Armored Cavalry, survive in a world full of mods

The plump fish struggled on the withered yellow grass, and the sword strike hadn't even done much damage to it; it was still incredibly resilient.

Thesolius whistled, his eyebrows dancing with excitement as he broke off the toughest branch from a nearby tree. With a flick of his sword, he sent the water droplets and slime flying to the ground before sheathing it.

Take two steps forward and insert the flexible branch into the fish's gills, then through its mouth, twisting the ends together to form a handle. No matter how much the fish struggles, it will have a hard time escaping.

After doing all this, he lifted the fish high and proudly showed it to Talina:

"What a sturdy fellow, isn't he?"

"Of course, but I think it's time for dinner now, and we can enjoy this big fish tonight."

Tarina smiled and picked up her box, as if displaying her spoils, shaking it slightly as if it were alive.

………………

This riverside forest looks quiet and deserted, but in reality it is guarded like an iron barrel. The cold glint of the armored guards is enough to dazzle the eyes. Soldiers holding longbows and crossbows lie in wait in the forest, while elite light cavalry patrol in small squads on the surrounding plains.

It can be said that the elite soldiers here can easily crush and annihilate any enemy that dares to approach, even if they outnumber them, making them realize their recklessness and carelessness.

The steaming broth was being heated slightly by the campfire, and the tender fish was already being enjoyed with wine and bread. Meanwhile, the large fish was hanging from a nearby tree, its body bent into a C-shape, its mouth opening and closing in a half-dead state.

Today, Tersolius was not wearing armor, but only his magnificent black robe with gold patterns and a white lion cloak over his shoulders. He looked like a nobleman on an outing, sitting on a hardwood folding chair, feeling the warmth of the burning campfire.

The only thing that could be considered to keep him warm was the white lion skin. His gorgeous silk robes were obviously not good at keeping him warm, but they still stood firm against the cold wind and even radiated a faint heat – this was due to the healthy and abundant blood flowing through his veins.

The fish was very fresh, so the meat was very tender, and the sauce sprinkled on top was just right, easily stimulating the taste buds and whetting the appetite. After the girl repeatedly refused, Tersolius ate it himself, praising it with satisfaction:

"You're going to spoil my palate, Talina. We've been eating your special meals for so long, I don't know how we're going to be able to eat those poorly cooked foods in the future."

“This is nothing to me… I actually have a lot of free time, so taking some time out to cook is no problem at all. Plus, it’s safer this way. At least if someone tries to poison it, I’ll definitely be the first to notice.”

"Haha, when we set out on the expedition, His Majesty wanted to send some servants to take care of my daily life. But there were just too many of them, so I sent them all back except for the necessary ones... Now it seems that I was indeed very prescient."

As he spoke, Thesolius raised his head and looked up at the sky, at the still overcast sky and the branches around him that looked withered but whose tips were already sprouting tiny new buds:

"...Hmm, it looks like spring is almost here...This war has dragged on long enough. What's the news from the south, Talina?"

The shift in topic was rather abrupt, but Tarina handled it quite naturally:

"It's done, sir. The Hols' southern fleet has been completely destroyed. The wreckage of the burned ships will probably not be found along the coast for some time. Our troops have already landed at the designated location, the river is completely under our control, and the supply lines are unobstructed... Now our only concern is the city of Tornisakana."

"If we can capture this city as planned, the retreat route of the Assele army will be completely cut off. They will be squeezed into the southeast valley, turning this originally easy-to-defend and impregnable place into a dead end."

Thesolius nodded slightly, a sharp, cold glint in his eyes:

"After all, no matter how strong the defense is, it is difficult to withstand an attack from behind... Now it depends on whether Marcus can hold this place before the Acerne fleet and army get the news... But I think the Acerne army should not pay much attention to their rear right now, since their defense is under full attack. And next, I will make them even more preoccupied with other matters."

As they talked around the campfire, just as the breath of spring was beginning to emerge, a terrible offensive had already appeared on the southern coast and plains, revealing a horrifying murderous intent that was about to wipe them out, silently slashing at the necks of their victims.

As Thesolius once said, his appetite was always enormous.

325 Second Line (1)

The massive warship, painted in red and black, swayed slightly in the surging tide. Although the movement was so subtle as to be barely noticeable, anyone standing on it could keenly sense the change. The huge sails had been furled, and the weary oarsmen were now enjoying their reward of wine, jerky, and bread, watching the soldiers advancing on the ramps.

This was the last fleet to transport Imperial soldiers. In order to transport tens of thousands of soldiers to this coast, ships from all over the south were requisitioned by the Empire, and supplies and soldiers were continuously transported under the escort of huge warships.

This is perhaps a miracle that only an empire could accomplish: to organize such a number of ships in such a short time, transport 20,000 soldiers to a critical point, and easily maintain a reliable supply line.

As the last officer led his soldiers down the gangway, horns sounded in unison on all the ships, and the double-headed eagle banner of the Empire fluttered fiercely in the sea breeze, offering the blessing of the goddess of war to the warriors about to step into the battlefield.

In the coastal forest, a large clearing had been cleared, and a military camp stretching for miles was set up there. The sturdy tree stumps that had just been cut down were woven into walls with spikes, and tall watchtowers stood every few dozen steps, with archers on them monitoring the surroundings. This was where they would make their last preparations before launching an attack.

This elite force of 20,000 men was determined to win glory for themselves in one fell swoop. The siege equipment parts transported by the large ships filled them with confidence. They would crush the enemy's defenses with the most fierce and ruthless attacks of the Imperial Legion, just like smashing a helmet with a warhammer.

In the central tent of the military camp, the commander of the army had gathered his men and was about to make final arrangements.

………………

Marcus had never imagined he would be entrusted with such a heavy responsibility... The Imperial Legion was full of experienced generals, but the appointment letter from the Senate, stamped with the Emperor's seal, fell upon him, giving him the power he now possessed—to lead a detachment of 20,000 men, with the help of the fleet, to cut off the Assele's retreat.

The heavy responsibility and terrible pressure made him restless, and he had difficulty sleeping for several nights. He stared at himself with worried eyes, searching for every possible oversight or mistake he might have made... But after a period of anxiety, somehow, as if he had put his head in ice water, he suddenly calmed down, stopped thinking about anything unnecessary, and began to focus wholeheartedly on planning his next move.

Even he couldn't help but marvel at Tersolius's understanding of him—it seemed that the lord had long anticipated his possible performance, knew that he was the kind of person who would go all out after accepting reality, and understood his steadiness and meticulousness, which was why he entrusted such a huge trust to him.

Only when he reached this position did he realize the immense pressure and responsibility he would face... The lives of tens of thousands of people were in his hands, and his decisions could change the fate of many. One mistake could be magnified and have terrible consequences.

For this reason, he dared not relax in the slightest. Whenever he had the chance, he would gather the officers together and repeatedly plan the next action until even with his meticulous mind, he could not find any flaws before he would stop.

Another meeting ended, and by now the sky was completely dark. The soldiers had finished their dinner and were packing up their gear, all ready to go. After a few hours of rest, they would set off before the sun had even risen.

With a final sigh, Marcus finally calmed his mind and forced himself to go to bed with an almost unbelievable level of rationality... He needed to rest for a while.

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

Sometimes the person in question may feel immense pressure, having to be extremely cautious with every step forward... but for their enemies, the situation may be far worse.

The defenders of Tornisaqara never imagined they would face such a formidable opponent. They barely had time to send messengers out of the city to deliver the message, and before they could even make any significant preparations, gleaming armor and banners appeared outside the city. The heavy catapults were assembled in a very short time and, after being tested by craftsmen, began to fire stone projectiles.

Without a moment's respite, a fierce, tidal wave of attacks surged toward the city. The various siege weapons, prefabricated and transported here by large ships, immediately came into play, causing the already unprepared city walls to teeter on the brink of collapse. The defending troops on the walls showed signs of defeat in a very short time.

Hurry! For military operations, this is like a lightning-fast offensive! The goal is to catch the enemy off guard, to strike at their vitals, to overwhelm them with superior forces in a short time, and to achieve the objective in the shortest possible time.

The burning towers and houses immediately brought chaos and death to the city. Arrows and stones whistling through the air continuously caused casualties to the defenders, while the approaching siege towers were unstoppable in connecting with the city walls. Then, a rolling horde of armored soldiers roared out and began to clear the city walls and towers.

Marcus stood atop the towering siege tower, silently watching the city begin to burn in the distance. His inner turmoil burned like flames, but he showed no sign of it on his face. The tall Alka stood beside him, one hand on the saber at his waist.

They were old friends, and even back when the emperor's prestige was still weak, they had ridden together to trample the Kiel army and cover each other's flanks... But he believed that Arka would never have imagined that one day he would lead an army alone to complete Lord Tersolius's mission.

This is a tremendous honor and a great trust, but it also brings with it significant responsibilities, allowing no room for negligence.

Not long after, Alka suddenly turned to look at him, gripping the blade at her waist tightly.

"The progress has slowed down; we may have encountered strong resistance. I'll go and break them open."

Marcus said nothing, only nodded silently, while Alka fastened his helmet, turned and walked down the siege tower, his iron scale armor skirt rustling. Soon, the order to summon the troops came from below.

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

The heavy double-headed axe swung down with a vicious wind, splitting the shield and the man's hand in two. Then, the spinning axe blade severed three heads in a single blow, the blood spurting out staining half of his body red.

The soldier, whose thigh had been severed in half, screamed and fell to the ground. Then, a heavy iron boot stomped on his neck, snapping it. His final scream was cut short, like a chicken with its neck broken.

The chainmail protecting his body was easily torn apart, and half of his body, shoulder, and arm were covered in sticky, hot blood as he rolled to the ground, where he lost his last breath in the chaotic trampling.

The chaotic and ferocious swords scraped sparks against his scales, at most bending the plates before failing to achieve their goal. Each of his strikes destroyed shields, severed limbs, and brought forth naked, gleaming blood, effortlessly exchanging the lives of his enemies in a completely unreasonable manner.

The legion's soldiers were in high spirits, cheering wildly as they pounded their shields and brandished their weapons. Following the vanguard, they swiftly routed the chaotic enemy forces, capturing wall after wall and tower after tower from their grasp. Their armor soon lost its shine, and their weapons ceased to gleam, instead being covered by a thick layer of blood.

The fiercest and most powerful among them were the soldiers wielding heavy weapons. Their movements were also the simplest: under the cover of their comrades and shields, they would raise and lower their weapons, retract and thrust, retract and thrust, reaping enemy lives with mechanical movements, chopping bones, severing limbs, and efficiently smashing heads in this crowded and narrow space.

This was the most brutal and bloody meat grinder. Even elite heavily armored soldiers could be killed in the blink of an eye if they were not careful. The imperial soldiers' reckless and fierce offensive, while terrifying to the enemy, also caused them to suffer increasing losses. But fortunately, this was only temporary. As more walls and areas were captured and more imperial troops were deployed to the front lines, the defenders began to retreat step by step until they were driven off the walls in despair.

Arka let out a heavy breath, his whole body slightly unsteady. The hot sweat seeping from inside his helmet soaked through the lining, and the double-edged long axe in his hand was so slippery from being soaked in blood that it would have almost slipped in his hand if it weren't for the leather-wrapped handle.

The defenders' morale finally collapsed, and more imperial troops were entering the city... They would then spend some time clearing out the remaining enemies and preparing for the enemy's counterattack.

He frowned and gripped a sharp arrow lodged in his shoulder—an arrow fired from a heavy crossbow that had shattered the armor at a weak point and was almost piercing his joint, bringing with it terrible pain. He hesitated slightly, then gave up.

It shouldn't hurt the bones... I made this judgment based on my own experience, and stood up and took a deep breath.

"This is still the simplest..."

Let me organize my thoughts today.

The author needs to carefully plan the next developments. They're a bit dissatisfied with the previous arrangements and want to thoroughly conceive the upcoming war sections. The overall situation also needs careful consideration. Taking a break today T^T

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326 Second Line (2)

All he needed was courage and loyalty—this had always been Alka's belief. He wouldn't allow himself to think about anything else; his role was simply to protect that adult, and he asked for nothing more.

Therefore, he never considered things like commanding troops; that was not his concern. His job was simply to protect the flag and the commander. His task was the simplest and most important.

That's why he never realized he would feel so lost and helpless when it came to commanding an army...

He had enough experience, enough knowledge, and enough determination... He knew that if he were determined to command an army, he could do a pretty good job, at least without making any mistakes, but deep down he felt that this was not his duty.

He wanted to decline, since there was no shortage of experienced commanders in the army, but the man told him that a commander was qualified as long as he could prevent the troops from making any mistakes, and that he could not be just a standard-bearer and guard captain forever; he had higher expectations for him.

So he eventually came here with Marcus, arriving at this crucial place on a large ship—if they could control this place, the formidable Assele army, which had been holding the southeast valley, would instantly become a lion with a noose around its neck. They would split and fall into chaos amidst fear, hesitation, and doubt, and then be wiped out by the iron hooves of the empire.

This was a pre-arranged plan, requiring no personal wisdom from him. The tasks and difficulties were all clear at a glance... but the pressure he had to bear was equally unimaginable.

They appeared to be a dangerous and deadly dagger held to the enemy's neck, but they were also putting themselves in an extremely dangerous position. If the Asel people mobilized their reinforcements in time, or if their frontline troops failed to destroy the Asel army's defenses in time, they would be in a very dangerous situation.

Therefore, they had to be fast, steady, and without any mistakes. They had to achieve their goals in a very short time. That's why he couldn't tolerate the slightest disadvantage on the front line and personally went into battle to break through the enemy's formation. Marcus acquiesced to his actions because they had no time to waste and had to do everything they could.

He was as good at it as ever, and he did it beautifully as ever. Watching the fleeing enemies and the gradually falling city, Arka pressed his blood-stained battle axe against the city wall bricks and looked up at the northern sky.

The mission is half accomplished. The next step is to hold this position firmly, like a mountain blocking a river or a chopping board for meat, to hold back the enemy and prepare for the decisive blow from the northern army.

"Come on, all of you, come on, die here..."

He lifted the blood-soaked axe, the thick, sticky blood clinging to the soles of his boots, leaving a red footprint with every step. Meanwhile, below the city, the legion had already begun its mobilization.

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

"It's time to close the net."

Thesolius put away the parchment he was presented with, and calmly uttered these words, while his advisors standing behind him frowned slightly in confusion:

"But sir, the detachment has not yet sent any clear news of capturing the city... Wouldn't launching an attack at this time be too reckless?"

"Perhaps we can wait a while longer, and it would be more prudent to advance after we have definite news?"

“Then it will be too late.” Tersolius did not turn around, but simply waved to the side, and immediately a guard went to relay the order:

"Two days have passed since this letter was sent, which is the fastest speed a ship can travel. I believe that the city is now in their hands. We cannot hesitate. The commander of the Assele is not an incompetent man. Delay will only lead to unforeseen changes. We must act immediately without any mistakes!"

Once the order was officially issued, everyone had no more hesitation or doubt and went to arrange and deploy according to their duties. In the blink of an eye, only Tersolius, his personal guards, and a few others, including Tarina, remained on the hillside.

"Get a good rest tonight, Doctor, and you two too. For a long time to come, we won't have the chance to set up camp for an extended period. Once the army launches its attack, there will be no turning back. We must keep moving forward and completely crush them."

Tersolius’s voice remained calm and composed, like an unchanging mountain rock... but Colin noticed that his hands were gripping the fence tightly in front of him, his fingers tearing off bits of the remaining cedar bark, and his shoulders were as hard as iron.

This led her to a conjecture that surprised even herself, a conjecture she almost thought was an illusion:

"My lord... are you... are you nervous?"

As soon as she said it, even she found it absurd—how could Thesolius, who hadn't panicked even in that near-death situation, be panicked now that he commanded tens of thousands of troops? It was his enemies who should be fearing and confused!

For a moment, she even felt a pang of regret, feeling like she had done something foolish again, and right in front of him...

Just as Colin was feeling uncertain, a calm voice came from in front of them:

"Yes, I am nervous."

The voice was so calm, as if admitting to a friend that one had just eaten lunch, without any extra emotion, only a sense of routine that had become commonplace over time.

That's why they didn't even react immediately, and even pondered its meaning for a while before being overwhelmed by surprise.

"...I think I misheard something...Doctor?"

Karila scratched her ears in confusion, while also trying to find a small stick to probe them. Upon seeing Talina, she instinctively looked to her for answers.

After her initial surprise, Tarina quickly calmed down and, after a moment's thought, spoke:

"Sir, are you worried about Marcus and the others?"

This time, Thesolius paused slightly, then nodded gently with his back to them:

“That’s right, and it’s not just the two of them, but also the 2 troops. I am genuinely worried about them…”

"Their position is of utmost importance. If the Aselans can mobilize reinforcements in time, or if their navy breaks through our blockade, Alka and his men will be surrounded... I don't regret sending them, and they certainly have the capability, but ultimately, I can't help but worry about it..."

"Of course, this worry is just a bit of whining... After all, I can't completely control my emotions. Even if I know I've made the right decision, I'll still hesitate a little, but I won't show it to others."

"After all, it's the Aselians who should be fearful and confused now. They have far more to consider than I do. My worries are actually a luxury of ease... How could they possibly expect such a thing?"

Thesolius took a deep breath, letting the cold air fill his lungs. After three breaths, his eyes became cold and calm, like two pieces of obsidian in winter.

"If nothing unexpected happens, Samir, the father of our prisoner and commander of the Assele Legion, should be in a terrible predicament. He should no longer be thinking about how to gain benefits and repel us... but how to escape."

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

The delivery of messages is time-sensitive, especially in this era. After the messenger had driven two horses to their deaths and was nearly unconscious from exhaustion, he finally delivered the message to the army at the front. The army's commanders dared not delay and immediately dispatched fast horses to continue sending the message forward. Of course, in this process, the army's commanders were not the only ones who received the message immediately.

Samir was much more relaxed than he had been a few days earlier – after all, although the situation was still worrying, it had at least stabilized, and he had room to maneuver, so he could eventually improve the situation.

Just as they said when they first discussed strategy—they already had what they needed most. As long as they controlled the Southeast Valley, they could either resist the imperial invasion or continue to seize the land of the Hols. Once they got there, they had already achieved their initial goal; the rest would just be icing on the cake.