On November 13, 1269, after the birth of Jesus, it was just dawn. Poland, on the Vistula front, the Crusaders in Europa had already begun their battle formations.

A 3-inch or 2-inch cannon was slowly pushed onto a gun emplacement made of sandbags, aiming the muzzle of the gun forward. The gunners were all in position, the ammunition men had already loaded the H charge and solid shells into the breech, the iron tongs used to ignite the propellant were already red, and the gun commanders all put on special anti-scald gloves and held an iron tong placed on the coals, waiting for the order to fire.

Along the eastern bank of the Vistula River, 90 cannons were evenly spaced out in an arc semicircle, each spaced about 30 paces, supporting a front of 2,7800 paces. Between the cannons, dozens of longbowmen or musketeers were deployed, as well as Iberian knights with shields, swords, and crossbows to cover the front. These knights were also equipped with horses and deer bars that could block the cavalry's onslaught, forming a tight defense. All the knights, musketeers, and longbowmen waited with bated breath for the battle to begin.

Chen Chongguan strode into the second floor of a humble church, which was located in the middle of an arc-shaped semicircle. Right behind the positions of the longbowmen and musketeers. It was less than 2,000 paces away from the position of the Mongol army that was unfolding on the opposite side, and there was no obstruction in the middle, and the entire battlefield could be seen without binoculars.

Behind the church is a small town across the Vistula River, connected by a pontoon bridge. All the buildings in the town, including the church, were reinforced with thick timber, and most of the doors and windows were sealed. There is only one entrance. At the top of these buildings, there are fire points that can shoot arrows from a high position. This town. It is the last stronghold of the Europa coalition deployed on the east bank of the Vistula River!

Empty lots on either side of the church (cemetery on one side and a small square on the other). They were all pikemen and dismounted knights of the brigade, forming two battalion-sized phalanxes, and the soldiers were all sitting cross-legged on the ground, quietly waiting for the order to attack. Every clearing in the town was filled with legions of pikemen and knights. The former are mostly from Germany, but also some from Wales. The latter were mainly knights from the Iberian Peninsula, and the younger half came from Aquitaine in France, and were vassals of Duke Edward of Aquitaine.

The army of 60,000 people was distributed in this arc-shaped area of less than 3,000 paces in an orderly manner. The outer layer was made of cannons, musketeers and longbowmen, as well as a small number of Iberian dismounted knights. On the inner layer are the pikemen of the brigade. Always ready to meet the cavalry assault of the Mongols.

There were already a lot of big men in chain mail waiting for the battle to start in the church, and everyone except for Edward, Duke of Aquitaine, was somewhat uncomfortable - they were all knights, and they had taken the lead in battles in the past, and rarely cowered behind the first layer of infantry protection.

Seeing Chen Chongguan coming in, the "long-legged" Edward, who was a little exaggerated (about 1.9 meters), stood up to greet him. Politely asked in Latin: "Count, how is the situation?" Will the Mongols attack today? ”

The vanguard of the Mongols had been operating east of the Vistula a week earlier, and had fought several times with the Polish knights. Soon they were crushed across the Vistula. Now east of the Vistula, only this curved defensive position on the opposite bank of the Värsova and a few small but strong bridgeheads—all Ming-style bastions, were built by the miners of the Wieliczka salt mines at the behest of Ming officers, using a large number of stout logs and sandbags. Very sturdy. Crossbowmen from Italy were also arranged for defense. The Mongols tried several times, but when they found that it was not easy to fight, they did not pay attention to it, and just continued to blockade the battlefield with cavalry. Due to the blockade of the Mongol cavalry. The Crusader knights were unable to search during the day, so they could only use the cover of night to send out some Polish light cavalry who were familiar with the terrain to reconnoiter the enemy. You also have to be on guard against the Mongol cavalry at all times, so you can't get much useful information. It is only known that the Mongol army had arrived on the plain about 20 miles east of the Vistula River three days earlier.

So yesterday and today. The Crusaders stationed in this arc of defense on the east bank of the Vistula River came out early in the morning to form themselves and wait for the Mongols to attack. However, not half of the Mongols came to attack all day yesterday. I wonder if I will wait in vain today? If the Mongols left this arc and crossed the river somewhere else, and copied the rear of the knights, it would be a bit troublesome!

Chen Chongguan shook his head, just when he didn't know how to answer. A terrible trumpet pierced the heavens and the earth. Everyone hurriedly ran to the window facing east and looked in the direction where the sound came.

In the distance, under the morning glow, the huge Jiuyou Baixu hunted and flew in the wind, around the Daxu is a variety of colored flags, white, yellow, red, blue, blue and other colors of the flag and a black big character reflect each other, far away reveals the formidable slaughter and majesty.

The Mongols are coming!

Seeing this scene, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and then their hearts were raised to their throats again - a crucial battle that would determine the direction of Europa's history for hundreds of years will soon begin! If the battle ends in a fiasco...... Just as the Europa did in the past against the Mongols, then the entire Bode Plain and even the French Plain would fall after this battle!

Europa will enter an unimaginable dark age......

It was early morning, and the wilderness was covered with a layer of mist, and the distant scenery was a little hazy. The dull beat of drums sounded in the fog, and a dense phalanx and a forest of spears could be faintly seen in the distant wilderness.

It appears that before dawn, the Mongol soldiers had entered the battlefield, lined up in the open field for the crucial battle of Europa.

There was also the thunderous sound of horses' hooves. The main force of the Mongol army is always cavalry, and there are countless Mongolian cavalry concentrated on the east bank of the Vistula River, and the sound of horses' hooves makes the earth tremble slightly.

The morning fog gradually lifted, and the Mongol army on the opposite side became clear. Instead of taking the lead with cavalry, they placed dozens of infantry phalanxes in front. These infantry phalanxes were dominated by spearmen, with a number of sword and shield men and archers. And the establishment of the infantry brigade of the Ming army is like. Between the infantry phalanxes, artillery and three-bow bed crossbows were also arranged. The sound of horses' hooves stopped sounding, and the Mongolian cavalry on horseback had already taken their positions, dismounted their horses, and quietly waited for orders. The entire battlefield was unusually quiet.

There are so many Mongolians! And this momentum is enough to bluff people. Chen Chongguan thought secretly. On the battlefield, the formation of more than 200,000 people has been unfolded, as strict as a forest, intimidating the entire battlefield with an overwhelming momentum.

The sun gradually brightened, and the boundless withered grass faded the last traces of moisture from the leaves, and swayed in the wind, forming golden waves. The two sides facing each other on the battlefield, no matter how the golden waves fluctuated, they just stood still.

When the last wisps of thick fog lifted, in the distance in the white, yellow, red, and blue Mongol formations, suddenly a group of soldiers suddenly separated, and stepped forward in front of the infantry phalanx with cyan flags, and then lined up three slender and somewhat loose horizontal columns, so that they could slowly advance towards the arc formation of the Europa army at the speed of walking.

Chen Chongguan raised his binoculars and carefully observed the Mongols. found that it was a typical Han face, and it was rare to see Mongolian-style big face plates and triangular eyes. These Han people should be the "Mongolian Han Eight Banners", right? Chen Chongguan's brows furrowed, he found that these Han people were all sword and shield bearers and musketeers, and the soldiers in the first row were all holding large shields and slender scimitars and wearing fish scale iron armor, shining in the morning light. The last two rows of soldiers carried exaggerated arquebuses. Their formation is not very tight, but it gives people a murderous feeling, their pace is unhurried, and even shows a bit of leisure, as if they are not on the battlefield, but in their own back garden.

They are all veterans of war! Chen Chongguan was quick to draw conclusions.

"Earl, they seem to be within range of our cannons, do you want to fire?" Edward, Duke of Aquitaine, seemed to be a little nervous—there was no way for someone who really understood the gap between the knightly army and the Mongols not to be nervous.

"No, don't fire." Chen Chongguan just shook his head. "The distance is too far, and their formation is loose, and if they can't kill a few people, it will make the barrel heat up prematurely."

Cannons cannot be fired indefinitely on the battlefield, because the life of the barrel is limited, and after a while, it is necessary to stop firing to cool down.

As the two spoke, there was another change on the battlefield, and the Mongol artillery began to slowly advance, the gunners pushed the cannons forward, and some Mongol soldiers with infantry bows followed the cannons, and the formation was also loose. And it is not parallel to the front, but to the center of the battlefield. Obviously, the Mongols were going to concentrate their firepower on the center.

By this time, the Mongol and Han musketeers, who had marched about four or five hundred paces in front of the Crusaders, had stopped their advance, and the first row was half-crouched and put their shields up, and the second row was also half-squatting and put their muskets on top of their shields, and the third row was sitting on the ground. The result was a line of defense, consisting of musketeers and shieldmen, and gaps that looked like they could fit a cannon.

Chen Chongguan's face was very solemn, these Han people who worked for the Mongols seemed to be very good at using artillery!

The situation of the war is even more severe than he imagined! (To be continued......)