Just as the Duke of Flanders gave the order, Muhalder's soldiers on the opposite side rushed to a hundred steps away from the camp. The Sudanese people relied on their numbers and the crowd to suppress the crowds, roaring like wild beasts, gray and gray. The yellow sand was stirred up by these rough soldiers, like a veil covering the Antioch people. This rushing scene really shocked many newly recruited militiamen, but it didn't take much For a long time, the sergeants majors or veterans around them used practical actions to wake them up. Under the officers' leather boots and the veterans' scoldings, the recruits tremblingly put the crossbow arrows on the crankshaft crossbow, squatted down and fought desperately Stir the capstan behind the crossbow, then raise the crossbow in your hand and aim it at the enemy crowd with almost no need to aim. The flying crossbow bolts will definitely hit the dense charging enemies, but the Sudanese will not be killed by these sparse crossbows. Several companions stopped and charged even more desperately over the corpses of their companions.
"Boys, hold on to the weapons in your hands. If you see those damn infidels, give them a blow. The best enemy is a dead enemy." An old sergeant major wearing a round helmet, with a vicissitudes of life on his face and one eye blinded , said to the guarding recruits behind a camp fence made of sharp stakes. Under the leadership of these experienced veterans, the Antioch soldiers settled down slightly. They nervously grabbed their maces or spears. , hiding behind the fence and watching the enemies getting closer and closer.
Because of the vast territory of the Sultanate, and because there had been a very peaceful period, with a large population and a prosperous economy, the Crescent Sect has made the people in the country extremely united. The worship activities that everyone must participate in every morning have further strengthened this unity. became closer, so the Sultan had hundreds of thousands of troops to serve him at a single order. However, because several early Sultans were obsessed with the comfort of the harem, which led to the Crusaders repeatedly attacking the occupied territories and establishing the Crusader Kingdom, the Sultan's prestige was no longer what it used to be, but However, Saladin regained the past glory of the Sudanese and regrouped his military strength to launch a counterattack against the Crusader countries.
At this time, the British lords of the first generation of Crusaders died due to various reasons, which led to the fragmentation of the Crusaders who gathered the power of the kingdoms of the Western Continent. Crusaders continued to retreat back to their countries under the leadership of their lords, leaving behind There were only weak Crusader kingdoms.
The army of the Sultanate consisted of two parts. The Mamluks were professional warriors who obtained land fiefs from the nominal leader Sultan. They lived on the property generated by the fiefs and did not have to worry about their own lives. To repay the monarch's grace, the Mamluks spent their whole lives in the military, wearing scales and using their swords and spears to win honor and wealth. Their combat power was only comparable to that of the knights of the Western Continent, but the strength of these elite warriors The number was very small, and the number of Mamluks in the sultan's court almost determined the status of the general.
The second part is the temporary recruitment of soldiers. They are ordinary civilians living in the Sultanate. Some are farmers with their backs turned to the sky, some craftsmen who make a living using their crafts in the city, and some who are attracted by slaves and trophies on the battlefield. These are the mercenaries who support the entire Sudanese army. However, these people have almost no wealth. Not long ago, they were soldiers recruited by ordinary people. It is impossible for them to buy war horses and sophisticated armor, especially with a pair of mercenaries. Scale armor is made up of small pieces of iron connected together. This kind of armor is time-consuming to make but has excellent defense. The price is scary. Therefore, apart from buying inferior scimitars and shields, the recruited soldiers have almost no armor on their bodies. Therefore, their casualties are high. Also the biggest on the battlefield every time.
"Don't let the enemy get close, don't be afraid of them." Antioch's sergeants were on the front line, encouraging their soldiers. The bows and arrows and more powerful crossbows that were constantly fired from Antioch's camp took away the enemies who were approaching. The lives of the Sudanese soldiers in the camp. Fortunately, there was a small group of Kate longbowmen in the Antioch camp. These longbowmen with rich shooting experience picked up the yew bows as high as a person and shot the bows into the sky. Shooting caused these long bows to fall on the heads of the dense enemy outside the camp.
"Ah, ah~~~." The shots of Kate's longbowmen wiped out many Sudanese soldiers who tried to break through the camp's defense line. When they tried to climb up the picket fence, they were shot in the head by bows and arrows and screamed. Rolling into the trench, the corpse became a stepping stone for his companions behind him.
"Your Majesty the Duke, please rest assured that our camp is very solid and can resist the attacks of the infidels." Duke Flanders' vassal comforted the Duke. Duke Flanders' camp is set up in the valley, even in Sudan. In the sea of ??people, the camp is like a small boat in the ocean. Although it is floating and floating, it is still tenacious.
"I hope the Templars can arrive in time. We have successfully attracted the enemy here." Duke Flanders looked up at the sky. The sun was still so hot, and time slowed down like a crawling turtle. Every second It's all so difficultBear.
During the fierce battle in front of the Duke of Flanders' camp, the Templars had quietly approached the battlefield, but they stopped in a canyon away from the battlefield. Lei Luo seemed to be ready to wait for the most appropriate moment. It was time to attack, but the Templar Knights were all passionate warriors. They were very excited when they saw thousands of people fighting on the battlefield. The Templar Knights believed that their Grand Commander would definitely order an attack soon.
"Grand Commander, haven't you given the order to attack?" The Templar knights asked Lei Ruo for help, but Lei Ruo was riding on his horse and watching the battlefield. He had a sullen face because the enemy's main force had not yet been dispatched, and they were fighting on the battlefield. Most of them were the Sudanese's levied infantry, and a small number of horse archers surrounded the battlefield. It was obvious that Muhald wanted his superior force to consume the Duke of Flanders's army, and Muhald's most elite Mamluks They haven't moved out yet.
Muhald also paid attention to the situation on the battlefield. He knew that the levied infantry under his command was not very powerful. Their only role was to become cannon fodder on the road to victory. However, he did not expect the Antioch people's resistance. So tenacious, the camp made of sharp wooden stakes was stubbornly stuck in the valley, and the large number of troops he invested was a waste of physical strength. Once the physical strength of the soldiers dropped to the extreme, their morale would face collapse. Maybe I was wrong. He shouldn't have invested so many troops in vain. He was too impatient. If it were Saladin, he would definitely make an accurate judgment. Muhald couldn't help but feel a little frustrated.
"Hold the east side, and the pikemen will quickly block the gap." The camp in Antioch was finally broken through because the number of people was too small. Recruited infantry wearing traditional Sudanese robes continued to break into the camp. The noble knights in the camp Knowing that it was their turn to play, the knights wearing chain mail and barrel helmets walked on foot and used swords and shields to eliminate the Sudanese soldiers who rushed in. The knights' superb swordsmanship effortlessly killed these untrained conscripted infantry. , in fact, the recruited infantrymen were exhausted after finally breaking through the first line of defense, and the knights who were ready to attack quickly blocked the gap. This was also a technique commanded by Duke Flanders.
"Sir, do you want the Mamluks to go into battle?" At this time, the priest beside Muhalder suggested. It seemed that only the Mamluks, who were also professional warriors, could defeat the walking knights, but Muhalder shook his head.
"Order the hired Sahasen infantry to attack." Muhalder didn't know why there was always an ominous feeling in his heart. People who have been on the battlefield for a long time will hone this kind of keen intuition in harsh environments. Although There is no logic, but it can often make the most direct and effective judgment.
"Mercenary?" The priest frowned. He didn't believe those mercenaries who only took money and had no faith. They didn't have any motivation except money. They were simply two-legged animals.
"Sir, the leader of the Sahasen mercenaries has asked to see you." Although Muhalder gave the order, he did not immediately see the Sahasen people from the battlefield. At this time, a messenger came forward to report.
"What? What happened to that damn cripple?" Muhalder said unhappily.
"Haha, my lord, my master." As soon as Muhald finished speaking, a man with disheveled hair and a limp stepped forward from under the Mamluk horses surrounding Muhald. He stretched out his thick arms to push away the people and horses in front of him, shouting loudly under his messy beard.
"Shadar, what is going on? I have ordered you to take your people to fight immediately, but why didn't I see them on the battlefield?" Muhalder looked down from his horse at the humble, rat-like man at his feet, But Shadar didn't care about his attitude and still grinned.
"My master, none of my people are willing to go to the battlefield, and I have no choice."
"What? Are you going to disobey military orders?" Muhald said angrily.
"No, because you know that we Sahasans are quite superstitious. A fortune teller said that something bad will happen on the battlefield recently. I have explained your majesty to them, Master, but they didn't listen and I can't do anything. ." Shadar answered Muhalder while licking his dirty nails.
"You~~." Muhald's lungs were about to explode. Going to the battlefield was of course an unfortunate thing. The mercenaries actually refused to fight with such ridiculous reasons, but these mercenaries were not his subordinates. , they just take money to do things, and there are all kinds of weird customs in the world of mercenaries. If they violate these customs, they can even refuse to fight, and even the Sultan cannot order them.
"Okay, Shadar, let's pay you twice as much, so that's okay." The priest looked at the livid Muhalder, stepped forward and said to Shadar, knowing well the temperament of these mercenaries. Use money to seduce.
"Well, it's hard to convince them. How about triple the price?" Shadar licked his dry lips and looked at the priest greedily.
"No, at most twice as much." Muhald quickly reacted and bargained.
"Hey, okay." Shadar thought for a while and felt that the oil and water he had occupied was pretty good, so he whistled and returned to his team.
"Young men, take up arms and let's go make a fortune~~~." Shadar's high-pitched and arrogant voice sounded. He put on his pointed helmet, wrapped in the chain armor that he didn't know he had ripped off from the dead body, and waved He shouted to his brothers with his sword in hand.