Chapter 22: Wood is not as hard as stone
After devistently strategizing with Borshu, the Mongol army began to move secretly. Adjust your strategy. But it's not something that can be done all at once. After a three-day rest, the Mongol army continued to attack the Norman defenses. And it was also during these three days. Egir used his tactics to restore the morale of the Norman Empire and its allies to the highest level. This was the end of the first round. The two sides began the second round.
At first, the Mongol army did not attack directly. Instead, as in the previous attack on the outer line, a large number of slave soldiers were dispatched to carry out the operation. It was hoped that the Norman perimeter defenses, the broken, obstructive wreckage, and the trenches, traps, and mines in front of the two Norman fortresses five kilometers apart would be possible.
So, these suffering slave soldiers, the time of sorrow has come again. The large fortresses built by the Normans were much more fortified than the previous outer defenses. Towering turrets are littered with catapults and crossbows, and turrets are equipped with powerful cannons. A total of 300,000 Norman troops were stationed in these two fortresses. The main force of the regular army, as well as many more, more combat-ready conscripts, and elite troops that the various allies are proud of, are all concentrated here. Such a defensive force once gave the Mongols a great amazement.
The fortress of the Norman Empire, the octagonal, twenty-four-kilometer-long towering wall, seven meters high and three meters wide, was slightly inclined and more difficult to climb. Such a wall has three sides. After breaching the three walls, there was an even more dangerous inner castle inside the fortress.
The main body of the fortress is made entirely of solid granite boulders, as well as large strips of stone. Close to the point of indestructibility. Fortified walls on three sides. Only on the west side, near Europe, is a high hanging gate. And a two-story urn city was also built on the inside of the city gate. And the various garrisons in the city are abundant. The Norman Empire's years of preparation and savings were enough for an army of 300,000 to be used for a year.
Such a strong city defense. As well as the large number of defenders, the Mongols felt their powerlessness. Genghis Khan sent out tens of thousands of slave soldiers every day. Go clean up the clutter. and filling trap trenches. If you go out of three people, at least one person has to be beaten into meat sauce by the overwhelming firepower of the Norman Empire. The other two said that they would also suffer some harm. So, in the case of covering the Norman Empire with fire. The cleanup was unusually slow. Until mid-August, after nearly 100,000 lives were consumed. The Mongol Empire was reluctant to establish a passage to the two fortresses.
Or by the Norman slings, the city defense crossbows. Artillery. Crossbowmen shoot. Or fall into the trap of the Norman Empire and die. Or they stepped on a pedal mine and were killed, or they were disabled and abandoned by the Mongol Empire...... The slave soldiers from Persia and the Central Plains were quite miserable.
Sometimes, all the Mongol Empire needed was to be a victim of landmines. So there were not just young men among them. There are also women and children, old and young. The Mongol Empire used these people completely as consumables, without mercy. On the contrary, the Mongols were distressed, and it would be better if some Norman civilians could be found in the vicinity. It's just that Egil is strong and clear. The Normans were absolutely not to be seen within the absolute defensive circle of Moscow. So they had no choice but to give up.
And saw the miserable condition of these slave soldiers, the old and the weak, women and children. While mercilessly ordering them to be shot, Egil took the opportunity to spread propaganda to his soldiers:
"See?!The miserable state of alien domination by the Mongols. If you don't want to be like this, give me a good call!"...,
And so it was, August 21. On the road to the Norman fortress, the existing fortresses have been bulldozed. Dirt, wood and corpses filled in those trenches and traps. The ground has been completely transformed into a passable road. Genghis Khan gave the order and began to attack.
The first to take the lead was still the Mongol subordinate dog leg Guo Kan, and a Mongolian servant army under his command. Like the previous one, the crippled Mongol servant army. The soldiers were also well-equipped and trained, but morale was very problematic.
But this doesn't matter, as long as a little blessing is given to the state of a Mongolian military god. These soldiers, who would have been scattered at the slightest setback, will become vigorous. It's like it is now.
There was also a staggering number of return guns, a large number of siege machines, and crossbowmen covering the flanks. Also after Temujin performed the skills of the Mongol god of war. But the difference is - this time, they are going to attack the main body of the Norman line. Cast copper and iron, a large fortress that is impregnable!
"Ready, fire!" As Egil gave the order, a deafening roar of artillery rang out from the Norman batteries. The Norman artillery, which used flowering shells, blew up hundreds of enemy soldiers in one bombardment. Before the enemy advanced into the range of catapults and crossbows, the monotonous sound of artillery was the highest melody on the battlefield.
Speaking of which, the Norman artillery, which had been firing dozens of shells almost every day for more than a month, was fired. The bore was subjected to severe wear and corrosion. There was an artillery piece before, which blew up because of an operation error, killing several operating engineers. The casting process of the twelve-pounder cannon and the steel used were not as good as those of the newly developed twenty-four-pounder gun. It's good to be able to hold on until now.
"So it's time to take a break. Egil secretly calculated, and after the opposing army advanced to the range of the catapults and crossbows, he decisively ordered to stop the artillery firing. The engineers immediately ran over and took the opportunity to inspect and maintain the artillery.
Although the artillery bombardment stopped, the casualties of the Mongol servants were much higher than before, despite the fact that they were equipped with even more pointed wooden donkey carts, siege carts with baffles, or shields erected to form a shield wall. But more casualties are more casualties - because of the number of crossbows and catapults placed on these two fortifications - three times that of the previous perimeter defenses!
A total of 800 new, shiny, waxed, painted heavy city defense crossbows, and 600 heavy heavy catapults that could be thrown at a distance of 500 meters with 10 kilograms of stone projectiles, or iron cannons of equal weight. These pieces of equipment are launched at the same time, and in an instant, they can form a firepower network that is almost impossible to cross!
Stone bullets, ballistas, iron cannons, and the Celestial Flame Canister...... These deadly weapons were thrown in a continuous manner. Exploded, burned, impaled, and smashed in an array of Mongol miners...... Accompanied by broken armor, scarf, shattered, bloody corpses, and the screams of dying soldiers, a tragic scene called the battlefield is presented.
"This, this is ......" Genghis Khan, who was watching the battle in the rear, and the Mongol generals all opened their mouths in surprise.
"It's like the end of the world......"
The dozen or so phalanxes in the front row were completely shattered. A volley of Norman Empire caused damage to more than 1,000 Mongol soldiers and hundreds of various city machinery. The wreckage was scattered and fragmented. There is no reuse value at all. I can't see any of the original appearance. It's completely unimaginable that these things are an elite infantry thousand-man team before. ...,
Such a powerful long-range strike force made the Mongolian servant army stunned all of a sudden. Some of the soldiers were ready to move on, others were ready to flee, but the vast majority stopped, standing still, bewildered. And it was at this time that the Norman Empire, the second round of attacks arrived.
Because of the correction of the previous round of attacks. This round of bombing was a little more effective. On either side of the thousand-man squad that had been reduced to ruins, after a burst of explosions, the Mongol servant army was reduced by nearly two thousand-man troops.
Suddenly, the friendly soldiers who had continuously suffered such a dense blow, seeing the heavy casualties in front of him, were in a mess. The morale of the Mongol servant army, the nearest thousands of soldiers and horses, suddenly dropped to the bottom. And Egil wasted no time in casting a Hades Scream skill.
And so it collapsed.
The soldiers of the servant army shouted in surprise and fear, turned around, dropped their weapons and began to flee. Behind them, the rest of the servant soldiers were soon caught up, broke down, and began to flee.
They were followed by deafening explosions, and more screams, and all sorts of smashed, cut, pierced, crushed, and broken...... And so on and so forth, all kinds of terrifying sounds that can only be made after being injured. And there are not a few soldiers who trample on each other and die of death.
Although there were many responsible officers who shouted loudly and wanted to quiet the army again, especially the best dog, the Han general named Guo Kan, who desperately slaughtered the army. Yelling and screaming as if crazy. But none of them can do anything.
They did not have enough prestige to make their soldiers absolutely obedient, nor could they create fear greater than fear. Let the soldiers fear him more than the outrageous attacks of the Normans. So it's all just useless work. It's as if the spectacular-looking retrospective artillery group could only leave some insignificant little white dots on the walls of the Norman fortress......
The collapse, like an avalanche and a tsunami, was unstoppable, and the chain reaction soon appeared among the soldiers. Even Egil was surprised—it seemed that he was about to win this battle?
Of course, it's not that simple. Although the generals and officers of the servant army did not have the ability to stop this collapse, the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, Temujin, he did.