In the Southern Song Dynasty, I competed with Mongolia for the world

Chapter 440 Representative of the King of Gods, Batu

Batu was right to strongly demand the Western Expedition at the beginning. Instead of fighting the Song army's tall city walls and artillery, it would be better to bully these savages and natives here.

It is said that after defeating Frauclav, Orda and Baidaer have completed the strategies of Batu and Subotai, and are now preparing to move the entire army south to join forces with the main force of the fierce Mongolian army.

At the same time, recruit some more troops along the road to increase their strength.

But at this moment, they received important information.

Although the capital of Silesia was destroyed, the Archduke Henry II fled again in order to gather troops for a counterattack.

Henry II's most elite main force was currently stationed in Rignitz, waiting for his father-in-law, Wenceslas I of Bohemia, to lead an army to join him.

Although Batu asked them not to enter Bohemia and to return to the army after capturing Bolan, the other party was gathering troops and horses to come over to fight the Mongols. Orda, Baidar, and Wu Lianghetai joined together and left. , go to Rignitz to fight Henry II.

As a result, one of the most famous battles in the history of the Mongolian Army's Western Expedition, the Battle of Rignitz, finally began.

The Mongolian army probably dispatched about 50,000 people in this battle. Or'er replied that they originally had 80,000 people, but they stayed in Bolan and reorganized about 30,000 troops. In the end, they only brought 50,000 troops. Moreover, at this time, the European troops and horses Very rarely, they have participated in many battles, even if the opponent has tens of thousands of people.

Opposite Henry II, there were more than 14,000 people, coming from several different forces, of which there were four important ones.

The main force is Henry's own elite Silesian knights, who are also the last resistance force in Poland. Then there are reinforcements from Moravia, reinforcements from the Pope's Knights Templar, and Bavarian peasants released by Boleslaw. and German miners.

These four armies are larger in number, but they were hastily formed by farmers and miners in Bavaria, and their combat effectiveness is evident.

The Mongolian army is invincible in the Western Expedition and is really unbeatable in Europe. The country is large but small, with few troops. Farmers and miners can be grouped together to form the army. The city walls are mostly made of wood. Many of them have just entered feudal society and are really easy to bully. .

In addition to these four main forces, there are also the troops from Opole led by Eshko; and the brother of the Governor of Krakow (who himself died in Khmelnik) Surislav and the troops he recruited, among which Including troops recruited from Poznan.

Henry gathered so many chaotic forces in a hurry. He traded space for time, and finally gathered more than 10,000 troops in Rignitz, which was considered a large force in Europe at this time.

There was originally a powerful reinforcement on the way, that is, Henry II's father-in-law, Wenceslas I from Bohemia, was leading Jackslovak's reinforcements to Rignitz.

Historically, the Mongolian army annihilated Henry's army. Wenceslas I had not yet arrived on the battlefield. After hearing the news on the way, he immediately returned to the army to defend his own country.

But this time Orda and Badar consolidated their troops near Frauclav, leaving Henry II plenty of time.

In early October, 6,000 reinforcements from King Wenceslas I of Bohemia arrived in Rignitz, bringing the number of troops in Henry's hands to 20,000. Henry was also a bit arrogant and felt that he was very good.

In Europe, it is not easy for anyone to gather 20,000 troops.

He traded space for time, abandoned the capital, and finally assembled heavy troops in the rear, preparing for a showdown with the Mongolian army.

But he was so unlucky. Historically, when the Mongolian troops from Orda and Baida entered Rignitz, they barely reached about 10,000 people, which was about the same strength as them.

However, due to the disorderly expansion of Batu, the Mongolian army fought more and more, and the number of servants increased.

This time when Orda and Bedaer rushed to Rignitz again, the Mongolian army already numbered 50,000.

Although the real elite Mongolian army did not even have 10,000 troops, there were still too many servants to kill elephants, not to mention that many of Henry II's troops were made up of farmers and miners.

Even the famous Knights Templar recruited 500 peasants.

Therefore, the European countries are really weak at this time. It is a bit similar to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period in China. When there was a war, soldiers were recruited everywhere, and farmers were directly recruited as soldiers.

Let’s talk about Bolan. The terrain is very gentle. Except for large rivers such as the Vistula River, there are basically no other mountains and rivers to rely on. It is very suitable for the mobility and tactics of the Mongolian cavalry.

After the Mongolian army got the news, they took the initiative to march to Rignitz in mid-October. Henry II waited for work and waited with his army.

They will be happy when Orda and Baidaer arrive at the scene.

The process of feudalization in Poland in Europe was insufficient, unlike the Fangry in the south which had been completely feudalized at this time. Although Henry II had an army of 20,000, there were only a few cavalry, and most of them were infantry, and the armor was quite large. Worse, those farmers and miners didn't even have armor, and some even didn't even have weapons, so they hurriedly grabbed a hoe and went into battle.

The most elite troops on Henry II's side were not his own men, but the Templars from the Pope.

The Knights Templar's most glorious period was in the decades before the Third Crusade.

In 1129, the Holy See held a meeting and formally recognized their status. Ten years later, the then Pope Innocent II granted them privileged status with a papal bull.

From then on, the Knights Templar were only responsible to the Pope and were not commanded by the king or local bishops. They were exempted from paying tithes to the church and could even collect tithes in their territories. As a result, the Knights Templar quickly developed into an important force for the Pope. , with more than 20,000 members at its peak.

From then on, the Knights Templar specialized in guarding important fortresses in the Holy Land and were an important force in defending the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

In 1177, Renard of Chatillon led 80 Templars, 375 knights, and 2000 infantrymen in the rear, and boldly attacked the 3-strong army of Saladin of Ayyubid Egypt. As a result, the latter's elite Mamru The Croat Guards were almost completely wiped out, with a total of more than 2 casualties. Saladin fled back to Egypt with less than 1/10 of the remaining troops. The Knights Templar became famous in one battle and were at their peak.

But only ten years later, Saladin made a comeback. The Knights Templar were defeated and suffered heavy losses. Saladin also captured Jerusalem.

At this time, the Knights Templar were relatively in decline, but they were still the most elite among Henry's 20,000-strong army.

They and Henry's troops were placed in the middle of the formation, around Henry II. No one in the army had iron armor. The cavalry had a small amount of mail armor. They were the most elite knights in Europe. Most of them were leather armor. , their shields are also diverse, including triangular shields, small round shields, and drop-shaped shields. A small number of war horses also have shields, but most of the war horses have no protection.

The front rows on both wings of Henry's army were crossbowmen, and behind the crossbowmen were farmers and miners. Many of these farmers and miners were on the battlefield for the first time. They didn't even have leather armor, only linen clothes.

The Mongolian army actually gave Henry II a lot of time. It only took a month or two to integrate the troops and horses.

If it were the Song Army on the opposite side, the Song Army would have done a lot of fortifications. At least they would build some simple shields for the infantry, and then put the infantry battalion in front and the crossbowmen in the back.

But this is how the Europeans fought. The two sides fought in formations, with basically no tactics or technical content. Henry II also placed crossbowmen at the front of the wings, which were their only long-range weapons. The city of Rignitz was a big city. Henry II could have defended the city, but he chose to fight in the field.

The battlefield itself is a large enough wilderness between the rivers, which is very suitable for cavalry field battles. The Mongolian army rode lightly in front, with trebuchets behind them, which they later called stone cannons, as well as self-taught troops. The simple firearms of the Jin and Song armies were followed by a wave of heavy cavalry at the end.

As soon as the two sides entered the battlefield, the priest on Henry's side began to pray. The Mongolian generals such as Orda and Baidaer were stunned for a moment.

There needs to be someone who has traveled through time at the scene, and they are afraid that Henry II will suddenly unleash a big skill like a blizzard.

After the priest finished praying, the light cavalry of the Polish-Blue Army took the lead in going into battle.

The Mongols still fought in the same old way. The cavalry in the middle pretended to be defeated first, and the Polish light cavalry drove straight in. The Mongolian cavalry swept towards the two wings of the Polish cavalry on both sides. When the distance between the two sides came into range, there was a bang, and the Mongolian army immediately started shooting.

Not to mention the Bolans, there is no cavalry in the whole of Europe that has good cavalry and shooting skills. The European cavalry all charges close to the face. Who can shoot like the Mongols?

Bolan Qingqing was hit hard when he rode up. The man shot by the Mongolian army fell off his horse, but he could not catch up with the Mongolian army.

Henry II's command level was also not good. This depends on the tactics of the Mongolian army. Now he can find a place to defend and engage in positional warfare. When he saw that the cavalry was not good, he immediately organized all the men and horses to keep the remaining infantry and cavalry. close distance, and then move forward together.

Henry II also followed the common thinking of Europeans. The whole army stepped forward to fight against each other.

If there were other European armies on the opposite side, they would certainly have marched forward without hesitation, and the next moment the two sides would be fighting hand to hand in the middle.

But the Mongols don't have martial ethics, so they retreated first and deliberately lured the Polish and Blue coalition forces through.

The coalition formation maintained a good shape, and the front and rear were closely connected, and the Mongolian army could not find a gap to cut through.

After the coalition forces advanced to a certain distance, the Mongolian army's stone cannons and firearms suddenly fired.

This was the first time Europeans saw firearms being used on the battlefield.

The firearms of the Mongolian army are quite crude. They were all used before the Southern Song Dynasty and have been eliminated for a long time.

It was a driving-type rocket recorded in the General Martial Arts of the Northern Song Dynasty. It was mainly composed of rockets and poison smoke balls, which were mixed with lime, gunpowder, croton, wolfsbane, asphalt, arsenic and other substances.

The Mongolian army also lit reeds and cow dung to enhance the attack effect of toxic smoke. The front row of the Mongolian army will prepare wet masks and water-soaked protective gear in advance, so they will not be affected much.

These attack methods were all endured by the Mongolian army when they were at war with the Jin and Song Dynasties. They would be very panicked when they first encountered them, but after seeing them more often, they knew that they were not lethal.

But the poor Polish and Blue coalition forces had never seen it, and many people thought it was witchcraft, and the whole army suddenly fell into chaos.

At this time, the Mongolian army moved the heavy cavalry to the front row and went directly up to fight with the cavalry on the opposite side. The light cavalry detoured and shot the unarmored farmers and miners on the opposite side.

The Polish cavalry almost collapsed with one blow, and the Mongolian army easily cut the chaotic army in two.

When Henry II wanted to retreat, he found that he was blocked by the Mongolian army and could not retreat at all.

Henry II was quickly captured alive by the Mongolian army, and then Baidaer pushed him to the ground, knelt in front of the Mongolian army who died in the battle, and slowly chopped off his head.

The Polish and Blue forces who were cut off on the other side escaped a lot, the Knights Templar cavalry lost relatively little, and most of the reinforcements from Henry II's father-in-law also escaped.

After the war, the Mongolian army put Henry II's head on the tip of a gun and paraded around the city of Rignitz to intimidate the soldiers and civilians in the city who dared to resist.

The Mongolian army also cut off the right ears of all the deceased and packed nearly twenty large bags in total.

After this battle, the entire Bolan area could no longer organize effective resistance, and the Mongolian army received thousands more surrendered troops on the battlefield.

Fortunately, the Mongolian army did not continue to clear the remaining castles of Bolan, because they were rushing to join forces with Batu.

The Orda and Badar armies then led their troops to Odemukhov near the Kachava River. In early November, they ravaged Razibuz and left the city the next day.

Unable to cross the mountainous border of Bohemia, the Mongolian army moved further east, entering Moravia from Opava, and arrived near Trencin in the northern frontier of Sugali at the end of October, although the castle itself was not attacked. down, but the surrounding area was severely damaged.

The Mongolian army did not attempt to occupy any stronghold in Moravia, nor did any major battles take place. They only divided into several groups to attack villages, plundered grain, grass and property, and passed through the territory within half a month, heading for Fierce Tooth and Pull. All cities will meet.

At the same time, another group of Hedan troops bypassed the Carpa Qian Mountains and entered Xiyali. They successively captured the cities of Ludan and Walading, and then joined forces with Batu on the Xiyali Plain.

After Bo Lan is destroyed, whether the Mongolian army can enter the hinterland of Central Europe depends on whether the fierce teeth can withstand it.

At this time, the eyes of all Europe were focused on Fangli, and even the Pope and Frederick II, who had always been at odds, finally felt the terror of the Mongolian army.

As the king of Fiji and Crodia at this time, Bela IV had not yet received news of the fall of Bolan, but he had already received a letter from Batu.

"I, the representative of the King of the Gods, am responsible for granting power on earth. Those who submit to me are protected, and those who dare to resist have been destroyed - I want to know why, you, King of Hungary, when I send envoys 30 times When I sent it to you, I got no response, and you never sent your own envoys or letters.

I knew that You were a rich and powerful monarch, with many soldiers, and sole sway over a great kingdom. However, I have learned that you took the Cumans, my slaves, under your protection. Therefore I command you not to keep them with you any longer, and not to make me an enemy of their patron. Because they don't have a house and just live in tents, they're more likely to slip away. But as for you who live in houses, O you who have castles and cities—how can you escape my power? "

No one knows the expression on Bella IV's face when he saw the letter, but he must have been furious. This was quite fierce. There are more than two million people in the territory he rules, and he has taken in 40,000 people. Man people.

These Cumans fled in all directions under the attack of the Mongolian army a few years ago, and finally settled in Jiyali. When these people gathered together, they became a considerable force.

After Bela IV succeeded to the throne, he worked hard to govern. His governance style was very similar to that of Zhao Yurui. He deprived the nobles of their power and land internally and expanded their territory externally. He initially achieved some achievements, but the successive arrivals of the Cumans and Mongols changed the situation. everything.

(End of this chapter)