Since it is a legion named after Prince Conté, the leader of the legion is also a close relative of Prince Conté; the eldest son Federo. He was standing on a tower near one of the fortresses at the front, looking at the troops under his command.
I saw that he was wearing a finely crafted wig, his face was covered with spiced snow-white lead powder; his whole body was covered with Milanese armor inlaid with gems, gorgeous medals and ribbons, tassels, gold collars, and high-heeled wooden shoes at his feet. Shoes, just standing there are as conspicuous as a peacock.
Surrounding him were also a group of officers in gorgeous armor, as well as handsome attendants wearing embroidered robes and holding ceremonial guards; there was even a small band holding musical instruments, and teenagers who were obviously from the church choir; at any time Ready to play.
In the distant wilderness, the first to appear were the burgundy spearmen in yellow armor and short chain shirts, and the (citizens) light sword and shield soldiers in ring armor robes; a large square formation of more than a dozen companies. Followed closely by heavy infantry with scale armor and halberds and mercenary light cavalry of various colors.
Then, under the continuous urging of the sound of drums and trumpets, a large group of armed militiamen wearing brown leather armor and holding hooks, sickles, clubs and hammers; mixed with groups of noble private soldiers with messy flags; also slowly gathered on the two wings, As they advanced, the formation gradually became scattered.
In the array following them, there were also seven or eight companies of archers with cloth-clad round helmets; and several phalanxes of mercenary crossbowmen from South Italian city-states wearing cowhide coats and carrying square wooden shields; Under the guidance, he advanced slowly and silently.
In the end, serving as the rear guard and superintendent of the formation were thousands of armored knights, retinues of cavalry, and twice as many armed attendants; the flags and family emblems they held high, together with the large pieces of armor reflecting on their bodies, looked like The metallic jungle sparkles in the sunlight.
The position where they were gathering and waiting for orders at this moment was also within the support range of multiple fortresses and tower garrisons in the fields on the outskirts of the city, as well as their ballistas and other projectile weapons. Within the defense lines built around these fortresses, the smoke of cooking food was already rising.
This is the entire strength of the Franche-Comté (Grand Crown) Legion, a total of 14,000 soldiers. Except for some soldiers who stayed behind to guard the fortress defense line, most of the remaining combat forces have already been deployed. In the wilderness on the southern outskirts of Dijon.
"General Langdogon, do you also think that we are fighting a legendary saint?" Master Federo, as the commander of the army, suddenly said: "Otherwise, why would you use all your strength so solemnly? Do you want to ask for support from other legions?”
"No, I have never felt that these rebellious people in the south are beings favored by God." However, the person being questioned shook his head without hesitation and said: "I just followed the prince's instructions and took them seriously. Every hostile force.”
The speaker was a veteran general Langdogon with a tall forehead, broad eyebrows, a square appearance, and a beard and hair as thick as a lion; he was also the deputy who actually controlled the daily military affairs of the "Kongtai Corps"; his predecessor was a senior officer on the front line of the Ravenna Military District of the Western Empire, and several Generations have served in military districts.
But later, as the garrison commander was implicated, he had to remain anonymous and became a mercenary leader active in northern Italy and the eastern battlefield of the mainland. It was not until he met Prince Conté in his early years and swore allegiance that he was able to act as a confidant and confidant. settle down.
Because he was a foreigner, he used bloody and brutal methods to hand over a satisfactory answer to Prince Conté in the task of arresting political factions, including the old and new royalists, and killing local dissidents; Therefore, he was appointed as the deputy of Kongtai Corps.
In a sense, he is also the only adult son and heir arranged by Prince Conté for himself. This is an important guarantee to ensure that the legion will not be destroyed due to the whims of his eldest son Federo or other ridiculous actions. causing greater losses.
After all, as an illegitimate son of a grand duke, he was also a rare exception among the nobles. Prince Kongté traveled to other places to fight in his early years. It was not until he returned to the family and obtained the qualifications to separate the family that he was able to marry the daughter of the Count of Alsace under the arrangement of the previous Duke.
Therefore, Federo can be regarded as the son of Prince Conté after he was in his forties. But for some reason, he was kept in the family of the Duke of Burgundy for raising and education; he also developed a frivolous and exaggerated style that was incompatible with Prince Conté's military style.
Therefore, without the support of the lieutenant general, all Federo could command and mobilize was his own well-armored guard/cavalry company of noble sons. Fortunately, although Federo was not good at military affairs, he was not headstrong and could listen to others' advice.
Therefore, Langdogon rarely supported his suggestion of sending troops to test; or in other words, with the three legions within easy reach of the city and outside the city as potential support and backing, he also wanted to give it a try, and this army rashly went deep into the city. The specific quality of the Southern Army in Burgundy.
In other words, Phaedrus, as the heir to the non-permanent and lineage title of Prince Conté, also needs a battle to gain honors and merits. In this way, under the operation of Prince Conté, he could marry Mary Noelle, the little girl from the neighboring vassal kingdom - the Duchy of Lorraine.
Then, use this to obtain high-quality iron ore from the Principality of Lorraine and Lorraine soldiers who are accustomed to fighting in the mountains. Therefore, the young Master Federo just turned his brows indifferently and turned to him: "I don't believe that there will be a saint among those rebels in the south."
"Even if God is merciful to the world and wants a saint to walk in the world, he should not be born among a group of despicable people who are of humble origin and have no morals and decency." Then he added: "So, this It must be a trick used by those lowly people to deceive the world."
"Maybe it's a low-level knight who has awakened a special bloodline, maybe it's the trick of some alchemists, or even the dazzling tricks in circuses and singing and dancing troupes. It's just that those stupid men and women can't tell the truth from the false. And blindly follow it?"
"But we still can't take it lightly." However, the veteran Langdogon shook his head slightly and said: "After all, ordinary tricks and tricks can't deceive the entire knight family in the Provost region, let alone make them secretly respect themselves. That one is the King of Knights.”
"So, as the leader of the rebellion in the south, even if he is not a real saint walking the earth, he should have awakened the ancient bloodline ability that most knights have inherited and cannot reach; only then can they abandon their original glory and dignity and unite Follow it.”
"Even if he is the awakener of the ancient bloodline, so what?" Mr. Federo laughed frivolously: "After the change of the celestial sphere, the number of bloodline and ability users gradually awakening in the kingdom is also increasing day by day; but how can they resist? Where is the army and power?"
"In your father's court, you have witnessed with your own eyes the performance of those ability users who have taken refuge in the royal family, as well as the knights who have awakened their bloodline; so what if they are unusual existences in folklore; in the end, it is not Want to seek asylum from the royal court?”
"Legion Commander, please be careful what you say!" However, the veteran Langdogon suddenly said seriously: "It seems that you have had too many private contacts with those aliens, and have forgotten their weirdness and harm; you need to understand something They are just props used by the royal court."
"Not the prince's trustworthy subordinates and subordinates, nor a reliable ally or equal force; if you and your entourage continue to interact with these aliens, I will ask the church to hold a special mass to identify your Whether the mental state is affected."
"General Langdogon, you are really making a fuss out of a molehill." Mr. Federo couldn't help but sneered in embarrassment: "At the beginning, I was just out of curiosity and wanted to try some special fun that was completely different from normal humans. That’s all, I didn’t think about anything more.”
"As the heir to the prince and the commander of the legion, you should not have too much involvement and ties with these special existences hiding darkness." Rondogon shook his head and said, "Because after they have exerted their final value, you must It’s destined to be discarded.”
At this time, the sound of drums and trumpets in the distance sounded again; but it was the Burgundian spearmen and Dijon (citizens) lightly armed sword and shield soldiers walking in the forefront who had begun to approach the enemy's temporary line set up on the hillside; At this time, the crossbow arrays on both wings also began to accelerate.
I saw them crossing in groups of three and five, lengthening the scattered array of militia groups; and then quickly forming several rows at the edge of the maximum range facing the hillside; they all drew their bowstrings amidst the sound of the command. ; However, what sounded first was a series of roars.
I saw the blue line array formed by the Free Army on the hillside. Suddenly they retreated one after another, revealing a row of box-type carts; and many gun ports set up in the gaps between the formations; in the continuous Fireworks erupt and roar, and scorching balls are fired.
These projectiles with preset shooting angles almost roared in the air and drew low parabolas; most of them hit the crowd of spearmen and sword and shield soldiers who were rushing forward; there were also a few that hit them right in the middle. Archers and crossbowmen were in the front row with arrows ready to shoot on both sides.
In an instant, blood and severed limbs were smashed, torn, penetrated, and exploded by the rampaging ball bullets; they splashed and flew up one after another in the gaps in the crowd; shrill and unusual wails, and The exclamations and screams that disrupted the formation filled the moment.
It was visible to the naked eye that several of the phalanxes that were advancing forward were obviously shaken and confused; but under the pressure and squeeze of the rear groups that came up, they had to continue to move forward. Although the crossbow arrays on both wings suffered only minimal casualties, they were still frightened and fired randomly.
As a result, most of the scattered arrows missed the open space and baffles outside the vehicle barrier. Therefore, under the scolding and strict orders of the non-commissioned officers in the crossbow unit, they could not help but line up and move forward again; just to obtain a more accurate and dense shooting range.
However, there was once again a ping-pong sound like fried beans in the car formation; in an instant, the city-state hired crossbowmen who were in the front row of many horizontal formations and were marching in dense formation seemed to be being whipped by invisible whips in the air. , and fell to the ground bleeding with uneven remains.
(End of chapter)
