Chapter 166: Changes

General John's temples on the left and right jumped suddenly, and the cold hairs on his body exploded one by one.

Since the start of the war, it seems that some kind of tacit understanding has been formed, it has always been Aberdeen attacking and Taranto defending.

This is also the reason why General John has always looked down on Taranto's army.

The Taranto rebels were poorly trained, poorly equipped, and weak in combat, and were not at all on the same level as Aberdeen.

With favourable terrain and a variety of fortifications, Taranto's troops may be able to withstand the attacks of Aberdeen warriors and fight decently. Once these external favorable factors are put aside, the army is pulled to the ground and fought in a dignified formation. It may only take a single charge for the warriors of Aberdeen to gouge through the array of Taranto soft-footed crabs.

In the months since the start of the war, the enemy's response seems to have validated General John's ideas. Taranto would only cower behind a strong defensive line, and would never dare to take the initiative. The occasional counterattack or two was only a small counterattack of less than 100 people. And only within the shelter of the line of defense, never daring to go too far.

But this time this counterattack is obviously completely different from before.

Heavy cavalry, with men and horses and thick armor all over their bodies, was very difficult to set up and trained, and it was extremely expensive. No matter which army it is in, it is the absolute main force, the elite of the elite.

The towero-heavy cavalry in front of him was prominent, with bright armor and neat movements, numbering about 200 people in a brigade.

Regardless of the number of troops or numbers, Taranto has invested a considerable amount of money in this counterattack.

But the reason why General John reacted so violently was not the hoplites of the opposing brigade itself.

The heavy cavalry was strong and full of momentum. It is most suitable for charging into battle and breaking the deadlock. If in the middle of a field battle, the enemy suddenly sent this heavy cavalry, in a hurry, he really might be confused by these 200 people.

But in fact, Taranto's entire army hid behind the defensive line, passively resisting Aberdeen's attack. No matter how strong the heavy cavalry brigade is, no matter how much it can disrupt its own military formation, but their number is too small after all, and if there is no follow-up strategy from other troops and the expansion of the results, their own troops will inevitably slowly adjust and recover.

At that time, the heavy cavalry brigade, which was alone in Aberdeen's formation, had lost the space and space to move and charge, and would be divided and surrounded, and finally slaughtered.

General John saw this result very clearly, and he did not believe that Frankie on the other side would not be able to see it.

If something goes wrong, there must be a demon!

Knowing that it is impossible to achieve many great results by sending heavy cavalry, it is very likely that the meat buns will beat the dogs, and they will never return, losing this valuable combat force. Frankie just gave the order, and if there was no conspiracy hidden in it, General John would not believe it in any way.

Does he want to counterattack and prepare the whole army to launch a counteroffensive?

This was a relatively reliable answer, but it was then denied by General John himself.

Impossible.

If Taranto's attack came from behind or from both flanks of the Aberdeen army, it would have been a good move.

But the rangers who scattered out had already discovered the surrounding situation, and except for the horseshoe canyon directly ahead, there was no trace of an ambush of the army within a radius of ten miles.

If it was a strong attack from the front, General John and the soldiers at the front could not ask for it.

The "tortoise shells" that Frankie commanded were so sturdy that the rebels hid inside, causing a headache and a headache for Aberdeen's warriors. If they attack from the inside, no matter how fierce the attack momentum, Aberdeen will definitely applaud it.

Thinking about it and not having a clue, General John gritted his teeth and waved his hand to let the herald give the latest order.

Whatever Frankie's schemes, it was never a good thing to let the enemy's hoplites roam his array and wreak havoc.

Instead of racking your brains to guess the other party's intentions, it is better to start from yourself, put me first, and erase this scourge first.

As long as you are vigilant and vigilant, even if the enemy really has any tricks and conspiracies, you may not be able to help yourself.

The order flag flies rapidly according to a certain pattern, and the commander's orders are conveyed to the commanders of the various units above the battle array.

Aberdeen's array moved in response.

The two thousand-strong troops, which were originally the main force of the next wave of attacks, were standing quietly a little later, waiting for the order to attack, slowly pressed up one on the left and one on the right. It was like two huge iron pincers, fiercely clamping towards the heavy cavalry brigade that was making waves.

The two reinforcements were a little far apart, and if the hoplite brigade dared to penetrate in this direction decisively, there was a great chance that they would be able to jump out of the cage before the two forces were encircled.

But that's not necessarily a good idea.

Because although they escaped the left and right attacks of the two armies, they were also further away from their own defense lines and base camps, and it was almost impossible to obtain support from the rear. And leaving the Aberdeen frontline infantry Fangzheng, who had been a little confused by himself, would face two well-organized thousand-man teams that had cut off their way back.

What's even more terrifying is that under the banner of the commander of the Aberdeen Central Army, the extremely fierce personal guards under the command of General John are waiting for them.

The gap between the two teams, where is the hope of life, it is clearly the gate of hell that leads to the bottomless abyss.

The captain of the Taranto Heavy Cavalry Brigade knew that it was powerful, and remembered the solemn explanation of General French before the dispatch. Not daring to hesitate any longer, he grabbed the reins with one hand, pulled the horse's head, and waved the long knight in his right hand forward.

The cavalry behind him followed him, and one by one they also instigated their mounts, crossed a beautiful arc, and ran in the direction of the commute.

After a period of chaos in the Aberdeen array, which had been breached, order was gradually restored under the command of the commanders at all levels. But before he had time to set up the formation according to the instructions of the Chinese army, he formed an encirclement and attack with the two thousand-strong teams that had come over for reinforcements. The abominable Taranto hoplites had turned their horses around and plunged diagonally into their ranks again.

For a while, people turned on their backs, flesh and blood flew sideways, and the offensive and defensive sides collided violently in one place.

Frankie's choice of this place as a breakthrough point for the counterattack was naturally carefully observed and considered.

In terms of overall combat strength or the average level of each unit, Aberdeen undoubtedly has to hold Taranto steadily. But this does not mean that either army on either side will meet and the Aberdeen side will necessarily have the upper hand.

The horseman's hand on the tall horse stabbed out, and the cold light pierced the chest of an Aberdeen warrior, and then emerged from his back.

The castration did not stop, and with the powerful impact of the war horse, it pierced through the other Aberdeen warrior who was closely behind him.

The cavalry shouted, and with the strength of his arm, he actually threw out the two warriors who were not thin and smashed into the dense phalanx in front.

Taking advantage of the confusion of the enemy's formation, the cavalry captain clamped his legs, drove his mount forward, and brutally broke into the enemy's formation.

Taranto's hoplites wore heavy armor not only for their knights, but also for their horses. When they run, they are like a heavy piece of iron moving at high speed, and their momentum and impact are extremely amazing, who dares to stand in front of them?

Even if they were ready for battle, most of the Aberdeen infantry phalanx in front of them would not be able to resist it. Now that the formation was disrupted by the corpses of two colleagues, it was even more impossible to stop the frantic rush of the hoplites.

With a "bump", one of the Aberdeen warriors standing at the front was knocked out of the air, and the blood spurting out of his mouth spilled all the way.

By the time he was rolling on the ground and struggling to his feet, the beast of steel had come to him again, its hooves raised and stomped heavily on his chest.

The warrior's chest collapsed like a trampled watermelon.

At this time, there were already several new corpses on the part of the road where he was knocked away.

The hoplite captain was not in love with battle, and under his command, the whole cavalry cut through the phalanx of Aberdeen infantry, which had not yet fully recovered, and arrived at the fortifications of Taranto just before the two reinforcements of a thousand men joined in. And from the gap where they came, returned to the rear of the defensive line.

Before Aberdeen's infantry could desperately chase after them, the gap had been plugged again. In front of them, the rebels of Taranto had reverted back to strong fortifications and had been put in position.

It didn't take long from the appearance of this heavy cavalry, to their charge to kill the enemy, to the decisive retreat and return, but the infantry phalanx of Aberdeen had already paid the price of hundreds of lives.

What's more, in a head-on confrontation, the enemy is killed into the formation, rampage, and wanton killing, but he can only watch and do nothing, which is a devastating blow to the confidence and morale of the soldiers. If they are not withdrawn in time and rested and adjusted, this army will probably be abolished.

In comparison, such a heavy price was paid, and the result of the battle was only to leave the enemy with less than ten corpses.

General John frowned tightly, but then relaxed again.

Although he was not satisfied with this result, he did not feel disappointed in his heart.

After all, the other party is a heavy cavalry, and with the mutual restraint of the two arms, the battle loss ratio of 10:1 is not too difficult to accept.

To General John's relief, he did not wait for Frankie's machinations from beginning to end. I don't know if it's because of his careful and calm response, so he can't find the opportunity to launch it. Or is it that he is not prepared at all?

While General John breathed a sigh of relief, Anthony's heart suddenly lifted.

Here it comes!

General John couldn't guess what trick Frankie was playing, but Anthony, who already had a full understanding of the whole plan, saw through the other party's intentions at a glance.

This is a real combat exercise, an offensive real combat exercise!

Relying on the stubborn defense of the fortifications, it is possible to cut off the enemy's return route, to demoralize them, and to kill and wound their warriors. However, in order to complete Franky's almost impossible task, Taranto must step out of their familiar fortifications and take the initiative to attack Aberdeen.

Clearly, French decided the time was ripe to start practicing the various offensive routines and tactics of Taranto's fighters.

This is just the beginning.

Anthony thought silently.

It's almost time to see the poor dagger.