← The rise of the Middle Ages

Chapter 576: Riding on Lombardy

 In the land of lakes, armies gather.

  The open spaces near several villages along the lake were covered with military tents of various colors. The troops with various flags and various armors were roughly divided into three distances.

  Among them were the three companies of the Southern Border Guard Corps under the Welsh Army, the 800 private soldiers of Balian who had detoured thousands of miles from the Principality of Provence to get here, and the Burgundian Palace Guards, who were almost all in black plate and chain mail and carried the heraldic flag of the flying eagle and fleur-de-lis, and their accompanying servants.

 It is worth mentioning that the commander of the two hundred palace guards was David, Art's old friend and the knight of the palace of the Marquis of Burgundy.

David was originally a knight on the northeastern border of Yona Province, and he also made meritorious service in the wars with the Swabians in the east. However, his background was really meager, and now he has only been promoted half a level, becoming a banner knight in the Besançon Palace Guards Corps.

 Flanders knew that the purpose of sending an army of two hundred men to assist in the battle was too obvious. Therefore, in order to reduce Art's resistance, he specially appointed this capable young knight who had a close relationship with Art as the commander of the Guards going south.

 At this time, David was sharing the Welsh beer and a plate of lamb that had just been roasted over charcoal fire with his chaplain Chaucer in the temporary tent next to the garrison camp in Lakeland.

 Compared to the north, the weather in the Lake Land is very hot. Even in September, the two people in the camp still had a thin layer of sweat on their foreheads.

  After a glass of Welsh beer, the coolness penetrated his whole body. David couldn't help but roared softly, "Refreshing! Transparent!"

 "This Welsh beer is indeed extraordinary, especially after it is chilled in well water. It is so delicious." Chaucer also drank a large glass.

  "I have tasted this kind of fine beer in the Moulin Rouge, the most luxurious tavern in Besancon, but this beer seems to be more mellow than the one in the Moulin Rouge. It's just a pity that there are no military prostitutes here, not even a girl to accompany the wine." As a middle-level officer in the Guards Corps, David occasionally had the opportunity to enjoy it.

 David picked up the keg of beer again and filled himself a glass, but Chaucer stopped.

With a worried look on his face, he said, "My lord, we have been here for two days, but Earl Art only met us briefly on the day of arrival, and never summoned us again. Should we take the initiative to meet him and lower our posture..." Chaucer was about to say something else.

 David didn't answer, he drank the wine in one gulp.

  The palace's intention of sending these two hundred janitor infantry south to assist in the battle was obvious. David had gone through a bumpy journey over the years, so it was impossible not to understand the deeper meaning. But he is now dependent on the palace and the monarch on the iron throne. There are some issues that do not allow him to have too much selfishness. What's more, there are less than thirty people in this imperial guard belonging to the Marquis who are private soldiers he brought from the eastern border. He himself is not sure how many informants there are among the rest.

  「我们是代表宫廷前来助战的,伯爵大人需要我们的时候自然会给我下令的。」

  ............

  亚特最近几日奔波于湖泊地和磐石堡之间,实在繁忙。

 As soon as he entered the barracks, Bob, a member of the army staff and secretary of the Welsh Army Corps, walked in with a booklet.

  …Three companies of the Welsh Army's Southern Border Guard Corps, 800 elite Provence friendly troops, and 200 infantrymen of the Palace Guards Corps have all been assembled. Together with the 400 peasant soldiers from the Reserve Corps of the Guard Corps, the number of troops currently assembled in the Lake Land has reached 2,120."

"In terms of food supplies, the grain supplies in the garrison camp and several granaries and arsenals in the Lakeland are enough to support the consumption of the Southern Expedition for one and a half months. In addition, the government is also processing the grain collected this autumn and gradually transporting it to the Lakeland." At various fortresses and passes, Lord Balian's eastern frontier has already marched into Bogdan, established a defense line on the ruins, and prepared to send troops across the border at any time. On the Mountain Confederacy, a 500-member mountain army plundered several border towns in the northeast of Lombardy, attracting thousands of northern Lombard troops to encircle and suppress them. That team is not our ally, and is probably a mountain bandit. "

"After our army occupied the Rock Castle, the army of the Principality of Lombardy did not make any big moves. Except for the recruitment and mobilization from various parts of the north, most of the other armies were attracted by the army of Provence. They will not get away to deal with us for a while."< br/>
  "The elite of the northern frontier army of Lombardy are those under Wadbury. Now that Wadbury was defeated, he only ran with a dozen of his followers. The more than 4,000 troops that the northern frontier army hastily assembled no longer pose much of a threat."

  "Sir, the staff believes that the conditions for fighting south are ripe."

  At heard no response, he thought for a moment, raised his head and asked, "Have there been any changes in the people sent by the palace recently?"

  Bob closed the book, "Nothing happened. Sir David and his soldiers stayed in the barracks all day, and they were more honest than the group of friendly troops from Provence."

 "Where is Sir David?"

    "He also stayed in the central military camp, and according to your order, he ordered the kitchen to supply good wine and dishes every day."

   "Yes." Art hummed.

  「传令湖泊地威尔斯军团连队级以上军官军议,派人去邀请普罗旺斯友军和宫廷禁卫军团指挥官一同前来。」

  「是,大人。」

  ............

  湖泊地南方,威尔斯山谷与伦巴第平原的结合部。

It has been a week since the battle of Rock Castle, and the Lombards, who were stunned by a heavy blow, have not yet recovered.

  Rock Castle has become the bridgehead for the Welsh Army heading south to Lombardy. The entire First Division of the Welsh Army and the main battle armies directly under the legion have left Rock Castle and stationed the army camps in the towns outside the mountain pass.

 A week ago, this was the rear camp of Earl Wadbury's "Northern Expedition."

  The defeated Lombard "Northern Expeditionary Army" did not even have time to take away the food baggage and a large amount of military equipment in the camp. The pursuers led by Angus successfully completed the "change of defenses".

 In the Battle of Rock Castle, the main battle force of the Welsh Army killed more than 270 people from the Lombard "Northern Expeditionary Army", half of whom died under Rock Castle.

Beyond the battlefield formations, more than 320 enemy soldiers were captured, including more than 150 craftsmen and laborers. Countless grain supplies, weapons and armor were seized, as well as more than 100,000 pfennigs from the "Northern Expeditionary Army".

 In this battle, the Lombards lost twelve knights and three barons. Wadbury himself was seriously injured and was dragged into the forest by more than a dozen soldiers to escape.

  The "Northern Expeditionary Army" was completely wiped out, and the northern fortress pass was also lost. What awaits Wadbury is probably not relief and care.

 On the second day of the Battle of Rock Castle, Odo and Angus centered on the town military camp outside the mountain. They each led their teams to attack quickly. In just two days, they successively occupied four military forts near the mountain pass, controlled various transportation fortresses, and brought more than ten villages and two market towns under the control of the Wells Army.

At the same time, the advance company that originally defended the Rock Fort was disbanded after the rear troops settled in, and went back to their respective positions.

· Stanley, the commander of the task force who took a short rest, once again led his team to set off. Those members who knew Lombardy formed a special team.

 This team's mission is simple - sneak into the hinterland of the Lombardy Plains and spread a notice of "Anti-People" written by "Attwood Wells, Baron of Wells, the former Lord of Wellsburg in Lombardy".

 The notice is very simple, and the core meaning is very clear - Baron Wells returns to Lombardy only to restore his territory and glory, and all those who lay down their weapons will be treated kindly...