Chapter 682 Battle! (Rounded to 6k words, a super giant two-in-one chapter)
The iron ball as big as a fist crossed an arc and hit the reeds. A piece of mud and grass flew into the sky.
When the strong wind blew, Tuskin bent down again, fearing that he would be exposed from behind the grass.
After opening a gap in the reeds, he lay down on the wet mud, huddled behind the mound, and squinted to observe the situation on the battlefield.
After escaping, Tuskin did not leave the battlefield. Instead, he and several companions found a nearby place to ambush.
Although he still didn't know which knight ordered to stop him, as long as it wasn't the earl, it wouldn't be a big deal.
Although his heart palpitated inexplicably when he thought about the scene just now, it did not prevent him from staying.
When the wizard shows off his power, everyone's legs will definitely feel weak, but if they bump into monks and extraordinary knights, things will be hard to predict.
If the situation improves, he can definitely join in. This will be worthy of Duke Bodoza's one gold coin per month.
As a mercenary, Taskin is very professional.
The first "iron meteor" pierced the air and hit the ground with a sharp whistle.
Taskin held his breath, and his heartbeat almost skipped a beat.
However, this lone cannonball only stopped in front of the knights' array, and the sight was obscured by the churning mud and grass clippings.
Most of these extraordinary knights and elite mercenaries are veterans of the battlefield, and their morale and ability to withstand pressure are much higher than those of normal soldiers.
They were shocked for a moment, and the front of the military formation was stagnant and chaotic for a few seconds. Then they quickly regained their composure under the curses of the war supervisory team led by Count Kazi.
"How's it going? Brother Tuskin, you have good eyesight, will this fight be easy?"
"We haven't engaged yet, let's have another look." Withdrawing his head from behind the mound, Tuskin turned his head and whispered, "But in my opinion, it should be 50-50. The shooting star's accuracy is not very good. Just now Fired seven or eight times, only one person was injured.
As long as this knight phalanx can withstand the meteor bombardment, in a close battle, with the loose formation of the Qianhe Valley infantry, the knights have a greater chance of victory.
Of course, if the knights collapsed first, then when the elite Patriarch's Imperial Army came up from behind, they would probably just throw off their armor and flee. ”
"Then it's still a showdown of willpower."
"Yeah, who would have thought." Tuskin sighed, "The infantry can actually play a duel of willpower with the knights. No wonder Prince Condai fell for it."
"I heard that the Qianhe River Valley Despot is recruiting domestic servants, and the wages are very fast. When the money is paid here, how about we go and have a look?"
"We are still fighting, where are you thinking?" Taskin kicked his helmet with his foot, "Concentrate and don't think randomly."
Before Taskin could finish his words, he was interrupted by another roar. He immediately fell silent, grabbed the rock, and poked half of his head out from behind the mound.
This time it was still an "iron meteor", but as the knights and the Salvation Army continued to march in opposite directions, this "meteor" had already hit the side of the knights' square formation within a few dozen steps.
A wave of muddy mud and duckweed rose up, shaking the entire puddle. There were even a few water snakes and water rats that climbed onto the shore in a daze and disappeared into the stream in a panic.
The foul smell stirred in the wind, and the expressions of many knights changed slightly.
The taste doesn't feel right.
"How was it?" Lulesi, who was present in person, asked Mormont after seeing the results of the two test shots.
Mormont put down the lookout: "The positioning is almost accurate. Anyway, the Falcon Cannon fires flatly. These two cannons are just for positioning the Sand Sculpture Cannon."
"How long will it take for the sand cannon to be transported?"
"Um." Mormont took out his pocket watch, "I think it may take about a quarter of an hour. The main reason is that the commander on the opposite side is quite smart and walked on the inside. Our gryphon ship cannons can't hit them. It's a pity. ……
But you can rest assured that I have arranged two regiments of the God's Punishment Army in advance to pass through the forest on the side with ten falcon cannons, so that they can be attacked by a double holy wind attack. ”
"Very good." Lulesi nodded. She hesitated for a few seconds and then asked, "Are you sure you really don't need me to go into battle?"
"Don't go into battle." Mormont hurriedly intercepted, "What if you go into battle and this cannon has no eyes and it hits you? We will be helpless."
Lulesi lit up her pipe with some disappointment: "Okay, then I'll go see how the hydraulic winding machine is installed."
After Lulesi left, Mormont continued to calculate the distance with the lookout glass in high spirits.
"Six hundred steps... almost." After muttering to himself, Mormont ordered the adjutant on the side, "Fire angle 2, every 7 doors in a group, shoot alternately, the enemy will advance 150 steps Then, after firing the shells in the barrel, retreat."
The positioning test firing of the two guns was completed. The former gun was to measure the longitudinal distance, and the latter gun was to measure the lateral distance. In the calculations of the astrologers, the 14 falcon guns began to slowly adjust the left and right directions of the muzzles.
"Praise the Holy Wind!"
It was as if the Norn legendary God of Thunder was driving a chariot across the sky, and with a rumbling sound, seven cannonballs shot out.
"Coming!" Tuskin, who was hiding behind the mound, roared and focused all his attention on the battlefield.
In his blinking eyes, the shells in the distance quickly changed from blurry black dots to the roaring wind of hell.
"Ah——" A series of screams instantly occupied the knights' earchlea. Almost instantly, a total of eight knights in the first three rows were almost knocked to the ground.
The knights in the middle were caught off guard and almost tripped, while the knights in the rear were still wondering what was going on.
"Have you engaged in battle? What's going on in the front row?"
"Chanting Master, quickly suppress the enemy's spells, quickly!"
"Save me...save me..."
Earl Kazi, who was guarded by the war team in the middle, stood blankly. He was always known for his agility, but he didn't react for a while.
When the iron ball hit the knights, there were still about five hundred steps between the two sides!
But he clearly saw a brave knight among them who was moving forward resolutely. He suddenly lifted his feet off the ground, let out a scream that was almost like a lady's, then threw his butt back and then smashed out.
That was a rare high-level knight who commanded combat power, but in the blink of an eye, the knight's chest was pierced by a cannonball, and blood gushed out from the broken armor, sprinkling all the surrounding knights.
The iron ball that even penetrated his armor continued to break the thigh of a knight behind him before stopping.
Although only 3 of the 7 cannonballs hit, due to the knights' too close positioning, almost every cannonball penetrated at least two people.
The dense phalanx that was originally used to protect them now turned into a life-threatening curse.
"Keep going, keep going!" After being shocked, Earl Kazi reacted quickly. He drew out his dagger and hit the helmets of the knights in the front row hard, waking them up from their daze.
"Don't be afraid, it's just a new type of ballista. They can't fire a few shots from a few hundred steps away. Rush over! Loyalty and honor!"
Currently they occupy relatively open and stable terrain and are able to assemble and deploy their troops.
If they retreated at this time and gave up this relatively hard ground to the Salvation Army, they would never have a chance to assemble.
Count Kazi clenched his dagger tightly, his palms already soaked with sweat.
He vaguely felt that forming a large square formation was a mistake, but if he retreated, he would probably have no chance to attack again.
"Loyalty and glory!" A knight captain stuttered and shouted, and the monks used their last strength to throw the magic to dispel fear on these knights.
When the warm magic fell on his body, his pounding heart calmed down, and his legs and feet, which had been as heavy as lead, also became lighter.
But when they passed the bloody corpses with empty eyes, the large phalanx that was originally advancing normally slowed down unconsciously.
Although only five knights died, this invisible spiritual shock is indelible.
They can endure death, but not this way. This kind of death occurs inexplicably before the battle even begins, before the enemy's face is even seen clearly.
Death with flesh and blood flying everywhere and broken limbs all over the ground is not their glorious death.
Almost a minute later, there was another violent roar, this time hitting more.
Amidst the screams of cannonballs piercing the air, seven or eight knights in the front row fell or even flew backwards.
The orichalcum spring rotates the airflow and emits a sharp sound like a bagpipe from the balance hole.
As the falcon cannons all retreated, the huge iron ball rushed out amidst the fierce friction between the firing rod and the barrel, and shot out in a very small parabola.
Breaking through the resistance of the air and the interception and caress of the reeds, four of the seven fist-sized iron balls hit the knights with a clang.
If he was lucky, only his hands and feet were broken, but if he was unlucky, he was hit in the torso, and the ribs and spine flew out from the back of the heart, splashing all the friendly forces behind him in the face.
The friendly forces at this time don't have an easy time, but any shells that pass through can basically break their legs.
Broken iron pieces and messy severed limbs swept across the military formation, and they couldn't even see the enemy's face clearly.
"It's okay, it's okay, rush over. There are only two thousand of them. As long as we kill them, their horizontal formation cannot stop us." Earl Kazi shouted at the top of his lungs, running back and forth with the team of supervisors and monks.
The knight commanders and high-ranking knights in the battle formation also roared around: "If you are afraid of death, get out. There are only a few catapults in total, and they can't launch them a few times."
The knights holding big swords and carrying halberds became dubious for a while.
In this era, generally the more powerful the projectile weapons and the farther the range, the lower the firing frequency. This has been demonstrated by Al scholars.
Under the double power of potions and magic, they still gritted their teeth and continued to rush forward.
Unfortunately, after more than a minute of silence, the third round of shelling came as scheduled, followed by the fourth, fifth, and sixth rounds...
In the next ten minutes, 14 falcon cannons fired one after another, firing nearly 60 rounds.
Each time, seven projectiles flew out from the two groups of artillery, firing at the knights at increasingly smaller angles.
When the distance got closer and closer, facing such a wide square formation, they didn't even need to aim, and they could fire all the solid shells into the densest crowd.
The phalanx advanced slower and slower, and even had to stop and wait for the knights behind to step forward to fill their positions.
But no one wanted to step forward and could only hide on both sides. The formation actually developed from a square formation to a horizontal formation.
Before the two sides actually engaged in battle, the noble coalition forces in Lilac Corridor already suffered a casualty rate of close to 5%.
"Archers, archers!" After the frantic running around, Count Kazi's cry for the archers even trembled faintly, "Have the demon hunters not killed those mages yet?" "I can't feel the reaction of casting spells, Your Excellency." A servant trotted over in fear, hunched over, "Those catapults are not cast by mages, they have no reaction to casting spells."
"Wouldn't the witchers directly assassinate? Let them assassinate and destroy a catapult, and the reward will be 300 gold pounds."
Although there must be brave men under the heavy reward, but unlike the mage, these cannons are densely arranged, right under the nose of the holy gunman.
As soon as several demon hunters approached, they started firing with muskets. Finally, they got close. Looking at such a big iron thing, they couldn't figure out how to destroy it.
In the end, not even a hair was brought back except for the bodies of my companions.
A huge iron ball whizzed past overhead, and as he walked, a knight fell down with his limbs flying everywhere.
Under such huge pressure, Earl Kazi ran around, offering bounties and titles, and relying on the magical skills of the war team and the monks, he brought more than 2,800 full-armored knights to a position of about 150 steps.
When both sides can clearly see their respective flags, it is time to engage in battle.
The lead shot off sparks on the armor, and the clock bullets falling from the sky made the knights shake their heads, but they could not scratch their ears through the helmets.
"We're finally here." Gritting his teeth, he looked at the scattered enemy arrays in four piles in front of him. Looking at the thin formation, Count Kazi suppressed the excitement in his heart, "Form the team for the last time and prepare to charge!"
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"Roar——"
What responded to him was the long-suppressed anger of the knights. After being suppressed and beaten by this group of farmers for more than ten minutes, they finally had the strength to fight back.
The more than two thousand Salvation Army soldiers standing opposite also began to close in and level their spears, preparing to deal with the impact.
"Stand still!"
"Go to the front row, those with two-handed swords, go to the front row. The Duke of Portosa has a bounty of 100 gold pounds!"
"For glory, for Lilac Corridor!"
"...There are no heroes in ancient times, but today there are lead shot and cannonballs..."
"The opponent's catapults have stopped firing. They must be scared!"
"...It is unheard of that the hand of the Holy Father can destroy all invincible clockwork guns..."
"Who is singing, and who is allowed to sing?" A knight shouted impatiently, hearing the sound of singing coming from the noisy shouts.
"...The monks of our generation are all chosen by God. Even if there are thousands of difficulties, we will not be afraid..."
"Who is singing? Who is singing?" Listening to the increasingly clear singing, the knight captain looked left and right angrily, but suddenly he suddenly turned his head to that side of the forest.
That is? The knight slowly opened his eyes, and the beating speed of his heart increased crazily within half a second.
At the edge of the forest, the God's Punishment Army, covered in mud and fallen leaves, appeared in sight with leeches on their ears and behind their calves.
What frightened him the most was not the cavalry on the flanks, but the platform rising from the muddy water and a row of slowly moving small clockwork cannons on the platform.
"Hey, hey -" In desperation, the knight stopped talking and just pointed at the forest and yelled, "Bows and arrows, archers, shoot over there, quick! Quick!"
"I sing songs one row after another..."
As the singing became clearer and clearer, the knights on the right side of the phalanx turned their heads and looked at the sudden appearance of another team of Salvation Army soldiers in horror.
And the row of 3-pounder Falcon cannons in front of them.
"Sing me row after row...Holy Alliance Salvation Army!"
Chaos began on the right side, but Count Kazi was completely unaware of it, because behind the dozen catapults on the opposite side, a new behemoth actually appeared.
"For glory!"
The war roars of the knights seemed to be a hundred steps away from him, and Count Kazi stared directly at the enlarged versions of the "magic catapults".
No, no!
Earl Qazi wanted to scream, but his voice was stuck in his throat and he couldn't scream out.
New magic catapult, new magic catapult with four doors!
"Praise the Holy Wind!"
The devil's whisper speaks praises to the Father.
"Boom, boom, boom, boom -"
In conjunction with the four flat-firing sand sculpture cannons, the twenty-four falcon cannons roared in unison.
When the sound of the cannon came, Count Qazi felt that his heart was about to stop.
Although the shell did not hit him directly, the flying sand and impact felt like a heavy punch on his chest.
"Your Majesty the Earl." The ashen-faced servant immediately reached out to help him, but was pushed away by Earl Kazi.
Pushing aside the mud and smoke in front of him, Earl Kazi stared blankly at the grapefruit-sized iron ball not far away.
Looking up again, the front row of the phalanx no longer existed.
The originally neat queue was now a bloody mud, with bloody bodies and broken gun shafts scattered on the ground.
The heavy iron ball as big as a grapefruit fell into the dense phalanx, and immediately rolled out a long bloody path in the queue.
The knights in the first three rows groaned in pain, their limbs were cut off by the cannonballs, and their blood flowed uncontrollably. They could only look at Count Kazi in despair.
"Holy Father——"
The knights in the front row squeezed back, but the dense array locked them firmly.
Some people screamed like crazy, some pushed their companions to escape, and more people just stood there, letting the hot blood dye their armor red.
Some of the knight captains were still shouting "Keep the formation!", but no one listened to their words, and even he himself was subsequently knocked down by the holy wind.
Only hundreds of knights, under great fear, picked up their spears and swords, bypassed their comrades, frantically broke away from the battle formation, and launched a desperate and reckless charge towards the Salvation Army.
After just a few steps, the holy gunmen not far away raised their wind-up guns one after another.
The lead passed through the charging infantry knights, bringing with it splashes of mud and flesh and blood. The knights were shaken as they ran and fell down.
There were only a few great swordsmen who could actually reach the front of the formation. Even if they were there, they would quickly fall to their knees, clutching the wounds in their throats and armpits, under the siege of dozens of fine iron spears.
The cracked bone fragments grazed Count Qazi's cheek, taking away a piece of flesh, and blood flowed down his cheek.
But he just stood there numbly, listening to the screams, gunshots and cannons around him, his hands and feet were cold.
The usually calm Earl couldn't even control the trembling of his body, nor could he stop the dizzy tinnitus.
It seemed that the phalanx still retained its original organization, but he knew in his heart that it was just that the defeat was too fast and the knights had not yet reacted.
He has lost, he has lost.
The sand sculpture cannon roared again, and the six-pound shells fell into the formation, instantly tearing the bodies of the three knights into broken flesh and blood.
The order of the phalanx seemed to be torn open, and fear spread rapidly from the cracks.
The knights had never seen such a way of death - silent, irresistible, like a joke from Death.
"Run!"
I don't know who made a tearing cry, and the sound seemed to pierce the last barrier.
The knights began to run away, stumbling under the corpses and mud under their feet. In panic, they even drew their swords and hacked each other, just to fight for a way to escape.
"Our army is defeated, our army is defeated."
"Run, run, they have the devil's help."
"I saw it with my own eyes. Their iron pipes are connected to Hell. Run!"
The wounded knights cried out, and some even knelt on the ground begging for their lives.
Fear was contagious one after another, and the knights who were just shaken at first quickly fell into flight. They threw away their heavy armor and weapons and began to push and run wildly.
There were even several incidents of stampeding and attacking each other.
Looking at the chaotic scene around him, Count Kazi could no longer hold on. His legs gave way and he fell to the ground, allowing his comrades to escape from him or fall down.
He looked at the enemy array in the distance. Their catapults and wind-up muskets were still firing, and the knights were like a bunch of crude targets.
"Everyone respects Dalia and worships Krahelus.
Alexandrus, all heroes are called?
Looking at the world today, who can compare with him.
I am the only one standing in row after row, the Holy Alliance Salvation Army! ”
Amidst the neat singing and drumbeats, thousands of spearmen stepped on the beat and began to drive these knights towards the river.
Hiding behind the mound and witnessing the whole process, Taskin and other mercenaries had sallow faces.
They looked at the knights who were either wailing all over the ground or running away across the mountains and plains, and they couldn't say a word.
Only the melodious singing was left in their ears.
"There are no heroes in ancient times, but today there are lead shot and cannonballs."
It is unheard of that the hand of the Holy Father can destroy all invincible clockwork guns.
Our monks are all chosen by God, so we have nothing to fear even if we face thousands of difficulties.
Song I Row and Row, Holy Alliance Salvation Army! ”
(End of chapter)