On the third Friday of December, the sky was clear and clear, and a dry and cold north wind blew along the eastern border of the County of Burgundy.
East of Bramont City, Art is about to lead the guards and a newly formed mixed cavalry team of more than a hundred cavalry (composed of the Eastern Border Army, thirty-five heavy cavalry and more than seventy light cavalry) towards the east of Geneborg.
Yesterday afternoon, the 1st and 2nd Infantry Regiments (including forty-five chariots) and cavalry units (heavy armored infantry unit, crossbow unit, a combat soldier standard unit and four prisoner standard units of the Yona Border Guard Corps directly under Att) were still stationed at Wallonburg and several surrounding fortresses. Se Manor) has been running towards the border area under the leadership of Angus, because the Swabian army commander Count Randy, who knows that Burgundy is raising troops to counterattack Geneborg, has led his army towards Geneborg. Art must resist the Swabians before more than a thousand border troops besiege Geneborg.
According to the battle plan, Odo and Viscount Yohn will also order the siege army to set off before tomorrow afternoon. At this time, the reinforcements coming from the south and the Kazak banner returning east from the western front have already arrived in Bramont City. Art will arrange them beside Odo as the core backbone.
Hate is riding a brown-black, high-headed war horse (the war horse wears a vest and a breastplate), wears a fine and shiny full-body plate chainmail and a neck half-helmet, with a knight's sword hanging on his waist, a riding bow quiver hung on the front saddle, and a pouch containing five spears and a shield inlaid with an iron kite hanging on the back saddle. There is no need to use a lance or a lance. Art is the supreme commander of the entire army. It is no longer possible for him to charge into battle with a lance like he did when he was a patrol officer. It is not easy to be able to throw a few rounds of arrows from a hundred paces or to throw a few spears from the back when the cavalry charges.
Behind Art and in parallel with the guard Ron were six frontier leading knights. They came from three different forces, and three of them were retainers of a baron. They commanded twelve heavy cavalry and twenty-one light cavalry, and were considered the most powerful. In addition, the baron personally led more than a hundred elite soldiers to follow Viscount John to attack Geneborg.
Behind the several knight commanders were heavy cavalry with heavy armor and lances, one man and two horses. The heavy cavalry was followed by dozens of light cavalry. At the end of the team was the cavalry team of servants driving carriages and mules and donkeys carrying feed and hay. The cavalry team of servants consisted of twenty people (including five horse herders and fifteen grooms and handymen), five carriages (full of feed and hay), and seventeen pack horses, pack horses, and mules and donkeys.
Such a formation is just to make the army look spectacular when leaving the city, and to boost the morale of the troops outside the city. After entering the battle area, these knights will return to their own teams to form lances. This kind of lance is not a weapon in the hands of cavalry. It is the most common formation of cavalry. It usually consists of a heavily armored knight on a horse and one or two heavily armored sergeants (elite cavalry, non-knights, such as Angus a few years ago, who was a sergeant, so he was called a sergeant major). They lead four or five light cavalry (horse archers) to form a lance. In some cases, a cavalry formation was accompanied by seven or eight infantrymen armed with spears and bows.
Such a cavalry team with hundreds of cavalry is really shocking enough. Soldiers in several garrison camps outside the city walked out of their barracks and stopped on both sides of the road to watch this majestic cavalry team. In the eyes of infantry, cavalry is a symbol of strength and victory.
While riding a horse and pacing slowly, Art found a familiar face in front of him, looking eagerly among the crowd of people watching.
"Ron!" Art shouted behind him, and Ron immediately kicked the horse's belly lightly and stepped forward.
Ron took a look and replied: "Sir, I sent the grain to Baron Bob that afternoon, but he rejected your kindness, saying that the Wolfgang family did not need charity, and then he used his horse to exchange for 600 pounds of grain with us. I petitioned Lord Odo, and Lord Odo agreed."
"After getting the food, the baron did not leave, but set up a simple camp outside the city. It is said that he planned to sell half of the manor to raise food and weapons to recruit soldiers, and claimed to attack the Swabians. However, everyone knew that his family's territory had been stepped on by the Swabians, and no one paid attention to his lies."
As he spoke, Art had already walked to the vicinity of Baron Bob, and he stared at Baron Bob intently.
Bob has a bloated body and a round face that is a bit cute. His eyes are not small at first, but his big face turns them into nuts.
Bob’s eyes were also fixed on Art.
) by Ate Zhuma, he reined in the reins.
“Bob, you are the second son of a baron, you must be able to write, right?” Art asked loudly to Fat Bob who was crowded in the crowd.
"Yes, Lord Art, I am a book addict." Bob replied, feeling puzzled.
Matt jumped off his horse and walked up to Bob. Bob's thick baron cotton robe and regular uniform had been replaced by a set of cotton armor worn by soldiers. He must have exchanged it for food supplies.
"My Chinese Army Command Camp is still short of a secretary. Are you interested in applying?" Art asked, staring at the holes in Bob's cotton armor.
Bob was a little flattered, "Yes, of course I am willing."
But he immediately asked: "Then the people under me can do it~"
"Choose fifty useful old craftsmen, old peasant soldiers, and slightly stronger farmers from your refugee group to join my train. These fifty people will be responsible for food and drink without pay. In return, the remaining one hundred of you, the old and weak, women and children in Bramon, can receive one meal from my granary every day. Grain for wheat paste. How about it until you end my employment?"
Bob thought for a moment, then immediately raised his head and replied loudly: "That's it, Master Art!"
Att waved his hand to the side, and a young guard immediately stepped forward.
"Matthew, take Baron Bob to find Father Robert in the city and tell him that Baron Bob will serve as the secretary of the Chinese Army Command Camp from today and help him handle the general affairs of the Chinese Army. His people will be dealt with as I just said."
“Yes, sir!” Matthew responded and made a gesture of invitation towards Bob.
"Thank you, Lord Art, God bless you." Bob bowed deeply to Art and followed Matthew towards the city.
After Bob left, Art turned around and mounted his horse, and continued to march...
It was night on the third Saturday of December.
After a day and night of running, Art led the cavalry across Gennebourg and found the frontline army led by Angus.
Angus has established a garrison camp based on a manor at the foot of the mountain that was burned to scorched earth by the oppressed man. Forty-five tanks of the legion were lined up in the open space outside the manor as a peripheral defense line. Lusignan's cavalry was arranged to patrol and guard around the camp. Stanley's task force sneaked into the road where the Swabians were advancing to spy on the enemy.
The horses were not unsaddled and the men were not taking off their armor. As soon as Art galloped into the manor, he immediately summoned the commanders of each army to the camp to discuss matters and deploy peripheral operations...
Sixty miles northwest of Onan City, in the castle on the Swabian border, Earl Randy was deploying reinforcements for the battle in the candlelit lord's hall.
Earl Landi's mood became increasingly violent after the battle in the forest gap. For more than four months after he led the troops to attack the County of Burgundy, Landi's army had won consecutive victories. In less than three months, he almost destroyed the entire eastern border defense line of the County of Burgundy. He was invincible and invincible wherever he went. Landi even had the confidence to conquer the city of Mayona. The Swabian court also praised Landi's achievements.
However, just over a month ago, Burgundy suddenly emerged. An army of less than a thousand men defeated Landi and forced him to retreat to Aonan. Although the soldiers suffered little damage in the battle, their morale was severely damaged.
The most abominable thing is that the Burgundian army actually ran to the Swabian border of Bufan County and looted it, leaving Bufan County full of holes.
Randy, who was called back to the court for reprimand due to the failure in the siege, was severely criticized by his political opponents for the incident in Bufan County. His power plummeted, and the Duke of Swabia almost took away Randy's title in anger. Fortunately, Randy's army did not suffer huge battle losses and the Burgundian army did not capture Bufan City and withdrew from the Swabian border in time. Otherwise, Randy would have been guilty.
Landy, who was filled with anger, had just returned to the border city of Aonan with 100,000 pounds of rations and 300 elite infantry that he had obtained from the Swabian court. Suddenly, he heard that the Burgundy border had begun to gather troops and threatened to regain the important town of Geneborg, one of the four cities on the border. Count Landy, who originally planned to lead a large army to storm Wallonborg, had no choice but to lead his army to support Geneborg.
"...My lord, Burgundy has assembled more than two thousand soldiers, one to attack Gennebourg, and the other to prepare for a decisive battle with us. Now that we have lost the absolute advantage in military strength, why doesn't the palace send heavy troops to start a war against Burgundy?" A leading viscount in the hall did not understand why the Swabian palace delayed in declaring a national war on Burgundy.
Randy's right hand kept rubbing the armrest of the leather chair, and his eyes glanced back and forth at the commanders in the hall. These commanders had lost the vigor they had when they first led their troops into Burgundy. They had killed enough and robbed them in the first few months of entering Burgundy. Now those Burgundy villages, manors, and cities There was nothing worth looting in the fortress, and the passion for the battle had of course subsided. Moreover, they knew that the Burgundian eastern army was about to capture Besançon. Once the eastern army won, they would definitely turn back for rescue. By then, it would be impossible to continue to advance into the hinterland of Yona Province.
"I received an urgent report from the palace flying pigeons yesterday. Three thousand elite troops of the Principality of Burgundy have already deployed in the north. Once our palace sends a large army to attack the County of Burgundy, the army of the Principality of Burgundy will definitely attack our northern region. The Principality of Burgundy is very powerful and there is a damn French Kingdom behind it."
"It is impossible to capture the entire province of Yona. It is a great military achievement to hold the four border cities (Note) that already belong to us. After we obtain the four border cities, you can also become the masters of these territories."
Note: Bernard ceded the border cities in exchange for Swabian military support.
Everyone in the hall knew that even if they really captured the four border cities, it would be impossible for the Swabian court to grant them all the newly conquered lands, but it was still possible to grant a village and several farms after the war.
"My Lord Count, please arrange combat missions. We swear to capture these strong cities and expand the territory of the Principality of Swabia!" A leading baron stood up and said.
Randy nodded approvingly, "Now, I announce the combat mission..."
On the fourth Monday of December, 1,100 local troops and more than 300 craftsmen and miscellaneous laborers who set out from Bramont arrived at Genene Castle with a large number of tools. In the evening of that day, they began to cut wood to make siege equipment, and the battle for reinforcements at the encirclement began.
The ultimate goal of the entire war was to capture the Swabian-garrisoned Geneborg and several surrounding fortresses. However, more than 1,200 people attacked a castle that was only garrisoned by more than 200 people and the castle was not strong (the damaged walls of Geneborg before the Swabians stormed it could not be completely repaired). The victory of Geneborg was only a matter of time and battle damage. Therefore, the core of this war is the reinforcement and blocking battle outside the offensive and defensive battlefield of Geneborg. Whether the army led by Art can withstand the reinforcements that oppress him will determine everything.
Fourteen miles east-south of Geneborg, Count Randy led 120 heavy cavalry, 100 heavy armored infantry, 560 elite light infantry and 480 light infantry (including 120 crossbowmen), totaling more than 1,200 soldiers and a large number of accompanying army laborers and food and baggage, heading towards Geneborg.
At the same time, Ater led one hundred and thirty mixed cavalry (including Lusignan's cavalry, mainly light cavalry and less than forty heavy cavalry), four hundred and eighty elite soldiers (the original six combat flags of the Welsh Legion and the dead squad of the Prisoner Legion), two hundred ordinary light infantry (four flag teams of the Prisoner Legion), and one hundred simple infantry (young slaves rescued from Bufan County), a total of nine hundred people. These nine hundred people were of varying levels of armament and combat strength, and were obviously at a disadvantage in terms of combat effectiveness.
However, in addition to the 900 soldiers, Art also had forty-five chariots. This was his only way to regain his disadvantage.
In the next two days, Art and Randy's armies were less than five miles apart but never fought. This was because Randy learned the lesson of the battle in the gap in the dense forest. He knew that Art was a shameless man with no knightly honor or war etiquette. Art twice sent people to submit declarations of war to Randy, but Randy ignored them. Randy did not fight Art at the preset location. He avoided places where possible ambushes were possible and chose to march around a route with flat and open terrain.
At his own peril, Art has lost the minimum respect from his enemies.
However, the Swabian army was getting closer and closer to Geneborg. It was impossible for Art to just watch more than a thousand Swabian troops approaching Geneborg. After some decisions, he chose to attack the Swabian army proactively.
Wednesday, Art finally led the Swabian army marching towards the plains to launch an offensive.
At noon, Angus, commander of the 1st Infantry Regiment of the Jonah Border Guard Corps, personally led eighty light cavalry to attack the right wing of Landi's army. With the advantage of the light cavalry's flexible movement, Angus broke through the peripheral defensive infantry of the Swabian army at lightning speed and attacked the right wing of the Swabian army. After killing more than a dozen people, he quickly evacuated the battle before the heavy cavalry arrived.
· Count Landi knew that before he could rescue Geneborg, he had to get rid of the Burgundian army around him first, so he began to line up in the plain to meet the enemy.