Iron Powder and Spellcaster

A small convoy was trudging along a rural dirt road.

The three carts contained grain, pickaxes, shovels and other agricultural tools, and were pulled by several conscripted mules.

In addition to the leading cavalry wearing uniform sabers and arm armor, other members of the convoy carried a variety of weapons.

The rich man wrapped in a knitted woolen cloak carried a musket on his shoulder, while the poor man wearing a burlap gown only had an ax or even a club in his hand.

The day before yesterday, they were ordinary civilians. Today, they have become soldiers. Regardless of whether they are rich or poor, they are all moving in the known and unknown direction.

Fear, longing and confusion...all kinds of emotions spread among the crowd at the same time.

Baggage, manpower and carriages are continuously converging from all over Zhongtiefeng County to Shengke Town, and this small convoy is one of the tributaries.

"Don't delay!" The cavalryman leading the convoy seemed to be from Dussa. His left arm was wrapped in a thick white cloth. He patrolled back and forth and urged loudly: "The slower you go! The faster you die! Speed ​​up. pace!"

The scolding was like an invisible whip, and the pace of the temporarily recruited militiamen seemed to become faster.

Someone in the team muttered: "To put it lightly, you ride the horse, we walk..."

Others couldn't help but complain: "Let's go! Just go! If I had known this, I wouldn't have followed!"

The wound on his left arm ached faintly, and [Tulin] sighed in his heart, pretending not to hear everyone's complaints.

No one knows better than Dussac that there is no job without a grumble. Even the bravest warriors are inevitably like this, let alone these civilians who are temporarily recruited.

After being wounded in the fight with the Hed barbarians, Turin was specially ordered by the Montagne tribune to be removed from the front line of the battle and instead performed some safer tasks, such as recruiting militiamen.

Tulin straightened his back and looked at the surrounding horizon, always feeling a sense of uneasiness lingering in his heart.

Zhongtiefeng County has become a battlefield, and there is no safe place on the battlefield.

"Would you like to take a rest? Sergeant!" A young farmer in the team asked loudly to Dusak: "I have been walking for a long time and I really can't walk anymore."

"Yes, yes." Others agreed for a while: "Just take a short break."

"Have a rest!" Tulin glared, took on the airs of a veteran, and scolded severely: "Have a rest here, and if you encounter barbarians, you will be shot! Whoever wants to die, I will help him , don’t bring trouble to others!”

No one spoke.

Seeing that the team was quiet, Tulin calmed everyone down with a gentle tone: "There is the military station ahead, just a short walk away. Not only is it safe there, but there is also food and drink. When we get to the military station, I will let you have a good rest..."

While Tulin was racking his brains to encourage the convoy, rows of birds started to fly from behind the barren slope to the west, and the sound of drums could be faintly heard.

Turin looked back in horror and exclaimed in his heart: "Not good!"

I saw groups of riders jumping out of the barren slopes and rushing towards Tulin's convoy.

The newly recruited militiamen did not know what they were doing. Some people thought they were their own cavalry and waved at each other. More militiamen stood blankly, at a loss.

"The enemy is attacking!" Túrin shouted, drawing his sword out of its sheath: "Everyone come to me!"

Only then did the militiamen realize that it was the Hud barbarians who were coming, and they burst out crying and cursing.

Everyone ran towards the ditches and woods beside the road, and few militiamen paid any heed to Turin's orders.

"Sergeant!" Another cavalryman galloped to Turin's side: "What should we do?"

Tulin was furious, cursed loudly, and ordered helplessly: "Withdraw!"

Misfortunes never come singly, and cavalry also appeared on the road ahead. It seemed to be a two-sided attack, but the sound of cavalry hooves from the north was obscured by those from the west.

Túrin and his men jumped over the ditch and rode into the forest.

The Hurd riders who were ambushing on the barren slopes overran the convoy in an instant, arbitrarily killing the Platoans who had no time to escape.

Veins popped out on Tulin's forehead, and his teeth clenched loudly. However, turning around and fighting for his life was just a waste of time.

At this moment, the cavalry following Tulin suddenly shouted: "No! They seem to be our people!"

Tulin stood on horseback and looked back - the second group of cavalry did not disperse to pursue the militia, but went straight into Hurd's cavalry. The sharp saber struck in an arc and struck at the head and shoulders of the Hud Barbarian.

The Hurd barbarians shouted in terror in an unfamiliar language, just like the Tiefeng County militiamen just now.

Tulin saw clearly that the number of his own cavalry was far smaller than that of the Hed barbarians, and they only took advantage of the surprise attack. Once the barbarians come to their senses, it’s hard to say who will win and who will lose.

"Stop running!" Tulin tried his best to stop the escaping militiamen: "Turn back and fight!"

Still few people paid attention to him.

Túrin roared angrily, wrapped the reins around his wounded left arm, stabbed the horse hard with the heels of his boots, and lunged at the nearest Hed barbarian with a roar.

The several cavalrymen who came with Tulin on the mission did not hesitate. They each drew their swords and spears, and followed the sergeant back to fight.

Not all of the militiamen were just fleeing for their lives, some brave militiamen were also fighting to the death with the Hud barbarians.

Túrin stood on his feet, slashing at his enemies like crazy, his saber crossing every time he swung it. His war horse Mo Lanhei also furiously bit and kicked the Hud's short war horse.

The two sides scuffled next to the ditch, at the edge of the woods, and near the carriage. Most of the Huds who fell off their horses were beaten to death by the militiamen, and gunfire rang out from time to time.

Seeing that there were not many Two-legged people, some of the Telton riders who had escaped turned back. They didn't dare to fight hand to hand, so they fired arrows from a distance.

Another rumble of hoofbeats came from the east side of the fork, this time even more deafening than the previous two combined.

Túrin could not recognize the second group of cavalry, but he could not mistake the third group of cavalry, led by a red-maned horse.

"It's Ryzike!" Tulin forced the Hurd barbarian beside him to retreat, raised his saber high, and roared with a ferocious face: "It's Angelou! Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The two sides were already fighting an inseparable battle. As soon as Angelou's new force joined the battle, the Terton Hundred Cavalry was defeated immediately.

Angelou and Turin pursued them all the way until it was dark before they returned to the place where the convoy was attacked.

Although the Teltown cavalry was routed, there was still a mess to resolve.

"Let the wounded take the cart to the next military station first. There is a doctor there." As soon as he got off the saddle, Angelou immediately began to arrange to clean the battlefield: "Bjorn, Leclerc, you two tents go into the forest and pick up the escaped militiamen. Get them all back.”

"Company commander." The tenth cavalry commander named Bjorn looked bitter: "There are only two brothers in my tent who can still move."

"Bring in the captured Hede horses." Angelou ordered without any doubt: "You choose people from the militia yourself and fill up your account. Both of you!"

"Yes!" The two ten cavalry commanders did not dare to neglect, raised their hands to salute, and ran away.

"Register the deceased clearly." Angelou looked at Tulin again.

"Yes!" Tulin answered yes first, and then asked: "What should I do with the remains?"

"Bury it on the spot for now, and rein it in later."

"yes!"

After solving a series of finishing problems, Angelou had some time to breathe.

But there was another big problem waiting for him - he didn't know who the second group of cavalry was.

The first ones to launch a surprise attack were the men and horses of Terton, and the last ones to come to the rescue were Angelou's cavalry.

The second batch of cavalrymen who appeared were completely unfamiliar third parties, neither wearing military uniforms nor displaying their flags.

Angelou was cleaning the battlefield, and the strange cavalry was also concentrating on gathering manpower and treating the wounded.

Angelu was particularly uneasy when a group of cavalry of unknown origin appeared in Zhongtiefeng County. However, in Angelou's view, since the other party killed the Telton people, they can be temporarily classified as friendly forces.

The strange cavalry gathered and rested in the open space beside the road. They did not send anyone to find Angelou. They seemed to be waiting for Angelou to take the initiative to negotiate.

Angelou cheered up and led two sergeants to approach the strange cavalry: "The Lord bless you, friends. Where are you from?"

A middle-aged man in hunting clothes came out and asked with a half-smile: "Don't you want to say thank you too?"

Although the middle-aged man was wearing casual hunting clothes, he could not hide the military temperament in his movements.

Angelou saluted seriously: "Thank you very much for your help. Can you tell me the number?"

"You don't need to ask these questions." The middle-aged soldier waved his hand and said bluntly: "Where is Winters Montagne? I want to see him."

Angelou raised his eyebrows slightly, and after thinking for a moment, he simply replied: "Then please follow my cavalry first. You will see Tribune Montagne after this patrol."

It would be too dangerous for the cavalry of unknown origin to be taken directly to Brother Montagne. Angelou decided to send a messenger back to deliver a letter explaining the situation and temporarily control the other party.

Several of the middle-aged soldier's attendants were quite unhappy, but the middle-aged soldier's expression did not change. He took out a letter: "When delivering the letter, give this letter to Captain Montagne."

"Yes." Angelou took the envelope.

"Don't waste time." The middle-aged soldier stared slightly: "Send it now!"

Angelou responded reflexively: "Yes."

At the same time, Tulin also encountered some problems.

Several older squires among the militia came to Turin and humbly petitioned him to go home.

Rusty blood splashed on the face, the dying wounded were groaning, and mutilated corpses were scattered in the wilderness... If the militiamen still had some greed in their hearts before, they were completely frightened after this fight. Courage. Some militiamen even ran away and never came back, becoming deserters.

"No." Turin flatly refused.

"You are one of the best warriors in a million, we can't compare! We really have no ability to fight." A landowner over fifty years old begged: "Even on the battlefield, we can only run! We can only do bad things! "

"Yes!" Another squire burst into tears: "Money, food, whatever you want..."

"You are all captains of ten and temporary sergeants." Tulin was already a little impatient, and Dusak's fierceness came over: "Let you go, can the others stay? Being a deserter will lead to death! Who dares Run, I’ll chop him with my own fucking hands!”

Several squires were trembling with fright.

"Think about it with your buttocks." Turin softened his attitude slightly and lectured coldly: "What kind of person are the tribunes? He doesn't know what you are like? Can he expect you to go into battle to kill the enemy? On the battlefield, you In other words, dig trenches, build earthen walls, and do some physical work! The danger on the road is because the Hud barbarians intercept and kill you. When you reach the frontline camp, with thousands of troops and horses protecting you, can the Hud barbarians kill you again? You think so, right?"

With threats and reasoning, Tulin spent a lot of effort to send the squires away.

The squires returned to the expectant militia and repeated Túrin's words.

The militiamen were extremely disappointed and desperate. Some cried bitterly on the spot, while others whispered among themselves and prepared to escape overnight.

Tulin saw it and was anxious in his heart. He immediately wanted to tell Captain Angelou.

But before he could get up, Angelou came to find him first, accompanied by a strange middle-aged soldier.

Tulin ignored the presence of outsiders and rushed to tell the story.

Angelou's expression became serious, but the middle-aged soldier was not worried at all.

The latter seemed to find it very interesting and watched Angelou's reaction with interest, which made Tulin feel angry.

"This situation." Angelou scratched his head and thought hard and said, "The centurion told me what to do and gave an example..."

The middle-aged soldier found it more and more interesting.

"What does the centurion say?" Turin asked impatiently.

"Establish credibility," Angelou answered.

The militia and cavalry were summoned, and Angelou took out the announcement with the "Order of Beheading" from his arms and read it again in public.

The cavalry cheered and the militiamen were still a little confused.

Angelou was still a little embarrassed to speak in public. He kindly but shyly reminded: "Go and cut it quickly. It will be difficult to do it when it gets dark."

The members of the cavalry laughed and dispersed, while the militiamen looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Let's go!" Tulin was very anxious when he saw that no one was moving. He yelled in a rough voice and waved his saber to encourage everyone: "If you don't go, the bastards will rob us all!"

Seeing that no one dared to move, Tulin was so angry that he cursed.

He cursed and walked away, dragging back a body after a while. He gritted his teeth and cut off his head with one knife,

Some militiamen vomited on the spot.

Tulin held up his head and shouted fiercely at the militiamen: "One moment! Don't want it?"

At this moment, the militiamen truly understood that the beheading order was serious. What Sergeant Turin was holding was not a swollen dead man's head, but a hectare of land.

Those who reacted quickly were already running towards the body of the Terdun man. The militiaman who had just vomited and had not yet wiped the food residue from the corner of his mouth ran faster than anyone else.

The middle-aged soldier couldn't laugh anymore, and his expression became serious little by little.

The middle-aged soldier looked back at his subordinates and saw that many of them had throats twitching, and their eyes were filled with surprise—as well as expectations and regrets.

"Explain it to your people." Seeing that the situation was a little out of control, Angelou came over and said to Tulin: "You are only allowed to cut off the enemies you kill, and you are allowed to cut off the heads of yourself and your friendly troops and hang them... There are also Helmet and hat as proof..."

These contents are all written in the announcement, which was just read out. But seeing the enthusiasm of the militiamen, Angelou regretted not reading it a few more times.

"Yes!" Tulin still subconsciously answered yes. He wanted to summon everyone again, but he could no longer do so.

Not far away, two militiamen were arguing with red faces. A militiaman wrapped in a cashmere cloak shouted: "He was obviously killed by me! I shot him to death with a musket! The bullet hole was on him! Do you have a musket?! "

Another thin militiaman wearing rough linen clothes was not to be outdone: "You just knocked him off his horse! He was not dead when he fell from the horse! I killed him! You have so much land in your family, and you are trying to grab this one from me." What’s your brain doing?”

As for the heads of those Teltun people who were beaten to death indiscriminately by everyone, it caused many people to argue and even fight, like a bloody and absurd drama.

"The beheading order is too simple and crude. It needs to be stipulated carefully." Angelou looked at the farce in front of him with some worry in his heart: "If this continues, I'm afraid there will still be a war in the front, but there will be a fight for the head in the back."

Turin yelled and ran over to stop the fight: "Half for one person! Half for each person!"

The originally quiet country road became as noisy as a tavern, but no one was clamoring to go home anymore.

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

[I wish everyone a happy Labor Day in advance! ]

[In addition, there are two incidents recorded in the Qin Dynasty's "Fengxian Shi". One is that soldiers killed each other for their heads, and the other is that Qin soldiers cut off the heads of their fallen comrades to show their military merit. ]

[There is no perfect system, and various problems will arise in the implementation of the system]

[The head-level gong system is bloody and brutal, and has various side effects. But from another perspective, it is also the fairest, most direct and simplest incentive measure]

[And one more thing, the head-cutting order is only a temporary incentive policy. Winters has no idea of ​​​​implementing this policy forever... After all, he is not the real chosen champion of Khorne...]