A few days later, near the city of Liege on the eastern border of the Principality of Brabant and the border with the County of Limburg. In the wilderness full of large and small puddles and scattered swamps, winding through the mountains and deep forests on the side of the muddy ancient road, people have followed.
The birds and beasts were dispersed and frightened, and fell silent again.
On a boulder at the commanding heights deep in the mountain forest, Jiang Tian was also looking down; amid the faint sound of drums, along the ancient road made of stones, there was a long procession. As the new Duke of Brabant
Gismund introduced the lineup below in a low voice:
"This is the North Rhine Union, the largest contract mercenary 'Silver Hands', and a veteran mercenary group that has served the princes of the Union for more than three generations. It is known as the Minions of North Rhine. At its peak, it had five branches.
regiment, about six thousand 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. Followed by a cavalry.
Each of these cavalrymen wore light ring mail, a disc-shaped iron plate on the chest, and Eastern-style ear protection helmets; their mounts were covered with rough felt, and in addition to sabers and shields on the saddle, there were also slanted left and right swords.
He straddles two rows of light spears that can be thrown and stabbed, and he appears to be a skilled equestrian.
"That is the only cavalry unit among the five major contract mercenary groups of the North Rhine 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 the militia and guerrillas of the United North Rhine."
In this era, the cavalry sequences of various countries in the Western Continent were roughly divided into three categories: the first category was the retinues/lancers who followed the knights in armor and charged into battle; the second category was the hunting cavalry who mainly rode bows and crossbows;
The third category includes only rangers/light cavalry with leather sheaths or armored clothing.
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. Among them, the most famous 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. This 'Rage and Gale Group' is a typical example of it, and it is obviously specialized in some aspects.
, spear-throwing cavalry against heavy infantry and shield formation attacks.
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 sheaths, dyed armed clothes, short leather armors, soaked nail armor,
Most of the people wore felt hats or turbans instead of helmets.
The most common weapons are various long-handled scythes and double-tipped forks, as well as long-poled flails that are also farm tools. Walking on the road is also full of loose and casual atmosphere; even in groups, distance is maintained, and
They gathered together and made loud noises as if no one was around, and some people were 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 Gismund's introduction, the army of the North Rhine Alliance is basically divided into three parts: the first part is the standing force composed of five major (long-term) contract mercenary groups. The city-states/lords signed the Aachen Agreement at the beginning of the alliance.
According to the agreed ratio, funding will be provided and maintained respectively.
Therefore, although it is still called a mercenary regiment, it is actually almost the same as the standing corps of the alliance. It is specifically responsible for encircling the sphere of influence of the North Rhine Alliance, but it does not intervene in the daily disputes of 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 against the Avar Khanate from the Danube River Basin and the lower Rhine River in the south;
There are "Rhine Shield Group" and "Starlight Group" who take turns guarding the border.
In addition, as the meeting place of the United States of North Rhine, in the city of Frankfurt, which originated from the northern border fortress of the ancient Roman Empire, there is also a small and elite chief prince/consul guard. However, unless the chief prince/consul goes out in person, it is basically useless.
Depart 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 large-scale Norman invasion known as the "Winter Scourge"
A call-up order, otherwise there would be no chance of joining forces to fight.
The third part is these rural militias/short-term levies. 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 armed groups.
Serves as a reserve force and supplementary source for the coalition.
As for the guerrillas, they come from the gaps between city-states and territories within the Union of North Rhine. They are so-called outlaws who gather in dangerous mountains, woods, and rivers and swamps and are unwilling to accept the constraints of their lords and city-states. There are also those who are abandoned by tribes in other areas.
citizens, fugitive 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 walking. However, after a moment, Gismond said again:
"Why do the knights of the Order of Prayer and the auxiliary armed monks of the Aachen Diocese appear in these North Rhine combined armies? Shouldn't they go to support and assist Utrecht in accordance with the Treaty of Protection of Saints originally promulgated by the Holy See of Rome?
Will the Patriarchate resist the Frisian invasion?"
It was a special force surrounded by several militia groups; there were hundreds of cavalrymen with single breastplates and white cloaks, white crosses painted on the chests, 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 North Rhine 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, but at the same time, they marched over again from a distance.
A team, but Gismond suddenly changed his color on the spot and said:
"Damn it, there is actually a "White Flame" flag! These are the most brutal 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 Berserker will never stop."
It was a conspicuous giant bearskin flag with a white abstract flame pattern; it also had special ornaments made of strings of human and animal skulls that clanged in the wind. All soldiers under the bearskin flag wore
They wore bulky animal skins and fur hats, and the leaders also wore animal heads and horned helmets.
There were almost no shields or other blocking armor 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 covered with scary oil paint or sinuous tattoos.
And some of the carts and pack animals mixed in their team were surprisingly loaded with a lot of looted property along the way, as well as tied up women. And on some of the spears raised near the animal skin flags,
He 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.
, the unsuspecting array of "Silver Hands" 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, people from the front row started falling down one after another.
However, on the dusty ground, many holes where horses' hooves were trapped appeared without any warning, as well as several spiked 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 Hand Group" and the "Rage and Gale Group" were forced to intertwine in chaos, they spontaneously gathered together and fought and retreated, trying to reorganize their formation and 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 loudly; the noisy crowd gathered together and rushed forward, preparing to support and respond to the city.
, the soldiers of the "Silver Hand Regiment" and the "Rage and Gale Regiment" who were retreating steadily.
However, the large reed swamp hundreds of meters away from them suddenly fell down in pieces; in the smoke and fire of the muskets, large rains of bullets flew out 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 reached the edge, temporarily blurring the view between them.
With such a buffer, the knights of the Order of Holy Prayer and the affiliated armed monks of the Aachen Diocese who were mixed in the battlefield on the main road raised many conspicuous cross flags. They immediately became the backbone of most chaotic militia groups, and they were blowing
Amid 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 mountain forest hidden on the other side of the road. They suddenly stood up and galloped down the horse. The knights of the Royal Army and several cavalry regiments spread out like mountains while galloping.
The fan surface roared like a tsunami, rising and falling across the obstacles of rocks and shrubs in an instant.
It was like a heavy hammer that struck hard at the side and rear of these militiamen and bishops, who barely had time to react; and amid the screams, screams, dull collisions, and kicks, countless human bodies were crushed.
Bursts of crackling, breaking, and flying sounds dispersed it and passed through it.