Iron Powder and Spellcaster

Raid, the playwright's magic weapon, the historian's content.

Archives and historical materials often focus on recording the results of the raid, but downplay the preparation process.

It seemed that as long as the general ordered a "raid" majestically, everything else would fall into place.

However, the focus of a surprise attack is not actually after the battle begins, but before the attack.

High-risk operations require careful planning and reconnaissance: How are the fortifications? What's the terrain like? How many sentries are there? From which direction can the attack be taken by surprise?

It was even more difficult to raid the camps of the Hed tribes.

Because the Hed people knew that their camp's defense was weak, they often deployed a large number of mounted sentries and mobile sentries, and the contact between the sentries was also very close.

If you attack with infantry, unless the goddess of fate favors you, your whereabouts will be exposed before you get close.

The only way is to use a large number of cavalry to control the enemy with speed and attack them with cavalry, so as to defeat the Hedians before they can effectively organize themselves.

It's a pity that Ronald doesn't have this condition.

He only had dozens of captured horses on hand, most of which were useless. And in order to avoid the Terdun people's sentries, he arranged his attack position two kilometers away from the ferry.

Two kilometers is too far, and charging is a waste of energy.

So Ronald chose another way of "surprise" - walking over.

Of course, it’s not just as simple as “walking”, to be precise, it’s “walking across the river beach”.

Seeing thousands of Palatu people filing out of the forest and approaching slowly along the river bank, Qing Lingyu [Duo Gai] subconsciously wanted to escape.

It's not that Duo Gai is timid and cowardly, but for the nomadic Hed people, running away is almost an instinct.

An instinct developed from surviving in an environment surrounded by ferocious beasts all year round.

Just like horses. Horses seem to be very timid, and will be frightened and run away even if a rabbit comes out of the hole.

But if it takes the time to figure out what's coming, next time it won't be a rabbit but a bear disemboweling it.

No matter what, there is nothing wrong with running away.

When the enemy is strong and we are weak, we should run away; when the enemy is weak and we are strong, we should run away first to see the situation clearly, and then we can turn around and fight back.

Duo Gai couldn't figure out the two-legged man's intention, and was even more worried that there was an ambush in the forest.

The Terdun tribe at the ferry was almost the size of three hundred cavalry troops, but "three hundred tribes" did not equal "three hundred cavalry troops."

These tribes belong to more than a dozen different families and leaders, and they are not in harmony with each other and have insufficient strength.

If there is a head-to-head confrontation, it is still unclear who will win.

On the other hand, if you escape temporarily, things will be much easier.

The Platoans only had two legs, so not only could they not catch up with them, they could not take away any women's belongings.

Once the space is opened, the Teldon people, who travel with horses, can easily take the initiative.

By that time, wouldn’t it be easy for three hundred Terton light cavalry to deal with a group of Platoans who were dragged down by women and children?

"Nager (Battle Plan)" is beautiful, but it is very troublesome to walk.

It's perfect, but it's very troublesome to do.

As soon as they arrived, Duo Gai couldn't move other children - the Kota were already fighting for the sheepskin raft, each one wanting to send their own plunder across the river first.

Secondly, Duo Gai couldn't bear to part with the things he captured.

Duojie has already experienced the methods of the Palatu people here - they always burn everything they can't take away. They are cruel and ruthless, and they don't even care about their property as much as the Teldu people.

If Duo Gai's front legs forced Zhu Keta to throw away his belongings, and the two legs of his back legs burned everything, then things would be troublesome.

The play "The Wheelbarrow, the Stingy Merchant and the Wolf" is performed again at the ferry on the Big Horn River.

Do you want the meat on your butt? Or do you want the goods in the car? A dilemma faced Qing Ling Yu Duo Gai.

A great military strategist once wrote this military principle: "If the offense wants to win, it must attack the enemy's weakly defended position."

Sometimes, this maxim can also be used in reverse.

For example, at the ferry where Ronald led the militia to attack, the Teltown people's defensive strength was not very strong, but their defensive will was not weak at all.

The personal guard quickly brought back news to Duo Gai - the nearby forest had been searched and no ambush was found.

In other words...the group of Platoans in front of us are alone? Duo Ya suddenly felt that he had a great chance of winning.

On the other side, Ronald also believed in victory.

The generals of both armies are confident of victory, so the outbreak of battle is inevitable.

Just like a shepherd easily distinguishing the mixed flocks of sheep, the leader of Telton organized his tribe in this way.

Duo Yai personally led the armored elite and chose a high place to dismount and watch the battle. Soldier Terdun sat on the ground, quietly waiting for the opportunity to fight.

The unarmored subjects and slaves were led by the leader respectively, and formed a group of more than ten people.

They either swept the formation from a distance and fired arrows, or suddenly rushed forward, testing and pulling the Platos in turns.

This tactic may be able to disperse the mob, but it cannot shake the "sad soldiers" led by Ronald.

It was because of these angry men who volunteered to fight that Ronald dared to take the plunge.

The Tiefeng County militia formed a formation near the river, using horses and fences to resist the barbarian attack.

On their north side is a concave river channel, and on their east side is an earth platform caused by the collapse of the river bank.

The shape of the earth platform is a bit like a terrace, with a height of about one meter. The closer to the river bank, the larger the drop, and the closer to the inland, the smaller the drop.

The Tiefeng County militia did not occupy the earth platform, which put them at a disadvantage.

On the other hand, the Terdun people were galloping, riding and shooting on the earth platform, which actually gave them a somewhat condescending advantage.

Seeing that the Platuan people's formation showed no sign of loosening, Qing Lingyu [Duojie] who was watching the battle put away the white horsetail flag and flew the red horsetail flag.

Like a swarm of bees that dispersed and regrouped, the Turdun light cavalry regrouped and formed a horizontal line in front of the Tiefeng County farmer's horse-rejecting formation.

Although Major Ronald didn't have much actual combat experience, it was impossible for him not to recognize what it was. He yelled to remind his subordinates and militiamen: "The barbarians are going to use the Taikis method of warfare!"

Amid the chilling sound of the horn, the rightmost end of the Terdun front took the lead in taking action, followed by other leaders.

The Terdun Qingqi was like a long snake, flying around the Juma Formation in a counterclockwise manner, strangling the Platoans.

At the same time, Teltown's armored cavalry was still ready to go.

Ronald's horse-rejection formation was "wrapped" by Terden's light cavalry, and the thunderous sound of horse hooves was almost suffocating.

From all directions to the west came not only the sound of hooves, but also the piercing scream of resounding arrows.

A middle-aged farmer who was holding on to the door fell down silently. A featherless arrow was stuck in the back of his neck, still trembling slightly.

The Terdun people galloped around the horse-rejecting formation without any blind spots, and the Tiefeng County people's shields had lost most of their effectiveness.

Surrounding, riding and shooting, this is what Plato calls the "Tychis method of warfare".

The terrifying thing about it is not only that there is no blind spot for shooting, but also that the Platuan people are always within the shooting range of the Terdun bow cavalry.

The one-shot detached form of skimming mounted fire leaves the rider with an extremely short shooting window. Each sweep can only fire three or four arrows at most.

However, the Teldun Qingqi, which was flying around the Juma Formation, could shoot without limit until the quiver was empty.

When faced with Tychisian tactics, the best strategy is to arm your warriors and fight back with a large number of projectile weapons.

Armor and ranged weapons...both of which Ronald lacked.

The militiamen used hunting bows and slings to fight back with great difficulty. For every Terdun man who fell from his horse, the lives of ten people from Tiefeng County were exchanged.

Seeing the militiamen fall down one after another with arrows, Major Ronald almost broke his teeth.

The Taikis method of warfare meant running without stopping, and the strength of the Tertun people's horses was rapidly depleting.

While the Xia Tiefeng County people's horse-rejection formation was crumbling, Teldun's light cavalry also gradually showed signs of decline.

Finally, Ronald saw more and more Terdun horses struggling to even jump onto the knee-high earth platform.

"Piper!" shouted the Major.

The militiamen had no drums, no bugles, and only two bagpipes to serve as messengers.

The bagpiper heard the order, took a deep breath, and clamped the air bag tightly. They didn't know how to play a military melody, so Major, as long as they could make some noise, the louder the better.

The rumble of horse hooves, the scream of arrows, the shouts and screams of dying humans... The loud and sharp sound of bagpipes penetrated the noise of the battlefield and reached everyone's ears.

This sound is so strange that no one can mishear it.

The people of Teltown didn't know why, but the farmers of Tiefeng County held on to their weapons tightly - when the bagpipe sounded, it was the time for a general attack.

"Lovrensix Adam!" shouted the major.

Adam growled in response.

The horses on the side of the Juma formation facing the river were suddenly moved away. Adam led his men—all the militiamen who had seen blood—rushed out of the Juma formation, stepped on the beach and river, and plunged fiercely into the special area. In the rush of Erdun Qingqi.

At the same time, another group of militiamen carried sharp wooden stakes and poured out of the anti-horse formation, erecting a barrier between the anti-horse formation and the river.

It was as if the earth was shattering with an ax blow, and the giant snake wrapped around the Platoon was split in two in an instant.

The Turdun Qingqiu outside the pointed stake looked back blankly, not knowing what was going on.

Trapped between the sharp wooden stakes, rivers, mesas, and the Platoans, Telduon Qingqi suddenly changed from "surrounding the Two-Legged Man" to "being surrounded by the Two-Legged Man", and his heart was broken.

The Telton Qingqi, who did not react in time, failed to rein in their horses and plunged into this deadly place.

The Platuan people, who had been fighting each other for hundreds of years with the Hedians, also knew about the Tekist method of warfare.

To a certain extent, the Platuan people, who were victims, understood the advantages and disadvantages of Tychis's tactics better than the Hedians.

The core of Takis's tactics lies in "circling", and it must be a counterclockwise circle.

Because most people are right-handed, even if some people can shoot the bow left and right, their left hand is not as powerful as their right hand.

Holding the bow in the left hand and pulling the string with the right hand, it is certainly more comfortable to shoot the arrow toward the left side of the horse.

In the same way, when grazing and shooting, the rider has to go around clockwise.

Ronald was not forced to set up his formation here, but Ronald chose this battlefield.

Forming a formation close to the river compressed the activity space of Terdun Qingqi.

The earth platform is even more of a trap.

It seems that the Teltun people have the upper hand and have the advantage, but once the Teltun people use the Tekist method of warfare, this one-meter-high platform will become a one-way valve.

The reason is simple. When running counterclockwise, the Terdun people jump down from the river bank end with a high drop, and then jump up from the inland end with a low drop.

The one-meter-high earthen platform looks inconspicuous and is easy to jump off. But if you want to jump up again... it's not that simple.

This was the case for the surrounded Terdun Qingqi. On a platform that was more than one meter high, they might be able to ride their horses and jump up to it.

But now their horses are seriously exhausted. Not to mention the one-meter-high platform, even the half-meter-high obstacle horses refuse to jump up.

Without giving the barbarians any time to think, Adam had already led the farmers to charge forward and fight.

Half of them had maces, half had long lassoes.

If one person lassoes the barbarian on horseback, two or three other people will come over and work together to drag the barbarian off the horse. As long as the barbarian falls off his horse, he will be beaten to death with sticks.

The so-called Terdun Qingqi are not independent warriors who specialize in fighting. The vast majority of them are just slaves and ordinary herdsmen.

Many people can do this by relying on their war horses to shoot arrows from a long distance.

Face to face, knife to knife, close combat between you and me, that's another thing.

There is no difference between the Hittites who lost their horses and the Platts. The Platts, full of hatred, are braver, more ruthless, and more ruthless than the Hittites.

The Telton people in the west wanted to rescue, but were blocked by the farmers of Lower Tiefeng County guarding the sharp wooden stakes.

The Terdun people on the eastern mesa desperately drew their bows and fired arrows, but no matter how many arrows they shot, they could not save the Terdun people who fell into the trap.

If the Terdun people could be dragged into hand-to-hand combat, the people from Lower Tiefeng County, who had more numbers and higher fighting spirit, would not be able to lose.

In a panic, the Terdun light cavalry rushed into the river, or abandoned their horses and crawled away. There were also Terdun people trying to rush onto the platform on the corpses of men and horses.

"Move the body away!" Adam roared, swung his spear, and knocked off the Turdun light cavalry that was trampling the body: "Move the body!"

"Blow harder!" Ronald saw this and was anxious in his heart. He stared at the bagpiper and shouted: "Blow harder!"

The sound of the bagpipes suddenly increased by three points, trying its best to accompany this bloody performance.

Ronald looked at the position of the horsetail flag, waiting for Commander Terton's judgment.

Is it a strong man who cuts off his wrist? Or is it a throw of the universe?

On the high ground on the river bank, Qing Lingyu [Duo Gai] had the idea of ​​"escape" again.

Duo Gai really didn't expect that the other party had such means. He admitted that he lost an arrow, but he didn't lose - because there were not many traps among his men.

Ronald's position has limited vision. But Duo Gai could see clearly that the opponent opened his bloody mouth and ate at least nearly a hundred people.

The balance of power has changed significantly, and Duo Bai feels that it is better to retreat first and then consider the long term.

Before Duo Gai could give the order, the six soldiers had already mounted their horses, roaring and rushing towards the horse-rejecting formation.

Duojie could escape because his men had few casualties, but that was not the case for other leaders.

The six soldiers who rushed out without waiting for orders, their tribesmen, fathers, brothers, and slaves were all trapped in the horse-rejecting formation. If they run away, they will have nothing.

Duo Gai was so angry that he cursed loudly, and the remaining soldiers looked sideways.

"That face!" A soldier asked Duo Bao: "The two-legged man can't hold it anymore! What are you still hesitating about?"

In the Hed tribes, soldiers are not just "armored soldiers", the armor itself is a symbol of the power class.

Most of the Terdun people who can equip armor are the leader's children, companions and bodyguards.

The soldiers beside Duojie are not his employees, but his shareholders.

Duojie couldn't decide whether to retreat or give it a go.

Seeing Duo Gui's timid appearance, the other soldiers urged him loudly. There were also soldiers who mounted their horses in anger, and seemed to be taking action on their own.

"Then you and I are going to charge and kill! Leave life and death to the gods!" Duo Guai gritted his teeth and stamped his feet: "But you can't just charge randomly! Just follow me closely and get in between the wooden forks. First, Behead the leader of the Two-Legged Men!"

The soldiers roared excitedly, each raised his gun and mounted his horse.

Duojie led more than 20 armored cavalry to rush down the hillside, forming like a cluster of arrows, until they reached Ronald's location.

This is a true heavy-armed assault lancer. This unit no longer exists in the Plato Standing Army.

Because today, as muskets become more and more powerful, the cost and effectiveness of heavy lancers are difficult to match.

But on this battlefield, this team of heavy cavalry, all of whom are wearing armor and some of whom are even equipped with horse armor, is the hardest hammer.

Ronald watched as the armored Hurds roared down the hillside.

The last moment has come - such words came out of Ronald's mind for no reason.

How to resolve the impact of heavy cavalry?

One is to block it with fortifications, and the other is to fill it with human lives.

Juma has become dilapidated, so it can only be filled with human lives.

If you kill the barbarian cavalry, you win; if you are destroyed by the barbarian cavalry, you lose.

"The last moment is here!" Ronald drew his saber and shouted to everyone around him in a martyr-like tone of determination: "Take up arms! For your family! For your blood! Pa!" Long live the Republic of Latour!"

The farmers may or may not have heard what Ronald was saying clearly, and they probably didn't care about the Republic of Plato at all, but everyone roared "Long live" and held on to the horse stakes waiting for the moment of life and death. .

The Teldon heavy cavalry thrust straight at Ronald with thunderous momentum. At the last moment...

At the last moment they suddenly turned a corner and ran away.

The farmers in Xia Tiefeng County were in a state of confusion, wondering what the barbarians were up to.

"Rat! Coward!" Ronald came back to his senses and immediately humiliated the Teltown people severely: "Go back and get into the crotch of the bitches!"

Dougai couldn't hear this, and Ronald didn't scold his enemies.

His audience, the farmers in Lower Tiefeng County, laughed out loud and yelled all kinds of obscenities at the back of the wild knight.

A head-on collision with the horse-rejecting formation is nothing more than a common death. When Ronald attacks, the barbarian is obviously testing and pulling.

Facing the first charge, the enthusiastic farmers may have the courage to fight to the death. But facing the second and third charges, Ronald didn't know what would happen.

Just when Major Ronald was racking his brains to recall the most vicious curse words to humiliate the enemy and try his best to maintain the morale of the farmers.

The Manzi Armor Cavalry did not turn around and charge back as he expected, but ran away in a hurry, running further and further away.

Not only did the horse-tail banner escape, but other Terdun people around the horse-rejecting formation also abandoned their bodies and fled with their fellow tribesmen.

The farmers were stunned and silent at first, and then cheered at the top of their lungs. As far as they were concerned, the battle was already won.

Ronald's heart was bleeding and he could barely stand.

The Telton people's establishment at the ferry must be destroyed before they can have a chance to rescue the abducted women and children. This battle will not be won unless the Tertun people are completely defeated.

Again, a dilemma faced Ronald:

Retreat, the safest way;

Go forward and capture the ferry. You may be able to win, but you will definitely not be able to escape.

They can only hold on to the camp, otherwise the militia troops will be dragged to death by marching with a group of old, weak, women and children.

Just when Ronald made up his mind, the sound of "dong dong" war drums came from the river.

Ronald finally understood why the barbarians ran away: a fleet was sailing upstream, and the Teltun people's ferry had been captured.

The Tertun people had only rafts, not boats.

Boat means...

"Reinforcements!" The people of Xia Tiefeng County, who had fought hard to this moment, had tears in their eyes, hugging each other and shouting: "Reinforcements!"

Later, Ronald met the commander of the fleet, Samkin.

Also ashore by boat was Captain Epel, whom Ronald sent for help.

In the simple camp built by the Tertun people, all the Platoans kidnapped by the barbarians were rescued. The reunited families were happy and cried each other.

Ronald seemed unable to feel this joyful atmosphere. He asked Samkin directly: "How many people did you bring?"

Facing Major Ronald, the former "enemy leader", Samkin always felt uncomfortable. He didn't know how to address the other person, so he simply didn't address him.

"That's what you see." Samkin pointed to the ferry, where more than thirty simple boats were moored: "These boats."

After receiving this answer, Ronald's expression was painful: "Where is Winters?"

Hearing the other party call the centurion by his first name, Samujin frowned slightly: "I don't know either."

"He sent you."

"Just send me."

"Too few! Too few! What on earth is Winters doing?! What's the use of sending these people?!" From the top of the mountain of hope to the deep valley of despair, Major Ronald's emotions became out of control. Pointing at the happy crowd around him, he shouted:

"Look! Look at them! What will they do if the Hurds come back? What will they do if more Hurds come to kill them? They have nowhere to run! There is nowhere to hide! They can't escape even if they can't hold on. ! Winters! What on earth is he thinking!"

Samkin was startled for a moment, then waited quietly for Ronald to finish venting.

"I don't know what you have to complain about." Samkin put away his polite smile and said coldly to Ronald: "But you should not be qualified to accuse His Excellency Tribune Winters Montagne."

Being contradicted by a rebel who was not even an officer and didn't know how to describe his class... Ronald felt so tight and breathless that he couldn't say anything.

"Don't worry." Captain Epel hurriedly smoothed things over: "Captain Montagne also thought of a way for us."

"What can I do?" Ronald asked angrily.

"Your Excellency, the tribune, naturally gave me careful consideration when he sent me here." Samujin said without being humble or condescending: "Your Excellency, the tribune, fought a bloody battle in the Teldun Khan tent in Zhongtiefeng County. He still did not hesitate to divide his troops after learning that you asked for help. This Please understand the weight involved.”

Ronald was silent for a moment, put away his anger, and asked seriously: "What can Captain Montagne do?"

"It's very simple. Transport you..." Samujin raised his hand and pointed to the west: "Transport them all to the other side of the river."

…

[The Battle of Blackwater Town Ferry] came to an end. Although the scale of this battle was small - three hundred cavalry against more than a thousand infantry, it was still a head-on confrontation in a strict sense.

Samkin was exaggerating when he said that Winters was engaged in a "bloody battle" with the Khan of Teltun.

Because Zhongtiefeng County has never seen such a head-on battle.

[Tai Chi] is very eager to choose a good location, arrange the formation, gong to gong, drum to drum, and fight a main battle in an upright manner.

But Winters didn't give the Turtons a chance.

While Taichi was going crazy wanting a main battle, Winters was still building his wall—and making more baskets.

[Sorry for being late]

[Time has become completely chaotic, but in the end the battle in Xia Tiefeng County has come to an end]

[At first I felt that it was inappropriate to write this battle in detail. I also wanted to see what happened between Winters and the Firewarmer, so I deleted it, wrote it, wrote it, deleted it]

[This battle is somewhat important. Does the victory or defeat of the entire battle depend on this crossing? Obviously not there. But Ronald gritted his teeth and attacked the ferry, because if he allowed the Teltuns to transport the captive population, these Platuan people would be completely plundered]

[Objectively speaking, Ronald was not very kind to these kidnapped Platoans in the past. After all, he was the actual executor of the forced recruitment policy. But he risked his life to save them]

[Some book friends have already pointed it out... In fact, it is the emergence of the emotion of "compatriots\