Chapter 700 The troops are approaching the city
Before noon, the Lombard soldiers stationed on the wall about forty feet high at the north gate of Solonborg were already in full formation, waiting for the arrival of the northerners.
The cold air in the morning gradually receded, and the scorching sun that was scorching the earth like a furnace emitted dazzling light, making the armor links on the soldiers' bodies slightly hot.
The unusually dull air has lasted from sunrise to now, coupled with the sense of oppression caused by thousands of northern troops marching south to Solonborg, causing beads of sweat to appear on the foreheads of many soldiers, and the linen linings inside their armors have already been soaked with sweat.
From the outside, Solonborg is unusually calm, no different from the past. But underneath the calm exterior, he is extremely busy——
On one side of the fort, the garrisoned soldiers heard the news about the northerners going south early in the morning. When they received the order to prepare for war, these guys changed their usual laziness and took quick action under the guidance of officers at all levels.
At this time, the door to the warehouse, which was usually closed, opened. Soldiers coming in and out kept carrying the kerosene arrows piled inside onto the city wall. When the northerners began to attack the city, these would become weapons capable of killing their enemies.
Located in the square in the center of the castle, piles of hammered stones and rolling logs next to the trebuchets were also continuously sent to various castle walls to defend against enemies.
The soldiers and servants, under the command of the officers, delivered the bundles of spears and fork poles in the weapons arsenal to the defenders in charge of the crenels.
On the fort wall, there are two crossbowmen next to each giant crossbow installed at the gap in the city wall. One is responsible for assisting, the other is responsible for aiming and shooting. The giant arrows piled near the corner were about five feet long, about the same height as an adult. With the help of the crossbow, it can penetrate the armored heavy cavalry six hundred feet away, and it is extremely powerful.
Located in the church square in the center of the castle, several large trebuchets are arranged staggeredly, forming a small fan. Taking into account the large number of Burgundy soldiers, the leader Count Terman specially adjusted the arrangement of the trebuchets, mainly to increase the coverage and improve the killing efficiency of the trebuchets.
As the supreme commander of the army garrisoned at Solonborg, Terman's ability to climb from a low-level soldier to the leading count of the Lombard Palace was not just based on his passion and personal bravery. Being good at strategy, flexible and cunning is the basis for his ability to carve out a bloody path in the Principality of Lombardy, which was founded on military force.
On the surface, there is nothing special about the defense of Sauronburg. But upon closer inspection, even high-ranking officers of the Wells Corps would be amazed by Terman's cunningness.
Generally speaking, stones, fire oil and rolling logs are indispensable weapons to prevent enemies from ascending the city through ladders. But Terman was ingenious. In addition to these things, he also ordered the soldiers to collect all the deep copper pots and other metal cooking utensils that could boil water in the fort.
Fill it with water and boil it on a row of makeshift stoves until it boils. Once the enemy began to climb the city, boiling water was poured down from the city wall to prevent the enemy from approaching the wall.
Several crenellations near the outer wall were cut through, and a hemp rope as thick as an arm was passed through the holes. One end of the hemp rope was fixed to the wall, and the other end was tied to a giant log and fixed to the shooting holes in the connecting fort on both sides. Once the enemy soldiers use the ladder to climb up the wall, the soldiers at the shooting hole cut the knots fixed on the logs. The logs use the huge inertia to sweep along the wall and knock down the soldiers clinging to the ladder.
A hundred feet away from the base of the city wall were densely packed with spiked wooden stakes. Once the enemy soldiers who climbed the city fell, there was no chance of survival.
Outside the spikes, a trench about six feet wide surrounded Sauronburg. The trenches filled with excrement stunk and were infested with mosquitoes. A layer of black ink floated on the surface of the excrement, completely covering the half-man-high sharpened wooden pile buried deep under the excrement.
The flat open space outside the ditch looks like the surrounding land, but in fact there is a mystery hidden under the withered yellow turf. The ground that had long been hollowed out was covered with spiked wooden cones. Once it is trampled by soldiers or war horses, it can easily break a leg or even lead to death.
The most noteworthy thing is undoubtedly the hundreds of holes secretly drilled into the wall.
Different from ordinary shooting holes, except for a small part of these holes that are perpendicular to the wall, the rest form angles of different sizes with the wall. In this way, archers or spearmen behind the holes can harass enemy soldiers outside the city from different directions.
The hole is irregularly circular and the field of view is relatively wide. However, the wall near the outside of the fort wall has not been penetrated, and the existence of hundreds of holes in the outer wall cannot be seen from the outside. In Terman's words, this was a surprise he left for the Burgundians.
As an experienced Earl leading the army on the battlefield, Terman naturally would not sit still and wait for death.
As early as when the Palace Guards marched south, he took advantage of the night to He dispersed nearly 200 cavalrymen from Sauronburg and the two surrounding camps that were unique to each other, hiding in the dense forests in the surrounding mountains, waiting for an opportunity to burn down the food and grass of the garrison camp when Briand's army attacked Sauronburg.
In addition, once Sauronburg cannot withstand the offensive of Burgundy's army, this cavalry hiding behind the enemy will become a life-saving straw in his hands, stabbing the enemy from the back.
But Terman would never have imagined that the opponent he was about to face would be more cunning and cunning than him. He would never understand that the son of the former Baron of Wellsburg had already figured out his every move.
This is a life and death battle between two counts serving different kings, and it is also a battle of victory and defeat between two conspirators.
Two miles north of Sauronborg, thousands of men and horses who had walked out of the hills and onto the plains began to change their marching ranks and lined up in a battle formation.
In the winter, the grass and trees in the wilderness are all withered and yellow, and there is no obstruction and the view is excellent.
Looking from a distance, the infantry phalanx is walking in the forefront with short spears, followed by hundreds of crossbowmen. The heavy armored infantry, grenadier companies, and cavalry companies walked with heavy steps and firm eyes. The men and horses of the radiated heavy team at the end of the team pushed the battering ram, pulled the trebuchet, and carried the ladder and followed behind the large army without missing a step.
Thousands of people and horses marched with their heads held high in the scorching sun above their heads. The shadows of thousands of people reflected on the dark ground were like the shadow cast by a huge dark cloud in the sky on the ground, approaching Solonborg.
At the front of the team, high-ranking officers from the Wells Corps and the Palace Guards Corps were wearing armor, holding swords, and holding reins. The soldiers beside them, holding flags and leading the way, led their subordinates step by step towards the battlefield not far away. The leader in the middle had a firm gaze and a calm expression. He wears full body armor, a barrel helmet on his head, and a stainless steel knight's sword on his waist. The maroon war horse beneath him has a steady gait, even breathing, and a high-spirited stride. The armored guards behind them were majestic and serious, glaring ahead. At noon, when the team passed through a large wheat field, Sauronburg suddenly appeared in the empty and lonely wilderness like a huge wall... -.
Immediately afterwards, the officers on the left and right who heard the order successively conveyed the order to stop the march. The flag-bearing soldier immediately turned back and waved the heraldic flag from left to right three times to signal that the march had stopped.
Thousands of soldiers who received the order stopped advancing almost at the same time. One second you can still hear the symphony of armor chains and heavy footsteps, and the next second the air seems to be suddenly stagnant, and there is no abnormal sound around you. ^
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——..
A moment later, a rapid sound of horns came from the direction of Sauronburg. "Quick! Go and report to the Count immediately, the Burgundians are coming! They are coming~ Go quickly!"
In the arrow tower in the middle of the city wall on the north side of Sauron Castle, Baron Rod, the leader of the Lombard court who was responsible for monitoring the movements of the Burgundians, shouted hoarsely and urged the messengers around him in an almost roaring tone.
The messenger glanced at the dark Burgundian camp not far away and hurriedly ran towards the stairs. Unexpectedly, he tripped over a raised earth bag, lost his balance, fell to the ground, and almost fell down the stairs.
Looking at the panicked guy, Rhodes stepped forward and kicked his butt vigorously.
Ignoring the pain in his body, the messenger stood up crookedly amidst Rhode's scolding, held on to the bucket helmet that was about to fall off, leaned on the railing and limped down the arrow tower, and ran towards the inner fort to the lord's hall of the inner fort of Soronborg.
When he heard the sound of the horn coming from the north wall of Sauron Castle, Terman stood up unhurriedly and ordered his soldiers to take out the Milanese plate armor awarded to him by the Duke of Lombardy from the hanger in the bedroom.
Looking at this set of exquisite battle armor specially gifted by Duke Witote when he was promoted from palace knight to leading baron due to his military exploits, Terman had many thoughts~
Through the years, this set of Milan plate armor with shining metallic luster accompanied him on his expeditions east and west, north and south, and witnessed the highlight moments of his defeating opponents on the battlefield time and time again until he became the leading baron of the palace.
Humbling up his hand to touch the slight sword mark on his breastplate, Terman took a deep breath. He immediately turned around and asked his bodyguard to put on the armor that had been with him for many years, a cape, a bucket helmet, a long sword on his waist, and cowhide boots—"
After a set of movements, a thin layer of sweat had already formed on the forehead of the guard.
Just when Terman turned around and was about to walk out of the lord's hall, the messenger who had been running all the way from the arrow tower hurried in~
"Your Majesty, count, something serious has happened," the messenger bent over and propped up his knees, breathing heavily, feeling like his lungs were about to burst.
"Why are you panicking?" Terman shouted.
The messenger swallowed, and then said: "Burgundy, several thousand troops have already arrived at the city!"
Terman's nose moved slightly, he breathed a sigh of relief, and said: "They are finally here!" Then he said to the messenger on the side who kept wiping the sweat on his forehead: "Immediately send the order, everyone, prepare to meet the enemy!"