Blood tax

Chapter 305 The Teutonic-Rum Battle Part Three
In the early morning of October 10, the rain finally stopped.

The quiet and pleasant fragrance swelled in the air, almost making people forget that the battle was only a few hours away.

The prince didn't sleep for a minute.Every moment of the night was joy to him.He invited the saint of Anjou and all the great nobles and generals to walk with him all over the outposts, stopping at any time and place to talk to the scouts.

A clump of trees can be a stronghold, and a broken stone wall can be a pillar.Depressions on the plain, changes in terrain, appropriate shortcuts, woods and ravines can all support the position of an army and prevent it from retreating.Whoever withdraws from the battlefield loses.Therefore, the responsible coach must pay close attention to every clump of trees and every slight undulation of terrain.

When Griffith deployed the squadron and returned to the headquarters again, he found the sound of a column marching in the woods ahead.The prince also heard it, and said to everyone excitedly: "This is an action that the clan alliance is preparing to retreat. I want to capture them here."

Krista and Sonia, and many other nobles were near the prince.Under the protection of the Janissary cavalry and elite infantry of the Aurelius Guard Banner, they gathered with the princes and commanders on the safest high ground in the rear of the battle line.

Sonia looked up at the clear starry sky.Due to poor information in the war zone, she is responsible for daily astrology and divination.She was more focused than ever, her delicate brows were furrowed, and she looked preoccupied.

"What's wrong?" Griffith came to her side.

"I'm not sure, astrology is not my specialty," Sonia said uncertainly, "I found that there was an extra star in the sky, which flickered for a short period of time, and now it's gone."

"Is it the moon god's necklace? One of the morning and evening stars that symbolize protection and hope?" Griffith asked.

Ten days ago, when Galadia saw him off, the two also saw a twinkling star.

"Does it indicate that the beloved is about to leave?" Sonia's eyes sparkled, "It's so gentle."

"After the battle begins, be careful and be vigilant," Griffith said, then turned to Krista, "Are you staying here too?"

"I'll go to the infantry brothers," Krista pointed forward. "I'll see you on the field, Griffith. May victory and good luck be with you."

……

As dawn fell, bugles sounded.The infantry, led by their commanders, formed lines and squares and spread out in the valley.

What was to become a battleground was a vast, undulating expanse; the waves rose higher and higher, sweeping towards hills and forests.Along the way, there are many manors and walls that have just been abandoned. In the days when there is no war, the Neck is the main land road connecting Odessa and the orc territory.

More than 12 troops gathered and marched towards each other.Both sides have powerful fortresses, but it is impossible for the fortress to defend the entire area of ​​the valley exit, and it will be extremely passive to retreat into it.

Regardless of Bayeran or the clan alliance, both sides want to defeat the opponent in the field battle.

Being on such a large battlefield, Griffith was unable to conduct a comprehensive reconnaissance in person. He and the entire cavalry unit deployed according to the orders issued by the army, and deployed on the left flank, the westernmost side of the battlefield, behind the barrier formed by hillsides and woods .It is connected to the mountainous border in the northwest of Odessa, and the dangerous and complex terrain makes it easy for everyone not to worry about an army suddenly appearing.

However, the east side of the battlefield is different.The Neck used to be a valley of a large river, but now it is divided into east and west by the much smaller Loire River. The west is open and the roads are good; The Ne River and the mountain roads of the Duchy of Meyer.

Small bands of orcs might emerge from the mountains there to attack.Of course, it is impossible to sneak out and outflank a large number of troops.The castle of Duke Meyer guards the west bank of the Tierne River. His territory and army are confronting the Tierne Front Army of the Clan Alliance and are responsible for guarding the right rear of the Teutonic Group.

Due to the heavy rain last night, the wilderness is full of mud and puddles everywhere.In some places, the wheels of the carts were half submerged, and the girths of the horses were dripping with mud; the latest artillery and traditional ballista made it difficult to move.After the infantry passed, the artillery and auxiliary soldiers hurriedly laid sacks and planks filled with soil under the advancing wheels to fill up the pit.

The food and fodder transportation team was blocked in the mud pit on the road and could not arrive early in the morning.Most of the soldiers were wet and had no breakfast.Despite all the difficulties, Commodus still happily invited the generals and noble commanders to have breakfast together.

This is also one of the must-attend events for Sonia.She was worried about Griffith's safety and was very nervous. The bacon and fried eggs for breakfast were too salty to eat, but the prince was still very interested.

"We have a 90.00% chance!"

He ate and wrote orders by hand.Maximus looked at him gently, reminded him a few words from time to time, and then signed his name on the order.

Sonia silently watched the prince and general at work.If there is a dispute between the two pairs of teachers and students, who should I listen to?Maximus is the commander of the army, the prince is my lord...

This question made her very nervous, and the commander of the troops around her seemed to have the same idea.Fortunately, everything was going well until the end.

At nine o'clock, Bayeran's army was assembled.Although the orc army was brave and numbered more than 6, Byelan's army was much better trained and equipped, and had sufficient supplies, so it still had the upper hand.The prince sent his right wing to the east of the Fortress of Loum, threatening the left wing of the orcs, pretending to cut off the road leading to the exit of the Neck River Valley and cut off the way for the orc reinforcements.

They have three regular regiments and three auxiliary regiments, a total of 53 heavy infantry and light infantry brigades, 26 cavalry squadrons and 12 engineering and artillery squadrons, with a total strength of 36000 armored troops.Berthier's unit and some others were late for the battle for various reasons.

A large part of the 2 Christian armed forces formed a gun formation. They crossed the not-so-rapid river and covered the flank of the army on the relatively narrow right bank.More auxiliary soldiers followed the main army and maintained roads and bridges here and there.

The infantry in iron and leather armor lined up in neat battle lines, the soldiers of the regular legion held large shields and long swords, and the weaker auxiliary legion built a cold forest of spears with sharp spears, which were arranged alternately with the regular legion .

Elite infantry equipped with spears, halberds and half-body plate armor wore silver helmets decorated with bright red, bright yellow and white feathers, forming small square formations scattered on the two wings and rear of the legion.They are the reserve force and the main force against the wolf cavalry.

Moderes' 9th Army was in the center, with the 12th and 16th Army Corps on the flanks.The boundless army filled the whole wilderness, stretching from forests and hillsides to rivers.

Loud orders and drums sounded over and over again, and the running officers galloped in the queue, issuing orders to march.The military music was played, the drums were thundering, and the horns were sounding.

The majestic, vast sea-like helmets, large shields and spears are mighty, and the huge battle lines and phalanxes that stretch for several miles are guided by the flying eagle flags, advancing along the avenue among the hills and forest trees.

Before the main forces of both sides were launched, a large number of stragglers moved forward quickly and started a confrontation in the open space between the two armies.Bayeran's light infantry armed with javelins and strong bows, started to shoot at the orc crossbowmen. They shot while running, trying their best to suppress the opponent or drive the opponent out of the battlefield.

The horizontal team at the forefront held up an eagle banner wrapped in a pure gold wreath.The soldiers near Eagle Banner turned a blind eye to the rain of arrows flying all over the sky, and moved forward steadily.

Suster Genif and Fenrir Gaunt led a small team of engineers and auxiliaries towing the heavy serpent cannon.This is a cannon that can fire explosive grenades, with a limit range of more than 1500 meters, which is better than all current snake cannons, eagle cannons and trebuchets.Tests have shown that the shells fired by this heavy gun do not hit the target directly along a low and flat trajectory, but draw a curved arc, cross obstacles and hit the target.By adjusting the shooting angle and charge, the Orochi cannon theoretically has high ballistic flexibility, and can accurately pass the shells over the infantry positions of one's own side, smashing the enemy's ranks to pieces.

Bernard deployed the portable snake cannon and eagle cannon on the flanks.The light artillery he commanded could not fire across the array and had to move to a position with a good view.But even so, he felt that compared to the Snake Cannon and the Eagle Cannon, this heavy cannon was too difficult to carry. It was as cumbersome as a sea turtle that had landed on the road away from Byerland.Suster, who was born as an engineer, is used to heavy trebuchets and stone bombs, and likes to use heavy shells to kill and destroy.However, the Orochi cannon is several times heavier than other cannons, and to be able to move freely, the sun must come out to dry the ground.But the sun came out too late, and the work of maneuvering heavy artillery was like torture.

Finally, the heavy weapons arrived at the position before the confrontation between the two sides.

At 10 o'clock in the morning on October 18, Bayeran began to shell.

One after another, fireballs were launched from the trebuchets and flew towards the Clan Alliance position, and the light artillery also started firing under the orders of Bernard and the commanders of the other artillery squadrons.

Black cannonballs smashed into the orc ranks like screaming banshees.The place where it was hit was like a moldy orange being kicked, flying out ash of severed limbs and minced flesh.Bayeran's artillery fired round after round, and the flames of death and screams made the battlefield feel like hell.

Sast looked at the rising smoke and flames in front of him, and shouted anxiously:

"One shot first, one shot first!"

The Orochi cannon roared, and the huge shells whizzed past the top of the head, making a piercing sound like death coming.All the soldiers along the way looked up and watched the black shells fall to the ground.

This shell was too close, kicking up gravel and dust several meters high in front of the orc team.

After a while, a second bombardment came, this time hitting the rear of the column, rolling and tearing apart patches of woods.The fuse on the cannonball burned to the end and exploded. The huge sound shook the orcs near the landing point.

A few pieces of shrapnel flew over the soldiers' heads, knocking some orcs to the ground.

Both the front army and the middle army of the Clan Alliance were bombarded, and the battle lines fluctuated.They couldn't bear to stand and be bombarded, they roared like thunder, beat their chests, and rolled towards Byelan's army formation.

"Awesome! It's as far away as Lao Tzu's urine!" Suster exclaimed, "It would be even better if he could hit the target!"

"Lower the firing angle!" Sergeant Major Fenrir yelled anxiously.Their heavy artillery was reloading slowly, and between the two rounds of firing, the infantry lines of both sides had already moved closer to each other.Once the two sides engage in hand-to-hand combat, the snake cannon is useless.

"Don't press down, keep bombing the rear of the orc's line!" Senamon yelled, "You will kill the infantry guys."

"But the infantry is posted up, and we can't see anything."

"I'll go to the nearby hillside to guide you, and adjust according to my indicator flag!" Senamon jumped on his horse and ran up the hillside after speaking.

"I'll go with you," Suster also jumped on the horse, "Fenrir, you command the snake cannon!"

(End of this chapter)