Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 733 Unexpected Developments in the Battle

Despite the unexpected events, the battle was generally under control. Moreover, even though there were only a few more people, Tang Sai'er was finally able to free up her hands and begin to counterattack.

Their initial goal wasn't to intercept and annihilate the enemy here, but rather to make as much noise as possible. Although young, Tang Sai'er was actually a veteran, having fought in many battles due to the pressures of life. Based on her experience, she judged that in the current situation, it was best not to always try to take risks to pursue a "victory with fewer troops"—such things sound good after the war, but on the battlefield, it was better to be more pragmatic and prioritize achieving strategic objectives with the lowest possible risk.

The more commotion they cause, the more uneasy the enemy becomes. Judging from what we know so far, the Prague City Council is indeed starting to feel the pressure. If the fighting continues, the enemy will become increasingly suspicious and less confident in the safety of their rear. At that point, even if they still have the strength to continue fighting, they will have no choice but to abandon their objective.

Even if the enemy stubbornly insisted on continuing their attack, their actions could still relieve some pressure on the convoy. Tang Sai'er and the others believed that the danger this time was mainly due to the enemy's sudden arrival. If they had been given enough time to prepare, they wouldn't have been in such a sorry state.

Although they are currently outnumbered, they are not acting alone. Before coming to join the battle, they had spread the news of the fighting through the townspeople.

Although this area was nominally Bohemian territory, somewhat counterintuitively, Wu Fan's administrative capabilities here were actually far superior to those of the kingdom itself. In reality, the Prague army was fighting on "hostile territory."

The surrounding counties will soon receive the news. The magistrate of Matt County, the closest, has already gone to gather more manpower. It is estimated that by tomorrow during the day, militia from several nearby counties such as Qingshi and Huanglin will arrive, numbering several hundred. If it takes another two days, people from several neighboring prefectures and counties will be able to come to help.

Because of the recent unrest, local militias have already armed themselves, making deployment much easier. Furthermore, Wu's administration revolves around major roads, which also speeds up their reinforcements. If they can hold out for two days, the arriving reinforcements will outnumber the enemy. While their training level might not be enough to completely turn the tide, this momentum will certainly make the already internally divided and hesitant enemy even more hesitant. At the very least, it will force them to retreat.

Furthermore, no one knows where Father Prokopf's brothers who were sent to provide support are now. If they could arrive as promised, the situation could be completely reversed.

Although there are only a few thousand combat-ready people on Mount Tabor, and they seem to be mainly armed farmers, Tang Sai'er herself comes from a civilian armed force and knows very well how to judge the combat strength of these people.

These people were basically selected and trained by Lao Yang and his team over the years. More importantly, they shared a common belief and goal—those who were not steadfast enough had long since left under pressure from Sigismund and the local Grail faction. Therefore, these people were definitely more reliable in combat than the militia.

Therefore, her plan was very clear from the beginning. And although Haji Gray brought a small number of people, they were just the right amount at this critical juncture.

The Prague Legion's attack wasn't particularly fierce, but unlike the previous ragtag mercenaries, they didn't give up after failing to break through in one wave. The two sides clashed for a while in front of the pile of debris. The other enemy units didn't seem to intend to provide support.

Tang Sai'er immediately ordered the people of the Gelai tribe to shout loudly, gallop back and forth on horseback, and fire arrows at the enemy. She also had Haji Gelai personally lead a few of the bravest rabbits to go around the edge of the forest.

Tang Sai'er wasn't entirely sure if these men were as skilled in combat as Haji Grae claimed. But perhaps due to their years of experience as robbers, their ability to bluff and intimidate was remarkably solid; they shouted and yelled as if hundreds or even thousands of people were surrounding them from all directions.

The Prague residents, on the other hand, were very familiar with these Mongols and Cumans. Seeing this, they realized who had joined the battle. Surprised, many who were already hesitant began to turn and run. Soon, the enemy retreated like a receding tide.

This time, Tang Sai'er didn't stop them, but continued the pursuit. Ignoring objections, she left Captain Martin behind and personally led her men out of cover, chasing after the Prague men. Haji Gray and the others also emerged from the woods on the side in time.

Seeing that they were being pursued from the flanks and rear, the enemy panicked even more. Previously, the ragtag mercenaries had been organized and regrouped, stopping before reaching the front lines. But this group was clearly terrified; they ignored even the officers' orders to stop them, running blindly forward. Tang Sai'er followed behind, cutting down several of them in the process.

"Tell Gu Liu to follow too, we can charge now!" she shouted to the flag bearer behind her, then turned and continued the chase.

However, the other leaders were not as optimistic as she was.

"Boss, boss!" Liang Lao Er shouted from behind as she was chasing after them with great enthusiasm, "Stop charging! There's still a reserve team! We can't break through their lines this time!"

Tang Sai'er had been working hard, moving wood, and being beaten for a long time. When she finally had a chance to break out and attack, she didn't really want to give it up.

However, at her age, she hadn't even finished growing taller, and her short legs put her at a disadvantage when running. Moreover, wearing armor slowed her pace considerably. The two elders, Liang and his companion, were tall and strong, and they rushed over in a few strides, carrying her back. A gong was sounded on the battlefield, and the others, hearing the commotion, returned one after another.

Tang Sai'er was very unwilling and was about to reprimand him when Captain Martin pointed to the opposite side.

The Prague soldiers had suffered a complete rout, even worse than the ragtag mercenaries they had fought before. The Italians didn't force them back into battle, but instead cleared a path, allowing them to quickly disappear from sight.

Meanwhile, a large cavalry force slowly emerged from the woods, advanced to the positions of the crossbowmen, and confronted them menacingly.

“They haven’t moved yet, probably because they’re preparing for this, saving it for an emergency,” Captain Martin said. “If we really chase after them, we’ll probably fall into their trap.”

Tang Sai'er was a little annoyed, but there was nothing she could say. She could only get everyone together again to prepare for the next attack.

However, the opposing team didn't act immediately. Clearly, the way things were going made the Italians even less inclined to continue.

The two sides remained in a standoff for a while. Tang Sai'er could see that several important figures from Prague who had appeared earlier, along with some mercenary leaders, were gathered in front of the trees for a meeting. A short while later, a person with a large feather on their helmet arrived at the front and glanced around. She recognized him as Manager Roberto from earlier. It seemed the other side was already considering whether to continue negotiations.

Just then, a commotion arose again from behind the woods.

Tang Sai'er and Captain Martin, among others, tensed up, unsure of what was happening over there. Captain Martin guessed that the people in Prague, unable to control these cunning Italians, had transferred more men from the convoy. This had indeed achieved their intended goal, but the pressure on this side would certainly be greater.

Tang Sai'er worried that perhaps her reinforcements had gone to the wrong place. She had encountered this situation more than once when she rebelled in her hometown—due to limited training and the suddenness of the event, armed farmers from other places who came to provide support would often go to the wrong place. As a result, missed opportunities were not uncommon.

However, the other side didn't seem to understand the situation either. Manager Roberto, who was closest, looked just as confused as they were, turning to see what was going on. Soon, they began adjusting their formation, some turning around to face the direction behind them.

"What's going on?" Tang Sai'er was even more puzzled. "Is this to guard against the enemy?" "The Prague people are indeed someone they need to guard against," Haji Glei said, not too surprised.

Before long, the commotion grew closer. Soon, a chaotic group of people bypassed the formation and ran through the woods. To everyone's surprise, they discovered that this was the Prague Legion that they had previously defeated.

Before they could even react, clear gunshots rang out from behind. The Prague residents immediately quickened their pace and scattered, leaving behind panicked mercenaries and bewildered Italians.

Even through the trees, you could see the lights coming on behind them. Then, a large truck engulfed in flames suddenly rushed out of the intersection.

Tang Sai'er and Captain Martin were both well-traveled people, but they had never seen such a sight as burning tanks chasing the enemy.

However, the carriage didn't stay in the limelight for long. The startled horse quickly broke free of its reins and ran away. The people on board also jumped off in a panic and fled. Before the enemy could react, there was a loud bang, and the gunpowder on the carriage was ignited, creating a dazzling burst of light.

This sight also startled the enemy.

Behind the flames, more large wagons came into view, advancing while firing muskets and even short-barreled cannons at the surrounding area. Behind the wagons, small squads of infantry jogged to keep up.

For a moment, all the enemies retreated, and no one dared to stop them. Needless to say, the ragtag mercenaries, and even the Prague nobles, were clearly panicked, frantically trying to rally their forces.

At this critical moment, the Italians were the first to react. Someone ran to the front of the formation and shouted something, to which the crowd responded in unison.

Tang Sai'er couldn't understand their language, but she could tell that the brief speech had instantly energized the previously uninterested Italians. They quickly adjusted their formation, ignoring the chaos behind them, and charged towards Tang Sai'er.

Tang Sai'er and the others quickly prepared to respond, relying on obstacles for defense as before. However, there were simply too many Italians, and they were neither as timid as the Prague residents nor as hesitant as the German mercenaries.

The enemy's attack was exceptionally resolute, committing most of their forces from the outset. Their heavily cavalry, which had been concealed, advanced steadily in formation.

The crossbowmen in the front ranks lowered their shields, advanced rapidly to the sound of whistles and horns, then suddenly stopped and began firing. Tang Sai'er and the others could only dodge, and in this time, the cavalry quickly passed through the short battlefield. Afterwards, most of them dismounted and rushed into the fortifications.

These dismounted cavalrymen, heavily armored and moving with a steady pace, quickly pushed the guards out of their position. After removing the roadblocks, the remaining riders rushed in, driving away those who were about to fill in. They found several places to break through along this narrow line.

The defending forces were outnumbered and outgunned, and their previous victories had relied on surprise attacks, which had an element of luck. Now, these seemingly carefree Italians were launching a full-scale assault, and surprisingly, they were doing it with surprising skill, which exposed their greatest weakness.

Moreover, Tang Sai'er and others, even Captain Martin, were honestly not prepared for this development. Under this mixed infantry and cavalry attack, using brute force to overcome skill, the front-line soldiers were scattered and broken, and the line was quickly breached.

Tang Sai'er quickly instructed Gu Liu's men to prepare and to have Haji Gray's riders join them.

Generally, after breaking through the lines, the advancing troops will turn around and attack the rear of the position to create greater chaos and achieve a cutting-off or encirclement effect. At this time, the attackers' flanks will also be exposed. While they are besieging the position, Gu Liu and his men need to immediately attack the enemy's breakthrough troops from behind. This is the best opportunity and the last chance to turn the tide.

However, Tang Sai'er was still confident in Gu Liu's group. Although they were just peasant rebels, which might seem insignificant to Europeans, the situation on her side was different. Unlike most European peasants who were a rabble lacking cavalry and engineers, her peasant army was known for its high proportion of cavalry and high mobility.

The most capable men she had assembled during this period were all in the cavalry over there. Like the enemy, while she had most of her riders dismount for battle, she had secretly kept a portion of her elite troops still on horseback. Now, it was time to see who had the stronger backup plan.

After the second breach was breached and the obstacles were removed, Tang Sai'er raised a signal for everyone to consolidate their forces and cease their defensive formation. The Italians then quickly poured in through the breach and crossed the line.

However, after waiting for several minutes, they still showed no intention of turning back to attack the rear of the position.

Tang Sai'er and Liang Lao Er were preparing for a back-to-back, all-around defensive battle. Even Li Li and the others rushed back to join the newly formed circular defensive line, hoping to strengthen the defenses, hold out as long as possible, and buy time for Gu Liu to draw the enemy's attention. But the enemy simply ignored them, quickly passed by, and never returned…

It wasn't until almost all the infantry had run over that everyone realized something was wrong.

At the rear of the column, Manager Roberto personally led a group of heavy cavalry to bring up the rear. As he passed by, he looked around, spotted Don Sai'er, and waved to her in a friendly gesture. Then, he kicked his spurs and galloped away in a flash.

Tang Sai'er opened her mouth, but didn't react for a long time.

"Boss, those moves they made don't seem like they're trying to take us down, do they?" Liang Lao Er reminded him. "They just want to run away, don't they...?"

"Uh……"

On the battlefield, many soldiers were running around in panic after being suddenly attacked from behind. But the Italians clearly weren't going to bother with them. Tang Sai'er and the others restored their formation and blocked the road. Realizing that it was no longer easy to pass through, the soldiers who had been preparing to retreat with the Italians lost their will to fight and ran off in other directions.

It was completely dark, and the forest was pitch black. The brightest spots were lit by the firelight. Tang Sai'er and the others dared not let the cavalry stray from the main road in a blind pursuit, and could only let the enemy scatter in all directions.

After daybreak, they rejoined their allied forces and began to assess the situation on the battlefield.

(End of this chapter)