It was not a good idea to just wait, so the cavalrymen could only let their horses continue to move forward. At the same time, they circled around the enemy's position while shouting strangely while observing the enemy's position and distribution of soldiers. But unfortunately, they still did not find anything. Because everyone was hiding in the trenches, he could not see how many enemies there were. Instead, there were things wrapped in camouflage cloth in the center and the rear of the formation, giving off a mysterious aura …
"What do we do?"
The soldier beside him was also tired from shouting, so he helplessly gulped down water while asking his superior. The captain gritted his teeth: "Then try to get closer! Continue cursing! It's fine if we can make them reveal some of their numbers! "
With that, he urged his horse forward, and the other soldiers hurriedly followed. This group of scouts were originally mounted bandits, and because they were skilled on horseback, they caught the eye of the bishop of the 'Viper Cross'. In the end, they were recruited by the bishop in exchange for their clean identities. And now, seeing that the enemy was not moving, these fellows, who usually bullied the weak and feared the strong, became even bolder. Brandishing their sabers, they began to circle around the formation and gradually closed in. From a distance of over a hundred meters, they closed in to eighty, seventy, and even some people crossed from a distance of fifty meters.
There was still no reaction from the trenches.
This made them even more courageous, and a group of more than 20 people even began to draw their bows at this distance, trying to shoot at the soldiers in the trenches. But the soldiers in the front did not care about their attacks. They simply bent down and the arrows could only stab into the trenches, not causing any damage.
This group of Viper Cross cavalrymen were not arrogant enough to directly charge at the formation, but when they entered a horizontal line 40 meters in front of the formation, there was a sudden movement from within the formation.
"Ready —"
"Fire!"
The sound of a crossbow being cocked could be heard from within the trenches. The captain who was patrolling at the front immediately shouted: "Quick, hide!"
Their riding skills were superb, and the 20 people who were originally running horizontally all bent their bodies to the side of the saddle. This was the so-called "hiding in the stirrups". When faced with a rain of arrows, they often used this method to avoid the damage from the arrows.
Being a scout was a high-risk profession, so they were mentally prepared to be hit by stray arrows. But they obviously forgot one fact … They were no longer 100 meters away, but only 40 meters away from the formation.
At this time, the frontline soldiers using crossbows were within sixty meters of them, so for them, this wave of concentrated fire was even easier than their usual shooting training.
Hundreds of crossbow bolts landed on the slow cavalrymen and warhorses. At this moment, the power of Elson's crossbow was fully displayed. While the crossbowmen of the royal family were using foot-mounted crossbows, Elson's crossbow had been updated to the level of hand-operated pulleys. This meant that the Elsen Heavy Crossbow's crossbow arm had accumulated more than three times the energy of an ordinary crossbow.
At a distance of around 60 meters, the power of these bolts was comparable to the spears in the hands of the infantrymen. The blankets on the horses were useless against the bolts. The shockingly long bolts pierced through the bodies of more than a dozen horses. Some of the bolts even pierced through the riders beside the horses.
Of the 23 knights, more than half fell on the battlefield. Most of them were flung away after their horses fell to the ground, while others were crushed to death by the tumbling bodies of their horses. The luckier ones were still galloping, but the bolts stuck in the horses' bodies had almost pierced through their bodies. After running out, they fell to the ground in pain not long after.
This team did not expect to encounter such a powerful attack. After this round of concentrated fire, the entire formation returned to its previous calm. There was no sign that they were ready to charge. The three surviving cavalrymen struggled to get up, gritted their teeth, and cut off the bolts on their bodies. They tried to escape step by step.
Such a target was not difficult for the Elsen Crossbow, which was extremely accurate. A small team received the company commander's order and got up to shoot. Each of the three men shot an arrow, and there was only a pile of corpses left in front of the formation.
Such a scene was seen by the approaching cavalry of Enrique City. They, who were already close to 200 meters away, immediately retreated. The team from the Viper Cross had been completely annihilated. When the news reached the Viper Cross, Pope Dai Ze naturally narrowed his eyes.
This kind of thing was not rare on the battlefield. It could only be said that the leading knights were too careless. But Dai Ze was a little unhappy that a team could not bring back any news. At this moment, the infantry formation of the Viper Cross had entered two kilometers away from the Eiffta formation. The bishops were coordinating the formation, and the "Poison Fang Chariot" hidden in the formation had also taken off the fishing nets and rags that were originally used as camouflage.
Although it could be called a "chariot", this thing was actually a type of intricate catapult.
The craftsmen of the Kingdom of Moss had improved the structure of the catapult. Compared to the heavy siege equipment used by the Kingdom of Karen, the "Poison Fang Chariot" only needed three people to operate. When there was no livestock to pull it, four people could easily operate this lightweight chariot that weighed no more than 400 kilograms.
Because of its intricate structure, this "catapult" could reach a distance of one kilometer, although it was not large in size. Its disadvantage was that it could not throw large stones, but its advantage was obvious: it had a high rate of fire.
As long as one was familiar with the operation, it could throw two to four rounds of live ammunition in a minute. And the reason why it was called "Poison Fang" was because the "cannonball" it used could release a highly poisonous fog after it was shattered.
The Viper Cross had started producing these stone bullets as early as two years ago. Because of the low efficiency, the production progress had been very slow. But for this expedition, Dai Ze had brought all his trump cards, in order to achieve victory in one strike!
"Enrique City is planning to defend to the death. They have no intention of leaving the city to fight."
An elder beside him analyzed the situation in a low voice. Dai Ze nodded and replied, "Charles II is ultimately not bold enough, but this is our chance."
The gates of Enrique City were tightly shut. If they were planning to fight outside the city, they should have called out the infantry and cavalry by now. But now there were only three scattered cavalry squads patrolling back and forth. Dai Ze, who had rich combat experience, knew very well what this meant.
He raised his head and glanced at the calm Eiffta formation, narrowed his eyes, and said, "The team will now rest and reorganize. At noon, we will be within a kilometer of the formation. We will be at the upper wind, so when the battle begins, let the 'Poison Fang Chariot' bombard the formation directly! All cavalry, get ready to chase and kill. I reckon these fellows won't even know how they died. "
Dai Ze was very confident about this, because the power of the poison gas bomb was more terrifying than a direct bombardment of spells. The trenches could withstand impact and flames, but they could not stop the spreading poisonous fog. The "Poison Fang Chariot" could definitely be called a "weapon of mass destruction" in this kind of battle. Eiffta's army was less than ten thousand people. As long as the poison gas bomb was thrown into the formation, the battle could enter the final stage within five minutes.
"Your Holiness, Charles II's expression will be very interesting when that happens."
"Of course. I hope that he will not forget to agree to our conditions while he is pleasantly surprised."
Dai Ze said as he clenched the scepter in his hand. "I really hope that Duke of Eiffta is here too. That way, we can take back the scepter as well …"
The "Viper's Kiss" was the most painful scar in Dai Ze's heart. He had painstakingly awakened the scepter, but it had become the wedding dress of the Rose Cross. This feeling made him want to vomit blood every time he thought about it.
But as long as he defeated the enemies in front of him, the scepter would be his sooner or later!
Dai Ze thought as he waved his hand to give the order. Complex military orders were transmitted more efficiently and swiftly in the Viper Cross system than in the ordinary noble army. Soon, the hundreds of "Poison Fang Chariots" in the army began to move horizontally, and the infantry formed a protective formation. The cavalry troops gathered on both sides. The fully armed knights of the Army of Saints looked at the position in front of them with bright eyes, as if they could already see the scene of the enemy fleeing.
The wooden wheels of the Poison Fang Chariots creaked, and the carefully packed black poison gas bomb swayed on the wooden cart. The Army of Saints in white uniforms constantly chanted scriptures and slogans. The army of tens of thousands of people marched forward majestically …
Noon was approaching.
In the Eiffta position, which Roddy had called "the fort," Sodelor had already finished the final mobilization meeting with the battalion commanders. Although everything was ready, the few young people in the advisor team were still constantly mapping the distance between Enrique City and the Viper Cross, as well as the number of troops. In their hands, they held the image that the Falcons had just sent back. In it, the distribution of the troops in Enrique City was clear at a glance.
"Commander, a war like this will definitely leave our name in history!"
"Maybe … it will also be a curse."
Sodelor looked at Enrique City, which was directly opposite the tent, and said with some inexplicable emotion, "A battle like this will actually have the same result as a face-to-face charge. But for them, this kind of ending, perhaps the meaning of fear is stronger. "
The advisors also felt some pressure in their hearts, because a war like this concerned the life and death of tens of thousands of people. Even if they were in their shoes, they would not be able to remain calm. One of them whispered, "Commander, let's go and stay in the bunker."
"Oh, this is the rule. Let's go. "
This battle was different from the previous battles. Sodelor ordered all the soldiers to stay in the bunker until they received the order to attack. Although the soldiers felt strange, obeying orders had become instinctive. This iron army had now completely become a veritable "war machine," and would only faithfully carry out the orders of their superior.
Sodelor and the advisors were all dressed in armor, and they also carried a protective scroll on them. This was standard equipment for everyone above the company commander level. After walking out of the central tent, from this angle, they could see hundreds of crystal cannons lined up on the left and right, which were in the process of removing camouflage, as well as the layers of trenches in front of the position.
Sodelor walked into the trenches, but before entering, he looked back at a corner of the tent area. There was only a circular space there, but Sodelor saluted there.
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