Chapter 623 Purgatory on Earth
"Master, I always feel something is wrong." Looking around, Ron felt that the battlefield was too peaceful, even a little weird.
At this time, Art, who was facing the enemy outside the east gate of the camp, did not know that the Duke of Lombardy had sent an envoy to come for peace talks.
Since the whole army broke out of camp and left the stronghold, as a senior member of the legion, Art naturally took over the military command outside the east gate. According to the previous deployment, Yate did not intend to take the main front, but quickly adjusted his strategy according to changes in the battlefield in order to complete the division and encirclement of the Lombard cavalry.
But the situation suddenly changed, and the original plan was slightly adjusted because our side had the upper hand - Flanders was in charge of the western battlefield,
The head of the Guards Corps is in charge of the central front, while Art is responsible for the dispatch and command outside the east gate. The grenadiers responsible for dividing the Lombard cavalry were dispatched by Captain Ron, Art's personal guard.
In this way, the two sides have been in a state of confrontation. From dawn, to the sun shining brightly, to thick fog, and then to dark clouds.
Yat wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked along the clan flags on the right. He could only vaguely see a few flags that occasionally emerged from the thick fog. Dark clouds still covered the sky and the sun, and the air began to become dull. The hot and humid weather made people feel even more oppressive.
The drifting mist seemed to engulf everything that passed by. "Old~"
Ron couldn't help but speak again.
However, a harsh sound of arrows finally broke the silence of the battlefield.
"What's going on?"
At this moment, Art's thoughts were also brought back to reality.
The attention of everyone present was attracted by this familiar yet unfamiliar sound in the sky. The sound was very much like a signal for a battle between two armies, except that one side struck first.
The sound of the arrows caused a commotion among the soldiers, and coupled with the fog that blurred their vision, it inevitably caused some people to feel nervous.
While they were restless, a rapid sound of horse hooves came from the west. The disturbing news finally came.
"Where is Lord Art? Take me to see him quickly!" The visitor was in a hurry, with a panicked look on his face, and kept twisting the reins while talking to look for Ater's figure.
"Bring him here." Art ordered the guards around him.
The person who came was wearing silver armor, a white cloak, a long sword hanging from his waist, and a full helmet on his head. The attire is not much different from that of ordinary soldiers. But one thing that is different is the golden iris-patterned ribbon tied on this person's right arm - this is a unique accessory for the personal bodyguards of King Flanders.
"Lord Art, secret order from the king -
The guard approached Art after a brief salute and whispered in his ear.
In just a few words, Art's expression changed from serious to dignified, his eyebrows were knitted together, his pupils dilated, and wrinkles gradually appeared.
Standing aside, Ron witnessed all these changes.
After a while, the military intelligence report was completed, and the guards took Art's message and rode away, disappearing into the thick fog·
"Master!"
Ron leaned over and shouted.
Matt stretched out his right hand to signal Ron to be quiet. The incident happened suddenly and the situation was urgent, which made Art feel a little panicked.
"Peace talks, assassination, nothing serious, confidentiality, enemy attack!"
At slightly closed his eyes, muttering these words in his mouth, this was the news brought by the guards who had just arrived.
At this time, the fog has not dissipated, but the blocked sunlight has slowly begun to shine down again. Art felt a burning sensation on his face,
Slowly he opened his eyes, and at the moment when he was covering them with his palms, an inexplicable panic surged into his heart~
I understood, everything was understood.
Without any time to think, Yate immediately ordered: "The whole army is on alert, and all the resisting horses are quickly arranged in a figure-eight shape. Once the enemy attacks, they will be divided and surrounded on the spot."
But as soon as the team started to move, there was a rumbling sound in the distance.
Yes, the Lombards began to attack. With the dazzling sunlight and the thick fog that engulfed everything, the cavalry consisting of more than a thousand people, proportional to its size and lethality, attacked. The soldiers who were adjusting their deployment on the battlefield did not notice anything unusual at first, and were still moving in an orderly manner under the command of the officers. But as the Lombard cavalry got closer and closer, the movement became louder and louder, and the solid ground began to shake slightly. A thunderous sound came through the thick fog, finally attracting the attention of some soldiers.
"Stop!"
"What's the matter, man?"
The two archers who were following the infantry stopped.
"Listen, does this sound like the sound of a cavalry attack?"
The companion did not pay attention, then took a few steps forward, turned back, waved his hand and said sarcastically: "I said, Oscar,
You like to be suspicious, so there are no cavalry. It would be better if we did. Master, I have been impatient for a long time. I will pierce the throats of those bastards with the crossbow in my hand! "
After that, the companion continued to move towards the main force.
"Come on, you two, don't be so slow like women, get in position immediately. Come on, you idiots, get moving—."
The officers walking back and forth among the soldiers kept shouting loudly, waving their riding whips, and kicking a few lazy guys from time to time. They don't care about the dignity of the soldiers. Whether on the battlefield or on the training ground, their attitude towards the soldiers is always so rough.
But there is a right to being rough, and no one wants to be beaten with a stick or a riding crop. After deployment, a figure-eight-shaped anti-horse position soon began to take shape.
Generally speaking, the infantry is almost a one-sided massacre of the cavalry. Whether it is speed or strength, the infantry does not have any advantage, not to mention the fact that both sides have equal numbers in this battle. The only thing that can cause substantial damage to the cavalry is the giant spear at the front of the position. But most of the time, the spear formation cannot withstand multiple rounds of cavalry attacks. Once the formation is broken, the infantry will be massacred mercilessly.
This time the Guards Corps improved the horses based on the horses in front of the camp gates and the spiked wooden stakes in the trenches. The horses were different from the spears in the hands of the infantry. The Juma unit is larger and has gaps for easy movement. Soldiers holding spears can be used to harass enemy cavalry at any time without worrying about their own safety.
But the Lombards came too quickly, and a certain part in the middle of the Praetorian Guards' line had not yet been closed for unknown reasons, which gave the Lombard enemy an opportunity "Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
Prætorian battle The outpost broke through the thick fog and returned to his own position. The arrow that penetrated his right arm, shoulder and foot was stained red with blood. With a pop, the outpost fell to the ground, rolled several times on the ground, propped up half of his body with his still mobile left hand, and tried to crawl towards his own camp.
But it was too late. In an instant, the Lombard cavalry passing through the thick fog was like a dead ringer from hell. The ruthless horse hoofs trampled the outpost's back bones to pieces, and the horses that followed completely submerged him in the rising dust.
Fifty steps, forty steps, thirty steps, the horses' hooves were flying fast, their swords were raised high, and the soldiers on the outer edge of the Guards Corps who had not yet reacted became a living target for the cavalry. The arrows that flew out accurately penetrated into their backs, thighs, and necks. Rolling, falling, and crawling, even with every last ounce of strength, he could not escape the fate of death. Fright, helplessness, and screaming filled the entire battlefield~
The mist gradually dispersed, but the knights from hell kept emerging in the swirling smoke. Holding sharp swords, axes and hammers, holding high banners,
hello, shouting, swinging and slashing·—
“Quick! Block the gap, block the gap!”
The head of the Guards Corps who fled back in a hurry shouted hoarsely and ordered his subordinates to block the remaining gap.
But it was too late.
The Lombard cavalry, which rushed over first, was trying to widen the gap in order to break through the enemy's formation and disrupt the opponent's deployment.
Hurry, the heavy armored infantry will replenish, cover with shields, attack with spears, kill!"
"Kill!"
As soon as the battle took place, the battle between the two sides entered a white-hot stage.
According to the pre-arrangement, the cavalry of the Guards Corps on the front line should have engaged the enemy, but unfortunately the battle line was too long, and of the dozen or so cavalry in the gap, only five were left to resist desperately. Perhaps they underestimated the strength of the Lombard cavalry, or perhaps the battle was too sudden. The five cavalrymen of the Praetorian Guards were quickly defeated, with two dead and three injured.
Seeing that we were outnumbered and the enemy's offensive became more and more fierce, the flag captain responsible for the defense of this section immediately mobilized more than 20 heavy armored infantry, equipped with spears and huge shields, in an attempt to stop the Lombard offensive.
The Lombards were extremely excited about the gap that was about to open, and once again increased the intensity of their attack, attacking both wings at the same time, trying to confuse their opponents and reduce the pressure of the frontal attack.
"Hold it, you must not let these bastards rush in! Kill them, guys!"
The flag captain who was organizing the attack roared angrily, raised his sword, took the lead, and charged towards the Lombard cavalry who had already killed them. A high chop was blocked by the Lombard cavalry. Stab forward, thrust diagonally, and slash without injuring the opponent at all.
Looking at the tall guy in front of him who was wrapped like an iron bucket, the flag captain had no choice but to attack the war horse. After resisting a heavy chop from the cavalry, the flag captain turned around, held the sword in both hands, and thrust the sword blade into the horse's right eye.
Immediately afterwards, the pained war horse neighed and raised its front hooves, slamming the guy on the horse to the ground. Just as the cavalryman shook his head and stood up, the cold sword cut open his neck, and boiling blood sprayed everywhere. The two sides were like fire and water, and a tug-of-war started in this gap less than fifty steps wide. The more people gather, the more people gather.
The bodies that fell to the ground were either missing arms or legs, or their noses were flat and their faces were sunken. Blood was still flowing from the wounds scratched by the sharp blade.
Hybrid blood of different shades dyed the yellow weeds red, and the deep mud pits still contained scarlet that had not been immersed in the soil. The bodies that fell to the ground began to be covered with mosquitoes that came looking for the smell of blood.
The air is filled with stench, filled with the harsh sound of swords, axes and hammers, the sparks of collision are flying everywhere, and the burning stakes are emitting puffs of smoke. On this day, this place is destined to become a purgatory on earth.