The heavy javelins of the River Bend infantry have long been replaced by the kobold short spears of varying sizes. After the blacksmith shop was able to smelt molten iron and make iron ingots, it also had the foundation for casting molds. Although the quality of the molten iron was not high enough to make a long iron sword, it could at least be used to forge some farm tools and iron spearheads. The heavy javelins currently used by the River Bend Infantry are mass-produced in blacksmith shops, with simple production and uniform specifications. If quality is not enough, then make up for it with weight. Like other infantry equipment, the heavy javelin focuses on the word "heavy", emphasizing force and heaviness. The one-foot-long heavy iron spear head and the two-foot-long hardwood pole weigh a total of three kilograms. The well-trained River Bend infantry can not only easily throw it forty meters away, but also throw it accurately within a range of twenty meters. Three heavy javelins are enough to provide sufficient firepower before hand-to-hand combat and deal a devastating blow to the opponent. Some infantrymen who are proficient in short spears will also use them as melee one-handed weapons. After all, anything sharp can be used to stab people from behind a shield.
Even the Kobold guards quickly switched to this new type of javelin, which served as an auxiliary weapon to the crossbow. Feisa learns everything, so how could she miss such a good thing? The javelin throwing of the River Bend infantry was more powerful than the longbows of the wildlings. A wave of spears rained down, and all those hit fell to the ground dead instantly. Even the gnoll barbarians holding shields were not spared. Their broken wooden shields did not have enough iron to reinforce them, and they were instantly shattered by the powerful and heavy javelins. Besides, if one spear doesn’t kill, there’s always a second one. After two rounds of javelin throwing, there were less than thirty gnolls left who could rush into close range. Experienced veterans would hit the werewolf's weapon hard at the last second before it hit them, ending the trajectory of the opponent's weapon in advance, or even interrupting the opponent's attack. They would protect their relatively fragile wrist bones by placing their arm, forearm or shoulder against the back of the shield before it was struck. The heavy shield, thick fur armor and strong muscles provide heavy protection for the hard arm bones. The shield was repeatedly hit hard by the wolf-men's chain hammers and even cracks appeared, but the infantry behind it were completely unharmed and their combat effectiveness was intact. The thick-backed, broad-bladed iron sword in the infantry's right hand would be pressed against the round shield, stabbed out at the most tricky angle, and stirred as much as possible before being retracted. By the time the jackals noticed, their intestines and internal organs had already flowed out and fell to the ground, where they were trampled by the infantry. The battle entered a fierce stage. The gnolls behaved fiercely and brutally, but did nothing. They crowded and trampled on each other, and hacked in vain at the shield formation of the infantry. The infantry's shield formation was maintained, and the enemy corpses began to pile up in front of them. Some veterans even chatted while fighting, discussing what rewards they would receive when they returned. After many battles and countless drills, this level of battle can no longer arouse their passion. When the war turned into target practice, the power of the Basaka longbowmen increased exponentially, and even the most nervous wild girl could be easily hit by an almost static target. The battle ended so quickly, as if it was a one-sided massacre. When the last gnoll fell, only one person from the River Bend Infantry Regiment was killed, and ten were injured to varying degrees. The Basaka longbowmen suffered no casualties, with each losing only half a bag of arrows.
The infantryman who died was just unlucky. After stabbing a werewolf to death, he lowered his shield and leaned forward to take a look, but another werewolf soldier took the opportunity to swing a chain hammer at him, hitting him with his brains bursting and killing him instantly. The rest of the injured were much better off. The one with the most serious injury was on the flank of the shield formation, and was surrounded by a werewolf soldier from behind. He was hit on the shoulder with a flail and could only lie on a stretcher and spit out blood. But seeing as he was coughing up blood and cursing, I guess he can still be saved. Even though the casualties were so small, Deputy Regimental Commander Vic was still not satisfied. He grabbed a few infantrymen and kept scolding them, accusing them of their unsatisfactory performance on the battlefield. These infantrymen were too brave in the previous battle and tried to break out of the shield formation to attack the enemy, so that their companions had to follow in a hurry, causing the entire shield formation to move forward several steps. If the opposing gnolls were not even more unqualified, these infantrymen with flaws might be the gnolls' chance to break through the infantry shield formation. Several of the bravest infantrymen, like a group of kobold cubs, were accused by Witch, who was younger than them. They cowered and dared not refute at all. Vic was just calmly accusing, but if it were Leo, he would whip him to death. If it is Uliyan, it will be even more harsh. Very good, your field is gone. According to Ulyaan's standards, the advance and retreat of the battle formation can only come from the commander's order, and those who move randomly can be regarded as deserters. Magna was confused listening to this. Since when would he be criticized for showing bravery? If the savages rush to the front in a battle, they will be highly praised by their leaders and regarded as warriors by their tribesmen. After the battle, 80% of the gnolls were killed by the Basaka longbowmen, while not many were killed by the River Bend infantry. Their shield formation has strong defensive capabilities, but also moves slowly. The Jackals only need to retreat slightly to avoid the attacks of the infantry. But the gnolls could not avoid the precise shots from the Basaka longbowmen. Because of the distraction of the river bend infantry, the safety of the Basaka longbowmen was greatly increased. Some bold archers would get close to the battlefield several dozen meters away and shoot at close range on the flanks of the infantry shield formation. At this distance, the error of the arrows shot by the Basaka archers does not exceed three centimeters. Hunters with superb archery skills can even hit the target right next to the infantry's scalp. The infantrymen in defensive mode could even see the archers' heavy arrows whizzing past their ears and piercing through the gnolls in front of them. The infantrymen expressed their admiration for the archers' skills, but did not recommend doing so. In this ambush, not much spoils were captured, only some animal skins and weapons. This group of gnoll hunting team had just been out for a short time and had not yet found any prey, but unexpectedly they became the prey. Only after seeing the elite strength of the River Bend Infantry was Magnar completely convinced. These River Bend infantrymen, who were heavily equipped, slow-moving and clumsy, refreshed his cognition. In battle, it is not only the number of kills that counts, but also the battle-to-damage ratio that counts. The wild folk are good at small-scale combat with less than thirty people. If there are more than thirty people, they will easily lose coordination and be forced to fight alone in fierce battles. The longer the battle lasts, the faster casualties will occur. To put it bluntly, they are still at the level of hunting and lack military training. In comparison, even the gnoll hunting teams that make a living by looting have higher military qualities than the wild people. They can at least maintain basic formations in battle and always obey the captain's command.
The River Bend Infantry had reached the standards of a regular army. Their tight formation, calm mentality, and seamless coordination turned the entire force into a behemoth of war that crushed the loosely-organized enemy. Although the Gnoll barbarians were stronger, faster, more brutal and bloodthirsty, they were helpless against the River Bend Infantry. It was like they were biting into a solid rock.
