The soldier pulled out the tenon, and the strong torque of the rope pushed out the cast iron projectile weighing half a Roman pound.
The deliberately polished slanted indentations on these cone-shaped projectiles cause the entire projectile to start rotating under air friction.
The powerful gyroscopic effect means that soldiers do not have to worry about its ballistic deflection, and the top of the pointed cone will already produce extremely impressive results.
A large ship assembled as many as forty slingshot positions on one side. The sail cruiser cooperated with the sail destroyer to launch, and as many as one hundred and fifty slingshot positions were put into action.
The projectiles rubbed against the air and rushed toward the rigid Frankish array with a whistle. The battle did not even need to be called target practice. It was just pouring firepower into a relatively remote area. The technical and tactical requirements were just that the projectiles hit the target area.
So, the killing began!
The pointed cone of the projectile directly broke through the outermost layer of leather riveted iron armor of the heavy infantry, and further penetrated into the inner layer of chain mail. The projectile did not penetrate the human body, but embedded itself into the body like a chisel, and the strong kinetic energy
People are knocked down directly.
The projectile hit the iron helmet, and the helmet shattered directly.
If the projectile hits the arm or shoulder, it can cause serious injuries such as blood spurting visible to the naked eye.
Even if some people were only hit by the projectile's helmet, the force was so powerful that the person's skull was fractured, and the best case was severe dizziness and falling on the spot.
The Russian army fought randomly, and the Frank army ate up the first round of projectiles.
Because the distance was too long, the Russian army all fired at high elevation angles. Even if the projectiles rotated to resist wind deflection, many projectiles still just dug deeply into the soil.
However, this single blow had already dealt a major blow to the Frankish army.
When the soldiers saw their comrades suddenly falling down, they remained unmoved despite suffering a heavy loss. Many of them reflexively raised their iron-covered tower shields and tried their best to protect their entire bodies.
A large number of soldiers followed suit in a short period of time, and the Frankish army instantly sent out a meticulous shield formation.
The weather was good or bad today. The Russian soldiers on the ship all saw the enemy sending out shield walls. Those shields even emitted a metallic luster in the dim sunlight, and they couldn't help but feel curious about their new life.
The sudden special attack was unexpected by Ludwig. He was in a safe area for the time being and noticed the casualties of his soldiers without panicking.
"Order the troops to hold firm!"
"Order the javelin troops to forcefully go out to fight! The archers are not afraid to advance to the river and counterattack immediately."
After all, serious Frankish nobles not only saw heavy equipment like the torsion slingshot but also knew how to use it. The Russian army solved the problem of mass production and lightening it. On the other hand, Franks had craftsmen who knew how to make such advanced weapons since the fall of Rome.
There are only a handful of them, and even if they were made, they could only be used for the defense of some key cities because they were too bulky.
Wars are often fought in the wilderness. In this expedition, Ludwig did not carry heavy weapons at all, and there were not even many troops for long-range attacks.
"We cannot lose our glory! Order the soldiers to defend with shields."
After all, they are elite heavy infantry. Their armor is thick and their shields are heavy. Many people think that they are like some special javelins, but they lack the long wooden handle at the rear end.
During the civil war, it was not uncommon for the soldiers of the Middle Kingdom and the East Kingdom to throw javelins at each other. The elite troops were here to fight tough battles. They resolutely implemented the king's orders and stood here like wooden stakes.
The perspective then shifts to the Ross Army.
The Russian army has completed two rounds of shooting as quickly as possible. Because the charging speed of each position is different, Arik has ordered to enter a free-firing state.
He shouted orders casually, and was really angry when he saw his subordinates dragging their feet because the situation was too safe.
"Quick! Load it immediately! Launch it immediately."
In anger, it actually pushed away a soldier and personally controlled the power-charging winch by raising and lowering its hands to complete the power-charging. "Quick! Load."
Just as his companion was loading, he pulled the latch...
The Franks resisted with shields. Was it their shields that were stronger, or the Russians' projectiles? The Russians naturally believed in their own strength.
Those projectiles fell as always, mixed with large pebbles falling from the sky. Crossbows also joined the projectile battle. The steel-arm crossbow fired light arrows with spiral feathers. Whether they could hit the target was difficult to see because the distance was too far.
clear.
It is undeniable that everyone heard the sound of metal hitting, and the crackling was mixed with the cries of personnel.
Because the Russian iron smelting center has a blast furnace, all cast iron bullets are as named, and the same mold casts projectiles with similar tolerances, and the output is huge. The Russian army can launch the projectiles unscrupulously, but the Frankish army continues to be unable to defend.
The projectile was embedded in the wooden shield, and with one impact, the soldier felt that his arm would be shattered. There were also projectiles that hit a special position without any bias, and the projectile directly hit the soldier's left arm that was holding the shield and fractured it.
Many soldiers were knocked down with their shields. They hurriedly stood up regardless of their dizziness and joined in to continue the defense.
Each heavy infantry standard team was holding their breath. They vowed to capture the prisoners and skin them alive to vent their anger. However, they could only hide under the big shields and curse continuously.
Until Frank's javelin troops risked their lives to rush to the front line from the rear.
Arik, who had already rolled up his sleeves and was covered in sweat, heard the roar of his men.
"Boss, look at the shore over there!"
"what happened?!"
Arik then put aside the weapon in his hand and stood on the side of the boat to watch carefully. "Strange, what are a group of enemies doing running to the river? They..."
Suddenly, an ominous premonition came to mind.
"No, they are going to fight back! Brothers, please be vigilant!"
But I saw a group of muscular men with tawny hair standing up from the shore. The beards on their lips were quite thick, like two beards hanging on their chins. They were not only strong and weird, but at first glance, their arms
Much thicker than their legs, it was clearly early winter, and these hundreds of people, wearing only simple gray cloths, faced the Russian army.
They use special weapons, holding a wooden club in their right hand and a light feathered javelin placed in it.
After that, it was a brave shot...
At one time, as many as four hundred light javelins, or large arrows, hit the left and right ships of the incarnation fort in the opposite direction of the Russian army's projectiles.
There was a whooshing sound in the air, and a large number of black lines were smashing towards the ship.
"It's an enemy attack! Defense!"
Arik has already sounded the alarm, and this is his second cry.
However, some javelins have already hit the ship.
This was a purely probabilistic attack, just as the Russian army's projectiles were shot away in large numbers due to being too far away, and the Frankish army's javelins were shot into the water in large numbers.
Some javelins hit the deck, got stuck in the planks of the ship's side, and even got stuck in the tightened canvas.
Casualties also occurred.
Some Russian soldiers were shot through the body. After all, they were busy charging heavy weapons and wasted a lot of energy, so they took off any armor for convenience. Such a convenient move finally brought bad consequences, and some unlucky ones were hit.
They died instantly in the heart, some had their lungs punctured and were rolling on the deck and coughing up blood crazily, while others had their arms punctured and their skin and flesh torn.
The deck that was originally covered with dust was now stained with blood. After the sudden attack, the soldiers picked up their shields one after another. Some even panicked and jumped into the cabin to take shelter.
The way they ran away in a hurry was really unseemly.
Arik, with his round shield held over his head, shouted loudly: "No escape! Fight back immediately. Don't forget your glory!"
Chaos cannot be reversed with just one or two sentences. People need to see a role model, and Arik has undoubtedly become a role model.
Facing the Franks' javelins, he was not afraid in the face of danger, and personally controlled the slingshot and began to fight back.
He did not face the enemy directly with his flesh and blood chest, but asked the two men to concentrate on holding shields to defend on both sides of the slingshot position to become "gun shields".
When people saw that Arik was still fighting, the fleeing people returned to their positions one after another.
It is no longer necessary to launch missiles when attacking the river bank. Each position can be aimed at a flat angle and fired.
They pulled the dead and wounded into the cabin, pulled out the enemy's javelin from the deck and mast, and the next step was to stuff it into the slide of the torsion slingshot, which is called an eye for an eye.
These javelins are, after all, large arrows. Two of them can be placed on one slide to achieve double vision and smooth flight.
Seeing a brother doing this, Arik had an idea.
"Quickly load ordinary light arrows, install three or four on one slide! Attack me hard!"
In principle, the torque slingshot commonly used by the Russian Army can fire ordinary arrows, but the accuracy will be very poor. In large-scale battles, the crossbowmen of the Russian Army can take into account the firepower and accuracy of arrows. Many heavy equipment are still
It is better to shoot javelins and projectiles.
Now, even five light arrows can be stuffed into one slide.
After all, Arik came prepared, but he still greatly underestimated the enemy's strength and will to fight.
The Russian army's counterattack has begun. Although only 30% of the battleships are still in firing positions, the number of positions is rising, and the army is braving the enemy's javelin attacks to boost morale.
A large number of light arrows were fired back along with the Frankish javelins. The arrows collided with each other in the air, and many of them fell into the water due to tilt. Fortunately, some arrows still hit the enemy.
Those strong Frankish men could use their spear throwers to hurl their light javelins to a distance of 150 meters, and even to an exaggerated distance of 200 meters when there was a tailwind.
However, the Russian army has been using tools to deal with the power of human flesh and blood from beginning to end.
The unarmored spear throwers began to suffer casualties. Even though they were relatively spread out, they began to be hit by probabilistic strikes.
All this was within King Ludwig's prediction. He had already ordered the heavy cavalry to withdraw to the forest area, and he himself was also observing the battle at the edge of the forest.
Having experienced hundreds of battles, he did not feel that he would suffer heavy losses. He strategized and ordered: "Arrange heavy infantry to protect the spearmen with shields. Order the archers to arrive at the riverside under the cover of heavy infantry."
The current width of the Weser River is less than a hundred meters, which means that if Ludwig is desperate, all his long-range soldiers can reach the river bank where their feet are almost touching the water, and attack the ships randomly.
With this arrangement, he no longer focused on precise killing effects, and the battle evolved into a battle based on emotion. Ludwig just wanted to gain reputation.
As a result, the heavy infantrymen holding shields covered the spearmen, and the archers marched slowly towards the river. They advanced against the attack of the Russian army. Their bravery aroused strong anger from the latter, and even some admiration.
Arik had no time to sigh. In fact, although he could order the anchor to be pulled out, all the fighting brothers had already boarded the boat, and by then the current of the Weser River would be able to push everyone away.
However, the stone piers of the bridge were not properly destroyed. If he ordered a retreat now, wouldn't it turn into a panic escape again? If he retreats to Hamburg like this, the other brothers will definitely chew their tongues.
Arik's eyes were already bloodshot, and he asked his brothers on the flagship to busy reloading while shouting a Viking war cry with the same rhythm, in order to declare the flagship's determination to fight to all the companion ships, and suppress the possible timidity of the companion ships.
One side stood motionless in the river, holding slingshots, trebuchets and crossbows and firing continuously.
One side stood by the river and continued to fight back with bows, arrows and spears.
Across the water about fifty meters wide, arrows, javelins, projectiles, and pebbles flew across the water.
The Ross warship only fired arrow clusters densely at the enemy's side. The soldiers even took the risk of tying the arrows on the side of the ship with ropes to pull them up. The next second they inserted them into the chute of the torsion slingshot and fired them back.
Nearly 800 men on the Frankish side participated in the counterattack, and they continued to fight under the cover of large shields of more heavy infantry.
The battle became unexpectedly fierce. Even the Russian army had never had such an extremely fierce shooting battle in the past battles.
Both sides are enduring, and their weapons are also wearing out.
The soldiers in the rage are like humanoid motors. They can recharge the slingshot in just twenty seconds. Once charged, they launch it immediately. Because the projectile reserve is very sufficient and a lot of arrows can be replenished, the soldiers can shoot three rounds in as fast as one minute.
Rapid fire.
At first, the torsion slingshot could no longer withstand this extremely rare high rate of fire. Even though the hemp ropes and tendons were greased, breakage still began to occur.
What can be seen specifically is the collapse of the relatively fragile hemp rope. Even so, loading continues until the collapse reaches a limit and the overall break is inevitable.
A slingshot suddenly discharged while it was being charged. The soldiers knew that it was broken and now was not the time to repair it.
Anyway, there are still some positions on the big ship that are idle due to lack of manpower, and new slingshots are immediately put into counterattack.
Now that the distance was just right, the Russian army's cast iron bullets began to ruthlessly destroy the Frank army's wooden shields, and the crossbow shooting became more and more accurate.
Although it was a contest of willpower between the two sides, the Franks had a better defense due to their superior strength. However, they appeared in the wrong position. If the battle continued, they would be the only ones to lose.
But it was said that some Russian soldiers were already eager to try. They could not wait to jump onto the leading warships that were used for towing and launch a beach landing battle, killing them with caution and ruthlessness.
This kind of idea was strictly prohibited by Arik. Just look at the enemy's huge force and you will know that once you do this, you will be seeking death. It is better to continue shooting like this.
Ludwig was also furious. When a lower-ranking noble suggested that he should stay away for the time being as he continued to waste time here, she met with severe refutation.
On the contrary, he ordered those who knew archery to immediately take over the wooden bows left on the battlefield. As the saying goes, archers can suffer casualties, but as long as the bow can still shoot and the arrows are still there, the battle cannot stop.
After all, this is a war about honor.
It is said that Ludwig had never fought such a battle, and Arik had never seen the intensity of the shooting here.
The battle was challenging the limits of the use of torque slingshots, and the wooden bows of the Frankish army began to lose weight rapidly and even the hemp ropes collapsed due to too frequent shooting.
The strange thing is that arrows are available everywhere. The same batch of arrows are used back and forth by both sides. Even if the arrow clusters are bent or broken, they are still picked up and shot.
Ludwig shot resolutely, knowing that a nobleman told him that the harpooneer had already thrown 70% to 80%, and he did not have enough reserves to continue.
He remained unmoved until he saw that his spear throwers were suffering more and more casualties, and those who continued to fight were panting from exhaustion.
What is exaggerated is that although many bow holders were not injured, they had to retreat because their arms were so sore.
The Frank army still persisted in fighting, but saw that the large ships of the Norman army were as motionless as boulders fixed on the Weser River. The morale of the army continued to decline, and more and more wounded were being pulled to the rear. Their wails stirred everyone up.
The heart of a warrior, the horrific wounds of the deceased frighten the viewer.
Could it be that if we keep shooting, the damn Normans will suddenly die and the enemy ships will suddenly sink?
The ship showed no signs of sinking, and the Normans continued to fight as if they were not tired at all.
In reality, this was not the case. Every soldier on the Ross Army side was out of breath from exhaustion. The brothers were in absolute excitement, their physical fatigue was ignored, and everyone was overdrawing their vitality.
Both sides became increasingly tired, and the intensity of the battle began to decrease at a rate visible to the naked eye.
Now it depends on which side is the first to announce its retreat.
Whoever retreats first will give in. Arik and Ludwig did not communicate at all, or both sides used arrows to express their attitude of not giving in. Now even a tug-of-war has come to an end.
A brother told Arik that there were not many cast-iron bullets in reserve on the flagship, which shocked him: "What? A thousand rounds of bullets are not enough?"
"More than 800 rounds have been fired. If this continues, we will have no bullets left to shoot."
"Then use it sparingly! Give me a precise strike!"
Arik, who was covered in hot sweat, was still holding on. He could also see that his brothers' physical strength could no longer hold on. They all needed some time to rest before continuing to fight.
The brothers didn't want to take the initiative to evacuate temporarily, so they continued to hold on. Finally, Arik waited until the Frank army evacuated.
The battle lasted for a long time, and even the heavy infantry lined up in formation were already suffering, not to mention the feelings of those who were desperately shooting arrows and throwing javelins. The elite troops were obviously tired, and what was even more terrible was that the arrows in reserve were almost useless.
Run out.
Of course, there are a lot of arrows everywhere on the ground, but they are all broken arrows.
Today's battle greatly refreshed Ludwig's understanding of war. The arrows prepared with previous experience were almost exhausted in the small-scale encounter at the mouth of the river.
He began to consider whether this winter's northward campaign was a completely cursed action. He thought about the archbishop's request to retreat, and thought carefully that perhaps the archbishop had anticipated the ominous situation.
But the army has been mobilized and many soldiers have been lost, so they have returned without success? In this way, the Normans are still rampant, and they are clearly holding on to the Weser River crossing in the Bremen section. Doesn't such determination prove that they are guarding the Weser River crossing?
Something significant?
Based on rational considerations, we should retreat temporarily.
The Franks blew the horn to retreat, and the elite troops were ordered to retreat.
They neither won nor failed. They dragged the bodies of the casualties and pushed them into the forest. The soldiers did not forget to hurriedly pick up the arrows that were still usable on the ground, and did not forget to pick up the iron lumps everywhere.
"The Franks are withdrawing!" A Russian soldier shouted feebly, raising his right fist high.
Everyone watched the armored men leaving and struggled to squeeze out some smiles.
Arik defended the bridgehead in the ruins of Bremen. He was not happy at all, and ordered his brothers: "We will continue to hold on, and when night falls, we will try our best to light a bonfire at the ruins! After that, we evacuated calmly,
Go back to Hamburg and tell Rurik the big news."
Taking advantage of the night to engage in campfire deception, Arik was determined and very determined in this regard.
Now that the days are getting shorter and shorter, the brothers rested for half an afternoon and divided into two groups. One side approached the shore where the fierce battle was taking place and landed quietly. They tried their best to pick up the cast iron projectiles embedded in the mud, and also picked up the broken arrows that could be seen everywhere.
Arrow clusters. On the other side, they returned to the ruins of Bremen, pulled away some wood from the ruins, and cut down some trees to pile them into large wood piles. With the assistance of fire and saltpeter, they also drilled wood with bows and drills to make fire. When night fell, they spread out widely.
bonfire.
The night was covered a lot, and the Frankish army, which had suffered heavy losses, now only spent the night in the forest, while the Roman road was already filled with bonfires, which were once like a flaming dragon.
The scouts saw bonfires appearing one after another on the other side of the Weser River, and their number was increasing.
They hurriedly informed Ludwig of the important discovery, which shocked the depressed man in the past.
"Great! They plan to have a decisive battle in Bremen. Notify the whole army, and we will wait here to wait for work!"
The army was unable to sleep well at night due to the torment of orders. They were worried that the Normans would shoot arrows wildly during the decisive battle. How could they sleep peacefully if they were worried that they would suffer inexplicable casualties?
But the next day, when the scouts cautiously returned to the shore, they saw that the decisive battle they expected did not seem to exist at all.
There were no enemy ships, not even a human figure! The north wind blew across the river, and the black ruins of Bremen were very dazzling. There was a faint burnt smell in the air, which naturally came from the burning bonfires.
The broken bridge and stone piers are arranged in a lonely line, and the Weser River flows quietly.
The Russian army had already pulled anchor before dawn, and the entire army drifted smoothly towards the Atlantic Ocean...