Rise of Rurik

Horse hooves stirred up the soil, and the cavalry charged in groups.

Ludwig, who was already a charioteer, fought like a warrior. He no longer cared about traditional cavalry tactics and used a desperate attack to achieve a surprise attack.

Once, facing the nomadic Avars army, Charlemagne, who was personally leading the expedition, ordered his cavalry to change the traditional tactics of the past, maneuver like the Avars, and launch a decisive attack after discovering the opponent's camp.

Ludwig had no subjective intention to pay tribute to his grandfather. He just wanted to regain his strategic advantage in the civil war, cover up his weakening strength with a victory, and invisibly achieve a surprise attack just like his grandfather.

The ground was shaking, and the cavalry was rushing through the farmland where weeds had grown wildly due to delayed farming season.

Already entering the charge stage, the soldiers who were holding their throats suddenly got the signal collectively.

The lances moved forward in unison, following the direction pointed by Ludwig's steel sword.

The morning fog obscured their tracks, and only the tremors on the ground made Count Metz's army aware of something strange.

"There are enemies! Get up quickly!"

"Get your weapons!"

"Run!"

It was like a flood was coming, leaving Count Metz's army very little time to react.

Densely packed tents surrounded the town of Winneville like a big pie. There were no peripheral defense facilities and no civil construction. There were no trenches to resist horses. The army only camped here.

They must pay with blood for their carelessness.

This was the last elite cavalry of the Eastern Kingdom. Ludwig knew very well that once this army was defeated, his last trump card would collapse. The best result would be to retreat to Bavaria in disgrace and live his own life behind closed doors.

The family records of these elite cavalry are all in Bavaria. They saw their king leading everyone to charge towards the enemy formation. Endless glory acted on their bodies, and everyone seemed to feel endless power.

Because they had eaten wheat porridge urgently before dawn, they were indeed experiencing a lot now.

Without complicated tactics, the cavalry group rushed into Count Metz's army with an unstoppable momentum.

Lancers assassinated stupid people. Most of the soldiers of Count Metz's army only wore civilian clothes. When they tried to resist, they used poor weapons and flesh and blood to fight against the Frankish heavy cavalry.

The powerful momentum of the lance caused it to break when it hit one person. The cavalrymen pulled out their iron swords and battle axes, and the war horses continued to maintain their momentum. The swords stabbed and the axes cracked, killing and wounding the fleeing enemies.

"Death! No mercy!" Ludwig roared heartbreakingly. He regarded the enemy in front of him as a kind of satisfaction and ordered his men to deal with it with the most brutal means.

"The Evil God"

Pieces of tents were destroyed, and the helpless soldiers of Count Metz's army in the overturned tents were killed by the subsequent cavalry.

The disorganized resistance was like a low wall trying to block the rushing torrent. The cavalry seemed to have entered an uninhabited land, chopping iron axes from left to right and thirsty for blood.

The cry of killing alerted Count Metz who was resting in the town.

Adalbert was waiting for a hearty breakfast, but an incredible rumbling sound alerted him.

After a while, the guards rolled into his temporary residence, lying on the ground and shouting at the top of their lungs: "Sir! The enemy! The enemy has appeared."

"Enemy?! That rumbling sound is the enemy?! Oh my god, it's unbelievable."

He pushed aside the guards, and as soon as he arrived outdoors, he saw his own soldiers in a mess.

"What's going on with you? Stay calm no matter what happens. Prepare your horses! Come with me to see the situation."

However, Ludwig had already led his soldiers like steel knives directly to the edge of the town of Winneville. Huge sores formed in the huge camp, and the soldiers who were aware of the danger did not even bother to take away the soft goods, literally fleeing without their armor.

Then Earl Adalbert led his troops into a relatively open area, and what he saw was an avalanche of his men fleeing.

Everywhere you looked, there were runaways with frightened faces, and some even had no time to put on their shoes and were running across the grass.

Look carefully, not far away, facing the direction of the rising sun, those armored cavalry are killing like crazy.

"Ludwig's people...are Ludwig's people! Something bad is happening!" Realizing the horror, Adalbert did not order the fleeing people to calm down and fight back on the spot. He felt that any shouting was meaningless. Yes, the army's retreat is inevitable.

"Sir! What should we do? Fight?!" a trusted subordinate asked.

The earl's eyes were so wide that they seemed to burst out. He forcibly controlled his trembling body: "We must withdraw to Lauten. Quickly notify all the knights and inform King Lothair's people that our entire army will evacuate."

He had arranged for his own soldiers to serve as messengers to report the news, and he took his own soldiers to join the fleeing army.

As the saying goes, the army has collapsed. Although there are as many as two thousand standing troops of the Middle Kingdom in the army, these people retain a strong combat effectiveness. However, the flag captains are ordered to follow the wisdom of Count Metz, and they are not allowed to launch attacks without authorization. If these standing armies launch a desperate counterattack, the situation will not be too ugly. They had no right to fight back. The soldiers tried their best to organize their troops but did not take the initiative to escape in the crisis.

The earl's messengers rushed to the camp of the standing army and announced the order to retreat.

Although I am unwilling to do so, I can only evacuate now.

The standing army withdrew as quickly as possible with its baggage and carriages, and some things that were too late to be moved were abandoned on the spot.

Like a torrent, Count Metz's troops rushed toward the deepest part of the bell mouth area formed by the hills.

Soon, Ludwig, who was running wildly, had captured the entire town of Winneville, and those who failed to escape in time were being killed crazily, even if they were clearly peaceful residents. Because he had ordered it, this operation was a revenge to wash away the shame. In private, he just wanted to vent his resentment that he had been holding back for two years with a river of blood.

But war horses have their limits, and the horses begin to pant heavily, making it difficult to pursue them even if they are whipped with whips. Once it stopped, the war horse kept shaking its head violently up and down, and its violent breathing was deafening.

Orders can create new results and continue the pursuit. Those people have been running away, sadly leaving their backs to the Eastern Kingdom army.

Ludwig looked at the backs of those cowards, feeling both excited and anxious.

The cavalry has reached its limit, and people can continue to fight. If they continue to force the horses, they will only end up with a lot of exhaustion.

The raid ended when the sun fully rose, and Ludwig won the victory he had dreamed of.

Looking at the camp that was stormed, you can see to the naked eye that there are dead bodies and squirming wounded soldiers everywhere.

Ludwig finally calmed down and noticed that his subordinates were being ordered to execute the undead arbitrarily, and then adjusted the order to spare the lives of those with sound limbs.

Of course he knew about the town of Winneville, a perfectly good town that had fallen into terror. He is now more concerned with the gains of the battle, and so are the warriors.

A large-scale free search by the Eastern Kingdom's cavalry has begun. Just as Ludwig promised, each warrior will seize the spoils based on their ability. Even if they find a piece of gold, they can claim it as their friends.

What he gained from his indulging in barbarism was the unprecedented loyalty of the soldiers, and Ludwig himself was not at a loss either. He found the granary left by his opponent, that is, the baggage carriages and dull pack horses displayed in various directions.

After the war, preliminary statistics indicate that the Eastern Kingdom killed more than 1,500 enemies, and more than 500 people were captured. Most of the prisoners were actually town residents, and the people could not believe that the brutal killing was actually committed by King Ludwig himself. What can I do? Now that the great king has returned like lightning, please remain loyal to him even if you suffer hardships.

In order to survive, the captured soldiers of Count Metz's army confessed everything they knew without any punishment.

Ludwig calmed down and stopped being a butcher. He gave these prisoners the only way out: "I am the king here! Sooner or later, your hometown will also be my territory. Now join my army, and I will promote you group of armed farmers to become standing army."

Because Earl Metz also mobilized almost all his troops. In addition to his retinue and soldiers, the additional recruits were armed farmers. These peasant soldiers are very suitable for fighting against the wind. Once they encounter hard problems, they will suffer a fatal collapse like the situation this morning.

The peasant fulfilled his obligation to fight for the lord knight, and the knight sent troops to serve Count Metz. The peasant soldiers had no choice. At least the count's so-called empty promise of "entering Mainz and looting freely" gave them a minimum of morale. We are all still young. If King Ludwig himself gives us a chance to make a comeback, we can serve him. Most of the captured peasant soldiers didn't think about the long term. They just wanted to survive, so they turned into soldiers of the Eastern Kingdom.

In the afternoon of that day, Ludwig's follow-up troops arrived at the bell mouth area one after another, and Count Metz's camp instantly became the military camp of the Eastern Kingdom. A great victory had resulted in a lot of captures. Considering that the enemy had really abandoned his armor, Ludwig was already dreaming of taking a day off to directly attack Lauten and regain his strategic advantage.

After all, the prisoners had revealed that King Lothair and the main force had been near Strasbourg, and all those north of the Saar River were Count Metz's army.

Who is Count Metz?

"Damn it, you don't want to be loyal to me and you don't want to evacuate. You will die on the battlefield. After that, I will abolish your family identity. If I capture you, I will also abolish you."

His eldest brother Lothair is still staying in Strasbourg. Obviously, if the main force of the Middle Kingdom wants to cross the Saar River in a short time, it must pass through the ferry town of Sala Perugia. Destroy the bridge and let Big Brother's army look at the river and sigh! In late autumn, both sides can stop their troops and explain themselves to gain a strategic buffer.

To accomplish this goal, Ludwig must seize the opportunity to capture Lauten.

He was urgently reorganizing his troops. At the same time, Count Metz, who had suffered a heavy loss, decided to fight back.

To the northeast of Lauten, there is a mountain pass with a width of only one thousand meters. On one side of it is the lush Northern Vosges Mountains, and on the other side are small mounds extending from the mountains.

Accompanied by the sound of horns and drums, one side is determined to advance, and the other is determined not to retreat.

Ludwig sent an envoy to order Count Metz to be loyal to him on the spot. From Ludwig's point of view, doing this meant that Count Metz would cut off his eldest brother's fiefdom in the middle, forcing his eldest brother Lothair to start negotiations immediately. In fact, what he wanted was not outrageous. Before, he just wanted to retain the old fiefdom. The so-called area north of the Inn River also included Mainz and Worms south of the river. Now as the victor of the battle, he wants the entire Saar region north of the Saar River (including the northern Rhine Plain).

Such an outrageous request was rejected by Count Metz, and the envoy returned with regret, even bringing back the Count's letter of challenge written on parchment.

They are all senior nobles and cannot do things to extremes! Count Metz suppressed his anger and did not denounce the oriental king's barbaric behavior like the Normans in his letter. It’s okay not to use force when fighting against real barbarians. They are all high-ranking Frankish nobles. When fighting, the two armies should line up and fight in an upright manner. Why should the Duke of Bavaria conduct a sneak attack?

Count Metz chose to fight, and Ludwig, eager to win, accompanied him.

As long as he breaks through the mountain pass, Lauten will be at his fingertips, and then he will fight along the Roman road to the Saar River to tear down the bridge! He informed his main officers of the situation and continued to draw: "The Saar area is very large, and the old lords have fled. When I rule here, those who have made military exploits will get fiefs here, and all flag captains will They will all become barons!”

The promised day of war, a gloomy day.

Count Metz, who knew his shame but became brave, decided to hold on to the mountain pass. He lined up his standing cavalry in front, followed by infantry. This was a very traditional Frankish formation.

Ludwig ordered his infantry to organize a spear formation. He thought of his defeat in the north, which was when his heavy cavalry attacked the Norman spear formation. Now that he has learned something, he should be able to Just win. His cavalry was placed in the rear as a tactical reserve in case of any eventuality.

Ludwig had a fantasy in his mind. When Count Metz's cavalry rushed over, they would be riddled with holes by his own spear array.

There was no need for pre-battle negotiations, but what was strange was that Ludwig, who was willing to wait for work, was facing Count Metz, who was also willing to wait for work.

The Yamaguchi battlefield fell into an extremely strange silence, as if whoever attacked first was a fool.

Count Metz also couldn't afford to lose. Most of the warriors he gathered from the fief were here. Once he suffered another large-scale loss, the family's power would collapse.

Ludwig was also deeply squeezing the manpower of the Count of Leingau this time. Once his men were killed on a large scale, it meant that the people's livelihood in Leingau would be in ruins.

The longer the delay goes on, the more anxious both parties will become.

"Dammit! No wait. To hell with everything!"

After all, it was Ludwig who decided to attack first, and with the sound of drums, the peasant soldiers holding spears began to advance.

Heavy cavalry was the trump card, so Count Metz ordered his heavily armed standing infantry to attack. These armored warriors holding shields had never seen a spear formation, and the latter's spear formation training was also very poor.

The battle between the two armies began immediately. After a certain amount of casualties, the spear formation was torn open. Soon, the battle turned into a brawl that showcased individual martial arts.

"Damn it. Where's my advantage? Why can't the spear formation fail in my hands?!" Ludwig, who was supervising the battle, gritted his teeth and didn't understand. However, the battle situation continued to deteriorate, and the two armies stood high in the cramped position of the mountain pass. Fighting with intensity.

At least Ludwig has a numerical advantage. Since his cavalry cannot exert its power, the opponent must also be the same. Since the battle is infantry fighting for numbers, then continue to invest troops!

Ludwig, who quickly advanced, simply ordered his standing army to press forward, forcing the peasant soldiers and opponents to fight to the death of the Count.

Earl Metz did not dare to retreat, so he also raised his head and pressed down the following infantry in a rage.

The heavy cavalry on both sides became spectators, and the cramped mountain pass area was the scene of a brutal battle between the two armies.

The blood of the soldiers turned into a stream, which continuously poured into the nearby Lauter River and flowed quietly to the Rhine River.

No one wanted to retreat first, and the cramped place made escape difficult. If you wanted to survive, you had to kill the enemy, so this unexpected battle for both sides turned into an extremely brutal one.

From the morning to the afternoon, countless soldiers had lost their strength, and the ground was already covered with Mohu's corpses, as well as a large number of dying and squirming wounded soldiers.

Until dusk falls, some things remain silent.

retreat? Or continue to fight?

After realizing his huge losses, Ludwig frowned and regretted his stubbornness. Count Metz also faced serious losses in his own forces.

The soldiers on both sides were retreating spontaneously. They kept moving back and did not dare to show their backs to the enemy until the distance between the two armies was far enough.

Look at the mountain pass that has been difficult to conquer for a long time! Never like today, a small Lauten has become the burial place of a large number of soldiers.

Ludwig couldn't figure it out, and he didn't have the time to think about it.

"We retreat! Return to Winneville and set up camp and hold on."

Both sides basically evacuated at the same time, and the wounded were dragged away as much as possible. As for the dying people in the center of the melee, their blood will slowly drain out.

The battle was neither won nor lost, Ludwig suffered heavy losses, as did Count Metz.

The morale of both sides is in the doldrums. Even though Ludwig is very reluctant, considering the existing troops on hand, I am afraid that this year's efforts can only go so far. What's worse is that the main force of the eldest brother is still in Strasbourg. If he brings the army to the war, he will have to escape back to Mainz at night and get a war-free card.

At night, the howling peaks were like the wail of ghosts. Many people couldn't sleep at all that night. It was obvious that the battle during the day had made the people who retreated extremely tired. They seemed to hear countless ghosts wandering around the battlefield, and felt ashamed that they did not take away a large number of their surviving companions.

At this point, as many as 3,000 corpses were lying in the Lauten Pass area, and many of the people who evacuated were injured. Injuries are always dangerous, and I don’t know how many people will eventually die in pain due to worsening wound infection.