Cataphracts, surviving in a world full of mods

“My promise is absolutely not an act of indulgence towards you, and I hope you can clearly understand that.”

The towering white stone pillars were bathed in the golden light of the sun, and the armor made of steel and gold was almost blinding.

Several merchants' knees buckled, and they almost knelt on the ground, but their companions managed to grab them.

"Now you can pass on this message, tell every innocent person in this city that they will be under my protection..."

"And it can only be innocent people."

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After the news spread, the panic in the city began to dissipate. At least these ordinary residents no longer hid in their homes all day, and dared not even go out to buy groceries.

The Imperial General's words have become the new law of the city, and they have been immediately and thoroughly enforced. Anyone who dares to commit a crime at this time will be punished swiftly.

After attempting to set fire to the city, the bandits who took advantage of the chaos to loot were all captured... and the reason they dared to do so was because of the troops who had already reached the outskirts of the city...

Just as they had when they conquered the city, a plume of yellow dust rose on the horizon. Large cavalry forces surged toward the city, only to return empty-handed beneath its towering walls.

These cavalrymen all appeared to be Hols, dressed in their signature silver knee-high chainmail, carrying lances with small triangular flags, and riding long-legged Hols horses.

The cavalry were not capable of conquering the city; they were merely sent as a reconnaissance force...

Troops stationed in the surrounding area are heading here, and the city's scouts will send messages here twice a day.

It was as if they had ripped a piece of flesh from the chest of the Hols, almost touching their heart. The entire Kingdom of Hols convulsed violently, instinctively gathering its army here.

No one can deny the strategic value of Albers; it is a crucial node on the northern defense line of the entire Kingdom of Hols, and also one of the only three weak points...

This place was originally well-managed and impregnable, but a piece of bad news, like an ominous crow, drifted onto the tables of every lord...

It's simply incomprehensible how such a heavily fortified city could be so easily captured. There was no news of a siege whatsoever, and in just one afternoon, the city had changed hands.

Moreover, the Imperials who captured this city were actually the same troops that escaped from the Bone Basin... How could a bunch of defeated soldiers manage to do something like this?!

The border lords nearby all mustered their armies and rushed towards the area without even waiting for the king's order.

It wasn't until they reached the vicinity of Alpert that His Majesty the King hastily dispatched his military commander to serve as the commander-in-chief of the allied forces.

The entire army was in complete disarray. Most of the kingdom's forces were still stationed near the Bone Basin, and this time a force of about 7000 men rushed here.

They did not form a unified organization; two lords might meet on the road and travel together. They also lacked a unified plan, and it took them a long time to organize the entire army.

And now they were finally approaching the city, the city that the entire kingdom had painstakingly built...

………………

Dust billowed outside the city. The cavalrymen trampled the surrounding farmland with impunity, crushing the newly sown rice seedlings into the mud.

A larger cloud of dust was rising into the air in the distance, and Thesolius gazed into the distance with a thoughtful expression on his face...

He suddenly reached out to the side, and Arka handed him his greatbow, casually nocked an arrow, and then drew back and released it steadily...

The arrow flew like a meteor, and with a crisp metallic clang, in the ranks far from the city wall, an officer's helmet was struck, the arrow knocking it off his head...

The officer almost frantically covered his head, and only put on a helmet when his subordinate handed him another one. In that instant, Tersolius also saw many things clearly...

PS: More to come later.

Chapter 55 The Siege (2)

Arka suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Eh?" which immediately caught Thesolius's attention. He turned and looked at his standard-bearer with a puzzled expression.

"Alka, what did you see?"

The burly standard-bearer peeked his head over the city wall, squinted for a long time, and then hesitantly said:

"Sir, the guy whose helmet was shot off looks like an Imperial, and he looks very familiar..."

"I also saw that he's an Imperial... which didn't surprise me. Can you recognize who this guy is?"

"My lord, give me some time."

Alka stared intently at the distant team, his eyes narrowing more and more. Suddenly, his eyes widened, and a look of shock appeared on his face:

"General! That looks like Carinos of the Boris Legion! I saw this guy before the Battle of Kiel; he had one ear cut off. I'm absolutely not mistaken!"

Arka slammed his fist into the city wall with gritted teeth, causing the massive marble to tremble slightly, and the standard-bearer's palm oozed with sweat.

Blood was drawn from the scratches caused by the hard lock rings.

But his expression remained ferocious as he gripped the hilt of his sword tightly with his blood-soaked chainmail gloves, wishing he could jump down, drag the guy over, and chop off his head.

The standard-bearer only managed to regain his composure when his general suddenly reached out his hand…

“Karinos, is it? Since he’s an old friend, I have to say hello to him… Alka, raise my banner so that everyone can see it.”

"Yes, my lord."

The standard-bearer desperately suppressed his surging anger and took out a huge black flag from the leather tube on his back...

The flagpole on the city wall originally flew the city lord's Thorn Rose Banner, but the original flag has been thrown into the moat.

Now, the black double-headed eagle banner belonging to Tersolius, the lord of the Golden Legion, is tied to the rope on the flagpole and begins to slowly rise…

A golden double-headed eagle stands proudly atop the horizontal bar of the flag. The flag, made from a single piece of thick black silk, is embroidered with magnificent achievements in gold and silver threads, while the surrounding golden tassels and tassels flutter in the breeze...

No one was unfamiliar with this banner, whether they were Hols or Imperials... In that thrilling battle on the northern wastelands, it was the future owner of this banner who personally beheaded the Kiel Khan...

When the news arrived, the entire empire was filled with jubilation.

The people of the empire, who were still immersed in the shadow of war, came out of their homes and formed a carnival crowd in the streets and alleys.

Everyone was chanting a name and praising this glorious general!

When the enemy chieftain's head was brought to the capital, the entire city was nearly overwhelmed by cheers... People crowded together in a frenzy, throwing flowers and silks onto the central avenue of the capital.

When Thesolius, who had practically trudged through the flowers and cheers, placed the blood-stained box before the Golden Temple, the cheers of the people nearly shook the mountains.

Her Majesty the Queen personally came out to greet him, and in front of the people and nobles, she handed over the banner that represented honor to her most trusted general.

Every general, every nobleman, and even every commoner in the empire had heard of or seen this banner to some extent…

They all knew what this flag represented...

This represents the bloodshed of thousands, the brains of thousands, and the desperate cries of thousands... It also represents a glorious victory and the rise of two generals and an emperor.

And now that this flag is flying in front of Karinos, it means he is going to be their enemy...

His heart suddenly skipped a beat, and he involuntarily pulled on the reins of his warhorse, causing his magnificent Hols to stumble back two steps.

Only when his companion called his name twice did he realize that his face had turned deathly pale in an instant, like that of a dead man…

Thesolius already knew he had arrived!

Once this thought took hold, it began to spread rapidly in his mind, becoming uncontrollable. It was like stripping him naked and throwing him into the fountain square in the very center of the capital, making him feel as if his entire body was being ruthlessly cut by gazes as sharp as knives...

A powerful fear, like an eel, surged through his chest.

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

Although the magnificent Holshorse did not have a great carrying capacity, its speed was second to none, galloping across the plains like a gust of wind.

The distance of several hundred meters was covered in the blink of an eye, and a huge camp not far from the city was already under construction, with soldiers cutting down trees in the surrounding forest and digging trenches in the ground.

Then sharpen the tree trunk to a point, stand it in the trench, and fill the sides with soil to form a makeshift wooden wall...

Deer antler chevaux-de-frise and various other defensive measures were being produced at an accelerated pace by the army's craftsmen...

Logically speaking, as the attacking side, they shouldn't have placed such importance on defense... but all the nobles were still wary of those armored cavalry.

Although they were nominally victorious in the Battle of Bone Basin, the nobles were generally aware of how this victory had been achieved and the heavy price they had paid…

The elite light cavalry of the Kingdom of Hols were completely annihilated in this battle, trampled and ravaged by the Empire's terrifying armored cavalry, leaving behind a field of broken limbs.

The elite heavy infantry group suffered losses of around 2400 men... more than 1800 of whom died on the spot... and the rest also died in the following days due to the terrible injuries.

The entire legion suffered heavy losses, which made all the nobles wary of those terrifying cavalrymen who were completely unstoppable once they launched a charge. Therefore, they all spared no effort to prepare defenses against cavalry around their camps.

They charged straight into the central army tent, where the Hols had nobles and generals, all engaged in heated debates, arguing until their faces were red, and some even looked ready to fight.

Carinus dismounted and glanced disdainfully at the Holsteins… these utter wastes and cowards. Their master had already given them so much help, yet they still released Tersolius…

The situation is already very bad, especially since it seems that the other side has discovered him just now... Thinking of the fear he couldn't control and the urge to turn around and run away, Karinos became even angrier.

Driven by these emotions, he naturally didn't bother with politeness when he spoke:

“Military Commander Taloris! I must remind you that Tersolius, who occupies this city, is a formidable adversary. We cannot afford to be complacent, or it will be a disaster for both the enemy and my master!”

The Hols man, who was slumped over the table, frowned. He was no longer young... his short hair had turned a lifeless, pale white.

The Hols are known for their longevity; this race generally lives longer than ordinary Imperials, and it's common to see people over 100 years old...

But the man before him was the country's military commander... which made his aged appearance seem somewhat out of place. To be precise, even within the court, many nobles opposed his taking this position.

But those fools don't understand that he didn't gain his current position by flattering the king...

Taloris raised his head and glanced at the Imperial officer with a hint of disdain:

"Perhaps I should correct you, Mr. Carinos... While this is a bad thing for us, it's not a disaster. The only one who will truly suffer because of this is your master."

Taloris slowly straightened up. This man's physique was not as slender as that of a typical Holstein; instead, he possessed a certain strength...

"What your master has done is despicable in any country or tribe. If General Tersolius can return, it will be your master who suffers eternal damnation..."

"Don't forget you were accomplices too!"

Karinos roared angrily.

…………

The military commander's face remained expressionless.

"Of course we are your master's accomplices, but you must understand one thing... We are hostile to the Empire, and General Tersolius was originally our enemy... Are you going to accuse us of using trickery against the enemy?..."

"When the news reaches the Empire, your master will be despised by the entire nation, and we Hols will only be a tiny corner of that despising... We will never be the focus, do you understand?"

Taloris turned around and returned to the map, his slender fingers slowly moving along the two mountain ranges until they reached the point where they met in the middle...

“If you still have any loyalty to your master, then you should do everything you can to help us and pray that this general does not return to the empire. Otherwise, we can bear this loss, but you absolutely cannot.”

He slowly raised his head, his expression somber:

"If you understand, then tell us everything you need about him..."

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