Chapter 2, Knight from the East (Part 1)
The Hundred Years' War between England and France was an unprecedented catastrophe and disaster for both the British and French people. Western historians pointed out: "The Hundred Years' War was a game of slaughter that lasted for hundreds of years. When the royal families and nobles of the two countries fought for While celebrating the benefits they have won, the innocent civilians who lost their homes and relatives can only cry silently. The war has been going on for a hundred years, and the people have also cried for a hundred years.”
But on the other hand, this war started against the background of an era of change - the Crusades failed, the Renaissance sprouted, the papal authority was disappearing, and the influence of the Holy Roman Empire was tending to be annihilated. ; various kingdoms and republics began to rise and compete, and trade conflicts The conflict gradually became the main conflict between the kingdoms; the issue of sea control began to arise; the chivalry that emerged from the Crusaders era also evolved into a brave and fierce atmosphere; and the most important and fundamental cause of the war was It is that the land of Western Europe is too small for the development of two powerful countries. All these factors were superimposed together and finally exploded, appearing in the form of the so-called Hundred Years' War between Britain and France. This was a great catastrophe in the Middle Ages. Although it brought countless foolish disasters, it also sowed the seeds of a new era for the birth of a greater England and France.
In general, the Hundred Years War between England and France was not only the climax of classic medieval wars, but also the dawn of the end of the Dark Middle Ages.
From the perspective of the French, the significance of the Hundred Years' War between England and France to them is very similar to the significance of the Anti-Japanese War to the Chinese.
——First of all, from a strategic point of view, this is a life-and-death showdown between the continental country France and the ocean island country England to compete for hegemony in Western Europe, just like the brutal fight between China and Japan in modern times to determine who can dominate East Asia;
Secondly, from a tactical point of view, the control of the sea in both wars had already changed hands in the early stages of the war. The entire battlefield was basically on the mainland. It was an out-and-out defensive war. In addition, a large number of traitors and traitors defected to the island country during the war. Invaders, leading to the rapid loss of the country;
Third, from a psychological perspective, the invaders from the island countries who launched wars against mainland countries originally had a vassal relationship (the British King before the war had always maintained territory in France and was nominally surrendered to the French King), and the results of the war were Since then, the island countries have abandoned their awe of the mainland mother country and developed an arrogant mentality of looking down on each other. The mainland countries have inspired nationalism in the painful defeat and began to transform into new countries;
Fourth, during the British invasion, France was bloodily torn off its invincible knight's skin, and was shamefully knocked off its crown as the hegemon of Western Europe. The battles fought by the two sides were basically based on their superior strength and strength. The well-equipped French army was ultimately defeated and defeated. The wealthy France, which had a population of more than 20 million before the war and whose taxation alone exceeded the annual income of England, had little power to withstand the poor Britain with a population of only 4 million due to its backward political and military systems. The conservative and proud French knights began to embark on the painful road of innovation;
Fifth, but also due to the vast territory, large population and strong strength of France, even if the British army once occupied Paris and conquered half of France, they were still unable to completely annex their mother country - thus causing entanglements. Centuries of national hatred and bitter enmity between Britain and France.
In the end, the result of the war was that the mainland countries were also unified, while the island countries were forced to withdraw from the mainland, and a long confrontation across the sea began.
Of course, after two groups of reincarnations driven by the main god system came to the time and space of the Hundred Years War between England and France to start a team battle, and joined the French and British camps respectively, this period was full of iron and blood, sword and fire, The cruel history of death and slaughter, destruction and rebirth has begun to deviate from the existing track, but it has also been endowed with infinite possibilities - it seems to be how it should be.
Unfortunately, in fact, fate played a huge and embarrassing joke on these two groups of confident visitors from another world.
——The summer of the third year after the arrival of Lord Livy was also the ninth year that the Hundred Years War broke out between England and France. A new round of war began to ignite.
In July of that year, King Edward III of England was tired of the endless border conflicts with little progress - although in the previous Battle of Sluys, the British army had annihilated the French naval fleet and completely gained control of the English Channel. But the French knights on land were still relying on fortresses and cities to resist stubbornly - personally leading 10,000 elite troops across the English Channel, forcibly landing in Normandy, and advancing deep into the interior of France, burning towns and massacring people along the way. Once he came to the city of Paris and invited the proud French knights to fight.
Faced with such an obvious provocation, King Philip VI of France responded angrily, quickly assembled 35,000 French troops, and marched north. This number of troops seemed to far exceed the expectations of King Edward III of England. In the face of the counterattacking French army, the British army turned around and crossed the Somme River and retreated hastily. After several days of pursuit, the 10,000 British troops finally stopped in a small village called Crecy and turned around to assume a decisive battle.
Behind these island invaders were a total of 35,000 well-equipped French troops with high morale.
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August 1346 AD, French army camp on the banks of the Somme River in northern France
Under the twilight of midsummer, the tips of countless spears flashed red, as if they were weeping blood. The tents of nobles and knights were scattered all over the place like silken mushrooms. Thousands of campfires filled the air with a pale mist. The neatly arranged horses stretch to the end of the field of vision. Entire woods were cleared to make flagpoles and fences and to light campfires, the smoke of which could be seen from an hour's walk away.
Beside the blazing bonfires, knights driving their horses can be seen everywhere, with long dyed feathers floating on their helmets and gorgeous embroidered capes hanging from their shoulders. Almost all the knights in France responded to the call of King Philip VI of France, and a total of 35,000 people gathered here - spearmen with spears, swordsmen with swords, heavy infantry with helmets and armor, Camp prostitutes wearing heavy makeup and strutting through the city, archers with feathers on their hats, driving trucks The handyman who feeds the livestock, the footman who delivers the message, the attendant who sharpens the sword, the groom who scolds the bad horse, the busy family members who accompany the army... all kinds of noisy sounds drift through the farms, fields and fields, surging. Flying in all directions, hazy, like the call of the God of War.
The entire French army seemed confident about the upcoming decisive battle - more than three times the strength advantage, the high morale to defend their homeland, and the thousands of elite heavily armored knights who concentrated the essence of the entire French military power, making them firmly believe that they were absolutely There is no reason to fail.
Those young and brave aristocratic children are all gearing up and energetic, ready to use the heads of the British guys in the village of Crecy ahead to wash away the shame of the failure of the Sea Battle of Chess Ruis and show their family's glory and martial arts.
(The Battle of Sluys, the first major battle of the Hundred Years' War between Britain and France, was equivalent to the Battle of the Yellow Sea in China's Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1891. The French fleet, which had originally had an advantage in size, was wiped out in one battle, completely losing the possibility of bringing the war to Britain. Sex. It is inevitable that France will become a battlefield)
However, in a corner on the edge of the French camp, there were a few guys who were full of despair and fear about their future fate.
——This is a very comfortable large tent. The space inside the tent is larger than the hall of an ordinary hotel. All kinds of luxuries are everywhere: feather mattresses and fur coats, and a large copper-inlaid bathtub to dispel the cold. A night-cooled brass charcoal basin, a suspended leather folding chair, a desk with ink bottles and quills, plus a pile of carefully crafted armors and weapons, as well as a change of clothes, books and combat items packed in pine boxes picture. On the dining table in the center of the tent, there were large plates of sliced bread, plums and apples, golden and crispy roast chicken, and wine in silver jugs.
However, the four time-travelers, three men and one woman, sitting in this tent, had no intention of enjoying the food and wine in front of them. They just stared stupidly at the piles of armor, clothes, swords and jewelry that fell around them. Being in a daze - that is what the seniors leave behind before they leave this world.
"...The main god shuts down, the scene ends, and all the reincarnators are forced to eject? What the hell is this?"
The young man with the hedgehog head was the first to react and punched the table angrily, "...The decisive battle that has been prepared for so long has not even begun yet?!! What's even more terrible is that these gangs Why did the seniors forget about us newcomers when they left? ”
"...Stop complaining. The most important question now is, what should we do next? Do we still want to fight with the French and sacrifice our lives?"
The bald man also spoke, looking at Levi at the same time, "...Since all the senior members of our handsome team have run away, then the fried chicken team on the opposite side of the British team must be the same...Brother Levi, you have to hurry up Come up with an idea! You are the only one left among us!”
After hearing the argument between the two of them, the girl who was still in a daze came back to her senses and cast her expectant eyes on Levi.
"...You are thinking too far, brother. The biggest problem now is how to explain the disappearance of these people to the king and the soldiers below!"
Knight Levi, who was wearing a light chainmail suit and a mustache, gave a wry smile, bent down and took out a few seals and other things from the senior personnel's clothes scattered on the ground, "...if we are If I am suspected of being a murderer, then everything will be over! Fortunately, I am a lord after all. As long as I have the captain's token and can pay, I can still command the soldiers recruited from Marseille! Gotta move..."
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Since arriving in this world in the winter of the year before last, in order to increase the French army's winning rate, everyone in the Handsome Team began to recruit troops under the banner of the Knights Hospitaller, and established an army within the scope of their financial resources. A small force of more than 200 people; while working hard to take the upper-level route, they used the spices and silks trafficked from the East by the Knights Hospitaller to make friends with the powerful and increase their influence in the French aristocratic circle.
So it didn't take long for these "knights from the East" to gain some fame in southern France.
In addition, they also did not forget the firearm-making skills necessary for time travellers-in the Hundred Years' War between England and France, a very important reason why the French army suffered repeated defeats was the lack of long-range projection firepower. Suppressing the British longbowmen from a distance. In the later period of the Hundred Years' War, the French army reversed its decline because of the birth of early artillery, which finally gave the French army a way to break up the phalanx of British archers.
Therefore, although the modern firearms exchanged before cannot be used here due to the restrictions of the main god's space, the reincarnations of the handsome team are still prepared to tinker with the artillery in this time and space early, and advance the arrogant Welsh longbowmen by a century. Blast into dregs.
Unfortunately, due to lack of financial resources, they really could not afford to buy so much bronze, so they had to find a cooper to build dozens of pine cannons. The pine wood was cut and hollowed out in the middle, and fixed with iron hoops on the outside. After several tests and improvements, the range was improved. Reached 1,780 meters. Although the wooden barrel is not durable enough and will explode after just a few shots, it can still survive a battle. During several artillery drills, this relatively cheap new invention also attracted the attention of many soldiers.
After all the efforts mentioned above, before the Battle of Crecy broke out, their captain finally won the favor of several big nobles and got a temporary title of artillery unit commander in the army - although most of them The French knights still didn't pay much attention to the new invention of artillery. They just regarded it as an interesting toy that could make loud noises, but they didn't mind seeing the actual effect of this thing on the battlefield.
In this way, after the Dharma King's recruitment order was issued, all members of the Shuaidai team pushed more than 20 pine cannons and embarked on the journey with more than a hundred miscellaneous soldiers. Then about five days ago, news was received that the fried chicken team had arrived at the British camp.
But the problem is, just this evening, while they were eating a fairly sumptuous dinner, they were discussing how to advise the King of France on the battlefield, how to use the few troops at hand, and how to deal with the possible threats that the fried chicken team had. At the time of high-end force (the stronger the individual strength, the later the team will enter, which is a general rule in team battles), a sudden drastic change brought all progress to an abrupt halt.
"...The main god shuts down, the scene ends, and all the reincarnators are forced to eject!"
With this monotonous and mechanical voice, under the dumbfounded gazes of the three newcomers, all the seniors disappeared without a trace in an instant! I went home so easily! ! This put the newcomers into extreme shock and panic! ! !
Fortunately among the misfortunes, these veterans did so naked when they disappeared, leaving behind all their belongings. This allowed Li Wei to forge a document with the captain's seal and successfully take over their small unit - he originally held the title of deputy commander of the artillery, and Li Wei also carried several hoops for the pine cannons in the team. It was created by Cooper, and he was responsible for recruiting most of the gunners and infantry, so when the soldiers learned that Levi had taken over the command, everyone took it for granted and there was no disturbance.
Then, Sir Li Wei bit the bullet and used the absurd reason that "His Excellency the artillery commander, his staff and personal bodyguards suddenly fell ill and were worried about the infection, so they had to be sent back to the rear for treatment. Their wives also returned with him" and contacted the royal family. The arriving heralds explained and reported (their The small unit belongs directly to the royal family on the battlefield) - Fortunately, they are just a small unit that is not taken seriously, and the temporary change of commander does not seem to affect the firing of artillery, so for the sake of Li Wei's filial piety, a small bag of silver coins , and finally no one held those senior officers accountable for escaping from battle.
However, as the imminent crisis was lifted, the question of what to do next was placed before them again.
"...Indeed, with the shutdown of the main god system, team battles are gone. Even if you escape, you will not face the punishment of the main god - but you will face the wrath of the French royal family and Rhode Island! Don't forget! We are now There is no way to escape from this world!”
Facing the bald man who wanted to retreat, Sir Levi spread his hands helplessly, "...Yes, the management of the French military camp is very chaotic. We can always get a few war horses and run all the way back to Marseille Port! But the problem is , The fire can't be contained. The captain and the others suddenly disappeared without a trace, which would be difficult enough if a few of our backbones also followed. As soon as he leaves, this army will collapse immediately! After causing such a scandal, leaving a reputation as a coward, and ruining the name of the Knights Hospitallers of Rhode Island, do you think the royal family and the Knights Hospitallers are still there? Will they spare us? Even if they confiscate their property and throw them into jail, it’s not impossible to hang them on the gallows!
Therefore, if we don’t want to be homeless, if we still want to return to the manor in Marseille Port, enjoy the wealth left by the captain and the others in the past few years, and live a life without worries about food and clothing in this world, then we can do it no matter what. We have to fight this battle to the end!
What's more, it's not like we don't have the capital to give it a try. These pine cannons are all built with our hard work. Everyone knows how powerful they are. If you can create a good reputation on the battlefield, are you still worried about losing status and future in the future?
Moreover, I am already a knight in this world, and the manor in Marseille Port will also be under my name in the future according to the order of inheritance. But you still don’t have any identity! If you want to have your own land and home, and if you want to live a life of your own, this is the time to work hard! Otherwise, how do you plan to make a living in the future? Farming? Be a sailor? Doing small crafts? It seems you don’t know how to do these things! ”
——Considering the serious consequences of the king’s wrath caused by the collective escape on the battlefield, and the cruel reality that they had no other livelihood skills and could only starve to death after becoming homeless, the time travelers decided to bite the bullet and fight to the end... But the question is, can it be won?
"...Hey, although there is no guarantee of victory - after all, we are just a bunch of gangsters. Without the captain, we are no longer qualified to speak at military meetings... But as long as we pay attention after the fight begins Some, it shouldn’t be a problem to save one’s life!”
Facing the two companions with gloomy expressions, Lord Levi could only forcefully encourage them with optimism, "...Don't worry! No one wants to die. I'm still waiting to go back to my dear friend after this battle is over. Miss Zhao Na is getting married!”
The knight from the East hugged his girlfriend next to him and rubbed his face while unconsciously uttering some forbidden words that were said to bring bad luck. Then, they personally experienced the impermanence of fate, the cruelty of the battlefield, and... the inescapability of death!