Rise of Rurik

"Shield wall!"

"Kill them all!"

"Blood sacrifice to Odin!"

As agreed on the ship, the army of the Jotalan nobles took the lead in attacking this battle. As they contributed the most, they would naturally get more spoils after the war.

Gorm and other nobles personally went into battle and commanded the formation in front of their own tribe's army.

There are various round shields stacked on top of each other. The front row of warriors are all armored, and the unarmored warriors are all in the back row.

The Götalanders tried their best to demonstrate their tactical advantages to meet the Franks' elite troops.

At least until now, the whole army still thinks that they have really collided with the Frankish elite.

If the blue fox has a pair of binoculars in his hand, he can see the enemy's abnormal situation clearly early and realize his misjudgment. He still couldn't see the situation clearly for the time being and could only stick to his own judgment.

Blue Fox does not want to fight with the enemy's elite troops with all his strength. The essence is that he does not want unnecessary huge losses. However, encounters are inevitable. Since the battle is fate, he will stay with him to the end.

He put on heavy armor himself, led his small group of elite soldiers to advance and retreat with the most elite Russian army, and set an example that no one could blame.

The two Russian flag troops wearing blue stripes and white robes are the absolute core. Inval's mixed Danish army serves as a tactical supplement, and the Finnish army is mixed with the engineering troops to provide full long-range weapon support.

It can be said that the Russian coalition forces were divided into two combat echelons, and their tactics are quite similar to the Western European infantry combat model of this era.

"Let the Jotalans attack first. If my infantry can no longer withstand it, rush forward to suppress the formation. If the force is overwhelming, I will attack with the whole army."

Blue Fox's plan was good, and his army was quickly approaching the Frank army that had formed its formation.

At the same time, the Frankish commander Lopet on the other side of the battlefield was facing tremendous mental pressure. The condition of his flag soldiers was not bad. Those strong men who had been drafted or even forcibly incorporated into the army, they clutched their short spears, their eyes were dull and trembling, and many of them were even scared to the point of urinating.

"Ho! Roar! Roar!"

The advancing Jotalan soldiers roared rhythmically while beating their bucklers with swords and axes. The noise they made was louder and more rhythmic.

Lopet, who was riding a horse, gritted his teeth. He led the cavalry on the left side of the line. This was a mobile force, so-called seizing the opportunity to attack the attacking Norman army.

He decided to sit back and wait for work, or this was the only soldier he could do. He lacks confidence in the vast number of militiamen. They have only trained for a few days. If they just move in one direction as a whole, the entire team will be disrupted. Once confused, they will be killed by the enemy.

At first glance, Lopet still felt that he had a strength advantage, which was also the biggest advantage the Frankish army boasted.

"Hold on! Cavalrymen! Hold on to your horses." He calmly watched the development of the battle.

On the infantry array side, two Frankish regular army centurions were the backbone of our infantry. Their presence with a cross flag ensured that the array was stable.

A centurion gritted his teeth and kept repeating the order: "Hold still! No attack is allowed without my order."

Another centurion threatened verbally: "No fear, no cowardice. Deserters will be killed immediately."

Come and try it quickly. 】

Then they kept approaching. In the eyes of the Jotalan noble army, these Franks looked like a piece of stone. They noticed the cavalry on the left side of the enemy camp and knew they were a great threat.

This situation attracted Blue Fox's attention, so a large number of crossbow-wielding warriors were ordered to move to the right side of the Ross army, as did most of the spear-wielding soldiers.

Until the two armies were close to a stone's throw away.

Blue Fox is a little strange. Could it be that these Frankish troops from the Middle Kingdom are not good at archery either?

"Strange, are they really elites? How come I... saw some guys in rags? If it were a group of militiamen fighting me, wouldn't I be overly prepared?"

He began to doubt the enemy, so he ordered Kelha's Finnish longbowmen and engineers to immediately leave the rear array to support the vanguard of the Jotalan noble army.

"Let's go!" Carrying a crossbow that was greatly modified from a recurve bow, the young Kelha led the team forward quickly. The longbowmen and crossbowmen formed a dense formation. Everyone was waiting for Kelha to shoot at the same time. Ha's order.

"Now! Set up the bow!"

"shooting!"

An order came out suddenly from the Finnish Suomi dialect, and all the longbowmen fired into the air. The crossbowmen slowed down a beat and started to fire one after another.

Densely packed light arrows passed over the heads of the Yotalan army. Countless black lines were particularly conspicuous against the background of the blue sky. These lightweight spiral feather arrows were spinning and falling quickly regardless of the wind.

This scene was unique in combat in the Frankish world. The so-called rain of arrows, a tactic commonly used by the Russian army, was extremely unfamiliar to many Frankish soldiers.

The arrow missed and hit the face. It was a light arrow after all. Those Frankish elite infantry wearing riveted iron cloth face armor could resist. The huge number of militiamen had already suffered casualties before the battle. The more dense their formation, the more casualties they would have. The more serious it is.

The companion is suddenly hit in the body and falls to the ground in pain, or the body is hit and screams in pain. The blood from the arrow wound splashes on the companion, adding to the mental damage.

It wasn't until they suffered losses that soldiers began to raise their various shields above their heads.

How did the armor-piercing arrows escape through the thin wood? The soldiers endured the powerful impact. Their shields are generally not very big, and now they are helplessly being beaten passively.

The Finnish longbowmen continued to output firepower, and Kelha ordered his men to launch volleys one after another, accompanied by the continuous free fire of a large number of crossbowmen.

Perhaps if the shooting continued, the Frankish army formation itself would gradually collapse.

Lopet, who was riding a horse, never thought that this group of Normans would have this kind of magic, and arrows with a longer range were fired continuously.

"Damn it, I will lose if this keeps up! Hurry!" He ordered his subordinates: "Blow the trumpet! Let the infantry take the initiative to attack!"

Accompanied by the crisp brass trumpet, the Frankish infantry who had been passively beaten received the news, and the two centurions, who had held back their anger, launched an attack, and then the entire infantry launched a desperate charge.

"Shield wall! They are coming! Pile up shields!" Gorm saw a large group of enemies rushing towards him, and gave the order. The front of his troops quickly stacked round shields up, down, left, and right, and they suddenly appeared on the front. The three-layered shield wall.

The so-called soldiers bowed and held their shields, or stood holding them flat, or raised their shields.

All the soldiers of the Jotalan army were like this, rehearsing the most common Viking tactics. In this way, the shield wall can withstand the enemy's heavy equipment, and even prevent the possibility of jumping up and slashing.

What they didn't expect was that the attacking Frank army suddenly started throwing random weapons.

The short-handled ax was deeply embedded in the wooden shield, and some of the short spears made of wrought iron even directly penetrated the shield.

This ancient Frankish tactic had never been seen by the Götaland army before. Throwing axes was not unusual, but what was strange was large-scale throwing.

Jotalan's shield array was still able to hold on under such random attacks, but some unlucky ones were accidentally killed by short spears smashed in from the gaps in the shield wall.

Finally, the collision occurred.

The two armies collided abruptly, and the battle turned into a battle of wills. The Frankish soldiers who were forced into a desperate situation were squeezed together like sardine cans. They could not retreat, so they continued and futilely slashed at the hardwood shields of the Norman army with broad-bladed swords and axes. They were faced with sudden surprises at all times. Thrusting swords and spears.

The soldiers of the Jotalan army faced the same threat. The armored soldiers in the vanguard would definitely encounter the slashing and stabbing of the opponent's heavily armored warriors.

The Frankish army has more troops, and the Götaland army has slightly better weapons and equipment. On average, which one is stronger and which one is weaker?

The evolution and changes in the battle line are not deceptive. It is clear that the Götalan army has begun to retreat slowly and uncontrollably.

The colliding shields formed a clear front line, and the battle completely turned into a head-on confrontation between the number of manpower and the physical strength of the soldiers. Even though the Finnish army continued to help friendly forces provide fire support, the Frankish soldiers would rather hold their small shields above their heads to resist the continuous impact of arrows.

Once injured or exhausted, he will be trampled to death by his companions as long as he falls to the ground. Even if the soldiers squeezed in front of the formation were not assassinated by the Normans, they would still be squeezed to the point of suffocation.

More than 2,000 Frankish soldiers pushed forward the entire Götaland army's front line, which only had more than 1,000 people. The front line was unstable. The five nobles tried to do something, but their front line was still slowly shrinking.

And this, to the anxious Frank cavalry troops, was undoubtedly the opportunity to turn things around.

"Keep pushing! Push! Push them down."

Captain Perrot felt that victory was not far away. The Norman pirates were being suppressed due to their absolute superiority in strength, weren't they? Now you just need to wait a little longer before you can choose the opportunity to attack.

On the other hand, the Götaland army was actually retreating. Blue Fox never dreamed that the Frankish infantry, which should not be strong, could be so brave.

Grund approached with an extremely irritable attitude: "I think the Jotalans will be unable to withstand it! Now let the brothers go, the final battle will be ours."

"No." Blue Fox raised his sword and pointed directly at the Frank cavalry who were still on standby: "The men on horseback are standing there. What are they going to do?"

"They? They are not worth mentioning. If they dare to attack, they will be shot by our crossbowmen." Grund still looked disdainful: "Hurry up and let my brothers rush."

"No. Maybe... we can lure those cavalry here."

"What did you say?"

Grund only found it baffling, while Blue Fox became more and more interesting the more he thought about it. He thought of a conspiracy: "Grund, if our army deliberately retreats, do you think those cavalry will seize the opportunity to intercept us after our army is defeated?"

"What are you going to do?"

"You? You really don't understand?"

"I don't understand. Are you planning to retreat? Ridiculous! As long as I take action with my brothers, all troubles will end."

"No! We retreat! Of course!" Blue Fox added: "Retreat in sheep disguise. We distance ourselves from the Jotalans and create an opening to lure the cavalry to attack. Now I will let the Finns of Kelha retreat."

Grund really didn't understand that since the king gave Blue Fox full power, he had no choice but to appoint him. The First Standard Corps of the Standing Army was still on high-intensity alert, and was required to keep its formation in order even if it retreated.

On the contrary, Askard's Seventh Flag Team was asked to move. The formation could be a little more chaotic. However, all the crossbowmen lost their arrows and all the torsion slingshots mounted on the trolleys were fully charged.

The horn of retreat sounded, and Kelha, who was still directing the archery, was shocked. He turned around and saw the blue fox himself, who had taken off his helmet, waving and saying something with his mouth wide open.

"Retreat now? Why retreat? Forget it. Just retreat."

Kelha ordered all Finnish soldiers, engineers acting as crossbowmen, and a small number of armed sailors to withdraw fully.

They were running backwards without any formation at all. As soon as they realized that their backs were empty, the Jotalan army immediately retreated in panic.

From the perspective of the Frank cavalry not far away, all this seemed like their own infantry was really pushing the Normans back, and it had even turned into a rout.

And isn't this a unique opportunity to turn the tide of the war?

"Haha! The time has come for meritorious service. Franks, follow me and charge!" Flag captain Lopete gave the order to take the lead in the charge. He took the lead and looked like an ancient Frank asking for war.

All three hundred Frank cavalry mobilized, and the ground trembled. They wanted to attack the right side of the Norman formation, hoping to completely penetrate it like a chisel. It would be best to drive a large number of enemies down the Meuse River and drown them.

At the same time, Blue Fox was overjoyed.

The cavalry was deceived into attacking, and the situation of the Jotalan army on our side was even worse. If these cavalry could not be defeated, the fake retreat might come true.

The crossbowmen and the retreating longbowmen rushed to the right side of the formation, preparing to shoot under the escort of a large number of heavy infantry.

They wore blue-striped white robes in large numbers. It was not until Pelot almost collided with the Normans with his cavalry that he discovered that there was a team of extraordinary strength hidden behind them. The battlefield was too flat so that he could not clearly see the depth of the Norman army. Now that he could see clearly, he realized that the time he chose was not necessarily correct.

It's a pity that he no longer has the right to choose a second time.

Just as the cavalry was trotting all the way to launch the final charge, the torsion slingshot fired first, followed by the Finnish longbowmen's projectile.

After all, this is not Frank's elite cavalry at all. Most of the cavalry are actually warriors who can ride horses riding inferior horses from various sources. The armor-less cavalrymen had long arrows stuck in their bodies. As long as they were not fatally injured, they could grit their teeth and continue charging. If the war horses were hit by arrows, the pain would be enough to make the horses stumble.

Some of the horses began to fall, and some even accidentally knocked over the brothers behind them.

The cavalry's advance was just sluggish, not to mention contained. Perlot, who couldn't care too much, raised his lance and launched the final charge.

"Shoot!" Blue Fox's eyes were as wide as copper bells, and he was roaring at the top of his lungs, now regardless of his personal life or death.

The two crossbows fired simultaneously, dealing a huge blow to the cavalry attacking from the front.

A large number of war horses fell to the ground, which immediately led to catastrophic results. The following cavalry were tripped or restrained by their fallen comrades in front, and the sheer impact of the cavalry group was reduced by half in a short period of time.

Even Perot's own mount fell down due to the shooting injury, and he was thrown out and had to eat a mouthful of black mud. When he stood up tremblingly, holding on to his helmet, he found that not even one-tenth of the cavalry actually rushed into the enemy's formation.

More than 30 horsemen rushed into the Ross army formation with almost no impact power. The horses knocked down some people without any pain and caused no casualties. The cavalry soldiers were pulled down, or the legs of the war horses were cut off, forcing the cavalry to fall.

The warrior who temporarily put aside his crossbow skillfully drew out his steel sword and steel axe, and slashed and stabbed the fallen cavalry. Often, more than ten people would target one enemy soldier, and the death was extremely miserable.

There are still more than 150 riders on the trail, and they continue to encounter sneak attacks from missing arrows. They didn't know what was going on with their flag captain, and they didn't want to be known as a coward and a fugitive, so these people actually dismounted!

After all, they were Frankish infantry standard-bearers, and fighting on horseback was never their strong point. Fighting on foot was the meaning of their existence.

Maybe the flag captain had died in the battle, so facing this obviously powerful Norman army, they chose to fight to the end.

Because these soldiers were unwilling to make any compromises with the Norman pirates.

At this point in the war, Blue Fox no longer has any worries. Both the elite and the militiamen of the Frankish army have been dispatched. All that is left is to simply fight. To win this chaotic battle with no sense of beauty, the Ross coalition will capture the following day.