In the early morning of October 18, the rain finally stopped.
The quiet and pleasant fragrance surged in the air, almost making people forget that the war was only a few hours away.
The prince never slept for a minute. Every moment of the night was a joy to him. He invited the saints of Anjou and all the great nobles and generals to walk with him throughout the outposts, stopping to talk to the scout cavalry anytime and anywhere.
A clump of small trees can serve as a stronghold, and a broken stone wall can serve as a pillar. Depressions on the plains, changes in terrain, appropriate shortcuts, woods and ravines can all support the army's position and prevent it from retreating. Whoever withdraws from the battlefield will lose. Therefore, the responsible coach must pay close attention to every grove of trees and every slightly undulating terrain.
When Griffith deployed the squadron and returned to the headquarters again, he found the sound of a column marching in the woods ahead. The prince also heard it and said to everyone excitedly: "This is the clan alliance preparing to retreat. I want to capture them."
Krista and Sonia, as well as many other nobles, were near the prince. Under the protection of the Guards cavalry and elite infantry of the Aurelius Guards, they concentrated with the princes and commanders on the safest high ground in the rear of the battle line.
Sonia looked up at the clearing starry sky. Due to the lack of information in the war zone, she was responsible for daily astrology and divination. She was more focused than before, her delicate brows were furrowed, and she seemed to have something on her mind.
"What's wrong?" Griffith came to her side.
"I'm not sure, astrology is not my specialty," Sonia said uncertainly. "I found that there was an extra star in the sky that flickered for a short period of time, but now it is gone."
"Is it the necklace of the moon god? One of the morning and evening stars that symbolize protection and hope?" Griffith asked.
A dozen days ago, when Galadia saw him off, the two of them also saw a twinkling star.
"Does it mean that the one you love is about to leave?" Sonia's eyes sparkled, "So gentle."
"After the battle begins, be safe and alert," Griffith said, then turned to Krista, "Are you staying here too?"
"I will go to the infantry brothers," Krista pointed forward. "We will see you on the battlefield, Griffith. May victory and good luck be with you."
…
As dawn falls, the bugle sounds. The infantry, led by their commanders, formed battle lines and square formations and spread out in the valley.
What is about to become a battlefield is a vast, undulating open land; the waves rise higher and higher, swinging towards hills and forests. There are many recently abandoned manors and walls along the way. In the days before the war, the Neck was the main land road connecting Odessa with the Orc territory.
More than 120,000 troops gathered and moved towards the other side. Both sides have powerful fortresses, but it is impossible for the fortresses to guard the entire area at the exit of the valley. If you shrink inside, you will be extremely passive.
No matter Beyelan or the clan alliance, both sides want to defeat the opponent in the field battle.
Being on such a large battlefield, Griffith was not able to conduct a comprehensive reconnaissance in person. He and the entire cavalry unit followed the orders issued by the army and deployed on the left wing, the westernmost side of the battlefield, behind the barrier formed by the hillsides and woods. . It is connected to the mountainous border northwest of Odessa. The dangerous and complex terrain means that everyone does not have to worry about an army suddenly appearing.
However, the east side of the battlefield is different. The Neck was once the valley of a large river. It is now divided into two parts by the much smaller Loire River. The terrain in the west is open and the roads are good; the east is mainly swamp, and there are several roads leading to Tire. The Nie River and the mountain roads of the Meyer Duchy.
Small groups of orcs may emerge from the mountains there to attack. Of course, it is impossible for a large number of troops to sneak out and outflank the enemy. Duke Meyer's castle guards the west bank of the Tirne River. His territory and army are confronting the Tirne Front of the Clan Alliance and are responsible for guarding the right flank and rear of the Teutonic cluster.
Due to the heavy rain last night, the wilderness was full of mud and there were puddles everywhere. In some places, the wheels of the baggage trains were half submerged, and the horses' girths were dripping with mud; it became extremely difficult for the latest artillery and traditional ballistae to move. After the infantry passed, the artillery and auxiliary troops hurriedly laid sacks and wooden boards filled with soil under the advancing wheels to fill the pits.
The grain transport team was stuck in the mud puddles on the road and could not arrive early. Most of the soldiers were wet and had no breakfast. Despite these difficulties, Commodus still happily invited the generals and noble commanders to have breakfast together.
This is also one of the activities that Sonia must participate in. She was worried about Griffith's safety and was very nervous. The bacon and fried eggs for breakfast were too salty to eat, but the prince was still very interested.
"We have a ninety percent chance!"
As he ate, he wrote orders by hand. Maximus looked at him gently, gave a few reminders from time to time, and then signed his name on the order.
Sonia silently watched the prince and general at work. If these two pairs of teachers and students have a dispute, who should I listen to? Maximus is the commander of the army, and the prince is my lord...
This question made her nervous, and the troop commander beside her seemed to have the same idea. Fortunately, everything went smoothly until the end.
At nine o'clock, Beyelan's regiment was assembled. Although the orc army was brave and numbered more than 60,000 people, Byeran's army was much better trained and equipped, and had sufficient supplies, so it still had the upper hand. The prince sent his right wing to feint to the east of Rum Fortress, threatening the orcs' left wing, pretending to cut off the road leading to the exit of the Neck Valley and cutting off the orcs' reinforcements.
They have three regular corps and three auxiliary corps, a total of 53 heavy infantry and light infantry brigades, 26 cavalry squadrons and 12 engineering and artillery squadrons, with a total strength of 36,000 armored men. Berthier's troops and others were unable to catch up with the battle for various reasons.
A large part of the 20,000 Catholic civilian armed forces formed a gun formation. They crossed the not too fast river and covered the flank of the army on the relatively narrow right bank. More auxiliaries followed the main army to maintain roads and bridges everywhere.
The infantrymen wearing iron and leather armor formed a neat battle line. The soldiers of the regular legion were armed with life-size shields and long swords. The weaker auxiliary legion used sharp spears to form a forest of gleaming spears, staggered with the regular legion. .
Elite infantrymen equipped with lances, halberds and half-plate armor wore silver helmets decorated with bright red, bright yellow and white feathers, forming small phalanxes scattered on the wings and rear of the legion. They are the reserve force and the main force to counter the Wolf Cavalry.
Modres' 9th Army was in the center, with the 12th and 16th Army on the wings. The endless army filled the entire wilderness, stretching from the forests and hillsides to the rivers.
Loud orders and drums sounded over and over again, and running officers galloped through the ranks, giving orders to march. Military music was playing, drums were thundering, and trumpets were blasting.
The majestic, vast sea-like helmets, large shields and mighty spears, the huge battle arrays and phalanxes stretching for miles, guided by flying eagle flags, advanced along the roads between hills and forest trees.
Before the main forces of both sides deployed, a large number of skirmishers quickly moved forward and engaged in a confrontation in the open space between the two armies. Bayeran's light infantry, armed with throwing spears and strong bows, started shooting at the orcs' crossbowmen. They ran and projected, trying their best to suppress the opponent or drive the opponent from the battlefield.
The line at the front held high an eagle banner wrapped in a pure gold wreath. The soldiers near the Eagle Flag turned a blind eye to the rain of arrows flying from the sky and moved forward steadily.
Sast Ganif and Fenrir Gaunt led a small team of engineers and auxiliaries to tow the heavy Serpent Cannon. This is a cannon that can fire explosive grenades, with a maximum range of more than 1,500 meters, which is better than all current snake cannons, eagle cannons and trebuchets. Tests have shown that the shells fired by this heavy gun do not hit the target directly along a low and flat trajectory, but draw a curved arc, pass over obstacles and hit the target. By adjusting the firing angle and charge, the Orochi Cannon theoretically has high ballistic flexibility and can accurately send the shells over one's own infantry positions and smash the enemy's ranks into pieces.
Bernard deployed his lightweight snake cannon and eagle cannon on the flanks. The light artillery under his command cannot fire across the array and must maneuver to a position with good visibility. But even so, he felt that compared to the snake cannon and the eagle cannon, this heavy cannon was too difficult to carry. The road leaving Beyeland was as cumbersome as a turtle ashore. Sast, who was an engineer, was used to using heavy trebuchets and stone bombs, and they liked to use heavy artillery shells to kill and destroy. However, the Orochi Cannon is several times heavier than other artillery pieces. To move freely, the sun must come out to dry the ground. But the sun appeared too late, and the task of maneuvering the heavy artillery was like torture.
Finally, the heavy weapons arrived before the confrontation between the two sides.
At 11 a.m. on October 18, Beyelan began shelling.
One after another, fireballs were fired from the trebuchets and flew towards the clan alliance position. The light artillery also started firing under the orders of Bernard and other artillery squadron commanders.
Black cannonballs smashed into the orcs' ranks like screaming banshees. The location where it was hit was like a moldy orange being kicked, with broken limbs and pieces of flesh flying out like smoke. Beyelan's artillery fired round after round, and the flames of death and screams made the battlefield feel like hell.
Sast looked at the smoke and fire in front of him and shouted anxiously:
"One shot first, one shot first!"
The big snake cannon roared, and the huge shells whizzed past the head, making a shrill sound like death coming through the sky. All the soldiers along the way raised their heads and watched the dark shells falling to the ground.
This shell was so close that it kicked up several meters of gravel and dust in front of the orcs' team.
After a while, the second bombardment came, this time hitting the rear of the team and rolling through the woods. The fuse on the shell burned to the end and exploded. The huge sound made the orcs near the impact point shake.
Pieces of shrapnel flew over the soldiers' heads, knocking some of the orcs to the ground.
Both the front and center armies of the Clan Alliance were shelled, and the battle lines fluctuated. They couldn't bear to stand and receive the bombardment. They roared like thunder, beat their chests, and rolled towards Beyelan's army formation.
"It's amazing! It's as far away as my urine!" Sast exclaimed, "It would be even better if it hits the target!"
"Lower the angle of fire!" Sergeant Major Fenrir shouted anxiously. Their heavy artillery was reloading very slowly, and between the two rounds of firing, the infantry battle lines on both sides were already approaching each other. Once the two sides engage in hand-to-hand combat, the Orochi Cannon is useless.
"Don't keep it down, keep bombarding the orcs behind the lines!" Senamon shouted, "You will kill the infantry guys."
"But the infantry are all up, and we can't see anything."
"I will go to the nearby hillside to give you guidance and adjust according to my indicator flag!" After saying this, Senamon jumped on his horse and ran towards the hillside.
"I'll go with you," Sast also jumped on the horse, "Fenrir, you command the Orochi Cannon!"
