What did you do with the dice?

Rusalka raised her chopsticks and cleared her throat. "Listen to the question. A tiger is tied to a tree with a two-meter-long rope. How can it eat grass five meters away?"

Phoenix answered without hesitation: "The Taigo people probably don't eat grass."

Rusalka was silent for a long moment, then managed to say, "Well, you're right."

Phoenix tilted her head. She felt like she still didn't understand the question after answering it, so she asked again: "So, what is a brain teaser?"

Rusalka said awkwardly, "Let's eat first. I'll explain it to you next time when I have a chance."

The Sunny Tower next door laughed after seeing it.

----

After a reluctant eight-hour rest, Rusalka led the army, which had packed up its luggage and miscellaneous items, and continued on its journey.

The journey was as smooth as Sanitata had said, which made him feel quite uncomfortable.

But his good brother always came up with something to cheer him up when he was feeling bored: (You have to be extra vigilant today.)

It was also Rusalka's first time to be in charge. Since Sanita couldn't tell him how to do everything, he felt annoyed and just copied his previous instructions step by step: (Don't worry, I sent out scouts to patrol, and asked Maomao to observe the surroundings with binoculars at all times. When setting up camp, I also set up barricades first.

Besides, we're in a two-guard-one-form formation right now. Even if they want to attack me, unless they block me at the end of the woods like you said, they'll have to break through my left and right wings first. So, you should be the one to be careful, right?

Sanitta was very satisfied with his operation: (Well, not bad. But the strange thing is, the reports from my sentries all say there are no signs of enemy gathering or cavalry movement nearby. The Mage's Eye and Magical Familiar have also been sent out, but they haven't been attacked. I remember that this side is close to the territory of Marquis Momola, so he can't possibly not send troops.)

After fighting several battles in this world, Sanita gradually accepted the fact that the world was just a makeshift organization. It can only be said that the strategic command ideas of the 21st century were based on the historical experience of countless famous generals and predecessors, so they were particularly sharp and to the point, eliminating most of the redundant and unnecessary instructions, making the command precise and efficient.

For example: The machine gun position moves forward 16 meters.

In this world, command really depends on yourself 30% and your teammates 70%. Whether a battle can be fought successfully depends on how well the army can execute orders.

So he gradually began to change from direct denial to questioning first. Although no matter how he thought about it, he felt that Marquis Momola would not fail to send troops at this time, but according to the nature of this world, maybe he really would?

Just as Sanita was thinking the enemy might be heading to the exit to block Rusalka, and was about to hasten his army forward, Rusalka asked on the PL channel: (Generally speaking, how often do the scouts return?)

Sunny Tower: (A round trip of 1-2 hours, no more than that.)

Rusalka asked again: (What if it exceeds?)

Sanitieta was stunned: (Exceeded? When did you send out the scout cavalry?)

Rusalka replied: (When giving the order for the army to march out.)

Sanitta knew Rusalka was just copying her, and he had no idea what she was doing: (Damn, do you even know what the hell you were sending out the scouts for? Was it so they'd report back "nothing happened" every time? Now that they haven't returned, we'll assume they've been killed, which means the enemy is nearby! By the way, did the messenger you sent out when we set up camp yesterday return?)

Rusalka: (Not yet. The one sent to your side has returned. Is the food here bad? Why are they in such a hurry to come back? Haha, I'm just kidding. So the messenger is gone too. Elves are so disgusting.)

Sanita took a deep breath and shouted in the PL channel: (Why don't you quickly give the order to run to the woods! Run at full speed!)

Rusalka immediately found the messenger: "Go and give the order immediately, throw away unnecessary weights, and the whole army advance at full speed!"

Rusalka's army completed the acceleration order after ten minutes. As for things such as tents, tables, chairs, and unnecessary pots and pans, they were thrown away as they went along according to Rusalka's instructions. The entire army reduced its load to the lowest possible level.

The infantrymen who were running at small steps took turns to get on the carriages to rest, while the cavalrymen and grooms raised their whips and shouted at their mounts to run faster.

On a small hill not far from them, a blond man, riding a dark green steed that exhaled a scorching breath, watched Rusalka's army and asked the elderly elf beside him who was casting a spell with an oak staff, "They've suddenly sped up their march. Have you noticed?"

"Perhaps. There are some people in this world who are naturally very sensitive to danger, and he might be one of them." The old elven wizard stroked his beard. "Please order the army to attack. Although we are still some distance away, we can bite his tail off here."

The sound of the bugle call instantly resounded across the hills.

----

The Chocobo is indeed a hybrid monster. While the handsome war horses around it were panting as they ran, the flawless Chocobo ridden by Rusalka and Phoenix was not breathing fast at all and was running steadily. Perhaps this speed was just a stroll for it.

Phoenix was standing on the back of the chocobo, observing the surroundings through a telescope, when she suddenly said, "Southwest, about 500 meters, there are a large number of cavalry."

Rusalka quickly pulled out the binoculars from her waist and turned back to look in the direction Phoenix had pointed. Sure enough, she saw a mass of cavalrymen galloping towards her at a normal speed. Listening carefully, she could even hear the faint sound of a horn: "500 meters?! What the hell? Wasn't there nothing just now? Did they teleport here in a group?"

Phoenix narrowed her eyes and replied calmly, "Magic."

Sani Tower: (This should be the elves' exclusive spell, "Shadowless Forest," a superior alternative to "Mass Blur." Its effect range is roughly a hundred meters or even larger. As long as troops stay within this radius and don't exceed a certain movement speed limit, they can maintain their camouflage, becoming undetectable to the naked eye and simple detection spells.)

I have to say, the magic in this broken world is really disgusting. You know, the invisibility of the Earth's stealth fighter is only at the "radar" level, which is still visible to the naked eye, but the magic in this world can even change the rules of optics, which is really hard to defend against.

"Enemy attack!!" Rusalka immediately picked up the loudspeaker and shouted, "All troops, continue to advance! The enemy is in the southwest, beware of a rain of arrows!"

After hearing his shout, the soldiers responded one after another, and the shout spread throughout the entire army. It must be said that small troops also have their advantages. After Rusalka shouted, it took only more than a minute for all the soldiers to either hide in the carriage or take the shields tied on their backs in their hands, and then face the direction of Rusalka's shout to defend.

Shortly after Rusalka gave the order, an expected rain of arrows came from the sky. The arrows had very clear targets, and the sharp arrow tips were like hungry predators, rushing straight towards the war horses and mounts.

The infantrymen immediately raised their shields to block the arrows for their horses. Protecting mounts is basic common sense on the battlefield, but in this rain of arrows, a few arrows seemed to have eyes. They turned in mid-air, bypassed the shields directly, and pierced the eyes of the horses that had no armor protection.

Several war horses fell down with screams, and the two carriages collapsed as well. The soldiers inside kept cursing the damn archers and hurriedly jumped off the "stalled" carriages with some necessary luggage.

Obviously, this wave of arrows did not come from the group of cavalry. After all, horse archers are very rare, not to mention that the two armies are separated by hundreds of meters. In this case, shooting arrows would only be a waste of arrows.

Rusalka noticed that on a small mound about 50 meters away from the team, several outlines were becoming transparent and blending into the environment again.

Rusalka: (Damn, the Rangers are still chasing me. Am I a jerk? It's okay if they're chasing me, but what about my left wing? How can this large group of cavalry behind me, which looks like at least several hundred people, bypass my left wing and charge directly at my troops?)

Sanitta: (It's obvious that when you set up camp yesterday, the messenger sent to inform the left wing was killed by the ranger. Sarolt, not knowing that you chose to set up camp and rest at noon, must have continued to move forward at the same speed.

In other words, your left wing is now moving faster than you and is out of touch with you. Since the sentinels cannot turn back to keep watch, an air defense area is exposed in the rear. In addition, because the opponent has a senior elven wizard, his troops were not noticed.

You should immediately activate the message stone and tell Sarolt that your troops have fallen behind, causing them to be caught by the enemy cavalry who found a breakthrough and rushed to the basin entrance. You need them to pull some troops back to support you.

Rusalka did not forget to do as she was told while complaining, but the background sound from Sarolt's side of the communication stone was not very good. In response to Rusalka's request for help, Sarolt said that they were also facing a frontal attack from the infantry corps of the Marquis and some elven wizards.

The only good news is that the enemy's cavalry is chasing Rusalka, so on the front battlefield, the Esdi army, as the left wing, is currently very advantageous. As long as Rusalka can hold on for a few days, they should be able to defeat the Marquis's troops attacking the left wing, and then turn around to eat up the cavalry chasing Rusalka.

According to Sani Tieta's idea, from the perspective of long-term strategic vision and the core purpose of this operation, it would be better for the left wing not to come to support at this time.

Sani Tieta: (Hardship a little longer, brother. I'll take the blame. Brother Xiao, the enemy's attack now is just the vanguard to entangle you. Have your troops rush into the woods to hide from the main cavalry. Send a group of people to intercept the vanguard. Cut off the gecko's tail and try your best to escape on your own.)

Since he had already said this, what else could Rusalka do? She could only say to Sarolt: Don't worry, the group of people behind look easy to deal with. You guys attack your side first, and then come back after you're done.

After saying this, Rusalka threw the useless communication stone to the ground and said to Phoenix, who had already prepared his weapons and drawn two daggers, "That's terrible, Phoenix. It seems we can only rely on ourselves. Herald! Deploy the barricades and select two teams to follow me to guard the basin entrance. The rest of us will rush through the basin and into the woods with the target to be protected!"

A squad consists of 100 people, and Rusalka wants to take 200 people to cover the rear.

This kind of almost suicidal task is usually assigned before the battle. The soldiers in the team who are called can only pat their tightened hearts, swallow their bitter saliva, circle out of the team, and stop at the end of the team holding the wooden stakes to make arrangements.

However, Rusalka's act of staying behind to fight in person has greatly stabilized the morale in a sense. People always think that the position of commanders or big figures in war must be the safest position. Since Rusalka stayed, it may mean that this rearguard work is not necessarily a dead end.

It is easy to click the mouse when playing games, but in real war, after Rusalka gave the order which was almost equivalent to "send 200 people to die", he looked at the soldiers around him who were named and stayed to face the cavalry with him, and he was shocked by his own cold-bloodedness and decisiveness.

But in war, human lives are at stake. If these two hundred people had not been there to guard the rear, and if the cavalry's charge had not been curbed, and they had been allowed to pursue them all the way and really bit the army's butt, then when the large force behind them caught up, the number of casualties would definitely have been more than 200.

The horses' hooves were galloping, their steps were disorderly, and there were countless cavalry chasing behind them. Although the sharp edge had not yet arrived, the pressure was already surging like a tide.

Not only did they have to compete in speed with the cavalry behind them, but they also had to take into account the arrows flying at them from all kinds of tricky angles from time to time, for fear that they would shoot the few war horses pulling the carts to death. The soldiers could only surround the war horses, raise their shields, be extremely alert, tense their nerves, and look around while running, for fear of missing an arrow that was flying towards the war horses.

Phoenix glanced at another horse that had been shot down to the ground, and black mist surged around him. "I'll deal with the elven archers."

Rusalka stopped her and said, "No need. Leave this to me. Go protect Ai Li and the eldest prince."

Without hesitation, she nodded and turned to catch up with the main force.

Rusalka: (Maomao used to show some token concern for me, but now she doesn’t hesitate at all?)

Sanita: (Love-brained, huh? This is a battlefield, and being able to 100% execute your orders is the greatest hobby, isn't it?)

Rusalka: (Hehe.)

Sanitta had no idea what Rusalka was laughing at. He couldn't laugh anyway, considering the situation he was facing. "Castor, Shana, you two find another commander and lead the three legions back. Go around the back of the basin and coordinate with Rusalka's army in the woods to attack the enemy cavalry."

That's all he can do on his side, I hope his brother is okay.

Chapter 154 Sicilian Front (4)

Life is full of strange firsts, just like now, Rusalka used her face to receive a cavalry charge for the first time in real life.

He really wanted to shout out, can any modern person on earth do this?

It's impossible, it's simply impossible, not even the ancients could do it - the death rate of soldiers facing a cavalry charge was as high as 95%. Those who survived were lucky and didn't get trampled by horse hooves when they fell to the ground pretending to be dead.

Even on the soft and fragrant green grass and mud, the continuous thud of horse hooves formed a drumbeat of death. The murderous aura was like a sharp spear, accompanying the charge of the cavalry, piercing the heart of every defender.

The cavalrymen held spears with cold flashes on their tips. The cavalrymen rushing in the front waved their spears vigorously, and the spear tips cut through the air, making sharp sounds.

200 meters, 100 meters, 50 meters, the final charge distance. The whistling wind brought by the impact of the airflow arrogantly scratched the soldiers' faces, and even every blade of grass respectfully bowed to the cavalry to show submission.

"pull!"

A steel wire rose from the ground and directly tripped the horses' legs of the front row of cavalry. The fall of the first row of cavalry also slowed down the charge of the subsequent cavalry.

This was a method Rusalka had learned and used last time in Mingyue City. He was very good at recording the losses he had suffered and letting future enemies have a taste of the same.

Wire rope is not difficult to find in the military, but what is difficult is something to tie the rope.

There happened to be a tree nearby, but due to the terrain, there was no other symmetrical tree, so they could only tie one end to the tree, and have three strong men lie on the ground to hold the other end. Rusalka shouted and pulled it up suddenly like tug-of-war.

Although this pull could trip the warhorse, the power of the horse's charge was not to be underestimated. However, judging from the screams, the wrists of these soldiers must have been at least dislocated.

Before the cavalry could reach the barricades, Rusalka jumped up directly and kicked a cavalryman who tried to poke his legs with a spear in the air. After landing, he stepped on the horse's back with both feet. Before the horse stood up and tried to throw him off, he chopped off the horse's head with a knife, then stepped on the horse's body and rushed directly into the cavalry formation.

Rusalka's features were so obvious that the enemy commander recognized him immediately and shouted to the soldiers, "Kill the Lord of Pearl Tears and be crowned a baron! The reward is 5000 gold coins."

Rusalka immediately performed a whirlwind horse split, watching the people and horses around him fall to the ground, and laughed, "I'm only worth 5000 gold coins? You must have taken a kickback!"

The damage from the horseshoe kicks was offset by the Heavy Armor Master, and the words "Immune to Stabbing Damage" were displayed on the lower right corner of the field of vision. This was the confidence that Hamlet's Shield gave Rusalka to charge directly into the cavalry formation.

If Sanita was present, he would probably remind Rusalka to cherish it a little more. Now a well-trained warhorse is worth 3-4 gold coins on the market, and it is often in short supply because wars are raging everywhere and people are stockpiling this strategic material.

When Rusalka chopped down the sword, not only a warhorse was killed, but also money.

Perhaps it was because Rusalka, a guy who could catch a spear with his head, was too outrageous and his chosen means of attack were too vulgar. Soon, the group of cavalrymen understood the truth that "money and noble status are important, but life should be more important" and began to run around him.

Rusalka wanted to chase, but as soon as he turned around, he was hit by several sudden sharp arrows. One of them was even emitting purple light, which was the kind that could pop out a lot of poison immunity prompts when it hit him.

Practical experience is also knowledge. This time, I just happened to hit one of the few knowledge oases in Rusalka: (Nature's Sigh? Don't they know that this thing has no effect on me?)

Sanita: (Oh, now they know.)

The stabbing immunity that Rusalka had worked so hard to build up was turned into the wood magic immunity that came with the arrow by this shot. This tricky arrow, combined with the attack rhythm of this group of cavalry, was still able to cause some damage to him.

Rusalka was furious: (Damn Rangers! They assassinate messengers and sentinels, cut off my intelligence, and can even kill horses and destroy carriages. They cast spells to make the army invisible, and there are even some pretty elves. I want a team of Rangers too. Brother, when will you build me an army like that? I want this!)

Sanitita: (Haha, it’s no use telling me that. You should make a wish to your pillow dad before going to bed at night.)

These rangers were extremely cunning. They attacked from outside Rusalka's field of vision, and each time they attacked, they would escape after one strike and immediately become invisible, making it impossible to find their location.

Now Rusalka realized the importance of brothers. Without the spell of Sanita to break the invisibility of these elves, even if she was attacked, she would not know where the enemy was. She would not know where to start the Phantom Step.

Rusalka was now extremely anxious, begging the other side to send a mage to target him so that he could use the Pearl Tear Time to teleport over and chop off the other side's head.

Unfortunately, the other party seemed to know how to learn lessons from intelligence. Before, the magic of so many warlocks and dragonborn in the El Empire could not do anything to Rusalka. There were not many mages among their rangers, so they simply arranged them to fight head-on with the main force instead of using them as a snack for Rusalka.

Rusalka was only as strong as a single person, and the makeshift barricades could only hinder the cavalry's charge. After the leading cavalry climbed over the obstacles by stepping on the corpses on the barricades, this narrow front began to completely turn into hand-to-hand combat.

The only thing to be thankful for is that this group of cavalrymen are not as elite as the White Horse Rangers. Their fighting style is to charge on horseback to cut through the enemy's camp. In close combat, they pick up their spears and poke the shield formation first. After the horses under their crotch are knocked down, they immediately drop the spears in their hands, draw the swords at their waists and start swinging, which is a very conventional cavalry fighting method.

If it were the White Horse Rangers that Consenat had specially trained at great expense, as a force that pushed the mobility of light cavalry to the limit, they would not use bulky spears first. Instead, they would choose to take out their two-handed crossbows and fire a round before rushing towards the chevaux de frise, and then immediately turn back and make a detour, using a gradient shooting method similar to that of the medieval musketeers to ensure saturated coverage of long-range firepower. After shooting down some of the shield soldiers behind the chevaux de frise, they would try to jump over the chevaux de frise, trample down the shield formation with their horses, and then directly draw their scimitars and swing.

It can only be said that the troops Rusalka sent along the way were all elite, and the performance of this cavalry was not good. Although the cavalry in the front stepped on the corpses to jump over the barricades and forced the lives of the horses to break through the spear and shield formation, the cavalry in the rear did not keep up immediately.

Their commander, seeing the overwhelming numerical advantage on his side and seeing Rusalka personally charging into battle, wondered if the purpose of annihilating this army was to capture Rusalka. So why continue chasing the deserters ahead? Was Rusalka right here?

So he made a steady and cautious decision, and ordered the cavalry in the middle and rear to rein in their horses, first cooperate with the sharpshooters to eliminate Rusalka who had rushed into their formation, and then let the front team dismount and clear away the barricades and corpses before launching a second charge, defeating the team guarding the pass in one fell swoop.

The decision was a good one. It took them more than ten minutes to dismount and clear the obstacles, and the execution of this step was relatively perfect.

But unfortunately, the first step was not executed well. When they surrounded Rusalka and stabbed her wildly, Rusalka had already chopped from the left side of the army formation to the right side, and then from the right side back to the left side.

His whole body was gleaming with golden light, which was the special effect of the Holy Healing Pool's recovery. Including the healing effect, his panel had a total of 358 health points. Combined with the damage reduction effect of the Double Armor Master + Level 3 Armor, and the Hamlet Shield that could immunize against repeated damage, Rusalka was like a boss, invincible in this cavalry legion.

The Ranger Squad is indeed very strong. They can rely on their mobility and concealment to cut off the eyes and ears of Rusalka's army, forcing his army to fight alone.

But Rusalka's individual ability is stronger. If there is no elite unit such as the Viper Squad or a full-strength Ranger Squad to intercept him with all their strength, he can't escape by relying solely on numbers. He must have a strong tank.

Unfortunately, there are no warriors like the Dragonborn in this army.

Rusalka: (Tsk, my Holy Healing Pool is only half full. The Ranger Squad's mixed damage shots combined with the Cavalry's lance thrusts can penetrate my Hamlet Shield. Although the damage isn't fast, the amount of damage increases dramatically. The cumulative damage is terrifying. But using my passive here isn't worth it. Next up should be **. I have to save my trump card for the experts in the enemy army.)

Sanita: (How many people have you killed now?)

Rusalka: (I didn’t count exactly, maybe around 50.)

Sani Tieta smacked his lips. This number may not seem like a lot, but it is actually quite terrifying. These are 50 cavalrymen, and they are not the kind of infantry who are pulled out for training for a month and then thrown into the battlefield with weapons to be considered soldiers. Cavalry units only need to master riding, maintaining body balance and having the strength to attack. Even if the people in this world have strong physical fitness, they still need at least one year of hard training.

Rushaka's normal attack was reduced so much. The cheating units are different. They are different when they start to spin.

Of course, no matter how many ordinary cavalrymen there were, they could not defeat Rusalka. It was only because the Ranger Squad was mixed in that he was in a difficult battle.

Sani Iron Tower: (It’s almost time to withdraw.)