A few days later, on the eastern border of the Principality of Brabant, near the city of Liege on the border with the County of Limburg. In the wilderness dotted with large and small puddles and scattered swamps, the mountains and deep forests that wind through the side of the muddy ancient road have fallen silent again with the scattered and frightened birds and beasts.
On a huge boulder at the commanding heights deep in the forest, Jiang Tian was also looking down; amid the faint sound of drum music, a long procession was marching along the ancient road made of stones. As the new Duke of Brabant, Gismond introduced the lineup below in a low voice:
"This is the Bei Lai Yin Union, the largest contract mercenary 'Silver Hand Group'. It is also a veteran mercenary group that has served the princes of the Union for more than three generations; it is known as the Minions of Bei Lai Yin. At its peak, it had five A sub-regiment, about 6,000 soldiers and thousands of attached personnel."
Under a gray flag depicting a silver gauntlet, groups of soldiers wore leather spiked armor, half-length iron armor chest protectors, and rather simple small round helmets; some soldiers held belts and pedals. The others carried small bucklers and carried short spears and halberds.
Therefore, compared to most dirty mercenaries in the world's impression, their overall appearance, morale, and equipment level are more like a battle-hardened regular army; they even have a decent baggage convoy and several aircraft. Cannon on a carriage. Following closely behind came a cavalry.
Each of these cavalrymen wore light ring mail, with a disc-shaped iron plate reinforced on the chest, and Eastern-style ear protection helmets; the mounts were covered with rough felt, and in addition to sabers and shields on the saddle, there were also slanted left and right Astride two rows of light throwing spears that can be thrown and stabbed, he appears to be a skilled equestrian.
"That is the only cavalry unit among the five major contracted mercenary groups of the Northern Laiyin Alliance, the 'Rage and Gale Regiment'; it has three sub-regiments, eleven cavalry companies and five auxiliary infantry companies. The remaining soldiers are mainly They are all militia groups and guerrillas from the Northern and Laine Alliance."
In this era, the cavalry ranks of various countries in the Western Continent are roughly divided into three categories: the first category is the retinue/lancers who follow the knights in armor and charge into battle; the second category is the hunting cavalry who mainly ride and shoot with bows and crossbows; The third category includes only rangers/light cavalry with leather sheaths or armor.
The first type is derived from the typical feudal fief system of the Western Continent; the second type is caused by the continuous decline of the many eastern nomadic khanates that entered the Western Continent after the Khazar Khanate, which once straddled the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea, began to decline. Influence. The most famous of them, the Chasseurs, originated from the Eastern and Western Empires.
The third category is some kind of cheap alternative and alternative plan for most areas that cannot support a sufficient number of knights. And this 'Rage and Gale Regiment' is a typical example, and it is obviously specialized in some aspects, targeting the spear-throwing cavalry that attacks heavy infantry and shield formations.
As for the militia groups with different flags and uniforms, they are a bit lackluster; they are basically similar to most local militia groups during the kingdom's civil war. From long cloth shirts, leather covers, dyed armor, short leather armor, and bubble nail armor, most people did not have helmets and wore felt hats or turbans.
The most common weapons are various scythes and double-tipped forks, as well as long flails, which are also agricultural tools. Walking on the road is also full of loose and loose atmosphere; even groups of people distance themselves from each other, and they get together and make loud noises as if there is no one around, and some people are actually singing.
On the other hand, those guerrillas who were carrying various bows, arrows and throwers, and only wearing short cloth clothes or fur vests, with their thighs and arms exposed in the cold weather of autumn frost, seemed more calm and determined...
According to Gismond's introduction, the Northern Laiyin Alliance's army is basically divided into three parts: the first part is the standing force composed of the five major (long-term) contract mercenary groups. The city-states/lords will respectively contribute funds to support and maintain them in proportion to the Aachen Agreement signed at the beginning of the union.
Therefore, although it is still called a mercenary regiment, it is actually almost the same as the standing corps of the alliance. It is responsible for encircling the sphere of influence of the Northern Alliance, but does not intervene in the daily disputes between internal city-states and lords. When the alliance is invaded by a powerful enemy, more mercenaries will be hired.
In addition to the "Silver Hand Regiment" and "Rage and Gale Regiment" that went out this time, there was also a "Salian Regiment" that was good at water warfare, fighting in the south against the Avar Khanate from the Danube River Basin and the lower reaches of the Rhine River; There are also "Laiyin Shield Group" and "Starlight Group" who take turns guarding the border.
In addition, in the city of Frankfurt, which is the meeting place of the United States of Northern Ireland and originated from the northern border fortress of the ancient Roman Empire, there is also a small but elite chief prince/consul guard. However, unless the chief prince/consul goes on an expedition in person, he will basically not leave Frankfurt.
The second part is each city-state and its lords, large and small, with varying numbers of private soldiers; they are basically used to protect the territory and maintain commercial interests on the trade line. Unless there is a call-up order for a large-scale Norman invasion known as the "Winter Scourge", there is basically no chance of uniting to fight.
The third part is these rural militia/short-term conscripts. According to the Aachen Agreement, all city-states and lords provide a certain proportion of armed men in the villages and towns under their rule to form a number of militia groups as a joint reserve army and supplementary source.
As for the guerrillas, they come from the gaps between city-states and territories within the Northern Lain Union. They are so-called lawless people who gather in dangerous mountains, woods, and rivers and swamps and are unwilling to accept the constraints of their lords and city-states. They also come from tribes in other regions. Abandoned citizens, runaway slaves and bankrupt citizens.
Under Jiang Tian's visual inspection, these militia groups holding high colorful flags had at least dozens of numbers and nearly tens of thousands of people. Therefore, the sparse and chaotic formation had been walking on the road for more than an hour, and it had not yet completely formed. Finished. However, after a moment, Gismond said again:
"Why do the knights of the Order of Prayer and the affiliated armed monks of the Aachen Diocese appear in these Northern Rhineland Alliance armies? Shouldn't they go to support and assist Ude in accordance with the Treaty of Protection of Saints originally promulgated by the Holy See of Rome? Will the Bishopric of Recht resist the Frisian invasion?"
It was a special force that was surrounded by several militia groups; there were hundreds of cavalrymen with single breastplates and white cloaks, a white ring cross painted on the chest, and feathered clip-on helmets; There are groups of armed monks wearing robes and short chainmail, with their Mediterranean heads exposed, and holding clubs and hammers.
And when these militia groups from Bei Laiyin were about to finish, the first "Silver Hand Group" also arrived at the city gate of Lieri City; they continued to call and negotiate with the defenders, trying to enter the city for repairs, while marching again in the distance A team came over, but Gismond suddenly changed his color on the spot and said:
"Damn it, there's even a "White Flame" flag! These are the most barbaric and backward Norman clans living in the swamps of the northern coast. They are a group of berserker warriors. It is said that as long as the order is followed, the last enemy will not fall. Or the berserkers will never stop.”
It was a prominent bear-skin flag with a white abstract flame pattern; there were also special ornaments made of strings of human and animal skulls that clanked in the wind. The soldiers under the bear skin banner all wore bulky animal skins and fur hats, and the leaders and leaders also wore animal heads and horned helmets.
There were almost no shields or other blocking defenses seen on them, only strange-shaped axes that were so huge that they protruded from their backs, heavy-throwing spears and long-handled hook-point knives; they walked like furry upright beasts. Usually, the face is also painted with scary oil paint or sinuous tattoos.
And some of the carts and pack animals among their team were surprisingly loaded with a lot of property looted along the way; as well as tied up women. And some of the spears raised near the animal skin flags also carried a number of bloody heads, both human and alien.
The next moment, Jiang Tian saw several bright fireworks suddenly rising in the Burning Sun City; then as the coverings on the walls were suddenly lifted, the resounding roar of artillery swept across the city like a devastation. , unprepared for the "Silver Hand Group" array waiting to open the door.
Amidst the screams and screams, all the cavalry and knights of the Dutch princes gathered together; they also suddenly rushed out from many open city gates; they rounded in from the front and sides, and were shelled. In the "Silver Hand Regiment" that disrupted the formation and killed many generals and leaders.
The 'Rage and Gale Regiment' that followed them reacted like they were waking up from a dream; they quickly spread out their formation, divided their attack momentum into several attacks, and pounced on the flanks of the Dutch Allied Cavalry; just as they The moment they were about to reach the effective range of the projection, they started falling down one after another from the front row.
However, on the dusty ground, without warning, many holes for horses' hooves to sink in appeared, as well as several sharp trenches that collapsed; their throwing offensive was immediately stalled, and they were crowded together on their backs; then, They were scattered by the rapid artillery fire from the city head.
When the "Silver Hands" and the "Rage and Gale Regiment" were forced to intertwine in chaos, they spontaneously gathered together and fought and retreated, trying to reorganize their formation in an attempt to counterattack, but they were rushed out on the other side of the city. The armies of the Dutch princes retreated step by step due to the impact, and once again lost their formation and order.
At this time, the militia and guerrillas scattered on the road, as well as the officers and leaders galloping across the field, shouted and shouted; the chaotic ghosts gathered together and rushed forward. The soldiers of the "Silver Hand Regiment" and the "Raging Tide and Gale Regiment" were retreating steadily.
However, the large reed swamp hundreds of meters away from them suddenly fell down in pieces; in the smoke and firelight of the muskets, large rains of bullets flew fiercely; in an instant, it was like cutting. Like grass, the crowds of militiamen huddled together on both sides of the road were swept away.
As the panicked militiamen fell down or scattered in all directions, only the scattered guerrillas reacted and fired sparse counterattack arrows. They also used throwers to successfully throw some pungent smoking cans at the ground. The reeds had already formed an edge, temporarily blocking the view of each other.
With such a buffer, the knights of the Holy Prayer Order and the affiliated armed monks of the Aachen Diocese mixed in the battlefield on the main road raised many conspicuous ring-cross flags. He immediately became the backbone of most of the chaotic militia, and with the sound of trumpets and loud prayers, they gathered one after another.
At this time, the roar that resounded through the wilderness sounded again; it was from the forest hidden on the other side of the road, who suddenly stood up and galloped down on their horses, the knights of the Royal Army and several cavalry regiments. The fan unfolds like a roaring mountain and a tsunami while running, and in a blink of an eye it passes over the obstacles of rocks and shrubs.
It was like a heavy hammer that struck hard at the sides and rear of these militiamen and bishops, who had almost no time to react; and amid the screams and screams, as well as the dull collision and kicking, countless human bodies were crushed. Bursts of crackling, breaking and flying sounds scattered and penetrated it.
