(18) Crossing the battlefield
If they were caught by the gendarmes who came to chase them, they would definitely be taken back to Tadjavi City and hanged.
For the two fugitives, the most dangerous place seemed safe.
Dali pulled Jian Ning straight into the battlefield, hoping that the pursuers behind him would retreat.
At this time, he didn't know that the chasing team behind him had already abandoned the mission and started to return, but just ran desperately.
Dalí was amazed at how endurance his body was, but he didn't care to investigate the reason for it.
He picked up an exhausted Jane Ning and ran to the heights, where there was a farmhouse, and when the two arrived, they climbed the wooden ladder to the thatched roof of the farmhouse.
They lay on the roof, covering their bodies with the thatch on it, and Dalí soothed a panting and frightened Janen, who was frightened by the corpses on the edge of the battlefield.
The farmhouse was located on a high hill on the flank of the battlefield, where the two of them hid with a clear view of the surrounding scene.
Dalí's gaze looked beyond the dense trees beneath the high hills, and the vast field in the distance was the center of the battlefield.
It was a large-scale battle, with a lot of troops committed on both sides, and they saw the flanks of the two sides of the firefight on the rooftop, with the Duchy of Valstad on the left and the League of Nobles on the right.
The main force of both sides is the line infantry, which is the core of an army formed in a neat formation, and the line infantry is scattered in companies, and countless companies form a long line of columns.
Spear-armed officers walked at the forefront with a firm step, and these brave gentlemen were of aristocratic origin, and took on the heavy responsibility of commanding the front.
Military bands, small in stature, mostly minors, played a rhythmic rhythm of trumpets and drums, and different tunes and tunes were used to convey different commands, which also played a key role in boosting morale.
Exactly what Dalí learned in the bootcamp, whether it is the Noble Alliance or the Duchy of Valstad, the establishment of both sides is similar, and the forces of the entire Eurasia continent are organized according to the well-developed theory.
Each infantry platoon is a platoon of about thirty privates, three non-commissioned officers, and one lieutenant. Each company has three platoons, led by a captain, and the total combat strength of the company is about 100 people.
These line infantry marched with the butts of their flintlock rifles held in their palms, the body of which rested naturally on their shoulders, the bayonets used for hand-to-hand combat were attached to the muzzles, and some elite privates were armed with sabers or daggers.
The effective range of the flintlock pistol was about 200 meters, but most of these infantry formations chose to fire at a distance of 100 or even 50 meters, because the closer the distance, the better the killing effect.
In this era of firepower, firepower density and morale determine everything.
A close salvo would have caused heavy casualties in a dense infantry rank, and the cries of the fallen dead and wounded around them would put pressure on the soldiers.
Some demoralized militia units were frightened into fleeing after only one round of fire.
Dalí noticed that the Principality Line infantry on the left side of the battlefield were neatly dressed, dressed in uniform black privates, and the line was neat and stable.
The color of the military uniforms on the right side looks dazzling, the League of Nobles is a form of government formed by the alliance of four counts, and the mixed armies of these counts will be a big problem, so their infantry ranks are also a little scattered.
Cannonballs fired from cannons on both sides plowed the land into steaming ravines.
Most of the shells missed the target, but if they hit, they would have caused heavy casualties in a large area.
These iron balls carrying tremendous kinetic energy roared out of the muzzles of the guns, mercilessly harvesting life in the ranks of the infantry, and the limbs would be easily broken, and there would be no chance of survival if the body or head was hit.
Dalí's farmhouse was on the edge of the battlefield, fortunately no shells flew here, the skirmishes on the edge had ended, and what he saw was that the main forces of the two sides were engaged in a decisive battle.
Seeing that the infantry lines on both sides were getting closer and closer, having reached the maximum range of flintlock muskets, the officers of the League of Nobles shouted: "Stop! Raise your gun, aim! ”
The line infantrymen in the front row raised their flintlock muskets, the first projectile had been loaded in advance, they opened the safety and waited for orders.
"Fire!"
Smoke from a salvo of hundreds of flintlock rifles enveloped the entire line, and after the dense gunfire, many soldiers in the Principality's infantry line were shot and fell, and the soldiers in the back row quickly stepped forward to fill the gap left by the casualties in the front row.
The Principality's front continued to advance for dozens of meters before stopping, and their officers wanted to get the first shot to be more effective.
"Raise your gun! Aim, fire! ”
After a few volleys, there were casualties on both sides, but the Principality's side clearly had a morale advantage, and most of the black-clad soldiers were seasoned and calm in reloading their ammunition, all veterans had weathered the storm, and some of the younger recruits were shaking with nervousness.
The characteristics of the flintlock pistol determined the way the era was fought, and the elite line infantry could bravely and calmly face the rain of bullets to reload a bullet.
Dali glanced at Janine beside her, and it was clear that she had been terrified by the scene in front of her.
The soldiers slaughtered with such grace and brutality, both Varstads, unmet and unjust, who had come to kill each other in the wilderness for their allegiance, and the lads fell in rows like scythe-harvested crops.
Hearing the heart-rending cries of the wounded, Janine began to cry too, and then she closed her eyes and buried her head in the thatch on the roof, unable to bear to look directly at the cruel battlefield.
With his ornate military uniforms, brightly colored banners, and drummers playing to this killing feast, Dali's heart was full of blood, and at this moment he finally understood why his father missed his military career so much, and he had said to his sons countless times:
"Dalí, William, you two remember to me that the greatest glory of being a man of Valstad is to go to war. If one day you join the army like me, no matter who you serve, you must ensure that you do your duty and do not disgrace the reputation of my Einfurt family's bravery! ”
Just as Dalí was in his memory, suddenly, a noise behind him frightened him to lie down.
A splendid cavalry force struck from behind the farmhouse where they were hiding, the iron hooves of the horses trampling the ground, and Dali felt the roof tremble.
Those are cuirassiers! Dali clenched his hands into fists excitedly after recognizing the class, it was the most gorgeous hoplite cavalry, and the bravest warrior.
The heavy silver cuirasses worn by these knights reflected the cold light, the front and back breastplates were held in place by gold rivets and belts, and the metal helmets were embellished with bright red feathers.
They were giants on tall horses, with a long, straight heavy cavalry saber in their thick cowhide gloves and a carbine stuck diagonally in the side of the saddle.
A flag fluttered in the shimmering jungle of the Iron Knights, a black and gold-rimmed banner embroidered with a white night owl soaring with its wings.
Dalí recognized it at a glance as the banner of the Midknights, the fierce night owl with sharp eyes and the coat of arms of the Duchy of Valstad, and it seemed that the cuirassiers belonged to the Duchy, and they had been hiding on the flanks of the battlefield, and suddenly killed in the midst of a fierce exchange of infantry fire.
"What a shrewd tactic!" Dalí exclaimed, as a wanted criminal of the Noble League, he desperately wanted the Duchy to win the battle.
The cuirassiers galloped past the farmhouse, their bright red cloaks fluttering behind them, and they zigzagged through the shade of the trees.
The knight at the head blew the trumpet, and then countless majestic voices began to roar.
The cuirassiers began to charge, and they rushed straight to the flanks of the noble allies in the wilderness, the tall horses lined up in a dense formation like a moving wall.
The line infantry was knocked away by the tremendous force of the impact, and these terrifying heavy military horses could kill people by trampling on them, and several companies were wiped out in an instant, and the tall knights stood up on the stirrups and raised their swords to slash, reaping the remnants of life.
The wall charge of just a few hundred cuirassiers was so fruitful that they completely destroyed several private companies on the left flank of the noble Confederates, and the victims were completely defenseless and did not even have time to form a phalanx.
After a charge, some cuirassiers began to circle to the rear to threaten the opposing artillery units, while others took on a posture to prepare for the next charge.
The left flank of the Noble Alliance had been dashed apart, and their own cavalry seemed to be fighting the enemy on the right flank.
The line infantry of the principality was jubilant and morale-boosting, and the commanders no longer demanded a salvo and let the soldiers fire freely.
Faced with the threat of cavalry, the infantry companies of the Noble League gathered in a phalanx, and they formed a square in three rows, squatting in the front, half-squatting in the second, and standing in the third, defending against the siege of the cavalry with a dense jungle of bayonets.
Although the infantry phalanx was effective against cavalry, it was difficult to exert maximum firepower in one direction, and the infantry lines of the principality remained intact at this time, constantly firing at these phalanxes.
To add insult to injury, the duchy's cannons also concentrated their fire in the direction of the infantry phalanx, and shells could inflict heavy casualties if they hit a densely populated phalanx.
With the approaching heavy cavalry on one side and the projectiles and shells raining down on the other, these dense phalanxes became the best targets.
Having suffered heavy casualties, the left flank of the League of Nobles had been completely routed, and many of the soldiers began to throw down their weapons and surrender.
The outcome of the battle was decided, and as the order to retreat sounded with the trumpet, the armies of the League of Nobles began to alternately cover the retreat, gradually withdrawing from the battlefield, leaving only corpses everywhere.
The soldiers of the Duchy of Valstad cheered, throwing their black flat military caps into the air and shouting in unison:
"Long live the Duchy of Valsta! Long live Duke Midknight! Victory is ours! ”