Eagle Byzantium

Although Andodat Nicetus later wrote in the book about this "Battle of Little Antioch" (actually, it is not that this name is inappropriate, because the fortress is still nearly thirty kilometers away from the two armies, and at this moment the red eyes of the fight are Both sides did not bother to capture Little Antioch) The record is simple and full of legend:

Both sides marched against Antioch the Lesser at the same moment;

Both sides used map sandboxes full of errors, and their marches went astray in thick fog;

As a result, Gawain's army reached an unknown river, but this river was clearly marked on the map as the location of the Little Antioch Castle;

The emperor's army was no better. They also lost their way. Ten thousand people entered a barely covered wilderness and met Gawain's team unexpectedly.

But the more legendary parts are not what Andodat, a man who did not personally participate in the battle, can describe with his pen. At the second minute of the first hour of noon, the entire battlefield reached a cruel and intense situation: at the center of the core, Gawain's thousand red-handed cavalry were fighting with the emperor's mixed team - Praetorian Archers, Varangian Guards, Puluo Guards, etc. niya The cavalry and the serfs fought together. It is said that the emperor personally charged the horse and fired several arrows at Gawain in retaliation. On the periphery of this furnace composed of weapons and horses, there were Gawain's two-wing large spear array, and The emperor's heavily armored spearmen were engaged in a fierce battle. One side wanted to rush in, while the other side defended to the death; further out, there were the emperor's light soldiers on both wings. On the two outermost high-pitched towers, arrows were flying like rain, and they were as powerful as the enemy. Locusts; the entire battlefield It has become a bloody and rotating maelstrom of slaughterhouse, devouring the lives of all participants. Everyone is surrounding the other, everyone is trying to break out, everyone is eager to kill the opponent's coach, and everyone is desperately protecting their own leader. .

Among the staggered halberds and axes, Sabina under Gawain's crotch was exhausted, her armor was stained with blood, and her four legs were constantly bending and shaking, but the entire battle was still in a stalemate - Puluo The Nian cavalry adopted the The tactic of "one cavalry and two men", the heavily armored cavalry is sandwiched in the middle, with an armed serf private soldier on each side, holding a shield and wielding an ax, and there are several rows in front and back, fighting endlessly with the red-handed cavalry like two walls. , refusing to give in to each other.

Arrows rained down on Gawain, and he had already killed three standard bearers around him one after another. Pragit was injured and retreated. Then Parni was also hit by arrows and retreated. Although Muzaffy Adin was hit by several arrows on his armor, Arrow, but still bravely defending the enemy The patron, one of his shields was riddled with holes, was thrown away, and he took up a spear with one hand and stabbed the surrounding enemy soldiers left and right, "Master, you deliberately favored Goliath today. Are you asking him to stay in the camping city and not go out to fight?"

"Stop talking nonsense, replace Quicksilver with Sabine." Gawain shouted, "See that general wearing a purple cloak and a gilded helmet on his head! He is Emperor Komnenos."

"What?" Muzaffy-Adin looked at the black-bearded general who was approaching fiercely from the outside of the battlefield with many archers and axemen. It turned out that he was the emperor of the empire. He was so majestic and majestic on horseback. ——The master is really awesome, he dares to fight to the death with such a supreme figure.

"Evil beast!" Alexios yelled angrily behind the chasing men and horses, then raised his heavy bow (archery is an essential skill for the Byzantine royal family), pulled the bowstring in his teeth, and pointed at Gao Gao. Wen was an arrow. Gawain could even see the opponent's arrows spinning rapidly in the air. He hurriedly lowered his head to avoid it, but the red hand feathers on the top of his helmet were shot away again.

"Shoot him!" Gawain stood up and shouted to the emperor who continued to draw his bow.

"He is the father of the purple-robed princess!" The Turkic military servant hesitated, but he had already quickly strung the flexible recurve bow, inserted the spear into the stirrup ring, and picked up three arrow feathers. Go up and shoot rapidly at the emperor.

As a result, the feathers on the emperor's helmet were also shot away. The second arrow of the Turkic servant hit a guard cavalry, and the third arrow shot diagonally and broke the rope of the big flag behind the emperor, and the spear tip on the top of the flag broke and fell.

Alexios held the horse's belly between his legs to prevent the beast from running around in panic, then turned around and shot a second arrow. This arrow the emperor chose was a four-corner shovel-head arrow cluster, mixed with his anger, "This "It was shot for the dead Anna", but it was aimed at the military servant who was defending Gao Wen.

The big arrows with the shovel heads at the four corners roared and flew towards him. Muzaffy-Adin's body shook for a moment when he was hit. Gawain saw that the quiver he was carrying was pierced by the shovel heads, and the fragments and arrows exploded in all directions. The ground was flying around, "Muzhafi Adin!" Gawain shouted with red eyes. He saw the military servant turned over and fell off his horse. At this moment, Quicksilver was whipping two horses in the ground. Down, galloping towards him, Gawain roared and leapt onto Quicksilver's back from Sabine's back, then released the reins, holding the bristle chain hammer in one hand, and pulling it out of Quicksilver's saddle pouch with the other. The cavalry ax, as fast as lightning, broke through the heavy obstacles of the Plonian cavalry, and more than a dozen cavalry rushed towards the emperor like sharp knives!

The emperor was really about to raise his bow and fire the third shot. When he saw Gawain's fierce look, his beard and hair opened angrily, he even didn't even need his helmet, and stretched his hands like scissors, attacking him. He suddenly became panicked and hurriedly threw the bow. Down, holding the hilts of the two swords at his waist, he rode his horse to avoid the diagonal thrust.

Several Plonian private soldiers were walking on foot, trying to pull Gawain off his horse. As a result, Gawain became one with his horse, and wielded the hammer in his hand. This was a skill he got from the Norman knight Raul, and smashed it horizontally. , a row of Pronian private serfs had their skulls cracked and their weapons destroyed, and they were all knocked to the ground wailing, and then Gawain's quicksilver passed across the tumbling corpses like a sharp knife piercing cheese.

The emperor's guards also carried bows and arrows on their backs and fled with the emperor for no apparent reason. Then the red-handed cavalry became morale-boosted and broke through the wall-like defense line of the Plonian cavalry. The whole battle turned into a big melee.

After rushing straight to his imperial camp, the emperor whipped his horse whip angrily. At this moment, the entire imperial camp was full of defeated soldiers regrouping. The only ones who maintained their array were the emperor's "Orphan Archery Guards". ", "Shoot at that evil beast riding a silver-white war horse!"

The arrows then came like a whirlwind. Gawain and the accompanying cavalry charged twice, but failed. There were also several bent and cracked arrows stuck in the bell on Quicksilver's chest. Gawain could only He drank his hatred and turned his horse back.

However, what made him incredible was that when he returned, he saw that his Turkic military servant, a lucky bastard, actually got up from the ground again, grinning, and was being carried back by several horsemen and cavalry. : The emperor's arrow cluster destroyed Muzaffy'ad-din's quiver, but it also saved his life. "My ribs, my ribs!" Muzaffy'ad-din's side was obviously struck by a powerful force. The arrow cluster on the shovel head was scratched.

The shadow of the sun began to tilt westward. At the core of the bloody battle between the two sides, their elite cavalry suffered heavy casualties, and the men and horses were even more exhausted. So they blew the horns at the same time and retreated several hundred feet to regroup.

Check out the 16-9 book bar and see the correct version!

"My reserve team!" Alexios, who was furious in front of the imperial camp, and Gawain who retreated shouted these words almost at the same time, but received the same answer, "Your Majesty (the chief patron) ), we have no reserve troops available." (To be continued~^~)