Eagle Byzantium

At the second hour of dawn, Baldwin's camp took the lead in beating the marching drums. On the Twin Towers of the Iron Bridge, Raymond's lookouts also erected flags after observing the situation on both sides of the river bank. It means that you can pass through the bridge and rush to the battlefield on the opposite side.

Under the silver swan flag, all the knights and sergeants belonging to Baldwin were walking, their wrists covered with armor, holding spears, swords and maces for close combat, and their shields were covered with animal skins to protect against fire arrows, shouting. With neat sonorous sounds and loud slogans, they formed a long and narrow column and stepped across the stone bridge step by step.

Behind them were about three thousand volunteers from Cilicia or captured soldiers from Mosul, carrying recurve bows and wearing axes and daggers for hand-to-hand combat, either recruited for pay or to save their lives. , especially the prisoners in Mosul, They were Turks or Persians. Gawain and Baldwin gathered them beforehand, and the only words of admonishment were, "In the decisive battle, stand at the front of the formation and shoot an arrow at Cobuha's team. You There is a choice to ejaculate or not to ejaculate Power, but if you choose the latter, the Frank knights behind you will not hesitate to use weapons to execute you on the battlefield; but once you choose the former, you will become an unforgivable traitor in the eyes of Mosul. Go back You will also be executed ruthlessly, so after shooting the first arrow, you will not mind shooting the second and third arrows at all... let alone when your former comrades rush in front of you, After seeing his face clearly, he raised his weapon and fought them to the death."

Baldwin led an excellent and well-equipped cavalry guard, many of which were clergymen armed to the teeth, pressing the formation at the rear. Half an hour later, they also crossed the long stone bridge.

Amid the neighing of men and horses, Baldwin looked up. On the high bridgehead tower, the lookout from Provence looked very nervously at the opposite side in the dim light of morning: The hill that Raymond pointed to yesterday was indeed densely packed with people. Mosul's elite cavalry were arrayed on the ground, and they were all ready for battle. Some of the frontmen held torches, shining on the two large flags at the head of the array with the scriptures of Jihad Hadith written on them.

In the rear, Kobuha's army completely merged with the endless night, making it impossible to discern their number.

"The enemy has no movement for the time being, keep moving forward, keep moving forward." On the bridgehead tower, the lookouts kept waving their torches and flags, sending this message to Baldwin.

When he reached the bridge on the other side, the trumpet suddenly sounded. Baldwin hurriedly kicked his mount with the spurs on his boots to accelerate it, directly passing between the ranks of archers who were running forward, and shouted, "Everyone Archers, immediately lie down behind the shields of the soldiers in the front line and do not make any sound, otherwise the enemy cavalry will charge and our cavalry will charge from behind, and you will all be trampled to death if you are caught in the middle!"

Over there, the knights on foot in the front row, regardless of the weight of their armor, laid their kite shields and the wooden wooden poles carried by the servants diagonally on the soil in front of their feet, and then pressed their arms or waved Small hammer, firmly inserted in It was firmly established, and soon they were shouting and responding to each other, forming a fixed shield wall. The pole with the narrow pennant was constantly waving. Some shields inside faced the rising sun in the east, reflecting little bits of eye-catching light. Light.

The archers at the back, no matter what region they come from or what beliefs they adhere to, the only thought in their minds now is to fight for the leader of the pilgrims to save their lives. They are bent over, carrying bows, arrows and quivers on their backs, and hula la la form several layers. , swinging his hands, rushed to the front line to reload Behind the infantry, he also untied his quiver, inserted the wooden thorns into the ground, and used the iron hook on his belt to string the crossbow. In the silence, this subtle and dense sound revealed an incomparable The atmosphere was tense, with Baldwin constantly giving instructions behind on horseback.

Soon, on the hill over there, the Turkic bronze drums were beating, and the shouts of "Allah Akbar" were hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands. Soon they spread and shook the entire Oronte. On both sides of the river.

This was a sign of an attack on Kobuha's side - after seeing that Baldwin's line was all infantry, and only about a thousand of them were wearing armor, the Turkic cavalry could no longer restrain their bloodthirsty scimitars and pulled them out one after another. Come sheath.

"Goliath, tell the musicians beside the flag car to beat the drums too." On this side of the bridge, Gawain was riding a war horse and standing on a hill. In front of him were two brigades. The soldiers of the Gimakis Brigade and the Guardian Brigade were all in formation, with swords and guns like a forest; behind him was the Red Hand Brigade in preparation, all carrying Extra long infantry spears, and then the drums and flutes sounded, and everyone shouted and started to move towards the stone bridge, "Slow down the pace, slow down the pace, don't run too fast, disrupt the Adana in front." Lord's formation." Gregor and Branas each rode on horseback, taking command of one side, reminding the flag officers who led the team.

"His Royal Highness the Grand Duke!" Beside Gawain, Prince Sven of Denmark led a team of soldiers and issued an impatient request for instructions, eager to join the battle.

But Gawain's eyes were still looking into the distance, looking very at ease. Just now he was holding the Crown of the Seven Ridges and observing it for a while before falling asleep. When Hertomia Oson came in, he got enough After a good rest, I was in good spirits and cut off tension and anxiety. "I will move forward slowly for the time being. If Baldwin can't stand it, we can just cross the bridge and go for reinforcements; now if we want to get the whole battle off to a good start, we need to watch Baldwin's fighting and Tancred's surprise attack over there in the direction of the Acropolis." Then Gawain thought thoughtfully, "Perhaps, Tancred has already started to take action."

Gawain's prediction was not wrong. In fact, at an earlier moment, a short fierce battle took place in a small Turkic stronghold on the hilltop opposite Tiemen Ridge: the soldiers who had performed well in the previous Battle of Dog Gate in Antioch had The Norman knight Croto took the lead, and twenty Calabrian soldiers, The day before yesterday, I lurked at the foot of the mountain, and then I walked lightly along the woods and thorns, feeling the darkness of night, and rushed into the stronghold. I killed all the Mosul soldiers who were guarding and sleeping, leaving only three alive, and forced them to set off fireworks - -This fireworks is a signal for the mountain granary to supply food to the Kobuha camp.

The first prisoner refused, and the ferocious Crotto immediately cut off his hands. Then the screaming prisoner wailed and said, "I am willing to do it. It's too late." After Crotto said that, he chopped off the other man's head. , held in hand.

The second prisoner shook his head and walked to the beacon tower, but couldn't light it. Croato stabbed him to death with another sword. He turned to look at the last prisoner and said, "Opportunities like this are always rare and precious. , right?”

The prisoner's face was pale, but he had to calm down before he prepared the various ingredients of the bonfire, lit the correct fireworks mixed with different colors, and floated towards the opposite mountain ridge. (To be continued ~^~)