Traveling through The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

The entire battle lasted from early morning to afternoon, and everyone was extremely tired. Fearing that the Imperial Army would strike back, everyone still had to brace themselves and hurry to repair the various fortifications.

After a brief rest, the scout team began to make stretchers, trying to get the wounded out of the castle before nightfall. If all goes well, these people can receive effective treatment before noon tomorrow. Helgi used the wheels removed from the ram to make a flatbed cart, which was pulled by Miko to transport Lydia, who had not yet woken up. Other lightly and seriously wounded either lay on stretchers or supported each other and went down the mountain through the tunnel on the east side of the fortress.

Next, they only needed to follow the official road eastwards under the moonlight to reach the Third Legion stationed under the command of their father. This area was far away from the battlefield and seemed very quiet and peaceful. It was hard to imagine that two life-and-death battles had just broken out nearby just a few hours ago.

Interestingly, the valley is not completely covered in snow. There are several evergreen cold-resistant plants in the sky. In addition to the common pine and cypress, there are also holly and spruce. The short shrubs include heather and juniper. There are even evergreen herbs such as tall fescue, white clover and ophiopogon. The heavy snow not only did not make the plants wither and fade, but moisturized them and made them more vibrant.

It is truly like this: the green pines are strong in the distant valley, and the green buds are plump in the empty forest.

Such a beautiful scene would be refreshing and relaxing - if it weren't for the sudden rain of arrows.

Half of the scout team was shot down before they could react. A group of soldiers from the Imperial Legion roared and emerged from the shadows like evil spirits. Helgi was hit by three arrows and fell to the ground, becoming a prisoner along with other companions who were lucky enough to survive. Agis pushed Lei Mei's flatbed cart at the front of the team. After being ambushed, she and the wounded who could still move formed a thin line of defense, giving the seriously injured time to escape.

In order to facilitate the transfer, the wounded did not wear armor and most of them did not carry weapons, so the line of defense was quickly torn apart. Agis was wounded in many places and hid on a hill with three other people, relying on stones and branches to make their last struggle. Others were also divided and surrounded by the superior enemy forces, and more than a dozen people were captured.

Fortunately, this place was not far from the exit of the castle, and the defenders soon discovered the abnormality. As the reinforcements arrived, the imperial soldiers did not bother to harass them, but whistled and withdrew.

Lydia was unconscious for a whole day. When she woke up, she learned that Helgi was captured. She was immediately scared out of her wits. I asked her to protect the little girl. Even if the Sunny Garden Fortress was lost, she only needed to bring Helgi out, and she would complete her mission. But now the situation is just the opposite. The castle is still there, but the person is lost. Lydia wanted to rush back to Helgen Town to apologize. How could the little cat girl let her go alone? She had to wrap herself in bandages and force herself to go with her.

By the time the two men had finished explaining the whole story, it was already dawn.

"Sir, I failed to protect Helgi. Please punish me."

"The situation on the battlefield is unpredictable. You did your best. I have nothing to blame you for."

I sighed and touched Lai Mei's forehead again. It was still very hot.

"You two should go find Mr. Yilandul first and ask him to diagnose and treat your illness while I sort out my thoughts."

The two stood up and left. I tapped the table with my fingers, thinking to myself.

"Locke, what should we do now? Will Lund be in danger?"

"I don't know. If he stayed in Lord Horik's camp, he might be relatively safe. At least it would be more convenient to run away than in the castle. Why do I feel that this battle is so chaotic?"

Lydia and Aigis can only provide information from their own perspectives, which makes it difficult for me to review the whole thing.

For example, General Tullius's sudden withdrawal from the battlefield, which caused the collapse of the morale of the Imperial Legion, can be said to be the most important turning point in the entire battle. However, Lei Mei had fainted at the time, and Agis was hiding on the wall of the inner city shooting arrows, so neither of them saw it with their own eyes. It was Helgi who rushed to support and heard the enemy soldiers shouting, and told Agis after the battle.

Tullius was in a safe position, by all rights. Moreover, this was a man who had ambushed and captured Ulfric, and then stormed and captured Morningstar, both times leading his own troops. I would never call him a coward. So, what was it that had driven him to leave?

What was even more worrying was that the Imperial Army bypassed the Sunshine Garden Fortress and penetrated from the west. This was like a tricky right hook that hit our side hard. Friends who are often beaten know that it can be painful to the point of suffocating.

I'm not sure what Dad and Moira were thinking, I can only guess why they didn't set up defenses in the west.

There is an official road over there that leads to the upper reaches of the Kaas River, and then goes west along the river bank, and eventually reaches the city of Markarth. It sounds like a perfect route for advancing troops, but the actual situation is still a little more complicated after all.

This road winds through the ranges of numerous Reach tribes, including large settlements active in the Spear of Kaas and the Lost Valley. For those wildlings, it doesn't matter whether the target is humans or birds and beasts, as they can eat their mothers. In addition, the mountains are high, the waters are deep, the forests are dense, and poisonous insects and beasts are rampant. Normal people would avoid this place as much as possible.

The road was dangerous, so fewer people walked on it; when fewer people walked on it, the lord was too lazy to spend manpower and money to maintain it; when the lord did not spend money or send troops, the road became even more dangerous. This vicious cycle led to the official road being abandoned and submerged in the vast wilderness. I don't think the Imperial Army could open up the entire road in just a few months. The team that captured Helgi was most likely a special forces team that was good at walking on mountain roads. They were few in number, but very cunning. After they succeeded in their attack, they did not want to fight anymore and withdrew completely before the garrison reinforcements.

Is there any connection between the sudden appearance of this team and the mysterious withdrawal of General Tullius?

I have no answers and I don't know what to do.

Both the attackers and defenders made stupid moves, and perhaps they both believed that they would be able to achieve a decisive victory the next time they fought. Up to now, the Imperials did not seem to have gained any advantage, but their goal was clear, which was to attack the junction of our three positions. Between Tager and Dad's garrisons, the Empire's Eastern Route Army was sandwiched; the enemy also appeared at the junction of the Split Rock Canyon and the Sunshine Garden Fortress. If any place was lost, it would be very likely that the entire defense line would collapse.

And there is still no sign of reinforcement from our allies.

It was almost time for dinner when Aigis came back alone, looking even more miserable. In order to treat the wound, several patches of her thick winter fur had been shaved off, making her look like she had alopecia areata. The self-deprecating little cat girl muttered that Lydia fell into a coma after taking the medicine, and Ilandul said that he would keep an eye on her condition at any time.

Since I had hardly any sleep last night, I decided to go to bed early and set out early tomorrow morning to meet Danger and see what his plans were.

However, this pitiful plan did not go as planned. Just as I was trying to warm up the bed, I heard the door being slammed.

"Locke! Open the door! Quick! Something happened!"

Annis howled hoarsely.

Eric opened the door, and my aunt pushed him away, quickly jumped to the head of the bed, and picked me up.

"Something happened! Something happened to Helgi!"

I was grabbed by those cold claws and all my sleepiness disappeared.

"I heard from Lydia and Aigis."

"You know?! Then how can you still sleep? Hurry up and find a way to save her!"

I looked Annis straight in the eyes and said nothing.

At first I didn't agree to let Helgi go to the front, but this woman was the one who made such a fuss, saying that she had to win over the people and prepare to regain control of the tribe, and that the imperial army was vulnerable. She also said that this was an internal affair of the Snake Cliff Ridge tribe and I was not allowed to interfere. Now that something has happened, she came to ask me to find a solution.

My aunt felt guilty when I stared at her and her voice dropped to a low level.

"I admit, this is all my fault. I have no other choice but to come to you with such a thick face to beg you. Moira refused to redeem the person! And that old man is also angry with her. If you don't help, Helgi will be doomed!"

Speaking of Moira, her voice got louder again. Eric frowned slightly and glanced at the door of the back room. I dressed and walked out.

"Come with me and tell me everything you know."

It was completely dark. Under the twin moons, the snow was gleaming with a soft silver glow, like the glittering icing on a cake. Occasionally, a few children would gather together to make snowmen, but they were quickly caught by their parents, who scolded them and took them back to their homes. Not many families in the town could afford to light lamps, so most of the houses were submerged in shadows.

I walked straight into the largest shadow.

Since my father and Rigel left, the fortress in Helgen Town has become much quieter. The soldier at the gate recognized me and let me in without asking any questions. My old aunt followed behind me, recounting the battle in a confused manner. She was so excited and confused that I had to interrupt her many times and check her version with the version told by Lei Mei and Agis. It was not until the pine needle tea in front of us was bubbling that she said something that interested me.

In general, her description of the battle process was similar to that of Lei Mei. The only difference was that the old aunt mentioned that the first person to notice Tullius's evacuation was Moira. The old witch was a bit quick-witted and immediately arranged for people to shout everywhere. At that time, the scene was extremely chaotic, and the enemy and our side were entangled. The imperial soldiers on the periphery of the battlefield heard the shouting, but it was difficult to tell who made it. When they turned around and found that the general was really gone, their morale collapsed.

After learning that Helgi was captured, Annis was so scared that she fell to the ground. She hurried to find Moira and proposed to exchange prisoners, but she was rejected outright. The crow witch thought that if they wanted to exchange prisoners, they must exchange all of them. If they only redeemed Helgi, wouldn't it be acknowledging that this girl had a special status? Then they would just wait for the other party to ask for a big price. However, the ones they captured were all pioneers, and the scout team's combat effectiveness was too poor. It was not cost-effective to exchange them all.

So just don't change it.

Dad also agreed with the judgment of the female leader. It was just a truce at the moment, and the enemy had not retreated. If the captured soldiers were released, it would definitely cause trouble for themselves. Now the imperial army was divided into three routes, and the battle line was too long. They could not be reinforced at this time. Moreover, since the other party was willing to capture people, it meant that Helgi's life was not in danger for the time being, and he would just suffer some hardships.

The two of them sang the same tune, and the old aunt was choked and speechless, and could only sulk in front of the fireplace.

Dad has too many things to do, so naturally he has no time to coax her.

On the one hand, he and Moira redistributed the troop deployment, leaving some Nords who were good at close combat in the fortress to make up for the shortcomings in melee combat, while taking a small number of Reach archers with him.

What scared him the most was the small team that had taken a detour to the back of the castle. Although they were not numerous, if they had arrived a few hours earlier, they could have intercepted the reinforcements. And his father, who had just experienced a hard battle, might not be able to handle it quickly. Maybe if they dragged on for a while, the inner city would be lost? Even if they could finally save the castle, the casualties would certainly be much greater.

There was such a big hole in the defense line. If it was not sealed tightly, he would have trouble sleeping and eating. However, he had even fewer soldiers available, so he could only ask for help. Annis was in such a state of mind that he was not able to be used, so the old aunt and Lachlan were sent back to Falkreath to ask for Danger's help. Lund, under the escort of Ariana, went to negotiate with the orc tribe of Bireguchi. Annis was not sure how well he had performed his mission.

Most of the territory of Falkreath is not under our control. Bandits are rampant in the black pine forest, and the old fox dare not throw all his troops to the front line to fight the Imperial Legion. He gathered the hunters and strong men in the city, and selected a few non-commissioned officers from the Second Legion, barely gathering about 40 people. The old aunt was worried about her precious niece, so she came to Helgen Town alone to ask me for help.

To be fair, I think the analysis of Dad and Moira is reasonable. Admittedly, I am very worried about Helgi's safety and hope to rescue her as soon as possible. But the war is not over yet, and it is not the time to discuss the issue of prisoners. Now that things have come to this, we must plan carefully and not rush to redeem the person as soon as he is captured.

Moreover, when it comes to negotiations, it is most taboo to be impatient. The other party is not a fool. Once they realize that we are trying hard to facilitate the prisoner exchange, they will inevitably become suspicious and think that they have accidentally caught a big fish. If it were me, I would definitely pretend to be polite at the negotiation table and delay time, while at the same time torture and carefully confirm the true value of each prisoner. Then Helgi would be in danger.

But my old aunt had obviously lost her mind. She sighed, slapped the table, and kept walking around the room. The dim firelight was cut into pieces by her figure, like the waves stirred up by a drowning person's dying struggle. I picked up the teacup and blew gently on the pine needles. The mist rose, and the creeping shadows twisted with it, like the disgusting tentacles of Hermaeus Mora.

"It's already this late, why are you still in the mood to drink tea?"

Annis's mouth was dry and her throat was hoarse, but she still couldn't get a clear answer from me. She was furious and raised her hand to hit my arm.

"Don't touch me! I'm doing divination."

"what?"

I held the teacup steadily and signaled to my aunt to come closer with my eyes.

"Look carefully. If there are an even number of pine needles standing up in the cup, it means Helgi is safe and sound. We don't need to do anything but wait and see. If there is an odd number, I will do my best."

Annis came forward, rubbed his eyes, and stared at the teacup. I looked mysterious, but was secretly proud of myself. I just counted twice and there are six standing pine needles, and they haven't changed for several minutes.

"one……"

"two……"

"three……"

"Four……"

"five……"

She counted too slowly.

One of the pine needles may have been tired of standing, so it lazily stretched out its legs and lay flat on the water...