Iron Powder and Spellcaster

[Wagne County]

[Artemis]

The midsummer sun was scorching the earth, and only the blue river water revealed a rare coolness.

Soft blue smoke swirls and rises over the river, and the billowing reeds emit fragrance.

On both sides of the quiet and solemn Anya River, there are... naked young men everywhere.

Considering that the troops had not rested for a day since the expedition, Tribune Montagne gave everyone a special half-day leave with a wave of his hand.

The soldiers who finally got some private time walked out of the barracks and headed to the river to wash and bathe under the sad eyes of the unlucky guys on duty.

Everyone knows that as soon as the Blood Wolves surrender the towns in Warne County, the Tiefeng County Infantry Regiment will return in triumph.

Ever since, the banks of the Anya River were filled with laughter and laughter.

The soldiers vigorously washed their clothes and cleaned their bodies, all trying to get themselves clean before going home.

According to the original battle plan, the attack on Artemis would involve three battalions of infantry, plus cavalry.

Among them, the fifth battalion of the infantry made a sneak attack from the south road where the enemy was unprepared, while the first and third battalions of the infantry marched from the north road to the battlefield. At the same time, the cavalry troops suppressed and intercepted the enemy sentries in order to prevent the Leiqun County army from attacking. Win before you react effectively.

But when the follow-up troops arrived at the city of Artemis, the battle was over. The comrades of the fifth battalion were counting the prisoners, and the city had long been replaced with a dark blue flag.

Therefore, the soldiers of the 1st and 3rd Battalions were not only thankful that they did not have to go through another tough battle, but they also couldn't help but feel angry that the trip was in vain.

Someone was washing clothes while half-truthfully complaining: "One bag of dry food and one bag of water. I traveled day and night, and my legs were spinning from exhaustion. Hey! The result was not good, I didn't catch anything! Originally, I still want to earn a few more acres of land, ugh.”

"Who says it's not?"

"When we set off, the guys in the second battalion were extremely jealous. Now it's their turn to be happy! They are sitting in Maple Stone City and laughing at us for messing around."

After hearing the complaints from the brother troops, among a small group of people who were doing laundry, a big-eyed young man cleared his throat and pretended to be humble:

"There's no way! The soldiers from Wargne County really couldn't help fighting! They surrendered before we even tried our best. Hey, you don't know, when we filled the trench with earthen cages, the soldiers from Wargne County were on top. My eyes were straight! We took down the city wall in one charge."

The young man became more and more excited as he talked. He simply threw off his clothes and stood up, gesticulating with joy: "I climbed and climbed, and climbed to the top of the ladder, but I was still half a meter away from the city wall. What should I do? Retreat? Impossible! I I gritted my teeth, threw away the shield, grabbed the crenel with both hands, and climbed up. Guess what? No one else, I was the first!"

"Fart!" Another soldier in the distance interrupted the impromptu speech and cursed with a smile: "The first one to board the city is obviously the battalion commander!"

"I didn't say I was the first in the whole battalion, right?" The young man blushed: "I am the first in our company..."

"What nonsense! You are not even the first one."

The young man was anxious: "The first one on the ladder! I am the first one on my ladder! Okay?"

The soldiers around him laughed in good faith.

"Sit down quickly."

"Stop bragging, kid!"

"Who are you calling a brat?" Out of strong self-esteem, the half-grown man regarded the favor of his comrades as a humiliation. He rubbed his neck and shouted aggrievedly: "I am joining the army for the second time! You have fought in battles and killed There may not be as many people as me! I..."

Before he finished speaking, the half-grown boy was pulled aside by his ears by his "pot leader".

"Okay, what's the point of bullying weak soldiers? The elite should fight the elite! Just like the battle between us and the puppet army, oh, the killing was really dark..."

The soldier who took over the speech baton was talking enthusiastically when he suddenly glanced at Sergeant Lu Xirong in the corner and felt a little embarrassed: "Old sergeant, how about you do the talking?"

Lu Xirong smiled and shook his head, focusing on washing his old coat.

Seeing Lu Xirong shaking his head in refusal, the soldier who took over the speaking baton seemed to have received permission and couldn't wait to talk about the dangerous and tragic battle in Hehe Village:

"...When we arrived, there were only a small number of half of them, but the bald man's men were almost finished. The battalion commander said to us, 'Comrades, form two horizontal lines, with the musketeers in the middle and the spearmen in the middle. Two wings'. The battalion commander said again, 'If you don't know why you are fighting, just think about fighting for the blood wolf', and then he led us and charged forward..."

"Where is the blood wolf?" Someone asked impatiently: "Where is the blood wolf?"

"Why are you so anxious? We haven't talked about it yet!" The soldier holding the speech stick reprimanded dissatisfiedly, but he still absorbed the advice, skipped a large section of self-bragging, and pushed the time directly until the blood wolf appeared on the battlefield: "... The explosion shook everyone so hard that they couldn't stand still. The wind almost blew me down. The horses went crazy and ran around. The clods of earth fell with crackling sounds, like hailstones..."

The soldier holding the speaking stick lowered his voice and said quietly: "At that time, my knees went weak. I thought, it's over, everything is over."

The soldiers who spoke were very good at telling stories, which not only aroused the emotions of the soldiers of the fifth battalion, but even made the soldiers of the first and third battalions who participated in the Battle of River Valley Village couldn't help but hold their breath.

The small pool was silent, no one was washing clothes anymore, everyone was eagerly waiting for the soldier who was speaking to continue his story.

"Then what?"

A slightly trembling voice broke the silence - Jacob Green raised his hand and asked.

The former Niutigu Town Councilor and current clerk of the Tiefeng County Infantry Regiment came to the waterhole at some point. Not only did he quietly blend in among the soldiers, he was also holding a small notebook and was sweating profusely while taking notes.

"Then?" The soldier telling the story shrugged: "Then the blood wolf came out of the smoke and rushed directly towards the enemy. Who can withstand the blood wolf's charge? Those guys collapsed all of a sudden. , screaming and running around. Then we won."

This ending is very dull, but the soldiers are satisfied with it.

Someone commented naturally: "Of course, how could the blood wolf be killed by such a little trick?"

"What are you talking about? What kind of death? They can't even hurt the blood wolf's fur!"

"Well, I haven't seen a blood wolf before, and I don't know what a blood wolf looks like."

"Why haven't you seen it?"

"Those were only glances from a very far distance, never a close look."

"Monkey... Hodel is now a member of the Blood Wolf's bodyguards. Just go and ask him."

"Why don't you ask?"

"Have you heard of it?" Someone said mysteriously: "The blood wolf is chosen, so the sword can't hurt him, and the gun can't hurt him..."

"Stand at attention!" A loud command interrupted the spread of rumors.

The command came from Roussillon, and Roussillon himself stood as straight as a stake.

The other soldiers followed the old sergeant's gaze and hurriedly stood up.

Where everyone's eyes converged, Peter Bunier was holding a wooden basin, somewhat at a loss.

"Company commander, why are you here to wash clothes?" someone asked awkwardly.

Peter Burnier asked in shock: "Why can't I come and do the laundry?"

It was up to Roussillon to prevent the atmosphere from deteriorating further. The old sergeant motioned to the others to make room for Captain Bunir, and said respectfully to the company commander: "For such a small job, just hire a washerwoman."

Peter Bunier walked shyly through the soldiers, put down the wooden basin next to the waterhole, and said sheepishly: "I...I don't have any money."

Some soldiers were already secretly cursing "Iron Rooster".

Although there is no salary for serving the Blood Wolf, and although the rewards for military exploits have not yet been realized, the Tiefeng County soldiers' wallets have already been bulging just by collecting trophies after the war.

The big soldiers have made a small fortune. Who will believe it when the dignified company commander says he has no money?

However, Lu Xirong glared at the others sternly and lectured in a cold voice: "Do you think everyone is like you, robbing things from dead people?"

As soon as these words came out, everyone lowered their heads with guilt.

The soldiers sat back down silently and continued to wash their clothes.

There was only the sound of beating clothes around the pool, and Jacob Green on the side saw everything.

For Jacob, who was determined to witness and record Winters Montagne's success - or failure, what he had just witnessed was much more interesting than "The Blood Wolf Won Again".

…

When Túrin and his cavalry came to drink their horses, a small disturbance near the waterhole subsided.

Instead of washing clothes, more soldiers prioritized taking a bath, playing in the water and swimming during their rare half-day leave.

The shepherd girl on the west bank was so frightened by the sight of hundreds of naked men jumping into the river that she ran home, but many children gathered on the east bank to watch the fun.

Artemis is located on the banks of the Anya River, which is the boundary river between Warne County and Leiqun County. Therefore, as long as the soldiers of the Tiefeng County Army swim to the other side, they can board the territory of the friendly forces of Leiqun County.

When Turin arrived at the river, he saw an infantryman like a pike - his arms and legs scurried far away, and he swam to the other side of the river a few times.

The infantryman exchanged some small thing for a basket of fruit from a child on the other side. He tied the basket to his ankle, plunged into the river, and swam back to his happy comrades on the beach on the west bank.

Túrin whistled, applauding the unknown infantryman for his aptitude for water.

The swimmer who returned to the west bank understood and nodded to the cavalry from a distance.

"Where do you go to drink your horses?" asked the cavalryman next to Turin.

"No, let's go a little further upstream." Turin smiled slyly: "If we drink the horses downstream, we have to drink the urine of the infantry; if we go upstream, the infantry has to drink our urine."

The cavalrymen laughed and walked upstream. After walking about a mile, they found a bend in the river suitable for drinking horses.

They drove the horses down the river beach, and then stayed on the dry bank to watch the horses leisurely drink water and lick salt.

Tulin's eyes swept across the lush aquatic plants on both sides of the Anya River, and suddenly he said sadly: "It's time to cut the grass."

"What?" The cavalryman next to him didn't hear clearly.

"I said." Tulin was a little unhappy and deliberately raised his voice: "It's time! Cut! The grass! It's time!"

The cavalryman next to him scratched his head and said nonchalantly: "The grass is cut to feed the horses? It needs to be cut now? It's only June."

"You are not from Dussa, of course you don't know." Tulin said carelessly: "June is the time to cut grass, otherwise it will be dried out and it will be difficult to cut. Mow once in June and again in autumn." , otherwise what will the animals eat in winter?”

Tulin pointed to the grass on the river bank and talked endlessly about the art of mowing: "The grass by the river is not good. The ground is too soft and the grass grows short. No matter how lush the short grass is, it is useless to the horses." You can't get fat from eating. Big animals like to eat long grass. Grass as high as a horse's belly can only grow on solid black soil. That kind of grass is also a pleasure to cut."

Tulin stretched out his hands and gestured: "Use a scythe, swish, swish, and you can cut down a large area in one go. Men cut the grass, and women use rakes to pile the grass into piles. Everyone is celebrating the festival, and the flowers are Skirts, white clothes, all dressed up. Sometimes I have too much work for the day, so I spend the night on the grass, singing and dancing, and then drive the cart home the next day.”

Tulin's voice became smaller and smaller, and finally stopped inexplicably.

The cavalryman who had just asked the question was fascinated by what he heard and let out a long sigh: "I hope the tribune will let us go home soon. You people of Tusa have to cut the grass, and we 'farmers' also have to harvest the crops."

Next to him, another cavalryman from Dussac also sighed and said worriedly: "Yes, there are only an old man and a woman left at home, and I don't know if the grass has been cut enough this year. Can the work in the fields be done? Support it."

"There's no need to worry about it." Tulin glanced at his comrades who were not from Dusa, and said listlessly: "I heard from Tribune Cellini that Lord Bard has arranged for you the soldiers who are newly assigned to the field. ."

Tulin glanced at his comrade-in-arms Dusak again, and twitched the corner of his mouth: "You don't have to worry. Nowadays, the Dusak people don't have any big livestock left in their homes. The extra horses and cattle will be requisitioned, and the remaining How much grass can your livestock eat? Besides, didn’t you come back alive? Living is the most important thing, and how much can you eat?”

"How is your family doing? Sergeant." The cavalryman who was not from Dussac asked following the topic: "How many people are left at home?"

The cavalryman from Dussac next to him was too late to stop him.

Tulin touched his upper and lower lips and replied without any fluctuation: "There is no one left."

The riverbank fell silent.

After a while, the cavalryman who was not from Dussa exhaled a long and painful breath and said to himself in a low voice: "No more fighting."

Tulin looked at the horses on the river beach and said nothing.

Suddenly, the horses that were leisurely drinking water raised their heads in unison and looked upstream.

"Someone is coming." Turin ordered: "Keep an eye on the horses."

The cavalry who came with Tulin immediately galloped down the river beach and gathered the scattered horses to prevent trouble. Horses are social animals. As long as one horse moves, the other horses will subconsciously run with it.

It wasn't until all this was done that Tulin heard the sound of hooves coming from the upstream direction.

Tulin was not worried that it was the enemy who was coming, because Artemis was surrounded by sentries and beacon towers from the Iron Peak Army, and it was not that easy to sneak in unnoticed.

Sure enough, one of the riders waved to Tulin from a distance, and his voice came from afar: "Tulin! Tulin!"

A smile finally appeared on Tulin's face. He happily took off his hat and said hello: "Vasya!"

Although the two sides recognized each other, the cavalry from upstream did not stay and galloped directly in front of Tulin. The riders on the horses are all energetic and lively, and each rider has at least one spare horse tied to his saddle.

As they passed in front of Tulin, the leading cavalry nodded to Tulin, and Tulin nodded in return.

It was not until the strange cavalry had passed that Túrin's comrades returned to the river bank.

"What a handsome cavalryman." A comrade in Turin couldn't help but ask: "Whose subordinates?"

Tulin admired the handsome riding posture of the leading cavalry and replied in a low voice: "The men of Pierre Gerardnovitch Mitchell."

The person who asked the question suddenly realized: "Wolf Cavalry?"

Tulin nodded slowly.

Just as all the citizens of Maplestone City learned "Wolf Cavalry is coming" overnight, the nickname "Wolf Cavalry" spread like wildfire within the Tiefeng County Army.

However, along with the feat of "three hundred defeating three thousand", what is also known is the "wolf cub"'s boldness, greed for merit and provocation.

"Everyone is talking," Turin's companion said cautiously: "Pierre Michel will probably have a hard time this time."

Tulin looked at Pierre's back with a worried face and did not answer.

[It’s tonight before dawn! ]

[Some book friends mentioned that line drawings of character portraits are better looking than finished products...Actually, I think so too.XD]

[So next, I will release the line drawing versions that I particularly like in the Easter egg chapters one after another]

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