In the year 1330 of the Divine Calendar, the weather in Monroe on April 4, 176 of the Calendar Calendar, was different from usual, the sun was not shining brightly.
For residents of coastal countries close to the Mobigas Inland Sea, tropical storms are a very common occurrence. Although the vast inland sea is not as vast as the outer sea, it is still enough to form storms with shocking destructive power.
Most of the houses here are made of thick masonry structures to some extent because of this. However, most of the usual storms will not gradually appear until the temperature rises to a very high level in mid-May to June, but this time it did not happen. It has just entered April, and the sky in the distance is already covered with dark clouds.
Experienced old people can tell that the coming storm is not very large, and since Monroe is not the closest to the coast, there will probably only be strong winds and heavy rain.
Even so, it has affected many people's lives.
The displaced residents of the Monroe Territory Province, half of the city-state's population, even Xilin, the capital, cannot fully accommodate them. They can only live in temporary tents built with waterproof linen and wood. If a heavy rain comes, they will inevitably face more. big threat. In addition, food consumption for such a huge number of people is also a considerable problem. The main sources of food in Krant are cassava and rice. The former generally cannot be harvested until October, while the latter cannot be harvested until summer even for early rice. Just mature.
It was not the harvest season, and the merchants transporting grain also stopped traffic due to the tense atmosphere. The residents running towards Xilin fully thought that there would be food for them in the royal capital, but they did not expect the army carrying the food to Monroe. The supply here is also quite tight.
In this case, the royal guards who rushed back in a hurry not only failed to bring back food, but also directly launched a search among the fleeing people. Together with the previous series of events, the residents of Monroe, who had always been having trouble, naturally Resistance broke out.
Like the stormy sky, the scene on the other side of the cylinder was in chaos. How to deal with this matter must have given Herman a headache - but let's turn the camera back to Monroe.
In order to quickly rush back to Xilin, the mighty army went into battle lightly and left behind a lot of supplies and equipment, but Herman also took away a lot of experienced soldiers. In addition to the security posts, Herman also took away a lot of experienced soldiers. Apart from everyone and Henry Mira, there were only two mage apprentices, the intermediate court mage Leatherman and a team of elite soldiers.
Hermann obviously wanted to use the best troops to deal with severe challenges, but the result was that more than 500 lower-level soldiers did not have a sufficient number of veterans to lead them. Fortunately, both Henry and Vega are experienced in this. They directly appointed that group of elite soldiers to be the captains of each brigade, and then asked the veterans among the lower-level soldiers to directly select them as deputy brigade.
Not only that, they also made great changes in their equipment under the sage's suggestion. The first thing is to seize the time to collect a large amount of lead, from various jewelry to the lead sand left behind by the elite soldiers of the Monroe family. Then put it into an iron spoon and melt it directly, and finally pour it on the surface of the shield to form a temporary magic resistance.
This technique dazzled everyone who had the discernment to see clearly. Although the lead poured on the surface without professional treatment can be easily broken by various physical attacks, if it can be formed into a shield wall, it can be used to resist such kind of attacks. A suicidal attack that rushes up to release spells.
Henry arranged this team in the third column, the first column was a group of ordinary soldiers and the second column was archers. Theoretically, they will hinder the opponent first while the archers take the opportunity to attack. Then when the opponent showed signs of taking out the ring, they immediately spread out and ran to the side so that the third column of shield walls could top them. But to be honest, with the poor quality of these lower-level soldiers, although the plan is like this, the actual situation is probably to abandon them as cannon fodder, and take this opportunity to let soldiers with lead-coated shields go up to neutralize the magic. And then kill the opponent.
Henry and Vega, who had joint command power, knew this in their hearts, but they did not say it explicitly. They just quickly formed a team and pushed towards the Duke's Palace vigilantly.
Even if the team of five hundred people gathered in a dense formation, they had covered a considerable distance. Vega and Henry were in a slightly forward position, and all of them were riding war horses. Together with the three mages, they were much taller than the soldiers walking next to them.
——This is not some boring theory that the commander needs to show his domineering majesty, it is just a simple need of the situation.
If you have ever had the experience of trying to see the scene ahead in a crowd of people, you will definitely understand. If the commanders were also walking, they would not have a clear idea of the situation - because they could not see anything except the densely packed heads and shoulders of the people in front.
Sometimes fools who know nothing about war think that the commander who rides a tall horse at the front of the team is stupid and arrogant, because in their opinion, this can easily attract attacks from enemy archers. But what they don't know is that if the commander does not take this risk and can only convey the battlefield situation through the soldiers next to him, there will be no chance of victory at the beginning of the battle.
A good commander may not necessarily have a genius strategy, but he must be able to discern opportunities and get his troops to the right place at the right time. Soldiers who are leaderless and don't know what to do when their commander is killed usually end up in chaos and failure - that's where it comes from. A huge group of people walked all the way from the North City Avenue to the Duke's Palace, but before they got there, someone blocked them in the middle of the road.
This place is already a desolate slum. The soldiers carefully pointed at various twisted alleys with shields and spears. The troops who were afraid of an ambush inside suddenly came around from the flank.
"Disperse the left and right flanks." Vega shouted loudly, and the captains who were in charge of the elite soldiers immediately led dozens of people to disperse. They dispersed towards the alley, guarding the flanks of the main team. attack.
"Shield wall, up!" The gray-haired middle-aged man shouted again, and the soldiers in the first row on the broad avenue immediately formed their formation. They seemed very unfamiliar, and in the final analysis, this was related to the years of war in the Five Kingdoms.
Several years of continuous combat can indeed turn the most inexperienced soldier into a skilled veteran, but only if he survives until the end of the war. For war-torn areas like Krant, dead people are common, even skilled veterans, as for the remaining parts. Some have become elite soldiers, some have become knight attendants, and some have become mercenaries. There are very few people who have experienced many battles and become skilled veterans but still stay at the level of ordinary lower-level soldiers.
In addition, all the human and financial resources are spent on war, which leads to the inability to build the infrastructure properly, and no one teaches it. They have not learned any basic knowledge and their equipment is rudimentary - these are a lot of conditions added together. Although Krant is as militarily aggressive as any other kingdom in this area, the combat effectiveness of the ordinary soldiers here is not the same. Not much higher.
The messy and twisted shield wall was put together as they moved forward. After repeated adjustments, these people successfully raised the shield wall to the same height - everyone's hands were trembling. Because as the distance got closer, they finally saw clearly what their opponent was like.
The last ray of sunlight reflected from the surface of the silver plate armor, and then the entire sky was covered by dark clouds.
The rain is coming.
Many people tightened the wooden handles of their shields and swallowed.
The first enemy standing between them and the Duke's Palace was a whole group of heavy cavalry. Although there were only a dozen or so cavalry, the horses weighed hundreds of kilograms, were paired with knights in full plate armor, plus cavalry more than two meters long. The impact of the gun when running is enough to break through three or four layers of shield walls. .
"No further advance! Not even a cent!" The voice came from Medello, and the sky was getting darker. Henry heard a sigh from beside him, he turned his head, and Vega held his forehead.
Henry was not the only one who had made improvements to the equipment before. The sage was a stranger after all. They only know one thing about the deployment of troops here. The Sheriff, who has lived in Monroe all his life, has a far better understanding of various situations here than he does, and this naturally includes the few subordinate knights in the Duke's Palace.
"The weather..." Vega shook his head. The weapons he asked his men to prepare were boiled grease in clay pots, cork stuffed with a hemp rope cover on the outside. The end of the cover was a long The long rope is rotated in a manner similar to a sling and then thrown far away by centrifugal force. When it touches the ground, it breaks and allows the grease to flow out.
Then the archers in the front row used rockets to ignite them.
Horses are escape animals, which means they will naturally turn around and run away when frightened. Although the knights' horses have undergone rigorous training so that they can sprint and attack under the control of their masters and will not run away easily on the battlefield, most of the horses will be attacked when attacked, especially fire attacks. There will still be panic.
Using fire attacks against small groups of heavy cavalry in narrow terrain is a very common method, and Vega knows all this. The same is naturally true for Medello. But he still chose to go out because the change in weather provided great convenience. Although the masonry roads would also become slippery if it rained, making the charge of the war horse very dangerous, but if the fire attack could not be used, their chances of winning were quite equal. big.
"Throw the oil out." Vega hesitated, but Henry gave the order from the side.
"There's no need to set fire. Just make it impossible for them to charge." The sage hit the nail on the head as always, and the Sheriff reacted immediately. The effect of the thick and greasy grease is exactly the same as that of rainwater but more powerful. Just throw it out and spread it on the road. If a horse charges, it will inevitably fall.
"Throw it away!" he shouted, and his men immediately threw out more than thirty earthen jars.
"Clang! Clang!" The crisp cracking sound echoed endlessly, and Medello on the other side seemed to be aware of all this. He shook his hand in annoyance, then dropped his lance and dismounted.
"Detour! Walk!" In addition to him and a dozen other knights, there are more than a hundred elite soldiers behind Medello. Adding those lost before, it is obvious that this is all that is left of the Duke of Monroe's family. The elite soldiers followed his instructions and walked through the narrow alley one by one to Henry's left side. The soldiers there began to panic, and Vega shouted loudly: "Retract the flanks and don't engage the enemy." , approach the main formation!"
His judgment was obviously correct. There were only dozens of troops on the left flank and only a few elite soldiers. It would be strange to encounter more than a hundred of Monroe's elite soldiers plus the leading knight in full plate armor.
"Retreat, retreat!" the elite captain in charge shouted loudly. Several long archers opened their bows and fired a few arrows, forcing the Monroe elite soldiers to raise their shields and slow down their pace. The vanguard of the main formation began to move to the side. Vega struggled to direct the soldiers to contact the flanks, but the low-quality and dull lower-level soldiers still failed to react.
"Damn it!" roared the Sheriff, driving his horse forward. The scene was very chaotic, with people crowded together. They had to move left and right to make room for the flanks, and the soldiers at the rear retreated too far during this chaotic process and were separated from the leading troops——
But it's not a coincidence. Both sides were in motion and neither could judge the other's position through the houses. Medello led more than a hundred elite soldiers and rushed out from between the troops on both sides——
"Hell!" The knight general just ran after the flank and found that he was surrounded. On the ever-changing battlefield, plans can never keep up with the changes. He was planning to retreat, but Vega, who realized this, could not let this go. Chance.
"Surround them! Raise the shield wall!" the Sheriff shouted. The chaotic formation changed because of his words. Although there was still no cooperation, the soldiers who were in chaos still managed to surround the opponent. The situation faced by Medello suddenly became difficult. The number of opponents on both sides was more than 200. Even if they gathered their forces to focus on one area, they would still be able to penetrate because the soldiers and equipment here were better. Opportunity to attack the opponent's front, but if you turn around and attack one side, your back will be attacked by the other side.
If you focus on one side to fight, you will be hit by the enemy behind you, and you will have to launch a counterattack. Once a counterattack occurs, the chance of breaking through the front will be greatly reduced if the troops are dispersed. If we change our approach and divide our forces from the beginning, facing the enemy on two fronts and engaging in a war of attrition will obviously be extremely detrimental to our own side, which is small but capable.
The knight general was in a dilemma over the choice of tactics, but he did not hesitate at all when issuing the order.
"Shield wall!" Under his roar, a neat formation was formed. The two sides fell into a confrontation, and all the remaining troops of the Duke of Monroe's family, trapped in the center of the encirclement, bared their teeth and claws like a trapped animal-Vega came over on horseback.
"Dong dong dong dong..." The sound of horse hooves echoed on the red brick pavement, while the Sheriff looked at them from above.
"Surrender." Vega said calmly. The knights and elite soldiers looked at him. Although they were wearing helmets, most of them could see dissatisfaction in their eyes.
"..." The Sheriff took a glance and saw that most of the elite soldiers were familiar faces to him. Although the knights in plate armor were all covered with face shields, he could recognize several of them from the noble emblems on them.
"You guys..." He sighed, and then suddenly put on a scowl on his face.
"What a bunch of bastards!!"
The roar that was very characteristic of Vega drowned out everyone else's voices. Both the opponent and his own side focused their attention on the gray-haired middle-aged man.
The sky was dull gray, and the sunlight could only shine through some gaps. The air seemed very dull and heavy rain was about to come. In this, the haggard and decrepit Sheriff straightened his back. The sudden scene made many elite soldiers and even knights of the Monroe family feel like they had returned to more than ten years ago——
"Lawrence, dead..."
"Because that woman captured Mary and Ann and forced him to do it."
"He's dead... and he's still suffering from infamy!!"
The rain fell bit by bit. Vega's voice was thick and breathy, with an inevitable tremor.
"All of you know him. And not just him, but those who died a few days ago, those are all the people you eat with, train with, and trust with your lives in the battle of life and death. companion!"
"The lives of these companions. Just like that, they were all given up for this boring, boring politics, and boring conspiracy!"
"Don't you still think that not enough people have died? Do you want this city you swore to protect to be stained with more blood?"
"Asshole! The soldiers I taught are not virtuous like this!!"
There is no need to talk about empty truths, and there is no need to detail the dark past of the Monroe family one by one to make pale accusations. Vega just used Vega's way to scold his opponent who was supposed to be fighting for life and death. His very personal style of action has not changed for more than ten years. Many people have remembered the past - there is a natural feeling in their hearts. There are also entanglements and doubts about why all this is happening, and what is the significance of the sacrifices of oneself and his companions - elite soldiers and knights are not fools, and they cannot agree on the various situations during this period. Their eyes darkened, but the other party was their employer and their lord, so they could only obey.
——But, is that all?
——Do you have no choice, so you can only obey, or do you just cannot muster the courage to resist and question?
"Take up arms and become my enemy." The sound of the rain became louder and louder, and the drops hit the masonry pavement, but what was louder than that were Vega's words that spoke directly to the soul.
"Or ask yourself about your own heart and ask yourself whether you really agree with this behavior."
"I know you all have doubts about what has happened in this city-state since the death of Grand Duke Aubrey; you wonder what the lord you swore allegiance to is planning."
"Doubts." Vega's last words were spoken while looking directly at Medello.
"What is the meaning of their death?"
"..." The "gurgling" sound made by the knight chief clenched his teeth clearly echoed in the surrounding air. His hands could not help shaking, which directly caused the plate armor he was wearing to start to make a slight metal collision sound. .
"Absurd, ridiculous!" The young elite soldier who supported Medello during the duel between Vega and Medello some time ago pointed at Vega's lack of confidence and said with some trembling, but the Sheriff who had been looked down upon by him in the past only glanced at him. His glance made the young man who lacked confidence subconsciously take a few steps back.
"This is the choice before you..."
"If you can still have a clear conscience and have no doubt that you want to die for such a master, then continue to point your weapons at us."
The rain was pouring down, and Vega said. (To be continued.)
