Armored Cavalry, survive in a world full of mods

"You're quite lucky. With what you've done, we wouldn't normally need to lift a finger... but since that lord specifically requested us to arrest you, you're just lucky."

"Do you think it's because we can't talk much normally? I feel like we talk a lot more whenever we're out together."

"I don't know, absolutely not! I'm always very careful with my words!"

"Come on, what were you whispering about with that mountain guy the other day? Do you really think we don't know? You've found a good student."

………………

181 Black Crow (2)

Bloody corpses are destined not to last long on the grasslands. The carnivores here are always hungry, and the smell of blood will attract them in no time, leading them to join the feast in droves.

But the first to arrive will definitely be various snakes, insects, rodents and ants. These little creatures are everywhere and are an important part of the grassland food chain. They begin to appear as soon as the blood begins to coagulate, crawling on the corpse and trying to take away the nutrient-rich flesh and blood.

Next came the agile and swift little animals, whose burrows were in nearby earthen holes. Although their teeth could hardly tear through the huge flesh, these opportunists would not give up easily and would continue their efforts until the larger predators arrived.

The real main force is the wild wolves that can be seen everywhere here. These packs of beasts can devour a strong ox in a very short time, leaving only bones with bits of meat stuck to them to dry and rot here, buried in the thick weeds.

However, this natural cleansing has its limits. It only applies to creatures that die out naturally and to prey that has been hunted. Once a large-scale slaughter occurs that is not for food or is not natural, it becomes a paradise for bacteria and mosquitoes. The growth of decay also makes this place a hell that no normal person would want to approach.

A putrid stench emanated from the valley. This stench was unlike any other odor produced by the decay of an animal; it evoked an instinctive fear, making people realize that it was the smell of a fellow human dying, and causing them to instinctively distance themselves from the place.

A middle-aged man, his face pale, covered his nose, sighed, turned and rode away, leaving the horrible stench behind. His warhorse was extremely uncomfortable, shaking its head, snorting, and taking small, unsteady steps. It took him a lot of effort to calm it down.

The man's attire was extremely refined. Although rainfall was scarce on the grasslands, it was still present; otherwise, this place would have become like the desert next door. The recent light rains had brought a chill to the air, and he had donned a neat fur robe. The outer lining was made of sapphire-blue silk, embroidered with floral and white bird patterns—clearly not a cheap garment.

In addition, the gold ornaments inlaid with rubies and sapphires on his wrists and neck, and the hat on his head made of eight pieces of the finest fox fur, all indicated his noble status and abundant wealth.

However, this person of such noble status was riding a skinny horse, which looked out of place. There were no strong muscles on its four hooves, which looked like four wooden poles. Its ribs were protruding from its chest and abdomen, and its abdomen was severely concave inward. It could be described as skin and bones.

Logically speaking, such a thin horse could easily die from exhaustion and would not be able to withstand any disease, let alone drag a strong adult man... But this thin horse walked freely and calmly while carrying a strong man, and it seemed that it did it with very little effort.

Although it seemed somewhat timid, easily frightened by the stench of corpses, this horse still possessed a strange quality, with strength and stamina completely contrary to its appearance.

The pale-faced man had a neatly trimmed beard, and even his eyebrows, upon closer inspection, showed traces of careful trimming by the separated blades. His hair had also been carefully shaved, with only a short layer of stubble showing where it had been shaved. He didn't look like a nobleman from the Kurist tribe, but rather like a wealthy merchant who frequently visited noble mansions.

He did not come here alone; a sizable group was already waiting for him in the distance. No one objected to the pause, which clearly indicated that he held a high position here.

"Lord Tostayal, is it not here either?"

A strong-looking guard stepped forward, his leather armor, inlaid with iron plates, was of excellent quality and could be considered top-notch in the Kurist Grasslands at that time.

“You should have smelled it long ago, Bayas…”

The man sighed. From the very beginning, he had maintained a worried expression, as if he had a thousand thoughts and sorrows.

"I never expected it to be this bad..."

"They were destined to suffer like this..."

The man said dejectedly, then spurred his horse forward and joined the procession. As the order was given, the whip was raised, and the mules pulling the carts and the horses carrying people started moving at the same time. The noise of shouts and neighing filled the narrow dirt road, and the procession continued on its way.

"They only knew that their men died in the West, but they didn't know how horribly they died... nor did they know who gave them the 10-day deadline. They thought they could delay and procrastinate, wavering back and forth, but they didn't know that from the beginning they only had two choices—either die or live."

"So even if it's just to make us face reality, this blood has to be shed. They are the sacrifices that have their throats cut open, their heads chopped off, and their blood spilled out to show the other sheep."

"News came a couple of days ago—after the annihilation of 16 tribes, the Imperial army halted its advance. Apparently, that lord believes the sacrifices are sufficient, which is why he left this opportunity open. We absolutely cannot afford to be negligent! Otherwise, this will be our fate tomorrow!"

The voice was very loud, almost reaching half of the group, and it also made several men of obviously high status turn to look at him, nodding repeatedly with a sense of sympathy...

The convoy contained many large wagons, bulging with cargo. If a group of bandits were lucky enough to intercept these vehicles, and once they lifted the waterproof tarpaulin, they would see the greatest fortune they had ever witnessed in their lives…

Gold and silver are just the most common items. There are also precious furs as shiny and luxurious as silk, blood-red gems as big and clear as pigeon eggs, precious black steel swords from Asel, and magnificent saddles inlaid with gems, gold and jade... Just looking at them is enough to make one dizzy and breathless.

Under the terrifying pressure of the allied forces of the Imperial Legion and the southern tribes, and after the complete annihilation of more than a dozen tribes, the most influential tribes in the north finally could not sit still. After gathering together to discuss and argue, they finally sent an envoy team with precious treasures to submit to the Empire and bring an end to this terrible, exterminating war.

But not all the tribes from the north had gathered here... some of them followed an unexpected person and headed north.

No one expected that Tolidu Khan was still alive, not even his own tribesmen. After that crushing defeat, the Khan lost all his prestige, and even his former tribe became the target of everyone's hostility. Those tribes that had listened to his instigation and sent their precious male members to participate in the war wished they could skin him alive, pull out his tendons, and fry his flesh in oil to eat.

A former king may inspire fear, but a defeated and incompetent king who has caused great losses will only be despised and wanted dead. His equally devastated tribe can no longer protect this loser, and those ambitious tribal leaders will not let him go easily.

But the timing of this guy's appearance was too coincidental and just right... The arrival of the Imperial Legion made the tribes on the entire grassland panic. Everyone felt that a great disaster was about to happen. The situation was chaotic and disorderly, and no effective organization could be formed. Many people even missed the days when the Khan was still able to make decisions. Their resentment towards him also faded a lot.

At this time, he jumped out and returned to his tribe. Everyone was under even greater pressure and had no time to care about him. Instead, he was able to rebuild his network and prestige in some tribes. With the pressure from the empire, he actually accomplished what should have been an impossible task on his own!

When more than a dozen tribes were destroyed and forced to make a choice, many tribes felt it was safer to follow such a resolute leader. They also did not trust the Empire and did not believe that they would have a good ending after submitting.

The fiery and ruthless nature of the Imperials instilled fear in them and made them genuinely distrustful of the idea that accepting Imperial rule was a good thing. Rather than submitting, they preferred to try their luck in unknown places. After several days of chaos, a total of 13 tribes followed Torid northwards, and no one knows where they went so far.

Of course, the vast majority of people are still unwilling to travel far, dare not gamble on such a possibility, and prefer to follow the crowd and make the same choice as more people, staying on this land, and now anxiously waiting for news.

Although the team had many guards, everyone was still very nervous because their mission was so important. They sent out more than a dozen scouts to scout the surrounding roads, fearing that something unexpected might happen.

They didn't even dare to stop for a short rest at noon, only urging the horses on, trying to avoid any unforeseen complications and arrive as quickly as possible.

When the horses were sweating profusely and panting heavily, they finally caught sight of the massive camp in the distance. From afar, the flags were neatly arranged and the camp was well-organized. Every now and then, several pairs of patrolling scouts would return from their voyages.

Upon arriving at their destination, everyone hesitated and focused their attention on the pale-faced middle-aged man, hoping he would make the decision.

The man remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was already sighing: having come this far, what other choice did they have? They didn't have the courage to lead their tribe on a perilous journey of thousands of miles.

"Let's catch our breath and set off. Now that we're here, there's no need to worry too much. There's no way there will be any more bandits around."

The imperial people have strict laws. Wherever their army goes, they will spontaneously hunt down thieves and wipe out bandits. Any desperado with even a modicum of sense will stay away from the area before they arrive, not daring to cross the line.

The others understood this as well, and they relaxed and began to take out food and water from their saddlebags to rest briefly.

They hadn't even relaxed for long when they looked gravely in one direction again. The dense, rain-like sound of hooves and the billowing dust kicked up into the air were clearly signs of a large cavalry force approaching. And they had only just arrived, hadn't even had a chance to catch their breath, yet the enemy had already detected them?

Sure enough, as the distance closed, flowing red cloaks and gleaming silver chainmail came into view. Light cavalrymen, riding excellent warhorses with outstanding endurance, arrived nearby in an instant and spontaneously split into two groups to flank them from the rear.

This highly threatening action made them all tense. Many of them instinctively gripped the knife beside their saddles, the bow hanging behind them, and the reins of their horses, ready to turn and run away or fight to the death at any moment.

The encirclement was formed in an instant, and soon they had no chance of escape. If the enemy wanted, they could turn them into hedgehogs covered in arrows in the blink of an eye.

The tense atmosphere only dissipated after their leader, a pale-faced man, spurred his thin horse forward and exchanged a brief conversation with the approaching officer. The cavalrymen who had been preparing to surround them readily became their guards, escorting them to the main camp.

Seeing that the other party seemed to have been prepared and that their attitude wasn't too bad, many people breathed a sigh of relief and had a lot of hope for what was to come.

………………

Even as they left the military camp, the man's steps were light and airy, and everyone else had the same expression... They hadn't expected things to be so easy—they had only expressed their willingness to submit, and hadn't even presented any gifts yet, and the other side had already accepted them with great leniency. Moreover, there were none of the harsh conditions they had imagined, making it even better than the most optimistic outcome they had anticipated.

The group of people, who were under immense pressure, were like death row inmates who were granted a pardon at the last moment before their execution. They all felt relieved, as if their bones had loosened up. They even felt grateful to Tersolius, since in this place, the only way to deal with enemies was to exterminate them.

In their view, such tolerant and magnanimous behavior would be extremely ridiculous and self-deceptive if done by a weak coward, but if a renowned and invincible army commander showed such tolerance and benevolence, it would be the rarest and most precious quality, worthy of admiration.

The group returned with the empty carriage. Even if the other party hadn't asked for it, they couldn't possibly take these things back with them... or rather, they could only feel at ease leaving these things here.

182 Closing (1)

The east of the empire has been pacified.

Tersolius made this judgment: the Curistes, the greatest enemy in the East, had completely submitted to the rule of the Empire and were no longer capable of turning back.

If it were merely an imperial legion that came and destroyed a dozen or so tribes, it wouldn't have had such an effect. What drove the Kurist people to despair most were the southern tribes who had come with them… With the help of these so-called kin, they had absolutely no room for resistance. They had no choice but to submit.

In just three days, he made the people of the entire grasslands realize this fact, and by the fifth day, he had already met with nobles from various tribes who came to express their submission. Considering the distance they would travel from north to south, they had probably already embarked on their journey on the second day.

Having achieved his goal, Tersolius generously showed them his benevolence, not only without imposing any harsh conditions, but also promising them that the Kurist Steppe would become more and more prosperous, that new irrigation systems would be built, markets would be established, and cattle and seeds would be provided to them, so that they would no longer have to suffer from the hardships of the past under the protection of the state.

As the saying goes, kindness combined with authority yields the best results; authority combined with kindness will only breed resentment. It's essential to first deliver a blow, then offer a reward, rather than giving a reward and then delivering the blow. Doing so will only breed resentment and further resistance.

By using cruel methods to make the Kurist people understand that they have no other choice, and at the same time instilling awe and fear in their hearts so that they dare not overstep their bounds, the subsequent favors will be especially effective and will truly be remembered by them.

The southern tribes acted as his hunting dogs and seemed to have reaped a great harvest, feasting and making a fortune. But would they dare to disobey or despise him in the slightest?

It may seem that he's releasing his hounds to tear apart the prey, letting them drink blood and eat flesh, but in the process, he's also teaching the hounds the consequences of disobeying him and the benefits of obeying. In this way, anyone with a modicum of rationality can make the right choice.

Moreover, their actions of following the Imperial Legion in sweeping across the central grasslands for wealth, people, and livestock had thoroughly offended their northern kin. Now, they had no choice but to follow in their footsteps…

His orders are now more effective and less likely to be disobeyed than those of the former Kurist Khan. No tribal noble dares to be negligent, and like his soldiers, they obey his commands without question, gradually uniting completely around the Imperial Legion.

It is foreseeable that the situation will be very favorable. The Kurist Plains are now imperial territory. As long as they live here for a generation, their descendants will automatically become unquestionable imperial citizens, gain corresponding rights, and live a much better life than before.

As time goes by, with the emergence of intermarriage and the prosperity of commerce, and the increase in population mobility, this people will eventually be fully integrated into the empire and become a part of the country. Everything they receive will further enhance this sense of identity.

With the arrival of a large number of officials, the traditional nomadic lifestyle of the Kurist people will undergo tremendous changes. Advanced farming and water conservancy construction techniques will create a new landscape and a new way of life here.

Two legions stationed by Cerisonas were also transferred under his orders. At least for now, this newly conquered land still needed force to maintain order and suppress dissent. The southern tribes would also do their utmost to assist in order to protect their current wealth and status.

After spending half a year, he achieved remarkable success. At least at this moment, he dared to assert that his name had spread to every corner of the country, and countless painters, sculptors, and orators in the capital were creating works based on his image.

His and the Emperor's prestige has now reached an unstoppable level. The people of the Empire, who are pursuing victory, cannot be deceived or misled by such a magnificent victory. The nobles of the Senate will inevitably face further pressure and will have to make more responses.

All of this requires utmost attention, so he must finish up the current mess as soon as possible and then rush back to the imperial capital to deal with the upcoming changes, preventing this good thing from turning into a bad thing, or even causing greater damage to the country.

So these past two days he's been incredibly busy, making all sorts of arrangements. Talina and the others have been staying up all night with him, dealing with countless things every day. Stacks of parchment are being sealed in wax and sent to every corner by messengers.

This is a kind of happy trouble, since only someone who has achieved complete victory and gained control of the land is qualified to do such a thing and can dispose of the land and its inhabitants at will.

His temporary governorship of Cerison had finally come to an end, but he was confident that the next person to take over the position would not be a nobleman from the Senate, as they no longer had the power to do so.

If Claudina could let such a huge advantage slip by, then she wouldn't be the person she knows...

Sure enough, a few days later, the appointment letter revealed that the new governor was none other than his own legionary deputy, Hersalos, a man of unwavering character and taciturn nature who had followed him since he joined the army.

It seems the emperor has gained an advantage even greater than he imagined... he actually managed to get the other side to concede so much on the selection of personnel. It's as if they've completely relinquished control of the entire Eastern Province.

With that, he was completely relieved. Hersalos was fully capable of taking on this important task and would be able to carry out the plans he left behind without causing any problems.

Of course, everything that needs to be explained must be made clear before leaving, so that nothing goes wrong...

………………

"We must not discriminate against these Kurist people. If it is absolutely necessary, we should not make it too obvious. The next step is a long-term plan that can not be neglected. At least in general, we should treat them equally."

Hersalos nodded steadily. This man was always a man of few words, and even had the nickname "The Stone Man" in the army, but as long as you spent time with him, everyone could understand his reliability.

Although the nod was very slight, Thesolius knew that the man had memorized every word he said, and was slowly pondering and making plans in his mind.

In other words, he is a "reserved" person. Although he has great ideas, he does not easily show them. Moreover, he is a bit stubborn. Once he sets his mind on something, he will do his best to carry it out and will not easily change his mind.

“Rainfall is scarce here and the land is barren, so irrigation must not be neglected. The Kurist people only know how to water their horses and fish by this great river, but this river has never flooded in any record. It is a good place to cultivate fields. Officials and craftsmen will come here in a steady stream, so we must make the necessary preparations.”

"We can't just keep giving benefits to those tribes. That will only fuel their ambition and make them lose their sense of self-worth. When it's time to take action, we have to teach them a lesson so they know who they really are. We need to maintain the right balance and treat everyone fairly before things get done."

As he spoke, Thesolius pulled out one document after another filled with writing from the pile of parchment beside him; the plans and preparations were basically all recorded on them:

"If anything happens, I'll send someone to let you know in advance. Sometimes it's good to be flexible and not so rigid, after all, I can't look after you all the time anymore..."

Hersalos was silent for a moment, then reached out and firmly and heavily took the stack of parchment, his brows furrowed so tightly that his fingers pressed a dent into the paper.

His expression underwent subtle and intermittent changes, and after a long while, he slightly opened his mouth:

“I will accomplish all of this, my lord, I swear on my life and honor.”

Thessalius laughed out loud:

"This is exactly what I wanted!"

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

The silent black warhorse always evokes a strange sense of dread, as if it weren't a creature made of flesh and blood, but something pieced together from something else and possessed by an evil spirit.

Despite having enjoyed good food and drinks these past two days, the young man's spirits have been increasingly low, especially after thinking about his possible fate, which has made him restless and even somewhat apprehensive.

The crimes he committed would rank among the worst in the entire country... Such heinous crimes deserve to be punished by being skinned alive or cut into a thousand pieces. The imperial jailers would surely make him suffer every kind of torment before he dies slowly.

Although he was a desperate criminal, he wasn't utterly depraved. He was terrified of the torture of being skinned and dismembered. After all, desperate criminals ultimately want to live a life of eating meat and drinking wine to their hearts' content, dividing gold and silver by the scale, and indulging in unbridled behavior.

No one ever gets enough of such good days; they always feel they haven't gotten enough. If they're caught, they'll rack their brains trying to escape and continue enjoying their ill-gotten gains. Very few will simply accept being slaughtered.

Unfortunately, although he wanted to exploit the loophole, it was simply too difficult to do so...

He initially didn't know where these black-clad jailers came from, but after overhearing their conversation, he realized that these people were actually elite jailers directly under the emperor, the Black Crows, who were on par with the emperor's henchmen...

This made him feel somewhat flattered, since he could tell from what the other party had told him earlier that these people's targets were those who were more heinous, cunning, and cruel criminals, not someone like him.

In the blink of an eye, he turned the 32 ruthless bandits who came to meet him into a pile of mangled limbs in the jungle, barely even getting a drop of blood on them... as easily as a strong man slaughtering an infant. The bandits could only watch helplessly as these bronze-masked men appeared out of nowhere like ghosts and sliced ​​them to pieces in the blink of an eye.

At the same time, he realized just how lucky he had been... that he had actually managed to delay them for several days with those methods, until they finally caught him the day before yesterday.

Traveling day and night at full speed, before he could even figure out what was going on, he found himself back in Cerisonas, once again seeing the vast and expansive grasslands.

………………

He was pulled off the horse and stumbled back two steps, his back slamming heavily against a thick pillar. The force sent a shiver down his spine, and the back of his head was etched into it. The sharp pain and slight dizziness made him frown.

The surrounding noise made him cautiously hunch his shoulders. The dense sounds of clashing armor, neighing warhorses, and shouts of commands made him realize that he had entered a military camp, and a large, well-organized army at that.

The familiar voices around them continued to chat and laugh freely. They were completely unaffected by the solemn and disciplined atmosphere of the military camp, as if they had just returned from a meal with friends and casually picked up a rabbit on the way home.