The former often only requires defeating the ruling class that originally occupied a certain area, and then beating up all the guys who disobeyed. It is a military action that cannot be simpler.

The people who have achieved this to the extreme are the Mongols who came out of the grasslands.

Because they have never established truly effective rule, they often take indirect methods to acquire wealth and maintain their vast territory, and the tax farming system is the best proof of this.

However, the latter requires thorough reforms in politics, economy, culture and other aspects or integration into the original system, which cannot be accomplished overnight.

Generally speaking, if a conqueror wants to rule the conquered area, he often needs to exchange interests with the local tyrants to ensure that the other party will cooperate with him in collecting taxes.

Otherwise, the cost of administration, maintaining public order and taxation alone would be an astronomical figure.

If these cannot be solved, then the so-called conquest is nothing more than a game of filling in color blocks on the map.

Anyone who plays like this will inevitably collapse and disintegrate due to financial problems.

After all, the essence of rule is the ability to extract wealth and resources from the land and people under one's control.

When a large piece of land and the people living on it cannot be used by the ruler, it has no value.

However, Zuo Si's solution to this problem was quite clever, which was to eliminate the original aristocratic ruling system and introduce citizens such as merchants and handicraftsmen to rebuild the ruling framework.

Then they were asked to distribute land to serfs and tenant farmers, transitioning from the original manor economic model to a market economy, revitalizing the economy by giving more people the means of production, and vigorously developing commerce and handicrafts.

Almost every time he conquered and occupied the territory of a noble, Zuo Si would appoint a large number of acting officials and then let them compete with each other to see who would be the most capable one to take the position.

Especially those businessmen who have abundant family wealth and have always been eager to obtain their due social status are the most active in this process.

The craftsmen also got together and successfully built a bronze cannon with decent range and power according to the formula and drawings he provided.

With this thing, most castles have basically become lambs on the chopping board to be slaughtered.

Often a few shots are enough to crush a gate that was originally designed to withstand cold weapons and battering rams.

In just two and a half months, Zuo Si led his army to sweep across all the surrounding aristocratic territories, and the size of the army soared from 5,000 people at the start to as many as 26,000 to 27,000 people.

Among them were mercenaries who joined along the way, as well as tenant farmers and serfs who, after the land was distributed, each household provided one young and strong man as a soldier according to the agreed exchange terms.

So at present the entire army is divided into two parts.

Some of them are mercenaries who work for money and have relatively loose discipline, while the other part are "good family boys" recruited from the lower classes. Not only do they have to undergo rigorous training every day, but they also have very strict discipline and are organized entirely according to the specifications of regular and standing armies.

As Zuo Si's actions and threats grew stronger, the other noble lords could no longer sit still and formed a coalition led by a great noble named Duke Bram.

Both sides gathered their troops on a large plain only 200 kilometers away from the royal capital, preparing for a major battle to decide who is the true master of this country.

Especially the noble coalition, this time they basically came out in full force, and the emblems and flags representing the nobility alone were so densely packed that they were difficult to count.

According to conservative estimates, at least hundreds of powerful noble lords came this time, and the number of war horses alone reached an astonishing 10,000.

If we assume that one knight was equipped with an average of two war horses, and two retainers with the same number of war horses, the cavalry unit alone would be as many as 5,000 people.

What does it mean to have five thousand armored cavalrymen, at least one third of whom are heavy cavalry, appear on the battlefield? If I had to describe it in one word, it would be overwhelming.

Once they charge, the morale of an average army will quickly collapse unless it is a well-trained and disciplined thick formation of pikes or spears.

In addition, the noble coalition had more than 45,000 infantry including archers, as well as heavy weapons such as large catapults and crossbows.

"How is it? Haven't you figured out the other party's identity yet?"

A man wearing exquisite and gorgeous armor stood on a makeshift platform and looked at the camp opposite. An unhappy expression appeared on my majestic face.

Needless to say, he is the initiator and leader of the noble coalition - Duke Bram. He is also the most powerful lord in the kingdom and the one closest to the throne.

In particular, the lavender pattern on the coat of arms represents that his family ancestors were once a branch of the royal bloodline.

This means that when one day he replaces the current royal family, he can provide sufficient bloodline and legal support.

In fact, the biggest reason why Duke Bram had such great appeal, apart from Zuo Si's ruthless extermination of the entire aristocratic group, was his family's royal bloodline.

By promising post-war benefits, he successfully united most of the nobles in the kingdom around him, and even those former political enemies had to temporarily bow their heads and choose to cooperate.

In some ways, it was a classic diplomatic victory.

If he could win this war, there was a high probability that he would replace the royal family and become the new king with the support of many nobles.

When Duke Bram thought that the grand goal that had been achieved after generations of hard work was about to be realized in his own hands, he felt an excitement and excitement that was indescribable, as if he had already seen the scene of the crown being worn on his head.

"I am terribly sorry, Your Excellency.

Most of the spies we sent out were caught.

The other side is very vigilant, and anyone who sees a stranger asking around for information will be immediately reported by the locals.

Because the untouchables who stole the land and power that originally belonged to the nobles are very supportive of the existing rule.

They are afraid that everything they currently have will be taken away from them again.

Plus, there are great rewards for doing so.

Those who managed to escape only got a few fragments of information about the Roald family.

It is said that this guy who suddenly appeared seemed to be a prince from another country across the sea.

It is said that his ship encountered a shipwreck while crossing the ocean, and he drifted to our country alone in a small boat.

Later, he was invited by Viscount Lister Roald to visit the castle, and at the banquet he agreed to marry the Viscount's niece, Mana.

But for some reason, something incredible happened the day before the wedding.

That is when Viscount Lester Roald revealed himself to be a terrible monster and had a fierce battle with the prince.

According to the description of the locals, a huge black vortex even rose above the castle that day.”

Another noble nearby quickly told out all the information he had at the moment.

After all, in this era where transportation basically relies on walking and communication basically relies on shouting, the transmission of information is very slow and has a lag.

Even though it had been more than two and a half months since Zuo Si captured the first noble lord's castle, he had even brought large tracts of land in the southern part of the kingdom under his rule.

However, the traditional nobles in the north near the royal capital were unusually slow to react, and only realized the severity of the situation they were facing when they were almost at their doorsteps.

The reason for this magical scene is very simple, that is, the source of information for the nobles is mainly based on the huge network of interpersonal relationships established through continuous marriages.

Generally speaking, as long as there is a problem in a family's territory, other relatives can immediately find out what happened through special channels.

But the problem was that Zuo Si's strategy was to wipe out the nobles at their roots, leaving no chance of survival for the nobles in the conquered and occupied areas. He simply killed them with their family pedigree tables, and even spared no businessmen who had close ties with them.

It is better to kill a thousand people by mistake than to let one go.

This directly cut off the source of information that the nobles relied on, causing them to have no idea what was happening. They could only learn from some merchants that a large-scale war had broken out in the southern region.

By the time the spies they sent out brought back the news, Zuo Si had already completed the conquest of the southern region of the kingdom and quickly grew into a terrifying behemoth.

Both military forces and organizational mobilization forces at the entire social level are increasingly showing a trend of dimensionality reduction attacks.

Especially in those areas where the land of noble lords was distributed to tenants and serfs, the production enthusiasm and subjective initiative that erupted among the people were simply incomparable to the previous environment of long-term severe exploitation and oppression.

The most important thing is that the emergence of such a regime will seriously shake the foundation of aristocratic rule.

Once the news spread and was learned and imitated by the serfs and tenants in his own territory, the consequences would be absolutely disastrous.

So the nobles immediately realized that they had to kill it no matter what the cost.

Duke Bram was the first person to notice this, and he used the prestige and appeal accumulated by his family over the years to become the leader of the kingdom's aristocratic group.

So he knew very well that this was a big gamble.

If you win the bet, you can consider starting the "house deed change" procedure to replace the existing royal family after winning.

But if they lose, the family's reputation and status will plummet, and the entire country may even be conquered by that foreign prince.

So for Duke Bram, this is a war that determines his fate, and it is also a war that he cannot afford to lose.

The only thing that made him feel fortunate was that, at the moment, he was the side that had a firm advantage. His military strength alone was more than twice that of the enemy, and new noble lords joined with their troops every day.

What's more, in the cognition of traditional aristocrats like him, only knights, squires and professional soldiers following them have combat effectiveness.

Mercenaries like those under Zuo Si who worked for money, and the army composed of peasants, had no courage or sense of honor at all, and were basically scattered and fled when they were charged by the heavy cavalry.

Based on the combat experience of this continent, one or two hundred knights plus their followers can easily defeat a rioting peasantry that massacres tens of thousands of people.

Thinking of this, Duke Bram immediately asked in an uncertain tone: "How credible is it that Viscount Lister Roald is a monster?"

The noble responded without hesitation: "Very high! It is said that the priest of the French King's Hall has personally confirmed it.

Moreover, the corpses that look like lions have been embalmed and hung in many places for people to visit.

One of the reasons why the foreign prince launched a purge against the noble lords was that they had all turned into bloodthirsty and brutal monsters like Viscount Lister Roald.

It seems that the French King's Office also attaches great importance to this and has sent the Knights of the Holy Iron Chain to investigate.

If the rumor is true, they should be on their way.”

"What? The Holy Iron Chain Knights? Is it the religious knights led by the daughter of the Vatimio family?"

Duke Bram showed an extremely surprised expression.

Because the family's status and influence on this continent are basically the same as those of the Medici family in Florence, Italy, Europe from the late Middle Ages to the Renaissance.

Not only does he possess unimaginable wealth, he also has a huge influence in politics, culture, art and other fields.

Most importantly, the family pays a large sum of money to the French King's Office every year.

The fact that Farnese du Vatimio, the eldest daughter of the family and a rich lady, could become the leader of the Knights of the Holy Iron Chain at the age of less than 20 was the most direct manifestation of this relationship.

Another young nobleman, who was about 27 or 28 years old, sighed with admiration: "I heard that the daughter of the Vatimio family is a rare beauty. It would be great if I could marry her."

"You and your family still want to marry a daughter of a noble family like Vatimio? Don't dream! Her family doesn't think highly of us."

The middle-aged nobleman in his forties next to him let out a sour self-deprecation.

After all, there are huge differences between nobles.

The most direct manifestation is the title, territory and income.

The financial resources of the Vatimio family are definitely qualified to be called rich enough to rival a country.

If there were a wealth ranking list on this continent, no one would dare to claim to be number one if it were ranked second.

But the young noble shrugged his shoulders and said, "Even if I can't marry Miss Farnese, it's good to have a romantic encounter with her. After all, whether it's the identity of the eldest daughter of the Vatimio family or the female leader of the Holy Iron Chain Knights, it will make people involuntarily want to conquer her, right?"

“I advise you not to have any bad ideas.

According to rumors, Miss Farnese was very devout in her belief in God and never showed any affection to her suitors.

If you plan to pester me or resort to some shady means, you'd better consider whether you can withstand the wrath of the King's Office and the Vatimio family.

Moreover, don’t forget that our most important goal right now is to win this battle and restore the nobles’ rule over the entire kingdom.”

Duke Bram glanced unhappily at the young lord who should be considered his nephew according to blood relationship.

Although he had been young once, he understood that it was normal for a woman of her age to have endless fantasies about a noble lady like Farnese who was young, beautiful, and had an impeccable family background.

It's just like those common teenagers always fantasize that one day they will win the favor of a noble girl or even a royal princess.

But fantasy is just fantasy after all, and it can never become reality.

"Don't worry, uncle. I know my limits."

The young nobleman obviously did not take the Duke's warning to heart, and even stroked his long, flowing black hair in a very ostentatious manner.

From his confident look, it can be seen that he is quite confident in his appearance, knowledge and demeanor. He is the type who is quite popular in the aristocratic social circle and has had intimate relationships with countless aristocratic ladies and girls in private.

Duke Bram obviously didn't have any better solution for such a matter where both parties were willing. He could only pray that the husbands and fiancés of those ladies would be a little more generous, or simply not know about these things at all.

Otherwise, whether it was a duel, poisoning, or hiring a killer, his nephew might die at any time.

Never think that an affair between nobles is something that is tacitly agreed upon and carries no risk.

Just the opposite!

The proportion of unlucky people who die from jealousy is sometimes even higher than those who die in war.

While the top leaders of the coalition of nobles were discussing the upcoming Religious Knights of the King's Hall and Miss Farnese, Zuo Si, who was camped a few kilometers away, had already begun making pre-war deployments.

As a person who likes to keep the initiative firmly in his own hands, he doesn't like to wait for the other party to launch an attack first.

After all, if you fail to mobilize the enemy and make them reveal their weaknesses when you are at a disadvantage in terms of military strength, you will inevitably pay a very painful price.

What's more, Zuo Si is now playing the role of a mortal. He can never perform such shocking feats as "one man against a thousand" or "mowing the grass without parallel". He has to control the number of heads within a relatively "reasonable" range.

Take Guts as an example. Being able to kill a hundred people on the battlefield is already a remarkable feat.

So he set a goal for himself of between two hundred and three hundred people.

After all, Guts only has one greatsword, while he has two, so it is "reasonable" to kill twice as many people.

"Sir, we have used the past few days to conduct a detailed reconnaissance of the surrounding terrain.

There is a river to the west of the camp, about fifteen meters wide, with very fast-flowing water and no bridge.

It is estimated that the noble coalition only arranged a very small number of infantry on the flanks as guard because of the river as a barrier.

As for the east side, it has completely turned into a swamp due to the heavy rain a few days ago.

The enemy has no defensive forces in this direction."

A scout dressed as a mercenary pointed at the map on the table and marked all the information he had collected with a pen.

"You mean... apart from direct combat, we have almost no other means available?"

Hemit, the former captain of the guard who has now been promoted to general, frowned quickly.

Because in his opinion this was absolutely the worst news that could not be worse.

The fewer tactical options available, the higher the requirements for hard power on the front battlefield.

Although the army had won one victory after another under the leadership of Zuo Si, coupled with the killing, violence and plundering of nobles, its morale had already reached the sky.

Moreover, the soldiers' awe of the nobles completely disappeared, and they no longer felt that there was any mystery or halo about them.

After all, when they used the swords in their hands to hack to death those noble lords who were usually high and mighty one after another, looked at the fear and despair in their eyes before they died, pressed the ladies and girls under them and ravaged them unscrupulously, and listened to their crying and wailing, they would naturally break the deep-rooted ideological cage.

This was one of the biggest reasons why Zuo Si allowed his troops to carry out massacres in noble castles and manors.

He needed to break these people's awe of the entire aristocratic class, and make them understand that they were just a group of mortals with military power. Being pierced would cause bleeding and death just like being chopped, and it was no big deal.

The mercenary-dressed scout nodded solemnly, "I'm afraid so.

This should be the most powerful enemy we have encountered so far, and it also represents all the strength that the nobles of the entire kingdom can muster.

Especially the five thousand knights and their followers, once they launched an attack, it would be absolutely devastating.

If we can’t stop it, the entire battlefield will collapse in a matter of minutes.”

Hemet held his forehead and obviously couldn't think of any solution.

Because although their own team had obtained a considerable number of horses by confiscating the property of the nobles, there were very few people who could ride war horses to fight or even launch a charge.

This is also one of the biggest gaps between civilian armies and aristocratic armies.

"How many cavalrymen do we have?"

左思突然打破沉默开口问了一句。

旁边一名书记官打扮的青年赶忙起身汇报道：“大人，我们虽然也有六千匹战马，但骑兵数量只有大概不到两千人。”

“所以我们的骑兵可以做到一人三马？”

左思敏锐的察觉到了什么，翘起嘴角浮现出玩味的笑容。

“是的，我们完全可以做到一人三马。”

青年不加思索的给出肯定答复。

“棒极了。”

左思满意的点了点头，紧跟着继续追问：“如果我没记错的话，王国贵族的骑士们通常是不装备远程武器的，对吧？”

赫米特站出来回答道：“是的。王国的贵族骑士一般都是采取集群冲锋的策略，凭借重甲的防御力与战马的速度，一鼓作气冲垮敌人的阵型，然后再配合步兵绞杀。”

“既然如此，那就让我来给他们上一课吧。

立刻命令所有骑兵舍弃板甲、马甲，只保留轻型的锁子甲和皮甲，同样也不需要任何近战武器，只携带三角铁钉和手雷。

由于负重减轻了，所以我们的骑兵速度应该更快、耐力也更好。

一旦贵族联军的骑兵出动，我们便使用骑兵从侧翼包抄。

如果他们调转方向追击，就一边撤退一边大量往地上撒三角铁钉。

当敌人察觉到这一点后肯定会下意识的放慢速度。

这种速度差会导致前方和后方的骑兵在短时间内聚拢到一起。

届时再掉头杀回去点燃手雷投向人群最密集的区域。

到时候火光和爆炸不仅能造成惊人的杀伤，同时还能使战马受惊造成混乱与踩踏。

等贵族联军的骑兵崩溃失去战力，我们再召回骑兵披挂整齐、换上新的战马，先让大炮来几轮齐射粉碎步兵方阵，再让骑兵发动冲击。”

左思没有任何隐瞒，直接了当说出了自己想到的办法，以及对整个战局的部署。

事实上根据地球欧洲历史的发展脉络，随着火药武器的兴起，由贵族主导的重骑兵就已经跟不上时代的发展了。

在这方面只要去看看法国著名的骑士国王——弗朗索瓦一世与西班牙和神圣罗马帝国君主——查理五世之间的战争就能略窥一二。

号称拥有最多、最强大骑士的法兰西王国，先后几次都被西班牙人的火枪打得找不着北。

大名鼎鼎的帕维亚战役，西班牙军团更是以不到一千人的伤亡就歼灭了法军八千余人，连国王弗朗索瓦一世都沦为了俘虏。

从那开始，重甲骑士的时代就已经日薄西山逐渐退出历史舞台。

尽管这个世界的火器发展还没有到那种程度，但左思已经可以凭借手里的简陋火药武器玩出很多花活了。

至于大炮齐射加骑兵冲锋更是一直沿用到拿破仑时代的经典战术。

火药赋予炮弹的恐怖动能可以轻而易举撕碎紧密的方阵、制造混乱和恐慌情绪，为高速移动的骑兵开辟出一个又一个的缺口。

“原来如此！您之所命令工匠打造那些三角铁钉和手雷就是为了这一刻！”

赫米特猛地站起身，眼神中透露出无法掩饰的钦佩与敬仰。

他显然很清楚这种战术可以对传统贵族骑士的集团冲锋造成怎样可怕的连锁反应。

要知道贵族骑士可跟纪律严明这种词汇沾不上边。

他们不仅傲慢自大，并且经常会不听命令的自行发起冲锋。

这也就意味着当他们看到对手的骑兵冲过来时，必然会选择迎击、追击，而非按照原本的计划去冲击步兵方阵。

“在您的智慧与谋略指引下，我们必将能赢得胜利夺取这个国家。”

“没错！我们愿意永远追随您直至生命的尽头！”

“国王陛下万岁！”

“胜利必将属于我们！”

……

伴随着营帐内几名亲信激动的呼喊声传到外面，整个营地的士兵都跟着一起变得兴奋起来。

尽管他们并不清楚究竟发生了什么，但却明白高层会发出这样的声音肯定是找到了赢得战争的方法。

这也就意味着接下来的会战肯定十拿九稳，不仅自己活下来的概率大大增加，而且还能获得军功和丰厚的奖赏。

尤其是那些原本佃农、农奴出身的士兵和军官，只要战功达到一定程度就可以获得土地和爵位。

虽然并没有传统贵族的行政、司法、税收和军事权力，同时该交的税一样也不能少，但光是这种相对公平、公正的上升渠道就已经是他们以前连想都不敢想的事情。

所以很多人都憋着一股子劲，想要靠双手来搏一搏自己和子孙后代的未来。

在巨大的利益面前他们根本不怕死，对左思这个带来了变革的君主更是忠心耿耿充满了狂热的崇拜。

因为他们知道，在这片由贵族和教会统治的大陆上，不会再有第二个人愿意冒着如此大的风险给自己这些贱民往上爬的机会。

那一双双炙热明亮的眼神跟过去麻木暗淡的眼神形成了鲜明的对比。

这一次他们将不再为贵族的利益去打仗，而是为了自己和家人的利益。

总之一句话，士气可用。

两军的对峙仅仅持续了五天，率先完成修整的左思便摆开阵仗主动向对方释放了开战的信号。

向来傲慢自负的贵族们自然不可能当缩头乌龟，因此在简单商讨了一下之后也跟着在一望无际的大平原上摆开阵型。

出于贵族之间约定俗成的礼节，布拉姆公爵与左思不携带任何武器在战场中央碰了个面。

布拉姆公爵显然对左思的年轻感到十分惊讶，坐在马背上单手抚胸略微欠了欠身：“你好，来自异邦的亲王，我是布拉姆公爵，这支贵族联军的盟主。”

“你好，公爵阁下，我叫索斯，是即将击败你们统治这个王国的征服者。”

左思微笑着报上了自己的名号。

不过还没等话音落地，旁边另外一名贵族便立刻忍不住呵斥道：“卑鄙狂妄的外来者！你以为自己打赢了一群乡下贵族很了不起吗？待会儿我们会让你见识到王国真正的力量。”

“哦？真的吗？

那就让我们拭目以待吧。

毕竟这种话我都已经快要听腻了。

但到目前为止，连一个像样点的对手都没有遇到，实在是有点令人失望。

如果没什么其他要说的就直接返回各自的军阵中开打吧。

要知道浪费时间是可耻的。

解决了你们之后，我还得挨个去扫平城堡，最终进军王都夺取属于我的王冠和王座。”

说罢，左思故意留下一个充满嘲弄的笑容，然后调转马头以一种目中无人的姿态返回自己的军队中。

这种赤裸裸的嘲讽当场让联军的贵族原地爆炸。

“狂妄！简直太狂妄了！我发誓一定要亲手砍下他的脑袋！”

“不！死的太痛快简直便宜了他！我要把他的眼睛、耳朵、鼻子、嘴唇全部都割下来喂狗！”

“不不不，我认为还是阉割掉训练成奴仆比较好。毕竟这种人让他活着不断接受羞辱才是最好的惩罚方式。”

“同意！可以考虑做个项圈，然后强迫他只能趴在地上像狗一样爬。”

伴随着各种恶毒的话语，贵族们也很快回到各自带来的军队中。

作为兵力优势的一方，布拉姆公爵连犹豫都没犹豫，立刻便给位于最前方的几个步兵方阵组成密集的盾墙向前推进。

这是一种非常常规的试探，一方面可以测试对方远程武器的数量和规模，另外一方面则可以通过短兵相接来判断士兵的素质。

至于这些丢出去的棋子能不能活着回来，他一点也不关心。

“呵呵，看来我刚才的表现惹恼了对方呢。”

左思嗤笑着摇了摇头，对于这些贵族表现出来的愚蠢感到无语。

像这么拙劣的激将法都能成功只能说明一个问题，那就是联军内部连一个像样点的指挥官和参谋都没有。

“大人，需要使用火炮摧毁这些步兵方阵吗？”

一名从底层提拔上来的军官小心翼翼询问道。

不过还没等左思回答，旁边旁边另外一名军官就呵斥道：“白痴！告诉你多少次了，要改口叫陛下。因为这场在战役结束后整个王国就都是我们的了。”

“啊，万分抱歉，陛下。我之前叫习惯了，因此经常忘了改口。”

年轻的军官立马低头认错。

扫过这些年轻人眼神中透露出来的炙热光芒，左思嘴角轻微的抽搐了一下，终于有点理解宋太祖赵匡胤黄袍加身时的状况了。

毕竟作为一个当惯了皇帝的人，他对国王这种头衔实在是没什么兴趣，打算等控制的领土稍微大一点直接建立帝国的。

但现在看来，就算他自己不想当，这些手下也会强行把他抬上国王的宝座。

因为随着这个新生既得利益团体的不断壮大，他们迫切渴望自己所拥有的一切能够受到法律的保护。

而想要颁布这样的法律并被广泛认可，首先就必须要有一个国家和政权。

Zuo Si's becoming the past is the ultimate manifestation of this process.

"Okay, now is not the time to get into all this red tape. Have the crossbowmen prepare two volleys, and then have the infantry phalanxes at the front meet the enemy. Remember, if the enemy is defeated, do not pursue them, but retreat immediately and maintain a defensive state."

Hemet interrupted the young officers' imagination of the future and issued combat orders on behalf of Zuo Si.

Soon, accompanied by flag signals, the entire army took rapid action in front of the formation.

When the enemy's infantry phalanx came into range, a dense rain of arrows immediately fell from the sky.

At the beginning, the infantry of the noble coalition tried to rely on the shields in their hands for protection.

But after a while, they discovered that these arrows were heavy arrows shot from longbows. Not only did they have a very long range, but they also had exceptionally strong penetrating power.

Many low-quality wooden shields without iron coverings were pierced, leaving bloody holes on the arms and shoulders.

The severe pain caused these militiamen, who had not received rigorous training, to fall to the ground and scream. Their fall immediately caused gaps to appear in the originally tight shield wall.

When the second round of volleys arrived, the number of injured in several phalanxes reached as high as one-fifth, and the rest began to flee to the rear.

Only those professional mercenaries wearing armor and holding shields of relatively good quality managed to get close in the rain of arrows, shouting battle slogans and colliding with the spear phalanxes that were ready for battle.

In an instant, screams, wails, the loud noise of spears poking shields, and the crisp sound of wooden spear barrels breaking all gathered together and echoed above the battlefield.

In less than five minutes, blood-stained corpses appeared on the ground.

Many experienced mercenaries simply could not believe that this group of soldiers composed of serfs and tenant farmers were so well-equipped. They not only had leather armor and chain mail, but also half-body armor and arm guards. They were also very well trained and could advance or retreat in an orderly manner according to the orders of the officers.

The overwhelming piercings were like the death that was taking one's life. Anyone who reacted slowly would be injured or stabbed to death on the spot.

After repeated attempts and leaving behind a large number of corpses, the experienced mercenaries quickly came to the conclusion that they could not win with just their own number of people, so they decisively chose to escape.

As we all know, most mercenaries are selfish and have no morals. They will do anything for money and to save their own lives.

Not to mention selling out teammates, even stabbing them in the back is commonplace.

When the first person to lead the escape appears, a chain reaction immediately occurs.

In the blink of an eye, half of the people broke away from contact and turned around and ran towards the noble coalition without looking back.

Some even dropped their weapons in order to run faster.

However, what these mercenaries did not expect was that when they were about to escape from danger, they suddenly saw the knights and attendants who were originally on both sides of the army suddenly lined up on horseback, with the sharp lances in their hands looking extremely sharp under the sunlight.

Before they could react, the knight in the front row raised the flag in his hand high and waved it vigorously, and then the horse began to move forward and gradually accelerated.

Boom! Boom! Boom! When the ground made a deafening sound due to the galloping of the war horses, the mercenaries finally realized that those damn nobles had no intention of letting them go.

They now had only two choices: one was to be hit or trampled to death by the charging heavy cavalry, and the other was to turn around and follow the cavalry to counterattack.

Just like that, after just two or three seconds of thinking, most of the deserters chose to surrender, picked up the weapons they had just dropped, and rushed towards the tightly defended army formation.

Because anyone who runs too slowly and is caught up by the charging knights will have a very miserable end.

"Huh? You revealed your cards so soon?"

Zuo Si was obviously very surprised by this.

After all, heavy cavalry is a decisive battle type of troop that has the final say on the battlefield, and they are often sent out only after both sides have played all their cards to win the final victory.

But the other party chose to go all in after a brief test.

This kind of operation is really a bit confusing.

Hemet explained with a wry smile: “Nothing to be surprised about.

In fact, this is the norm in wars between nobles in the kingdom.

Although Duke Bram was the leader of the coalition, he had no right to command the private armies of other nobles.

This means that, except for the militia and mercenaries temporarily recruited at the beginning, it is impossible for him to turn the entire army into a whole like you did.

Because no noble would accept an order that might cause significant damage to their own strength.

Therefore, he could not afford to fight a war of attrition, which would lead to conflicts among the nobles.

On the contrary, it is easier to gather the knights and escorts together to launch a charge and defeat the opponent.

After all, the nobles had strong confidence in the power of the knights' collective charge.

This tactic has never been truly challenged since it was invented.”

"Okay, let me be the first one."

After saying this, Zuo Si winked at the messenger.

The latter understood what he meant immediately and gave the order to attack to his own cavalry on standby.