Chapter 1,394 Defeat the Enemy

,!

The south is a forest, and the north is also a forest.

In the gaps between the forests is the relatively wide Lielupe River, as well as farmland and villages along the river.

The advancing Semigalian-Okshtet army arrived in the village of Nizhemi. Faced with the tragic destruction of the village and town, people knew to some extent who was responsible for this. The truth doesn't matter! If the Varangians hadn't invaded, how could the peaceful villages and towns be destroyed?

Therefore, all the blame lies with the Varangians and the Latvians who follow these evildoers like lapdogs.

The coalition forces saw the villages and towns that had been looted. At this moment, the great leader Namsis led the cavalry to inspect the entire army. He shouted loudly: "Remember what you saw! This is what the Varyags did! Kill them and protect ours." Property, protect our home!”

Many people clearly knew that this was done by the refugees from Mezotne. Since the big leader said so, there is no point in blaming the refugees now.

Besides, the last Mezotene army composed of refugees will definitely take the lead in the new battle.

The people in the lower Zemi villages and towns were in the army, and now that their homes had been destroyed, they didn't bother to blame the Mezotne people.

People who traveled by water began to cross the river at the location of the present-day city of Bauska.

A key tributary merged into the Lielupe River, forcing the coalition forces to reach the right bank (north bank) of the river through this tributary, before they could walk straight to Mezotne through the farmland where wheat seedlings thrived.

They were in such a hurry that they didn't notice the strange horse hoof prints in Shangzemi Village. When they crossed the river directly, they didn't notice the horse hoof prints in the mud near the shore.

Because of Semigalia

To a large extent, cavalry are just "people who can ride horses." Horseshoes and stirrups are advanced gadgets. Even without them, cavalry can still advance and retreat freely. Namsis himself was holding the horse's belly between his legs. He himself became bow-legged, and his buttocks were fatter than other men. Only in this way could he use his legs like a clamp to hold the horse's back tightly.

He and his cavalry were trained so skillfully that even if the saddle was just a piece of cloth and leather padded on the horse's back, they could grab the reins and leap onto the horse with a single leap.

Their horses did not have shoes. Of course, such horseshoes were not wear-resistant enough. Due to the overall lack of stones in Latvia and the relatively moist soil, the wear of the horseshoes was not obvious. Namsis had no plans to spend huge sums of money to run to the Utvin people. He asked local craftsmen to shoe his cavalry.

Is there anyone else who can equip iron weapons on a large scale like Ross?

Namsis's coalition forces were extremely large, which gave the soldiers unprecedented confidence, and also gave her, the commander, the confidence to win.

"I have nine thousand soldiers, and I have used all my elites. Relying solely on the advantage of numbers, I only need to launch a brave charge. Even if the Varangians put up a damn shield wall, they will still be defeated by my flood-like charge. Collapse! What do those cavalry count? My cavalry can touch them, but if not all the infantry presses on them, those guys will not be able to escape. In the end, I will capture a large number of horses in one battle, and my power will become even stronger."

Namsis had a sweet dream, and of course he also bet the fate of his family on this battle. All sons and daughters who can fight will participate in the war. As long as they win, their family will

The clan's rule is as solid as a rock. As for the possibility of defeat...just look at this vast forest of spears! Is there a more powerful army than this in this world?

The unprecedented number of troops concealed the coalition's disadvantages in many aspects.

For example, only a few armies in this era paid attention to logistics. The coalition forces did not carry much food, and what was worse was that it lacked grease.

Fighting is an extremely physically demanding activity. Based on Rurik's standards for the Russian army, a soldier's daily military ration during non-combat periods must include one pound of wheat. Although the rest of the non-staple food is varied, they include dried fish and dairy products. Lord. The best in non-staple food is simple fats and oils. Milk, butter and reindeer oil are the most prepared. Paste-like fats are sealed in the jar. When cooking wheat porridge in the army camp, some must be added. Although its purpose is to increase the amount of wheat porridge. The taste and aroma objectively provide extra calories for the warriors.

If the Russian army in full condition really participates in the battle, the basic staple food of the soldiers' daily meals will quickly increase to at least three pounds of wheat.

The Russian army cannot afford to eat and drink. In order to cope with the huge consumption during the fierce battle, they can only rely on a high-carbohydrate diet to supplement their energy. This is why Rurik planned to station the main force of the Ross army in the Nassau-Koblenz area. Not only was it a safe area that Ross had deployed early, but it was also rich in local products. Ordinary wine is basically a jar of lightly fermented concentrated grape juice, which is extremely sweet! Based on Rurik's understanding of sweet wine, I am afraid that the sugar content of the wine imported from Nassau must be more than 300 grams per liter. That's a jar of "rich sugar water"

", it is really an artifact in terms of replenishing the physical strength of warriors. What's more, it is also a rare fruit wine in the northern world. Drinking it to replenish physical strength will make warriors proud and confident.

But the Semigalian-Aukshtet coalition of Namisis could not do all this.

Those militia soldiers went to the battlefield with various agricultural tools, and the largest equipment was the spear.

The so-called spears, one batch are real hunting spears, and the other batch are improvised spearheads with harpoons, sickles, and daggers.

What's more, the spear is simply a long piece of pine wood. It is at least straight and has a sharp thorn at the front end, which is considered a spear.

In a sense, it is quite appropriate to describe the armed forces of this militia as "cutting wood into soldiers."

Men and women, old and young, they did not have the majesty of a majestic army. After all the soldiers crossed the river, they had to solve one thing - find a way to dry their clothes.

Just north of today's Bauska City, an open area became a large camp for the coalition forces.

They made a fire with wood and spent some effort to light the first bonfire. Soon a large number of bonfires rose into the sky along with choking thick smoke.

Namsis didn't understand military camouflage. He only knew that the sky was getting dark, everyone's clothes were wet, and many people's food was stained with water. All of this forced the coalition to light bonfires.

For him, the big leader, disguise or not is not a consideration at all.

There were no disguises or scouts, just an army marching by water slowly into the territory that was originally the Mezot clan.

This is not an arrogance caused by a winning mentality, but simply his ignorance, because among the various forces in Northeastern Europe and Northern Europe, there have been people who know how to defeat ten thousand people.

The only country that has a large-scale war is Ross.

By coincidence, Ross General Fisk, who had participated in many battles involving tens of thousands of people, had received important information that the scout cavalry was speeding up while the coalition forces were dilly-dallying.

The cavalry rushed to the Mezzotneros military camp like a storm. When the Ross warriors, who had been enjoying themselves fishing and catching crabs in the river for days without fighting, saw the returning scouts with a lot of feathers on their heads, they followed the running posture of these people. I realized that the war was finally settled.

The Russian army was eager for another big battle. Before the official news was clear, the casual soldiers acted nervously with great enthusiasm. The "vacation" ended here. They were well-trained but believed that Boss Fisk was about to issue a combat order, and then the Russian-Latvian coalition forces, which had become unprecedentedly powerful, took the initiative to attack.

Because the inner city of Mezot itself is not important to Ross at all, what is important is only its geographical location. Ross has no reason to stick to this city. Based on Ross' past experience, taking the initiative has always been Ross's first choice. As the saying goes, the teachings from King Ross - we must always seize the initiative on the battlefield and lead the enemy away like a cow.

The scouts rushed into the general's command post. The building was hoisted with many Russian flags, and it became extremely popular.

These scouts who brought important news immediately dismounted. They were all veterans of the First Flag Team, and they all dared to call Fisk "big brother" to show their trust in each other.

"Finally, the enemy has appeared?" Fisk, who was already overjoyed, guessed and asked without bothering his subordinates to report.

"Boss, have you guessed it all?" The captain was surprised.

"Everything is under control. Tell me, what is the enemy's strength?"

At

It was these scouts who made it clear what they saw and heard. However, they did not really observe the enemy at close range, and their descriptions of the enemy seemed vague and pale, not what Fisk expected.

But they really reminded themselves. Fisk pinched his beard and thought for a moment: "The river fleet, with many spears heading towards the woods. They actually equipped themselves with spears in large numbers. How did I think of the Slavic flag of Medvedt?" Team? Those brothers are also armed with spears. Could it be that they plan to use this to restrain my cavalry? "

He thought about it for a while, and realized that Spuyut was also in this room, and the two of them got together to think of some countermeasures.

The enemy's strength is not yet clear, but it can be estimated that the enemy's strength is extremely strong.

"Maybe I should send a team to test their strength." It seemed like he was talking to himself, but in fact it was Fisk asking what Spuyut meant.

"Are you asking me?"

"That's right. What do you think? Press with all your strength? Or send light troops to test your strength?"

"You are a general and you have rich experience." Stekander shrugged and returned the decision-making power.

What to do? Fisk knew he had to make up his mind quickly.

In his heart, he never felt that the Latvian militiamen were people with a determined fighting spirit, and some clues could be seen from the attitude of the newly arrived residents of Riga. They were a very philistine group of people, as if all Latvians were like this. War speculators.

Not only do they have no choice but to fight with the wind, they also do not want to take the initiative to take the risk and bear the initial casualties.

"Hey, if you were all warriors, how could you have sold your military rights to Danish mercenaries more than ten years ago? Why not now?

The military power was entrusted to me, Ross. "The more he thought about it, the more Fisk felt that the Latvian soldiers, whose strength had expanded to 4,000, were unreliable.

Maybe if you push them into a hurry, they will go all out, but now they are not that far away.

Now the villages on both sides of the river have been completely looted. After transporting the necessary military supplies, the Riga speculators began rowing boats to clean out the deserted villages one by one, taking away the last pottery urn and wooden basin. Walking away is like a hyena licking away the last traces of blood from a wildebeest’s ribs.

Fisk gritted his teeth and stamped his feet vigorously: "I will take the cavalry to have a collision with them. I will know the level of the enemy in a battle."

Stekander shrugged and looked up at the bald general: "Just like in the first battle? Maybe this time your nine hundred cavalry will annihilate the enemy to pieces."

"May Odin grant me strength! However, you..." Fisk looked down and said: "My cavalry will not be too far from the city, and your people will seize the time to arrange it. I lack confidence in the Latvian warriors, but they can do it for me. The army supports the huge body. All of you are on standby in Mezot. I will take the initiative to attack tomorrow. If there is a chance to completely annihilate the enemy, I will send you a signal."

Stekander nodded fiercely: "Very good, this way we can win in one fell swoop."

The keen-eyed warriors at the top of the mound saw the smoke and dust in the distance. They were highly alert and reported to Fisk.

When night falls, the clouds in the sky are no longer deceptive.

On one side is the Ross coalition military camp in the inner city of Mezot. Due to the large number of bonfires,

, the clouds in the sky were illuminated red and bright again.

On one side is the riverside camp of the Semigalian coalition. Their bonfires are more numerous and denser than Ross's, and the sky is just as red and bright.

They have become transparent to each other, and now no one can ignore each other's existence. All pre-war estimates have been adjusted due to the new situation.

For Ross, because the long-awaited enemy finally appeared, the anxious warrior was delighted to hear that he was about to have the opportunity to kill the enemy and sacrifice his blood to Odin.

For Semigalia, it can be seen that the direction of Mezotne is indeed occupied by a large group of people, with so many bonfires that the sky is on fire.

Fisk held a meeting with all the officers overnight, and the Latvian nobles attended the meeting one after another.

These diverse people have varying qualities in all aspects, and Ross cannot expect them to be able to work together as a rope to perform complex tactical actions.

After all, the Latvian army, which is the largest in number, has a diverse composition, and they do not understand the Russian army's horn system and semaphore system at all. War has returned to its original nature - gang fighting.

If the war turns into two groups of people rushing together to fight and kill without any structure, then what Ross has to do is to eliminate the enemy's strength and morale as much as possible before the chaos.

The cavalry were all ordered to feed their horses a large amount of wheat with salt overnight, and each person arranged all their weapons, especially arrows, which must have a base on the left and right sides of the saddle.

In the early morning, when the thick fog that covered the land dissipated, the three cavalry teams, led by Fisk and guided by the previous scouts, headed towards the red direction they saw on the right bank (north bank) of the Lielupe River.

At the same time, we have never met

The two sides seemed to have a great tacit understanding. Namsis felt that the time was ripe, and decisively sent armed forces completely composed of the Mezotene Refugee Organization as vanguard officers, or "meat detectives" to test the strength of the Varyag people.

After all, the main force of the Semigalian army of Namsis has never fought against the enemy, so you still need to see with your own eyes how they are doing.

Maybe it was a bit cruel to do this, sending nearly a thousand refugee soldiers to explore the road. Maybe they would suffer heavy losses, and the Mezot clan would also be completely destroyed.

Namisis's reasons are sufficient. This is an agreement between each other, and the Mezotene militia has no right to refuse.

In order to ensure the minimum confidence of these thousands of people and to be wary of these people fleeing in fear of fighting, and because of Namis's own curiosity, he personally led the cavalry to urge these people to advance. He became an observer and the cavalry team became the supervising team.

Just like that, when the fog cleared, the vanguard of the Semigalian army set off!

The two armies had never met, so they both sent a small number of troops to conduct a tentative attack. Coincidentally, the commanders of both sides were in the army.

If Fisk had killed Namsis, the showdown might not have happened.

As for whether Namsis has a chance to kill Fisk...

Namsis knew almost nothing about Ross, and had no idea about General Ross.

With infantry on one side and cavalry on the other, the two sides got closer and closer to each other in the flat area, and finally an encounter broke out.

"Attention, all troops! The enemy is coming. Trumpeter! Listen to me and give them the signal!"

Fisk started talking about phrases and vocabulary again, and the trumpeter translated them into trumpet sounds with different frequencies. Soon all three flag teams understood their tactical moves.

complete

Unexpectedly, at first glance, the enemy looks like a group of soldiers carrying spears. What is inexplicable is that their strength is so small. At first glance, they are less than half of the cavalry.

The cavalry, which was originally advancing in a relatively loose formation, looked like a giant. They quickly separated after receiving the order. It was like a vise stretched out, Fisk's first team was in the center, Karl and Swain were on the two wings, and the three Ross flag teams used the most traditional pincer-shaped offensive to kill every enemy.

At the same time, seeing the sudden appearance of the cavalry and the armed refugees, their morale collapsed in an instant.

This made Namsis, who was supervising the battle in the rear, unbelievable. However, the collapse of the refugee army could not be described as a collapse at the first touch. It could only be said to be fleeing.

"You are not allowed to retreat! You can't retreat without fighting! Come here, kill them and stop them from retreating!"

However, the Semigalian cavalry did not want to kill these fellow tribesmen with their own hands, especially when there were some female warriors among them.

Fortunately, they soon no longer had to worry about whether to kill or not, because the unheard-of Varyag cavalry came at lightning speed.

Arriving ahead of the horse's hooves were a large number of arrows.

Because Fisk was surprised to notice that the enemy also had horsemen, the soldiers of the three Ross flags never expected to encounter the Semigalian cavalry. The old warriors did not hesitate to think of the Frank cavalry. That's the enemy's cavalry! The soldiers immediately swallowed their arrogance and planned to wipe out the enemy cavalry as well.

Fisk thought more: "My sharpshooters! Kill the enemy's riders and seize their horses. The king has come and presented us with the spoils of war. This is a great achievement!"

The battle begins.

Arrows like rain

, the densely packed arrows weakened the already demoralized refugees to the point where they had nothing to attach to. They were fleeing. This scene made Namsis feel for the first time that he might be killed inexplicably.

Because some Semigalian cavalrymen were hit by arrows and fell from their horses.

Both sides have cavalry, and one side has strong troops and horses. Everyone is equipped with bows and arrows to ensure non-contact combat.

The Russian cavalry have always been warriors, so-called "kite-flyers" and "Parthians", who resolutely implement the principle of non-contact fighting and desperate archery.

"Damn it, are these Varyags? They are definitely not!" Namsis didn't understand at all, so he simply ordered a retreat.

The Semigalian cavalry completely ignored the refugee armed forces and were destroyed under the attack of the enemy's blue and white cavalry. Namsis fled with his own people.

Unexpectedly, he noticed those monster-like cavalry chasing him. They fired arrows while chasing him, as if they knew his identity and were carrying out the "decapitation operation."

The fleeing people were running fast, and Fisk also changed his mind. He believed that these fleeing guys could lead him to their camp, which would facilitate the subsequent decisive battle.

Sure enough, Fisker stepped back from the brink at a critical position.

I saw a dense crowd of people sitting in front of me. When I saw my cavalry team arriving, those guys quickly stood up.

"Ah! It's true! Their troops are so huge, and they are all human beings?!" Fisk then muttered incoherently,

"Boss, do you want to fight or not?" asked the deputy holding the horn.

"Look again, we are standing here. Listen, you are not allowed to attack without my order! You are not allowed to blow the trumpet." Faith

Ke ordered through gritted teeth.

Now the three flag troops are lined up on the wall. They are not attacking. They are standing not far to the north of the Semigalian coalition like statues. The blue and white colors are incompatible with the environment, and the weird postures seem to come from another world - ghosts and gods. world.