Chapter 759 Lure the enemy
Hence my order, everyone speeds up and must arrive at the canyon before the Burgundians, and must not let them take advantage of the advantageous terrain!"
Hand on the side of the road, the mercenary captain on horseback looked at the map spread out in his hands and found that the army was already within feet of the destination. He immediately ordered the soldiers following him to rush the group of men who had already accelerated several times.
Hunting to reach the scheduled battlefield, many soldiers collapsed on the roadside due to the forced march. Su Ma, who was following the team and was responsible for transporting heavy supplies of grain and fodder, was already foaming at the mouth from exhaustion under the beatings of the spokesmen.
It's not that the mercenary captain is inconsiderate of his subordinates. In view of the current emergency situation, arriving at the battlefield a second earlier will increase his chances of winning.
If the legionnaires had not been hindered by the strict military laws, they would have gathered in a mutiny long ago.
"Sam!" the mercenary leader shouted to the deputy commander of the legion who was urging the soldiers on the side.
Sam hurriedly turned back, "Legion Commander!"
"You immediately mobilize fifty light cavalry from the legion and let them rush to the predetermined battlefield to survey the terrain."
"Yes, legion commander." The deputy commander of the legion quickly clapped his horse away and ran towards the cavalry array in front of the team.
"The messenger immediately told Glenn (the commander of the light armored infantry division) and ordered him to select two hundred infantrymen with better footwork from the light armored infantry as the vanguard of the army, following closely behind the fifty cavalry to avoid accidents."
"Yes!"
After a while, fifty light armored cavalry and two hundred infantry separated from the large army one after another and rushed to the scheduled battlefield.
Looking at the forward troops gradually disappearing from sight, Gray Wolf still had some scruples.
Even with the sentry soldiers serving as the eyes of the legion to clear the way in front, the cavalry and infantry lead the way as the vanguard. But as the leader of this mercenary group, Gray Wolf still bears tremendous pressure in his heart.
Although he once led this powerful mercenary army to achieve brilliant results, it left a good reputation among the lords everywhere. But during this expedition, the mercenary leader always felt that something was wrong.
In this way, Gray Wolf led several high-ranking officers and his personal bodyguards to follow the large army to the north without stopping. As soon as they walked less than a mile away, their own soldiers who were fleeing back more than 500 steps away suddenly appeared in front of the team, causing a panic. "Enemy attack!"
"Quick! Shields are ready, everyone is ready to meet the enemy!" After Glenn said this, he had already drawn out the scimitar on his back. Immediately, the soldiers holding shields behind him quickly moved forward, and in the blink of an eye, a temporary shield wall was formed at the front of the team.
Behind the shields, the light-armored infantry neatly arranged in defensive formations had already drawn their swords and stared unswervingly at the approaching enemy troops. "-- Guys, run quickly, those bastards are catching up!"
Looking at the less than twenty cavalry left on our side, who were desperately fighting back, the captain of the light armored infantry company who had just left the main force to go north roared loudly and ran towards the approaching large force. The captain of the infantry company thought he could seize the opportunity before the northerners, arrive at the battlefield first, and gain the first victory. But they didn't expect that not far after they walked out, a cavalry force of more than a hundred people from the other side hid in the dark and ambushed them. After a hail of arrows, more than two-fifths of the cavalry in front were killed or wounded.
Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, this small group of troops who were originally in the vanguard began to fight and retreat. ".? Quick, rush up with me and chop up those bastards who are running at the back!"
Behind the mercenaries, Angus, the deputy commander of the Wells Legion, waved the long-handled battle ax in his hand, called the deputy commanders of the cavalry company, Jafar and Reyek, and rushed out first with a roar, heading straight towards the enemy mercenaries who were desperately running away, abandoning their helmets and armor.
Seeing that several people were chasing after him, the mercenary at the end of the team who tried his best to catch up with his companions was hit by a raised stone at his feet, and a wing super rolled out, taking down the two unlucky guys in front of him.
Before these guys could get up, Angus and others had already rushed behind them. As soon as he raised the knife and dropped it, the three mercenaries screamed and fell into a pool of blood.
At this time, Angus, who had not yet had enough killing, was about to hit his horse and continue the pursuit. Unexpectedly, when he raised his head, a heavy armor-piercing arrow appeared above his head~
"Lord Angus, be careful!"
At this time, Reyek on the side raised his long sword and slashed down the heavy arrow one second before it hit Angus, cutting the arrow into two pieces and falling to the ground.
Angus glanced at the sharp arrow split in two on the ground, let out a long sigh of relief, and sighed, "What a danger!"
Looked up not far away, the mercenary vanguards had already fled back to their own camp one after another. If the pursuit continues, the outcome will be uncertain.
At this time, behind the shield wall not far away, hundreds of crossbowmen with bows and arrows were already in a state of combat readiness. As soon as the crossbow captain gave the order, these cold arrows would fly towards Angus and the others like dense raindrops·
""..——·Get out of the way, get out of the way! "
At this time, the personal bodyguard of the mercenary captain shouted loudly and opened a path through the crowd. The gray wolf following the guard strode towards the front of the team.
When the captain of the light armored infantry company who was lucky enough to save his life saw the leader standing in front of him, he immediately got up from the ground and hurriedly stepped forward to explain, "Report to the commander of the regiment, we are at the edge of the dense forest not far ahead. We were ambushed by that group of cavalry, and they~"
Gray Wolf suddenly raised his hand, indicating that the company captain did not need to explain too much, and then walked straight to the front of the array and looked at the northern cavalry waiting in formation in the swirling dust not far away.
Faced with this sudden change, as the mercenary leader, he had no reason not to suspect that this cavalry was a bait sent by the other party to lure him into a preset trap.
Looking at the more than a hundred cavalry in front of him, the mercenary captain's expression began to turn solemn. Not long ago, according to reports from the outpost, the enemy army was still some distance away from the scheduled battlefield. At this time, whether the cavalry that suddenly appeared in front of him was a bait thrown by the opponent, or a pawn to delay the march of the legion, this made the mercenary captain's heart waver.
Now it seems that what his employer said to him is indeed true. The northern earl is indeed a cunning guy.
But just because the cavalry in front of them, a mere hundred men, hesitated to move forward, wasting the opportunity to fight, it was really not worth the loss.
After careful consideration, the mercenary leader decided to move forward.
Gray Wolf turned around and winked at the crossbow company captain, then strode towards the back of the team.
"Archers, listen to my order! One hundred and fifty steps ahead, the enemy cavalry is in position, fire three rounds, let go!"
Hunted, hundreds of armor-piercing heavy arrows flew toward Angus and others not far away, "Quick! Retreat! Retreat!"
As soon as Angus finished speaking, the arrows flying from the opposite side were nailed to the hoofs of the war horse beneath him. So several people quickly turned the reins, kicked the horse's belly hard, and ran behind it.
As soon as they ran a few steps, another hail of arrows hit them. Angus turned his head and glanced at the enemy's position. Seeing that the enemy's front troops were motionless, he suddenly frowned and cursed, "You guys are catching up with these bastards."
Jafar on the side laughed and said: "Hahaha, Lord Angus, let's dodge the sharp arrows shot by those guys first. We can't let them shoot us as living targets." After that, Jafar raised the ax behind him and blocked the arrow that almost penetrated his neck.
After running out of the range of the opponent's bow and arrow, Angus and others reined in the reins and looked back at the still motionless mercenary team.
In this way, the two sides were separated by more than 500 steps, facing each other motionless under the scorching sun. As time passed by, neither side made any rash move.
About a quarter of an hour later, Angus looked up at the scorching sun above his head and wiped away the large beads of sweat on his forehead.
He took off the water bag hanging on the saddle, bit open the plug and spit it to the side. He raised his head and poured a few large gulps of water into his mouth. Then he raised the water bag high and poured the water on the hot head.
"Ah, it feels good!" Angus couldn't help shouting.
At this time, the deputy commander of the legion, who felt much cooler all over his body, could no longer endure the endless confrontation with the group of mercenaries. So, he decided to take Jafar and three other cavalry forward to challenge the opponent, while Reyek and the others stayed behind.
Taking the leather buckler handed over by Reyek, Angus immediately turned the reins and turned to face the thousands of southern mercenaries not far away.
Wiping away the remaining water stains at the corner of his mouth, Angus smiled slightly and said to several people: "Please, guys~"
So, several people walked forward together, holding shields in one hand and reins in the other, and walked forward slowly. "Master Angus, these guys are really strange. They wear black leather masks on hot days. They are really not afraid of being heated to death." Looking at the mercenaries holding shields and wearing black armor and masks opposite, Jafar couldn't help but ask.
Angus raised his hand and raised an eyebrow, looking at the group of mercenaries in black uniforms standing in the front row, as if he was reminded of a group of pagan soldiers he encountered during the Eastern Expedition many years ago.
The attire of those guys is very similar to the mercenaries in front of them. Except for a black armor, the weapon they use is a scimitar about three feet in length.
According to his understanding, those tribal leaders from the east usually maintain a team of dead soldiers who are sworn to serve them to the death, and are often used to perform some unknown secret mission. But now these dead servants who were supposed to belong to the pagan tribe suddenly appeared among the mercenaries hired by the southern lords, which inevitably made Angus feel a little more doubtful.
While Angus was still immersed in his own thoughts, the originally closed shield wall on the opposite side suddenly opened seven or eight holes."
After a while, the enemy cavalry wielding swords roared and rushed towards several people.