Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters-Chapter 776 - 63 Testing

Chapter 776: Chapter 63: Testing Chapter 776: Chapter 63: Testing The sun rose to the height of the tree branches as two riders galloped swiftly atop the river embankment.

Tamas suddenly slowed down in front, and seeing this, Winters also abruptly pulled the warhorse to a halt.

“Over there, Centurion,” Tamas pointed to a bend in the Big Horn River. “The barbarians anchored right there.”

The warhorse shuffled its legs restlessly, as if it could smell the lingering scent of blood in the air.

Winters gently tugged at the reins, scrutinizing and evaluating the dam, slopes, ditches, and rivers before him.

After a moment of contemplation, he pulled out a map book whose cover had already turned dark, made a few markings, and then put it back in the saddlebag. “Let’s go down and take a look!”

Winters merely applied slight pressure with his legs, and the sensitive warhorse immediately understood.

...

The mix-blood steed of tan black color, with a white star on its forehead, and a tall, slender body, leaped down from the embankment and raced towards the riverbank, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Lacking such horsemanship, Tamas carefully slid down the slope at an angle, hurriedly following behind.

The battlefield had been cleared, birds chirped continuously, and the river flowed quietly towards the north.

If one didn’t closely observe the red-black bloodstains between the stones, it would be impossible to tell that a fierce battle had taken place here just a few hours ago.

Question: In a close-range contest between bows and arrows and stones, who wins?

This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

Answer: The side with more people wins.

It was unlikely that any of the Terdun people were killed on the spot by the stones, but many were injured. Seeing the battle going poorly, they did not hesitate to cut the anchor ropes and floated back to the West Bank.

After the battle, a headcount revealed three corpses retrieved from the water, all drowned, including one wearing a helmet adorned with red feathers; downstream, the second cohort reported six floating bodies.

In total, nine enemies killed, number of wounded unknown, two horn bows captured, and eighty-two arrows recovered; on our side, three seriously injured and a number of minor injuries.

By the numbers alone, this battle seemed like child’s play.

However, for the participants, they were actively trying to kill each other with the constant risk of losing their lives at any moment—this truth could only be comprehended by those who have truly faced the hail of arrows and stones, with trembling knees and clenched jaws.

So it was a victory, albeit a small one, but undeniable nonetheless.

It was only after dawn that Winters learned of the first cohort’s small-scale encounter.

It wasn’t because he overslept, but rather when the messenger returned to Niutigu Valley, he had already rushed to another battlefield.

It wasn’t just the first cohort that had seen action last night; three battles had erupted in succession, with the other two engagements taking place in the twelfth cohort’s defense area, bigger and fiercer than the first.

Three forces of Terdun people crossed the river within less than two hours of each other, spanning nearly forty kilometers.

Winters had changed horses five times just going back and forth, riding more than sixty kilometers.

Thus, at this very moment, the ever-present Xial and Heinrich were not by Winters’ side—both were barely able to walk straight when they dismounted and had been ordered by Winters to rest.

Upon reaching the riverbank, Winters dismounted and strolled along the shoreline. His gaze swept over the water and up the hillside, extending all the way to the horizon of the river valley.

Seeing the Centurion observing the terrain, Tamas didn’t dare to interrupt. He tried observing the surroundings as well, but all he could see were water, grass, stones, and earth.

Suddenly, Winters stopped walking. Tamas saw the Centurion bend over, apparently picking something up.

After examining it briefly, Winters passed the object to the cohort leader, saying nonchalantly, “Bone arrow.”

Tamas looked intently and saw—it was a polished bone arrowhead, though the tip had broken off.

As a veteran who had experienced the battles of the Great Wilderness, Tamas was aware of some enemy details. Although the Hurd tribes still commonly used stone and bone arrows, at least the Terdon Tribe had iron arrowheads.

So Tamas was somewhat confused. “The Terdun barbarians also use bone and stone arrows? Don’t they have iron arrows? Is it just to prevent us from using their arrowheads?”

“How many arrows were recovered?” asked Winters.

“Only about eighty with intact heads, and some shafts,” Tamas said with a hint of frustration. “The ones with stone and bone heads shot at rocks were all chipped.”

“None of iron?”

After careful recollection, Tamas answered earnestly, “None of iron.”

“Others may not be aware,” Winters mused as he paced. “The direct vassals of the Fire-bearers should have iron arrowheads.”

“Are you saying… the forces last night weren’t the barbarians’ elite?”

“Why wouldn’t they send the elite as the vanguard to ford the river?” Winters countered the question.

“I… I do not know,” Tamas began to sweat on his forehead.

“You are already acting as the camp commander; you need to think further ahead.”

Tamas hesitated before suggesting, “Maybe it was to test us, or perhaps to wear us down.”

“Hmm,” Winters nodded. “On the surface, that seems to be the case.”

“And… what about underneath?”

“I do not know either,” Winters’ eyes twinkled with a hint of amusement. “War is, after all, the art of deception, isn’t it?”

Tamas was utterly perplexed.

Winters, however, changed the subject. “The barbarians anchored here last night?”

“Yes, right here.”

Winters stood precisely at the river bend, where the water flowed in a clockwise direction.

The outer side of the river bend on the West Bank had fast waters and a deep riverbed, while the inside of the river bend on the East Bank had slower waters and a shallow riverbed.

“The Terdun people have a good eye, it’s a good crossing,” Winters remarked. “From here, there’s no need to send men all the way to the shore; just into the shallow waters will do. The remaining distance can be crossed on foot. Besides anchoring, what else did the Terdun people do last night?”