Chapter 980 Arik Defends the Battle of Bremen Bridgehead

The soldier pulled out the catch, and the strong torque of the rope pushed out the cast-iron projectile weighing half a Roman pound.

The deliberately polished slanted indentations on these cone-shaped projectiles cause the entire projectile to start rotating due to air friction.

The strong gyroscopic effect means that soldiers do not have to worry about its ballistic deflection, and the top of the pointed cone will produce extremely impressive results.

A large ship assembled as many as forty slingshot positions on one side. The sail cruiser and sail destroyer launched together, and as many as 150 slingshot positions were put into combat.

The projectiles rubbed against the air and rushed towards the rigid Frankish array with a whistle. The battle did not even need to be called target practice. It was just pouring firepower into a relatively remote area. The technical and tactical requirements were only that the projectiles hit the target area.

So, the killing began!

The sharp cone of the projectile directly broke through the outermost layer of leather and riveted iron armor of the heavy infantry, and further penetrated into the inner layer of chain mail. The projectile did not penetrate the human body, but rather embedded itself in the body like a chisel. The strong kinetic energy knocked the person down directly.

The projectile hit the iron helmet and the helmet broke apart.

If the projectile hits the arm or shoulder, it can cause serious injuries such as spurting blood visible to the naked eye.

Even if some people are only hit by the projectile's helmet, the force is so strong that the person's skull is fractured, and the best case is severe dizziness and falling on the spot.

The Russian army fought randomly, and the Frank army ate up the first round of projectiles.

Because the distance was too far, the Russian army all fired at high elevation angles. Even if the projectiles rotated to resist wind deflection, many projectiles still just dug deeply into the soil.

However, this single blow had already dealt a major blow to the Frank army.

The soldiers saw their companions suddenly fell down, but they remained unmoved after suffering a heavy loss. Many people reflexively raised their iron-covered tower shields and tried their best to protect their entire bodies.

A large number of soldiers followed suit in a short period of time, and the Frank army instantly sent out a meticulous shield formation.

The weather was good or bad today. The Russian soldiers on the ship all saw the enemy sending out shield walls. The shields emitted a metallic luster in the dim sunlight, and they couldn't help but feel curious about their new life.

The sudden special attack was unexpected by Ludwig. He was in a safe area for the time being and noticed the casualties of his soldiers without panicking.

"Order the troops to hold firm!"

"Order the javelin troops to forcefully go out to fight! Archers, don't be afraid to advance to the river and counterattack immediately."

After all, serious Frankish nobles had not only seen heavy equipment like the torque slingshot but also knew how to use it. The Russian Army solved its mass production and lightening problem. On the other hand, in Frankfurt, there are only a handful of craftsmen who know how to make such advanced weapons since the fall of Rome. Even if they were made, they could only be used for the defense of some key cities because they were too bulky.

Wars are often fought in the wilderness. In this expedition, Ludwig did not carry heavy weapons at all, and there were not even many troops for long-range attacks.

"We cannot lose our glory! Order the soldiers to defend with shields."

After all, they were elite heavy infantry. Their armor was thick and their shields were heavy. Many people think that this is like some special javelin, but it lacks the long wooden handle at the back end.

During the civil war, it was not uncommon for soldiers of the Middle Kingdom and the East Kingdom to throw javelins at each other. The elite troops were here to fight tough battles. They resolutely implemented the king's orders and stood here like wooden stakes.

The perspective shifts to the Ross Army.

The Ross Army has completed two rounds of shooting as quickly as possible. Because the charging speed of each position is different, Arik has ordered to enter a free-firing state.

He shouted orders casually, and was really angry when he saw that his subordinates were dragging their feet because the situation was too safe.

"Quick! Reload immediately! Launch immediately."

In anger, it actually pushed away a soldier and personally operated the power-charging winch to complete the power-charging process. "Quick! Reload."

As soon as his companion loaded it, he pulled the latch...

The Franks resisted with shields. Was it their shields that were stronger, or the Russians' projectiles? The Russians naturally believe in their own strength.

Those projectiles fell as usual, mixed with large pebbles falling from the sky. Crossbows also joined the projectile battle. The steel-armed crossbow fired light arrows with spiral feathers. Whether they could hit the target was unclear because they were too far away.

It is undeniable that everyone heard the sound of metal hitting, and the crackling was also mixed with the cries of personnel.

Because Ross's iron smelting center has a blast furnace, all cast iron bullets are as named. The same mold casts bullets with similar tolerances, and the output is huge. The Russian army could launch attacks without restraint, but the Frankish army continued to be unable to defend.

The projectile was embedded in the wooden shield, and with one impact, the soldier felt that his arm would be shattered. There are also projectiles that hit a specific location without any bias, and the projectiles directly hit the soldier's left arm that was holding the shield and shattered it.

Many soldiers were knocked down with their shields. They stood up quickly regardless of their dizziness and joined in the defense.

Each heavy infantry flag team was holding their breath. They vowed to capture the prisoners and skin them alive to vent their anger. But now they can only hide under the big shield and keep cursing.

Until Frank's javelin troops rushed from the rear to the front line at the risk of death.

Arik, who had rolled up his sleeves and was covered in sweat, heard the roar of his men.

"Boss, look at the shore over there!"

"what happened?!"

Arik then put aside the weapon in his hand and stood on the side of the ship to observe carefully. "Strange, what are a group of enemies doing by the river? They..."

Suddenly, an ominous premonition came to mind.

"No, they are going to fight back! Brothers, please be vigilant!"

But on the shore, a group of muscular men with tawny hair stood up. The beards on their lips are quite thick, like two whiskers hanging on their chins. Their reminders were not only strong but also weird. At first glance, their arms looked much thicker than their legs. It was clearly early winter, and these hundreds of people faced the Russian army directly wearing only simple gray cloths.

They use special weapons, holding a wooden club in their right hand and a light feathered javelin placed in it.

After that, it was a brave shot...

At one time, as many as four hundred light javelins, or large arrows, hit the left and right ships of the incarnation fort in the opposite direction of the Russian army's projectiles.

There was a whooshing sound in the air, and a large number of black lines smashed towards the ship.

"It's an enemy attack! Defense!"

Arik had already raised the alarm, and this was his second cry.

However, some javelins have already hit the ship.

This is a purely probabilistic attack. Just like the Russian army's projectiles were shot away in large numbers due to being too far away, the Frankish army's javelins also hit the water in large numbers.

Some javelins hit the deck, got stuck in the planks of the ship's side, and even got stuck in the tightened canvas.

Casualties also occurred.

Some Russian soldiers were shot through the body. After all, they were busy charging heavy weapons and wasted a lot of energy, so they took off any armor for convenience. Such a convenient move finally brought disastrous consequences. Some unlucky people were hit in the heart and died on the spot. Some people had their lungs punctured and were rolling on the deck and coughing up blood. Some people's arms were punctured and their skin and flesh were damaged. It's torn apart.

The deck that was originally covered with some dust was now stained with blood. After the sudden attack, the soldiers picked up their shields one after another. Some even panicked and jumped directly into the cabin to escape.

The way they fled in a hurry was really unseemly.

Arik, with his round shield held over his head, shouted loudly: "No escape! Fight back immediately. Don't forget your glory!"

Chaos cannot be reversed with just one or two sentences. People need to see a role model, and Arik has undoubtedly become a role model.

Facing the Franks' javelins, he was not afraid of danger, and personally controlled the slingshot and began to fight back.

He did not face the enemy directly with his flesh and blood chest, but asked the two men to concentrate on holding shields and guarding them to become "cannon shields" on both sides of the slingshot position.

When people saw that Arik was still fighting, the fleeing people returned to their positions one after another.

It is no longer necessary to launch missiles when attacking the river bank. Each position can be aimed and fired at a flat angle.

They pulled the dead and wounded into the cabin, pulled out the enemy's javelins from the deck and mast, and the next step was to stuff them into the slide of the torsion slingshot, so-called eye for an eye.

After all, these javelins are large arrows. Placing two of them on a slide can achieve double vision with one strike and smooth flight.

Seeing a brother doing this, Arik had an idea.

"Quickly load ordinary light arrows, install three or four on one slide! Attack me hard!"

In principle, the torque slingshot commonly used by the Russian Army can fire ordinary arrows, but the accuracy will be very poor. In large-scale battles, the crossbowmen of the Russian Army can take into account the firepower and accuracy of arrows. Many heavy equipment are still It is better to shoot javelins and projectiles.

Now, even five light arrows can be stuffed into one chute.

After all, Arik came prepared, but he still greatly underestimated the enemy's strength and will to fight.

The Russian army's counterattack has begun. Although only 30% of the battleships are still in firing positions, the number of positions is rising, and the army is braving the enemy's javelin attacks to boost morale.

A large number of light arrows were fired back along with the javelins of the Frank army. The arrows collided with each other in the air, and many of them fell into the water due to tilt. Fortunately, some arrows still hit the enemy.

Those strong Frankish men could use spear throwers to hurl light javelins to a distance of 150 meters, and even when the wind was downwind, they could throw them to an exaggerated distance of 200 meters.

However, the Russian army has been using tools to deal with the power of human flesh and blood from beginning to end.

The unarmored spear throwers began to suffer casualties. Even though they were relatively spread out from each other, they began to be hit by probabilistic strikes.

All this was within King Ludwig's estimation. He has ordered the heavy cavalry to withdraw to the forest area, and he himself is also observing the battle on the edge of the forest.

Having experienced hundreds of battles, he did not feel that he would suffer heavy losses. He strategized and ordered: "Arrange heavy infantry to protect the slingers with shields. Order the archers to arrive at the riverside under the cover of heavy infantry."

The current width of the Weser River is less than a hundred meters, which means that if Ludwig is desperate, all his long-range soldiers can reach the position where the river is almost dripping with water, and attack the ships randomly.

His arrangement no longer focused on accurate killing effects, and the battle evolved into a spirited battle, where Ludwig just wanted to gain reputation.

As a result, the heavy infantrymen holding shields covered the slingers and archers and slowly moved toward the river. They advanced against the attack of the Russian army. Their bravery aroused strong anger and even some admiration from the latter.

Arik had no time to sigh. In fact, although he could order the anchor to be pulled out, all the fighting brothers had already boarded the boat, and by then the current of the Weser River would be able to push everyone away.

However, the stone piers of the bridge were not properly destroyed. If he ordered a retreat now, wouldn't it turn into a panic escape again? Withdrawing the burger like this will definitely make the other brothers chew their tongues.

Arik's eyes were already bloodshot, and he asked his brothers on the flagship to busy reloading while shouting a Viking war cry with the same rhythm, in order to declare the flagship's fighting determination to all the companion ships and suppress the possible timidity of the companion ships.

One side stood motionless in the river, holding slingshots, trebuchets and crossbows and firing continuously.

One side stood by the river and continued to fight back with bows, arrows and spears.

Across the water about fifty meters wide, arrows, javelins, projectiles, and pebbles flew across the water.

The Ross warship only fired arrow clusters densely at the enemy's side. The soldiers even took the risk of tying the arrows on the side of the ship with ropes to pull them up. The next second they inserted them into the chute of the torsion slingshot and fired them back.

Nearly 800 men on the Frank side participated in the counterattack. They continued to fight under the cover of large shields of more heavy infantry.

The battle became unexpectedly fierce. Even the Russian army had never had such an extremely fierce shooting battle in the past battles.

Both sides are enduring, and their weapons are also wearing out.

The furious soldiers were like humanoid motors. They could recharge their slingshots in just twenty seconds, and once charged, they would fire immediately. Because the reserve of projectiles is very sufficient and a large number of arrows can be replenished, the warriors can fire as fast as three rounds per minute.

At first, the torsion slingshot could no longer withstand this extremely rare high rate of fire. Even though the hemp ropes and tendons were greased, breaks began to occur.

What can be seen specifically is the collapse of the more fragile hemp rope. Even so, loading continues until the collapse reaches a limit and the overall break is inevitable.

A slingshot suddenly discharged while charging. The soldier knew that it was broken and now was not the time to repair it.

Anyway, there are still some positions on the big ship that are idle due to lack of manpower, and the new slingshots are immediately put into counterattack.

Now that the distance was just right, the Russian army's cast iron bullets began to ruthlessly destroy the Frank army's wooden shields, and the crossbow shooting became more and more accurate.

Although it was a contest of willpower between the two sides, the Franks had a better defense due to their superior strength. However, they appeared in the wrong position, and they were the only ones who would suffer if the battle continued.

But it was said that some Russian soldiers were already eager to try. They could not wait to jump onto the leading warship with a pulling effect and launch a beach landing battle, slashing and killing them with caution and gain.

This kind of idea was strictly prohibited by Arik. Just look at the enemy's huge force and you will know that once you do this, you will be seeking death. It is better to continue shooting like this.

Ludwig was equally furious. When a lower-ranking noble suggested that he should stay away for the time being because he was wasting his time here, she was sternly refuted by her.

On the contrary, he ordered those who knew archery to immediately take over the wooden bows left on the battlefield. The so-called archers could suffer casualties, but as long as the bow could still shoot and the arrows were still there, the battle could not stop.

After all, this is a war about honor.

It is said that Ludwig has never fought such a battle, and Arik has never seen the intensity of the shooting here.

The battle was challenging the limits of the use of torque slingshots, and the wooden bows of the Frank army began to lose weight rapidly and even the hemp ropes collapsed due to too frequent shooting.

The strange thing is that arrows are available everywhere. The same batch of arrows are used back and forth by both sides. Even if the arrow clusters are bent or broken, they are still picked up and shot.

Ludwig shot resolutely, knowing that a nobleman told him that the harpooneer had already thrown 70% to 80%, and he did not have enough reserves to continue.

He remained unmoved until he saw that his spear throwers were taking more and more casualties, and those who continued to fight were panting from exhaustion.

What is exaggerated is that although many bow holders were not injured, they had to retreat because their arms were too sore.

The Frankish army still persisted in fighting, but saw that the large ships of the Norman army were as motionless as giant boulders fixed on the Weser River. The morale of the army continues to decline, and more and more wounded soldiers are being dragged to the rear. Their wails stir the hearts of every soldier, and the horrific wounds of the dead frighten the viewers.

Could it be that if we keep shooting, the damn Normans will suddenly die and the enemy ships will suddenly sink?

The ship showed no sign of sinking, and the Normans continued to fight as if they were not tired at all.

In fact, this was not the case. The soldiers on the Ross Army side were all out of breath. The brothers were in absolute excitement, their physical fatigue was ignored, and everyone was overdrawing their vitality.

Both sides were getting more and more tired, and the intensity of the battle began to decrease at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Now it depends on which side is the first to announce its retreat.

Whoever retreats first will give in. Arik and Ludwig did not communicate at all, or both sides used arrows to express their attitude of not giving in. Now even the tug of war has come to an end.

A brother told Arik that there were not many cast-iron bullets in reserve at the flagship, which shocked him: "What? A thousand rounds of bullets are not enough?"

"More than 800 rounds have been fired. If this continues, we will have no bullets left to shoot."

"Then use it sparingly! Give me a precise strike!"

Arik, who was covered in hot sweat, was still holding on. He could also see that his brothers' physical strength was about to fail, and everyone needed some time to rest before continuing to fight.

The brothers didn't want to take the initiative to evacuate temporarily, so they continued to hold on. Finally, Arik waited until the Frank army evacuated.

The battle lasted for a long time, and even the heavy infantrymen who lined up in formation were suffering, not to mention the feelings of those who were desperately shooting arrows and throwing javelins. The elite troops were obviously exhausted, and what was even worse was that the reserves of arrows and javelins were almost exhausted.

Of course, there are a lot of arrows everywhere on the ground, but they are all broken arrows.

Today's battle greatly refreshed Ludwig's understanding of war. The arrows prepared with previous experience were almost exhausted in the small-scale encounter at the mouth of the river.

He began to consider whether this winter's northward campaign was a completely cursed action. He thought about the Archbishop's request to retreat, and thought carefully that perhaps the Archbishop had anticipated the ominous situation.

But the army has been mobilized and many soldiers have been lost, so it will return without success? In this way, the Normans are still rampant, and they are clearly holding on to the Weser River crossing in the Bremen section. Doesn't such determination prove that they are guarding something important?

Based on rational considerations, we should retreat temporarily.

The Franks blew the horn to retreat, and the elite troops were ordered to retreat.

They neither won nor failed. They dragged the bodies of the casualties and pushed them into the forest. The soldiers did not forget to hurriedly pick up the arrows that were still usable on the ground, and did not forget to pick up the iron lumps everywhere.

"The Franks are withdrawing!" A Russian soldier shouted feebly, raising his right fist high.

Everyone watched the armored men leaving and struggled to squeeze out some smiles.

Arik held the bridgehead in the ruins of Bremen. He was not happy at all, and ordered his brothers: "We will continue to hold on for a while. When night falls, we will try our best to light a bonfire at the ruins! After that, we will evacuate calmly, Go back to Hamburg and tell Rurik the big news.”

Taking advantage of the night to engage in campfire deception, Arik was determined and very determined in this regard.

Now that the days are getting shorter and shorter, the brothers rested for half an afternoon and divided into two groups. One side approached the shore where the fierce battle was taking place and landed quietly. They tried their best to pick up the cast iron projectiles embedded in the mud, and also picked up the broken arrows that could be seen everywhere. Cluster of arrows. On the other side, they returned to the ruins of Bremen, pulled away some wood from the ruins, and cut down some trees to pile them into large wood piles. With the help of fire and saltpeter, they also drilled wood with bows and drills to make fire. When night fell, they spread bonfires widely.

The night was covered a lot, and the Frankish army, which had suffered heavy losses, now only spent the night in the forest, while the Roman road was already filled with bonfires, which had once been a fire dragon.

The scouts saw bonfires appearing one after another on the other side of the Weser River, and their number was increasing.

They hurriedly informed Ludwig of the important discovery, which shocked the depressed man.

"Great! They plan to have a decisive battle in Bremen. Notify the entire army, and we will wait here to wait for work!"

The army couldn't sleep well at night because of the torment of orders. They were worried that the Normans would shoot arrows wildly in the decisive battle. They were worried that they would be injured or killed inexplicably. How could they sleep peacefully?

But the next day, when the scouts cautiously returned to the shore, they saw that the decisive battle they expected did not seem to exist at all.

There are no enemy ships, not even a human figure! The north wind blows across the river, and the black ruins of Bremen are very dazzling. The air is filled with a faint smell of burning, which naturally comes from the burning of bonfires.

The broken bridge and stone piers are arranged in a lonely line, and the Weser River flows quietly.

The Russian army had already pulled anchor before dawn, and the entire army drifted smoothly towards the Atlantic Ocean...