Iron Powder and Spellcasters Chapter 173

   Chapter 173 Square Array

   How many soldiers are needed to form a phalanx?

   Of course the more the better.

   Because quantity is guts.

   In the Battle of the Spurs fifty-seven years ago, the army that supported Nuchar's succession to the throne only had two square formations, but 13,000 spearmen were used.

  Each phalanx had more than 6,000 people, was clumsy and heavy, and moved like a turtle, but they still won.

  The other side of the battle for the crown, Richard's uncle, Philip, Earl of Northam, held a large number of noble cavalry, but was defeated.

  After the war [pretender] Philip was headed, and the two-year war of succession to the throne came to an end.

   In that battle, Ned of Tormes was just over nineteen, just an inconspicuous squire. He was ridiculed by his companions because his legs trembled when he went into battle, and he ran to the river to shed tears secretly.

  Emperor Richard was eleven years old, thin and small, and his mother called him [Little Pea].

   At that time, Richard was still an innocent child. He just wanted to ride a horse and play every day. No one could see that he would get the nickname [Madman] in the future.

  As the biggest hero of this campaign, François of Fort Mil was awarded the Duke of Arleans, and was fearfully called "The Butcher" by the big and small aristocrats because of the cruel methods that did not leave him alive.

  With the indestructible phalanx of spears and halberds, Duke Butcher has rarely been defeated in the south and north since then.

  The formed spears and heavy halberds were not afraid of cavalry attacks, which also made the infantry the main force of the army again.

   While everyone is racing to imitate the Duke of Butcher, a few keen soldiers have noticed the flaw: the phalanx tactics are a serious waste of troops, and the larger the phalanx, the more serious the waste.

   Every post-war count, we will find that only the outermost soldiers of the phalanx often see blood.

   As for the people inside the phalanx... They are just emboldening the people outside, and have no use other than shouting and cheering.

   If you win on the outside, the people inside will rush out to chase and kill the fleeing enemy; if you are defeated on the outside, you can only follow and flee from the inside.

   When Ned Smith began to improve the tactics of the phalanx thirty years ago, he controlled the number of people in a single phalanx to less than 3,000. At the same time, the proportion of melee soldiers is reduced, replaced by musketeers and crossbowmen.

  The new compound phalanx defeated the old spear and halberd phalanx. After this tactical innovation, mathematics became a compulsory course for officers.

  Because if you want to arrange a square matrix, you must understand geometry, and you must also be proficient in verbal multiplication, division and square rooting.

   And when mathematics became popular, another new theory was put forward—“small phalanx tactics”, that is: when the strength of the troops is constant, the smaller the single phalanx, the more soldiers can be contacted by the enemy.

   But the small square is not without cost. The smaller the square, the easier it is to be broken, and the higher the morale requirements of the army.

   At this moment, the Plato troops who attacked the Hurds were using a small phalanx.

   Encountered an ambush on the way, leaving only a few seconds for the commander to judge.

   Brigadier General's deputy, Colonel Laszlo, rushed to his horse and spoke quickly: "I'll take someone to block it! Buy you time!"

   "It's too late!" Sackler calmly ordered: "Use a small square! Trumpeter!"

   The cornet, the snare drum, the flag, and the spellcaster—these are the four things that the Praetian army commands.

  The shrill sound of the horn pierced the hooves and roared, and each battalion sounded the snare drum to echo, and the six infantry battalions that were marching in column quickly changed their formations.

   Soldiers threw away luggage, gear, tents and other sundries, and only took weapons and ammunition.

   Amid the rapid beat of drums, the four melee centurions folded together under the banner of the brigade, forming a solid phalanx with a distance of two cubits left and right and six steps forward and backward.

The    ultrlong spear wrapped the halberdist and the sword and shield hand, the military flag was protected at the very center, and the two musket centuries were lined up in the outer corners.

  The irritable sergeant ran between the queues, yelling at the dizzy soldiers, and seeing whoever was standing in the wrong place, he stepped up, and the phalanx was quickly formed.

   Right under the eyes of the Hurds, six platoon infantry battalions formed a formation against the water, and the small phalanxes formed a line on the river bank from east to west.

   The enemy cavalry was about to kill in the blink of an eye, and the musketeers of the Palatine were not yet lit.

  Sekler saw this situation and made a decisive decision: "Let the teams take the musketeers in!"

  The bugleman got the order and used the strength of milk to blow another melody.

   Lieutenant Colonel Robert, commander of the 2nd Brigade of the 6th Army, could not hear clearly for a while. He closed his eyes to distinguish carefully, and suddenly shouted: "Roy! Vargar! Bring your people into the phalanx!"

  The two centurions—Lieutenant Roy and Lieutenant Vargar immediately acted.

  Led by the centurion, the musketeer Pinter retreated into the phalanx.

   He stopped between the two pikemen, held the flint and the end of the rope together, and struck with the scythe.

  It is easy to start a fire on weekdays, but now it is extraordinarily difficult.

   "Grass!" The horse's hoofs roared in his ears, Pinter's hands trembled so badly that he couldn't fight, so angry that he knocked once and scolded once: "Grass! Grass!"

   "Shut up!" Centurion Roy shouted angrily: "Those who are making noise at the enemy, behead!"

  Pinter shivered, his lips closed as if they were stuck. After a dozen more knocks, the coke at the end of the match finally sticks to the spark.

  Pinte felt like he had obtained a treasure, he hurriedly wrapped the tip of the rope with his hands, and blew carefully, the faint sparks became more prosperous, and a few wisps of blue smoke came out.

The musketeer next to    saw that Pint had done it, and hurried to borrow fire.

   The Hurd cavalry at the front was less than 200 meters away, and the distance was rapidly closing every second.

  The Platoons could already hear the barbarian Hurd's strange cry and call, and the red and white feathers swaying on the barbarian's head were clearly visible.

  The small phalanx of 500 people in Robert's brigade was solemn and silent. Only a scar-faced sergeant with a halberd walked in the queue and repeated the military law sharply:

   "Those who look around at the enemy, behead!"

   "Those who are making noises at the enemy, behead!"

   "Those who shoot without order, behead!"

   "Those who advance alone and retreat alone, behead!"

   "Those with scars on their backs, behead!"

Beside Lieutenant Colonel Robert, the military police sergeant holding a short bow and a red arrow gleamed fiercely.

  [Note: This is the military law of the nomadic era followed by the Palatine army. Every time a battle is going on, the military police sergeants hold short bows and **** them with cinnabar arrows. If there is a commotion, a flinch, or a person who advances alone and retreats alone, shoot them with a red arrow. After the war inspection, those with scars on their backs were beheaded]

   The green-helmed cavalry rushed to the side of the phalanx and shouted: "Lieutenant Colonel Robert! The general ordered your department to find an opportunity to move closer to the river bank!"

   Six small square formations are arranged in a line, and the overall formation is very bad. Robert's phalanx is located at the eastern end of the entire front, and the position is the most dangerous.

   "What am I doing now?" Robert was furious and roared back: "Let's talk after the first wave!"

  Hard's cavalry was less than a hundred paces away, and the sergeants who were patrolling outside the formation also retreated into the phalanx.

   In the face of the terrifying momentum when thousands of cavalry charged with full force, no Paratus was not afraid.

  From privates to sergeants, to centurions and captains, all of them had uncontrollable mouthfeel, dilated pupils, accelerated breathing, and even the hands holding weapons were a little sore.

   Suddenly, a voice amplified by magic resounded through the wilderness: "I'm in the formation!"

  The Platonic people on the battlefield followed the reputation and saw the general's ornate helmet.

   "If I take a step back!"

   "Cut off my head!"

   Sackler strode into the phalanx with his halberd.

   At this moment, even the timid coward had infinite courage to spurt from the bottom of his heart, and the morale of the Palatine Army reached its peak.

   "Long live! Long live! Long live!"

   Shanhu even overwhelmed the sound of rolling hoofs.

   "Lancer!" Lieutenant Colonel Robert shouted hoarsely: "Take the gun!"

   "Long live!" The first platoon of soldiers put their long guns on the ground.

   "Hooray!" The second platoon of soldiers flat-ended long guns.

   "Long live!" The third row of soldiers raised their spears.

  Three rows of spears pointed forward at the same time, and the tips of the spears flashed coldly.

  Plateau's phalanx and Hurd's cavalry roared and collided.

   Musketeer Pint was not a coward, but he subconsciously closed his eyes when Heard's cavalry rushed in front of him.

   Opening his eyes again, Pint found himself safe and sound.

  The barbarian Hurd didn't come in, and the enemy pulled the reins at the last moment and brushed the tip of the spear past the front of the formation.

   Hundreds of thousands of Heard cavalry rushed towards the square, like a monstrous wave.

   However, only a few cavalrymen slammed into the spear forest. The other barbarians either avoided at the last moment, or the war horses stood up uncontrollably in front of the spears—even if people were not afraid of death, horses would be afraid.

  Beside Pinter, a Heard who was not afraid of death rushed into the phalanx on a Heard horse that was not afraid of death.

The   Platoons were knocked over, and the pikemen who faced the impact instantly split their jaws and were knocked head-on by the war horses, and they didn't know if they were alive or dead.

   Hedma's chest was penetrated by the point of the spear, and two other spears were broken one after another before falling to the ground.

  The Hurd rider flew from the saddle and fell heavily into the phalanx, and the Platoons next to him avoided.

   Lieutenant Roy, the centurion, drew his sword towards the Hurd rider, stepped on the opponent's chest, and killed the Hurd with one sword.

  The previous Hurd broke through the gap with his life, and immediately several fierce barbarians rushed into the formation.

   "Ukha!" The barbarian roared at the Hede, which he did not understand, and slashed wildly with his machete. They rode condescendingly on their horses, taking a chunk of flesh with each slash.

   "Join us to kill him!" Scarface sergeant charged at the barbarian with his halberd: "Don't be afraid!"

  Led by Sergeant Scarface, the other halberdists surrounded the barbarians, dragged them off their horses, and killed them.

  Some of the soldiers of Paratus turned their heads in panic to look at the situation of the civil war. The gendarmerie **** did not say a word. A red arrow shot at the watcher's back and sentenced him to death.

  Roy was furious: "Look around to kill without mercy! Show me the front!"

   Soon, more than a dozen Heders who rushed into the formation either broke their necks, or were surrounded and killed by the Paratus in the phalanx.

  The seriously wounded and the dead were carried inside the phalanx, the soldiers in the rear quickly filled their vacancies, and Robert's phalanx turned into spears and hedgehogs again.

  Robert's Phalanx was like a rock in the river, dividing the torrent of Heard's cavalry in two.

  The Hurds who hit the wall did not give up the attack, they began to ride around the phalanx.

   "Be careful!" Lieutenant Colonel Robert saw the movements of Heard's cavalry and shouted: "Javelin!"

  The Heds on the saddle drew their bows and javelins one after another, and threw and shot at the hedgehog formations of the Paratus.

  The arrows flew from all directions to the phalanx, and the Hurds didn't even need to aim. The Paratus who fought in formation had nowhere to hide, nowhere to hide.

   The outermost pikemen were responsible for most of the long-range attacks. Fortunately, they were wearing heavy armor, and their arrows were mostly bounced off by jingle.

   The real killer of the Hurds is the javelin. The Hurd cavalry, holding the javelin high, sprints towards the phalanx, and only shoots when it is too close to get any closer. Thanks to the horse speed bonus, the javelin can pierce through an unarmored soldier and then pierce the body of the next Paratus.

   "Shake the gun!" Robert was so anxious that he stood up in the stirrups, waving his arms and shouting: "Shake the gun!"

  The Palatine spearmen immediately began to shake their super-long spears. The afterimages of more than two hundred long spears covered the phalanx, and from time to time arrows were knocked out by the gun barrels.

   Shaking the lance can only block a small fraction of the arrows, but it is the only defense for a phalanx of lances lacking a shield.

   "Herd barbarians are scared! Want to kill us all with bows and arrows? Dreaming!" Lieutenant Colonel Robert laughed angrily: "Knock them down!"

The    lance phalanx never relies on passive defense, but on active counterattack.

Lieutenant    Roy shouted: "Musketeers! Free fire!"

  Pinter walked in front of the outermost pikeman, where he would not accidentally injure his comrades, and was still within the protection range of the super pike.

   Holding the musket steady, his cheeks pressed tightly to the butt, Pinter aimed at a target, pursed his lips and pulled the trigger.

   The red light flashed, the gun rang out, and Mutuo hit him so much that his shoulder hurt.

  The smoke cleared, and a Hurd cavalry slid off his horse with his arms raised.

  When Heard barbarians fired arrows at the Paratus, it also gave the Paratus a chance to shoot at them.

   Pinter pulled out the iron fork, retreated into the phalanx to reload, and another musketeer took Pinter's place.

   Musketeers generally do not shoot in phalanxes, as crowded phalanxes are dangerous for musketeers and musketeers.

   But when the battle is urgent, safety is crossed off the list.

   There was a crackling of gunfire everywhere in the phalanx, and under the cover of the spear, the Platoon musketeers began to shoot in rotation.

   Lieutenant Vargar held the holy emblem and enthusiastically encouraged his musketeers: "Kill! Kill all these pagan barbarians! We will all get immortality!"

  The Hurds, who were riding and shooting around the phalanx, fell off their saddles one by one. Most of their bows and arrows hit the plate armor, and most of the bows and arrows shot on the plate armor were bounced off.

   As long as the Hurds are hit by the heavy muskets of the Paratus, they will not die or be seriously injured.

  Especially the area between the two phalanxes, any Heard cavalry passing through here will be crossfired.

   The balance of the battle began to tip little by little in the direction of the Platoons.

The   Hard cavalry gradually could not bear the casualties and retreated from the battle.

   The Robert Brigade at the easternmost point of the front was besieged by the largest number of Hurds, and the Maral Brigade adjacent to the Robert Brigade even had a small team of musketeers to support the former.

  Finally, the Hurds who came in like a tide receded like a tide, leaving behind corpses and people who were still alive.

  The Platoons, who were temporarily victorious, all slumped on the ground as if they were drained of their strength.

  Lieutenant Colonel Robert was equally exhausted, and he beckoned to Scarface Sergeant: "Old Scar!"

   "Sir? Is there something wrong?" Scarface sergeant came with his halberd.

   "Lead the two teams out and bring back some survivors." Robert's words were brief.

   But Sgt. Scarface understands: "Yes."

  Scarface Sergeant led a dozen sword and shield players out of the phalanx, cut off the ears of Heard's corpse, and freed the surviving Heard barbarians - bringing two alive means that the remaining Heard barbarians were killed.

  Robert's brigade did not have time to rest, and they immediately set off to approach General Sackler's phalanx.

   The Hurds did not leave, and were adorned with Plato troops not far or near. Robert's brigade had to keep marching in phalanx formation all the way.

   By the time the six brigades had gathered, the sky was already getting dark. Marching at night was tantamount to giving the Hurds a chance, so Seckler ordered camp on a high point on the shore.

  The Paratus dug trenches and built a parapet, waiting for reinforcements. Their light cavalry was nearby, and their heavy cavalry was on the other side of the river.

  Since the Hurds couldn't eat them in one go, it was time for the Paratus to eat the Hurds.

   Reinforcements came very quickly, much to everyone's surprise - including Sackler.

The    reinforcements themselves were even more unexpected—they were not the Palatine cavalry at all.

  Under the eyes of the public, more than a dozen wooden rafts floated from the upper reaches of the confluence river. The wooden rafts were loaded with bread, gunpowder kegs, and a few cauldrons that smelled incense.

   Even the Hurd light cavalry, who was monitoring the Platoons, was dumbfounded.

   "We are the Jieska Brigade, and we have been ordered to support us. We will bring you food and drinks." The brawny officer in the hussar uniform said carelessly, and he pointed at the wooden raft: "There is also a pontoon bridge."

   I'm late, but I still have one today, but it may not be finished until tomorrow morning.

   (end of this chapter)

Chapter end