Chapter 527 Viking Infantry vs Northumbrian Cavalry
In the slightly cool and cold forest, the horses' panting was filled with white mist. Soldiers who had prepared their equipment mounted their horses one after another.
They had polished their spearheads, and two horse shields wrapped with patterned cowhide protected the rider's left and right thighs. Long swords and hand axes were hung on their belts, and everyone wore mail.
The feathers of the iron helmets were soaked with dew, and all the cavalry soldiers felt the discomfort of moisture.
Everyone is facing a cavalry raid. Although the soldiers have practiced on weekdays, most of them are actually going to the battlefield for the first time. Although they raised their swords in front of the king and swore to fight hard, who can not be nervous before the battle?
Woolen cloth?
Aston, the cavalry captain, held the reins and the spear in his other hand.
He looked at his soldiers and said angrily: "I see the always strong army! That's you! Now follow me and attack! Don't be afraid, just let the iron hoofs trample them to death! Let's go!"
Aston didn't say anything more. He saw the timidity shown by some young warriors inadvertently, but it was all meaningless.
The captain was already taking action, and the other soldiers followed suit.
One hundred and fifty mounted warriors advanced along the forest road leading to Lindisfarne. The horses maintained a brisk and relatively easy speed. The warriors ate bread and the horses ate wheat. Both men and horses were in good condition.
.
The pursuit went much smoother than Aston imagined. He thought his pursuit would encounter resistance, but in reality it was like a quick outing.
He hoped to catch up with the enemies who attacked the camp and avenge the dead. What was more important was to kill them to prevent them from escaping back to report the news.
What is the real situation? Those twenty Vikings deliberately walked through the primitive woods with bloody axes. They were afraid of being caught and killed by the counterattacking enemies. After all, they ran out of the seaside camp to hunt.
Not to mention the crudeness of the men at hand, the manpower was really too small. Even though he was brave, he struggled with the enemy and ended up being stabbed in the heart by ten thousand swords.
The Vikings did not follow a clear path, and walking through the forest on foot was even more cumbersome.
The family leader planned to explain to his brothers the disaster caused by the sudden appearance of the enemy's large army, but it was too late!
At this moment, the cavalry's mobility was fully demonstrated.
"Soldiers, we are about to reach the beach! We will advance on the beach and will soon arrive at the monastery."
"You all should be careful! Maybe the enemy's camp is by the sea!"
"Get your spear ready! Charge like you drilled!"
"As soon as the spear breaks, give up and draw your sword and kill them."
…
Aston said a lot, but he did not ask his men to understand everything. After all, the current situation could not be conveyed to the entire cavalry column.
His orders can only be conveyed accurately to the people around him, but in fact this is enough.
He led the way, with more than a dozen cavalry around him closely following behind, giving an excellent example to the cavalry behind him.
Fights always happen under very unexpected circumstances!
It is still dawn, the first ray of sunshine is still shyly hidden under the sea level, and a faint yellow appears on the sea level in the east.
It had rained just a few days ago. It was obviously summer, and the desolate wind made the Viking warriors sleep uneasy.
Most of the Vikings camped on the edge of the woods on the beach, and they were awakened by flocks of frightened birds and strange vibrations in the earth.
Soon, a group of brothers who were camping in the woods ran out in panic.
They are yelling.
"No! The enemy is attacking!"
"Brothers, get up and fight!"
When the people who heard the abnormal alarm got up one after another, before they could figure out the specific situation, suddenly a group of huge creatures jumped out of the forest.
That's a bunch of wild boars on a rampage?!
No! It’s a horseman!
When the Viking warrior turned pale in fright and hurriedly picked up his shield and sword, it was already too late.
The Northumbrian cavalry aimed their spears at the enemy.
At this moment, Captain Aston was overjoyed. Although he was shocked to see an astonishing number of enemies camping on the beach, and the monastery not far away was obviously burned to pieces by fire. The Butcher Destroyer was now full of flaws, and his cavalry could fully use it.
Maximum tactical effectiveness.
The cavalry team naturally formed a double-layered and relatively loose riding wall, and the horses smashed through it with great force.
At first, some Viking warriors who tried to fight were knocked down, and then were crushed to death by the iron hoofs of the following cavalry, whose ribs were broken.
Someone was also pierced by a spear, but the cavalry released their grip after completing the kill, took advantage of the situation, pulled out their swords, and continued to fight on horseback.
The cavalry washed away the unprepared people like a tsunami. The Balmok Vikings who were camped too close to the south, where the cavalry came to kill, suffered heavy casualties on the spot.
As many as fifty people were trampled and stabbed to death in the first round of impact.
However, more Vikings rolled and crawled towards the rear, and some even ran away empty-handed.
"Stop!" Aston waved his iron sword high and ordered the cavalry team, which had lost its impact, to reorganize. After hearing the news, the cavalry soldiers suspended their offensive.
This seemingly absurd and stupid behavior objectively caused the once-confused Vikings to have a moment of respite. They began to set up a shield wall, nervously or frightenedly facing something they had never heard of, and even they could not imagine it by using their imagination.
terrible enemy.
The Balmoks have never seen any form of "cavalry regiment" at all, and quite a few young people have never even seen a horse. The Shetland fishermen have seen horses, but in their concept, riding a horse is a difficulty.
What happened was that all of the enemies who were suddenly killed were fighting on horseback.
The Vikings remained vigilant against the incomprehensible enemy. They didn't know why the enemy suddenly stopped. Maybe they were preparing for another round of attack? Maybe so, but if they choose to run away now and turn their backs to the enemy on horseback,
A warrior of Odin loses all glory.
"Brothers, hold on! Don't be afraid of them! If we maintain the shield wall, they can't do anything to us!" Some family leaders shouted, which calmed some people's hearts in the crisis.
Some people also shouted: "Hurry up and notify Biyongni and Geiger's people so that the Russians can come too."
As soon as he finished speaking, someone shouted again: "Don't think about them! Rurik of Rus has tricked some brothers into being turtles. They want to defend, so they won't easily come to help us."
"Then hold the shield wall, and we will advance slowly, squeezing and surrounding the enemy and killing them all."
This is indeed a good idea. Someone began to move forward slowly. At this moment, the shield wall that had formed a whole was changing into a convex shape.
On the other hand, the cavalry captain Aston gritted his teeth. His order was indeed not out of cowardice or out of his mind.
What he learned was the Frankish cavalry tactics of the current era. It is said that when faced with an enemy who is well organized, a hasty collision will cause massive losses to the horses.
For the kingdom, any group of cavalry horses are carefully selected, and the number of horses in the entire kingdom is also limited.
Every horse is important. He was also surprised to see that the enemy had actually sent a wall made of huge round shields on the coast, and he did not dare to act rashly!
"Damn it! This is really like the Great Wall left by the Romans!" He couldn't help but sigh.
Some of the soldiers around him asked with spears: "Sir, are we going to attack?"
"Charge! You lead the first team to charge, and the second team and the third team are on standby!"
King Aynred's cavalry consisted of five hundred men, so organized that it amounted to a slightly reduced Frankish version of the cavalry standard.
However, the Kingdom of Northumbria, which suffered from years of civil war and poor productivity, was really poor (except for the monasteries), and the king lacked the financial resources to continue to expand his cavalry force.
The king organized the cavalry into ten squads. He took three squads on this trip, and now they are all handed over to his loyal cavalry captain to participate in this battle.
The first team of fifty riders charged forward with great momentum, shocking the Viking line that had formed a macro protrusion and quickly retracted.
"Brothers, don't be afraid, protect yourself with your shield."
"Brothers with spears waited for an opportunity to stab them to death."
"Don't let them break through our shield wall."
The Vikings naturally thought that the enemy was about to charge into battle, but in fact this was not the case at all.
The Northumbrian cavalry adopted classic Frankish tactics. They had taken back their spears on the battlefield and rushed to the Viking line with the bloody spears. They deliberately kept a wooden pole at a distance and even held the spears in one hand.
Go poke the enemy behind the shield.
Some Vikings were directly stabbed and scratched in the neck, and one had a bleeding hole in his chest.
Completely different from the Frankish cavalry who all wore mail armor, only a very small number of Balmoks wore mail armor.
Most people just wore animal skins, and the leather used as clothing served as armor to a certain extent, but it was powerless against the cavalry's spears.
People in the chaos were shouting, hoping that the spear-wielding brothers behind would stab the enemy to death. The brothers in the rear were not just watching the show, they were distressed that their short spears were too short in the current battle.
Angry Viking warriors began to break away from the line. The brave men were holding shields and axes, vowing to kill one or two cavalrymen.
This move played into the hands of the Northumbrian cavalry.
Individual soldiers broke away from the front line and became targets of key strikes.
The warrior wanted to chop the horse, but the experienced cavalry quickly maneuvered, then sprinted and chopped it to death with a sword.
There were Vikings with bows trying to kill their opponents, but there were too few archers, and the ones on horseback were as nimble as fish.
After all, the Vikings had the upper hand, and they began to try to counterattack, but the enemies actually ran away on horseback.
The courage they had just mustered up weakened again, and a second wave of cavalry rushed over in a moment.
The once loose front gathered into a turtle shell again, and the Vikings had to experience the disaster they just encountered again.
The battle was so useless! Those enemies didn't dare to fight openly, and they just ran away when they were counterattacked!
Viking warriors were killed one after another, and after a few rounds, only one cavalryman was killed.
The horses were cut down and the cavalry warriors were chopped into pieces by the enraged Vikings.
But in terms of exchange ratio, the Northumbrian cavalry had a huge advantage.
The battle situation has become extremely delicate. The most real situation now is that nearly 600 Vikings are facing off against 150 Northumbrian cavalry. It seems that Rurik and the warriors who really obey his orders are standing on the sidelines and watching. So occupied,
The strength advantage of the Vikings was not reflected at all. Some people wanted to launch a counterattack, but how could they chase the cavalry with their feet?! What was worse was that if a group of people broke away from the team, they would become the focus of the cavalry.
If the battle continues like this, the Viking army will sooner or later be exhausted physically and mentally by this group of mobile cavalry. This is exactly what the cavalry captain Aston longs to see. After the enemy is tired and then faces the large army of the kingdom, victory belongs to Northumbria!
That's probably it!
However, a large number of arrows and stones fell from the sky. Aston watched helplessly as the team that had completed a round of harassment missions was hit by arrows and fell from their horses on the way back to the rear. What's more, the horses were almost hit by stones. The cavalryman was thrown to his knees on the spot.
What's happening here?!
It's Rurik! The Vikings' counterattack begins.
The perspective was on Rurik. When he was awakened by the chaotic shouts of killing, he immediately got out of his suggestion tent. He hurried to the earthen platform where the torsion slingshot was placed, and saw the cavalry team!
Biyongni and Geiger's men gradually woke up, and the Shetlanders also took up arms.
Just like what they had practiced in the past two days, everyone picked up the wooden sticks that served as spears and waited for Rurik's order.
Biyongni and Geiger hurriedly climbed onto the platform.
"What is going on? Those horsemen are all enemies? Who are we at war with?" Biyongni asked in panic.
Geiger also asked: "What should we do? I saw some brothers killed by those horsemen."
Rurik tried his best to remain calm. To be fair, he did not think that the line of the Balmoks would be overwhelmed by a small number of cavalry. He felt the absurdity of the world, and the Kingdom of Northumbria acted like it was waiting to be slaughtered. Why is the fat sheep so brave now? The enemy actually has such a powerful weapon as the cavalry?!
"Let's... take a look at the situation first."
"Why?" Geiger was very worried, "Brothers have never fought against this kind of enemy. Many people will die!"
Rurik immediately turned his head and asked harshly: "Have we ever fought against them? Do you want me to give up my current formation? Listen, my formation is designed to defeat cavalry."
Biyongni patted Geiger on the shoulder: "Listen to Rurik, we'll wait!"
"This... you have to be a coward."
Geiger was furious. He rationally considered that his brothers in Vashobi could not suffer losses. He could not afford to lose at all. Since Rurik had the means to fight cavalry, it was most appropriate for him to keep quiet.
The change in the battle situation was not favorable to the Vikings. Rurik and others stood on a relatively high ground, and he gradually understood the enemy's tactics.
"You're not just riding on the wall?! Why are you starting to play with spears when you get to the formation? Fortunately, I prepared a wall of spears to stab you to death."
Rurik felt that he was overestimating the enemy. After thinking about it carefully, he realized that they might not have figured out the classic tactics of the Western European heavy cavalry in this era, or their weapons level could not keep up.
"Look, some brothers escaped from Zhenqiang." Geiger pointed with his hand and said.
"Coward!" Biyongni said angrily.
"Coward? I think we have been called cowards countless times by the brothers in front of us while we are here."
"Geiger! This is all Rurik's plan. I think it is correct."
"We should help them!"
Rurik's mind was really confused, and he roared angrily: "Stop the quarrel!"
After saying that, he looked down at Javlo who was on standby and shouted: "Jevlo! Take the men and pull away all the bull trebuchets, enter the shooting range and kill them! Go call the Shetlanders again, you have to take them with you All our bows and crossbows, to reinforce our brothers!"
For a moment, Yevro panicked: "Sir, we are no longer stationed in the position?!"
"Bah! Yevlo, the enemy must still have a large army! Now you lead the people to disperse those cavalry, go quickly! Don't wait!"
"Yes!" Yevro randomly called his guys: "Follow me."
Rurik just moved out, pulled the trebuchet to a relatively suitable range, and started throwing stones.
Shetland, who was holding a bow, pressed on the Viking warriors in front who were not far from collapse, and threw a large number of arrows to drive away the cavalry. Jevro simply took his ten mercenary brothers and rushed directly to the battlefield with a steel-armed crossbow.
The front line.
The appearance of reinforcements gave everyone a huge boost, but the enemy's cavalry attacks continued unabated.
Even with the losses, the cavalry captain Aston felt that his casualties were really small, and the first priority was still to weaken and fatigue the enemy.
Knowing that the enemy was firing arrows and throwing stones, another round of attacks began.
Fifty cavalrymen charged forward high-spiritedly with their spears raised. Although Jevro and others were instinctively frightened, everyone felt relieved when they saw that the chests of the horses seemed to be defenseless.
"Listen to my orders! Shoot the horses! Prepare! Fire!"
At the command, eleven heavy crossbow arrows flew out, hitting as many as eight horses on the spot.
Most of the arrows did not hit the chest of the horse, and even pierced the heart. The horse fell suddenly, and the cavalry also fell heavily to the ground.
The cavalry squad leader was completely confused, and the remaining cavalrymen tightened their reins one after another.
"There's a situation! Evacuate quickly! Leave quickly!"
Although it was a bit shameful, the squad leader, who was afraid of being wiped out by some kind of weapon, hurriedly announced his evacuation, and the other cavalrymen turned around.
The sudden death caused Captain Aston in the distance to fall off his horse in shock. After he got up, he saw that his fallen cavalry was being hacked to death by the enemy, and the remaining cavalry were all retreating.
"There is a situation! Stop the attack! We will evacuate temporarily!"
Aston himself gave the order to retreat, and the shocked cavalrymen hurriedly followed the captain's horses into the woods.
Seeing that the enemy's terrifying cavalry suddenly disappeared, the Vikings, who had been tortured by it and complained endlessly, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Now, the Balmok Vikings, who had won many battles and had become very swollen, seemed to have been beaten hard, and now they all woke up.
Because many dead bodies of their brothers appeared around them. They began to try to collect the corpses, but were directly stopped by Gevro himself, who was sent by Rurik.
"What are you doing? Why don't you come to support?"
"You sit back and watch your brother die! Why don't you let us bury him now?"
…
Yongni could think of all kinds of harsh words, but he calmed everyone down with one sentence. He roared with his sword: "You have forgotten what the killed enemy Pathfinder said? There are two thousand enemies!
There are many of them, and they may be coming soon! We retreat to Rurik to maintain our line, and the decisive battle will begin soon!"
Hearing this, some family leaders began to retreat with their own people, while the rest of the family saw the situation and didn't care so much.
At this moment, twenty people suddenly burst out from the woods to the west. Their backs were bare and the tattoos on their chests proved that they were friendly forces.
They ran and shouted until they rushed into the camp and told terrible things; "A very large number of enemies are moving towards the beach. We wanted to explain the situation but were worried about being attacked by the enemy's cavalry. Our description is absolutely true."
Everything seemed to be going smoothly, and the beach, which had been soaked in blood, was bathing in the blood-red dawn.
Is the rising sun too red?
The Vikings withdrew with all their strength to the camp set up by Rurik, waiting for a fight that would be witnessed by Odin (the sun).