Iron Powder and Spellcasters

   Chapter 157 Encounter

On the day that    crossed the River Styx, the cargo team camped at the bridgehead.

   In the middle of the night, the panicked night guards broke into the tent of Lieutenant Montagne: "Sir! Wake up!"

  The second lieutenant was confused: "Um...what are you doing?"

   "Something happened!"

   With no sleep, Winters jumped off the army bed: "What's the matter?"

   "The sky is salty!"

  The clothes didn't even bother to put on, so Winters rushed out of the tent.

   Looking around, he didn't see the salt sprinkler, but there was an even more amazing sight-thousands of catkins were swirling and falling from the air.

  This land has rare snow.

  …

   Two days later.

   West of the Curvallea River, unnamed place.

  Andre rode side by side with Winters, chatting with each other. Horses' hooves trample on the muddy water, making a "clack-clack-clack" sound.

  Snow, there are two forms of existence for the Paratus people: paper records and Wannianxue on the main peak of the Jinding Mountains.

  There is very little snow that you can actually touch.

   The young Dussack had never even experienced snowfall, and their concept of "snow" came entirely from the descriptions of their parents.

   The surface temperature did not reach freezing point, and the snow that fell on the ground quickly melted into water, and only snow remained on the distant hillsides.

The meadow in front of    is still glowing green, but the hillsides on the horizon are covered with white snow. Even if you witness this bizarre scene with your own eyes, you can't feel real.

   But the people in the cargo team didn't care about enjoying the beautiful scenery, they had more headaches.

  The meadow in winter was originally solid, but the sudden snowfall made it full of water.

  Once crushed by wheels, it will inevitably turn into mud.

  The cart left a muddy trail, and the mud poured into the axle to make the wheel turn more difficult, and from time to time the carriage got stuck in the mud puddle.

   Originally, the compacted rut of the front car made it easier for the rear car to travel, but now the front car is relatively easy, and the further back the carriage is, the harder it is to drive.

   After a day's trek, Lieutenant Colonel Jesska ordered to change the double-column formation the next day to shorten the long queue.

   However, the double-column does not seem to have a significant effect. Winters estimates that he may try a three-column or even a four-column next.

   "This shit!" Andre scolded: "Have you traveled all the way to a place like this to **** the Hurds, did the people above fill their heads with feces?"

  It is often the lack of something to know its value. Compared with Veneta, where the road network and waterway are developed, the grasslands of the Heder tribes are indeed rotten.

  The road is not easy to walk - there is no road at all, and there are few people. Except that the grass is a tree, it doesn't look like there is any output.

Brother Rhett in the carriage laughed twice: "You Veneta people are full men and don't know that hungry men are hungry, and even if the wasteland is used to herd sheep, there is still output. You think this place is not very good, but you don't know that every year the Heard tribes In order to compete for the pasture, there is a big fight."

   "That's because the Hurd people are poor." Andrei immediately retorted: "The Paratus people are not necessarily poorer than the Hurd people, right?"

   "Red apples are easy to pick." The old friar said a Freeman proverb, and asked back: "Is there no one picking green apples? Plato is so eager for land, and you Veneta people are also responsible."

   "What responsibility?" Andrei was very dissatisfied.

"The woolen textile industry in Försterland and Veneta needs more raw materials, and Palatu needs more sheep. The second, youngest, and illegitimate sons of the noble families of your two countries bring money to buy land, Palatu. Then there are a large number of manors and manor owners. Don't you understand?"

  Andre was a little confused: "What does this have to do with it?"

"In the final analysis, it is the needs of your coastal areas that drive the Platonic people to set foot here." The begging monk sighed, and there was a kind of pity in his eyes: "If one day Veneta's textile industry does not need wool, Switch to cotton. The Platoons will kill the sheep and use the land to grow cotton. Got it?"

   "We... don't we want cotton now?" Andre asked timidly.

   "This kid is stupider than you!" The old monk pointed to Andre and said to Winters.

   "Leave me alone!" Winters shot back: "Vinetta is responsible, but you are not responsible? You dare to say that there is no religious reason for the war between the Paratus and the Hurds? Isn't it against the infidels?"

   The old monk laughed dumbly.

   A rider came running from far behind the convoy, and ran to the two officers before pulling the reins.

  It was Pierre, and he reported nervously to Andre: "Sir! I saw a figure on the northern hillside."

   "A figure? How many people?"

"On a."

   "Then what? With us?"

   "No, just passed by. I can't see the man back behind the hillside."

  Andre thought for a while, then frowned and asked, "Isn't she herding sheep again?"

  …

   There have been jokes about shepherds before.

  On the first day after entering the buffer zone, some militiamen noticed that people seemed to be following along the ridges of the hillsides on both sides.

  The nervous Andre thought it was a Hurd scout, and immediately led his cavalry to kill him.

  The cavalry, brandishing sabers and screaming strangely, charged all the way to each other, only to find that there were only a few shepherds.

  The Hurds didn't catch them, but they scared a few sheep herders to death, making Andre very angry.

   After marching in the buffer zone, he encountered several groups of shepherds every day.

  Andrei, who was deceived by false alarms several times, no longer bothered to answer such reports, but Lieutenant Colonel Jesska took the trouble to send Andrei to contact the shepherds.

   "Lieutenant Cellini!" Lieutenant Colonel likes to say: "Go and see! Bring your stuff over there!"

The purpose of Lieutenant Colonel    is to inquire about intelligence on the one hand - but Andrei thinks it is pure nonsense. In his view, the lieutenant colonel's real purpose was lamb, sheep's milk, and sheep's cheese.

  Palatu shepherds mainly herd the famous Merino sheep, which are famous for their soft and smooth wool, even Winters, Andre and other Veneta people have heard of it.

  Merino sheep are considered to be controlled materials by Palato. Since ancient times, the flow of sheep breeds has been strictly prohibited, and offenders will be killed without mercy.

   There is another, less well-known, Jura sheep, whose wool is not as good as a Merino, but its meat and milk are far superior to its cousins.

   Especially the Jura goat cheese, Lieutenant Colonel Jesska liked it very much.

   Shepherds roam in the wild all year round and live a miserable life. So I am happy to exchange goat and milk for consumables such as tobacco sugar and wine.

   The lieutenant colonel called Andre over by name, that is, to let him come back in exchange for meat and milk.

   There is fresh meat and fresh milk every day, and everyone in the officer class is very happy. Except for Andre, he was tormented to the point of being annoying. The lieutenant colonel appointed him to go, and no one else wanted to do it for him.

  [Note: The officer class includes officers, clergymen and professional doctors, the brigade will not be assigned a professional doctor]

  …

   Hearing Lieutenant Cellini's question, Pierre scratched the back of his head and said, "I don't know if it's a shepherd, but that man is still waving at me."

   "Didn't see the costume?"

   "It's too far to see clearly."

   "Bring your accomplice to see." Andre ordered: "Come with the horn, but don't make a joke like yesterday."

  Yesterday, the first day of crossing the "Styx", Andrei received a report again: there was someone on the ridge.

   After crossing the Styx River, it is the sphere of influence of the Hurd people. This is definitely not wrong, right? Andre ordered all his hands and rushed over with murderous aura.

   But he was tricked again, he was still a shepherd, and he came over the pontoon a few days ago.

   Wherever the banner of Plato goes, there the shepherd goes. There is rock salt necessary for sheep on the west bank of the Styx, and the shepherds followed after the army crossed the river.

  According to the shepherd, the nearby Hed people had already moved westward, and the place where there was a war was recently a hundred kilometers to the west.

   In order to avoid the Palatine front, the Herds, tents, cattle and sheep were all moved away. Now only the Platonic shepherds roam the land.

   Pierre got the order, salutes and prepares to leave.

   "Wait." Andrei stopped him, hesitated for a moment, and said, "I'll take someone there. You can report to the lieutenant colonel later."

   Pierre saluted, pulled the reins, and ran away with a horse's rib.

   Winters pulled the reed gun from his pouch and threw it to Andre: "Take this."

   In order not to reveal the identity of the caster, in addition to rarely using spells publicly, Winters also deliberately purchased a double-barreled spear in Maplestone City.

   He felt that, even if there were rumors that he could fire a gun without an open flame, he would only think it was a revolver.

   "No need." Andrei smiled and waved his hand: "A few sheep herders, take this Shen guy as a burden."

  …

  Andre gathered a group of riders and ran towards the north slope.

   He was very reluctant to call these Dussacs cavalry, because in his opinion, these people were only able to ride horses and could not be called qualified cavalry.

   The ten commander who led the team was named Asta, a thirty-four-year-old "old" Dussac—compared to those immature Dussacs, the people of Blackwater Town were unlucky ones who were selected by lottery.

   The remaining Sego, Kryuch, Marengot, Rasov and Karp in the same account are all young Dussacs.

  Andrei felt that Asta was older and more reliable, so he assigned Asta to be the ten commander.

  Wangshan lost his horse, and Andre led the six riders to run for a while before reaching the ridgeline of the hill.

  Standing high on the soil slope, the people in the baggage team looked as big as a bean.

The    team was crawling on the field like a clumsy long snake, but only half of it could be seen, and the other half was strictly blocked by the undulating terrain.

   There is often no feeling when you are in it. Only when you stand at a high place can you find that the wasteland is not flat.

  The rolling hills are like folds in a blanket, and when you climb over a hill or go around a mound, you lose sight.

   "There seems to be livestock over there, sir," Ashtar pointed to a ravine to the east with his whip.

   "Go and see."

  The crowd rode on the ridge, and after a few bends, the flock of sheep in the valley on the other side suddenly appeared in front of them.

  Hazel sheep are scattered in the ravine, grazing peacefully.

  The two shepherds noticed the cavalry on the top of the **** and waved their hats at them.

   "Have you brought anything?" Andre asked the ten commander.

   "Of course, sir." Ashtar patted the saddlebag: "I knew I was going to change things."

  Andre exchanged meat, cheese and fresh milk with the shepherd, and the Dussacs who came along also exchanged some goat milk to drink.

   "Go and change." Andre said casually: "It's the same."

  Asta whistled and galloped towards the bottom of the ditch with Kryuche.

  Andre yawned: "Mom's goat's milk except for mutton, I'm almost smelling sheep mutton."

   "Then I'll share your worries for you." Little Dussackiego joked.

   "Okay." Andrei laughed and beat Xie Ge lightly with a horse whip: "I will discuss with the lieutenant colonel and find opportunities for everyone to improve."

   "Thank you sir!" This is Xie Ge's happy shouting.

   "What are you doing!" This is Rasov's terrified shouting: "What. What. His mother... Lord!"

  Asta at the bottom of the ditch first slanted lazily to one side, then suddenly raised his hands and fell from the saddle.

   Kryuch, who was with him, had been dragged off his horse by the shepherd and was struggling and screaming.

   The sudden change made the Dussacks dumbfounded.

   "Go down and save him!" Andrei stabbed the horse's ribs, pulled out his saber, and charged down the hill first.

   The Dussacs came back to their senses after a few horses behind, and hurriedly followed.

   Taking advantage of the terrain, the cavalry rushed to the bottom of the **** in the blink of an eye, but this was also the reason why the opponent did not kill Kryuch.

   Seeing the hussar officer rushing down the hillside, the shepherd immediately took out the horn and blew it suddenly.

   In the blink of an eye, the shepherd's horn and lower jaw were cut off by Second Lieutenant Cellini.

   But it was too late, the dull sound of horns had already passed out of the valley, and back to the rumbling sound of hoofs.

   On the edge of the outline of the hillside, first the tip of the swaying spear appeared, and then the swaying feather on the helmet.

  A dozen fierce riders with guns and bows rushed out from the reverse **** of the opposite hillside, howling to kill the Palatine cavalry at the bottom of the hill.

   "Herd Barbarian!" Xie Ge shouted hoarsely: "It's Heder Barbarian!"

   This was a planned ambush, and Andrei yanked on the reins, yelling, "Go!"

  The riders turned their horses, turned their heads and ran towards the top of the **** when they came. Even those who love horses are desperately piercing the ribs of their horses with their spurs.

  Kliu had just got up from the ground when the Hurds killed him. Little Dussack stood dumbfounded, a spear pierced through his chest and pinned him to the dirt.

   Kryuche did not die immediately, but he was ignored. Heard cavalry whizzed past, their target was the fleeing hussar officer.

The sound of   Hard's hooves hit Andre like a hailstone, and he kept looking back, he saw thick beards, gloomy faces, and skilful riding postures.

   "One is red feathers, the others are white." Andre tried desperately to calm down: "That guy must be an official."

   He saw the Heard reaching out and pulling something from behind his legs.

   "Bow and arrow!" Andre yelled: "Get down!"

   Hearing the second lieutenant's roar, the Platoon rider leaned over his horse and lowered his body as low as possible.

  The arrow feathers chased from behind with the sound of breaking through the air. The cavalrymen gritted their teeth, while praying, they whipped the horses with whips.

  Rasov let out a scream, shouting: "I was shot! I was shot!"

   "Blow the trumpet! Warn the brigade!" Andre ordered the bugle player Garp.

   The second lieutenant shouted three times before Garp came back to his senses. Trembling, he took off the bugle from his neck, but he couldn't make a sound.

  The horses of the Hurds are not large, but they are not inferior to Andre's tall horses.

   The distance between the fleeing party and the chasing party quickly narrowed, and everyone could clearly hear the Hurds shouting in their language.

   The burly Heard with red feathers caught up with Andre and stabbed him in the back with a spear. The point of the spear pierced the belt and slashed diagonally into the back a knuckle-deep.

  Andrei didn't wear the breastplate that was issued to officers, and only felt a chill on his back. He waved his saber to fend off the second spear, and let out a desperate roar: "I can't run away! Fight!"

   Andrea jumped upright and slashed at the back of the Hurd who was rushing by on the left.

   He was surrounded, and a Heard ran into his black warhorse, nearly knocking it over.

   Shego was the first to turn around to rescue him, and a Hurd drove him to the side.

  Xie Ge bared his teeth, his face was like a dead man, and he slashed vigorously at the opponent like a madman, and his movements had no rules to speak of.

  The bugle player Garp did not look back and fled in the direction of the convoy. But Mangort and Lasov, who was shot in the arm, followed Sego and rushed back.

  The cavalry huddled together in a pitiful patch of mud, fighting and fighting. The Platoons fainted with fright, but the Hurds were not much better.

   Swords collide, sparks splash, stabs and slashes, fierce and unusual.

The    horse was also frightened and did not listen to the rider's orders at all. He stumbled around in a daze, and fell to the ground in a daze.

   Six Hurds surrounded Andre, trying to capture him alive. Andrei stood up on the stirrups and, with all his might, whirled the saber to and fro on the saddle like a whirlwind.

The point of the    spear slashed a bloodstain on his neck, and he responded with a wound deep to the bone. The cold light of the sharp blade flickered in front of his eyes, and he raised the knife to block the frame again.

   A Hurd shouted in an unfamiliar language, and Andre used all his strength to slash at the other side's Heavenly Spirit Cover.

   The Hurds screamed and fell off the horse, but Andre's saber was also blown away by the opponent's iron helmet.

   He immediately grabbed the spear from a nearby Heard cavalry and swung it like he was on the training ground.

   Several Hurds used spears to force Andrei away, and rescued the fallen Hurd just now.

  Andre discovered that the Hurd's iron helmet had red feathers.

  The fainted leader of the Hurds was put on the horse and fled to the north. The other Hurd cavalry stopped fighting and retreated with the leader.

   A fallen Hurd picked up another injured Hurd and struggled to escape into the ravine.

  The Platoon cavalry did not pursue them, and as soon as they got out of contact, they galloped straight towards the convoy.

  Two groups of people who have not yet mastered the ability to kill the same kind of people met by chance. They fought and fought with extreme fear. They hacked and slashed for a while, and they were also covered in black and blue. Finally, they each fled. This is what just happened.

  Andre wiped the blood on his face indiscriminately, only then did he feel the pain of the wound on his body.

  Siego and Mangort's lips trembled uncontrollably, and their clothes were stained with red blood.

   The arrow on Rasov's arm was broken at some point, his face was pale, and he was teetering on his horse.

   "Lasov! Hold on!" Andre shouted while holding back tears: "There will be a doctor when we get back to the convoy!"

   They galloped on the ridgeline, rounding a bend, and the scene of the convoy gradually emerged behind the outline of the hill.

The    convoy has been overrun by Heard's cavalry.

   This is a battle in "Silent Don" that I still remember vividly.

   Thanks to the book friends who have voted for recommendation before;

   Thanks to book friends nanhaiNo8 and Chunfengyu He for the reward;

   Thanks to Shuyoutai Lens, agent12580, nnahaiNo8, Jiang Xue Diaoweng, Xianxia·Bookworm

   , Moonlight Frontier, Qi Fengwu H, Dark Earl, Kun Kun recommended tickets, thank you all; 0.

Thanks to book friend 20191007064305842, book friend 20181010005850390, Tian lens, Chunfeng Yu He, agent12580, Kun Kun, Xianjian private contract h, 54 months, book friend 20180615100346839, Giraffe Xiansen afraid of heights, Jiang Xue Diao Weng, black computer accessories, method Inner fanatic, front of the moon night, calm gray, book 20191007064305842, Lan Qingying, 95 team captain, sailing recommended tickets, thank you for the blow, Bihart.

   (end of this chapter)