Looking back to the battlefield in the gap in the dense forest.
Most of the one hundred and fifty Swabian soldiers in the fiery tunnel in front of the gap had turned into charred corpses. The few who crawled out of the tunnel stepping on the corpses were also burned beyond recognition. Then, these wounded soldiers crawling back were pinned to the road by a hail of arrows from the crossbowmen behind the gap.
The Swabian army on the hillside also tried to send people to rescue them. They pushed the crossbow team to within a hundred steps in front of the gap formation and threw arrows at the gap desperately. Facing the dense formation of the enemy, this kind of arrow rain should have been extremely lethal.
However, the Burgundians in the gap had already considered the rain of arrows on the hillside. Every soldier in the gap had something to withstand the rain of arrows. Those who were well-armed had a shield, and those who were ill-armed also prepared a wall panel and door panel removed from a residential house in the market town, and some even carried it directly. A copper pot, these strange "shields" may not be able to withstand the swords, axes and hammers of the Swabians, but they can be used temporarily to deal with the rain of arrows thrown into the sky. After the Swabians finish shooting a round, they directly put down the wooden board. They can also take off the arrows on the wooden board and give them to the rear crossbow team as weapons before shooting them back.
When the Swabians discovered that rounds of arrow rain could only deliver consumables to the enemy in the gap, they could only give up this meaningless behavior.
Landi had no intention of forcibly attacking the front of the gap that was densely covered with traps. He asked his adjutant to personally lead an army of 300 people into the enemy's formation from the edge of the dense forest on the right side of the gap, intending to break through the enemy's formation from the flank. Then he sent a leading baron to lead more than 200 light infantry into the dense forest from the left wing, hoping to carve a way out of the dense forest traps.
Randy believed that Jeffrey's soldiers were all weaklings. He did not believe that the enemy could set up traps in such a wide dense forest. His intuition told him that the seemingly strange dense forests on both sides might be the enemy's weakness.
Sometimes intuition is really harmful.
Randy had inquired about his opponent before the war. He knew that the enemy commander in front of him started out as a shitty civilian patrol officer and had a talent for conspiracy. Randy thought that a civilian patrol officer was humble enough, but he didn't know that Art had been a forest hunter for several years before becoming a civilian patrol officer. He didn't even know that the officers under Art had received brief but practical training at the Officer Academy. The must-learn skill in the Officer Academy was to lay traps.
To be honest, the density of traps laid in the dense forest on both sides of the gap is not very high. In such a wide dense forest, it is impossible to set up a trap every two steps in just a few days, not to mention that Art's army focused more than half of its energy on the layout of the frontal battlefield.
So a strange phenomenon occurred.
When the Swabians who were trying to attack the gap army formation from the edge of the right-wing forest approached the dense forest, dozens of Burgundian soldiers armed with spears and bows shuttled freely through the dense forest. From time to time, they ran to the edge of the dense forest to throw a few spears or shoot a few light arrows at the Swabians who were cautiously approaching. When the two armies were closest, they were only separated by a few rows of miscellaneous trees. However, when the Swabian who had been shot down and pierced by more than 20 soldiers finally couldn't bear the humiliation and loss and rushed into the dense forest, screams broke out one after another. A soldier stepped on a sharp spike, a soldier fell into a pit buried with sharp stakes, a soldier was injured by a heavy tree falling from a tree, and a soldier was impaled in the chest by a piece of wood that suddenly popped up by the roadside...
· Count Randy should now regret that he failed to send heavy troops to interfere with the Burgundians' mischief on the battlefield. Now the battlefield has become the battlefield of the enemy.
This is the advantage of being able to choose the battlefield.
As the party that laid battlefield traps, the Burgundian soldiers who got into the dense forest to harass the enemy on the right were able to avoid the traps set by their own people as much as possible through special traces. These special traces were just a pile of randomly placed rocks or a low tree with its leaves stripped off, or even just a shallow hole dug by a shovel on the ground. Such man-made marks could be seen everywhere, but the Swabians as the attackers could not understand them at all.
By the time the three hundred Swabians approached the right wing of the gaping army formation, there were less than two hundred left. The others were either turned into corpses of wounded soldiers, or were forced to stay to clean up the mess.
However, the Swabians are close to the right wing, and the battle here can only be a physical fight between people.
However, there was a trap on the left side of the Swabian's body on the right wing, and the right side was a narrow area of dense forest that two hundred people could not use at all. Odo led fifty or so dead men and rushed into the Swabian's approaching right wing, and more than fifty people blocked the Swabian's attack.
There is no way, except for the dozen or so people in the front row who can enjoy the hand-to-hand combat, most of the Swabians can only wait in the back and watch the swords and axes and hammers swinging in front. When the people in front fall, the people behind can have the opportunity to rush forward and chop once or twice.
But the Swabians behind could not wait with peace of mind. The Burgundian archers and spear throwers who had just disappeared deep into the dense forest appeared again. They sent arrows and iron spears into the Swabian's body through several rows of trees.
The Swabians did not dare to enter the dense forest anymore because they found that the traps in the dense forest near the military formation were too dense. Even the Burgundian soldiers themselves had several unlucky guys trapped by their own traps.
The Swabians on the right wing couldn't bear the frustration and losses, so they had to retreat.
Compared with the aggrieved right wing, the Swabian soldiers in the dense forest on the left wing were much luckier, not only because the traps set in the dense forest on the left wing were not as dense as those exaggerated by Jeffrey's softies, but also because of the two hundred Shortly after entering the dense forest, the leading baron of the human light infantry was slapped by a branch that suddenly shot out. The slap from the branch was not fatal. What was fatal was that the branch was covered with wooden thorns, and a few of them pierced into the thigh of the leading baron.
The baron was carried back by the soldiers.
Without a unified command, the Swabians lost the motivation to move forward. Several leading knights had ulterior motives. They all hoped that other people's troops would go into a trap, and they would follow behind with their men and take a safe road.
We are not stupid. We knew that if we walked in front, we would die in front, but in the end, no one was willing to step forward. Each of the two hundred or so people was slower than the other. If you take one step, I will take half a step. If you take half a step, I will simply stop to drink some water and urinate...
In this way, the two armies entered the battlefield separately from daybreak, but when the sun was shining, they didn't even meet each other.
Soldiers are also human beings, and as human beings they have to eat, drink and poop.
After "beating" all morning, the Swabian finally decided to take a break, at least stop to eat some bread and drink some water.
The rallying call was sounded on the hillside. Except for a small number of soldiers guarding against the Burgundians, the Swabians began to retreat to eat and drink to replenish their strength.
The Swabian central army camps did not rest when the soldiers rested. Compared to the ordinary soldiers who were eager for a truce, Randy and the officers under his command were more anxious.
Randy is a newly minted nobleman. In the Principality of Swabia, where there are many counts, the situation of a new nobleman who has climbed up step by step through military exploits is extremely difficult.
To gain a firm place in the upper-class elite circle, Landi needs more and greater military achievements to lay the foundation.
This is why he readily accepted it when the Swabian court asked him to lead less than two thousand soldiers to attack the border of Burgundy.
At this moment, I don’t know how many old-school dignitaries are waiting to see the joke of this ignorant guy, Randy is really anxious.
The officers under Randy's command are also anxious. Randy is a role model. They all hope that they can accumulate enough heads and feet in this small-scale war with the Count of Burgundy to raise their title to another level.
For everyone in the Swabian Central Army command camp, there was not enough time. The original two-month plan to invade the hinterland of Yona has come to naught due to the two nails of Geneborg and Wallonborg. Now the situation of Besancon's "allies" is getting worse. Once the Burgundian Restoration Army captures Besancon and returns eastward, their attack pressure will be doubled.
What's more, the Burgundy Kingdom in the north of Burgundy County has assembled an army and will march south and east soon.
The Principality of Burgundy does not participate in the civil strife of its tributary countries, but they will not tolerate the invasion of foreigners.
While the commanders of the Swabian army were quarreling in the camp, the Burgundian army in the gap in the dense forest was also sitting on the ground and munching on the fragrant special bread. This bread was not the kind of "shrew stick" that could be used to kill robbers, but a refined bread that had been ground and screened three times and then baked with minced meat, salt and dried vegetables. This was the emergency ration carried by the soldiers of the Welsh Legion.
Crush the special bread into pieces and put it into a wooden bowl, add some water and soak it to make a wheat paste. For the soldiers who were prisoners half a month ago, it was simply a delicacy.
While the soldiers were sitting on the ground to replenish their physical strength, Art and Odo also led a group of officers behind the military formation to hold a wartime military meeting.
Matt held a half-bitten piece of special bread in his left hand, and gestured with a thin stick on the ground in his right hand, "...the first to fourth flag teams plus the Deadpool team go to the right, the fifth to eighth flag teams and the crossbow team go to the left... It is best to use the flag team as a unit, and at least it should be a squadron as a unit. Flag captains, squadron captains, and squad leaders must pay attention to traps. Mark, don't be fooled by the traps you set... You have to remember that no matter how far you run, our final gathering place will be here."
Matt pointed the thin stick at a dot on the rough diagram on the dirt, which should be in a canyon in a mountainous area east of here.
"Here, here and here are the food and drinking water that the baggage teams have stored in advance. If someone runs away, you can go to these places to get food and baggage replenishment."
"Remember these positions! This is life-saving. Have you noted it down?"
h "Remember it!"
h "All of it has been noted down!"
h The officers all responded in a low voice.
"Okay, one last time, I emphasize that you have to take good care of the soldiers under your command. These guys are not good people. It's okay to run away with one or two. If you run away too much and still have weapons and armor in your hands, you may become a group of bandits who kill and loot in the future. When necessary You can use coercion and inducement to make them listen to you..."
Woo~Woo~Woo~
As soon as Art finished speaking, the Swabians on the hillside blew the battle trumpet, and the afternoon battle was about to begin again.
"Everyone, hurry up and eat something to save your strength. We still have things to do next!" Art stuffed half of the bread into his mouth.
…..
At originally waited for the Swabians to send soldiers to fill the traps and holes on the frontal battlefield, and then attack him from the front, or send cannon fodder that was not afraid of death to clear all the traps in the dense forest on both wings and rush into the army from both wings. In this way, Ater could delay the Swabians for at least another half day or kill (trap) a hundred Swabian soldiers.
However, the Swabians who longed for a glorious battle and had been tricked by Art's conspiracy all morning suddenly changed their gender. Like Art, they gave up the inherent dignity and glory of the military nobility and decided to use the simplest and equally despicable method to break Art's bizarre and unpredictable battlefield trap.
When dozens of Swabians holding torches running towards the dense forest came into Art's sight, Art knew that this interesting trick was out of the question.
The Swabians have found the simplest, crudest, fastest and most effective "formation-breaking technique" - arson!
The Swabians no longer intend to waste time and lives on the frontal battlefield. No matter how many traps are set up in the dense forests on both sides of the gap or how many enemy soldiers are hidden, they can easily break them with just a burst of wildfire.
Matt didn't know whether such a profound solution came from the cautious and rational strategist Earl Randy, but this was no longer important. Art's plan to delay the enemy for a whole day ended early.
"Sir, what should I do?" Odo is the one who knows Art's overall plan. He knows that Art's plan is only half successful.
At looked at the thick smoke that had risen from the edge of the dense forest on both wings, he creaked the hilt of his sword, "I underestimated the Swabian's mind. I ran out of time. I sent an order to retreat immediately. I hope the sergeant major and others can move quickly enough."
At said that, he began to greet the group of guards and military law teams with war horses in the rear.
Odo also immediately conveyed Art's military order to the commanders of each flag unit, "The whole army will retreat immediately as planned!"
Retreat immediately as planned!
! ”
The prisoners of the Second Infantry Regiment, who were originally waiting for a life-and-death struggle with the Swabians, suddenly received orders from their respective flag captains, squadron leaders, and squad leaders. They immediately packed up their weapons and armor and followed them into the dense forests on both wings...
A moment later, more than 500 Burgundian soldiers at the gap suddenly disappeared into the dense forest!
The Swabians are completely confused!
"What is going on? They took the initiative to challenge us to fight, and they fled before the two armies formally engaged? What on earth are these bastards doing? Are they planning to take a detour and attack our rear line?" Looking at the gap in the dense forest that had turned into an open space, the eyes of the Swabian army adjutant almost dropped.
Randy's expression was very strange. He looked at the increasingly fierce smoke from the mountain fires on both sides of the hillside, and then glanced at the Burgundian enemy commander who was leading a dozen cavalry to the east, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
The Burgundians also had an army that did not appear on this battlefield from beginning to end.
"Wallenberg? No, Wallenberg!!!"