The Lord Of Blood Hill-Chapter 34: Crossing the River (Part 2)

By the seventh day of the crossing, most of the troops have made it across the river. However, that afternoon, scouts that a unit of elite cavalry has arrived at the kingdom's border fortress to rest. Henwell realizes time is running out; they might face the kingdom's elite cavalry as soon as the next day.
That night, they deploy all four floating bridges to expedite the crossing. This urgency causes several people to fall into the river, but fortunately, the armor has already been transported to the other side. The soldiers cross lightly equipped, so there aren't many casualties from drowning.
The crossing continues until dawn, but over two thousand people still haven't crossed. There's no time to wait for nightfall, so they continue the crossing during the day. The border scouts observe the situation and quickly understand what's happening, sending a signal fire to relay the message back.
Henwell urges Fabio to leave first, but Fabio insists on staying. Henwell estimates that the kingdom's elite cavalry could arrive by noon at the latest.
With over two thousand people left to cross, there's no quick solution. The floating bridges have limited capacity and can't support too many people at once. They sway precariously, making a rapid crossing unrealistic.
To make matters worse, the majority of the remaining two thousand are cavalry. The combined weight of riders and horses further strains the bridges. The warhorses, needing to be calmed by their riders, must cross the swaying bridges slowly.
By the time the remaining cavalry completes the crossing, the kingdom's elite cavalry will likely have arrived.
Thinking quickly, Henwell pushes the spare rafts into the water, instructing the infantry to board them and paddle slowly towards the opposite bank. They're not a professional river-crossing unit, and even though they've practiced for this maneuver, they can't afford to rush. It takes nearly an hour to paddle across the 200-meter-wide river.
Once they reach the other side, things get easier. They tie ropes to the rafts to pull them back for the next crossing, allowing those on the opposite bank to assist by pulling the ropes. Henwell and a few hundred others begin dismantling tents, loading everything they can onto the rafts for transport across the river.
Finally, after the cavalry has crossed, a few hundred people remain on the west bank.
Henwell calls everyone to board the floating bridge and orders the ropes connecting it to the western bank's stakes to be cut. As they start to feel the vibrations of the approaching cavalry, Henwell instructs those on the bridge to untie all the ropes securing the bridge to the underwater stakes.
Without the anchors, the current begins to push the bridge, causing one end to drift towards the river's center. The water's force then turns the bridge, aligning it vertically with the eastern bank. Everyone clings tightly to the bridge, securing themselves and avoiding any sudden movements that might cause it to capsize or collapse.
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At that moment, Henwell spots the kingdom's elite cavalry on the opposite bank—cavalry clad in red capes, prepared for a charge.
Under their commander's banner, they stand in formation on the western riverbank, silently observing those now dozens of meters from the shore. Their presence is imposing, undiminished by the river between them.
Fabio and his men cheer, with some soldiers even hurling taunts across the water. But Henwell shouts, "Watch out! They're about to fire arrows!"
No sooner does he speak than the cavalry commander raises a hand, and the line of cavalrymen behind him reaches for the bows on their saddles.
"Get in the water! Use the rafts for cover!"
Henwell orders before rolling into the icy, piercing river, feeling the vibrations as arrows strike the rafts. Holding his breath for over a minute, he finally surfaces on the other side of the raft. By now, the rafts resemble pincushions, bristling with arrows.
Glancing around, Henwell sees several soldiers pinned to the rafts, and bodies floating on the river. The enemy continues their relentless barrage, targeting the rafts. Henwell takes a deep breath and hides beneath the raft again.
After two rounds of catching his breath, Henwell feels the riverbed's silt beneath him and realizes he's just a few meters from the surface. The arrows have ceased. Henwell swims to the shore, emerging from the water.
As soon as a shield-bearing soldier pulls Henwell ashore, he sees Fabio wrapped in a blanket, shouting, "Organize the archers! Return fire!"
Henwell takes a blanket handed to him by a soldier and rushes to Fabio's side.
"Enough, my lord! It's pointless! Successfully crossing the river is the greatest blow to them. Why waste our arrows?"
"Hmph! They're getting off too easy!" Fabio grumbles.
After changing clothes, Henwell sees Fabio organizing the removal of bodies from the rafts and collecting the arrows. Seeing Henwell approach, Fabio holds up an arrow.
"Well, well! The Night Falcon Knights have deep pockets, using armor-piercing arrows with heavy heads. These aren't cheap!"
Henwell examines the arrow, noting the two-inch-long arrowhead. He realizes why the enemy's arrows are so powerful, able to pierce through bodies and pin soldiers to the rafts. Fabio sighs, "What a shame! We were on the verge of retreating unscathed, but we lost nearly a hundred warriors!"
Henwell thinks to himself: It was their taunting that provoked the enemy. The cavalry was ready to let them go, but the insults prompted a brutal round of shooting. With armor removed for the crossing, facing arrows was like running naked into battle. Nearly a hundred soldiers died, and many more were injured. Given the poor medical standards of the time, half of the wounded might not survive.
In the end, over two hundred lives were lost just to vent some anger—an incredibly costly mistake.
Fabio, far from regretful, seems rather thrilled.
"We've actually faced off against the Night Falcon Knights! And we managed to retreat intact. Such an achievement is rare even among the elite infantry corps of various nations!"
Henwell can't help but think: Is he really trying to glorify this situation?
Curious, Henwell asks, "My lord, who exactly are the Night Falcon Cavalry? I've never heard of them."
Fabio corrects him, "It's the Night Falcon Knights, not cavalry! They're one of the Ika Kingdom's elite forces. Their numbers are maintained at six thousand, with about a thousand of them being knights. The unit leaders are all knight-ranked, and the rest have undergone formal knight training."
"They're an incredibly formidable shock troop! No infantry unit dares to face their charge without cover. Like the Red Hawk Knights of the Billie Kingdom, they're a decisive force on the battlefield. Our duchy has always aspired to form a knightly order. But so far, we've only managed to gather a force of two thousand, with just about three hundred knights—nothing compared to these true knightly orders!"
Fabio then pulls Henwell aside, "Alright! We've finally made it back! Now it's time for us to rest well."
Henwell glances at the solemn cavalry on the opposite bank. That's the kind of army I aspire to have!