Lake Rats' Tactics

At the stairwell entrance, Lake Rats Recruits wearing multiple layers of leather armor, moving with relative agility and speed, were cautiously observing.

They were also sentries.

When they heard the noisy footsteps coming from the stairwell and the excited shouts, their expressions changed drastically. They immediately turned and ran towards the castle.

Over there, more Lake Rats members were gathered, almost filling the 10-meter wide Central Long Corridor.

After all, there were 10 Lake Rats Veteran Thugs and 25 Lake Rats Recruits.

Seeing the recruit running back quickly, the faces of these Lake Rats members became solemn. Their previously somewhat lackadaisical demeanor became serious as they moved their shoulders and arms.

Because they all knew what it meant for that Lake Rats Recruit to run back with a grim face.

Moreover, when he reached them, he shouted back:

"Please report to Lord Shen Mu! Enemy attack detected! Please prepare for battle!"

"Understood!"

Behind these Lake Rats members, a muffled voice responded.

It was a Swadian Footman.

Hearing this, he immediately pushed aside his Swadian Footman Comrades who were resting on the ground with their spears upright, and quickly walked towards the castle.

The castle's several-centimeter thick wooden door was currently open with a half-meter wide gap.

This footman quickly walked inside.

10 Swadian Heavy Cavalry, already mounted on their warhorses, fully armored with Chain Armor, were holding their nearly 4-meter long Cavalry Lances, looking at him with cold eyes. They were shaking their reins, soothing their warhorses beneath them, which had begun pawing at the ground with their hooves, eager to fight, sensing the arrival of war.

But this footman didn't care. Instead, he walked past these Heavy Cavalry, who were also Tier 4 Soldiers.

He also glanced at the Swadian Recruits holding Long-handled Sickles.

Seeing their equally eager and fearless excitement, he nodded slightly.

This was the Swadian Tenacious Spirit!

Then, he went up the Tower's Spiral Staircase and reached the Castle Second Floor Balcony.

Surrounded by a group of Mercenary Crossbowmen and Mercenary Sentinels, Lord Shen Mu's back, wearing shining silver Chain Armor that gleamed even in the dim stairwell, appeared before him.

So this Swadian Footman immediately reported: "Lord Shen Mu, the enemy has arrived in the stairwell!"

"Yes, I know."

Shen Mu was standing within the Balcony's Embrasure at this time, looking towards the entrance at the end of the Corridor. He gently raised his right arm, indicating he had received the report.

Then this Swadian Footman respectfully saluted again, picked up his Spear, and turned to leave.

In fact, when that Lake Rats Recruit returned.

Shen Mu already knew the enemy had arrived.

The Castle Second Floor was only seven or eight meters above the ground, so he could hear the voice of that Lake Rats Recruit.

But these were the rules of the battlefield.

Reporting was necessary.

After all, even though he currently had a geographical advantage by placing the Castle in the Apartment.

If Shen Mu were to deploy the Castle in the wilderness later, spreading out a large number of buildings to form a true Stronghold protected by a Castle, then with the increased area, real-time battlefield reports would become even more important.

Now, it was necessary to develop this good habit.

And by Shen Mu's side.

The Ballista from the Stronghold Main House rooftop had been moved down by the Mercenary Sentinels.

It was set up in the center of the Balcony.

"String it!"

As one of the Mercenary Crossbowmen, acting as a commander, spoke, three Mercenary Sentinels responsible for operating the Ballista immediately began busily turning the Capstan.

A creaking sound of stringing appeared, and then a 1-meter long Javelin was slotted into the Shooting Slot.

The sharp Iron Spear tip was aimed towards the Corridor.

Including those around.

The 10 Mercenary Crossbowmen and 20 Mercenary Sentinels on these Towers and Balconies all drew their crossbow strings, then placed Crossbow Bolts in, preparing for battle in advance.

Because when they made this move, they had already heard it.

At the end of the Corridor.

With a loud bang, the Fire Door was kicked open, and then enemies pouring out from the Staircase, howling, appeared before them!

The enemy had arrived!

"Kill!"

With arrogant and excited shouts, led by Pigmen wearing Leather Armor, holding Flail Hammers, stout and strong, and around 1.7 meters tall.

These attacking enemy troops, without even carefully observing the terrain, immediately launched a full assault!

"Snort! Snort snort!"

Those Pigmen were even swinging the flail hammers in their hands, looking at the Human Race in front of them, extremely excited!

In the eyes of these Pigmen, the faint scent emanating from these Human Race was clearly fundamentally different from the tasteless, novelty-only, wax-like humans of Blue Star!

The humans of Blue Star didn't have the true taste of a soul that belonged to the rules of the Spiritual Realm.

Even if they were tender, eating them was unappetizing.

However, the Human Race, who possessed souls, or rather, possessed rules, were different.

If they could kill the Human Race, eating them would definitely be fragrant and delicious, with a smooth texture. Even rough chewing could bring a sense of satisfaction from the heart.

It was truly delicious!

Therefore, when these Pigmen, and even the other Spiritual Realm Creatures crowding up behind them,

Saw these Human Race,

One by one,

They really couldn't control themselves!

"Lake Rats members! Prepare! Throw javelins!"

But for the Lake Rats members who were standing in the front row, ready to launch the first attack, facing these strange-looking, pig-headed Otherworldly Creatures, their expressions didn't change at all.

Instead, under the command of the Lake Rats Veteran Thug who was temporarily acting as captain, they completed the switch of their secondary weapons.

Those harpoons or fishing darts,

Were now held in the right hands of these Lake Rats members, looking at the charging Pigmen.

And because the distance was still far, they slowly walked forward about ten meters.

The Central Long Corridor of the apartment was about 70 meters long.

The location where the Lake Rats members were deployed was 50 meters away from the Fire Door.

And the throwing kill range of the javelins in their hands was often around 20 meters.

Therefore, they took two steps forward.

Watching the Pigmen charging closer and closer.

The first row of Lake Rats Veteran Thugs finally reached their throwing kill range first.

Swish swish swish swish!

With bursts of heavy whooshing sounds, these Lake Rats Veteran Thugs skillfully and fiercely threw all the harpoons in their hands towards the messy, rushing, completely formationless Pigmen in front of them.

Then, these Lake Rats Veteran Thugs didn't even look at the results of the battle, turned around, and quickly ran back.

Because behind these Lake Rats Veteran Thugs, there were Lake Rats Recruits also holding fishing darts.

At this time, while pushing forward,

They also reached out and threw their fishing darts!

Swish swish swish swish!

Another series of heavy whooshing sounds appeared.

These Lake Rats Recruits also didn't look at the results of their throws.

Then they turned their heads and ran back.

Just in time,

They arrived behind the Lake Rats Veteran Thugs.

And in the front, a new round of Lake Rats Recruits came to the very front, looking at the dozen or so fallen Pigmen, and the even larger number of Pigmen behind them.

They raised their fishing darts again and threw them fiercely forward!

Swish swish swish swish!

Heavy whooshing sounds appeared one after another.

As a notorious group of robbers and bandits near the Great Lakes, the Lake Rats members were very familiar with this tactic of throwing javelins back and forth.

You know, they couldn't bully civilians or merchant caravans every time.

If they encountered the Regular Army,

They were Bandit Suppression Regular Army with armor and shields.

Once a conflict occurred,

Charging forward for melee combat rashly was clearly unwise.

Using javelins to break the opponent's armor and shields, and using retreat to lure the opponent deeper into the ambush the Lake Rats had set up beforehand.

Then letting the surrounding companions swarm up,

Completely eliminating the enemy.

This tactic,

This was originally the specialty of the Lake Rats members!

Otherwise, in the chaotic Mount & Blade: Bannerlord World, how could their Lake Rats Family become a minor power, occupy the Great Lakes Region, and have such high United Front Value that even Sturgia had to look at them favorably?

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!

The heavy sound of air being torn apart appeared again.

Now, it was time for the Lake Rats Veteran Thugs to throw their harpoons.

Looking at the Pigmen falling one after another in front of them, the painful howls and angry roars that began to surge in the corridor were deafening, as if they would tear eardrums.

A strange smile appeared at the corners of the mouths of these Lake Rats members.

Then they turned their heads and ran back.

Because at this time.

The Pike Square formed by the Swadian Footmen, who had deliberately left three gaps for these Lake Rats members, had already begun to step forward.

Then, after all the Lake Rats members had passed through the gaps, they raised the spears in their hands.

Facing the extremely numerous Pigmen.

They met them head-on!

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—

Just at this moment, a breeze, as if coming from the Castle Dome, swept across the wheat field, swept across the Stronghold Main House, swept across the Castle Hall...

And then swept over the heads of these Swadian Footmen.

The breeze from the Suno Plain began to blow!