Iron Powder and Spellcaster

There is no sense of ceremony in starting a war.

The sound of horns and drums echoed on both sides of the Pangtuo River. The Terdun cavalry rushed into the ford and killed the Tiefeng County militiamen on the north bank.

Bard took a deep breath, pulled out a flat-headed arrow, and put it on his bow.

He lowered his shoulders, straightened his left arm, half-rotated his elbow, put his weight on his left leg and stretched out his upper body. He pulled the bow string in a slightly awkward posture until it reached his ear.

In order to control this 140-pound stiff bow, Bard exerted force in every part of his arms, back, waist and abdomen.

His back muscles were bulging, his waist and abdomen were tightly stretched, the blood vessels in his arms were bulging, and his left hand holding the bow was already extremely red.

The process of archery was long and short. The bowstring and bow body made a tinny sound due to stress, and Bard's body was trembling slightly.

Strictly speaking, he was not aiming because his line of sight was not in a straight line with the arrow.

His target is not a fixed target, but an enemy galloping on horseback.

He is not even holding the bow, but closer to pressing the bow with the tiger's mouth and assisting with his fingers.

At a certain moment, as if his heart suddenly stopped, or as if a cold wind blew across his spine, Bud followed his intuition and relaxed his right hand.

The bow strings sounded like harp strings, and the arrow was pushed away from the bow in an instant.

The arrow flew across the water in an incredible way, and hit the Terdun cavalry who was riding on horseback ten meters away.

After just a short delay, the flat and sharp arrow penetrated the clothes, skin and flesh, and penetrated deeply into the lungs from under the left rib until the energy was exhausted.

Air rushed into the chest, blood and alveoli poured into the trachea, and the Telton man who was hit by the arrow suddenly lost his strength. He grabbed his throat, fell from the saddle, and fell knee-deep into the river.

The battle started with this arrow, and the militiamen who saw the enemy falling from their horses all cheered excitedly.

Bud did not see this scene because he did not care about the outcome of the battle.

Only militiamen who are going into battle for the first time will release an arrow first, eagerly watching the arrow's feathers and trails, cheering when they hit, and feeling upset when they miss.

While the man who was hit by the arrow was still sitting on the horse, Bard had already pulled out another arrow and fired his bow again.

If the militia's archery skills were half as good as Bard's, it shouldn't be difficult to repel the hundreds of Telton cavalry.

Unfortunately, most militiamen did not.

Therefore, as soon as the battle began, the Tiefeng County militia, which was four times the number of the enemy, was faintly suppressed by the Terdun people.

If Bud hadn't planted fences and horses on the river bank in advance, his men would have been destroyed by a charge of the Turton cavalry.

The archery method of the militia archers is much the same as that of Bard: clasp the string with three fingers, lean forward, stick bundles of arrows at their feet, shoot one and take out one.

The Terdun cavalry used a completely different shooting method: they stood up, held the bow and arrow in their left hand at the same time, and clasped the string with their thumb; they flew past the formation like a gust of wind, and shot several arrows in succession while flying. Break away.

Hail-like arrows struck along with thunderous hooves—the sound of mounted shooting was truly terrifying.

If it weren't for the strict military laws in the refugee camps and the presence of supervisory troops guarding the formation, many militiamen would have fled long ago.

"Coward! What are you afraid of?!" Ish, carrying a cane whip, walked among the militiamen and shouted.

He became fierce and whipped the cowardly militiamen who were hiding and shivering behind the shield: "Think of your wives and children! Don't hide! The cowards will be hanged!"

Under the supervision, coercion and even intimidation of sergeants at all levels, the timid militiamen also stood up and tremblingly fought back against the Terdun people.

For militiamen, bows and arrows are also luxury goods, and half of the militiamen only have simple slings.

The sling had a little benefit - there was no shortage of ammunition, and the riverbank was littered with rocks.

From time to time, a militiaman was hit by a stray arrow and screamed for help. Someone was immediately carried to the rear of the battle line to avoid affecting morale.

From time to time, Tertun people fell from power, and the fate that awaited them was much more tragic. Not only would there be no one to rescue him, but he would even be trampled to death by the cavalry who couldn't dodge.

"Fill your bow! Don't waste your fucking arrows!" Seeing some militiamen letting out arrows lightly, Ish's anger nearly burst out of his head: "Don't aim at people! Shoot the barbarian's horse! Shoot at the two horses in front of the barbarian. Position cum!”

The shoal that the two armies are fighting for has no official name. People in Tiefeng County just call it "Tushechang" or "Pangtuo River Tushechang".

Once upon a time, it was here that Ivan Horseshoe's gang ambushed the Wolftown convoy.

Now it was Bard's turn to lead the troops here to resist the Teltowns.

It is no coincidence that this place is repeatedly stained with blood.

As a tributary, the Pangtuo River does not have as much water as the Dajiao River, but there are dense forests along the coast and there are not many places suitable for crossing the river.

For a long time, there were only two ways to go to Pangtuo River:

Either go through Xiaoshi Town, where the terrain is flat, the river is narrow, and there is a bridge across the river; or you can take the shoal between Heishui Town and Niuti Valley, which is "Tuschedang".

From the topographic point of view, Tushechang is the gate of Zhongtiefeng County. The Terdun people wanted to attack and the Tiefeng County people wanted to defend. A brutal battle over this shoal was inevitable.

After gritting their teeth and surviving the first few rounds of arrow exchanges, the Tiefeng County militia's numerical advantage gradually came into play.

In order to pursue the speed of fire, the accuracy and power of the Tertun people's mounted shots were limited.

The people of Tiefeng County were not very accurate and powerful in throwing stones and shooting with rifles, but they had many militiamen.

When the battle proceeds in a situation where casualties are exchanged, that is when the odds of victory slide towards Tiefeng County.

The leader of the Terdun Hundred Cavalry, Tulukota [Corpse Chewer], was stationed on the south bank of the horse to watch the battle. The situation was clear at a glance: the two-legged people could only defend by resisting horses and fences, fighting sword against knife and gun against gun. If killed, the two-legged people will be defeated immediately.

Seeing that the "driving away beasts" strategy did not work, Zhan Zhi summoned his subordinate Hong Lingyu to whisper a few words, and the latter immediately led a dozen armored riders from the right side to the edge of the shoal.

As soon as the Terdun armored cavalry came out of the formation, the Tiefeng County militiamen screamed in surprise.

Because these armored knights are not wearing the common armor of various tribes, but a complete set of black three-quarter plate armor.

With the sound of horns coming from the south bank, Terdun's light cavalry shrank their formation, focusing on tilting their arrow feathers in the direction of the soldiers' attack, suppressing the Platoans.

Thirty paces away, Tel Dunjia dismounted and approached the river bank with his shield and rope.

They stayed out of the attack range of halberds, spears and other long-handled weapons, lassoed horses and fences like cattle, and then used the power of their horses to drag the wooden stakes away.

The stones and arrows thrown by the militiamen were difficult to damage the vital points of the soldiers.

Relying on the strength of their plate armor, the Terton soldiers did not dodge arrows and stones, attacking the militia's psychological defense line with an unstoppable attitude.

The fence that Bud built had no horizontal beams and looked like horse stakes erected one above the other. The disadvantage is that it is easily pulled down, but the advantage is that it will not be pulled down in a row.

Bud sighed softly in his heart. The last time he saw these black three-quarter armor, they were still worn by Custer's pistol cavalry.

"Blow the trumpet, second quarter." Bard put down his bow and ordered the trumpeter beside him.

As if echoing the sound of the horn, the sharp sound of the bugle also sounded on the north bank, even suppressing the dull sound of the horn.

The formation of the Tiefeng County militia changed, and the skilled longbowmen who were organized into a separate team were moved to the left wing and began to suppress the Terton Archers.

A Terton soldier carelessly pulled up the fence and blocked the horse, paying no attention to the bugle call. He wears the best armor of the two-legged people. Unless Tengger doesn't protect him, the bow and arrow will never be able to hurt him.

There is no need for a big gap, as long as three horses can go parallel, the cavalry can rush into the two-legged people. At that time, the credit for being the first to break into the enemy's position will be his.

Suddenly, the sound of wind and thunder rang in his ears, and a huge force came from above his head. Even though he was wearing a helmet, this huge force still beat the Telton soldier until his skull was cracked and his orifices were bleeding.

Soldier Terdun's vision went dark and he slowly fell into the river. The blunt blow did not kill him on the spot, and he eventually died of suffocation while in a coma.

The soldier didn't understand what killed him until his death, but the corpse chewers watching the battle could see it clearly.

The two-legged man on the other side raised wooden poles as long as those used in the ritual of hanging meat to the sky, and swatted several of his elite soldiers to death like swatting flies.

[Note: about six meters]

Corpse Chewer finally understood why there were no cross beams on the opposite fence - with the cross beams, the long pole would not be able to hit through the gaps in the fence.

The few soldiers who were still alive fled from the river bank in embarrassment. The attack range of the long pole is also limited, so it's safe as long as you keep your distance.

Once the soldiers retreated, the fighting returned to throwing stones and shooting arrows at each other.

"Retreat for now! Kota! Taichi asked you and me to explore the water conditions, not to fight!" Hong Lingyu, who followed the corpse chewer, urged: "If we delay any longer, all the children of this tribe will be killed. It’s time to fold it cleanly!”

Corpse Chewer shook his head.

The Terdun Qingqi in the fording field are like a swarm of bees. They seem to be running around randomly, but in fact they contain some kind of order. At the sound of the trumpet, they gathered again.

However, this time they did not break through from the right wing, but concentrated their efforts towards the left wing.

The foothold is about a hundred paces wide, so the infantry will not be thrown around by the cavalry.

Bard also adjusted his formation and moved his best longbowmen to his right wing (corresponding to the left wing of the Teltuns).

The Terdun people formed three lines and suddenly rushed towards the Juma post like an overwhelming force. They had a vague sense of the momentum of a Platuan cavalry group charging.

At least half of the Palatuan people believed that the Terdun people wanted to use their lives to fight against the horse formation, and the remaining Palatuan people-mainly veterans-believed that the Terdun people wanted to commit suicide.

But in the end, this shocking charge only drew an arc in front of the anti-horse formation. The Teltown cavalry turned around and ran back to the south bank.

At the same time, the Palatuan people's attention was attracted by the massive charge from the left wing. Several Terton riders silently galloped to the right wing and dragged away the bodies of the soldiers who had been knocked to death.

The Tertun people just retreated to the river bank and disappeared into the woods, as if they had never been there.

The militiamen looked at each other and stood stunned, speechless for a long time.

"Fuck!" Ish slapped his leg and yelled, "The barbarian can't bear to part with those sets of plate armor!"

Next to Ish, a middle-aged farmer asked timidly: "Master Ish, did we... did we win?"

"Dad, we won!" Ish laughed and hugged the middle-aged farmer's shoulders: "Laugh! Sing! Cheer!"

Ish wanted the militiamen to shout the war cry that once terrified the Hud: "Uu! Uu! -khai!!!"

He waved his arms to encourage everyone's emotions and shouted until his voice broke: "Come on! Come along!"

The battle cry of the Palatuan people to celebrate victory is different from that of charging. There is only one sound [Uukhai] when charging, but the war cry when winning is two echoes of [Uu] and one [khai].

Ish climbed up the arrow tower and shouted to guide everyone: "Uu! Uu! -khai!!!"

The victory was so unreal that many people realized that they had just won their first victory in their lives.

At first no one spoke, but gradually everyone began to chant in low voices. As the militiamen opened their voices, the cheers became louder and more uniform.

"Uu! Uu!" This is Ish's guidance.

The militiamen raised their weapons and responded with tears in their eyes: "khai!!!"

"Uu! Uu!"

"khai!!!"

The roar was deafening and filled the clouds, making the rivers and forests tremble. In the distance, large flocks of birds were frightened and flew into the sky.

The retreating Corpse Chewer and his men also heard this post-war celebration of victory. The corpse-chewing expression gradually turned gloomy, while the eyes of his subordinates became a little gloomy.

Amidst the war cry that resounded through the sky, Angelou flew to Budd and took out a letter from his arms: "Lieutenant, a letter from Centurion Montagne to you."

Bud took the letter, took off the paint seal, and scanned it quickly.

Angelou looked at the cheering people around him and said with some emotion: "It always feels... a little bit like an army."

"Win one more battle." Bard put away the letter and sighed: "They can go to the battlefield."

This was the Terdun Department's first attack on the Pangtuo River defense line. It started with a sudden attack and ended in a ridiculous way, leaving more than thirty corpses and twice that number of wounded.

The militiamen defending the battlefield may have thought they could breathe a sigh of relief, or even believe they had won.

But that night, the Teltowns launched a second raid.

[Thanks to book friends for their collection, reading, subscription, recommendation votes, monthly votes, rewards and comments, thank you all]

[The tactic of shooting down with a pole (covering the face) feels quite suitable for these farmers who have just picked up weapons - a bit like threshing. However, there is no bamboo in Tiefeng County, so the racket shaft only has an oak core, linen wrapped around it, and poured asphalt. And because the wood is not dried, it is very heavy and inconvenient to use]