Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters-Chapter 792 - 69 Torrential Rain_2

Chapter 792: Chapter 69 Torrential Rain_2 Chapter 792: Chapter 69 Torrential Rain_2 Seeing the “Beast Driven” tactic had failed, Bard summoned his trusted Hong Lingyu and whispered a few words to her. She immediately led a dozen armored riders around to the edge of the shallow bank from the right.

As the Terdun armored riders broke formation, it caused a stir among the Iron Peak County militia.

For these armored riders were clad not in the common lamellar armor of the tribes but in full suits of black three-quarter plate armor.

With the sound of horns coming from the southern bank, the Terdun light cavalry tightened their formation and focused their arrows on the direction where the armored soldiers were attacking, suppressing the Paratu People.

The Terdun armored riders dismounted about thirty paces away, carrying shields and ropes as they approached the riverbank.

They stayed outside the range of long-handled weapons like halberds and spears, looping the ropes around the caltrops and barricades just as one would rope a bull, then used the warhorses’ strength to drag the stakes away, roots and all.

The stones thrown and arrows shot by the militia were unable to harm the vital areas of the armored soldiers.

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Relying on their sturdy plate armor, the Terdun soldiers seemed unconcerned about the incoming arrows and stones, storming the militia’s psychological defenses with an unstoppable demeanor.

The barricades Bard had constructed had no horizontal beams, resembling vertical caltrop stakes; each one stood alone. The downside was that they could be easily toppled, but their advantage was that they couldn’t be removed in rows.

Bard sighed softly to himself; the last time he had seen such black three-quarter armor, it had been worn by the pistol cavalry under Castor’s command.

“Sound the horn, the second section,” Bard instructed the hornblower beside him, putting down his bow.

As if in response to the horn’s call, a shrill military trumpet also sounded on the northern bank, even drowning out the deeper horns.

The Iron Peak County militia’s formation changed, with the separate group of skilled longbowmen shifted to the left wing, beginning to suppress the Terdun bow cavalry.

A Terdun armored soldier heedlessly removed barricades and caltrops, paying no attention to the sound of the trumpet. He was clad in the best armor available for humans; unless Tengri turned his back, arrows would hardly be able to harm him.

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A small gap was all that was needed, just wide enough for three horses to ride abreast—then the cavalry could charge into the midst of the humans. When that time came, he would earn the distinction of being the first to break through enemy lines.

Suddenly, the sound of thunder roared in his ears, and a massive force struck from above. Even through his helmet, the blow cracked his skull and left blood flowing from all orifices.

The Terdun armored soldier’s vision darkened, and he slowly toppled into the river. The blunt force did not kill him instantly; he ultimately died of drowning while unconscious.

The soldier never understood what had killed him, but Bard, watching from afar, saw everything clearly.

On the opposite bank, the two-legged beings lifted long wooden poles as used in sky-burying ceremonies, and swatted his elite armored soldiers down like flies.

[Note: approximately six meters]

Bard finally understood why the barricades had no horizontal beams—if they had, the long poles couldn’t pass through the gaps to strike.

The few remaining armored soldiers fled the riverbank in disarray. The reach of the long poles was limited; once they put some distance between themselves and the poles, they would be safe.

Once the armored soldiers retreated, the battle returned to both sides throwing stones and shooting arrows at each other.

“Let’s fall back, Kota! Tie Chi sent us to assess the water situation, not to fight to the death,” pleaded Hong Lingyu, who followed Bard, “If we delay any longer, all of our tribe’s sons will be sacrificed in vain!”

Bard shook his head.

The Terdun light cavalry in the fording area, like a swarm of bees, seemed to run chaotically but actually maintained a certain order. Amidst the sound of horns, they once again regrouped.

Only this time, they didn’t break through from the right flank but concentrated their forces for a charge on the left wing.

The fording area was about a hundred paces wide—infantry wouldn’t be easily outmaneuvered by cavalry.

Bard also adjusted his formation, moving his best longbowmen to his own right wing (which corresponded to the Terdun left flank).

The Terdun people formed three rows and suddenly charged towards the caltrops like an avalanche, faintly resembling the momentum of a Paratu cavalry group’s charge.

At least half of the Paratu people believed the Terdun people intended to clear the caltrops with their lives, while the rest of the Paratu people—mainly old soldiers—thought the Terdun people wanted to commit suicide.

But this impressive charge ultimately just curved in front of the caltrops, and this force of Terdun cavalry turned and ran back to the southern bank.

Meanwhile, taking advantage of the Paratu people’s attention being drawn to the grand charge on the left flank. A few Terdun riders quietly raced to the right flank and dragged away the bodies of armor-clad soldiers who had been knocked dead.

The Terdun people retreated to the riverbank like that, disappearing into the woods, as if they had never been there.

The militia looked at each other, standing there dazed, unable to speak for a long time.

“Fuck!” Ish slapped his leg hard, swearing, “The barbarians just couldn’t bear to part with those sets of plate armor!”

Next to Ish, a middle-aged farmer asked timidly, “Lord Ish, did we… did we win?”

“Old man, we’ve won!” Ish laughed heartily, wrapping his arm around the shoulders of the middle-aged farmer, “Laugh! Sing! Cheer!”

Ish wanted the militiamen to shout the war cry that once struck terror into the hearts of the Herders, “Uu! Uu!—khai!!!”

He waved his arms, stirring up the crowd’s emotions, shouting until his voice broke, “Come on! Everyone, follow me!”

The Paratu people’s victory cries during celebrations differed from their charges; a charge involved only one [Uukhai], while the victory cry echoed with two [Uu]s and one [khai].

Ish climbed up the watchtower, yelling to guide everyone, “Uu! Uu!—khai!!!”

The victory felt so surreal that many realized for the first time that they had just won the first battle of their lives.

At first no one spoke out, but gradually people began to whisper. As the militiamen’s voices grew louder, the cheers became louder and more synchronized.

“Uu! Uu!” That was Ish’s lead.

The militiamen raised their weapons high, tears brimming in their eyes as they cried out in response, “khai!!!”

“Uu! Uu!”

“khai!!!”

The roar was deafening and shook the clouds; the river and the forest trembled along. Flocks of birds in the distance were startled and flew into the sky.

Jaws, who was retreating, and his subordinates also heard this jubilant post-victory war cry. Jaws’s expression gradually darkened, while the eyes of his followers grew dim.

Amidst the sky-piercing war cries, Anglu galloped up to Bard, pulling out a letter from his bosom, “Lieutenant, a letter from Centurion Montaigne for you.”

Bard took the letter, broke the seal, and quickly scanned it.

Anglu, looking at the people jumping and cheering around him, said with some emotion, “It feels a bit… like an army now.”

“Win one more battle.” Bard put away the letter, sighed, “Then they can go to the battlefield.”

This was how the Terdun Tribe’s first assault on the Panto River line of defense began, with a sudden fierce attack and ended absurdly, leaving behind thirty-something bodies and twice as many wounded.

The defending militiamen might think they could breathe a sigh of relief, even believing they had already won.

But that very night, the Terdun people launched a second raid.