Bonaparte's mouth watered at the thought of the richness of Red Leaf Ridge. Accompanied by his two subordinates, he observed Red Leaf Ridge with meticulous detail. Even the ordinary farmers in Red Leaf Ridge wore fine linen clothes!
What did that mean? In textiles, coarse linen was the lowest grade, so rough that it was considered too coarse even for wiping one's bottom, and it was the lowest class for Roman farmers. Next was fine linen, which in Rome was worn by wealthier and more distinguished people. Above that was stiff cloth, which was excellent for making cloaks and outer garments; even those without much money would use stiff cloth for their clothes.
Further up were soft cloth and silk; both materials were ideal for making undergarments. The clothes of Knights and nobles were all made from soft cloth, and even the cloaks of the Knights of the Round Table were made of this material. In wartime, a single wrap could serve as a cover for sleeping at night; although armor would be cold, strong-bodied Knights accustomed to the cold did not need much else.
There were also some garments made of felted leather, such as cowhide and sheepskin. These were quite rare in Camelot because they were military supplies. Cowhide could be made into cowhide armor, which, after being soaked in oil and sun-dried for more than ten days, could become an excellent defense against swords. As for fire attacks, that was not much of an issue; ancient people wore many layers of clothing, and even if a Knight's cloak caught fire and their entire clothes ignited, they would not escape death.
Kailar naturally paid close attention to such a good and inexpensive item as cowhide armor and put it on the agenda.
Sheepskin, on the other hand, could be made into excellent parchment. With the emergence of professions like 'butchers' in Camelot, every sheepskin was of top quality, capable of being made into scrolls. Although Kailar's disciples had already begun experimenting with wood pulp paper, parchment scrolls were still needed for making books at this stage.
Of course, higher-grade luxury items like tiger and fox furs were things that pirates had never even seen. How could merchants possess such extraordinary connections? If found, they would be directly presented to the King to curry favor; they would never circulate to merchants. Power always fascinates people more than money.
Thinking that such things would all be his in the future, he couldn't help but feel an irresistible itch. He shouted to his pirates in Gaulish, "Hurry, hurry! Do you want to be robbed by those scoundrels behind us?"
Nominally, these were allies, but although they wouldn't fight each other, they certainly looked down on others. Pirates were generally highly skilled in combat, excelling in close quarters and naval battles. How could they look down on a bunch of outsiders? If it weren't for Camelot's immense power and its recent increase in wealth from fighting Scotland, they would never let outsiders compete with them for goods!
Hearing their leader's words, a burst of wild laughter erupted among the Gauls. They didn't reply, but their pace quickened. After all, the leader's description of a heavenly life was right before their eyes. Overwhelmed by greed, they didn't believe Camelot would dare to resist once they knew their troop strength. The terrified Camelot people had only one path left: to be killed by them or to flee in disarray!
The gold, silver, treasures, clothes, furniture, weapons, and armor left behind would naturally be theirs. Once all of them wore iron armor, what did it matter if the enemy had Knights? Plus, with the pirates on both sides, they weren't afraid. Hehe, with iron armor, each of them could be considered a Barbarian warrior. Why would they fear the Vikings and the Anglo-Saxons?
The Gauls howled, rushing towards Red Leaf Ridge without regard for their stamina. In their minds, their fifteen separate teams of kinsmen must already be reveling, setting fires, and committing rape in the towns and villages. Driven by the need for blood and the comfort of women, they quickened their pace once more.
In reality, doing so was extremely foolish.
Before the advent of firearms, any war relied on three things: money, men, and stamina.
Money refers to economy and logistics, men refer to troop sources and soldiers, and stamina refers to the army's physical endurance.
The first two are self-evident, but in the age of cold weapons, even drawing a bow requires strength! Although bows and arrows were the only long-range killing weapons (crossbows are also included with bows and arrows), stringing and drawing a bow were extremely strenuous tasks. Why, in ancient China, were archers ranked second only to cavalry, after spearmen, sword-and-shield bearers, and ax-wielders? Because archers were among the strongest men in the army; ordinary people could neither draw a bow nor aim accurately.
And even for a spearman, you need stamina to thrust forward, right? You need stamina to flee, right? You still need stamina to pursue, right? Unlike modern warfare, where you only need to pull a trigger to completely conserve your physical strength and recklessly expend it for escape or marching, only needing to retain the strength to pull the trigger, a cold weapon army that has exhausted its stamina can only be slaughtered by the enemy.
In the woods by the roadside, less than twenty kilometers from their path, the high ground was already sufficient to see the Gauls raising a large trail of dust. Looking at the Gauls' disorganized weapons, armor, and chaotic marching formation, Artoria smiled coldly: "So, it's the Gauls."
These Gauls and the Camelot people were old enemies, continuously 'interacting' since her father's generation. Knowing each other inside out, neither side would show mercy. She smiled coldly, her face more severe than ever before. With the Sage missing, she was the most anxious and irritable. Now that a group of enemies had arrived to vent her frustration, how could she let them go?
The enemy's forces were vast; two hundred thousand troops weighed on her heart like a heavy counterweight. Even though Camelot was an island nation, it was absolutely impossible to mobilize all its armies, a hundred thousand Knights, for a decisive battle.
Not to mention how much food and logistics a hundred thousand Knights, plus their horses, nearly two hundred thousand mouths, would require, and how much pressure that would put on the nation. Even if they won a battle and defeated the enemy, what would they gain? How many Knights would die? After dispersing the pirates, would the pirates, like cornered dogs, scatter and invade the mainland, causing Camelot immense trouble?
Warfare is a science, and war is the extension of politics. Kailar knew this perfectly well, so the plan he formulated was — total annihilation!
Not a single one must escape, and they must not be allowed to invade the Camelot mainland.
Only dead pirates are good pirates!
Anxious in her heart, Artoria had never been so full of murderous intent. Watching the pirates slowly approaching, panting from their run, she gave a cold smile and raised her arm. All the Knights in the dense forest placed wooden sticks in their horses' cheeks; horses biting on wooden sticks would make absolutely no sound.