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Resets Weekly! [Monday]
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Although Leo had agreed to Fisa's request, he couldn't just send troops blindly.
An adult ogre was nearly three meters tall and weighed over six hundred pounds. In front of them, human warriors were like kindergarten kids.
Even awakened transcendent realm warriors had to go all out to take down an ogre warrior.
After a period of training and actual combat, and with the upgrade of equipment, the militiamen in River Bend improved. Half of them had reached the strength standard of imperial regular infantry. However, they still couldn't withstand a single blow from an ogre's club.
Moreover, the threat from Monk Lawrence still echoed in his ears. Leo always assumed the worst about people from another world. He could only stay vigilant and wait for Ulyan to return before making a decision.
The retaliation came so quickly. The next morning, just as Leo had finished his morning exercise, groomed his horse, and was about to go to the shooting range beside the lord's mansion to practice archery, he heard the sudden and urgent sound of a horn in the distance.
It was the watchtower that Ulyan had built by the canal that was working. The sentinel on it spotted the enemy immediately.
But this time, the attacking enemy wasn't the weak kobolds, but a group of horse bandits!
As soon as the sound of a horn rang out, a group of horse bandits emerged from the forest across the canal.
There were about forty of them. They were wearing tattered and dirty fur armor, with brimmed felt hats on their heads. Riding fast horses, they easily crossed the two - meter - wide canal. While letting out terrifying howls, they charged straight towards River Bend Territory.
Leo instantly got a headache. He grabbed his shield and shouted at Little Mouse, who was still standing there in a daze, "Hide in the lord's mansion!"
These outlaws from the western border were just the worst kind of folks. They were skilled in archery and horsemanship, coming and going like the wind, and it was impossible to wipe them out completely.
Neither farming villages nor nomadic villages could do anything about them.
In farming villages, knight lords only had three or five horses. The troops composed of their retainers and militiamen couldn't catch up with the horse bandits, nor could they shoot better than them. They could only stay in the villages and take a beating passively.
In nomadic villages, although there were more herdsmen who could form a light cavalry as strong as the horse bandits at any time, the population in nomadic villages was too scattered. When suddenly attacked by horse bandits, it was actually more difficult to deal with them.
Only the fishing and hunting tribes and villages in the deep mountains weren't afraid of horse bandits. The mountains were not suitable for fast - running horses, and the longbows of the hunters were not afraid of shooting at the horse bandits.
River Bend Territory also reacted quickly. Ivan, who was following Leo, immediately picked up the small horn on his waist and blew it.
The villagers were reclaiming land north of the settlement camp. They rushed towards the camp one after another and hid in the lord's mansion.
Olivia appeared at the door of the lord's mansion. Standing on the wooden stairs, she anxiously watched the old and weak villagers enter. While maintaining order, she gave commands, ordering the members of the militia reserve to pull back those villagers who were still trying to carry grains and leather.
The militiamen who had been carrying logs to build houses quickly picked up the nearby weapons and equipment to arm themselves and rushed to gather around Leo in the center of the village.
To ensure the military might of River Bend, these days, Leo has ordered all militiamen, except those on patrol and sentry duty, to focus solely on tasks within the settlement camp. Weapons and equipment are kept nearby so that they can quickly form a battle formation to face the enemy at any time.
Currently, there is not much work left in River Bend. The main force of the militia is responsible for building houses in the village. The reserve militia is tasked with constructing embankments on the river beach in the northern part of the peninsula. The rest continue to reclaim wasteland.
This is entirely the credit of Freya. This incredibly strong marmot, having been deceived by Leo, single - handedly advanced the construction progress of River Bend by at least a month.
The horse bandits were extremely fast. From the moment they appeared at the canal, they reached the village in less than two minutes.
Shouting as they rode, they raised their short bows and shot at the militiamen.
In such a short time, even less than half of the militia had gathered. Those who had arrived first were busy cocking their crossbows and shooting back at the horse bandits.
Leo also raised his yew longbow and shot three arrows in quick succession, successfully knocking down a horse bandit.
"Shields up! Shields up!" A militiaman who had just fired a crossbow bolt was about to cock it again when Leo interrupted him.
Wild Boar Man crossbows were inaccurate and slow to shoot. They were no match for the horse bandits.
It was okay for long - distance shooting; everyone was relying on luck. But now that the horse bandits were getting closer, shooting back at them was just asking for trouble.
As he shouted, the horse bandits had reached the village entrance. Several militiamen who didn't have time to raise their shields were immediately hit by arrows and let out pained grunts.
Fortunately, the short bows of the horse bandits were not very powerful. After piercing through the thick fur armor of the militiamen, the arrowheads did not penetrate deeply into the flesh and were not immediately fatal.
After approaching the village entrance, the horse bandits scattered and sneaked into the village from all corners. They put down their short bows, raised their scimitars and spears, and rushed towards the militia.
The village was filled with building logs and blocked by houses. The terrain was complex and not suitable for the horse bandits' long - range guerrilla tactics.
Moreover, more and more militiamen were rushing in from all directions. Experienced horse bandits naturally couldn't let these militiamen gather and form combat effectiveness.
According to their usual raiding pattern, the horse bandits aimed to slash and hack wantonly before the village militia gathered, breaking the enemy's morale in advance. After that, it would be a blood - soaked frenzy.
No village militia could withstand the attack of the horse bandits when they were fighting separately or even running away.
A horse bandit laughed maniacally, raised his scimitar, and galloped towards a nearby militiaman who hadn't formed a formation yet. He swept his scimitar horizontally with all his might!
Normally, with the impact of the fast - moving horse, the horizontal sweep of the scimitar could be as powerful as the slash of a two - handed weapon. It could easily cut off the enemy's head or arm, and the bloody scene could even scare the pants off the villagers.
It didn't matter even if it hit the shield. In his impression, the thin wooden shields of the militiamen could only block arrows!
However, this militiaman in front of him didn't choose to dodge. Instead, he bravely raised his wooden shield.
The horse bandit grinned ferociously and without hesitation, swung his blade, intending to cut this militiaman and his shield in half.
This time, the militiaman's round shield blocked his fierce slash. A deep cut was made on the surface of the round shield, but it didn't crack. The militiaman holding the shield only staggered slightly and remained unscathed.
The oak round shields of the militiamen of River Bend Territory were a full inch thick!
The round shield in the hand of this militiaman in front was from a batch that Ulyan had Valery remanufacture. It had a layer of soft pine on the outside and a layer of hard oak on the inside.
This double - layer structure, which imitated the round shields of the imperial regular infantry, allowed the round shield to better withstand slashes and blunt blows, significantly reducing the impact force on the militiamen.
If it weren't for the limited time and materials, Ulyan would even have wanted to cover the round shields with a layer of thick leather.
The horse thief who failed to cause any damage was still furious and was about to turn his horse around for another slash.
Before he could turn his head, he caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye of another militiaman in front who threw the short spear in his hand at him.
The sharp short spear flew more than ten meters and precisely hit the horse thief's chest, instantly piercing him through. At least half of the short spear's wooden handle protruded from his back.
In a large spray of blood, the horse thief toppled off his horse and died on the spot.
And the more than twenty militiamen who had already formed a formation also threw their short spears one after another.