking under her feet, and every now and then, due to the sudden collapse of the ground, her legs get stuck in dangerous pits made up of spine, leg bones and ribs.

Dilapidated and weathered flags can be seen everywhere here, varying in color and shape, but without exception, the patterns on them have been completely worn away and are no longer recognizable. Only the metal parts used for decoration and fixation remain in the skeleton with thick rust, accompanying the broken and rusted swords and armor plates, and keeping company with their former masters.

The emperor gritted his teeth and pursed his lips, realizing the strangeness of the place—a strong wind had blown away the more than one-foot-thick layer of soil covering the skeletons, leaving not a single grain of dirt on the ground. The brittle bones and rusted steel, though still fragile and dirty, were remarkably spotless.

How could such a strange thing happen? The soil on the ground was blown away like flour, and the bones on the ground were piled up and stacked together to such an extent that it was as if all the dead people in the world were buried here... Everywhere exuded a kind of cruel and brutal despair, and at a glance, there was no end to this sea of ​​bones.

The horrific sight was enough to drive a coward mad, but Claudia would not allow herself to sit idly by like a coward and wait to die. This was no place to stay; she had to find a way to leave.

Only then did the emperor have time to check his attire, and he was surprised to find that he was wearing a completely unfamiliar blue and green cotton lining, which was covered with large and small tears and patches, and black bloodstains stained his chest and abdomen.

Aside from the helmet, the only truly sturdy protective gear on his body consisted of leather-lined iron bars on his arms and plate arm guards on his wrists—barely enough to withstand the slashes and cuts of swords and knives. His cotton trousers and leather boots were also worn out.

...That's too shabby.

The emperor sighed from the bottom of her heart... This was not some kind of "let them eat cake" sentiment. Although she was the emperor of the empire with a noble status, she had spent the first ten years of her life in a remote village and nearby towns, and she knew very well what the lower classes and society of the empire were like.

This outfit was even worse than that of the poorest auxiliary soldiers in the Imperial Legion. At least they were equipped with two-piece lamellar vests to protect their chest, abdomen, and back, as well as helmets and gauntlets that could be considered sturdy. If you had to compare it, it could only be compared to the militia organized by tribunals in villages to maintain order.