Cataphracts, surviving in a world full of mods

To build such a durable catapult, large beams had to be felled several years in advance and then allowed to dry in the shade for a long time.

It takes a skilled craftsman one or two months to make it, and it also needs to be oiled to prevent it from getting damp and damaged by insects...

When needed, the supply troops would disassemble the catapults into parts and transport them to the enemy city for reassembly.

But the Hols, who can't even find wood to make shoddy catapults, suddenly acquired three heavy catapults... which makes things seem very strange.

…………

With the arrival of new reinforcements and catapults, the Hols, who had previously been at their wits' end, regained their morale and began launching increasingly frequent probing attacks.

The gap between the city wall and the camp is being gradually filled in. Wooden shields are encroaching on the space step by step, and sturdy fences are being dug up and erected inside the shields.

These fences were originally intended to defend against cavalry and were rarely used in siege warfare, but now they are everywhere here, and it is obvious who they are aimed at.

But all of this still takes time. Carrying out this project under the watchful eyes of the defenders is still extremely dangerous, and soldiers are frequently hit by crossbow bolts and fall to the ground in agony.

It had become a bloody target practice game. The slave soldiers were becoming increasingly skilled at using crossbows, and the best among them could even shoot out any limbs that the enemy accidentally peeked out.

Just a few days ago, they were serfs who could only work in the fields, but now they are able to do this... It is conceivable how much real combat can hone one's skills.

Thus, the Hols' project became increasingly unsuccessful. The original plan was to build the fortifications to the city walls within two days, but now they had not even reached half of the planned goal.

Many soldiers were not killed on the spot, but were wounded after being hit by crossbow bolts. The Hols' army medics' treatment was to cauterize the wounds with hot irons or bleed the swollen areas.

Under these conditions, the mortality rate of wounded soldiers is naturally high, especially now that it is a rainy season with very humid air, which increases the probability of wound infection.

Until the fortifications were built to a suitable distance, the three heavy catapults were completely useless, and the previously high morale began to decline again.

The Hols lords also began to stir. The wealthy surrounding countryside around Alpert was like a series of unsuspecting moneybags to them. Moreover, when morale was low, allowing soldiers to plunder was a common solution.

Of course, the lord also had a share in this process...

Disappointingly, the nobleman who enthusiastically proposed the suggestion was simply thrown out, treated like a commoner. The "Camuss" whipped him, sending him fleeing in terror.

These arrogant and domineering individuals generally only obey the orders of the king or his appointed chief minister, so the attitude of the military commander was clearly displayed to the nobles.

The nobles and soldiers, who had been so enthusiastic, were immediately dejected and disappointed... The fertile lands of the surrounding towns and villages produced a large amount of grain every year. Although most of it was taken by the lord, it was enough for them to live a relatively wealthy life.

Most of the land around the city was cultivated by slaves, but some villages on the outskirts were able to survive by paying taxes to the lord.

Every soldier longed to go to these villages and make a good harvest; the continuous rain had put them in a very bad mood, or rather, they were hoping for it to happen.

Now that this matter has been completely rejected, it has naturally caused great dissatisfaction among them, and the entire army has become somewhat restless.

Instead of suppressing the unrest, the nobles seemed to be indulging it...

Under such indulgence, the Hols camp became noisy, with every soldier loudly venting their discontent, their hissing and complaints almost reaching the city.

………………

Looking at the chaotic scene before him, Taloris couldn't help but let out a long sigh... How could he not know what these soldiers and nobles were thinking?

The country has encountered an unprecedented crisis, but their first thought is whether they can gain more benefits... They even become anxious and restless when they encounter the slightest setback.

…………

The Kingdom of Hols has existed for over 1000 years, and the reason they have been able to continue to this day is due to the insurmountable natural barrier in the north of the kingdom.

There was a huge gap in national power between them and the empire. This country had three times their size and the most fertile central plains, which made their population prosperous and their treasury full.

But now this insurmountable natural barrier is at risk of being damaged, yet they remain so short-sighted, even willing to jeopardize the overall situation for the sake of a plunder.

But the old man also knew that he had no other choice... Unlike the empire's standing army, these lords brought their own territorial soldiers and conscripts from their own territories in order to obtain more wealth, which is why they had traveled thousands of miles to come here.

The soldiers were making a fuss because food was running low in the camp; they were dissatisfied with their dwindling rations.

Count Curitens arrived just in time with his 3000 troops, which was a good thing, but they did not bring enough food, which increased the pressure on the camp...

The tent door was flung open again, and a servant entered to report:

A total of 12 nobles wanted to meet him...

Taloris sighed again, covered his face, and made up his mind.

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

Teres learned some rather interesting news... The current lord's wife is not the lord's son's real mother, but a stepmother.

He was puzzled at the time, wondering why such a young lady of the lord could give birth to such a big son... but considering the generally early marriage age in the Middle Ages, he did not have too many doubts.

But the reality wasn't as horrific as he imagined; the city's lord hadn't married a child in her teens...

Of course, these were all byproducts. The real news he received was that even the lord's son, his eldest son, was unaware of the massive armory.

A lord, who had reigned for over a decade, concealed a vast armory within his inner city, unknown not only to his wife but even to his eldest son. What were his intentions?

Considering the large number of strong slaves in those cities and the wealth he had accumulated, no one who knew these things could fail to understand the lord's thoughts.

And now everything that this lord had—his ambition, his wealth… even his city and his family—was no longer his.

For an ambitious person, nothing is more terrifying than this... all their efforts have benefited others, and years of forbearance, savings, and hard work have all turned into meaningless things.

He simply couldn't imagine what the lord would feel when he saw this place from outside the city...

Now his armor and weapons have been brought out, and the strong slaves in the city have been distributed with them. Even the money has been put to use, but he is not the one enjoying all of this.

Moreover, he had to live in constant fear that the secrets of the city would be leaked, leaving his family with nowhere to go in the entire Kingdom of Hols.

Just as Tersolius was reflecting on this, Arka suddenly came over and reported the information gathered by the scouts...

"You mean the Holstein army has started looting the surrounding villages?"

"Yes, sir. According to our intelligence, all five nearby villages have been looted and burned to the ground... We have not found any survivors."

…………

"Truly breathtaking..."

Tersolius shook his head, deeply moved by this unique situation of the Hols... Talina's village was completely destroyed by a Hols cavalry led by a minor lord.

It was as if they were in an enemy country, where they were burning, killing, plundering, and abusing their own people with impunity on their own soil... and they could only raise military supplies in this way.

They didn't know how to establish reasonable grain requisition measures, nor did they know to build warehouses along the marching routes; the lords didn't think about repairing the roads in their own territories...

This country had almost no opportunity to expand outwards, but thanks to the protection of its mountains and seas, it has survived to this day.

After thinking for a moment, Tersolius suddenly had an idea... This information seemed like it could be put to use...

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

News of the massacre of the surrounding towns spread like wildfire through the city. The citizens, who were already terrified by the inexplicable betrayal of the kingdom, were even more frightened by this news. Everyone could guess what would happen to them after the city fell.

With no way out, the citizens finally stopped resisting the imperial rule, and Marcus found his work inexplicably easier, leaving him completely bewildered.

Chapter 59 Reinforcements (1)

The catapult's boom was slowly pulled down by the winch. Amidst a series of commands, the four soldiers, their faces flushed, finally managed to get the metal mechanism into place.

The enormous stone projectile was lifted by two soldiers working together, then placed into a huge net. With all preparations complete, at a command, a soldier raised his wooden hammer and slammed it heavily onto the mechanism…

The counterweight box creaked and groaned as it slammed down, slowly raising the long launch bar until it reached maximum speed at the very end, launching the massive stone projectile directly into the air.

The heavy rock quickly turned into a small black dot, streaking across the pale sky and crashing into the ground in front of the city wall amidst the expectant gazes of the Hols people. It then sank deep into the ground with a dull thud, kicking up a large clump of soil.

"It's veering off course! Adjust it again!"

The soldier standing on the wooden tower shouted loudly down, and a Holstein man in a robe came to the catapult, took the wooden hammer from the soldier, and struck a protruding wooden block several times.

Soon, another huge rock was transported over, and the soldiers began to pull down the long jib again, and the massive counterweight box slowly rose once more amidst the creaking of the wood.

The process was the same as before: the stone projectiles were loaded into a net bag, and after everything was prepared, they were launched as the soldier struck the trigger.

The massive rock streaked across the sky once more, this time its impact point extending further forward, but it still didn't touch the city wall. It tore through a small patch of land before sinking deep into the ground, but the dull thud seemed to travel along the ground to the city wall, making the people standing on the mountain feel their feet tremble.

A mountain man raised his longbow high, then briefly calculated the distance and direction. A look of unease crossed his face, but he still released his grip...

Sure enough, although the arrow flew out with the airflow, it landed dozens of meters away from the catapult, which made the Hols soldiers laugh and continue to launch the catapult's stone projectiles with great enthusiasm.

After another half hour of calibration and adjustment, this time the stone projectile finally hit the city wall solidly... It shattered into several stone fragments and bounced back, sinking into the ground again.

The slaves and mountain people standing on the city wall felt a slight tremor under their feet, and then nothing more... The walls of Alpert were a full four meters thick, enough to allow carriages to run on them, so this sudden tremor naturally had no impact.

Just as these guys were still curiously craning their necks to look at the inconspicuous marks on the city wall, a cavalryman charged over with the swishing sound of iron scales scraping against each other, kicking them to the ground one after another, while shouting loudly for everyone to hide behind the battlements.

After saying these words, the cavalryman nimbly ducked and hid behind the meter-thick battlements...

The next instant, a massive rock crashed to the side, shattering several marble slabs used to build the city wall into sharp fragments that flew everywhere. Several slaves and mountain people, caught off guard, screamed and tumbled to the ground; two others were already silent…

The cavalryman was nearly driven mad with anger, but he still rushed to the side of these people and shouted down towards the city wall. Several strong slaves immediately carried over a strange thing from the side: two wooden poles connected by a whole white cloth. They put their wailing companions on it, and then each of them carried them away, one at each end.

The area for settling the wounded is located just over 200 meters from the city wall, and today it is fulfilling its duty for the first time...

After several people were carried in, Tarina immediately went forward to examine them. She hesitated for a moment, then immediately ordered the two who were already dead to be carried away...

Although the women around had witnessed such a bloody scene before, this was their first time being in charge of treating the wounded, so they seemed somewhat flustered.

For a moment, people were doing all sorts of things... Some rushed to get white cloths to wrap the wounds, some hurriedly fetched hot water, and some wanted to find herbs... Some even did nothing but frantically shout in panic, and the scene became chaotic.

"Don't run around!"

The girl's slightly stern voice suddenly rang out, drawing all the women's attention to her, which made her flinch slightly.

……

"Listen carefully, doctor. Everyone encounters an emergency for the first time, and they often panic. As a leader, your job is to guide their thinking, prevent panic from spreading, and tell them what they should do..."

…………

The girl took a deep breath:

“Bryce, Kunna! You two take their clothes off, being careful not to aggravate the wounds… Elsie, Daphne, you two go get some clean bandages…”

Her mind had never been so clear. Tarina methodically assigned tasks to everyone, and the previously flustered women, now knowing what they were supposed to do, immediately sprang into action…

The tattered clothes on the wounded were immediately removed to prevent them from sticking to the wounds, and the pebbles embedded in the flesh were pulled out one by one. After a flash of pale blue light, the bleeding stopped.

The excessively large wound was cleaned and then stitched up with needle and thread. A clean bandage soaked in medicine was then applied to it, and the bleeding quickly stopped.

…………

They had made ample preparations, so they quickly rescued these unfortunate fellows... of course, only temporarily; what happened next depended on their own luck...

A mountain archer and a crossbowman were very unlucky to have their heads smashed. In fact, they had already stopped breathing on the city wall, but the slaves still brought them down... and now they are being taken out to find a place to bury them.

To prevent a plague from breaking out in the city, Tersolius ordered that all the dead must be buried in the cemetery... and even demolished two abandoned houses to make room for them.