Armored Cavalry, survive in a world full of mods

………………

Samir nodded slightly, then looked at the others:

"And what are you all thinking? Speak up. I'd rather you vent your grievances here than see you delay or slack off during the battle. Otherwise, I won't have any room for tolerance."

“We will reach a final conclusion after today. If you did not object before then, you will not have the right to do so afterward… It starts with you, Iserahim.”

307 Probing (2)

This cold weather is perfect for a unique activity of our time, one that is quite exclusive and requires a certain status to participate in—a large-scale hunt.

The nomadic peoples of the grasslands regard hunting as an important source of meat. After all, cattle and sheep are important production tools, and they are generally reluctant to kill them for food. In this case, the game they hunt becomes especially important.

Leaders often use tacit cooperation and precognitive maneuvering to drive prey out of the jungle and bushes and shoot them with arrows. The spoils are then distributed according to merit and status, thus consolidating their position and authority.

Of course, for Thesolius, his hunt was a purely relaxing activity, without any other motives, simply to give his tense nerves some leisure so that he could think more deeply and plan more prudently.

Riding his horse atop the high slope, from this vantage point spanning dozens of miles, he could see the surrounding plains and forests in their entirety. He could clearly see the light cavalrymen, who came and went like the wind, returning like hunters laden with their spoils, except that their prey was bloody heads.

You could often see cavalrymen who died in these dangerous hunts. They would be brought back by their comrades, who would tie them to their saddles, and then special officials would handle their affairs.

"If I'm not mistaken, the Assele people will probably give up their plan to fight a decisive battle with my army... After all, it's not in their interest, or rather, they no longer have the opportunity."

"After all, most of the Hols' land has fallen into our hands, and they've also gained the Southeast Valley. We've just taken too much at once. Guess, Doctor, where they'll finally confront us?"

Tarina was trying to cut a blade of grass with her knife. The plant in her hand had long leaves and thick roots, with light blue spots on the leaves, making it look like a stunted, strange carrot.

The words of Thesolius reached the girl's ears precisely, but Tarina remained motionless, completely focused on cutting the leaves with her knife. She simply gave her own reply:

“I suspect they’ll be near the Saru Delta… there’s no better place for the defensive side.”

“That’s right. If we keep advancing by conquering cities, that will indeed be our limit. But they probably haven’t witnessed the speed at which we conquer cities… Do you think they’ll misjudge that?”

Tarina had already cut off all the leaves, then carefully placed the leaves with blue spots into the pit next to her and buried them. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief and wipe the sweat from her forehead.

"I think even if they have collected relevant intelligence, without firsthand experience, it would be difficult for them to make an accurate judgment... Before actually witnessing a legion besieging a city, I would never have imagined that a country's army could be so good at dealing with cities, as orderly and skillful as a butcher slaughtering cattle and sheep."

"That's good. As long as they relax their vigilance on this matter, our plan will succeed... Doctor, stop busy digging for herbs. We're out hunting today. Why don't you try getting a bow and arrow?"

Tarina was extending her hands, letting Colin pour water from his water pouch onto them so she could wash the liquid off her skin. Upon hearing this, a troubled expression immediately appeared on her face:

“But sir, I’m not very strong, I probably can’t draw a strong bow… and I’ve never been trained, so I probably won’t be able to shoot accurately, right?… You guys go ahead and hunt, I’ll just collect some herbs. There’s a lot of variety here, even this highly poisonous ringed variegated palm…”

Before she could finish speaking, the girl's attention was drawn to a glimmer of green emanating from the withered grass in the distance. She prepared to continue her work, while Tersolius simply smiled and nodded.

"It's just because you can't draw the bow, right? If you could draw it, could you put down your work and join us? You know this is a rare time to relax, and you haven't had a break in a long time... Besides, there shouldn't be many kinds of herbs this season, so it won't take you too much time."

Having been put on the spot, Talina couldn't refuse any longer, and seeing that Colin beside her also looked eager to try, she could only nod. But she was also very curious about what method Tersolius planned to use to get her to draw the powerful bow.

It's important to understand that everyone has a limit to their innate physical strength. Although Tarina is healthy, she is far from having the strength of Colin and Karila, let alone being able to draw the powerful bows in the army—the arrows shot from those bows could even shatter iron armor and pierce through strong oxen, so you can imagine how much strength it would take to draw them...

"I've been waiting for you to say that, Doctor. I was prepared..."

Tersolius grinned and waved to the side, whereupon a guard took a crossbow from his saddlebag and handed it to him a few steps forward.

"Crossbows?..."

Tarina looked troubled... She felt she probably couldn't use it either. Crossbows usually had a much higher draw weight than bows because they could be cocked with all their might, leaving more room for maneuver... But even the softest crossbow bolts in the army were not something she could use.

"Huh... what is this?"

It wasn't until Tersolius took out a peculiar device from his saddlebag that she showed a puzzled expression and subconsciously took two steps forward to approach it.

The device in front of me looked like a well pulley used to draw water, with two hemp ropes wrapped around it and curved iron hooks at the ends. Two levers were connected to a wooden shaft, and there was a specially made slot in the middle, which was obviously designed to be used to hold a crossbow bolt.

Tersolius tightened the slot, then hooked the iron hooks at the ends of the two hemp ropes onto the string, stepped on the iron rings below, and began to turn the two levers.

Tarina's eyes grew brighter and brighter, and in the blink of an eye she understood the purpose of the device. She watched with great interest as the bowstring was steadily pulled to the mechanism and carefully locked in place. Then, the two hemp ropes and the iron hook on top were removed, and the crossbow bolt could be loaded directly, ready to be fired.

"Although this thing is cumbersome and time-consuming, its advantage is that it is very labor-saving. Even women and children who are weak can cock the crossbow... In other words, it can make the crossbow a universally applicable weapon."

With that, Tersolius inserted a crossbow bolt, about the length of a forearm, into the quiver. He looked it over from left to right, then raised the crossbow and aimed at a small tree, about the thickness of a palm, in the distance. After only two breaths, he pulled the trigger. In the blink of an eye, the bolt whistled past everyone's ears and pierced deeply into the distant tree trunk, its tip still trembling slightly.

"Moreover, this weapon is indeed very simple to use. It takes one or two years for someone to learn to draw a bow and shoot an arrow, but it only takes one or two months for him to learn this. It is very easy to learn and get started. Come on, you can try it too."

Tarina reached out and took the hardwood crossbow bolt, stroking the sturdy, smooth weapon with curiosity, her expression gradually becoming eager to try it out.

"Did you design this, sir? It certainly looks very useful."

Thesolius laughed out loud, then gently shook his head:

"This is not my achievement. The engineers of the Empire have long since developed this kind of thing, but due to certain limitations, it is rarely used."

Tarina observed the device on the ground thoughtfully, seemingly a little puzzled.

"Of course it's because this thing is too troublesome. You have to wait for it to slowly swing up and then take it down, then load the arrow and fire it. I could shoot more than a dozen arrows with a bow!"

This time, it was Colin next to her who answered. She had initially been quite interested in the device, but after watching for a while, she lost interest and clearly realized its limitations.

"That's pretty much what it means."

Tersolius nodded:

"Although this device can allow people with little strength to draw a powerful crossbow, it is too cumbersome for the army. Not only will it increase the burden on crossbowmen, but such a complex and cumbersome structure is also prone to causing problems during combat."

"Moreover, the crossbowmen in the army are usually chosen from those with exceptional strength. They are already capable of drawing powerful crossbows and can recover their strength through rotation. This kind of device is not very meaningful or necessary for them. In the Empire, it is mostly used on giant crossbows for city defense. It can only play its true value on those large catapult weapons... To be precise, it is more like an engineering component."

Tarina had already hooked the iron hook onto the bowstring and was slowly turning the crank to draw back the powerful crossbow.

"Indeed, this kind of thing is more suitable for use in urban defense. Only under the protection of city walls and public buildings can it be operated slowly. In open field battles, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the enemy's greater projectiles... But for someone like me who lacks physical strength, it is a good way to make up for it."

As she spoke, the bowstring was already engaged in the mechanism. Tarina took the crossbow bolt and awkwardly and clumsily inserted it into the slot. Then she looked up and searched for her first target.

As if possessed, the girl instinctively chose that small tree, about the size of a palm, as her target, and mimicked Tersolius's posture, raising the crossbow.

"See, isn't it simple? Just aim the weapon in your hand. You don't need to practice like you would with a bow and arrow. Just go by instinct... If you feel it's right, pull the trigger. Be careful, this thing will hit your shoulder."

Tersolius reached out and placed his hand on Tarina's shoulder, applying slight pressure to align the girl's shoulder bones as he intended. He then stood behind her, bowing slightly to observe the crossbow's aiming angle from the girl's perspective.

"What's wrong, doctor? I think you've almost got it..."

Tarina didn't answer, her face gradually showing annoyance, and she shifted her flushed cheeks somewhat uncomfortably.

"Sir, please don't talk behind my head...it tickles..."

"Hmm?...Phew!"

Tersolius paused for a moment, then a strange, wicked sense of amusement welled up inside him. Instead of moving aside, he secretly inhaled a breath of cool air and unexpectedly blew it towards the back of Talina's head, making her pale blue hair flutter.

"ah!……"

Caught off guard, Tarina's hand jerked, triggering the mechanism. The arrow shot out but veered three feet upwards, embedding itself in the middle of the tree canopy, startling a small, smooth-feathered bird that flew out in a panic.

The girl no longer cared about the arrow that had gone astray. At this moment, her fair and soft cheeks were flushed red, as if a snake had crawled on her neck. She was panicked, and her bright eyes even welled up with tears as she stared straight at Tersolius…

He thought he was just joking, but Talina's reaction was unexpectedly strong, leaving Tersolius speechless and feeling a little guilty. He was about to cough to ease the tension when he saw those bright and beautiful eyes and fell silent...

How does one person become attracted to another? ... This is a complex and diverse question, and everyone may have a different answer. No matter how astute a scholar or how sentimental a poet, it is difficult to summarize. ... But sometimes, your eyes, your heart, and even your genes will tell you that what you see is beautiful, attractive enough, and makes you willing to learn about it.

A woman's shyness always appears soft and charming, always different from her usual demeanor... Whether it's a charming smile, a bashful shyness, or a forced composure and concealment, each has its own charm, carrying an unexpected sense of contrast that instantly refreshes the viewer, as if the invisible distance between them has been shortened, so close that they can hear each other's breathing and see each other's eyelashes clearly...

Was she afraid of his approach? Was she surprised by his abruptness? Was she annoyed by it?

No…it doesn’t look like it at all. Thesolius could only see panic and shyness, and a hint of barely concealed joy, in those bright, clear eyes…

He almost thought it was his imagination, but he quickly dismissed his own judgment. With a strange, inexplicable curiosity, he kept his eyes glued to his work, so serious, to an odd degree.

A certain judgment was about to form, and this premonition made him suddenly feel a tightness in his chest, and even his heartbeat seemed to quicken a little, but not by much, yet it was noticeably faster...

He wanted to escape this state, but unconsciously felt a lingering attachment, so even the intention to escape weakened. He simply observed and felt quietly... completely ignoring the terrifying aggression of his gaze, until his prey could no longer endure it...

308 The Hunting Ground (1)

"……grown ups……!"

Her heart was pounding, a restless, pounding rhythm that made her breathing rapid and erratic. It felt as if something was holding her tightly, and the embrace was growing ever tighter, bringing a terrifying sense of oppression and panic, even making her feel suffocated and unable to breathe...

Especially when faced with the man's increasingly persistent and aggressive gaze, Tarina, like a frightened fawn, wanted to turn and run away, but for some reason, she couldn't move her feet. She could only stand there, her face growing redder and redder with embarrassment, until she could no longer bear it and was overwhelmed by immense shame and anger. Finally, she managed to squeeze out those two words...

"Don't move, Talina."

The sunlight shone from behind Thesolius, casting shadows on his face and making his words seem sharp and undeniably authoritative. This made the girl hesitate even more, and she was easily grabbed by the shoulder.

This is already an excessively close distance. If you take another step forward, you can touch the other person's nose and lips, and clearly see every single strand of their hair. When the sun shines through these barriers, it will ignite the ends of each strand of hair like burning charcoal, giving them a translucent golden hue.

Tarina was speechless, her hands trembling with nervousness, and the burning sensation on her face made her wonder if she had stuck her face into a fire. Her heart was pounding so fast that her chest ached, and her breathing became increasingly labored and difficult, but she was like a wooden doll, afraid to move away... or rather, unwilling to move away.

The girl never realized that this man of noble status could have such a terrifying gaze, like a sharp arrow piercing and dissecting her, as if trying to see every detail of her face. His heroic eyes were sharper and more aggressive than swords at this moment... until a bright smile suddenly appeared in those eyes.

A subtle squeezing sensation came from her cheeks as a pair of fingers gently pinched and kneaded the soft flesh on both sides, slowly pulling it apart before stopping just before she felt pain. Then, they gently stroked from her chin to her cheeks, moving slowly without any friction on her smooth, white, and elastic cheeks until their fingers disappeared into the silky, supple strands of pale blue hair. The warm, dry, large palms pressed tightly against the girl's forehead, sending a jolt of heat through her like an electric shock. In an instant, it felt like a real current, making half of her face frighteningly hot.

In a daze, Tarina felt she had lost control of her body. She was in a dizzying, disoriented state, and even her thoughts slowed down. She could only watch as the other person's face drew closer and closer, until it was about a fist's distance away. After a slight pause, the face gently brushed against Tarina's steaming head, and the two of them pressed their faces together completely.

"Wait! Wait a minute! Everyone else is watching..."

The girl let out a faint protest, so weak that only Thesolius could hear it clearly. The man simply chuckled, then slowly moved his head, letting their cheeks rub together... and then again.

"How can it be so soft, doctor? It's even softer and smoother than a baby's... I've actually wanted to do this for a long time, and I've been curious about it for a long time. Now it really lives up to my expectations."

Talina suspected she would faint at any moment. Her thoughts were so chaotic that she began to haphazardly piece together everything she knew. With each word the other person uttered in her ear, her confusion and shyness increased. The girl, who had spent most of her life as a simple country doctor, could hardly bear this stimulation. She was as if she had been drugged and collapsed into Tersolius's arms in a daze.

“You’re such a lovely person, Talina…”

………………

Before his face burned, Tersolius raised his head and carefully steadied the girl again. A jumble of chaotic thoughts flashed through his mind, and he felt a sense of surprise and bewilderment at his own actions—it was almost as if he were possessed… Then, Talina, who was even more unfamiliar and inexperienced than him, was completely unaware of his current emotions.

Of course, the next moment he found it so funny that he blamed Tarina for being shy and angry... and subconsciously wanted to tease her a little...

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

While the two were at a loss, the guards had already set up a 50-step perimeter to stand guard. The unspoken understanding among them was that everyone had uniformly turned their gaze to the outer perimeter. Although they were faithfully performing their duties without even shifting their eyes, a subtle atmosphere permeated the air among them, with a few even displaying faint smiles. These smiles were occasionally suppressed, existing in a state between being present and absent.

"Hey, why did you set up such a large perimeter for defense? What happened?"

Several soldiers pulled a huge wild boar over on a makeshift cart made of branches. Karila, her hands covered in blood, followed behind, looking at her scattered guards with some confusion. She didn't understand why they had made such a show of force—she had grown impatient while the others were still cleaning up, and having just spotted the trail, she had called two men to give chase. Sure enough, their assessment was correct; the prey they caught was a large, fat wild boar, its fur long and thick, moving through the bushes. It took quite a bit of effort to kill it.

After piercing the wild boar's chest and abdomen with her spear, the gushing hot blood stained her arms, and she was now somewhat annoyed and planning to find some water to wash it off... But before her question could be answered, she saw Colin mysteriously emerge from the bushes in the distance, waving and beckoning her over...

"What's wrong? Why are you all acting like this?"

Although she was still a little confused, she didn't think too much about it and walked over there. She also picked a handful of dry grass from the hillside next to her and used it to wipe the bloodstains from her hand guards and palms. Although she couldn't wipe them completely clean, at least she wouldn't leave a bloody handprint anywhere she touched.

Before she could even ask a question, Colin grabbed her arm and pulled her inside. Without saying a word, he simply pointed up the hillside, and she immediately turned to look.

At this moment, Thesolius and Thalina had just separated. The girl's face was practically glowing red, clearly visible even from a distance. Thesolius, somewhat bewildered, looked left and right before speaking:

"Why are you standing so far apart?... Shrink your formation."

The guards turned around expressionlessly and began to retreat into their defensive circle. In the blink of an eye, they returned to their previous formation and fell silent again, awaiting orders.

Karila was stunned for a long time, then her expression changed rapidly, quickly shifting towards one of sudden realization:

"So that's how it is... I understand now, but why do you have that expression?"

"Huh? What does that mean?"

“I can’t really explain it…” Karila frowned, scratching her head and ruffling her hair, oblivious to the even more bloodstains on it. She shook her hand impatiently.

"It just feels a little different from your usual self, like... how should I put it? Let me think..."

"...You're just confused and imagining things. Let's go, the adults are calling us."

Colin rolled his eyes, got up, and brushed the grass off his clothes.

-------------------------------------

The panicked beast, no longer feeling safe enough in its lair, bared its sharp teeth and roared fiercely, scaring away the two blue warhorses. Seizing an opening, it leaped forward, its brownish-yellow fur and spots rippling like flowing water, a dazzling sight.

This is a lithe and beautiful leopard, with strong and powerful muscles in its limbs and thick, glossy fur. A thick layer of winter fur protects it from the severe cold, and the crevice formed by two huge rocks is its winter den. Its full belly shows that this beast has ample fat reserves, which can help it get through the winter, especially in the south where the winter is far from being harsh.

Of course, this is based on the premise that it will not be discovered by humans. However, if it were to reveal its tracks and show any flaws under such circumstances, it would already prove that its thick, soft, and beautiful fur would become a human's trophy.

"Hey!!"

Accompanied by a loud shout, several riders suddenly sprang out from the other side of the forest, causing the leopard, which had originally intended to flee this way, to hastily change direction. In its panic, it chose another direction and desperately fled, its four paws already covered in mud, driven by its survival instinct to burrow into the densest part of the bushes—a tracker of this size couldn't possibly pass through such bushes…at least not faster than it, and its thick, oily fur would allow it to largely ignore the thorns and branches within.

This would normally be a reliable option, but at this moment it was nothing short of a death trap—the leopard, having barely taken a few steps into the bushes, was suddenly caught in a tight net of hemp rope. Amid cheers from the surrounding riders, several ropes connecting to the net were dragged together, completely binding the strong and agile beast. No matter how much it struggled, it was futile… in fact, the more it struggled, the tighter it became.

The leopard's limbs are strong and sharp, capable of easily tearing open the antelope's belly, but at this moment it is helpless against these things woven from tough hemp ropes. It can only futilely stir up layers of dust on the ground, covering its beautiful fur with layer after layer of dust, even tearing its claws until they are bloody and gnawing its teeth until they fall out and become loose.

The riders around were not in a hurry at all. They simply held the rope tightly to make sure that the dangerous prey would not escape from their hands, and then waited for it to exhaust its strength so that they could slaughter it at their leisure.

Wild animals captured in this way can be skinned in their most complete form, without any damage or missing parts, because the operator can calmly choose where to cut, or even directly strangle the prey with a rope. Once the beast has entered the trap, it will no longer pose any threat to humans; it is just a piece of meat to be slaughtered. Whether to keep the pelt or raise it is entirely up to the operator.