Mount and Blade Central Asia

But because horses have four hooves, the sound they make when running is much more majestic than that of the infantry.

At this distance, the Armenians' usual spears and stones lost their accuracy and could only make a loud noise.

More than half of the mountain people were new recruits who had never experienced battle. Although they had the courage to fight the enemy, they did not know how to conserve their strength.

The eyes of these recruits subconsciously followed the footsteps of the cavalry and soon their attention became distracted, and the spirit of risking their lives also dissipated.

This was a confrontation between hunter and prey. This group of Armenian troops came out from the depths of the mountains in response to the call, and were seized by the Black Sheep, whose troops were beginning to become abundant.

At this time, they were only 20 kilometers away from Erzurum, but no one could help them.

"Don't follow them around in circles with your eyes. Keep your eyes on one direction. Don't worry about other directions. Just focus on what's in front of you!" The veteran shouted loudly to ease the nervousness of the recruits.

Most of them were equipped with spears more than two meters long, made from fine ash wood. In the Latin used by the Romans, ash and spear were synonyms.

In Armenian legend, the ash tree is sacred and a warrior holding it is invincible and invincible.

Their shields are made of oak. The druids in the mountains believe that oak has sacred power and protects the warriors from injury.

These spears and shields are the guarantee of their survival on the battlefield and the tools for them to stand firm on this land.

"Cowardly and shameless sheep fucker! Come on if you have the guts!" A reckless but brave recruit rashly put down his shield and shouted at the black sheep man, mocking him loudly.

He might just want to express his disdain for the enemy, or he might simply want to put down his shield and relieve his sore arms.

But he should not have been so defenseless in the face of the Black Sheep People who were good at riding and shooting. Before he could finish his words, the sharpshooter hidden in the cavalry shot an arrow into his throat.

"Heh... Heh..." The recruit let go of the spear and shield in his hands, letting them fall to the ground. With an look of disbelief, he covered his throat with both hands and tried to take another breath of air, letting his lungs feel the joy of air passing through again.

However, what he finally breathed into his lungs was nothing but fear, besides his own blood.

He turned his head in despair and fear, looking at his companions for help, but it was pointless except for causing more panic.

Sporadic arrows shot from the Black Sheep cavalry further increased this fear.

This is a common tactic used by the Rangers. When they cannot break through the heavily defended infantry formations, they will use this tactic when they are unwilling to pay the price of hunting their prey's lives by close shooting and have plenty of time.

The core of this tactic is to create fear and pressure in a phased and rhythmic manner. The whole process will be like waves, with wave after wave sweeping over the surrounded infantry, chipping away at their morale and physical strength bit by bit.

The Ranger teams that can use this tactic are all elite veterans, and everyone knows what they should do and when to do it.

The Armenian veterans who realized this also fell into despair.

At this moment, the Black Sheep people suddenly let out a series of terrifying howls, shouting in a language they could not understand and began to gradually tighten the encirclement.

The increasingly smaller circling radius made the Black Sheep Cavalry formation, which was outnumbered, appear even thicker, like an impenetrable wall, making the Armenians trapped inside feel as if the air had been squeezed out and they had difficulty breathing.

Then there was another rain of arrows.

The Black Sheep people, who are good at riding and shooting, use the lob shot method to shoot the enemies on the opposite side from a high position on horseback.

The Armenians directly in front of them could hear the sound of arrows whistling past their heads, and then the screams of their companions as the arrows passed over them and hit the other side of the circle.

This has a low hit rate, but it can create more fear.

Even the heavily armored lord shouting the mountain folk's battle cries could not calm the new recruits.

Then, in the chaos, the Black Sheep Cavalry, who had been circling the Armenians, suddenly made way, as if giving up on continuing to harass them.

Chapter 603: The Black Sheep's Counterattack

As the Black Sheep people continued to shrink their front lines, the troops they had at hand became more and more abundant, and the Black Sheep people's counterattack finally began.

The Black Sheep People, who still highly maintain their nomadic customs, have excellent mobility. The two thousand-man teams withdrawn from the eastern border were first transferred to the Van area to confront the Armenians on their way to Tabriz.

This is also the reason why small and scattered Armenian troops were constantly attacked. Faced with the flexible Black Sheep cavalry, it was difficult for them to make a quick and effective counterattack.

This strategic situation where they could only take a beating but not fight back greatly discouraged the mountain lords from coming out of the mountains and trying to gain glory.

If it weren't for the fact that Adorad Shalabi, who was trying to return to the mountains, was attacked by the Black Sheep People and all his followers died on the road, there would probably be more lords retreating to the mountains with their troops.

Hiltberg was very satisfied with his previous little trick. Those Mongolian cavalrymen who pretended to be Black Sheep People acted steadily, accurately and ruthlessly, leaving no one alive and giving others a handle to use against them.

During his time serving beside the Great Conqueror, he had already witnessed the ruthlessness of the Mongols. The military traditions accumulated over hundreds of years had turned them into very qualified war machines.

Sometimes he also wondered, if another "steady" strongman like Genghis Khan or Timur appeared among the Mongols, and gradually seized the opportunity to expand westward, would he really be able to conquer the entire Christian world?

The Mongol Empire had tried this before, but ultimately abandoned the plan with regret because of the terrain and climate, which made it difficult to maintain the condition of war horses in Europe.

By the time of Timur, he was far better than the Mongols at integrating the forces in the occupied areas.

Witnessed by Hiltberg, Timur's military system, under ideal conditions, could even quickly transform the occupied areas into new war nutrients in just three months.

That was an efficient system that Hiltberg had never seen before, under the Ottoman prince Suleiman, outside the walls of Constantinople, and among the Bavarian nobles.

The great conqueror never cared about human life. Between one hundred thousand potential opponents, ten thousand people who were not absolutely loyal, and one hundred warriors willing to die, he would always choose the latter.

The most terrifying thing is that Timur always has a way to select the ten thousand people from the one hundred thousand people, and then select the one hundred people from the ten thousand people.

What Hiltberg was now doing to these Armenians was only a simplified and more merciful version of what the great conqueror had done.

All I can say is that he has indeed learned a lot from following the great conqueror over the years.

"John, I'm almost gathering a team of a thousand people!" Helferson's tone was full of disbelief.

As a bandit leader who came from the mountains, Helfeson was certainly no ordinary person. He even dared to ambush his lord on the road, which was considered extremely courageous in that era.

But Helferson never thought that one day he would become a knight, and even if he worked harder, he might even become a baron.

Not only that, he now has a group of more than 800 soldiers by piecing together some troops. Although most of them are mountain people who have never seen the world, soldiers are still soldiers.

When this group of people were led out of the mountains by their lord, they were already mentally prepared to fight others. After all, they were much stronger than the militia in Erzurum or anywhere else.

Helferson himself was a mountain man, so he certainly understood this group. These people were all qualified warriors, they just lacked experience.

Most of the mountain people work part-time as hunters in the mountains. They are physically strong and fierce, and are good at using spears and shields.

You know, even the old Baron Sharabi had never assembled an army of this size, and his territory could not afford to support such an army.

But now with Hiltberg's support behind him, and the Urartu family in Erzurum willing to pay most of the military pay and food, Helfeson's strength expanded rapidly in a short period of time.

"Keep a low profile. You're the one who always takes advantage. Some people are starting to get suspicious." Hiltberg said to Helferson calmly.

This rough guy who usually looks quite smart couldn't have been completely unaware that it was a bit of a coincidence that he always happened to catch the Black Sheep People attacking the Armenian troops. He just acquiesced to it all happening.

So Hiltberg simply warned him that this robber knight had started to get on the right track and was trying to play the noble game.

Of course, Hiltberg had no ability to influence the military deployment of the Black Sheep People, but he had the Mongols at his disposal, especially Li Rufeng's personal guards.

Therefore, in those scenes that Helfesen happened to take advantage of, most of them were because Helfesen heard the news in advance and knew that a small group of Armenian reinforcements were coming from somewhere, and then there were Mongolian scouts who led the Black Sheep cavalry group over there.

As for the Armenian lords who happened to die at the hands of the Qara ...

Chapter 604 Advance Ship

"Huaihui, where are we?" A somewhat disheveled man stood weakly on the deck and asked the handsome man in military uniform.

"Just after passing the Strait of Hormuz, according to the map given by the Royal Guards, there's a small fishing village ahead where we can resupply supplies. It's called..." The man known as Huaihui took out the map and studied it for a long time before answering, "It's a small fishing village called Gongbulun."

"Is there someone from the Jinyiwei to pick us up?" The man who spoke stretched out his hand to support the fence in front of him, while touching his teeth. He felt that his teeth were a little loose.

This is not a good sign. Our bodies and hair are given by our parents, not to mention such important things as teeth. They have been drifting on the sea for too long.

The last time Lord Zheng sailed to the West, he passed by those foreign countries and discovered a fruit called lemon. It can be preserved for a long time and can effectively prevent scurvy in sailors. However, it tastes too sour and he doesn't like it very much.

"I don't know. It's impossible to be sure now. Those spies don't like to stay in one place for a long time." Dong Huaihui stared at the limp sail with a frown.

After passing the strait, the wind weakened significantly, which was very unfavorable for them to continue going deeper into the strait.

Although he didn't know why Lord Zheng asked them to go deep into the strait and sail to the end, he still completed the task diligently.

"Well, at least those spies are reliable. We have traveled so far on the sea, and they can always find a place to resupply us before us." The man who spoke took out the folding stool he had placed in the corner, took out a charcoal pencil and began to outline the shape of the coastline.

His task was to draw sea charts, especially those close to the coast, in order to facilitate the search for good ports.

"After all, they have the help of extraordinary people." Dong Huaihui looked at the direction of the ship's tower behind him with some envy. In the room at the highest point, there lived an alchemist.

That was originally where the captain should have lived because it had the widest view, but now he could only live on the lower level and give the room to the other party.

Dong Huaihui was on a small boat, which was of course a small boat compared to the large ships in the treasure ship fleet.

The ship was about 15 feet long and 32 feet wide. Judging from the size of the ship it passed by, it could barely be considered a large ship.

Under the command of Dong Huaihui, the ship quickly docked near a small fishing village. The huge ship, unfamiliar faces, and soldiers wearing armor and holding swords made the locals panic immediately.

After an ineffective conversation that was neither the right nor the wrong, the village chief finally remembered that someone passing by once told him that if a large ship came ashore in the future, he should not be afraid, as they were only there to buy supplies.

As long as they take out food, fruits, and enough fresh water from the village, the people on the boat will give them generous rewards.

Of course, the village chief did not believe this, but the outsider who came to deliver the message left him a large gold coin with a Mongolian face printed on it. It is said that the gold coin was printed with a portrait of the great conqueror Timur himself.

Of course, the village chief had never seen Timur, and he had not even heard much news about Timur. Their place was too isolated, and there was nothing worth stealing. Except for the occasional caravan passing by and bringing some news from the outside world, they had been living like this for decades.

Until today, the peaceful life has been disrupted.

Looking at those outsiders with black hair and black eyes, the village chief finally realized that those people had not deceived him, and then shouted to the villagers not to be afraid and to take out all the food at home, which could be sold at a good price.

Chapter 605 Mosul Specialties

April 1409, 7, sunny.

With the arrival of midsummer, the highest temperature in Mosul has exceeded 35 degrees Celsius. Workers who work under the scorching sun will hide in the shade and gasp for breath during the hottest time of noon.

After nearly a month of hard work, although Motor City has not returned to its original state, at least there are no refugees sleeping on the streets.

With Li Rufeng's generous subsidies and the free provision of food from the rear to the refugees, his and Princess Parisa's reputation spread among the people of Mosul.

According to the latest statistics, the number of refugees still hiding in the ruins on the other side of the river and refusing to return to the city is less than 500.

Li Rufeng followed public opinion and appointed Fakhr al-Bawali as the chief defense commander of Mosul.

The reason why such a promotion was possible was thanks to the fact that the unruly Mongols under Li Rufeng were unwilling to be bound in the city. No one wanted to take on the position of city defense chief.

Others, such as the officers of the Malikiya City League, were not qualified to ask Li Rufeng for help because of their useless performance in the war.

The only person who is qualified to compete with Fakhr Bavari is Marcelino of Armenian descent, but he is now the captain of the promising Armenian thousand-man team.

He was the captain of one of the few thousand-man regular army teams under Li Rufeng's command, so of course he would not compete for a position like the chief of Mosul's defense.

Even if Li Rufeng no longer expands his territory from now on, Marcelino's influence will not be limited to that of a centurion. He is considered the spiritual leader of the Armenians under Li Rufeng.

The dark wizard Misia has been very honest during this period because the Knight of the Eagle of Order has been watching him from behind.

This is not just an adjective, but it really means that someone is watching him from behind. The person in charge of this work is the fierce general brother Haishaer.

As the highest-ranking dark wizard surviving in Mosul, Misia's every move was questioned by the Eagle of Order.

If the Eagle of Order organization had not been somewhat in decline, and if it was not for Li Rufeng who rescued them from the trap set by the black wizard in Mosul City, Haishar might have chopped off Misia's head with a sword long ago.

Misia himself was obviously well aware of this, so in just one month, he looked four or five years older, and his hair was even a little gray.

Of course, this does not rule out the possibility that Misia deliberately pretended to be pitiful. Anyway, when facing these dark wizards, you can be right to guess their thoughts as dark as possible.

"Lord Rufeng, the production of kvass has been put on track. At our current level, we cannot adjust the output or shift the production line. The runes that make up the magic circle are all engraved on the floor." Misia reported to Li Rufeng step by step.

Although no one in Mosul is eating emergency food like kvass anymore, Li Rufeng still has no intention of stopping the production and storage of kvass.

Just as he said before, judging from the calorie ratio and storage efficiency alone, kvass has surpassed the so-called compressed biscuits, chocolate and other emergency foods of the era before he traveled through time. It is really a treasure that is hard to give up.

Humans are highly adaptable creatures. When they have a choice, they can be so extravagant as to make dishes like dragon liver and chicken feet, but when famine comes, they can survive by gnawing on grass roots and eating tree bark.

In the two completely opposite directions of survival and enjoyment, human beings have reached the pinnacle.

Kvass was undoubtedly a pearl in the realm of survival. In fact, it was so rare that before the system officially recognized Mosul as Li Rufeng's territory, it was treated as a special creation and attached to the city label of Mosul.

[Special product - Kvass, a liquefied food accidentally created by a dark wizard. It is known for its extremely unpalatable taste, but only a small cup a day is enough to fill a person's stomach. It is easy to store and difficult to spoil. The fixed production is 850 kilograms per week.]

Another special product identified by the system is the crude cement produced by the Wizard Tower's South Tower.

[Special Product - Crude Cement, a quick-acting building material created by Dark Wizards. Known for its ease of shaping and its solidity and reliability after solidification, it is a rare alchemical miracle, with a maximum output of 500 kilograms per day.]

A daily output of 500 kilograms is the limit of what Nan Tower can handle every day. This makes Li Rufeng somewhat disappointed because he really has too much expectation on cement.

Chapter 606: Knight Helferson

The Armenians have always lacked cavalry, so they have always been at a disadvantage in encounters in the wild.

The three Armenian lords who were attacked on the road at least still had the power to resist, but the migrating Armenian civilians and merchants going to Erzurum to do business did not have such resistance.

In just two weeks, the situation on the battlefield changed dramatically. The Armenians were trapped in Erzurum, unable to move, and the Urartu family's wealth was dwindling, suffering heavy losses.

Under such circumstances, they naturally did not want to see these mountain lords who came under the banner of supporting their compatriots eating and drinking in the city of Erzurum but doing nothing.

What's more, a large number of mountain people live in the city, which has caused the city's public security situation to continue to deteriorate, and negative news about mountain people is reported almost every day.

"We must launch a counterattack against the Black Sheep People immediately. We can't just sit there and wait for death. They want to trap us here!" Mustafa, the head of the Urartu family, shouted loudly at the dinner.

It's a pity that few mountain lords are willing to listen to his nonsense. These people are surrounded by fine wine and delicious food and are eating them voraciously, and they don't care about anything else.