As Heshima surveyed the enemy on the opposite bank, his raft drew ever closer to shore through the efforts of his guards and the young Barbarian soldier.
When the raft was less than ten meters from the bank, Heshima suddenly jumped straight into the river. The water here was only waist-deep.
Standing in the icy water, Heshima shouted to those around him, "Warriors of the Iron Bone Tribe, do not hesitate! The enemy is right before you! Destroy them with the weapons in your hands! Tear them apart!" With that, he charged toward the bank, taking the lead.
When the Barbarian warriors on the other rafts saw their grand chieftain leading from the front, they followed his example one after another, jumping into the river and charging toward the bank.
They left the rafts in the river, with the last soldier remaining aboard each one rowing back to ferry over the rest of the river-crossing force.
Under Heshima's leadership, the first wave of over a thousand Barbarian soldiers waded through the water and charged onto the bank, then rushed toward the walls of the Northern Alliance Army's camp.
The Barbarian soldiers at the front held thick shields reinforced with multiple layers of cowhide high to block the arrows flying from the camp. Behind them came Barbarian soldiers armed with scimitars and bows.
The Barbarian archers had held their bows and arrows high while crossing the river, so their bowstrings had not been soaked and could still send sharp arrows flying.
As they ran, these Barbarian archers kept nocking arrows and shooting into the Northern Alliance Army's camp, trying to suppress its archers.
Perhaps because their morale was soaring, their efforts paid off.
In an instant, the rain of arrows from the Northern Alliance Army's camp did indeed thin considerably, easing