Chapter 455: Battle of Piacenza (IV)
When the Knicks heavy cavalry broke through the formation, the three battalions not far from the gap in the formation immediately discovered the situation and rushed to rescue.
Lucius Urenas was the chief centurion of the 13th Roman Legion, known throughout the regiment for his integrity and perseverance. The century he led rushed to the front and ran head-on into the Nixen infantry that were pouring in from the gap.
When he saw the enemy clearly in front of him, he, who had always fought bravely, couldn't help but gasp.
These Nix infantrymen wore completely closed iron helmets, their fragile necks were wrapped in densely woven chain mail, and the breastplates they wore were not the kind of mail worn by heavy cavalry, which was made of metal sheets sewn onto leather. Instead, they were thick plate armor that had undergone a complex smelting and forging process, and it covered the soldier's chest and back tightly.
The soldiers' limbs, hands and feet are also covered with armor, and even the elbows and knees have special elbow and knee pads, which not only protect the fragile joints but also do not affect their movement... This set of armor weighs more than 70 kilograms, which is nearly 30 kilograms more than that of ordinary heavy infantry. Only those who are tall, strong and have extraordinary endurance can be competent.
Therefore, when the Nix Ministry of War was forming an armored troop, it stipulated that only citizens who could wear the armor and swing their weapons continuously for more than half an hour while walking would be admitted and become a glorious armored soldier.
What weapons did the armored soldiers use? Unlike heavy infantry, they did not carry large shields, but held an iron hammer with both hands. The style of the iron hammer was similar to that of the heavy cavalry, but the handle was slightly shorter, the hammer head was larger, and the weight ranged from six to nine pounds (specially made according to the strength of each armored soldier).
The Kingdom of the Knyx recruited a total of 300 armored soldiers, most of whom were Germans who joined the Kingdom of the Knyx. This was not because there were only so many eligible citizens of the Knyx, but because each set of armor was expensive, time-consuming and labor-intensive. The Knyx gathered the best blacksmiths in the country to cooperate with each other and work overtime to produce 300 sets of armor that met the requirements before the war.
At this moment, these Knicks armored soldiers were like human-shaped iron towers. Although their steps were not fast, the cold aura emitted by their battle suits woven from iron and steel was simply suffocating.
But Urenas was not at all moved by the enemy's momentum. He kept walking and was the first to meet them.
The Knicks armored soldier on the opposite side immediately swung his hammer and smashed over.
Urenas stood with his legs forward and backward, crouched slightly, and raised his shield to block upwards.
With a loud "bang", Urenaston felt his entire left arm go numb and sore. Without hesitation, he leaned forward and thrust the dagger in his right hand out like lightning, hitting his opponent's left leg. His movements were extremely smooth and continuous, but he did not penetrate deeply into his opponent's thigh as usual. Instead, he was blocked by the hard greaves and was not hurt at all.
The armored soldier seemed unaware of anything and swung his hammer again.
Uranus raised his shield to block again.
The shield wailed, and his left arm was almost numb from the shock. Urenas endured the pain, raised his sword and stabbed upwards, accurately piercing his opponent's left arm, but still failed to cause any damage.
Urenas' sword fighting skills ranked among the best in Caesar's army. He knew that although the heavy infantry had strong defense, their arms and thighs were not covered by armor, which was a major flaw. His previous two moves were specially trained for heavy infantry, and he had killed and injured many enemies in the battle with Pompey's soldiers. However, the moves that had always worked well failed today...
Urinas didn't have time to think about it. The strong wind above his head made him quickly raise his shield to block it.
With a "crash", the sturdy shield was broken by the hammer. He screamed in pain, and his right arm holding the shield dropped limply, unable to exert any strength, and was dislocated.
At this critical moment, one of his soldiers rushed forward and blocked another heavy blow from his opponent with his shield.
Uranus covered his injured arm and staggered back, watching the soldiers helpless in the face of these terrifying enemies they had never seen before.
The sharp short swords they were so proud of were completely unable to cause any harm to the armored soldiers. Although they were brave enough not to give up, they even tried to attack them from the side and rear. Unfortunately, the densely packed Nix heavy infantry followed closely behind them, which not only frustrated the brave soldiers' plans, but also trapped them and caused them to lose their lives.
These Knicks armored soldiers were not agile enough and did not know how to fight with swords well. They did not dodge any attacks from the Roman soldiers, but just smashed their opponents with hammers until their shields were smashed and the hammer heads were welded into their heads or chests. Their movements were simple and rough, but they forced the Roman soldiers to retreat step by step.
Uranus' eyes were agape as he watched, and he was extremely anxious: What should I do? What should I do? ! ……
..............................................................................
The Knicks and Roman cavalry were the first to engage in battle and the first to end it.
As expected, the Nicholas cavalry won. In the face-to-face charge and the ensuing melee, the Nicholas cavalry, equipped with stirrups and high-bridge saddles, and armed with spears and sabers, defeated the Roman mixed cavalry with overwhelming superiority.
Just as Petius ordered the spearmen to get ready, they only saw the panicked Roman cavalry passing by in front of them. There was no large number of Nyx cavalry chasing behind them. On the contrary, loud trumpet sounds rang out in the dusty battlefield.
Caesar was uneasy, but still warned Petius to be patient.
Soon, the sound of horse hooves stopped and the dust gradually dissipated. A hundred meters away from the Roman spearmen, there was a long and loose horizontal formation of the Nyx cavalry, facing them with a field of corpses and wailing wounded soldiers in the middle.
"What's going on! How do these Nyx cavalry know our military deployment!!" Caesar suddenly shouted.
In the past, no matter how big the difficulties were, Caesar always appeared calm, confident and aggressive in front of his subordinates. It was the first time that Petius saw his uncle get so angry. His ferocious face frightened him so much that he pulled the reins and stepped back several steps before stammering in response: "I... I don't know either..."
Looking at his nephew's trembling appearance, although Caesar realized his own gaffe, he still snorted a few times in dissatisfaction, and then closed his eyes in pain.
After winning, the Nix Cavalry was able to control the team and not pursue, and then quickly formed a battle array opposite the spearmen. It was obvious that they knew that this deployment would be made before the battle! How did they guess?! ...
The Knicks had originally placed their hopes on the left wing, but now that they have made corresponding preparations, all previous arrangements have been in vain! What should they do now? ! Where should they look for a chance to win? ! ……
Caesar racked his brains and thought anxiously.
But at this moment, a Roman messenger came galloping over: "Mr. Consul, the legion commander Brutus sent me to report to you! The barbarians sent out hundreds of armored cavalrymen to attack our central army from the front. The soldiers were unable to resist and they opened a gap of 100 meters. Now they are using the reserve 13th Legion and the second-line soldiers in the middle to block the gap!"
"What?!" Caesar felt a buzzing sound in his head and the dizziness almost made him fall down.
Caesar gripped the reins tightly, trying to calm himself down, and then asked about the battle situation in detail. His face became more gloomy, and he said to Petius: "I will rush to the center now, I want to take away the 400 Gallic cavalry, and I will also take away all the second-line soldiers of the Seventh Legion!"
Petius was stunned and said in a panic: "But what about the left...left wing?!"
"Don't act rashly for now. Just keep confronting the Nix cavalry and waste time. As long as our spearmen can keep an eye on them, I believe they won't dare to launch an attack rashly! Petius, I believe you can do it!" Caesar said firmly, "I will give you new orders after I stabilize the middle road!"
Caesar's encouragement cheered up Petius, who responded loudly: "Don't worry, I will hold the left wing firmly!"
Just as Caesar was anxiously leading his staff to the center, he had no idea that a team of several thousand people passed by him across the two lines of fierce fighting and finally arrived at the outside of the right wing of the Knicks army.
The leading officer, Nix, came to Ajax breathlessly and said, "Captain Hagux, the crossbow commander Doreen reports to you that all the crossbowmen have been ordered to arrive!"
“Thank you for your hard work, Doreen!” Hagux nodded while riding on his warhorse. Facing the younger generation of the old Nix tribesmen who he had watched grow up, his expression was very serious: “I don’t have time to give you a rest now. We can’t miss this opportunity! Before the enemy can react, I need your crossbow team to quickly form a battle array and cause as much damage as possible to the enemy on the opposite side. Can you do it?!”
"Yes!" Doreen's voice was sonorous and powerful, and she turned and ran towards her team.
The crossbowmen's bugles sounded with a unique rhythm. Although the crossbowmen were tired, they formed up their battle formations as quickly as possible in order to gain merit and advance.
This time the army formation was different from the previous one. It was no longer a two-line horizontal formation, but a six-line horizontal formation. Moreover, the length of the array was not the same as the Roman spearman formation on the opposite side, but was concentrated at one end.
This is a special tactic that Dorin implemented in order to save time and to meet Hagux's requirements.
Although these soldiers of the Thirteenth Legion who temporarily served as spearmen had never fought against the Nyx crossbowmen, they had known each other before the battle. When they saw these enemies with strange weapons lined up in front of them, they immediately felt something was wrong. The senior officers immediately reported to Petius, the left-wing commander in the rear.
(End of this chapter)
When the Knicks heavy cavalry broke through the formation, the three battalions not far from the gap in the formation immediately discovered the situation and rushed to rescue.
Lucius Urenas was the chief centurion of the 13th Roman Legion, known throughout the regiment for his integrity and perseverance. The century he led rushed to the front and ran head-on into the Nixen infantry that were pouring in from the gap.
When he saw the enemy clearly in front of him, he, who had always fought bravely, couldn't help but gasp.
These Nix infantrymen wore completely closed iron helmets, their fragile necks were wrapped in densely woven chain mail, and the breastplates they wore were not the kind of mail worn by heavy cavalry, which was made of metal sheets sewn onto leather. Instead, they were thick plate armor that had undergone a complex smelting and forging process, and it covered the soldier's chest and back tightly.
The soldiers' limbs, hands and feet are also covered with armor, and even the elbows and knees have special elbow and knee pads, which not only protect the fragile joints but also do not affect their movement... This set of armor weighs more than 70 kilograms, which is nearly 30 kilograms more than that of ordinary heavy infantry. Only those who are tall, strong and have extraordinary endurance can be competent.
Therefore, when the Nix Ministry of War was forming an armored troop, it stipulated that only citizens who could wear the armor and swing their weapons continuously for more than half an hour while walking would be admitted and become a glorious armored soldier.
What weapons did the armored soldiers use? Unlike heavy infantry, they did not carry large shields, but held an iron hammer with both hands. The style of the iron hammer was similar to that of the heavy cavalry, but the handle was slightly shorter, the hammer head was larger, and the weight ranged from six to nine pounds (specially made according to the strength of each armored soldier).
The Kingdom of the Knyx recruited a total of 300 armored soldiers, most of whom were Germans who joined the Kingdom of the Knyx. This was not because there were only so many eligible citizens of the Knyx, but because each set of armor was expensive, time-consuming and labor-intensive. The Knyx gathered the best blacksmiths in the country to cooperate with each other and work overtime to produce 300 sets of armor that met the requirements before the war.
At this moment, these Knicks armored soldiers were like human-shaped iron towers. Although their steps were not fast, the cold aura emitted by their battle suits woven from iron and steel was simply suffocating.
But Urenas was not at all moved by the enemy's momentum. He kept walking and was the first to meet them.
The Knicks armored soldier on the opposite side immediately swung his hammer and smashed over.
Urenas stood with his legs forward and backward, crouched slightly, and raised his shield to block upwards.
With a loud "bang", Urenaston felt his entire left arm go numb and sore. Without hesitation, he leaned forward and thrust the dagger in his right hand out like lightning, hitting his opponent's left leg. His movements were extremely smooth and continuous, but he did not penetrate deeply into his opponent's thigh as usual. Instead, he was blocked by the hard greaves and was not hurt at all.
The armored soldier seemed unaware of anything and swung his hammer again.
Uranus raised his shield to block again.
The shield wailed, and his left arm was almost numb from the shock. Urenas endured the pain, raised his sword and stabbed upwards, accurately piercing his opponent's left arm, but still failed to cause any damage.
Urenas' sword fighting skills ranked among the best in Caesar's army. He knew that although the heavy infantry had strong defense, their arms and thighs were not covered by armor, which was a major flaw. His previous two moves were specially trained for heavy infantry, and he had killed and injured many enemies in the battle with Pompey's soldiers. However, the moves that had always worked well failed today...
Urinas didn't have time to think about it. The strong wind above his head made him quickly raise his shield to block it.
With a "crash", the sturdy shield was broken by the hammer. He screamed in pain, and his right arm holding the shield dropped limply, unable to exert any strength, and was dislocated.
At this critical moment, one of his soldiers rushed forward and blocked another heavy blow from his opponent with his shield.
Uranus covered his injured arm and staggered back, watching the soldiers helpless in the face of these terrifying enemies they had never seen before.
The sharp short swords they were so proud of were completely unable to cause any harm to the armored soldiers. Although they were brave enough not to give up, they even tried to attack them from the side and rear. Unfortunately, the densely packed Nix heavy infantry followed closely behind them, which not only frustrated the brave soldiers' plans, but also trapped them and caused them to lose their lives.
These Knicks armored soldiers were not agile enough and did not know how to fight with swords well. They did not dodge any attacks from the Roman soldiers, but just smashed their opponents with hammers until their shields were smashed and the hammer heads were welded into their heads or chests. Their movements were simple and rough, but they forced the Roman soldiers to retreat step by step.
Uranus' eyes were agape as he watched, and he was extremely anxious: What should I do? What should I do? ! ……
..............................................................................
The Knicks and Roman cavalry were the first to engage in battle and the first to end it.
As expected, the Nicholas cavalry won. In the face-to-face charge and the ensuing melee, the Nicholas cavalry, equipped with stirrups and high-bridge saddles, and armed with spears and sabers, defeated the Roman mixed cavalry with overwhelming superiority.
Just as Petius ordered the spearmen to get ready, they only saw the panicked Roman cavalry passing by in front of them. There was no large number of Nyx cavalry chasing behind them. On the contrary, loud trumpet sounds rang out in the dusty battlefield.
Caesar was uneasy, but still warned Petius to be patient.
Soon, the sound of horse hooves stopped and the dust gradually dissipated. A hundred meters away from the Roman spearmen, there was a long and loose horizontal formation of the Nyx cavalry, facing them with a field of corpses and wailing wounded soldiers in the middle.
"What's going on! How do these Nyx cavalry know our military deployment!!" Caesar suddenly shouted.
In the past, no matter how big the difficulties were, Caesar always appeared calm, confident and aggressive in front of his subordinates. It was the first time that Petius saw his uncle get so angry. His ferocious face frightened him so much that he pulled the reins and stepped back several steps before stammering in response: "I... I don't know either..."
Looking at his nephew's trembling appearance, although Caesar realized his own gaffe, he still snorted a few times in dissatisfaction, and then closed his eyes in pain.
After winning, the Nix Cavalry was able to control the team and not pursue, and then quickly formed a battle array opposite the spearmen. It was obvious that they knew that this deployment would be made before the battle! How did they guess?! ...
The Knicks had originally placed their hopes on the left wing, but now that they have made corresponding preparations, all previous arrangements have been in vain! What should they do now? ! Where should they look for a chance to win? ! ……
Caesar racked his brains and thought anxiously.
But at this moment, a Roman messenger came galloping over: "Mr. Consul, the legion commander Brutus sent me to report to you! The barbarians sent out hundreds of armored cavalrymen to attack our central army from the front. The soldiers were unable to resist and they opened a gap of 100 meters. Now they are using the reserve 13th Legion and the second-line soldiers in the middle to block the gap!"
"What?!" Caesar felt a buzzing sound in his head and the dizziness almost made him fall down.
Caesar gripped the reins tightly, trying to calm himself down, and then asked about the battle situation in detail. His face became more gloomy, and he said to Petius: "I will rush to the center now, I want to take away the 400 Gallic cavalry, and I will also take away all the second-line soldiers of the Seventh Legion!"
Petius was stunned and said in a panic: "But what about the left...left wing?!"
"Don't act rashly for now. Just keep confronting the Nix cavalry and waste time. As long as our spearmen can keep an eye on them, I believe they won't dare to launch an attack rashly! Petius, I believe you can do it!" Caesar said firmly, "I will give you new orders after I stabilize the middle road!"
Caesar's encouragement cheered up Petius, who responded loudly: "Don't worry, I will hold the left wing firmly!"
Just as Caesar was anxiously leading his staff to the center, he had no idea that a team of several thousand people passed by him across the two lines of fierce fighting and finally arrived at the outside of the right wing of the Knicks army.
The leading officer, Nix, came to Ajax breathlessly and said, "Captain Hagux, the crossbow commander Doreen reports to you that all the crossbowmen have been ordered to arrive!"
“Thank you for your hard work, Doreen!” Hagux nodded while riding on his warhorse. Facing the younger generation of the old Nix tribesmen who he had watched grow up, his expression was very serious: “I don’t have time to give you a rest now. We can’t miss this opportunity! Before the enemy can react, I need your crossbow team to quickly form a battle array and cause as much damage as possible to the enemy on the opposite side. Can you do it?!”
"Yes!" Doreen's voice was sonorous and powerful, and she turned and ran towards her team.
The crossbowmen's bugles sounded with a unique rhythm. Although the crossbowmen were tired, they formed up their battle formations as quickly as possible in order to gain merit and advance.
This time the army formation was different from the previous one. It was no longer a two-line horizontal formation, but a six-line horizontal formation. Moreover, the length of the array was not the same as the Roman spearman formation on the opposite side, but was concentrated at one end.
This is a special tactic that Dorin implemented in order to save time and to meet Hagux's requirements.
Although these soldiers of the Thirteenth Legion who temporarily served as spearmen had never fought against the Nyx crossbowmen, they had known each other before the battle. When they saw these enemies with strange weapons lined up in front of them, they immediately felt something was wrong. The senior officers immediately reported to Petius, the left-wing commander in the rear.
(End of this chapter)
