Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War

Under such restricted terrain, there was not much room for both sides to play. Neither Orville nor Harold was a military genius with a magnificent imagination or unrestrained creativity. Both sides fought according to routines and rules, and the basic qualities of soldiers and grassroots officers were more important.

Now Harold was out of ideas, and the only trick he could use was a cavalry charge to win the game. Orville could roughly guess what he had, and he had made preparations for this.

He also ordered his cavalry to go out and confront the other side head-on - compared to the unified cavalry units of the Franks, Orville's troops were pieced together in bulk this time.

The Romans invested resources in legion infantry and did not pay much attention to cavalry construction. In addition, the land of Rome or Italy was indeed not suitable for raising horses. Their cavalry had always been small in number, and their combat effectiveness was at the average level. It could not be said to be weak, but it was not objective to say how strong it was.

Orville was not the commander of the Guards Corps, so he naturally did not have the super luxurious treatment of the entire local cavalry. At the beginning, his cavalry team was the light cavalry brought by King Herod of Palpheus. Their combat effectiveness was ordinary and their number was not large.

Later, he absorbed some cavalry in Gaul, and when he attacked the Wessex people, he reorganized some local nobles to make them cavalry to fight with the army. There was indeed no significant difference in quantity between the two sides, but the quality and unity were relatively different.

Even by the Romans' self-esteem and picky standards, the Franks should not be considered as simple barbarians. They have reached the level of civilization in the early feudal period. Compared with the Franks in history, the only thing they lacked seemed to be riding equipment such as high-bridge saddles and stirrups. As far as Orville knew, they seemed to have figured out the high-bridge saddle. If they studied it further, they might be able to make a revolutionary stirrup. After all, this was not a complicated technology. Ideas were much more valuable than craftsmanship. Basically, craftsmen could make it.

Facing such an opponent, Orville did not dare to be arrogant. The goal he set for his cavalry was just to delay the enemy.

The cavalry entered the charging state very quickly. There was no heavy-armored shock cavalry in the world on the northern coast of the Mediterranean. Light cavalry could also run out at a speed that would make people look sideways, and even slightly better.

The two sides quickly approached each other and collided with each other, starting a very tragic hand-to-hand fight.

First, there was a round of spear throwing. Most of the soldiers who were at the forefront of the charge were injured. The cavalry of both sides collided with each other. Many people were directly knocked off their horses, and many people were even thrown off their horses. The scene was very chaotic for a time.

In general, the Germans were much better at controlling horses. More of them kept their balance and stopped on their horses, and then calmly drew their weapons to fight with the surrounding enemies in close combat.

Due to the limitations of this era, the positioning of cavalry is more flexible and mobile mounted infantry and melee cavalry responsible for close combat. The impact cavalry is still in its infancy. The way the opposing officers use cavalry is obviously more conservative. The two sides fought close combat. After many people were knocked off their horses, they patted their buttocks and picked up their weapons to continue to join the battle.

As long as they follow the steps, the Germans don't need to win by surprise. They have the advantage in hard power. It is the Romans who need to use various skills.

The reason why Harold didn't let the cavalry rush into the forest was that he was worried about the opponent's Celtic light infantry. Now this worry has become a reality. The battle between the two sides gradually became white-hot. After the Germans began to gradually gain the upper hand, a large group of Celts rushed out from the depths of the forest and surrounded the Germans on horseback.

They had undergone a lot of drills in advance and were already familiar with how to deal with cavalry-four people in a group, one person stabbed the cavalry's mount with a short spear, and the other two took advantage of the situation to press the cavalry to the ground, and finally one person killed the lone cavalry who was controlled with an axe or a long sword.

This combination is simple and efficient. The Celts’ joining the battlefield tilted the balance of war again. Although cavalry is expensive and powerful, once it is dragged into a tug-of-war, it is actually not much better than infantry, not to mention that the Germans are facing more enemies than themselves.

The Celts attacked the flanks of the Frankish cavalry fearlessly, which put them in a state of being attacked from both sides to a certain extent. Now there are only two choices left for the Frankish commanders - either grit their teeth and charge hard to break through the enemy's defense line, and go straight to the weak position of the enemy's rear flank without considering their own retreat and chance of survival, or retreat from the woods and return to the starting position.

If the Franks were now serving their king, their fighting enthusiasm would probably be several levels higher. Maybe this young cavalry officer would choose to fight to the death and sacrifice himself for the future of his country and monarch, but now they are fighting for the Anglo-Saxons on the British Isles.

Although they would not abandon their posts and disobey orders, most people in the classical era could not understand strategic environment or long-term planning. They could only show sufficient awareness and fighting spirit when defending their homeland. In this strange island country, they certainly could not sacrifice their lives without hesitation.

After weighing the pros and cons, the young cavalry officer chose to blow the horn of retreat and let his cavalry withdraw from the forest.

After leaving behind the bodies of one or two hundred people, these cavalrymen finally got out of the forest. There was no victory worth mentioning, but there were many more losses. After escaping death, the morale of the cavalrymen was severely hit.

Ivar, who was watching the battle in the rear, witnessed all this, sighed silently, and whispered to his soldiers: "You go and prepare to withdraw the soldiers. This battle is almost lost. Don't let the soldiers suffer too many losses. We have further plans later. Are the ships ready?"

The other party replied: "Of course they are ready. They are parked near Hastings and can leave at any time. Just wait for us to get on the ship. Everything is ready."

Ivar nodded slightly, expressing his satisfaction with this. Seeing this, the adjutant continued to do his own things. He called the Vikings' own light cavalry and asked them to inform the Viking commanders on various fronts. Dozens of people dispersed in an instant and went about their own business.

Ivar watched his warriors go away in silence, and his hands unconsciously clenched the hilt of the sword.