Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 287 Fighting
The war was not only raging in Vaughan County and Middle Iron Peak County, but also in Lower Iron Peak County, where an even more brutal war was taking place.

This war had no gleaming armor or fluttering banners, no epic or dramatic story, and no etiquette, rules, or mercy.

It's just a group of ordinary people struggling to survive and keep their homes.

The Teldenans viewed them as prey and livestock, wantonly taking away their property, freedom, and even lives.

They were forced to abandon their homes and hide in the mountains for survival. But even so, the Telden people refused to let them go.

They had no reinforcements, no rear support, and many of them didn't even have a real weapon.

They were not soldiers, but farmers, craftsmen, and merchants who relied on hard work to make a living.

This war offered them no honor, dignity, or glory.

Only survival matters; survival is victory.

As Bard said when he released Ronald and the others: "There are no soldiers, no army, only peasants. You, me, everyone has to fight—and can only fight—the peasants' way."

……

Tiefeng County, Langtun Town, a desolate forest on the northern slope of the Jinding Mountains.

With his mouth tightly shut and his eyes scanning the surroundings warily, the Terdon warrior, named [Stone Arrow], carefully walked along the forest path, bow in hand and horse at the ready.

There were no paths in the forest originally, but as more and more creatures walked through, they trod out a path.

Unfortunately, the road was not safe, so Stone Arrow sent a young slave ahead.

The young slave held a long stick in his hand. He first used the stick to check for any pits before daring to take a step.

More than thirty subjects and slaves followed behind Shi Jian, all of whom walked on foot, leading their horses, in order to make as little noise as possible.

The northern foothills of the Golden Peak Mountain range are undulating and covered with towering trees, which greatly obstructs the view when walking through them, making the people of Teldun, who are used to seeing "cattle and sheep grazing in the grass," very uncomfortable.

About the distance of "a calf" from the stone arrow, Qingma and his men were also heading deeper into the forest, but neither could see the other.

[Note: Calves don't go far, so this is often used metaphorically to describe the vicinity of the felt tent, approximately one kilometer away.]
After Gan Quan's death, the property that originally belonged to Gan Quan—the herd of horses, subjects, slaves, and spoils of war—was divided up by Shi Jian and Qing Ma.

Although Gan Quan has a two-year-old son, in the dog-eat-dog wilderness, a man who can't draw his bow has no right to inherit.

Between the flanks of Stone Arrow and Blue Horse lies a central army of nearly two hundred men, commanded by Turukota [Bald Dog].

The left and right flanks and the central army were arranged in a roughly fan-shaped formation, silently approaching their prey.

This was a hunt, with the bald hounds wielding the arrows, and all the spoils belonged to the bald hounds.

Stone Arrow and Green Horse were unwilling to come, but they were of low status and weak in strength, and had no right to say no.

Reluctantly, he dragged his feet. Stone Arrow shuffled along, each step landing in the boot prints of the little slave in front of him—he was genuinely afraid.

Gan Quan died a relatively quick death; he was killed in a brilliant ambush, so he never had the chance to understand what "the peasant way" meant.

Stone Arrow and Green Horse have already "tasted" the deep-seated hatred.

People who eat food dug out of a poorly buried cellar in the morning will develop poisoning symptoms in the afternoon.

Mild cases result in vomiting and diarrhea, while severe cases can lead to death with a blood-red face, difficulty breathing, and death.

Poisoning horses is more dangerous than poisoning humans.

The seemingly ordinary haystacks were mixed with deadly yew leaves and twigs; just one bite would cause a horse to quickly convulse and die.

Many horses died without even realizing it, their upper and lower teeth still chewing.

Poisoning, traps, ambushes... the people of Teldun gradually became like frightened birds. They not only dared not feed hay to their horses, but they also made the captured women taste the grain first.

However, these tactics are unlikely to severely damage Teldun's core strength in a short period of time.

The ravenous hounds of war ravaged the land. The Telden people burned villages, trampled farmland, tortured women, and killed every Paratul man they could find. The towering plumes of smoke were clearly visible even in the Central Iron Peak County.

The people of Lower Iron Peak also killed... no, tortured and killed every Telden man they could capture in the most brutal way as revenge.

The Teldenans who were ambushed by regular officers like Bud and Ronald could even be considered lucky, because those who fell into the hands of the militia would literally be disemboweled, beheaded, and their bodies disposed of.

Even repeated warnings from Bud and Ronald could not stop the spread of this behavior.

Therefore, as Shi Jian led more than thirty people along the treacherous forest path, every step he took felt like he was getting closer to a mangled corpse.

Just as you feared, a series of flapping sounds and horse neighing suddenly came from behind Shi Jian.

Shi Jian felt a chill run down his spine and instinctively wanted to mount his horse and gallop away.

He waited stiffly for a moment, but did not hear any terrifying shouts of killing.

Looking back, a short-tailed, saffron-yellow horse lay on its back on the ground, panting heavily.

[Licorice Yellow] struggled to get up, but its right foreleg was already stuck in the soil, all the way up to its knee.

"Pull it out! Pull the horse's leg out!"

"Get out of the way! Watch out, it might kick up its tail!"

The licorice-yellow creature became agitated from fright and pain, while the nearby Teldun man helplessly circled around it.

At this very moment, another unexpected change occurred.

A middle-aged slave cried out in agony, as if he had shrunk in the blink of an eye—he, like Gan Caohuang, had one leg sink into the pit.

It took the other Telden men considerable effort to lift the man and horse out of the pit.

An old slave touched Gan Caohuang's injured leg and ankle and said thankfully, "It's not broken, it's not serious."

The old slave led Gancaohuang forward, the latter wailing incessantly, its right foreleg refusing to touch the ground.

It seems that although Gan Cao Huang didn't break the horse's hoof, it will need to rest for a while before it can be ridden again.

On the contrary, the middle-aged slave who stepped into the pit was more seriously injured: a sharp wooden awl pierced through the sole of his boot, leaving a deep, bloody hole in the sole of his foot.

Seeing the man and horse reduced to such a miserable state, the common people and slaves became even more depressed.

Initially, the Teldun people encountered large pits filled with spikes and bear traps.

Large pitfalls and bear traps are deadly, but they are also easy to spot.

Especially the bear traps—getting several pounds of good iron for free, the Telden people were overjoyed.

But the Teldenans' laughter soon turned to silence, as the traps they encountered became more and more concealed and the materials used became simpler each day.

Nowadays, they are all small traps consisting of "a pit in the ground and a wooden stake," as well as traps about the size of a mouse hole, specifically designed for horses.

The nobles may still think of the two-legged people as mere lambs, but the common people are well aware that the Parat people are definitely not sheep—at least not the ones in this area.

Looking at the wounded slave and the injured Licorice Yellow, Stone Arrow was not annoyed at all; on the contrary, he was somewhat pleased.

Just as Stone Arrow was calculating the timing, three riders came through the forest, the leader being none other than Turukota [Bald Dog] himself.

The group from Stone Arrow hurriedly bowed.

"What are you doing? Making such a commotion?" Bald Dog asked with a gloomy face.

“My men stepped into a pit.”

"What does it matter if we step into a pit? Let's march quickly."

“But…” Shi Jian hesitated, “We need to send some people to take the wounded back.”

The bald dog squinted and gripped the gold-inlaid hilt of his knife: "Who's injured?"

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged slave who had stepped into the pit scrambled to his feet in a panic. He stood up straight, enduring the pain, blood trickling from the soles of his boots and seeping into the soil.

"Move quickly!" Bald Dog shouted. "If you delay the hunt, I will kill you."

Shi Jian swallowed his anger and bowed.

For the Hed people, masculinity is an important part of authority, but Stone Arrow doesn't care about that now.

The bald dog was clearly coming for him; if he gave even the slightest excuse, he could be killed on the spot.

The stone arrows left the wounded man and his horse behind, and they continued onward. Although they had just stepped into a trap, they still had to follow the path.

Because there may be traps along the roadside, and instead of taking the existing paths, going into the woods and wilderness would only waste time.

This isn't a flat grassland where you can go anywhere. This is a primeval forest where you can easily get lost if you're not careful.

Stone Arrow walked forward reluctantly.

The bald dog did not give up; instead, he became even more demanding. He rode at the back of the ranks, overseeing the troops as if he were their true master.

Follow the path to the end, and you'll find a river valley.

The valley runs east to west, and there is no sign of human habitation on either side.

The bald dog sniffed the wind and ordered Stone Arrow to lead his men eastward.

A dog's nose is more sensitive than a horse's. Just as they rounded a bend, a hidden camp on the south bank of the valley was exposed to the Teldun people.

The camp was surrounded by a fence made of branches. Inside the fence, tents, roofs made of birch bark and straw, and even indistinct human figures could be seen. This was the prey, and this was why the Teldun people had come here—the secret camp of the Parat people.

"Ha! The Two-Legged Men's secret camp!" Bald Dog was overjoyed. "You all hide your tracks and wait for the right wing and the center to come. If you alert the Two-Legged Men, we'll kill you all!"

Leaving behind a few threatening words, the bald dog set off to find his followers.

……

They hid in the mountains and forests, built camps and concealed themselves, leaving behind empty villages and towns...

The Teldun people were not surprised at all by the two-legged people's act of cutting off their tails to survive—because that's what the Herd tribe did.

Whenever war breaks out, all the adult men in the Hede tribe must go to war.

The leaders would gather all the cattle, sheep, valuables, women, and tents, and then choose a remote and secluded place to settle them; this was the so-called "old camp."

While the men fought in the field, the elderly, women, and children would hide in the main camp awaiting news. And when it truly came down to abandoning the main camp, the tribal leaders would never hesitate.

Therefore, for all the tribes, raiding the old camp was one of the important aspects of the war.

Because there are no spoils of war in battle, the fat cattle and sheep, beautiful women, and magnificent palace tents are all in the old camp.

In Shi Jian's view, the two-legged people here were simply replacing one old camp, which concentrated all their wealth, with many small camps.

After plundering all the wealth from the villages and towns, the Telden people, not content with their gains, naturally turned their attention to the forests.

The Tertuns demarcated a hunting ground like a hunting party, tracking and searching the area, digging deep into the ground.

Although a secret camp is well-hidden, it doesn't have legs. A wisp of smoke, a flock of birds, a path trodden by people or animals, or even a stroke of bad luck can all lead to the camp being exposed.

As the secret camps were discovered one after another, some of the loot looted by the Teldun leaders filled saddlebags of all sizes, so much so that all the horses could not carry it.

Those leaders who returned empty-handed were green with envy—like Bald Dog.

……

Shi Jian had little interest in the "old camp" before him, as he wouldn't get a share of the spoils.

Bald Dog didn't say it explicitly, but Stone Arrow knew very well that Bald Dog wouldn't share anything with him, which led to the second reason—Bald Dog was starving, while Stone Arrow was already full.

After waiting for an unknown amount of time, Shi Jian heard the sound of horns coming from ahead.

Hundreds of Terdon cavalry charged out of the forest and headed straight for the secret camp, led by Bald Dog.

Then another bugle call came from another direction, and Qingma led his men to attack the secret camp.

Shi Jian ordered his men to sound the horn, mount their horses, and gallop at a leisurely pace toward the secret camp.

……

Amidst the clash of swords and the howls of men and the neighing of horses.

Two groups are fighting to the death in a makeshift camp, one group outnumbered and the other outnumbered.

The side with fewer people wielded spears, bows and arrows, and scimitars, charging and fighting with drawn bows and arrows; the side with more people used maces, javelins, and even farm tools such as flails and sickles, fighting in dense formations.

Needless to say, the former were Teldun people, and the latter were militiamen from Lower Iron Peak County.

In this battle where hundreds faced dozens, Ronald's militia had firmly suppressed the Teldens.

The militiamen, pushing cartwheels and carrying door panels, slowly rolled toward the Teldun camp in a clumsy but unstoppable manner—yes, this battle was not taking place in the secret camp in the valley, but in the Bald Dogs' camp.

In the past, if the battle situation were unfavorable, the Teldens would have fled on horseback long ago.

But that won't work now, because their spoils are all kept in the camp.

The Teldenans were like stingy traveling merchants pushing their carts halfway up a hill, only to be bitten on the backside by a wolf that had been waiting for them.

If he lets go to fight the wolf, the cart will be gone; but if he keeps pushing the cart, his backside will be gone.

Ronald frowned as he stared at the small squad of Teldun armored cavalry on the hillside—who had never participated in combat before; he should now be called Major Ronald.

There are two main difficulties in using infantry to subdue cavalry. First, it is necessary to mitigate the impact of the cavalry's charge; second, it is essential to prevent the cavalry from escaping.

Ronald had already solved the second problem; as for the first, Captain Eppel racked his brains and came up with a simple and brutal tactic—the "wheel formation."

Simply put, it uses a mobile spear carriage, similar to a gun carriage, to shield the front and back, while the sides are protected by wheels with a thick, sharpened wooden stick inserted into them.

If the enemy doesn't move, then push the wheels forward; if the enemy cavalry comes, immediately put down the wheels. In general, the formation is protected by "rolling chevaux-de-frise".

The wheels serve as a means of transportation, a roadblock, and a support for barricades—of course, they still need someone to hold them up.

But hiding behind the wheels and holding the spear was easier than holding the spear with both hands and facing a cavalry charge.

In some ways, wheel formations and horse-drawn carriage formations are similar in purpose.

However, the carriages were too cumbersome and could not be moved once war broke out. So they simply discarded the carriage box and kept only the wheels, which also meant that the draft horses could be cut off.

Could it work? Epper didn't know. But it would be impossible to send peasants who had just taken up arms to face a cavalry charge with only a spear, like regular soldiers.

Thus, this bizarre scene unfolded on the battlefield:
The militiamen, drenched in sweat, shouted slogans as they pushed the waist-high cart wheels, truly "advancing" the cart.
As soon as Teldun's light cavalry came over, they lowered their wheels as if they were putting down an umbrella;
Faced with the tortoise-shell-like array of wheels, the Teldun men, despite their superior archery and swift horses, were helpless.

The wheels were too high for the horses to leap over. Charging forward might not have been enough to clear them, but anyone who crashed into them would certainly die. The Teldun men didn't intend to commit suicide, so they chose to gallop and fire arrows from outside the wheel formation.

The militia also wielded slingshots, javelins, and bows and arrows, engaging in firefights with the barbarians.

From time to time, Teldun men fell from their horses, and militiamen screamed and clutched their wounds as they collapsed to the ground.

Teldon Red Feather coldly watched the "wheel formation" roll forward until the Parat people advanced to the foot of the hillside.

Water flows downhill, and the wheels also tend to roll downwards. The exhausted militiamen gradually lost control of the heavy wheels.

The once tight line of defense first became loose, and then gaps began to appear—the ground is not always flat, and it is not easy for even a line of people to march in an orderly manner, let alone a row of wheels, when they encounter bad terrain.

"[Herd] The two-legged men's formation has broken!" Teldun Red Feather raised his spear, thrust it fiercely into his horse's flank, and charged down the hillside like an arrow. Teldun's armored cavalry followed closely behind him: "[Herd] By the gods!"

The charge of a dozen or so cavalrymen gave the illusion of a massive army, and the other Teldun light cavalry turned their horses around and followed.

"Your turn." Seeing that the other side had already revealed their hand, Major Ronald also sent out his fierce dog: "Adam, go."

The Teldun cavalry skillfully weaved through the gaps between the wheel-wheeled barricades, and the militia's morale crumbled at the first touch.

Red Feather, holding a spear, plunged it into a man's back, the spear embedding itself deep in flesh. The man fell, and Red Feather released his grip, drawing his scimitar.

Other Teldun armored cavalry and light cavalry filed in through the breach, and the Paratists scattered and fled.

Hong Lingyu thought he would be chasing and killing the two-legged people, but then he saw a small group of two-legged people rushing up against the flow of people. Without thinking, he swung his sword down.

Lieutenant Adam (front), wearing only a pair of arm armor, roared and swung his spiked mallet, smashing it down to meet the red-feathered scimitar.

A spiked club is essentially a club with an iron tip, and to ensure its strength, it is made of very thick wood.

Red Feathered Horseman, Adam on foot. The former, positioned on higher ground, theoretically held the advantage.

However, at the moment the sword and hammer clashed, Hong Lingyu felt an unstoppable force returning from the weapons.

Hong Lingyu's palms went numb, her tiger's mouth was torn open, and her wrist was twisted.

To Hong Lingyu's even greater surprise, his scimitar was deeply embedded in the wooden handle of the opponent's strange weapon, rendering it immobile.

This scene also surprised Adam.

Logically speaking, the wooden handle of a long-handled weapon should be repeatedly oiled, dried, and even fitted with an iron sleeve to ensure it won't break.

Adam had no time to complain about the quality of the spiked mallet. He roared and used all his strength to pull downwards, and the red-feathered scimitar slipped from his hand.

Adam followed up with a downward stepping thrust, aiming straight for Red Feather's right rib.

The hammer tip struck the armor plate, sparks flying everywhere.

The armor was left with only a dent, but the impact was transmitted to the body through the armor plates.

Hong Lingyu's four ribs broke instantly. He was in so much pain that he couldn't even make a sound and fell to the other side of the saddle.

The crudely made spiked mallet had also reached its limit; the front of the wooden handle of the mallet exploded with a "bang," and the iron spike flew off somewhere.

The warhorse, terrified, bolted in a frenzy. Red Feather's left foot got stuck in the stirrup, and she screamed as the horse dragged her away.

The other Teldenans who charged into the "wheel formation" were also entangled by Adam's brave warriors.

The Teldun people gradually realized something was wrong; the wheel formation, with its wheels forming walls, must have left gaps.

The gap is like the mesh of a sieve; people can climb, crawl, and squeeze through, but horses cannot.

The Paratites merely escaped the wheel formation, but did not continue their rout.

Instead, they went back to the wheels and turned the wheel array over.

The spears of the Hed people had two points, as did the spears and stakes of the Parat people.

With a forceful pull, the "hedgehog" with its spearhead pointing outwards instantly transformed into the "iron maiden" with its spearhead pointing inwards.

The Teldenans discovered they were imprisoned inside the Iron Maiden.

[Thank you to all the readers for your collections, reading, subscriptions, recommendations, monthly tickets, donations, and comments. Thank you everyone!]
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(End of this chapter)