Rise of Rurik

Kelha took all the Finnish longbowmen to mingle with the 7th Standard which had suffered losses.

After a bloody battle, it was obvious that traditional bows could not penetrate the armor of the Frankish army in front of them. If they used harassment to disrupt their offensive formation, it should still be effective.

All the soldiers of the Seventh Flag Team built a shield wall. They now did not care about other teams, nor did they care about their own wounded soldiers. Behind the four centurions was the Finnish army. At present, a fighting force of more than 600 people was assembled. They formed an extremely dense formation and stood there waiting for reinforcements.

The actions of the Ross rebel army would not end because they suffered losses. When there were still ships that washed up on the beach and jumped out a group of warriors, the momentum that had been overwhelmed by the heavy cavalry quickly recovered.

In the chaos of the fight, Bjorn was extremely lucky not to be trampled to death by an iron weapon. He gnawed mud in his mouth, endured the mud all over his body, and staggered back to the shore. Looking around, it seemed that there were less than fifty Melalen warriors left.

In the continuous battles, the Mellaren army suffered heavy losses. Fortunately, at the beginning of the year, a group of debtors and serfs were summoned from the headquarters to participate in the war. If these guys died, they would die. It would be unjustifiable if the truly elite men of Mellaren suffered a large loss. disaster.

The current situation of the Ross coalition forces seemed to be in a mess. Count Gilbert of Ramongo on the other side of the battlefield thought that he still had a chance to overwhelm the enemy.

The war horses were panting violently, as were the soldiers.

The sun rose higher and higher, and the warm sunshine in the morning gradually heated up the armor and helmet. It was still morning, and it would be very detrimental to the Frank army if the battle continued to drag on.

Ramon's army had broken off a large number of spears in the charge just now, and they indeed caused heavy casualties to the Normans.

The enemy's fighting spirit is extremely high, and they are still crossing the river to increase their troops.

Gilbert looked left and right, and all he could see was his own army. Tristan's three cavalry flags were still standing still in the residential area.

But he was not angry, and even thanked the veteran.

The two parties were unable to communicate at this moment, but they basically guessed what the other party meant.

"Sir!" His personal cavalry gasped and frowned: "Our friendly forces have been slow to attack, so we can continue to charge with our current strength?"

"Of course." The high-spirited Gilbert drew his sword and pointed at the shield wall by the river: "Crush them and let the Normans drown in the Meuse River."

"However, we charged too hard just now, and the horses and people are very tired."

"I know! But these are all difficulties that can be overcome, and we will achieve a great victory." That's what he said, but now the only one who is really motivated is Gilbert himself.

It's not that other troops suddenly became timid. After all, his cavalry team had a large number of lower-level nobles. Each knight brought his retinue of cavalry to the battle. They had to bring their own weapons and armor. All equipment was uneven, and even the quality of the horses was uneven.

If you have money, you can buy good horses; if you don't have money, you can make up for it with bad horses. This is why Gilbert's cavalry took many days to arrive at Maastricht from their hometown of Namur.

The knights were powerless to implement the lord's request, and many of them were overdrawing their horsepower in the continuous charge just now. Seeing that their mounts were panting heavily, some cavalrymen simply dismounted temporarily to reduce the load on their horses.

Looking left and right, Gilbert knew what the problem was. He was afraid that if he forced his vassals to attack again, only a few would respond.

Then simply rest for a while? The battle entered a confrontation that he least wanted to see.

One side had its back to the Meuse River and continued to increase its troops. Although there were more than 300 casualties in the battle due to stampedes and attacks, such exaggerated losses would not force the Ross army to collapse.

The other side was exhausted and out of breath, and urgently needed some time to rest before attacking again.

In this critical window of time, the two sides in the fierce battle were launching another offensive.

Looking at the Maas River, the fact that Blue Fox did not cross the river was definitely not due to sudden cowardice. He is well aware of the tactical advantage of the Ross Army. Now it is time to organize the navy and engineers to unblock the large ships stationed on the river. The anchor was raised by the winch, and the entire ship drifted downstream along the current. The big ships didn't even care about hindering the movement of the long boats crossing the river. They were maneuvered to get as close as possible to the landing probe, and then anchored again at the appropriate time.

Lan Hu personally led the standing army and rowed a boat from the broken bridge to re-land in the city according to the original plan. He ignored the fierce battle on the battlefield in the north of the city for the time being, and his top priority was to set fire to the city as planned.

As a result, white mist began to rise from some thatched houses, and then yellow smoke began to appear. It gradually turned black, and finally the arsonist saw clear flames.

As long as there are some fire points, it is enough. The houses in Maastricht are lined up in rows. Ordinary people can only live in houses made of wooden structures. On weekdays, if a house catches fire, people can quickly get water directly from the river. Fires were put out, but now a large number of fire spots began to appear in the east area of ​​the city, and no one set fire to them.

"Have all the torches been thrown away?" he asked loudly.

The soldiers who returned empty-handed gathered at the Broken Bridge Pier. Behind them were the spreading flames and thick smoke. Time was enough.

Blue Fox examined it: "Okay! Follow me now and go to the north of the city to support the friendly forces."

The quickest option for support was to float downstream in boats, which the standing army was doing.

While drifting, they noticed an unusual commotion in the residential area, followed by shouts of killing. To the surprise of the sergeants, a large cavalry team suddenly appeared.

"No! We have to retreat!"

No matter how Lan Hu covered his head and screamed, there was nothing he could do to stop him now.

The current situation was what he feared the most. Finally, due to the continuous fermentation of emergencies, the Ross coalition still had to fight against the odds and usher in the group charge of the Frank cavalry.

Let’s talk about General Tristan who deliberately stood still.

Gilbert charged again without permission. It was obvious that only a small number of Normans had landed, and the time for the cavalry to overwhelm the enemy's main force was not yet ripe. The rash attack was within his expectation. Considering that Gilbert was the king's son-in-law, he himself Even if you intend to stop him from acting out of impulse, you don't have the opportunity or the necessary responsibility.

If Gilbert died in battle, it would be the young man who paid the heaviest price for his recklessness.

As a result, the development of the battle was unexpected. Lamongo's cavalry was led by the count to achieve great results.

Even so, Tristan waited, hoping more Normans would land.

But it seemed that Gilbert didn't even care that his horse was too tired and launched a second round of charge. It was too dangerous.

Has the time come? Maybe.

As the secretly observing subordinates reported to Tristan that the large Norman ships were drifting downstream, so-called movements towards the battlefield, he had to consider taking drastic measures.

"Could they be planning to escape? It's very possible. The Normans always run for their lives after suffering a loss."

He thought for a while, finally pulled out his sword, and turned around to look at the warriors behind him who were ready to go.

"The time has come! Soldiers, raise your spears high! Trumpeter, signal to all the flag troops. Let's go!"

Different from the low tone of the northern bull horn, Frank's small copper horn was clear and harsh. This was an excellent charge signal, so all the elite heavy cavalry who had been ambushing gradually revealed their true identities.

The sudden situation greatly surprised Askard. He originally thought that the enemy was the group of cavalry in front of him, but why did more of them appear? Could it be that the Franks have exhausted all their elites?

Continue to fight them to the death? !

If my father Arik is standing here, he is probably not afraid to fight hard in the face of danger, right? However, he and his brothers could really withstand the overwhelming cavalry attack.

Askard was still able to remain calm. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed the brothers on his left and right. They had just grown beards and still looked very immature. They were all trembling violently unconsciously, and some even had their legs trembling.

Take a closer look at the newly-appeared cavalry. Their helmets are strongly reflective under the scorching sun. These people almost have spear shafts in their hands.

No! That is riding a spear. All this is just like what we witnessed on the Elbe River two years ago. Is history about to repeat itself on the banks of the Maas River?

"Boss, I'm afraid. What should we do? Just continue to stand here?"

"That's right. We don't even have spears, how can we stop them?"

The old man next to him complained in horror. Askard had no intention of scolding him because Kelhar hurriedly came over. The real Count of Finland did not want to retreat. He watched his man lead a group of new Russian troops to resist stupidly. If they were killed on a large scale, wouldn't they themselves also be implicated and die?

"Askard! We have to retreat. If King Rurik is here, he will never fight the enemy cavalry unless necessary. Even if it is a battle, it must be close to the river."

"What do you want to say?"

"I mean I have to retreat until my heels can touch the river. Behind us are the ships. Let the Franks charge! If they are really crazy, even if they overwhelm us, they will definitely bring all the men and horses with them. Rush into the river."

】

Kelha's words at the critical moment reminded Askard. He saw that the new cavalry did not charge with all their strength, but organized a wall and gradually approached. He knew that this meant that this was an approaching tactic before the actual charge. , and this short window of time is the final opportunity for the Ross army to adjust.

Askard struck the buckler with the hilt of his sword, and shouted to wake up the entire shield wall: "Brothers! Steady retreat! Until our heels can touch the water of the river."

The Seventh Flag Troop now completely gave up on its wounded, and the soldiers seemed to be withdrawing with grief and anger. They did not really retreat, but many friendly forces really started to jump on the boat again, intending to float to the river again to avoid risks. As a result, they were completely blocked on the landing beach with the subsequent friendly forces that landed.

They also left their wounded behind, at least dragging some who were slightly injured to the riverside.

Behind the coalition forces are all armed cargo ships and sail destroyers. The torsion slingshots installed on the sides of each ship facing the city have never been removed.

The torsion slingshot used to attack Aachen was urgently relocated. Now the main heavy weapon of the Russian army was almost completely "facing the enemy here." Navy soldiers and engineers wearing felt sunhats were working hard to wind up the slingshots while the ship was drifting. Previous actual combat proved that the javelins launched by the slingshots had unparalleled lethality against enemy heavy cavalry. The current countermeasures must also mainly rely on its.

The decks of these large ships were full of people standing on the enemy side. Torque slingshots and steel-arm crossbows were ready to go. They wanted to serve as a strong backing for the friendly forces and do their best to delay the enemy's attack.

"Are you trying to escape? Norman robbers, don't even think about running away!"

With his eyes as wide as bells, Tristan's iron sword pointed directly at the Norman landing beach. The attack of the whole army also forced Ramon Gao's army, which had not yet finished its rest, to take action again, so the Frankish cavalry launched their most ferocious attack.

The war horses began to trot in groups, and the lances moved forward in unison.

The cavalry regiment has completely caused panic in the entire Russian coalition. Up to now, it seems that only the Seventh Flag, the Finnish Army, and Inval's Danish soldiers are the only ones holding on. With nearly a thousand people holding on against large ships and a large number of half-stranded longships.

As for the others, they were indeed far away from the landing place, and now they were still forced by the strong pressure of the cavalry legion to literally abandon their armor and head straight to their own ships in order to escape.

Some people with good legs and feet had already fled to the river, while those who were slow were destined to be reduced to pulp under the trampling of countless horses' hooves.

But the Ross Army will not let them succeed easily.

It was obviously far away, but all the torsion slingshots were launched almost at the same time. The slingshots on both sides were gathered on one side, and the torsion slingshot originally used for land warfare found a temporary position and placed it on the side of the ship.

Eighty slingshots can launch eighty javelins in one salvo. They are powerful and heavy. The special structure of the tail fins makes them spin wildly when launched. They sacrifice a little range but gain some additional tactical advantages. These javelins are extremely accurate. , the rotating tail caused a loud roar, and it roared past the heads of the panicked army.

The javelin pierced the dense wall. This was Tristan's first crazy experience in his life. He had never seen such a tactic before, and he immediately thought of the warning Count Ramongao had given him. However, he could no longer tell his subordinates to evade. In fact, evasion was useless. Like an arrow leaving the string, he could only seize the key opportunity to kill the enemy as much as possible.

Not surprisingly, these javelins hit the cavalry on a large scale. Under the strong momentum, even the iron armor pieces of the cloth armor could not withstand the gouge of the nearly one-pound giant needle-shaped carbon steel spear head. At least the current Frank armor The stomach was not yet strong enough to withstand the precise fire of such a cumbersome weapon.

Horsemen began to fall, and Tristan's worst fears were realized.

The Frankish cavalry's lance charge was also divided into several groups, and a certain distance was maintained between each group in a line formation. However, what they encountered was almost a low-level shot from a torque slingshot. After all, the Russian army also had some experience in dealing with cavalry. If they wanted to fight, they would attack the guys at the head of the team.

To organize such a large cavalry team, the top commander must wear eye-catching clothing and must have a flag officer beside him. Doesn't this tell the enemy "I am a big shot"? The fact is that he is not stupid. Askard is still wearing a helmet with a huge feather decoration, and he is still an important target.

This is a trade-off. What Tristan needs is a decisive victory, and personal life and death can be ignored.

So benevolence is rewarded, and some people are targeted by the operators of multiple torsion slingshots.

The javelin drew a low and flat parabola, giving the vanguard lance an extremely fatal blow.

A javelin tragically penetrated the neck of Tristan's horse. Although it was a coincidence, it was inevitable. The javelin penetrated the horse's neck. He was charging with a sword and his body pressed against the horse's mane. The spear tip It smashed through his armor and even blasted through the lining of the chainmail.

The javelin did not penetrate further into Tristan's body, but one of his ribs was broken.

Perhaps, if he had also worn the cutting-edge breastplate that only the elite soldiers of Ross had, he would never have suffered this fate.

He was thrown off the horse, and his broken ribs directly penetrated his lungs due to the second impact. The deflated lungs were making a terrifying and weird whine.

"Oops! Fatal injury!"

However, Tristan himself had been thrown out. After falling heavily to the ground, he subconsciously covered his bleeding chest, but did not dare to let out the breath he was holding.

He was facing a fatal pneumothorax and was forced to stumble to his feet thanks to his good health.

No one noticed that their general fell off his horse, and the following cavalry noticed that friendly troops suffered abnormal casualties. They subconsciously adjusted their movement for fear that their horses would trample the injured friendly troops.

The war horse galloped past Tristan, who was half kneeling on the ground. He suddenly felt something welling up in his chest, and he couldn't hold it back and spurted out a mouthful of blood. Now he saw his men trampling and poking at the fleeing Norman soldiers, and he saw Count Ramongo join the fight.

He couldn't help but smile, and suddenly his body felt weak and the world was spinning, and he fell down.

Just as he was dying, his eyes saw thick smoke billowing in the direction of the city, and his last smile instantly turned into horror.

There is no need to be afraid anymore, everything is over...