A Realistic Mount & Blade Game

After a simple yet hearty dinner, the group set out from the city gate, led by the 32 Swadian sergeants, supported by 30 Swadian light infantry, and accompanied by 322 villagers.

At the same time, 25 experienced Lake Rat Gang thugs, along with 30 newly recruited Lake Rat Gang members from the bandits, also mobilized.

Together, they arrived at the southern edge of "Dhërim."

Specifically, the area where the village's arable land couldn't fully expand within the confines, so it extended outside the city walls, encompassing 22 acres of wheat fields, 5 acres of pumpkin patches, and 5 acres of cabbage fields. This land had already been completely harvested, leaving only a barren expanse.

The reason for deploying so many villagers was to allow them to absorb more combat experience.

To complete their upgrade faster.

As for the 78 Swadian recruits who had already completed their upgrade, Shen Mu did not send them out.

Once all the villagers had been upgraded to Swadian recruits, they would naturally automatically upgrade to Swadian militia.

There was no need to send them out now, diluting the experience of these villagers.

Down in the fields.

"Form ranks!" Bandak, within the unit, commanded the 450-plus soldiers, who all completed their formation.

With their backs to the moat outside the city walls, they formed a semi-circular defensive formation.

The Swadian sergeants and light infantry formed the front line, interspersed with villagers wielding pitchforks and long wooden sticks, vaguely resembling a barely qualified pike square.

Behind these squares, 55 Lake Rat Gang members waited with their small cleavers and woodland axes.

These soldiers, with high attack and low defense,

and the ability to throw javelins at the enemy, served as reserves at this time.

Whenever a gap appeared in the semi-circular pike square, or when facing a larger number of enemies, they would push forward, using the javelins in their hands to strike the enemies first.

If the enemy continued to charge fiercely, threatening to break the formation, they would need to step up and hold the line.

These were common tactics in Calradia, whether in the Warband world or the Bannerlord world.

Moreover, on the city walls behind them.

50 mercenary crossbowmen and 30 Vaegir archers were already lined up on the southern city walls.

Each of them held their war crossbows and nomadic bows, with their hands already drawing crossbow bolts and fletched arrows from their quivers, vigilantly scanning the darkness and gray mist at the edge of the wheat fields outside the city walls.

At the slightest sign of abnormality, they would stand on the 10-meter-high city walls, overlooking the battlefield, and provide shooting support!

And to be on the safe side, the 78 Swadian recruits, 10 Lake Rat Gang destroyers, and 10 Swadian heavy infantry who had just been upgraded were all assembled behind the eastern city gate, ready to rush out to provide support at a moment's notice.

However, based on current experience, it seemed they wouldn't be needed.

Although the number of undead monsters was endless.

Their combat power... was truly indescribable!

Perhaps because of their numbers, ordinary people with only spirit world creature followers dared not easily venture into the darkness and gray mist, areas corrupted by the undead rules.

But possessing the Mount \u0026 Blade system, being able to quickly pull out a batch of Mount \u0026 Blade soldiers.

And being able to use the Mount \u0026 Blade rules to undergo a qualitative upgrade after battles, a qualitative upgrade from physique to weapons and equipment to combat experience, akin to cheating.

On the contrary, they were not afraid of the undead monsters.

In fact.

Now, Shen Mu even felt that the number of these undead monsters was a bit too small.

Delaying the upgrade speed of his troops!

"But fortunately, this can be considered a pretty good start." Shen Mu came to the southern city wall, looking at the soldiers below who had already completed their formation and were beginning to fight, illuminated by bonfires and torches, his expression relaxed.

Because after a series of early battles, Shen Mu had increasingly trusted these Mount \u0026 Blade soldiers.

For example, right now.

On the fields outside the city walls, within the pike square formed by the Swadian sergeants, light infantry, and villagers, before they could even show their powerful defensive counterattacks, someone had already couldn't help but rush out first.

"Jie jie jie!" It was the 30 former bandits who had just officially joined the Lake Rat Gang from the Lake Rat Gang training camp, becoming formal members, now Lake Rat Gang rookies.

These bandit-type units inherently liked to launch attacks on their own initiative.

If they didn't communicate in advance with these professional bandits who recklessly roamed and plundered near the great lakes when arranging the battle lines.

Then, according to what they liked to do most, they would launch a surprise attack according to their professional habits.

Then rob and run!

"Kill!"

"Long live the Lake Rat Gang!"

These 30 Lake Rat Gang rookies didn't even use the fish darts on their backs, grinning as they drew the small cleavers from their waists, a small yet armor-piercing weapon, and smashed them directly onto the heads of the skeletons and zombies.

With the crisp sound of cracking skulls.

Skeletons and zombies that dared to leave the darkness and come to the fields protected by the Mount \u0026 Blade rules were mercilessly smashed on the head by these Lake Rat Gang rookies, who took the initiative to attack, wielding small cleavers and charging like spinning tops, turning them back into real skeleton scraps and piles of rotten meat!

Shen Mu had no objections to this, including Bandak, who personally commanded below.

Because these Lake Rat Gang rookies inherently subtly restrained these undead monsters.

Because the Lake Rat Gang rookies and experienced thugs all wore leather clothes and multi-layered leather clothes, not real leather armor, so they were extremely agile in their movements.

Plus the slender, kite-like shields, and the small, flexible, yet extremely effective armor-piercing small cleavers.

What kind of skeleton and zombie skulls could withstand that?!

Moreover, these undead monsters coming from the darkness were inherently clumsy, walking unsteadily, stumbling, and scattered, not forming a numerical advantage.

Instead, it allowed these 30 Lake Rat Gang rookies, who worked together to rush over, to form a numerical advantage in a small area.

They began to suppress these undead monsters and kill them!

Even if ghouls with bulging muscles, claws, and grayish-white skin occasionally appeared in the darkness, the Lake Rat Gang rookies who first discovered them would draw the fish darts from their backpacks and throw them out.

Heads, necks, chests, and abdomens were all hit by the fish darts in the blink of an eye!

The sharp fish darts, tools once used for fishing, were transformed into deadly weapons by the Lake Rat Gang rookies' skilled techniques and powerful arms.

Instantly killing the ghouls who had just walked out of the darkness and gray mist and hadn't had time to react!

"Alright! Time to retreat!"

However, these Lake Rat Gang rookies weren't stupid, on the contrary, they were extremely cunning, understanding that the enemies appearing in the darkness were gradually becoming stronger and more numerous.

Then they needed to immediately disengage from the current battle and return to the pike square.

And that's what they did.

"Interesting."

Shen Mu stood on the city wall, watching the little interlude performed by these new recruits of the Lake Rat Gang, and his originally slightly tense mood became much more cheerful.

Nothing made a lord happier than seeing his soldiers easily take care of the enemy.

Especially watching these new recruits of the Lake Rat Gang, just like cunning loaches, pass through the long spear formation composed of Swadian sergeants and light infantry, and return to the rear for rest, the undead monsters that followed were directly forced to stop in place by the long spears and pikes.

Or rather, not forced to stop.

But these Swadian soldiers, using the weapons in their hands, forcibly stopped those undead monsters, directly killing them in front of the long spears and pikes.

Moreover, the Swadian sergeants and light infantry did not stop thrusting with their long spears, but instead led the villagers behind them, wielding their pitchforks and long wooden sticks, also performing wave-like spear thrusts in a decent manner.

Even the sporadic skeletons that slowly walked over were actually taken down by these villagers!

They were stabbed a few times with pitchforks.

Their joints were broken, their spines fractured, and even the soul fire in their skull's eye sockets was destroyed, turning into useless bone fragments all over the ground with a crash.

"I feel that these undead monsters look terrifying, but they always give off the impression that their actual combat power isn't even comparable to farmers, peasants, or even peasant women."

Beside Shen Mu, an archer from the Kingdom of Vaegirs spoke with a strange expression.

"Indeed, they are very weak." The other Vaegir archers nodded in agreement.

Including the 50 hired crossbowmen around, they all felt the same way.

Especially most of these hired crossbowmen, who had been upgraded from hired sentries, had participated in many fierce battles with undead monsters and demon monsters.

From the beginning, after forming a line and occupying a favorable terrain.

The resulting damage.

Extremely deadly!

At least these hired crossbowmen were very clear that as long as they aimed at the vital points of those undead monsters, especially the head and eye sockets, and shot their crossbow bolts.

The subsequent results would completely kill those seemingly terrifying undead monsters on the spot!

"Don't worry, these guys are very weak. Not only are they slow to move, but their movements are also clumsy, and their attack power is also weak. Even those skeletal warriors only have higher bone defense."

Experienced hired crossbowmen whispered, passing this information to the newly arrived Vaegir archers.

"Understood." These Vaegir archers nodded thoughtfully.

Even more, a Vaegir archer, seeing a zombie walking out of a dark area closer to the city wall, reached out and pulled out a bodkin arrow with better armor-piercing effect from the quiver behind him, drew his high-quality nomadic bow, and shot it directly.

'Pa!' As the bodkin arrow tore through the air, it made a special, ghost-like scream.

Then, the staggering zombie, as a black shadow instantly swept across its head, causing its entire neck and body to suddenly jolt backward, fell to the ground with a thud.

The soul fire in its eye sockets flickered, completely losing its burning appearance.

Completely dissipated.

And at this time.

It was seen that on the head of this zombie, there was already a bodkin arrow, piercing through its head.

One-hit kill!

"Beautiful!"

Seeing this scene, those peak third-tier hired crossbowmen cheered.

Even other fourth-tier Vaegir archers showed approving nods and smiles at this time.

Anyone could do it.

But such a beautiful scene, a one-hit kill, was indeed giving face to the Vaegir archers, these newly arrived ranged shooters.

No one wanted to be compared to other ranged shooters, especially crossbowmen.

Not just these Vaegir archers.

Among the 50 hired crossbowmen, there were also people close to the crenellations on the edge of the city wall, raising the war crossbows in their hands, aiming at the skeletons or zombies that appeared below, and directly pulling the trigger, shooting their crossbow bolts.

Again, black shadows and screams swept past, and again, undead monsters fell to the ground with a thud.

Suddenly, these crossbowmen and archers on the city wall cheered.

Now, not only were they not afraid at all.

But they were having a great time!

Everyone was a mid-to-high-level shooter, and now, standing high and shooting at those slow-moving undead monsters below was no different from shooting at moving targets.

How could they not have fun?

"Save some crossbow bolts and arrows."

At this time, Shen Mu stopped their competition, with a helpless look on his face: "Shoot again when the situation is out of control. For now, let's watch the performance of the villagers below."

"Understood." These hired crossbowmen and Vaegir archers all showed regretful expressions on their faces.

But that was it.

Anyway, Shen Mu had already issued the order, so they just had to obey.

Save crossbow bolts and arrows.

It was indeed one of the standards that every archer and crossbowman needed to know and achieve.

Of course, Shen Mu didn't really want these hired crossbowmen and Vaegir archers to stop this playful shooting competition in order to save crossbow bolts and arrows.

But for the upgrade of those villagers below.

In the Mount \u0026 Blade rules.

Killing the enemy with your own hands provides more combat experience than standing still in the same battle, being protected, and completely蹭 (cèng - freeloading) experience.

This way, more villagers can gain combat experience faster and reach the upgrade standard.

"However, I think those villagers below can really stand on their own now."

Shen Mu pursed his lips.

Those villagers holding pitchforks and wooden sticks were really seriously resisting the endless stream of undead monsters that appeared from the darkness and gray fog at the edge of the fields protected by the Mount \u0026 Blade rules.

The number of 322, with Swadian sergeants and Swadian light infantry as the backbone, supporting the long spear formation.

Those undead monsters were really falling in batches under the pitchforks and wooden sticks of these villagers.

It was as if they were futile, only knowing how to send themselves to their deaths, those most foolish attrition tactics.

The oil being added was still the weakest type of undead monsters.

Even if there were sporadic ghouls, or occasional skeletal warriors appearing.

They were either discovered and shot dead by the archers and crossbowmen on the city wall, or they were killed directly at the edge of the battlefield by the Lake Rat Gang's new recruits and veteran thugs, who threw out fish darts and harpoons.

They didn't even have a chance to get close to these villagers!

"Not bad."

Shen Mu's lips curled up slightly.

It seems that the speed of upgrading is faster than expected!