Iron Powder and Spellcaster

How many soldiers are needed to form a phalanx?

Of course the more the better.

Because quantity is courage.

In the Battle of Spurs fifty-seven years ago, the army supporting Richard's succession only deployed two square formations, but used 13,000 halberdiers.

There were more than six thousand people in each phalanx. They were clumsy and heavy, and moved like a turtle crawling, but they still won.

The other party vying for the crown, Richard's uncle Philip, Earl of Northam, had a large number of noble cavalry, but he was killed and defeated.

After the war, [pretender] Philip was beheaded, and the two-year succession war came to an end.

In that battle, Ned of Tormes was just over nineteen, and he was just an inconspicuous squire. He was laughed at by his companions because his legs shook when he went into battle, and he ran to the river to shed tears secretly.

Emperor Richard was eleven years old, thin and small, and his mother called him "Little Pea".

At that time, Richard was still an innocent child who just wanted to ride horses and play every day. No one could foresee that he would get the nickname "Madman" in the future.

As the greatest contributor to this battle, Francois of Fort Mill was awarded the title of Duke of Orleans. He was fearfully called "The Butcher" by the nobles and nobles because of his brutal methods of leaving no one alive.

Relying on the indestructible phalanx of spears and halberds, the Butcher Duke rarely lost in battles in the north and south.

The formation of spears and heavy halberds is not afraid of cavalry attacks, which also allows infantry to become the main force of the army again.

While everyone is competing to imitate Duke Butcher, a few keen soldiers have noticed its flaws: the phalanx tactics are a serious waste of troops. The larger the phalanx, the more serious the waste.

Whenever a post-war inventory is taken, it will be found that often only the outermost soldiers of the phalanx see blood.

As for the people inside the phalanx... they are just emboldening the people outside, and they have no use except shouting and cheering.

If the outside is victorious, the people inside will rush out to chase and flee the enemy; if the outside is defeated, the people inside can only follow and flee.

When Ned Smith began to improve the phalanx tactics thirty years ago, he limited the number of people in a single phalanx to less than 3,000. At the same time, the proportion of melee soldiers is reduced and replaced by musketeers and crossbowmen.

The new compound phalanx defeated the old phalanx of spears and halberds. After this tactical innovation, mathematics became a required course for officers.

Because if you want to lay out a square matrix, you must understand geometry and be proficient in verbal multiplication, division, and square root.

When mathematics became popular, another new theory was proposed - "small square formation tactics", that is: when the strength of the troops is constant, the smaller the individual square formation, the more soldiers can engage the enemy.

However, small square formations are not without cost. The smaller the square formation, the easier it is to be broken through, and the higher the morale requirements for the army are.

At this moment, the Platuan troops attacking the Hedians were using small phalanxes.

Encountered an ambush halfway, the commander was left with only a few seconds to make a judgment.

The brigadier general's deputy, Colonel Laszlo, rushed over and said quickly: "I will take people to block it! I will buy you time!"

"It's too late!" Sackler ordered calmly: "Use a small square formation! Trumpeter!"

Cornets, drums, flags, and spell casters, the Plato army was commanded by these four things.

The sharp trumpets pierced the roar of horse hooves, and each brigade beat the drums in response. The six infantry brigade, which was marching in column, quickly changed their formations.

The soldiers simply threw away their luggage, equipment, tents and other sundries and only took weapons and ammunition.

Amidst the rapid beating of drums, the four close-combat centurions gathered under the banner of the brigade and formed a solid square formation with two elbows to the left and six steps to the front and back.

The super long spears wrapped around the halberdiers and sword and shield bearers, the military flag was protected in the center, and the two musketeers centurions were arranged at the four corners of the formation.

The irritable sergeant ran between the formations, yelling at the dizzy soldiers, and kicked anyone who stood in the wrong position, and the phalanx was quickly formed.

Just under the eyes of the Hedians, six Plato infantry brigades formed a formation with their backs to the water, and small phalanxes formed a line on the river bank from east to west.

The enemy cavalry was about to kill them in the blink of an eye, and the matchlocks of the Palatine musketeers had not yet been lit.

Seeing this situation, Szekler made a decisive decision: "Let each brigade take in the musketeers!"

The bugler was ordered to blow another melody with all his strength.

Lieutenant Colonel Robert, the commander of the Second Group of the Sixth Army, could not hear clearly for a while. He closed his eyes to distinguish carefully, and suddenly shouted: "Roy! Varga! Bring your people into the phalanx!"

Two centurions, Lieutenant Roy and Second Lieutenant Varga, took action immediately.

Under the leadership of the centurion, the musketeers Pinter retreated into the phalanx.

He stopped between two spearmen, held the flint and the end of the rope together, and struck hard with the fire sickle.

Starting a fire was easy on weekdays, but now it was extremely difficult.

"Grass!" There was a roar of horse hooves in his ears. Pingte's hands were shaking so much that he couldn't hit him. He was so angry that he would curse every time he knocked: "Grass! Grass!"

"Shut up!" Centurion Roy shouted angrily: "Those who make noise in front of the enemy will be killed!"

Pingte trembled all over, and his lips tightened as if they were stuck. After another dozen strikes, the charcoal at the end of the match rope finally caught sparks.

As if Pingte had found a treasure, he hurriedly held the end of the rope with his hands and blew carefully. The weak sparks became stronger little by little, and a few wisps of green smoke came out.

Seeing that Pingte had done it, the musketeer next to him quickly came to borrow fire.

The Herd Cavalry at the front was less than 200 meters away, and the distance was getting closer every second.

The Platoans could already hear the strange screams and cries of the Hed Barbarian, and the red and white feathers shaking on the barbarian's head were clearly visible.

The five-hundred-person small square formation of Robert's Brigade was silent. Only a scarred-faced sergeant holding a halberd walked in the queue, repeating military law in a stern voice:

"Those who look around when faced with an enemy, behead them!"

"Those who make noise in front of the enemy will be killed!"

"Anyone who fires a gun without an order will be killed!"

"Those who advance alone and retreat alone will be killed!"

"Those with scar marks on their backs will be killed!"

Next to Lieutenant Colonel Robert, the military police sergeant holding a short bow and red arrows showed a fierce look in his eyes.

[Note: This article is the military law of the nomadic era followed by the Palatine army. Whenever there is a battle, military police sergeants will escort the troops with short bows and cinnabar arrows. If there is anyone who is noisy, cowering, advancing and retreating alone, shoot him with a red arrow. After the post-war inspection, those with scar marks on their backs will be executed immediately]

The green-helmeted messenger cavalry rushed to the side of the square formation and shouted: "Lieutenant Colonel Robert! The general ordered your troops to find an opportunity to move closer to the river bank!"

Six small square formations were arranged in a line, and the overall formation was very bad. Robert's Square is located at the east end of the entire front, and its position is the most dangerous.

"How should I move now?" Robert was furious and shouted back: "We'll wait until we survive the first wave!"

Hurd's cavalry was less than a hundred paces away, and the sergeants patrolling outside the formation also retreated into the square formation.

Faced with the terrifying momentum of thousands of cavalry charging with all their strength, no Platoon was not afraid.

From the privates to the sergeants, to the centurions and captains, everyone had uncontrollable dry mouth, dilated pupils, accelerated breathing, and even the hands holding the weapons were a little sore.

Suddenly, a magically amplified voice echoed through the wilderness: "I'm in the formation!"

The Palatians on the battlefield followed the sound and saw the general's gorgeous helmet.

"If I take a step back!"

"Cut off my head!"

Szekely strode into the phalanx with his halberd in hand.

At this moment, no matter how timid a coward is, he has infinite courage to burst out from the bottom of his heart, and the morale of the Plato Army reaches its peak.

"Long live! Long live! Long live!"

The roar of the mountains even overwhelmed the sound of rolling hooves.

"Lancer!" Lieutenant Colonel Robert shouted at the top of his lungs: "Pike!"

"Long live!" The first row of soldiers pressed their spears to the ground.

"Long live!" The soldiers in the second row pointed their spears with flat ends.

"Long live!" The soldiers in the third row raised their spears high.

Three rows of spears pointed forward at the same time, their tips flashing with cold light.

The Platonic phalanx and the Herd cavalry roared and collided together.

Musketeer Pinter was not a coward, but when Cavalry Hurd rushed in front of him, he still closed his eyes subconsciously.

When he opened his eyes again, Pingte found that he was safe and sound.

The Hurd Barbarian did not crash in. The enemy pulled the reins at the last moment and passed by the front of the formation, grazing the tip of his spear.

Hundreds and thousands of Hurd cavalry rushed towards the phalanx, really like a huge wave.

But only a few of the horses ran into the forest of spears without dodging. The other barbarians either gave way at the last moment, or their horses stood up uncontrollably in front of the spear points - even if people are not afraid of death, horses will be.

Right next to Pingte, a Hud man who was not afraid of death rushed into the phalanx riding a Hud horse that was not afraid of death.

The Platuan people were knocked upside down, and the pikemen who faced the impact instantly burst into pieces. They were knocked down head-on by their horses, and they didn't know whether they were alive or dead.

Hedema's chest was penetrated by the tip of the spear, and he broke two other spears before falling to the ground.

The Herd rider flew up from the saddle and fell heavily into the phalanx, while the Platoans next to him got out of the way.

Centurion Lieutenant Roy drew his sword and rushed towards the Hurd rider, stepped on the opponent's chest, and killed the Hurd rider with one sword.

The first Hed man broke through the gap with his life, and immediately several fierce barbarians followed him and rushed into the formation.

"Ukhaha!" The barbarian roared in unintelligible Khedic and slashed wildly with his machete. They sit high on their horses and take away a chunk of flesh with each slash.

"Work together to kill him!" The scar-faced sergeant raised his halberd and rushed towards the barbarian: "Don't be afraid!"

Led by the scar-faced sergeant, other halberdiers surrounded the barbarian, dragged him off his horse, and killed him.

Some Palatine soldiers turned around in panic to look at the situation in the formation. Without saying a word, the military police guard shot the looker in the back with a red arrow and sentenced him to death.

Roy was furious: "In the face of battle, we will kill everyone without mercy! Show me the front!"

Soon, more than a dozen Hedians who rushed into the formation either broke their necks or were surrounded and killed by the Platoans in the phalanx.

The seriously wounded and dead were carried into the interior of the phalanx, and the rear ranks of soldiers quickly filled their gaps, and Robert's phalanx once again became a hedgehog with spears.

Robert's phalanx was like a solid rock in the river, dividing the torrent of Herd's cavalry in two.

The Hurds who hit the wall did not give up their attack, and they began to ride around the phalanx.

"Careful!" Lieutenant Colonel Robert saw the movements of Cavalry Hurd and shouted: "Javelin!"

The Heds on the saddle pulled out their bows and javelins one after another, throwing and shooting at the Platuan hedgehog formation.

Arrows flew towards the phalanx from all directions, and the Hittites did not even need to aim. The Platuan people fighting in formation had nowhere to hide or hide.

The spearmen on the outermost layer bear most of the long-range attacks. Fortunately, they are wearing heavy armor, and most of their arrows are deflected by Dingdang.

The real killing weapon of the Hurds is the javelin. The Hurd cavalry, holding the javelins high, sprinted towards the phalanx, and only took action when they couldn't get any closer. Relying on the horse speed bonus, the javelin can penetrate an unarmored soldier and then pierce the body of the next Platon.

"Shake the gun!" Robert was so anxious that he stood up in the stirrups, waved his arms and shouted: "Shake the gun!"

The Palatine spearmen immediately began to shake the super long spears. The afterimages of more than two hundred spears obscured the phalanx, and arrows were knocked away by the barrels of the spears from time to time.

Shaking the spears could only block a small part of the arrows, but this was the only defense method for the spear phalanx that lacked shields.

"Hurd Barbarians are scared! Want to kill us all with bows and arrows? What a dream!" Lieutenant Colonel Robert laughed angrily: "Kill them down!"

The spear phalanx never relies on passive defense, but on active counterattack.

Lieutenant Roy shouted, "Musketeers! Free fire!"

Pingte walked to the outermost spear gun. In this position, he would not accidentally injure his comrades, and he was still within the protection range of the super long spear.

Holding the gun steady and pressing his cheek tightly against the butt, Pingte aimed at a target, pursed his lips and pulled the trigger.

There was a flash of red light, a gunshot, and the wooden support hurt his shoulder.

The smoke cleared, and a Hurd cavalryman raised his arms and slipped from his horse.

When the Hud barbarians fired arrows at the Platoans, they also gave the Platoons the opportunity to shoot at them.

Pingt pulled out the iron fork and retreated into the square to reload. Another musketeer took Pingt's place.

Musketeers generally did not shoot within the phalanx, as crowded phalanxes were dangerous to both musketeers and musketeers.

But when the war situation becomes urgent, safety is crossed off the list.

The crackling sound of gunfire rang out from all over the phalanx, and under the cover of the spears, the Plato musketeers began to take turns firing.

Second Lieutenant Varga held up the Holy Emblem and enthusiastically encouraged his musketeers: "Kill! Kill all these pagan barbarians! We will all gain immortality!"

The Heds who were riding and shooting around the phalanx fell off their saddles one after another. Most of their bows and arrows hit the plate armor, and most of the bows and arrows shot on the plate armor were bounced away.

As long as the Hedians were hit by the heavy muskets of the Platoans, they would not die or be seriously injured.

Especially the area between the two phalanxes, any Herd cavalry passing here would be subject to crossfire.

The balance of the battle began to tilt toward the Platons a little bit.

Hurd's cavalry gradually became unable to withstand the casualties and retreated from the battle.

Robert's Brigade, located at the easternmost end of the line, was besieged by the largest number of Herds. Maral's Brigade, which was adjacent to Robert's Brigade, even had the spare capacity to detach a small group of musketeers to support the former.

Finally, the Hurds who came like a tide receded like a tide, leaving behind corpses and people who were not dead all over the ground.

The temporarily victorious Platoans seemed to have been drained of all their strength, and they all collapsed on the ground.

Lieutenant Colonel Robert was also exhausted. He waved to Sergeant Scarface: "Old Scar!"

"Sir? What's the matter?" The scar-faced sergeant came over carrying a halberd.

"Take two teams out and bring back a few survivors." Robert's words were brief.

But Sergeant Scarface understood: "Yes."

The scar-faced sergeant led a dozen sword and shield men out of the square, cut off the ears of the Hurd corpse, and freed the surviving Hurd barbarians - bringing two alive meant killing all the remaining Hurd barbarians.

Robert's brigade had no time to rest, and they immediately set out to move closer to General Sackler's phalanx.

The Hittites did not leave, and were dotted with Plato troops near and far. Robert's battalion had to march in square formation throughout.

When the six brigades finished gathering, the sky was already getting dark. Marching at night was tantamount to giving the Herds an opportunity, so Szekely ordered to set up camp on a high ground on the shore.

The Platoans dug trenches and built parapets, waiting for reinforcements. Their light cavalry was nearby and their heavy cavalry was across the river.

Since the Hittites failed to eat them all in one go, now is the time for the Platons to eat the Hittites.

The reinforcements came quickly, beyond everyone's expectation - including Szekely.

The reinforcements themselves were even more unexpected - they were not the Palatine cavalry at all.

In full view of everyone, a dozen wooden rafts floated from the upper reaches of the confluence river, carrying bread, gunpowder barrels and several fragrant cauldrons.

Even Hurd Qingqi, who was monitoring the Platoans, was dumbfounded.

"We are the Jashka brigade, and we have been ordered to provide support. We will bring you food and drink." The strong officer in a hussar uniform said carelessly. He pointed at the wooden row: "There is also a pontoon bridge."

It's late, but there is another one today, but it may not be finished until tomorrow morning.