Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 772 Alemany's First War Zone Transfer

About three days later, the Polish-Lithuanian army advanced toward Prague and arrived at the position where Zhu Wenkui and his men had set up defenses.

The Poles, with their extensive experience in warfare against the Purple Horde, immediately became alert upon seeing this "Roman-style" camp and began digging trenches and constructing fortifications.

Their army included a large number of East Slavic soldiers recruited and hired by Lithuanian nobles. However, most of them were poorly equipped and their training was not very reliable.

Some of these men were town militia frequently recruited by princes, having won battles or received patronage from them, and thus were equipped with relatively complete sets of protective gear. Through their long campaigns against the Romans, they also learned some military concepts, how to practice drills, and how to maintain discipline.

Nevertheless, Eastern Europe's resources were still too meager. Therefore, even with a desire to learn and progress, it was often difficult to spread.

Most town soldiers wore only an old-fashioned iron helmet—usually the bowl-shaped type with a nasal guard, a traditional Nordic style. Of course, some wore the pointed, Persian-style helmet, which had become popular in the last one or two hundred years. Their armor was generally an old-fashioned chainmail or lamellar tunic, its shape virtually unchanged from four or five hundred years ago when the Vikings first arrived. And frankly, for some of the poorer principalities, it's entirely possible that some of their antique armor was actually heirlooms produced during that time…

These people typically carry short spears, longswords, and wooden shields, and are tasked with maintaining the front line. Although, in theory, civilian militia members are also a type of semi-professional soldier who requires year-round training, their current qualifications do not appear to be very reliable.

In previous battles against the Romans, the infantry lines almost always suffered the first setbacks. The princes had implemented numerous reforms to improve infantry performance, but the results were consistently disappointing. In actual combat, they frequently couldn't defeat the legionary infantry, often getting routed in a single wave, and they were at a loss for what to do.

Of course, the reforms have not been without their merits. By investing more energy and resources, the quality of these soldiers has improved significantly compared to their predecessors decades ago.

At least, with the popularization of new infantry warfare concepts, they have divided the infantry of a city-state into several detachments, each under separate command. This is unlike before, when the people of the same town would simply form an infantry line before battle and then remain stationary. Infantry detachments can now execute basic tactical orders, no longer simply charging forward and relying on momentum to cut down enemies.

When facing Western European mercenaries, these civilian militia members also demonstrated more reliable combat capabilities, putting considerable pressure on the Teutonic Knights. Compared to the small sum given by the Grand Duke and Boyard, overall it was still a worthwhile investment.

In addition to the civilian militia, there was a larger group of rural soldiers who were of lower status and even lower skill level.

The division between urban and rural areas among the Slavs was even more severe than in Europe. Strictly speaking, the people in the cities were not actually Slavs, but rather the "Rus's" who were the conquerors and rulers. Those in the rural areas outside the cities were the "Slavs" who were being ruled.

These days, even in England, the distinction between Norman soldiers and native British soldiers has largely faded. The king even intentionally promotes skilled British soldiers to counterbalance the lower-ranking Norman nobles. But in Eastern Europe, little has changed, and it seems likely that this will continue.

These Slavs often couldn't even scrape together armor. Most of them were unfortunate souls "chosen" by the village community or "freeman" bandits hired by the duchy, so the Grand Duke wouldn't spend much money on them. Some would wear homemade leather armor—if the craftsmanship wasn't very good, it might just be a piece of leather. Then they would collect as many scrap metal pieces as possible and stuff them into their bodies.

Their weapons were also quite varied, as they were all self-sufficient. And because iron was scarce in the area, they basically used whatever they had, so you could see all sorts of strange and unusual machetes, sickles, axes, and even daggers and guillotine blades tied to wooden sticks.

Of course, the commanders didn't expect these men to have any fighting ability. Both the noble officers and the officers themselves understood that they were just cannon fodder.

However, perhaps because of this, these rural soldiers had a very clear understanding of their own and their teammates' roles, and they didn't take their own casualties seriously. In addition, their numbers were very large, so they were sometimes surprisingly resilient and wouldn't panic and flee the battlefield even when they suffered heavy losses or their units were routed.

This land has a long history of examples where this very characteristic has led to surprise attacks and eventual victories. From the Mongols to the Teutonic Knights to the Romans, all have suffered losses due to underestimating them.

This time, perhaps because they had come from afar and couldn't bring so many cannon fodder, or perhaps because the main force of the Lithuanian army, with its more "Eastern European" style, was currently advancing eastward to attack Moscow, their forces appeared much more streamlined. However, the town soldiers still numbered between ten and twenty thousand. Upon closer inspection, they might be even more than Tang Sai'er and her team had scouted a few days ago.

These men received their orders and began digging and working. Outnumbered and powerful, they built a huge fortress on the opposite side in less than a day.

Zhu Wenkui and others held a meeting overnight to discuss combat strategies. Meanwhile, the Italians who had been there earlier approached them.

After defeating the local nobles, the Italian mercenary group escorted the treasure westward to a trading post run by Nuremberg merchants, where they sold some of the spoils that were difficult to carry.

Nuremberg was a major commercial center in the German region, and its wealthy merchants had extensive connections. Their backers and protectors were the Duke of Bavaria and Sigismund himself. So even if the nobles caught up later, they wouldn't be able to do anything about it for a while. They could probably only wait for Sigismund, who was still in the long run, to respond—although many of these spoils were still Sigismund's own.

Of course, there were some things the merchants dared not accept. Moreover, after the sale of the stolen goods was complete, they discovered that because the Prague Legion had been defeated so quickly, everyone was now idle…

Legitimate mercenary groups are mature commercial organizations with their own business plans, including operational cycles and profit forecasts. Originally, according to their calculations, they were supposed to stay in Bohemia for about two years; they didn't expect it to end so quickly.

Turning back to their hometown directly would be a waste of travel time, and they'd have to find business again, potentially causing conflicts with other mercenary groups due to last-minute schedule changes, disrupting the agreed-upon rhythm. Fortunately, there seemed to be other wars raging here, so the leaders and managers quickly agreed to promote themselves.

Now the Bohemian nobles are their enemies, and everyone can see that they, as a force, are about to withdraw. As for Sigismund, his gold and silver are still in their own hands. Whether he has the money to pay commissions, these Italians know better than he does...

Currently, the only parties still at the table are the Ming Dynasty and the Poles, who have both the need for fighting and the ability to pay. In comparison, the Poles have multiple governing bodies and are currently fighting on two fronts. Moreover, these people, like traditional imperial nobles, are the type to default on debts whenever possible, so getting money from them will likely be quite troublesome.

After careful consideration, it turns out that the Ming Dynasty has always had a better reputation, as I've heard from others before. So, it's better to just contact them directly.

So, his old acquaintance, Manager Roberto, came to him again and offered himself up to Zhu Wenkui.

He stated that he could provide professional combat personnel. All members of his team had undergone rigorous training and assessment. His officers had also systematically studied Roman strategy and tactics—both ancient and modern. He believed this would satisfy any serious client.

Zhu Wenkui was starting to lose his composure. He reminded him that the two sides had been fighting not long ago, and he had been attacked as soon as he arrived, almost getting outnumbered and killed. They were already being lenient by not seeking revenge against the mercenary group; how could they possibly remember to hire him again?

However, Roberto stated that outnumbering the enemy was the goal pursued by all commanders, and had nothing to do with moral superiority. At that time, they were serving their previous employer, and as long as the contract remained in effect, they were naturally obligated to be loyal, and they would continue to do so thereafter.

Moreover, precisely because the two sides have fought before, Zhu Wenkui's side should have a clearer understanding of their capabilities, thus deciding whether to hire them and how much to offer. Their side, of course, also has a direct understanding. This saves time for both sides and avoids misjudgment—it's clearly a good thing, so what's there to be wary of?

Zhu Wenkui was momentarily stunned, not expecting the words to be spoken in that way. But upon closer reflection, it actually made some sense.

Roberto seized the opportunity to propose that they would not only waive the extra charge for hiring soldiers in the lead-up to the battle, but would also exempt them from some fees, provided Zhu Wenkui agreed to allow them to use the Wu Prince's financial system.

Zhu Wenku was even more puzzled, wondering what they were up to. Roberto explained that they had previously tried to sell their spoils to merchants, but the merchants, seeing that they had offended the nobles and might be pursued, were probably in a hurry to sell and took the opportunity to lower the price.

Moreover, the other party only accepted some large items. There were many valuable but sensitive items that the merchants dared not take—such as Sigismund's own gold seal and luxurious robes. Although they were convenient to carry, they preferred to exchange them for money and then send them back home, along with the gold coins they carried.

European banking is much more developed now than it was in the past, with many banks offering cross-border cash withdrawal services. However, this region is still in a state of war, and the goods are unusual; even the Fugel Bank probably wouldn't dare accept this deal. After much consideration, the only force in the entire Holy Roman Empire that would dare to take these goods is the Wu King's forces.

Therefore, they planned to give all the gold, silver, and valuables to Zhu Wenkui, in exchange for permission to return to Italy and retrieve some gold coins and supplies from the government warehouse in the SND district. They were willing to accept a large transfer fee for this, as long as it was safe.

Furthermore, he had long heard that the King of Wu, the Romans, and the Medici family were all closely connected and had many relationships. If he could get them to write a receipt for him to withdraw money from the Medici bank in Rome or Florence, that would be even better; he would be more than willing to pay an extra sum for it.

Moreover, this way, Zhu Wenku wouldn't have to worry about them turning against him, since the money was still with him. Roberto dared to propose this plan to him because he trusted his credibility and was willing to accept some risks. It all depended on whether he could accept them.

The conditions they offered were indeed tempting to Zhu Wenku. He discussed it with Jessica and decided to accept them. However, they didn't allow the Italians into the main camp; instead, they let them choose a place to set up camp next to it. Roberto was quite satisfied with this arrangement and took his leave after signing the contract.

The day after the standoff, the Italians arrived quickly and indeed delivered several cartloads of gold and silver to Zhu Wenkui. Afterwards, they built a camp on a hillside northwest of their main camp. The Polish-Lithuanian army also discovered them and sent scouts to investigate, but ultimately did not take action, whether because they hadn't yet realized what was happening or because they had other plans.

At this time, Tangsel's cavalry were resting, and Haji Grae volunteered to raid their camp. Jessica thought that the Romans often used this tactic, and the Poles would certainly be prepared, so the attack wouldn't be very effective. However, Grae figured it was just a matter of missing a night's sleep, and even if it failed, it wouldn't have a big impact.

After a discussion among the senior commanders, both Tang Sai'er and Father Prokop supported the raid. Jessica also ceased to object. Therefore, Zhu Wenkui sent him to try, and then assigned Lorenzo, the commander of the "Mongol Camp," to lead his cavalry to provide support.

That evening, Grae selected over a hundred rabbits from his own tribe and the Cumans who had come to join him, and chose a road that bypassed the large flat area in the middle, heading towards the Polish camp. However, halfway there, they encountered Polish cavalry who were also there to harass them.

Both sides were composed of elite, valiant warriors who immediately engaged in close combat and urgently reported to their respective camps. Lorenzo led his reinforcements to meet the enemy, but the opposing camp was prepared, with a large number of Lithuanian cavalry flanks coming from the front and sides to attempt to surround them.

Grae and Lorenzo led their men in a fighting retreat. Back in the camp, Zhu Wenku had originally arranged for everyone to rest, hoping to conserve their energy for the daytime battle. But with things having escalated like this, a peaceful sleep was out of the question. So, everyone was roused and rushed to their respective battle stations.

(End of this chapter)