Cataphracts, surviving in a world full of mods

"Dr. Talina, what do we do next?"

Tarina, whose hands were still stained with blood, was suddenly stopped by a woman. When she turned around, she realized that everyone was staring at her expectantly...

"Go...go, go wash these rags used for cleaning wounds again...someone else might be brought over later, everyone be prepared."

The women agreed and immediately got to work, while only Talina remained standing there, somewhat dazed…

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The massive rocks launched by the heavy catapults crashed against the city walls again and again, each time producing a deafening roar that shook the entire city, but the damage they caused to the thick walls was very limited.

Only after continuously pounding the city walls for more than ten days could they possibly cause real structural damage... But during this period, the boulders launched into the city inevitably affected the morale of the city.

Residents living near the city walls felt great panic and demanded to move closer to the city center to avoid being crushed by the huge stones being hurled in.

Thesolius then issued an order to demolish houses near the city walls, and some of the fine timber that was removed was put to use by the city's craftsmen.

Tersolius wasn't prepared to be attacked indefinitely. From the moment he entered the city, the artisans were summoned and busy with a project. This would give the Holsteins a big surprise when they launched their full-scale attack…

The following period was the most difficult and longest phase, marked by the constant bombardment of catapults.

………………

The mountain people and slaves stood at the base of the city walls, dumbfounded as the huge rocks crashed into the walls and rolled into the city, but because the surrounding area had been cleared, they didn't hit any obstacles...

These enormous rocks weren't specially crafted projectiles; they were massive blocks quarried directly from the mountains, with sharp, jagged edges, making them impossible to roll. Over time, they accumulated into a large pile on this open area near the city wall.

This area has become a veritable death zone; only the most reckless dare to go in... You never know when a stone might fly by and smash you into a bloody pulp, so much so that you'd be mixed in with the soil and indistinguishable, and you'd have to turn the land over to use it as fertilizer.

Neither the mountain people nor the slaves intended to be used as fertilizer. They pitched tents directly at the base of the wall and lived there for the next few days. If the enemy launched a surprise attack, they could climb the wall in the blink of an eye to defend themselves.

A group of strong, clever, and diligent people were assigned to operate the machinery on the city wall. They were seeing such things for the first time and needed to be taught by others.

There was no shortage of such candidates. On the day the city was breached, although many soldiers who tried to stop their iron cavalry were crushed on the spot, many others were taken prisoner... Among them were many who were originally operators of catapults.

The city's defenses were quite complete, including more than a dozen small catapults, as well as many giant crossbows, oil canisters, and the like.

The garrison soldiers who had already fallen into their hands naturally had no intention of resisting, or rather, they had already recognized reality and were even quite eager for this opportunity, so they were all released quickly.

On the afternoon of the same day that the Hols' heavy catapults began to unleash their power, the catapults on the city walls also began to retaliate. Relying on the cover of the sturdy city walls, the two sides fought back and forth for a time... Thanks to the height of the city walls, even small catapults had a fairly good range.

The Hols' catapults were frequently hit, though rarely directly due to the distance. Nevertheless, they immediately erected tall wooden fences in front of them to protect their catapults.

The fence would be smashed to pieces from time to time, and whenever this happened, soldiers had to risk their lives to repair it.

This was certainly not a good job. The chances of being hit by a stone were slim, but not impossible, and if you were hit, you would die a horrible death... But for the sake of those shiny gold coins and blood-stained whips, one soldier after another carried the nailed wooden fence up to repair it.

Both sides suffered few casualties, but each death was extremely gruesome... sometimes they even had to be scooped up from the ground with a wooden shovel...

The slaves quickly adapted to their new situation. They went from being terrified when they first saw the gruesome deaths to now being able to calmly clean up the bodies and bury them...

They are already people who have suffered greatly, and their psychological tolerance is often much lower than that of others.

This was the fourth day of the city's siege...

………………

A magnificent yellow warhorse galloped along the road, accompanied by hundreds of its sturdy brethren. The subtle, vibrating sound of its armor rubbing together was like a continuous swarm of bees buzzing together.

A dozen or so bright red flags were erected among the rapidly advancing cavalry, and in the very center of the column, a thick, glossy black flagpole was held in the hand of a tall cavalryman.

A golden double-headed eagle stands on the horizontal bar at the top of the flag. The flag, made of thick silk, has a golden surface covered with tiny characters embroidered on it, and the edge is decorated with a bright red tassel and a border pattern embroidered with gold and silver threads.

At the very center of the banner is a burly cavalryman, fully armored and wielding a spear, poised to strike. Even his warhorse is clad in heavy armor, its golden silk fluttering as if it too is galloping at full speed.

The swaggering armored cavalry swiftly advanced along the well-maintained roads within the empire, passing one post station after another, but rarely stopping, only resting when both men and horses were at their physical limits.

…………

"General, water."

Nathamus stiffly accepted the ceramic jug, its leather outer layer still damp with water. He picked it up and gulped down the icy well water until his thirst was quenched. Only then did he let out a long sigh and vigorously wipe his mouth with his sleeve.

"We've passed Karites now, haven't we?..."

"Yes, General, we will reach Labufia tonight..."

Natamus glanced at his chief bodyguard:

"Just say what you want to say. When did you start to stutter like that?"

The tall, imposing captain of the guard hesitated for a moment before speaking:

"General, our men are exhausted... If this continues, things might go wrong."

As soon as he finished speaking, the captain of the guard fell silent. He knew what his suggestion meant... and he knew how anxious his general was. If he had the chance, he would have loved to take off the horse's four legs and put them on himself...

But they really couldn't continue traveling like this... If they continued like this, the people could barely hold on, but their warhorses certainly couldn't. It would be safer for them to rest until tomorrow morning before continuing their journey.

Natamus stroked his stubble-covered chin, pondering for a moment...

“You’re right. Let’s rest for today… and continue our journey tomorrow morning. Go and tell the manager of this post station to feed our warhorses salted grain and a few eggs.”

He didn't get a response for a moment, and when he turned around, he found his captain of the guards looking at him in shock.

Natamus scoffed:

"Who do you think is waiting for me? That's my brother... Do you think the city will fall while we're resting?... Hehehehehe!...!"

The imposing Nathamus rose from the rock, laughing heartily. He turned to his cavalry and announced his orders, which was met with a chorus of quiet cheers; everyone seemed thoroughly exhausted…

“You didn’t say that when you were on the road…”

Such a thought lingered in the head guard's mind, but he ultimately dared not voice it.

Chapter 60 Reinforcements (2)

The wooden hammer fell heavily, and as the mechanism suddenly released, the massive counterweight box, with its enormous weight, lifted the slender casting rod high into the air.

The huge rock flew out again, traveling a distance before crashing into the city wall, creating a large pile of rubble and smashing a battlement to pieces.

The visible gap immediately drew cheers from the Hols, who, in a frenzy, quickly reloaded the heavy catapult.

Arka gritted his teeth, then suddenly turned to look at General Tersolius behind him:

"My lord, please allow me to lead the cavalry into battle. I will burn these pointy-eared catapults and teach them a lesson!"

"Calm down, my standard-bearer..."

Tersolius continued to observe the Holstein camp silently, his gaze lingering on the three heavy catapults:

"Didn't you see that they've already made thorough preparations to defend against cavalry? ... They might be waiting for our cavalry. Letting you attack rashly will only play right into their hands."

"But General, are we just going to sit here and take a beating? If this continues, we'll lose the courage to fight to the death before those guys even launch their attack!"

"Banner commander, you're too hasty..."

…………

Alka immediately stood up straight.

“I told you before, they are the ones who don’t have time… The initiative is in our hands. Just wait and see, the Hols will launch a full-scale attack by tomorrow at the latest. They can’t keep going like this.”

Tersolius stood up and touched the shattered wall. The thick marble, quarried from the valley, was extremely sturdy, but it had been broken into pieces by the bombardment over the past few days.

"They seem to have the upper hand right now, overwhelming the city with the power of their heavy projectiles, but what have we actually lost?..."

"Our casualties were so small; thanks to the protection of the thick city walls, the number of dead and wounded did not even exceed 10..."

"The city has enough food to feed all of us until next year, and even enough to keep our warhorses strong. The fountain in the city provides a constant supply of clean water... How will they be able to take this city?"

"So don't rush. Tomorrow we will see the Hols bleed to death beneath these walls. Until then, make sure our soldiers and slaves are well-fed and take turns resting to maintain their strength... Once the Hols' first attack fails, they will never have another chance to conquer this city."

Tersolius slowly raised his arm, pointing at the Holsteins, and arrogantly surveyed the cheering crowd...

"Tomorrow the walls of Alpert will be stained red, but it will definitely not be our blood!"

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

A small purple leaf and an orange-yellow mineral were placed in the middle of a green leaf. These things seemed to have nothing in common, but now they were all wrapped together.

She tied her long, bluish-green hair up with a bony hairpin, revealing her slender, fair neck.

She scooped up the water from the basin with both hands and splashed it on her face. The cool water immediately cheered her up. Then she broke open a huge fruit that looked like a large bean pod, took out the seeds, and rubbed them in her hands.

Soon, dense foam seeped out from between her fingers. She placed the seed on the platform next to her and then evenly applied the foam to her face and hands.

Even the crevices under the fingernails are carefully cleaned, then the remaining foam is washed away with clean water, and a white cotton cloth is used to wipe the face and hands clean.

Then he put the little thing wrapped in dark green leaves into his mouth and began to chew it carefully, letting the broken leaves and juice touch every part of his mouth.

After you've had enough, spit the bits of food in your mouth into the flower bed outside, and then rinse your mouth with water.

Tarina nodded in satisfaction, savoring the herbal aroma filling her mouth and feeling her smooth, clean teeth before preparing to begin her day's work.

Inside this enormous warehouse were six wounded people, and four unfortunate individuals died on the city wall before they could receive treatment.

These wounded soldiers were all wrapped in large white cloths. Unlike the injuries caused by swords and arrows, the flying shards of stone had left them with wounds all over their bodies, which required a lot of effort to treat.

Tarina and her helpers worked late into the night yesterday. The wounds covering their bodies not only caused them immense pain, rendering them unable to move, but also caused them to bleed profusely.

Many mountain men who were originally strong enough to subdue wild boars with their bare hands can now be easily overpowered by their wives. Although these burly mountain women are already very strong, this is still a significant blow to these strong mountain men.

The lost blood cannot be replenished, so they will be in a long period of weakness. Fortunately, the injured can get more food, which helps them regain some strength.

The deafening roar of the boulder crashing into the city wall continues to this day, but they are no longer too panicked. After all, if a sound persists, people get used to it.

Tersolius has sent word that they should begin preparations, as a great battle is about to break out, at which point they will be extremely busy.

More bandages for bandaging wounds are needed, as well as clean tools for treating wounds... The blacksmiths have begun preparations, but they don't know if they'll have enough...

Sufficient numbers of splints for immobilizing limbs should be prepared, as limbs cannot be moved freely after a fracture, and this aspect must be taught to everyone.

…………

Just as the doctor was about to get to work, a voice suddenly interrupted her...

"What did you just eat? Doctor, can I have a taste?"

Tersolius lifted the curtain at the door and came in. He took off his heavy plated chainmail gloves and looked at the Holstein girl with great interest.

Talina remained calm. She was already quite used to Tersolius's unpredictable appearances. This illustrious and imposing imperial general always managed to appear in the places he wanted to be in unexpected ways...

"This is something made from saturates and sugarcane, used to protect teeth."

"Protect your teeth?"