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 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 ostenatious 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?"
Zuo Si suddenly broke the silence and asked a question.
A young man dressed as a clerk stood up and reported: "Sir, although we also have 6,000 war horses, the number of cavalry is less than 2,000."
"So our cavalry can have three horses per person?"
Zuo Si keenly noticed something and raised the corners of his mouth to reveal a playful smile.
"Yes, we can definitely do three horses per person."
The young man answered in the affirmative without hesitation.
“Excellent.”
Zuo Si nodded in satisfaction, and then continued to ask: "If I remember correctly, the knights of the kingdom's nobles are usually not equipped with long-range weapons, right?"
Hemet stepped forward and answered, "Yes. The noble knights of the kingdom usually adopt the strategy of charging in groups, relying on the defensive power of heavy armor and the speed of war horses to break through the enemy's formation in one go, and then cooperate with the infantry to strangle the enemy."
"In that case, let me teach them a lesson.
Immediately order all cavalry to abandon plate armor and vests, and only retain light chain mail and leather armor. Also, no melee weapons are needed, and only triangular iron nails and grenades are required.
With less weight to carry, our cavalry should be faster and have better endurance.
Once the cavalry of the noble coalition is dispatched, we will use cavalry to outflank them from the flank.
If they turn around and chase you, just scatter a large number of triangular iron nails on the ground while retreating.
When the enemy realizes this, they will subconsciously slow down.
This speed difference would cause the cavalry in the front and rear to gather together in a short period of time.
At that time, they would turn around, go back, ignite the grenades and throw them into the area with the most people.
At that time, the fire and explosion will not only cause astonishing casualties, but also scare the war horses and cause chaos and trampling.
When the cavalry of the noble coalition army collapses and loses its fighting power, we will recall the cavalry, dress them neatly, replace them with new war horses, and first let the cannon fire a few rounds to crush the infantry phalanx, and then let the cavalry launch an attack. "
Zuo Si did not hide anything and directly stated the solution he had thought of and the deployment of the entire battle situation.
In fact, according to the development of European history on Earth, with the rise of gunpowder weapons, the heavy cavalry dominated by the aristocracy could no longer keep up with the development of the times.
For a glimpse of this, one need only look at the war between the famous knight-king of France, Francis I, and the monarch of Spain and the Holy Roman Empire, Charles V.
The Kingdom of France, which claimed to have the largest and most powerful knights, was beaten to a pulp by the Spanish muskets several times.
In the famous Battle of Pavia, the Spanish Legion annihilated more than 8,000 French troops with less than 1,000 casualties, and even King Francis I was taken prisoner.
From then on, the era of heavily armored knights gradually faded away from the stage of history.
Although the development of firearms in this world has not yet reached that level, Zuo Si can already do a lot of tricks with the simple gunpowder weapons in his hands.
As for the cannon salvo plus cavalry charge, it was a classic tactic that was used until the Napoleonic era.
The terrifying kinetic energy that gunpowder imparts to artillery shells can easily tear apart tight phalanxes, create chaos and panic, and open up gaps one after another for high-speed moving cavalry.
"I see! You ordered the craftsmen to make those triangular iron nails and grenades just for this moment!"
Hemet stood up suddenly, his eyes revealing unconcealable admiration and respect.
He was obviously well aware of the terrible chain reaction this tactic could cause to the group charge of traditional noble knights.
You have to know that noble knights have nothing to do with words like strict discipline.
Not only are they arrogant, but they often charge forward without following orders.
This means that when they see the opponent's cavalry rushing over, they will inevitably choose to meet and pursue them, rather than attacking the infantry phalanx as originally planned.
"Under your wisdom and strategy, we will surely win the victory and seize this country."
"That's right! We are willing to follow you forever until the end of our lives!"
"Long live His Majesty the King!"
"Victory will surely belong to us!"
…
As the excited shouts of several trusted men in the tent spread outside, all the soldiers in the camp became excited.
Although they didn't know exactly what was going on, they understood that the top leaders making such statements must have found a way to win the war.
This means that the next battle is a sure win. Not only will the probability of survival be greatly increased, but one can also gain military merit and generous rewards.
Especially those soldiers and officers who were originally tenant farmers or serfs, as long as their military achievements reached a certain level, they could obtain land and titles.
Although they did not have the administrative, judicial, taxation and military powers of the traditional aristocracy, and had to pay all the taxes they were supposed to, this relatively fair and just channel for upward mobility was something they had never dared to think about before.
Therefore, many people are holding back their energy and want to fight for the future of themselves and their descendants with their own hands.
In the face of huge benefits, they were not afraid of death at all, and they were loyal to Zuo Si, the monarch who brought about change, and were full of fanatical worship.
Because they knew that in this continent ruled by the nobility and the church, no one else would be willing to take such a big risk to give these untouchables a chance to climb up.
Those pairs of burning, bright eyes formed a sharp contrast with the numb and dull eyes of the past.
This time they will not fight for the interests of the nobles, but for the interests of themselves and their families.
In a word, morale is useful.
The confrontation between the two armies lasted only five days. Zuo Si, who had completed his rest first, deployed his troops and took the initiative to send a signal to the other side to start a war.
The nobles, who had always been arrogant and conceited, naturally would not be cowards, so after a brief discussion, they also formed a battle formation on the endless plain.
Out of customary etiquette among nobles, Duke Bram and Zuo Si met in the center of the battlefield without carrying any weapons.
Duke Bram was obviously very surprised at Zuo Si's youth. He sat on his horse and put one hand on his chest and bowed slightly: "Hello, prince from a foreign country. I am Duke Bram, the leader of this noble coalition."
"Hello, Your Excellency the Duke. My name is Soth, and I am the conqueror who will soon defeat you and rule this kingdom."
Zuo Si smiled and gave his name.
But before he could finish his words, another noble nearby could not help but scold him: "Despicable and arrogant outsider! Do you think you are so great for defeating a group of country nobles? We will let you see the true power of the kingdom later."
"Oh? Really?
Let's wait and see.
After all, I'm almost tired of hearing this kind of thing.
But so far, we haven't encountered even a decent opponent, which is a bit disappointing.
If there is nothing else to say, just return to your respective armies and start fighting.
You know, wasting time is shameful.
After I deal with you, I will have to destroy the castles one by one, and finally march to the capital to seize the crown and throne that belong to me."
After saying this, Zuo Si deliberately left a mocking smile, then turned his horse's head and returned to his army with an arrogant attitude.
This blatant mockery caused the nobles of the coalition forces to explode on the spot.
"Arrogant! So arrogant! I swear I will chop off his head with my own hands!"
"No! It would be too easy for him to die! I'm going to cut off his eyes, ears, nose, and lips and feed them to the dogs!"
"No, no, no, I think it's better to castrate him and train him as a slave. After all, the best way to punish such a person is to let him live and be humiliated."
"I agree! You can consider making a collar and then force him to crawl on the ground like a dog."
Accompanied by all kinds of vicious words, the nobles quickly returned to the troops they brought with them.
As the party with superior military strength, Duke Bram did not even hesitate, and immediately formed a dense shield wall for the several infantry phalanxes at the front and pushed forward.
This is a very common test. On the one hand, it can test the number and scale of the opponent's long-range weapons, and on the other hand, it can judge the quality of the soldiers through close combat.
As for whether these thrown out chess pieces can come back alive, he doesn't care at all.
"Haha, it seems that my performance just now annoyed the other party."
Zuo Si sneered and shook his head, speechless at the stupidity displayed by these nobles.
The fact that such a crude method of provoking the enemy could succeed can only mean one thing: there is not even a decent commander or staff officer within the coalition forces.
"Sir, do we need to use artillery to destroy these infantry phalanxes?"
An officer who was promoted from the bottom asked cautiously.
But before Zuo Si could answer, another officer next to him shouted, "Idiot! How many times have I told you to call him Your Majesty? Because after this battle, the whole kingdom will belong to us."
"Ah, I am terribly sorry, Your Majesty. I am so used to calling you that that I often forget to change my words."
The young officer immediately admitted his mistake.
Glancing at the scorching light in the eyes of these young people, Zuo Si's mouth twitched slightly, and he finally understood the situation when Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin put on the yellow robe.
After all, as a person who was used to being an emperor, he had no interest in the title of king. He planned to establish an empire directly once the territory he controlled was a little larger.
But now it seems that even if he doesn't want to be the king, these subordinates will force him to the throne.
Because as this new vested interest group continues to grow, they are eager for everything they own to be protected by law.
In order to enact such a law and have it widely recognized, there must first be a country and a regime.
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 occurs immediately.
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.
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