The Norman knights didn't seem to be in a hurry to completely annihilate the battered Northumbrian knights, as if they were playing a cat-and-mouse game, slowly pushing the Northumbrian knights into a corner and admiring their struggles to resist.

As the commander of this cavalry, Duke Rodrigo's lips curled into an unpredictable smile, and he turned his gaze to the main formation of the Vi-Nov coalition behind the Northumbrian knights, with a look of expectation.

It is clear that Duke Rodrigo is using this Northumbrian knight as bait, and he wants to use this bait to lure more valuable targets.

As expected, there seemed to be a commotion in the Vino coalition's main formation, and the latter heavy infantry, numbering as many as 2,600 men, appeared in Rodrigo's field of vision.

Most of the soldiers in this army were Byzantine, with long-hem chainmail shirts, nose guards with chainmail neck guards, slatted armor on their forearms and lower legs, and Byzantine swords hanging from their waists.

But the most striking thing is that the shield in each warrior's hand is adorned with a crow, a symbol with a Scandinavian pagan style.

At the same time, many people held Norse-style battle axes, which were asymmetrical at the top and bottom of the Rus' axes, which eventually developed into the iconic weapon of the Russians, the moon-bladed axe.

Obviously, this soldier who came to the rescue was the Varangian Guard, whom William had specially reminded Duke Rodrigo to pay special attention to.

Rodrigo also noticed that in addition to the Varangian Guard, there was also a light infantry of more than 1,500 men who followed the Varangian Guard.

The soldiers of this light infantry were distinctly Rus' in appearance, with large noses and reddish-white skin, and they were armed with helmets, linen shirts, striped "bloomers", and a lightweight, short-sleeved chain armor, and weapons similar to those of the Varangian Guard.

They were probably mercenaries recruited from the Rus' by Harald the Heartless upon his return to Norway.

Judging by the equipment of this force, it is clear that Harald the 'Heartless' wants to replicate a Varangian Guard.

The Varangian Guard and the Rus' mercenaries combined were only in their early 4,000s, while Duke Rodrigo had 8,000 cavalry at his disposal, twice as many as the opposing side, and he seemed to be sure of victory.

It seems that because of the absolute superiority of troops, Duke Rodrigo can't help but feel a sense of contempt in his heart, he doesn't think that the Varangian Guard really has unparalleled strong combat power as William said, and who is the real strongest will not be known until after a real fight.

"Roger. Morality. Baron Montgomery, you and two thousand Norman knights hurriedly pursued these Northumbrian knights, and annihilated them in one fell swoop! Duke Rodrigo looked at the commander of William's Knights of the Guards and ordered.

"Yes, Lord Duke." Baron Roger had no objection and responded with a military salute to Rodrigo.

"My lords, this army that has appeared ahead is what His Majesty calls the Varangian Guard.

Today we're going to fight them and see who is the strongest in the world! Duke Rodrigo raised his sword and shouted as he rode his horse in front of the battle.

Rodrigo's pre-war speech succeeded in arousing the competitive spirit of the Normans, who had fought countless battles but had never encountered an army that could resist them, not the French, nor the Wessexes, Mercia, nor Northumbrians.

Although the Normans eventually converted to Christianity, adopted French, and settled in Normandy for decades after abandoning their naval harassment in favor of Frankish cavalry tactics, they retained many of the characteristics of their pirate ancestors, the Vikings. They display an extremely uneasy and reckless temperament, a belligerent spirit that borders on foolishness, and a cunning that is associated with shameless disloyalty.

The Normans then expanded into other parts of Europe, setting a record for astonishing adventures, often conquering several times as many enemies with only a small number of men. The unrivalled ability to cross the country quickly, the use of brutal violence, and the premature use of money and a sense of value were all Norman traits.

The Normans had the arrogance and courage of the Nietzschean type, which was also the national characteristic of the Normans.

The Norman cavalry attack was terrifying, and for four centuries there was no infantry in Europe to match them.

This is due to a series of innovations and improvements in military technology.

The Norman saddle was made of wood and raised the front axle, which was not as comfortable as the leather, but made the knight sit more securely, and under the saddle there were two wide belly straps, one tied to the front of the mount's chest and the other tied to the belly, and two leather stirrups fell under the saddle.

The Norman cavalry was the first in Europe to use stirrups, which allowed them to stand up straight on their horses, tighten their spears with their arms and torsos, and use the speed and weight of their horses to attack the enemy.

Historically, Duke of Apulia, Robert. Morality. Ottwell led the Norman knights with their guns to defeat Archesius. The more disciplined and better armored Byzantine Iron-framed Paladins under Muningko the Great.

The advantage of a pistol charge is that it can be used to carry a heavier mounted gun with less effort. Such a heavy gun when charging with all its strength is faster and has a lot of kinetic energy, even if you don't hold it, you can knock the opposite side over just by throwing it.

The Varangian Guards had already appeared in the Norman Knights' field of vision, and the two were only three hundred meters apart, and the Norman Knights were a little incredulous, they couldn't believe that the Varangian Guards were marching so fast.

Putting away some surprise, the Norman knights, led by Rodrigo, began to speed up their horses, grabbed their rifles and sprinted with all their might.

Instead of using the wall charge they were accustomed to against cavalry, the Normans resorted to the tactic of a pistol charge.

The Normans wanted to use their five-meter-long cavalry spears to take the lead in piercing the formation of the Varangian guards, as long as they destroyed their formation, no matter what kind of elite infantry, the Normans were fearless.

However, in the face of the overwhelming all-out charge of the Normans, the Varangian guards did not have the slightest fear, and they still lined up in a tight formation to resist the large round shields and bravely hedged against the Normans.

Boom Boom Boom Boom ...... Bang bang bang......

The sound of the crash continued to sound, and from time to time the soldiers of the Varangian Guard were pierced by their spears or knocked away by their horses, but many Norman knights were knocked off their horses by the Varangian Guard.

All of a sudden, the battle was at a stalemate, and the two sides fought back and forth, regardless of victory or defeat.

The Normans said that these Varangians were also a herd of cattle, and it was unbelievable that they could resist the charge of the Norman knights and then launch a counter-charge!