Armored Cavalry, survive in a world full of mods

The empire's territory continued to expand, and news of victories never ceased, year after year. A few defeats did not extinguish the nation's enthusiasm; instead, they fueled a raging fire of anger and even fiercer retaliation. The desire for victory and glory was deeply rooted in the heart of every ambitious empireman, and each victory ignited a nationwide frenzy of celebration.

Scholars from Western countries described this country as a red flame that would never go out, forever thirsting for new fuel, wantonly licking the surrounding firewood, eager to set everything ablaze as well—it wasn't that they surrounded the empire, but rather that the empire squeezed them into this position. No one dislikes fertile, mild-climate plains that can support a large population; they simply couldn't have them.

Their covetousness for this land never ceased, but most of the time they only suffered painful defeats. Every great victory worthy of being recorded in the history of the empire would surely result in another exquisitely carved monument in the capital.

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

Old Dornier was examining the material before him. The smooth, white boulder was hard and dense, yet fine enough to allow a skilled sculptor to unleash their creativity and talent without easily crumbling under the blows of a chisel.

Such stone typically has only two drawbacks: it is heavy and it is expensive. The high cost refers not only to the difficulty of mining and its scarcity, but also to the astronomical transportation costs. The only feasible way to transport these heavy boulders to the imperial capital is by relying on the nearby river. The various expenses along the way, such as clearing the riverbed and hiring boatmen, are enough to drive the price of this stone to an alarming level.

The rock in front of us is more than half a person tall and an astonishing 4 meters long. Moving it would require hundreds of strong workers with tools or a dozen robust livestock. Considering the potential damage during the journey, the value of this boulder is absolutely astronomical.

Dorni was one of the city’s finest sculptors and craftsmen, and many nobles considered it an honor to have him build their estates. But now, he had been given the most honorable duty—to carve commemorative columns for the two legions that had won the great victory at the Pantas Bend, recording yet another glorious victory for the Empire, by order of the Emperor and the Senate.

This is not something anyone can do, nor does anyone dare to do... The emperor's reward is certainly generous, but if this is messed up, the emperor's punishment will be equally severe. Only sculptors with sufficient confidence in themselves would want this opportunity to showcase their talent to those important figures.

He was very satisfied with the materials in front of him; there were almost no flaws. The general concept had already been completed in his mind, and he was just waiting to put it into practice on the materials in front of him. His fingers were already dancing, and he couldn't wait to pick up the hammer, chisel and other tools to break down the stone in front of him and turn it into the final magnificent building.

Besides him, three other renowned sculptors joined the effort. They also had over 200 assistants to help them complete the work, but time was still too tight—the triumphant banquet was in a month, and the commemorative column had to be moved up Mount Pisri before then. They had to begin immediately to barely finish it by that day.

With the final inspection complete, the four exchanged glances, nodded, picked up their drink buckets and brushes, and prepared to begin marking the areas. But a sudden cheer from the city made them stop for a moment—only to quickly regain their composure and begin dipping their brushes in paint to outline the areas.

Such cheers initially surprised and intrigued them, but now they no longer held any interest. Ever since the news of the great victory from the East, cheers like these had been heard almost every few minutes—usually led by some emotionally charged orators or drunkards in taverns, who would then rally the crowds and create a tidal wave of cheers.

The reason why the people of the entire capital are so excited is because this victory is not just a simple landslide victory.

Although the Kurist people were able to assemble a considerable army, considering their population size, they could be described as militaristic and wasteful. Almost every man who could ride a horse and shoot arrows had gathered under their Khan's command. While this provided them with formidable military strength, it also meant that any losses could easily cripple them and even have a significant impact on their entire population structure.

In the past, the Empire was always on the defensive when it fought against these fierce and swift-moving peoples. These peoples, who grew up on horseback, had extremely high mobility thanks to their large number of horses. They would often launch large and small invasions on the border, plunder the Empire's villages, and then flee before the defenders could react. Because of the long border between the Empire and Kurist, they often succeeded, which filled the entire Empire with anger towards these barbaric enemies from the East.

But this time their army was trapped within the Empire's territory and had to face the Empire's legions head-on—which led to a miserable defeat. Even by the roughest calculation, their losses exceeded 6%, which can be described as breaking the backbone of the Kurist people in one fell swoop, killing or wounding most of their able-bodied men. Even annihilation was not out of the question.

It's understandable that the angry crowd was so excited and elated at the sudden moment.

137 Games

The night was silent, but inside the sturdy brick house, whispers suddenly broke out, almost inaudible like mice gnawing on clothes, but soon became clearer.

Several figures wrapped in quilts and blankets suddenly began to move, then slowly unwrapped themselves and crept together by the door.

These guys were only wearing thin undershirts, some even just a pair of shorts, but everyone covered their faces with cloth, leaving only their eyes showing.

Although they looked comical, their movements were anything but sloppy. They moved without making a sound, like an agile big cat carrying only a small package on its waist, before sneaking out through the door.

They were few in number, with only three or four people in each barracks, but they all had the same destination, converging on one room along the streets and alleys of the camp.

A section of Pelydos has always been designated as a garrison for large armies, but it is not large enough to accommodate two legions, so some lucky ones are able to avoid sleeping in tents... But now it seems that they are using this opportunity to accomplish some ulterior motives.

These guys are all extremely shrewd and know the patrol teams very well. They can always hide themselves at crucial moments and not be caught on the spot by the night patrol soldiers.

Such skill is truly admirable. If they were scouting the enemy, the enemy might not even know what happened when the sentries' necks were slit. But clearly, they weren't scouting...

It looked like an ordinary house, with gray tiles and a frame made of bricks and wood, and no lights were shining out. But its side door was slightly ajar, which made people worry that something bad had happened in the dark.

These guys came into the room one after another. Before each person came in, they would knock on the door a few times, three long and two short, and they controlled the force just right so that the sound could get in but would not disturb the neighbors.

Once everyone had arrived, the gate closed, an oil lamp was lit, and the gathered people let out a small cheer. Everyone's face showed excitement as they took off the bundles on their backs, which revealed shiny coins inside.

Kochkin excitedly grabbed two silver coins and slammed them on the table. After the sound, he shrank back and lowered his head, but still spoke with great bravado:

"This time I'm going to win back everything I lost to you before. Hurry up and put your stuff out."

With a calm smile, the bearded Warif rummaged under the cabinet for a moment before pulling out a large wooden disc, followed by several multi-sided dice.

"Have you thought this through? If you lose again, you won't even have enough money to repair your armor this month. If you're in trouble then, you can't blame anyone else."

"Of course I've thought it through! My ancestor appeared to me in a dream last night and told me that my luck today will be unstoppable! So I'm sure I'll win back everything I've invested, and I'll even get more!"

"Then I wish you good luck. Anyway, you have to accept the consequences of your bet, and no one can go back on their word."

"I've never cheated. Even when I lost badly, I still obediently paid up."

Before the two could even exchange a few words, the others had already begun to grow impatient.

"Are we starting or not? We need to get back soon. You two are just talking nonsense. Are you afraid we won't be easily exposed?"

"Yes, yes, if you get caught, you'll get whipped... and it'll be the kind of whip that's been soaked in water, and it'll tear off a layer of skin when it hits you."

Wolf didn't say anything more and placed the wooden plate on the table. The dim oil lamp in the room only illuminated a small area, and they even covered the windows with thick black cloth. Only the dice and the huge wooden plate were exposed to the light.

Just as they were showing excited expressions and preparing to get down to business, there was another knock on the door...

Kochkin felt a chill creep up his spine and into his head. He broke out in a cold sweat, which soaked his clothes in the blink of an eye.

Everyone froze, even the most excited man stood there, frozen like a statue. No one dared to open the door; they could only hope this unexpected guest would leave quickly, or at least not discover anything amiss.

But the knocking persisted relentlessly, one after another. There was no doubt that if it continued, it would attract the attention of the patrolling soldiers. The group looked left and right, and finally, Kochkin was pushed out to open the door and check the situation.

Poor Kochkin swallowed hard. He felt his legs trembling, but his instinct as an elite hunter made him subconsciously slow his steps, almost inching his way to the door where the knocking was still coming from.

There was no other choice at the moment. If the knocking continued, it would attract the patrolling soldiers, and none of them would escape. It was better to open the door and see who was coming. If it was just one or two people, there were always ways to deal with them... whether it was giving them some money, threatening them, or pleading for them, they could get away with it.

He gripped the wooden bolt and slowly moved it away from the slot, removing the last obstacle from the door, before gently pulling it open.

Bright moonlight seeped into the darkness from outside the room. The lights had long been extinguished, and everyone had hidden in the corner of the room, leaving only bright eyes peering in.

When Kochkin finally saw who was standing outside the door, his legs went weak and he could no longer support his weight. He collapsed to the ground like a bullied little girl, muttering a sigh of despair.

The mountain girl, wearing a short green cotton robe, her blonde hair still damp, was frowning as she looked at the people in the house, especially Kochkin, who was paralyzed with fear on the ground...

“You guys, why aren’t you resting? What are you doing here? Curfew is long over. If you keep running around in the streets, you’ll get whipped.”

Kochkin's mind was racing. Most of the people gathered here were mountain people. Although these skilled hunters had become qualified soldiers of the legion, their wild nature still made them very willing to try new things—such as a fun little game where money was involved.

Unbeknownst to them, they had formed a small gathering. Knowing that it would violate the rules, everyone was as careful as if they were tracking prey in the mountains. The news was kept secret, and even their leader was unaware.

These audacious mountain people feared two people the most—one was General Tersolius, who had followed them all the way, and the other was Colin, who had led them out of their homeland to seek a living.

They revered Tersolius's bravery and authority, and were more accustomed to obeying their leader's orders—of course, those who disobeyed were generally beaten into submission.

Now their leader had actually barged into the scene, startling everyone into a state of shock, like frogs caught in a fire, leaving them frozen in place and afraid to even make a loud breathing sound.

After a long pause, seeing the impatience on Colin's face, Kochkin, quick-witted, stammered:

"Boss, we haven't caught up in a long time, so we decided to get together... You see, we've come all the way from the south and haven't even had a proper meal together. I was just about to have Morif invite you, what a coincidence!"

Although his words were somewhat disjointed, his expression betrayed nothing, conveying a natural sense of surprise. An outsider might have genuinely believed that meeting Colin was a delightful surprise.

The other mountain people in the room immediately looked at Kochkin with new respect—although they knew he was usually glib, they didn't expect him to be so quick-witted at a crucial moment! This was a great help.

Now it's up to them to see if their boss will believe Kochkin's nonsense...

Colin nodded, though her expression still held a hint of doubt. Her naturally carefree nature prevented her from noticing some suspicious details—such as why so many people were shirtless and looking like they were sleeping when they gathered for a meal.

“That’s true. Then put your food and wine on the table. I’ll go and call a few more people over. Just a few people is too stingy. Oh, and call the adults and the doctor over too. They shouldn’t be asleep yet.”

"!!!"

Kochkin's hair was practically standing on end! He never expected his two words to have such a result... If Tersolius really saw them like this, he'd rather be caught and beaten up by his boss!

The gazes that had just been filled with admiration suddenly turned as sharp as knives, stabbing viciously into Kochkin's vest. Everyone was startled, never expecting the situation to deteriorate to this extent.

"No need, boss!" Kochkin's voice was a little too loud, but he didn't care anymore. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, sticking his hair to his skin, as if his mouth was rented from someone else. A string of words came out in the blink of an eye:

“Look, we haven’t prepared much. We only have this small barrel of wine, which is probably enough for everyone to have one cup. We’ve also only prepared some pickled beans and the like. There’s no smoked meat at all, and it’s completely devoid of oil. If we were to serve guests something like this, everyone would laugh at us! We’ll just have our own get-together and not bother Lord Tersolius!”

…………

This reason is quite sufficient, after all, their purpose in coming here was not to have a party, and the food and drink they had were things that were already in the house—probably left behind by a group of legion soldiers stationed here before.

Such a dish is fine as a snack for two people to enjoy with drinks in private, but it would be too shabby and impolite to serve it to guests. Even the most unpretentious person should be mindful of this.

Colin hesitated, and finally sighed with a hint of regret:

"Alright then, let's just eat a little and then hurry back to sleep, or we'll get whipped tomorrow and we can't blame anyone else."

As she spoke, she walked in naturally. The others looked at each other and gathered around the table. The two of them hurriedly rummaged through the wine and pickled beans, and also found more than a dozen earthenware bowls.

The liquor was just ordinary ale, but because the house was rather cold and damp, it tasted refreshing and thirst-quenching. Paired with slightly salty pickled chickpeas, the mountain people, who were gradually getting used to the process, quickly started drinking—just like every gathering they had before, they never brought up anything that might cause conflict while eating and drinking, and would discuss it after they finished eating.

Of course, before that, these shrewd guys didn't forget to put their money away, otherwise there would be no way to explain it.

After a brief exchange of toasts, Colin, who had downed two large bowls of wine, finally noticed a strange wooden plate on the table:

"What is this thing? And why is there a die on it?"

The scene fell silent immediately, but they couldn't leave without explaining, so after looking around, Kochkin was pushed forward again.

After making a rude gesture behind his back at the group, Kochkin forced a smile and began to explain:

"This is a very popular game in the taverns of the Empire. Everyone plays it while drinking... It's called Military Chess, and it's quite fun, so we all like to play it."

"Oh, really? How exactly does it work?"

Kochkin hesitated for a moment, but gritted his teeth and continued:

"The rules of this game are complicated, and you need to remember a lot of things, but the main thing is to play it on this wooden disc that is carved with terrain and rivers..."

………………

"Impossible, absolutely impossible! How could your archers move such a long distance in one turn?! Even with the bonus from mountainous terrain, it shouldn't be this outrageous! You must be cheating!"

Colin, his face flushed, pounded the table, refusing to accept the fact that he was about to be defeated. He was trying to find something suspicious about the other party and turn the situation around.

She even forgot to drink her wine, focusing all her attention on the chessboard in front of her. Everyone else forgot what they were supposed to do and enthusiastically joined the discussion, pointing and commenting incessantly.

It has been shown that when a group of people gather together, their sensitivity to crises decreases significantly…

boom! !

With a loud bang, the bolt on the wooden door snapped and flew out, hitting the unfortunate Warif in the face and causing him to cry out in pain.

Everyone turned their heads in unison, and then they saw Thesolius, with a subtle expression, standing at the doorway holding a torch... Behind him, countless torches were being lit, the gleaming iron armor reflecting a pale yellow light in the flames...

138 Interlude (1)

Rewinding to a dozen minutes earlier, the sentries hidden in the tower were surprised to find scattered dark figures gathering in one direction throughout the city's streets and alleys, constantly evading patrols in the process.

Moreover, they all ended up in an ordinary-looking house, and after a long while, no light came out of the house, which was obviously haunted.

Because Cerison had experienced too much turmoil, even after the army took over, various things still happened in the city at night. So several new sentries were placed on the surrounding high points. They wouldn't light fires at night, but they would monitor the situation throughout the city.

The mountain people, however, were completely unaware of this and thought they were doing a good job of disguising themselves... Then, under the astonished gazes of the sentries, they walked shirtless and furtively through the streets and alleys, looking nothing like good people, as if they had the words "sabotage" written on their backs.

The veteran soldier serving as a sentry was filled with astonishment—he had never seen such a daring villain who would dare to sneak into the military camp.

But then he realized another possibility... This possibility made his clothes soak with cold sweat, and even his fingers began to tremble. He dared not delay any longer and climbed down the ladder.

………………

In the blink of an eye, the imperial army began to assemble. Orders were spread silently, and soldiers carrying torches began to gather in small squads. The nearest centurion arrived at the scene and began to command, and the menacing iron armor instantly filled the surrounding streets.

The gleaming swords and iron staffs were already in their hands. These weapons, which were well-suited for close-quarters combat in confined spaces, would give them a significant advantage in this situation. The disciplined soldiers of the legion didn't even make a sound... or rather, the mountain people who were having too much fun didn't even notice.

If they were hunting in their own forests or robbing on the road, their vigilance would be no less than that of a deer that had just escaped from the jaws of a beast... It can only be said that after becoming part of the legion, they had become accustomed to being able to sleep peacefully at night, and their vigilance had been greatly reduced.

The centurion who arrived was named Casanorion. His men were the most resilient thousand-man unit in the Golden Legion, and he himself was equally tenacious and thoughtful.

Despite his rugged and fierce appearance, Casano Leon was actually quite shrewd. He did not act rashly, but instead took advantage of the opportunity when the enemy was unaware to mobilize his soldiers to surround the house.

Only after he had finished doing all this did he feel a little relieved, but he remained extremely serious...

In the darkness, unidentified individuals evaded the sentries and gathered, especially since this happened within a military camp. It would be hard for anyone to believe that these people had infiltrated from the outside. But if they hadn't infiltrated from the outside, then there was only one possibility—soldiers or officers were secretly conspiring to instigate a rebellion or launch a conspiracy...

He couldn't afford to be careless in this matter, especially in the dark of night when chaos could easily escalate. So before arriving here, he had already sent a messenger to report the situation to Tersolius. If all went well, the order to guard the camp had been issued to every military camp.

The best way to deal with this potential unrest is to act swiftly and decisively. So, before his commander arrived, he immediately gathered nearby soldiers and surrounded the area to prevent any troublemakers from escaping.

In the silent night, only the faint crackling of burning torches could be heard. The soldiers suppressed even their breathing, their strict discipline making them appear as one, maintaining absolute silence. But when the order was given, they would instantly transform into a ferocious pack of wolves, tearing apart the designated enemy.

Within minutes, Thesolius arrived, his mind filled with doubt—he couldn't fathom who would unite against him under these circumstances, no matter how hard he tried…

Casalorian came to greet his general and reported on the situation he had gathered. Tersolius listened thoughtfully and remained silent for about a minute before suddenly speaking:

"Pass down my order: each thousand-man squad shall immediately begin counting the number of men, and then submit the results to me."

The messenger left immediately and soon delivered the message. After glancing at it, Tersolius had an expression of "I knew it" on his face, and then walked directly toward the locked gate.

Casalorian hurriedly stopped his commander. Even the centurion, who had remained calm in the face of a large enemy charge, now showed a hint of panic. If the people inside really had ulterior motives, then Tersolius would definitely face unknown risks if he went in alone.

But Tersolius didn't even turn his head; he just smiled and said:

"You're overthinking it. I can pretty much guess what they're doing in there..."