At the stairwell entrance, Lake Rats Recruits wearing multiple layers of leather clothing, nimble and quick in their movements, were watching cautiously.
They were sentries as well.
When they heard the chaotic footsteps and excited shouts coming from the stairwell, their expressions changed drastically, and they turned and ran toward the castle.
Over there, even more Lake Rats Members had gathered, nearly filling the ten-meter-wide Central Long Corridor.
There were, after all, ten Lake Rats Veteran Thugs and twenty-five Lake Rats Recruits.
When the Lake Rats Members saw the recruit hurrying back, their expressions grew solemn. Their previously casual posture became serious as they rolled their shoulders and arms.
Because they all knew what it meant for this Lake Rats Recruit to return with such a grim face.
What was more, after reaching them, he shouted toward the rear:
"Report to Lord Shen Mu! Enemy attackers have been spotted! Prepare for battle!"
"Understood!"
A deep voice responded from behind the Lake Rats Members.
It belonged to a Swadian Footman.
Upon hearing this, he immediately pushed past his Swadian Footman Comrades, who were still holding their pikes and squatting on the ground to rest, then strode into the castle.
The castle's several-centimeter-thick wooden door stood open by a half-meter-wide gap.
The footman hurried inside.
Ten Swadian Heavy Cavalrymen, already mounted on their warhorses and fully armored in chainmail along with their mounts, held nearly four-meter-long cavalry lances as they watched him coldly. They shook their reins, calming the military horses beneath them, which had sensed the coming battle and were scraping their hooves against the ground, eager to charge.
But the footman paid them no mind and continued past the Heavy Cavalry, who were also Tier 4 Soldiers.
He also glanced at the Swadian Recruits holding long-handled sickles.
Seeing their equally eager expressions, utterly free of fear, he nodded slightly.
This was the Swadian Tenacious Spirit!
He then ascended the tower's spiral staircase and arrived at the balcony on the Castle Second Floor.
Surrounded by a group of Mercenary Crossbowmen and Mercenary Sentinels, Lord Shen Mu's back appeared before him. Clad in gleaming silver chainmail, he seemed to shine even in the dim stairwell.
The Swadian Footman immediately reported, "Lord Shen Mu, the enemy has arrived in the stairwell!"
"Mm, I know."
Shen Mu stood within the balcony's battlement, looking toward the entrance at the far end of the corridor. He lightly raised his right arm, indicating that he had received the report.
The Swadian Footman respectfully saluted again, then gripped his pike and turned to leave.
In fact, the moment that Lake Rats Recruit returned.
Shen Mu had already known the enemy had arrived.
The Castle Second Floor was only seven or eight meters above the ground, so he could hear the Lake Rats Recruit's voice.
But these were the rules of the battlefield.
Reports were essential.
After all, although he currently held the advantage of terrain by placing the castle inside the apartment.
If Shen Mu later unfolded the castle in the wilderness and spread out its many buildings, forming a true stronghold protected by the castle, then real-time battlefield reports would become even more important once the area expanded.
He had to develop this good habit now.
And beside Shen Mu.
The ballista that had been on the roof of the Stronghold Main House had already been moved down by the Mercenary Sentinels.
It was set up in the center of the balcony.
"Wind it!"
At the command of a Mercenary Crossbowman acting as commander, the three Mercenary Sentinels operating the ballista immediately began turning the winch.
Creaking sounds rang out as the string was drawn back. Then, a one-meter-long bolt was slotted into the firing groove.
Its sharp Iron Spear tip was aimed toward the corridor.
Around them.
The ten Mercenary Crossbowmen and twenty Mercenary Sentinels stationed on the towers and balconies all drew their crossbow strings, loaded their bolts, and prepared for battle in advance.
Because as they did so, they heard it.
At the far end of the corridor.
With a deafening bang, the Fire Door was kicked open, and enemies surged out from the stairwell, howling as they appeared before them!
The enemy had arrived!
"Kill!"
Amid those arrogant, excited cries, pig-headed creatures clad in leather armor, wielding Flail Hammers, fat and burly, each around 1.7 meters tall, took the lead.
These invading enemies did not even bother to survey the area before launching an all-out assault!
"Snort! Snort snort!"
The pig-headed creatures waved their Flail Hammers, thrilled as they stared at the humans before them!
To these pig-headed creatures, the scent faintly emanating from these humans was fundamentally different from the bland humans of Blue Star, who could only provide a sense of novelty and tasted like wax.
The humans of Blue Star lacked the flavor of souls truly belonging to the Spiritual Realm Rules.
Even if they were tender, eating them was nauseating.
But humans with souls—or rather, humans possessing rules—were different.
If they could kill these humans, they would taste incomparably fresh and fragrant, with a smooth texture. Even rough chewing would bring heartfelt satisfaction.
They were truly delicious!
So when these pig-headed creatures, along with the other Spiritual Realm Creatures crowding up behind them.
Saw these humans.
Every one of them.
Could no longer hold themselves back!
"Lake Rats Members! Ready! Throw!"
Yet the Lake Rats Members standing in the front row, who would launch the first attack, showed no change in expression when facing these bizarre Otherworldly Creatures with pig heads.
Instead, under the command of the Lake Rats Veteran Thug temporarily serving as captain, they switched to their Secondary Weapons.
Fish forks and Fishing Darts.
Were now gripped in the right hands of the Lake Rats Members as they watched the charging pig-headed creatures.
Then, because the distance was still too great, they slowly advanced more than ten meters.
The apartment's Central Long Corridor was roughly seventy meters long.
The Lake Rats Members had been deployed fifty meters away from the Fire Door.
And the throwing kill range of the javelins in their hands was usually around twenty meters.
Thus, after taking a few steps forward.
As they watched the pig-headed creatures charge ever closer.
The Lake Rats Veteran Thugs in the front row finally entered their throwing kill range first.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
With a series of heavy whistles through the air, the Lake Rats Veteran Thugs skillfully, viciously, and forcefully hurled every fish fork in their hands at the pig-headed creatures ahead, who were a chaotic, frenzied mass without even the semblance of formation.
Without even looking at the results, the Lake Rats Veteran Thugs turned and ran quickly to the rear.
Because behind these Lake Rats Veteran Thugs were Lake Rats Recruits, likewise holding Fishing Darts.
As they stepped forward to take their place.
They stretched out their hands and threw their Fishing Darts!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Heavy whistling sounds filled the air again.
These Lake Rats Recruits likewise did not look to see the results of their throws.
They immediately turned and ran back.
Just in time.
They arrived behind the Lake Rats Veteran Thugs.
At the front, a new wave of Lake Rats Recruits came forward. Looking at the dozen or so fallen pig-headed creatures and the even greater number behind them.
They raised their Fishing Darts again and hurled them fiercely forward!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Heavy whistles through the air rang out one after another.
As a notorious bandit and robber organization near the Great Lakes Region, the Lake Rats Members were extremely familiar with this tactic of repeatedly throwing javelins while retreating.
After all, they could not always bully civilians or merchant caravans.
If they encountered the Regular Army.
The Bandit Suppression Regular Army would be armored and shielded.
Once conflict broke out.
Rashly charging into melee was clearly unwise.
They would use javelins to break through the enemy's armor and shields, then use retreat to lure the enemy deep into ambushes the Lake Rats had prepared in advance.
Then their companions surrounding the enemy would swarm forward.
And eliminate the enemy completely.
This tactic.
Had always been the Lake Rats Members' specialty!
Otherwise, in the chaotic Mount & Blade: Bannerlord World, how could the Lake Rats Family become a minor regional power, occupy the Great Lakes Region, possess such high united front value, and even earn the respect of Sturgia?
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Heavy whistling sounds appeared again.
Now it was once more the Lake Rats Veteran Thugs' turn to throw their fish forks.
As they watched pig-headed creatures fall one after another before them, pained shrieks and furious roars began to surge through the corridor, deafening enough to seem as if they would tear apart their eardrums.
The Lake Rats Members wore strange smiles at the corners of their mouths.
Then they turned and ran to the rear.
Because at that moment.
The Pike Square formed by the Swadian Footmen, which had deliberately left three gaps for the Lake Rats Members, began marching forward.
Once all the Lake Rats Members had passed through the gaps, they raised their pikes.
Facing the vast number of pig-headed creatures.
They met them head-on!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
At that exact moment, a breeze seeming to emerge from the Castle Dome swept rustling over the wheat fields, over the Stronghold Main House, over the Castle Hall...
Then it swept over the heads of the Swadian Footmen.
The breeze from the Suno Plain had begun to blow!
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