Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War

"Not bad, it's worth looking forward to," Diya asked with satisfaction, "How do you want to match the weapons and equipment?"

"I asked someone to make a new big shield, which is thicker and can withstand almost all projectile attacks. There is a bracket that can be placed on the ground. Soldiers can hide under the shield and shoot at people to compensate for the defect of firing rate. Melee weapons can use long swords or axes. I haven't thought about the situation yet, but it should be harmless."

He borrowed the equipment and combat mode of the later Genoese mercenary crossbowmen. These archers, who were nicknamed "turtle crossbows", were actually not bad and were widely praised in the Renaissance and the Middle Ages.

After actual combat testing, this thing is at least not too difficult to describe, and the shield can also be partially adapted to the Romans' own legion combat system, which is relatively not so abrupt.

The other party nodded slightly, which was also considered to be an expression of approval. This set of matching does not sound too bad. The specific performance depends on the actual combat performance.

"I noticed that most of the locals use simple wooden bows. Do you think it is necessary to replace them with horn bows?"

"It's not cost-effective. The ordinary horn bows we use will not last long in Britain. The climate there is very strange. Rain or foggy weather is common. The weather is humid and not hot enough, which is not friendly to bow maintenance. I found that using a kind of paint from the East can alleviate the situation and facilitate maintenance, but that thing is too expensive and I can't buy so many. Instead of spending money and manpower on this, it is better to buy more war horses from the Gauls."

Military weapons pay attention to the appropriate balance between performance and price. British history has proved that wooden bows are enough there. They can shoot through the protection of unarmored infantry and lightly armored infantry, but they can't do anything to heavy soldiers. But he is not going to fight against heavy cavalry armed to the teeth, so there is no need to spend money on this.

"I see. You've done a good job and are very thoughtful. I have no objection. Just follow this plan. When your army is ready, we can go out. Where do you want to attack first? I heard there are seven or eight small kingdoms and a bunch of warlords there."

"Wessex, a small kingdom in the southwest of Britain, should be the most powerful among the many kingdoms. I think it's better to solve the biggest trouble first and cut off the snake's head."

…………

Finally, after discussion and planning, Orville conducted a tentative military reform and added more auxiliary infantry to the army. The legion infantry is still the core backbone and enjoys the best treatment, but in addition, the positioning of auxiliary infantry is no longer dispensable.

The spearmen with the lowest quality requirements and relatively the highest risks are those Palfians and a few provincial residents recruited on the spot. There are less than 3,000 people. They are responsible for maintaining the front line on battlefields with less intensity and relatively static. They are "consumables".

Skirmishers using short bows, slings, simple javelins and other projectile weapons are still retained, but the number is reduced to about 2,000. Too many of these people are useless. The productivity level is getting higher and higher, the armor rate and horse riding rate of the troops are also increasing, and strong bows and crossbows are also being developed by people all over the world. Their space for play is being compressed. Although they will not disappear completely, too many of these skirmishers are not a good choice. This is a problem recognized by Orville and Tia.

Legion infantry is still the blade of attack and the strongest shield of defense. Their technical and tactical level is good enough, their equipment is also versatile, and their organization is flexible and mobile. They can cope with almost all emergencies on the battlefield. Orville will deploy them in places where the war is really fierce, and at the same time leave legion soldiers as reserves and mobile forces.

Cavalry cannot be deployed too well. It is mainly light cavalry, plus some Gauls, the number is about less than 1,000, which is barely enough, but it cannot be said to be strong.

Finally, let's discuss the long-range force. According to the plan, there are about 1,500 people who will use large-pound single wooden bows, and there are about 500 people who use crossbows. The ideal state is to replace all of them with crossbows, but the craftsmen are not familiar with this thing, and the workload is too much. We can only partially meet the requirements first. Every bit counts, and we can see the gap between the two.

The scope of military reform is limited to Orville's own Ninth Legion. Orville changed the acting legion commander of the legion to Belisarius, because Belisarius understood his reform ideas better than Trajan the old man. Orville's private legion was handed over to Stilicho. He was a choice without merit or demerit. He was of high quality and decisive enough. He would never drag his feet. It was just right to exercise his ability.

The army has more or less the habit of ranking by seniority. Trajan the old man was sent by Vespa to tutor Orville. Now his nominal position has become tutoring Belisarius, a newcomer from the Guards system. He must be a little unhappy, which is inevitable.

However, Orville later asked him to take charge of the command and dispatch of the naval fleet, which was also a compensation for him. After in-depth contact with Belisarius, old Trajan could also see that the other party had good ability and talent. He was pragmatic and reasonable and finally accepted this dispatch and continued to work hard.

In addition to being the most familiar with the other party and believing that Belisarius was the most trustworthy, Orville had a reason to arrange it like this. He was indeed suitable for this kind of work.

In less than a year, Belisarius's military ability increased from 18 to 21. This effect was achieved without fighting any battles, which shows that the other party's acquired talent in marching and fighting may be really good.

First-class commanders have excellent military qualities, but they do not necessarily have a unique combat style. Most people are not enough to form their own style.

If we must give Belisarius a military evaluation, then Orwell would describe him as a "bad-fighting immortal" who has led troops for decades to fight against the wind.

This is probably a true portrayal of the strong not complaining about the environment. Whatever they have, they can adapt to it and the effect is generally good.

Whether it is militia, militia, defeated soldiers or surrendered soldiers, they can perform beyond their level in his hands and exert unexpected abilities.

Under the suspicion of the emperor, he was able to hold back the powerful army of the Persian Empire with a small force, and even maintained the territory of the Eastern Roman Empire in the end.

He was able to fight back and forth with the Gothic King Totila with 4,000 old, weak and disabled people, and the number of troops increased like a snowball. This ability is very rare in history. Orwell believes that Belisarius can be called an advanced form of fire captain.

A general is one who can use the necessary troops to achieve the necessary results. A general is one who can use relatively weak troops to achieve unexpected results, that is, to defeat the enemy with fewer troops. That is why Orville thinks highly of him. He believes that if Belisarius levels up enough, he will eventually develop this ability.