Blood tax

Chapter 452 Short Assault and Defense ([-])
The rebel column poured out of the hills between the Avenue of Roses and the Avenue of Verona, rolling like a torrent, stretching endlessly, and pressing towards the Bayeran army that was standing still like a rock.

Facing this unexpected army, Ophelia immediately took over the command of Berthier's column after the headquarters fell into a brief panic and confusion.Her military rank is not high, and her status is not respected, but the teachers and students of Hormonwatts present are very familiar with her, and the local noble officers also fell into collective silence for a while.

Ophelia's command post on the high ground surveyed the battlefield, and with the calm attitude that a true warrior always possesses, ordered the regular infantry to occupy the flat ground and gentle slope between the two hills; The infantry was sent to delay the rebels' devious right flank.

She has the advantage of maneuvering inside when defending, and the light infantry can rely on the terrain to delay the right hook swung by the rebels as long as they move a short distance.Once the rebel right had broken through the light infantry and the terrain, which was inevitable, they would emerge behind the Bayeran line.

When that time comes, Ophelia will use the Extraordinary gathered from various units to launch a counterattack.It is an ancient tradition for Extraordinary people to lead retinues and soldiers to attack, but Shutoral, who returned from the east, is the same as their professor, and firmly implements the principle of concentrated use of Extraordinary people.

During this period, Bayeran's regular infantry resisted the larger and more organized rebel main force on the front.

Even if Griffith, Earl Lamor, and Consul Chalon were in her position, there would be no more brilliant actions.

The Verona rebels on the front were holding a forest of spears, some equipped with swords, shields and halberds, and the various units were well-organized, moving quickly but in an orderly manner.

The forest of guns is not coherent, showing depressions at regular intervals.This army is composed of multiple large square formations, with a thick and tight rectangular spear formation in the middle, and a number of small formations composed of mobile and flexible sword and shield soldiers, halberd soldiers and shooters on both wings.

The rebel infantry laid a heavy front and stopped at a distance of fifty yards.In the dense human wall, several small phalanxes broke away from the main group and protruded forward.

Their number was less than one-fifth of the total strength of the rebel army, and they were equipped with various arquebus guns, and many of the extraordinarily thick heavy arquebus guns even had to be supported by wooden frames to be lifted.These small phalanxes spread out on the spot, setting up their muskets and preparing to shoot.

"Infantry attack!"

Noticing the actions of these musketeers, the Bayeran army, which had already encountered long-range suppression in the battle at the ferry, immediately issued an attack order.They only had about 1000 people, and in order to avoid being surrounded, they stretched the front line, making the formation even thinner.

After receiving the order, Bayeran's legionnaires immediately charged.

At the same time, a dozen or so prominent small phalanxes scattered on the rebel front let out roars one after another.Musketeers took aim at Bayeran's infantry line, while rebel sergeants stood aside armed with swords, shields and halberds.When the sergeants received the order, they waved their weapons downwards, and the musketeers emitted dense howls and bursts of smoke like lightning and thunder.

The lead bullets hit the legionary's breastplate, some bounced along an arc, and some pierced through the armor.Berthier immediately saw twenty or thirty legionnaires knocked down to the ground.

"Nona, Ophelia, look," Berthier said to the busy misses of Sutoral, "they use the phalanx army that we have eliminated long ago, and the militia in Odessa use it like this." , more than a dozen were trampled by Griffith."

After a while, Berthier said to himself again: "The difference is that they are equipped with a large number of gunpowder weapons instead of bows and arrows. The armor-piercing ability is indeed good, but it is difficult to say how effective it will be in actual combat."

This volley could not stop the charge of Bayeran's regular infantry at all.Just after the shooting ended, the rebel musketeers in the back row took a step forward, replacing the soldiers in the front row, and carried the weapons that had already been lit on their shoulders.

They retracted their guns, turned around, backed up, and moved forward. They were stiff and inflexible, and their actions were front and back, like a rough and jerky machine, the gears vibrating and worn out due to incoordination.But after all, they still act as a linked whole, while lowering a lever, they also lift up a spoke.

"It's too slow," Ophelia commented calmly, "If Midian Maier commanded, at least two rounds of volleys could be completed."

It took a few seconds for the rebels to change their shape and advance and retreat. The Bayeran infantry had already approached a distance of thirty yards.

The smoke from the first round of shooting has not yet cleared, and the dripping blood has not yet dried up. Byyeland's regular army has already pulled out the gleaming spears on the large shield and raised them over their shoulders.

Both sides can see each other's eyes clearly.

The second platoon of musketeers and legionnaires was ready almost simultaneously.They were waiting for the order to fire a salvo.

Most of the infantry of the rebels did not wear armor.Even wearing leather armor and mail armor, it can't stop the attack of armor-piercing spears at this distance.Many people gasped and looked at the soldiers in brilliant armor and the dense forest of throwing spears opposite them, feeling that time slowed down at this moment as if it had stopped.

"Raise your gun!" The commander of the rebel army ordered calmly, as if he was enjoying afternoon tea.He followed the drill code and waited for the formation to complete the staggering. The soldiers under his command couldn't wait to raise their muskets in front of them, staring at the spears pointed at their faces with pale faces, and their Adam's apples rolled up and down violently.

Their subconscious footsteps swayed, and their biological instincts reminded them to quickly hide behind their companions.

"aim!"

The muskets were all put down.The musketeers saw Bayeran's heavy infantry and ready-to-fire javelins as big as the whole world between the crosshairs.These legionnaires looked indifferent, as if they didn't care much about their lives or the lives of the enemy.

Before the officer gave the final order, four or five gunshots suddenly rang out from the small square of muskets of the rebels.

Some musketeers opened fire, and then half the musketeers on the entire front fired successively without order.They were first and second, shooting messy and noisy, and even half of the soldiers were waiting for orders.

A dozen more of Bayeran's infantry fell.

"Shoot!" shouted Viscount Varian, who was overseeing the front line, giving an order familiar to all Byeran soldiers and their enemies, "Throw the guns!
"Three shots in a row!"

The battlefield was immediately covered by dense howls, and the stormy projections tore through the air, making a chilling and low-pitched rustling sound.All the heavy infantry of Bayeran threw the first salvo at the rebel shooters, knocking down the small phalanx of musketeers who came forward almost instantly.

Immediately afterwards, without the officer's instructions, they aimed the second round of shooting at the rear gun array.

The main force of the rebel infantry carried spears, and less than a third wore armor.They were shoulder to shoulder, and only the first two rows saw the musketeers in front cut down like ears of wheat in a field. .

The soldiers in the last few rows only heard an inhuman and indescribable tearing sound, and then the comrades in front were shaken for a while, and some even turned around and squeezed in to the rear.

Before they could figure out what was going on, the shrill whistling sound was thrown head-on again.

When the flesh and blood were pierced, the sound of "puff puff" was as dense as a summer rainstorm, and the rebel front facing the Bayeran army lost two rows in an instant.Countless people were passed through the chest, pinned to the ground together with the soldiers behind, or flew upside down and smashed into the crowd behind.

Before the pikemen could scream, the third round of blows followed.

The lightly armored rebel brigade stood still and received three salvos in a very short period of time, and several phalanxes collapsed in an instant, routing towards the rear.

"Squad, short-distance assault."

Ophelia ordered.The Bayeran heavy infantry blew the marching horn, and nearly a thousand soldiers stepped forward in unison, rushing towards the rebels.They didn't roar and roar, but beat on everyone's hearts like thunder.

In a blink of an eye, they rushed into the already shaken gun array, first there was the dull collision of shields and the tearing of sword blades, followed by screams of screams.

The frontal phalanx of the rebels was much larger than Bayeram's regular infantry.But they were retreating inexorably.In many positions, Bayeran's sword and shield soldiers tore through the spear array, massacring at a distance that the spearmen could not defend.In a blink of an eye, the front of the rebel army was in chaos, and then, it was completely shaken.

The soldiers began to flee in disorder, and only a small number of particularly brave fighters still stood firm, and then fell into the encirclement and died heroically.

"The attack is terminated!" Ophelia ordered hastily when she saw the infantry wiped out the enemy in front and started chasing the defeated soldiers.

"We'll be able to pierce through their center after a little more chasing," Berthier said.

"No, there's no time, our left wing is disintegrating," Ophelia said as she put on her helmet, "I'll lead the commando, Berthier, it's imperative that all ministries retain their strength and organization, and reserve Team, we don't know how much strength the rebels have left!"

……

"It's not easy."

Xia Boyang watched the battle from the high ground behind.He first noticed with joy that his right wing had penetrated the blockade of the Bayeran light infantry and was outflanking their rear.Then, his front collapsed, and several phalanxes were wiped out almost instantly like snow meeting boiling water.

Before his reserves could launch a counterattack, Byerand's troops stopped their pursuit and began to regroup.

"Look, this is really the tactics of a famous general. He knows when to attack and when to retreat. This is the way of using troops," Xia Boyang admired, and then turned to his silver masked companion and said, "We and such a powerful army Fighting, the sacrifices made must be meaningful, right?"

"Don't worry, Commander Xia Boyang," said the man with the silver mask, "the power of reality is not enough to resist the mystery, both of you and your army. Because of this, you need me.

"In that army, there is the key to the future."

After hearing this, the generals and staff around Xia Boyang immediately asked: "The battle has already begun, tell us, what is the key you promised?"

With a smile on his face, Silver Mask took out a roll of picture album and unfolded it for everyone.On the picture album is a young girl with silver hair, almost overflowing with youthful vitality, and her red eyes are even more agile as if she can speak.

"Nefrty von Kelmansha," said the Silver Mask, "bring her, and I will open the way to victory for you."

(End of this chapter)