Armored Cavalry, survive in a world full of mods

Natamus scoffed:

"Who do you think is waiting for me? That's my brother... Did you really think the city would fall while we were 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.

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?"

Tersolius seemed even more interested.

"Yes."

The girl nodded and said seriously:

"Protecting your teeth is important, adults. Because of rough food and bad habits, many people's teeth are already unusable by the time they are 30 or 40 years old... Damaged teeth can cause great pain and also increase the risk of disease."

"This is a method my teacher taught me. Chewing this can keep your teeth and mouth clean, so you won't get sick or damaged as easily."

The man nodded:

"Doctor, your teacher must be a very knowledgeable person. If I have the chance, I would really like to meet him..."

"Then you may be disappointed for now."

The girl chuckled lightly.

“My teacher left the village when I was 14 years old. No one knows where he went. He always collected medicinal herbs and gathered knowledge in various places. He stayed behind to investigate the distribution of medicinal herbs around our village.”

As the girl spoke, her mood became somewhat downcast, and Tersolius spoke up at the opportune moment:

"Then give me some of this oral hygiene product too, maybe it will taste really good."

"I advise you not to get your hopes up..."

The girl deftly wrapped two more orange-yellow ore pieces in leaves, then handed one to Tersolius and the other to the mountain girl who was looking around the warehouse.

Although Colin instinctively caught the object, the strange herb still made her hesitant. The mountain girl with short, dark blond hair deliberately slowed her movements and secretly glanced at Tersolius…

But when he saw the man casually toss the small packet of herbs into his mouth and begin to chew it carefully without showing any discomfort, he felt relieved.

But as soon as she put the herb packet in her mouth and chewed it a couple of times, a heavy, bitter taste suddenly burst forth, with the astringent texture unique to minerals, almost like peeling off the bark of a poplar tree and putting it directly into her mouth to gnaw on.

The strange smell made her brows furrow, and she instinctively tried to spit it out... but a large hand grabbed her face.

"Don't spit it out, chew it properly. You eat meat all day long and don't even know how to take care of your teeth. Be careful that you don't ruin all your teeth before you turn 30. At that time, you won't be able to eat meat or even vegetables, and you'll only be able to survive on porridge."

Thesolius remained expressionless, as if the contents of his mouth were not bitter herbs but sweet sugar.

Colin tried to struggle, but the large hand was as firm as an iron clamp, so he could only resign himself to chewing. But the more he chewed, the more bitter the taste became, as if every drop of juice had been squeezed out of the grass.

When the long ordeal finally ended, she rushed out impatiently, spat out the green bits of food in her mouth, and then took the water that Tarina handed her, drinking several large gulps to dilute the bitter taste in her mouth.

Tesorus took the cup, drank a sip, rinsed his mouth, spat it out, and then licked his teeth, finding them indeed smoother.

"Perhaps I should issue a forceful order so that every single person in my army has time to do this... no, do it at the garrison, it's too much of a luxury to do it while on the march."

"I don't think this is very useful, except for subjecting people to torture every day..."

Colin immediately voiced her objection, an indescribable bitterness causing her face to scrunch up, thinking about having to experience this every day from now on...

"What do children know?..."

Tersolius flicked his hand and tapped the mountain girl on the head, making her frown and cover her forehead.

"This is all incredible knowledge and valuable information. You may feel uncomfortable now, but you'll understand the benefits it can bring you later... It's decided, it'll start with you. From now on, you have to come here to see the doctor every day. If you miss even one day, I'll deduct your salary!"

"No! Perhaps we can discuss this further and not make a decision so quickly!..."

Ignoring the mountain girl's protest, Tesolis turned his head back again:

"Are the guys who were injured yesterday still alive? I saw they were covered in blood."

"No problem, sir. They are all very strong and can withstand it. As long as their wounds do not worsen in the next two days, they will definitely recover."

The three men began to walk into the warehouse, where the ground was covered with planks of wood, each covered with a white cloth—something prepared for the wounded soldiers.

The surrounding ground was swept clean, and all the cobwebs and dust on the warehouse walls and roof were thoroughly cleaned to ensure that these things would not get on the wound.

Perhaps these simple-minded mountain people and slaves don't realize it, but the treatment they are now enjoying surpasses that of some nobles...

Given their status, the treatments they could receive were often limited to bloodletting and cauterizing wounds with hot irons... This kind of treatment was definitely not a pleasant thing; on the contrary, it would make life worse than death.

Only Talina, the little doctor from a remote village, possessed unexpectedly superb medical skills, enabling her to save their lives in this way, without the pain of branding irons and knives.

With a little clever magic, these guys can sit up and eat heartily on the second day after they're injured, enjoying the extra food for the wounded that can only be enjoyed here.

In any other army, wounded soldiers would receive less food because they are no longer of any use and should not be given any more rations.

Upon seeing Tersolius suddenly enter, the mountain people, who had already endured much scolding from the cavalry, immediately addressed him as "General" and rose to salute. They also did not forget to greet their leader, while the slaves immediately addressed him as "Master" and respectfully prostrated themselves on the ground...

Thesolius made the slaves lying on the ground stand up to prevent their wounds from getting dusty... This behavior had become an instinct for them, and no amount of emphasis could change it.

After making sure they had enough food in their bowls, the three of them walked to the backyard, where several large pots were boiling water. Clean hot water was essential for cleaning wounds and bandages.

However, fuel in the city is very limited, so the hot water is only heated once a day, and everything that needs to be cleaned must be cleaned in that one session.

Large quantities of herbs are being washed and dried, while some with special properties are left to dry in the sun without being washed.

Several merchants were haggling with the women nearby. They still had some medicinal herbs in their hands, but seeing the current situation, they wanted to raise the price to sell them again.

………………

When they saw that Teresolus had actually appeared in the backyard, they immediately stopped insisting, abandoned their greedy ideas, took the money, and fled as if they were escaping...

Tersolius shook his head, already used to what he was seeing.

And now, it's the fifth day the city has been besieged...

61. Leisure

Kneading flour repeatedly with water requires a certain skill to keep your hands clean.

Once the dough has been kneaded into a smooth dough, cover it with an earthenware bowl and let it rise. While it is rising, use a knife to chop the beef and mutton into fine minced meat, then mix in wild onions, sand ginger, and other seasonings, along with some salt and oil.

At this point, the minced meat already smells delicious and looks very appetizing, but it's still only a semi-finished product.

Once the dough has risen, roll it out into a thin sheet, wrap the meat filling inside, sprinkle a thick layer of crispy sesame seeds on top, and place it on a preheated pan.

The flames under the pot had been removed, leaving mostly charcoal to slowly roast the meat patties. The even and constant heat quickly gave the meat patties a wonderful aroma.

The oil brushed on the pan sizzled as the food was fried, providing an additional auditory enjoyment on top of the visual and olfactory experience.

The unique aroma of wild onions, released by frying, becomes even more wonderful when mixed with oil. The hot charcoal is not wasted either; several iron boxes are placed inside to bake, and white bread can be taken out from them in a while.

After roughly estimating the time, Tersolius lifted the lid of the pot, flipped the meat pie over, and then, under the expectant gazes of the others, put the lid back on and continued to wait.

On the earthenware pot next to it, hot soup was bubbling, with finely chopped celery and carrots moving around in the hot water. Salted dried meat also joined them, giving the soup a unique flavor.

Colin stretched her head out as far as she could, almost greedily inhaling the aroma emanating from the iron pot. She had never smelled anything so delicious before, and she couldn't even imagine what it would taste like!

But without Thesolius's permission, she wouldn't dare to act recklessly even if she had two extra lives, so she could only wait anxiously, clutching her bowl.

The hot soup beside them emitted a continuous aroma, and the iron cans placed in the embers smelled of toasted bread.

In front of this small iron pot, three people each sat on a log as a stool, solving their lunch problem.

………………

The wait was always long, and when Tersolius announced that dinner could be served, the mountain girl almost let out a cheer.

The crispy, caramelized meat patties were taken out and placed on the cutting board. The crackling sound of the knife slicing through the crispy crust was enough to steal one's soul.