Chapter 609: Siege of Orleans
The "flash flood" caused by the torrential rain was roaring, and the huge sound shook the ears of everyone present.
Before our eyes, the barbarians roared and gathered into a large whistling wave, carrying simple ladders on their shoulders like warships riding the wind and waves, gradually approaching the walls of Orleans.
"Stop them! Stop them!"
On the city wall, the officers roared at the top of their lungs and swung the whips in their hands back and forth in the air.
“Snap! Snap! Snap…”
The crisp sound of whiplash rang out on the walls of Orleans. Even though the roars of the barbarians were deafening, the angry officers were still braver than most soldiers, at least when it came to beating their subordinates.
The officers roughly pulled away the soldiers who were holding their shields against the city wall, then grabbed the archer and pressed him hard against the gap in the parapet.
"Fight back! Fight back! Damn coward!"
The officer not only cursed, but also swung the whip and hit the archer hard on the back.
There is a saying that people always retain the nature of slaves, but too many factors cover up their nature and make it unnoticed. However, it is very easy to awaken this nature, and that is the whip, a whip that can bring pain!
The backs of many archers were bruised by the whips, and the almost numb pain almost made them faint, but it miraculously swept away the fear in their hearts.
The pain gave them courage, allowing them to grit their teeth and stand up despite the pain.
"Get out of the way! Everyone, get out of the way!"
The officer roared, pushed away the soldiers holding shields against the city wall, pressed the archer against the gap in the parapet and shouted: "Now, aim at them and shoot! Shoot!"
Facing the rain of arrows, the barbarians held up their unique huge shields, and the arrows fell on their shields with the sound of rain hitting the roof.
The barbarian attacking army slowly pushed to the gates of Orleans, and they provided cover as they set up ladders on the walls of Orleans.
"Use stones! Use stones!"
The Romans put down their bows and arrows, then raised stones and threw them at the dense crowd below, but the stones made a dull "clang-dang-dang" sound when they hit the shields. The stones fell and hit the shields, causing the soldiers supporting the shields to fall to the ground without being able to bear it.
"The barbarians are trying to climb up the city wall. Hurry, stop them! Stop them!" The centurion on the tower pointed at the city wall below and shouted to the soldiers who were looking for stones, and raised a javelin and threw it down.
“Crack!”
The javelin pierced through the side of a barbarian who was climbing up with a shield on his head. The guy wailed in fear, his hands lost strength, and he fell like a stone and hit the shield held high below.
"May God wash away your sins, bastard!" The centurion's eyes were cold, and then he turned around and picked up a javelin.
The soldiers in the back row of the Roman army held up their spears and placed them on the shoulders of the soldiers in the front row, with the sharp tips of the spears pointing at the openings in the parapet. As long as any barbarian climbed up the wall, these weapons would be able to pierce his body.
"The city wall is a barrier to stop the barbarians. We must defend the wall and not let them break through."
The centurion shouted again and again to boost the morale of the soldiers. Beads of sweat covered everyone's face, and the soldiers held up their shields to deflect the flying arrows.
At this time, a barbarian reached out from the ladder and leaned over the parapet and stuck his head out. Unexpectedly, the first thing he saw was a spear emitting a cold light.
Before this guy could even scream, a spear from the wine glass pierced his right eye. People kept climbing up and falling down.
The barbarians seemed helpless against the city wall in front of them, but they were not willing to give up. They continued to use the tactic of piling up people and constantly called on the brave soldiers to go up and die in order to fight for even the slightest possibility.
Not only below the city wall, but even on the wall itself, there was chaos.
As a wild tribe, they have excellent archers who are always able to find "prey" in time and kill it.
So a large part of the chaos on the city wall was caused by soldiers with arrows in the head and neck lying on the ground struggling and twisting in the blood. There were arrows covered with mud stuck in their heads and even necks. The barbarians deliberately made these things dirty so that even if they were pulled out, the people who were shot would be hurt and even die. The soldiers who transported them had to drag their dishonest bodies down the city wall.
Because the barbarians attacked the city too fiercely and kept hitting the walls of Orleans, their roars were so close, as if they were right in front of him, waving their shining axes and ready to take his life at any time.
Anenus was now on the city gate tower, half hunched over and hiding behind the city wall. The soldiers beside him who were trying to push open the ladders were constantly shot by arrows and fell down, and their screams continued to torture Anenus' ears.
Anenus didn't even dare to open his eyes, for he was afraid of seeing the blood on the ground. Although he was the bishop and commanded the city's army, he had dedicated his whole life to God and studied God's scriptures, but he had never done or seen such a sinful thing.
“Boom!”
Anenus raised his head when he felt his shoulder being hit roughly. In an instant, he saw blood all over the ground and a soldier who was slowly walking down the stairs supported by others. There was an arrow stuck in his head and blood was constantly gushing out from the wound. He looked extremely painful.
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"Oh my God, oh my God!"
Anenus tightly grasped the cross in his hands and kept making the sign of the cross on his chest. At this moment, he hoped that God would block his sight so that he could not see the blood in front of him.
"Your Excellency the Bishop, this is not the place for you to stay." The guard officer quickly stepped forward, grabbed Anenus's clothes and dragged him down the city wall.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
Another pile of stones fell from the sky. This time they deliberately raised the parabola so that the stones flew over the city wall and fell on the streets and rooftops of houses behind. The streets were crowded with people coming and going.
The rocks that fell from the sky splashed blood and flesh on the ground. The wounded who had no ability to dodge and the citizens who had no way to pick up weapons could only help the injured soldiers and provide them with shelter.
Especially since the arrows flying overhead from time to time revealed the danger at all times, some soldiers still had to grit their teeth, hold the heavy wooden sticks, lean their heads out to lean against the ladder and push it, causing the ladder to collapse.
Of course, anyone who does this will basically become the target of barbarian archers.
"Barbarian siege engines, barbarian siege engines!"
The commanding officer on the city wall shouted and ordered the messenger to blow a short horn to notify the soldiers in other sections of the city wall, telling others that the barbarians had begun the second attack.
At this time, Anenus had to retreat from the city wall under the escort of the guards and return to his residence along the street.
He kept his eyes closed along the way, his ears filled with screams coming from both sides of the street and the disgusting smell of blood.
He looked extremely painful because everything around him was tormenting his heart. He hung his head, eagerly wishing to return to the peaceful place like the church and to the embrace of "God".
On the city wall, the soldiers drew out javelins and kept throwing them at the barbarian army pushing the siege vehicles below, trying their best to stop the barbarians' advance, but it was all in vain.
(End of this chapter)