Once the battle had largely stabilized, Heshima and Keledu felt considerably more at ease. At least they had won an unequivocal victory that day, not only taking two enemy camps but also holding off the enemy's counterattack.
All they needed to do now was safeguard the fruits of that victory and keep the enemy from snatching them back. Once the pontoon bridge was built and they broke through the enemy's defensive line, they could take their remaining followers home.
The night passed, and as daylight returned, the Barbarians immediately began assembling the pontoon bridge they had prepared in advance. The boats and rafts they had built all became components of the bridge.
Their work progressed very quickly. In just over an hour, they had completed most of the bridge, with its main structure essentially finished. They only needed to lay the decking and reinforce it before the bridge could officially be put into use.
The Northern Alliance Army saw all this construction work as well. They knew they had to stop the Barbarians from building the pontoon bridge. Otherwise, once it was finished and more and more Barbarians crossed the great river, they would have no chance of retaking the two occupied camps.
But the Northern Alliance Army's two commanders also knew that the best way to disrupt construction was to retake those two camps, something that was essentially impossible for their army at present.
They could only find another way. Fortunately, both had considerable experience in warfare and knew that the best way to deal with a pontoon bridge like this was to attack from the water.
This Northern Alliance Army was made up entirely of nobles from Durham County. Since it was an inland region, none of their private armies had naval forces.
Fortunately, however, the Northern Alliance