Iron Powder and Spellcasters

   Chapter 285 Temptation

  The sun rose to the height of the branches, and two riders galloped across the river bank.

   Tamas, who led the way in front of him, suddenly slowed down, and Winters in the back suddenly stopped the horse when he saw it.

   "There, Centurion." Tamas pointed to a bend in the Bighorn River: "The barbarian is the anchor there."

   The warhorse threw its legs uneasily, as if it could smell the blood lingering in the air.

   Winters tugged at the reins, inspecting and assessing the dikes, slopes, ravines, and rivers before him.

   After a moment of contemplation, he took out an atlas with a black cover, drew a few strokes and put it back in his saddlebag: "Go, go down and have a look!"

   Winters only exerted a little force on his legs, and the spiritual horse immediately understood.

  The black sandalwood, white star forehead, tall and slender half-blooded horse jumped down from the earthen embankment, galloping toward the river bank like a joy, raising a puff of dust.

  Tamas didn't have such equestrian skills, he carefully trotted his horse down the **** and hurriedly followed.

  The battlefield has been swept clean, the birds are chirping, and the river flows quietly to the north.

   If you don't pay attention to the red and black bloodstains between the cracks in the rocks, you can't tell that there was a fight here a few hours ago.

  Q: In a close-range duel between a bow and an arrow, who wins?

   Answer: The one with more people wins.

   There were probably no people in Teltown who were smashed to death on the spot, but many were injured. Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, they did not hesitate to cut the mooring rope and fled back to the West Bank by drifting.

   After the war, three corpses were fished out in a row, all of them drowned. One of the corpses wore a helmet with red feathers and feathers; the two downstream reported six floating corpses.

   A total of nine enemies were killed, the injured enemy was unknown, two horn bows were captured, and eighty-two arrow clusters were recovered; three of their own were seriously injured and some were slightly injured.

  Looking at the numbers alone, this battle seems like child's play.

   However, for the combatants, they are trying their best to kill each other at the risk of losing their lives at any time - this matter, only those who have really fought against the arrow, with trembling knees and clenched teeth, can understand.

   So it was a victory, not a big one, but no doubt about it.

   It was only after dawn that Winters learned of the series of skirmishes.

   Not because he was going to sleep in late, but because when the 1st Company messenger returned to Oxhoof Valley, he had already left for another battlefield.

  Last night was not just a series of blood, but three battles in a row. The other two encounters, both in the 12th Company's defense zone, were larger and more intense.

  Three groups of people from Teltown, the time difference for crossing the river is less than two hours, and the distance across the river is nearly 40 kilometers.

   Winters changed horses five times and rode more than 60 kilometers in just the round trip.

  So at this moment, Charles and Heinrich, who have always been inseparable, are not by Winters' side - when they left the saddle, they could not even walk steadily, and were ordered to rest by Winters.

   Winters, who came to the shore, dismounted and paced along the beach. His eyes swept across the water, the hillside, and down to the valley's horizon.

   Seeing that the centurion was observing the terrain, Tamas did not dare to disturb him. He imitated the centurion, and he looked around, but what he saw was nothing but water, grass, stones, and earth.

  Suddenly, Winters stopped. Tamas saw the centurion bent down, as if picking up something.

   After taking a few glances, Winters handed the thing to the first company commander, and said lightly, "Bone Arrow."

  Tamas took a closer look—it was a polished bone arrow, but the tip was broken.

  As a veteran of the Battle of the Great Wasteland, Tamas knows some inside stories about his enemies. Although stone arrows and bone arrows are still widely used by the Heard tribes, at least the Turdun tribe has iron arrows.

   Therefore, Tamas was a little puzzled: "Telden barbarians also use bone arrows and stone arrows? Don't they have iron arrows? Just to prevent us from using their arrows?"

   "How many arrow clusters were recovered?" Winters asked.

   "There are only more than 80 arrowheads intact, and some arrow shafts." Tamas was rather helpless: "The stone arrowheads and bone arrowheads shot on the stone are all broken."

   "Without iron?"

  Tamas, after thinking about it carefully, answered seriously: "There is no iron."

   "Others don't know." Winters paced and pondered: "The fire roaster's pro-leader should have iron arrows."

   "You mean... Didn't the barbarians come here last night?"

   "Why don't you send elites?" Winters asked back, "Why didn't Vanguard Forced not send elites?"

   "I...I don't know." Tamas began to sweat on his forehead.

   "You're already the acting battalion commander, you need to think down."

  Tamas said hesitantly: "It may be to test us, or to kill us."

   "Well." Winters nodded: "On the surface, it is."

   "Then... what's inside?"

   "I don't know either." A smile appeared in Winters' eyes: "War is the art of deception."

  Tamas was completely lost.

   Winters changed the subject: "The barbarian anchored here last night?"

   "Yes, right here."

  Winters is located at the corner of the river bend, and the river flows clockwise.

  The west bank outside the river bay has fast water speed and deep river bed, while the east bank inside the river bay has slow water speed and shallow river bed.

"Telltown people have good eyesight, and it is a good ferry." Winters commented: "Crossing the river from here doesn't even need to send people to the shore, just send them into shallow water. There are only a few steps left, and you can walk ashore. . What did the Teltown people do last night other than drop the anchor?"

"I don't know." Tamas was ashamed: "My horse was hit by two arrows and ran out for several kilometers like crazy. Last night's battle was commanded by Sergeant Bunir. According to him, the barbarian seemed to be dragging from the water. something came out."

   "Drag things out?" Winters shook his head: "I think it's hanging down first, then dragging it up—it's supposed to be measuring the water depth."

   "Measure the water depth?" Tamas was surprised and asked incredulously: "Could it be that the barbarians of Teltown want to learn and sell now? Also build a bridge over the Bighorn River?"

   "The monkey's **** face shouldn't be so stupid." Winters smiled: "If the people of Teltown build pilings and bridges over the river, it is no different than putting a noose around their necks."

   "Why?" Tamas's mood was up and down.

   "Time," Winters said flatly. "The weather is getting colder and less forage every day, and they don't have much time. But it's a good ferry."

   "I'll send people to focus on monitoring here!" Tamas immediately rejuvenated.

   Winters asked casually, "How do you know they're going to cross the river here?"

   "I...this..." Tamas was speechless.

"In terms of terrain alone, there are more than 40 places in Zhongtiefeng County that are suitable for forced crossing." Winters patiently explained to the first company commander and acting battalion commander: "We may be able to control these more than 40 places with our best efforts, but This mentality may also be exploited in reverse by the Teltown people."

   "Then... what shall we do?"

   Winters' tone became a little more formal: "We try to deceive and mislead the Teltown people, and the Teltown people are doing their best to deceive us. I ask you, is the fire roaster still on the other side?"

   "In?" Tamas was too afraid to answer.

"why?"

   "That flag is still there..."

   "I'm in Oxhoof Valley, has Oxhoof Valley raised my flag?" Winters' tone was so calm that there was no trace of emotion:

"The fire roaster may not be on the other side, and the elites of the Teltown people may have quietly set up camp; these raids may be smudges, or they may be preparing for forced crossing; as for the enemy who came last night, it may be intentional The elites who use bone arrows may just be a group of slave soldiers. Even the information they eat may be poisonous meatballs.”

  Tamas tried his best to keep up with the centurion's thoughts: "Then... what should we do?"

"There's no way." Winters' tone seemed to be talking about the weather: "Information is always incomplete, true and false, and complicated. The old marshal said that the commander's responsibility is to pass the limited, true and false knowledge. information and make the right judgment.”

   "Fortunately you are here." Tamas licked his lips and said sincerely: "I don't need to think about this, otherwise I will definitely go crazy."

   In the past, when he heard such blunt flattery, Winters would scold him with a straight face.

   But this time, he didn't say anything, just sighed and kicked a small pebble at the edge of his boot into the river at random.

   "I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint you." Winters was rather unimpressed: "I don't have the ability. For example, I can't tell what's going on on the other side of the river, and I can't figure out what the fire roaster wants to do."

   Hearing the omnipotent centurion say such dejected words, Tamas suddenly felt a panic in his heart. Sweat dripped from his forehead and back, his heart was pounding, his mouth was dry and his palms were cold.

   But when the unease exceeded the threshold, Tamas became indifferent. There was only one thought left in his mind, and this thought was as solid as a foundation.

   "I'll fight wherever you point it." Tamas was firm in his heart: "I'll do whatever you say."

   "The tool mentality is bad."

   "I'm willing to be a tool for you. Just tell me what we should do?"

   "What should I do? If you can't guess it, then don't guess it at all." Winters laughed loudly: "Let him be in the wind and rain, and I won't move."

  Tamas chewed on this sentence.

   Winters looked into the eyes of the company commander and asked, "What is the first stage of the Tempest plan?"

  Tamas replied like a conditioned reflex: "Block it by the river! Don't let anyone cross the river!"

"Time is not on the enemy's side." Winters' words were clear and clear: "No matter what the price is, no matter what the conspiracy and tricks of the monkey's **** face, we only need to guard the river bank of Zhongtiefeng County. Not only can we not be led away by him, but also It's that simple to force him to follow the path we set out."

  Tamas raised his hand in salute.

   He solemnly requested: "Last night's battle, the first company suffered a loss because it couldn't reach the barbarians. Please send some muskets, bows and arrows. Even if there are more barbarians, I will definitely stay until the reinforcements arrive."

"It's my negligence that you suffered a loss." Winters laughed softly: "The old marshal's handbook wrote that if the sword and shield player lacked the cover of a bow and a musket, he would be issued a javelin. The handbook also wrote 'sword and shield' I need to bring six stones. I couldn't figure out what the stones were used for before, I thought it was a typo, but now I understand."

   "If you don't have a bow and musket, you can also send some hemp rope." Tamas said eagerly: "I'm already letting a company practice slings."

"Yes, keep practicing. The other companies have to let them practice." Winters patted Tamas on the shoulder: "In addition, I have prepared eighty archers for you - eighty in each of your companies. Whether you can control them depends on your ability."

  …

   With the assistance of Father Kaman and priest of the Oxhoe Valley Church, the men, women and children in the city of Oxhoe Valley were successfully divided into two camps: men and women.

  Winters set aside a separate area in the town for women and children to live in, and even built a small inner city for this purpose, strictly prohibiting adult males from entering.

   On the one hand, it is to protect the safety of women and children, and on the other hand, it is to physically separate the women’s and men’s camps.

"The barbarians are on the other side. In front of the enemy, whoever dares to act indiscriminately and violate public order and good customs will all be hanged by collaborating with the enemy." Winters publicly told the civilians of Niuho Valley: "Gentlemen, show your courage, your children, wives and mothers count on your children, wives and mothers. Guarding you. Guarding the Oxhoof Valley is guarding them! Whoever is cowardly and afraid of fighting is betraying everyone."

  If it is a warm and open sea blue, forcibly isolating men and women will definitely cause a lot of trouble.

   However, Tiefeng County is located on the border of Palatu, with a closed environment and conservative folk customs.

   Winters' policy of [separating men and women] was lauded instead—especially among the ladies and the middle-aged and older.

  Because not long after the crowd of refugees poured into the Niuho Valley, a gang **** case that shocked the people of Niusho Valley occurred in the temporary shack where the refugees lived.

   The criminal hurried through the entire trial process and was publicly hanged.

  According to the local customary law of Palato, the father of the victim first inserts a dagger into the chest of each prisoner on behalf of the victim—because it will not die immediately, it is not considered murder.

   Next, the tribune of Montagne personally pulled down the joystick and tore off the criminal's neck bone.

  Although "the trial came quickly", the shock of this vicious case to the people of Niuhogu could not subside for a long time.

   For a time, the original residents of Niutigu Town regarded the refugees as beasts of the flood—thousands of people were crowded into the small town, not only vicious cases, but also petty thefts.

  Indigenous residents are not even willing to let refugees enter the church to pray.

   And the asylum seekers were equally indignant. They were all farmers with families and businesses in nearby villages, but had no choice but to leave their homes and flee to the town.

   Now living in low shacks, eating shoddy food, and receiving cold eyes from the townspeople.

   Contradictions intensified overnight.

   There were a few quarrels, and then four, five and a half boys fought each other, and then the young people from the town and the farmhouse went back to invite friends and companions, and more and more people gathered in the square.

  The two sides are controlling equipment, and they are about to fight each other, and even the mayor and the village chiefs can't stop it.

   At that time, Winters was patrolling the river defense, and finally Samukin came forward to solve the incident.

   To deal with the rabble, Samukin has accumulated considerable experience.

   He dispatched a cavalry team first, and only one charge of thirty riders separated the two groups. The rider swung the cane whip like a saber, causing the two sides facing off in the square to cry.

   Then Samukin fired a round of guns—without buckshot, to completely disperse the crowd.

After the tribune of Montagne returned to the city, the dispersed crowd was rounded up by the gendarmerie from house to house.

   "Don't you like fighting?" In the face of hundreds of bruised, listless private fighters, Winters coldly issued a verdict: "I will show you the real battlefield."

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   (end of this chapter)