Eagle Byzantium

Breast belt, or what we now call "corset", is named after the fortification wall mentioned by Geddie, which is located right in front of the city gate tower and covers the city gate (of course, it was given by a group of bored Lombard soldiers, who have always been very vulgar and can make dirty associations with everything).

However, before the success of the breast belt wall, Gawain stood on the city gate and looked down. Along the front of the city wall, many independent "sub-walls" have been built, arranged in a staggered manner. These sub-walls have a great feature: it is not a simple wall, but a platform built behind it. When a row of soldiers stand on it, they can just stick their heads out of the wall, and use shields and crossbows to shoot outward, and can rely on the sub-walls that are almost as high as the chevaux de frise to resist the assault of cavalry.

In the passages between these sub-walls, there are "barricades" set up by the soldiers. The main body is a long round log with holes cut out in pairs, and ordinary infantry spears (the length of large infantry spears is not suitable) are inserted crosswise. They are arranged on the ground and covered with some soil to stabilize them. They are continuous barriers and can resist the sudden attack of enemy cavalry.

Behind the barricades are several "porcupine archery devices" purchased from Ragusa or Venice, and the ranks of brigade infantry with their own battle flags. They did not gather together to fight according to the organization of the Banda detachment, nor did they use large infantry spears to form a square formation. Instead, they were divided into teams of 20 or 30 people. Some stood on the platform behind the sub-wall, and some stood behind the barricades. Forty percent of the personnel held swords, axes and shields, and 20% of the people held axes, spears, two-handed halberds or crossbows on the sub-wall. The last 40% of the personnel were behind the shield formation, half of them held the long hook used by sailors in one hand, and the other half held iron sticks with both hands that could kill people and horses instantly with one blow.

Gawain made a brief calculation in the wind. He left 600 infantrymen in the camp to guard the battlements and handed them over to Dim Goliath. There were also 300 mounted cavalrymen, who were under the command of Muzafiadin and Brumson, hiding behind the secret door at the junction of the west side of the camp and the Rose Ridge mountain wall, waiting for instructions for the surprise attack.

The remaining 2,100 soldiers were all deployed between the sub-walls and dense chevaux de frise in front of the city gate: 700 to 800 Italians or Germans used swords and shields, 400 were scattered on about a dozen sub-walls, and the last 800 held long hooks and iron bars, closely behind the swords and shields, staring at the overwhelming Turkish cavalry.

Gawain asked Giovanni to continue commanding the battle flag, while he stood on the high platform at the gate so that all the soldiers in the battle line could look back and see him and hear his instructions. "Gentlemen, the enemy used their cavalry to approach our camp for two purposes. The first is that they hope to use the cavalry to break through our perimeter, occupy and destroy the sub-wall, kill our infantry, and turn the walls of the Orontes camp into a bare wall; the second is that even if they cannot break our defense in one go, they can occupy the battle line facing our camp. , so that their infantry and siege engines can follow up, set up and destroy our towers, and prevent our fortifications from being completed.

So are you afraid of the enemy's cavalry? Now, Grand Duke, I tell you, there is no need to be. Our brigade has been formed, and we have experienced all kinds of battles. What unites us is not only the faith of Christ, but also the military code of the company. One hundred, one thousand, ten thousand people, all work together as if under the control of the same head and the same arms. The enemy only has more horses. Are their horses made of steel? It's not made of steel.

You can use swords, crossbows, or axes to kill them on the battlefield. Your courage, fighting spirit, and skilled techniques are enough to defeat the arrogance of these Mosul locusts. Now I have asked the military judge to sit on the city gate tower. Whichever team's flag he raises must go to battle. Everyone advances and retreats together, and their weapons cooperate tacitly. They will not be afraid of any enemy, and will kill and injure them, take away their armor, horses, and weapons. If any team shows any signs of hesitation or fear of fighting, I will be by the side of the military judge. It can be seen very clearly here. If the standard-bearer of a row runs away, I will kill all the rest of the row; if the flag officer of a column runs away, I will kill all the rest of the column; if a banda Dugelius runs away, I will kill all the standard-bearers and flag officers under this Dugelius; if the whole army is defeated, I will kill the military judge... and if we win, we will not ask for spoils of war, and they will all belong to everyone! "

Gawain's words, under the sound of the Turks' horses' hooves, seemed particularly clear and loud, which made all the soldiers feel excited.

The enemy cavalry in front of him, in teams and rows, had either brutal or proud looks under their iron helmets. They came from Mosul and Khorasan, and under Kobha's command, they considered themselves to be elite warriors who had experienced many battles. Their fighting spirit and ideas were completely integrated with their mounts. They were one with their horses, like sharp blades made of flesh and blood, with their horses' hooves flying and their sabers sharp as snow, they galloped towards the sub-wall area.

"Hold on, hold on. We have the sub-walls and chevaux de frise behind us, as well as the crossbows of our comrades, and Lord Raymond's fortress at the river mouth on the flank. The movements of the enemy cavalry are all in the eyes of the military judge. We don't need to look back and hesitate. Now we turn our backs to the Orontes camp and face the pagans, and let the enemy drink the tip of our frost blade spear!" Under the brim of the helmet, Dugelius, the chief of the Red Hand Brigade, Decius, held the buckle behind the kite shield with his hand, and a sharp long sword in his right hand. Then the flag bearer beside him raised the battle flag of his own team - because the first flag waved by the military judge at the city gate was exactly the same as his team's flag, and the two matched each other. Giovanni asked him to rush to the front.

"In the name of the Red Hand Code. I want to say that in this battle, the weak cannot retreat alone, and the strong cannot attack alone. We must maintain our formation and wrestle with the pagans to win." After the sound of flutes and drums, Decius waved his sword, and all the other vanguard soldiers in the front row responded and shouted, "On the honor of the Grand Duke, on the divine revelation of the Purple Princess, Hallelujah, Saint Theodore protects us!" Then they raised their kite shields and Greek copper round shields one by one, layer by layer. About forty or fifty shields soon covered the line between the two sub-walls and behind the chevaux de frise, reflecting the light.

"Shoot!" The first to attack were the "Porcupine Launchers" behind the spear and lance racks. Following the order, two craftsmen raised their hammers high and smashed them down. The originally tightened noose on the Porcupine bed frame suddenly bounced up and started - "Bang, bang, bang". Dozens of long crossbow arrows hidden in the iron bags on the strings of each "Porcupine" were shot out from the intersections behind the sub-walls, turning into waves of hot iron clusters flying towards the heads of the horses of the Turks who were rushing in in a row. (To be continued ~^~)