Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 773 The Hussites' Black Grail and the "Capital Guardians" Chariot Battalion
That night, the moonlight was not very bright. Therefore, the Ming army camp had extra lighting added, making it very conspicuous in the darkness.

Although it was a rest day, the troops assembled here were still on high alert.

Because the plan might involve a long march, and even fighting on enemy territory, JSKA conducted a special selection process before heading north. Therefore, although the number was smaller, those who remained had good morale and discipline, and were able to strictly adhere to orders. They were also perfectly capable of handling night battles.

When they established unified training standards, they specifically required local governments to assess and classify soldiers when organizing militia training. Those who were strong, brave, had sufficient family wealth, and were willing to fight away from home would be registered separately.

Drawing on the ancient experience of Seres, militia training was conducted on a two-year cycle. This roster was also revised every two years to ensure that a mobile force could be readily deployed to respond to imperial orders when needed.

During the review and approval of the plan, Guo Kang actually expressed his concerns. He pointed out that this system actually gave the reviewers enormous power. Who were the wealthy households, who were the brave and strong, and who were to undertake the expedition? Were these people truly volunteering, or were they being forced into it? These questions could not be guaranteed, and it might even excessively strengthen local power, leading to the authorities having absolute control.

Back when Wang Anshi was implementing his reforms, he encountered these same problems, which ultimately led to a series of disastrous consequences. I wonder if similar situations will arise here.

However, after conducting their research, Jessica and others concluded that there was no need to worry about this issue.

The problem of redundant officials in the Song Dynasty was a luxury in Wu Fan's eyes, because even now, although several training courses have been held and people have been frequently sent to Dadu (Beijing) to study administrative knowledge, it is still seriously insufficient for the rapidly expanding territory.

Situations like Huanglin County's are commonplace. Even if Zhu Yuanzhang's Hehan system were completely adopted, it wouldn't be effective. Even if the local financial, judicial, and military powers were separated as he did, there wouldn't be a sufficient number of qualified officials, forcing them to hold concurrent positions, ultimately resulting in everyone holding all the power.

The King of Wu's desire to revive the Zhou dynasty's rites was widely seen by people from the East as a sign of being bookish and foolish. However, here, it received widespread support. This is because in Europe, especially in the Alemannia region, the biggest problem wasn't whether the political system was feudal, but rather that people couldn't even properly manage feudalism.

When King Wu first arrived, he discovered that the region lacked even a systematic system of nobility titles. Even the court officials in King Alemanni's palace struggled to remember the exact number of different titles and systems within the kingdom. Even implementing the Zhou rites would at least have standardized this whole system…

Moreover, Wu Fan initially put forward the slogan "The lord must act as the lord, and the vassal must act as the vassal," which roughly translates to: the lord must fulfill the responsibilities of a lord, and the vassal must fulfill the responsibilities of a vassal; otherwise, they will be condemned and held accountable. Because there were so many eccentric lords and noble rulers in this region, even the more respectable nobles found it difficult to tolerate them and thus supported him.

In many places, the lower-level officials of the Wu King's Palace were actually lords with fixed terms. Even the officials were still a group of the original minor lords and knights, but their titles were changed to names like "Qing Dafu" (卿大夫), which were set by the Wu King.

However, at least now officials are selected based on their job duties and management abilities, rather than hereditary titles. Therefore, some impoverished minor nobles see much more room for advancement. Zhu Wenku also felt that the names of Seris and the Ming Dynasty were merely icing on the cake to enhance credibility; the real purpose was to attract talent.

Therefore, although nominally part of the Ming Dynasty, the Wu region was now essentially a more complete feudal regime, far from the bureaucratic empire of its homeland. Whether or not there was a system for selecting soldiers was practically irrelevant, because local officials already held absolute power…

Of course, unlike Seris, many parts of Europe had an astonishing number of bandits and robbers, and many nobles joined them—in some cases, bandit gangs were even a side job for nobles. Therefore, they were not small in scale and were quite professional.

Furthermore, many areas in the Alemanni region remain largely undeveloped. The vast, dense Black Forest has always been a dangerous and chaotic area. According to Guo Kang, this problem likely won't be completely resolved until steam and explosives technology are fully developed.

In the folk literature of the Alemanni region, forests are often depicted not as idyllic landscapes, but as havens for all sorts of monsters and filth. This is because, in reality, many bandits lurk there, and people, for various reasons, need to escape the established order and thus seek refuge in the forest, becoming "wild monsters" in the process.

Of course, the Holy Roman Empire lords sometimes hired these people when they needed soldiers. There were even instances of Imperial wild monsters and free wild monsters fighting each other. Guo Kang had always suspected that the Alemanni's many dark fairy tales were caused by these forests…

In this environment, the militia's quality is actually maintained quite well, and the officials responsible for assessing the military are generally quite conscientious. After all, if things go too far and cause a decline in the military's combat effectiveness, the whole family could really be wiped out.

Of course, there are also cases where the opposite is true. For example, the "Orphan Army" and the Tabor militia that came to support them were mainly composed of homeless and bankrupt artisans and miners, rather than the Ming army, which was mainly composed of farmers with land and minor nobles.

However, these people actually made quite a bit of money while fighting against the nobles. In particular, their most direct enemy was the Catholic Church. The Church was known throughout Europe as a gold mine; a single blow could yield a huge amount of gold coins, which meant that they were not poor and could even take long-term leave from their jobs to go on expeditions.

The soldiers on duty tonight are led by Father Prokop. Their response time is naturally the fastest.

After receiving the message from Glei, Prokop led a dozen chariots and several hundred vanguard men out of the camp. However, instead of going directly to meet them, they lined up their chariots fifty paces in front of the camp, as planned.

In addition, more than a thousand infantry and cavalry from the three prefectures of Su, Pi, and Lin also followed the rules previously established by Jessica, exiting from the back and side gates and circling around to the side of the camp to conduct guard duty.

Some soldiers from the artillery battalion were also on duty, and their numbers actually exceeded those of the infantry. This was because the gunpowder depot and artillery storage areas were guarded 24 hours a day. Like in the blacksmith's workshop, the artillerymen operated in three shifts to ensure that a complete squad was always on duty.

So they quickly finished preparing and were ready to set off to provide support. However, the main road to the camp was too congested, as people who had just been woken up were rushing out. Messengers from various departments, sending out to inquire about the situation and request orders, were everywhere.

According to JASK's operational manual, in this situation, officers below the rank of commander should not send anyone to inquire about the situation, let alone discuss it with others. They should instruct the soldiers to remain quiet and calm, and to guard their own camp. However, it seems everyone is overly excited, and few are following the rules…

Because there were too many people on the road, the artillery carts couldn't be pushed out immediately, so they could only bring out rockets like the "swarm" type. Fortunately, the area near the camp gate was populated by veterans who had fought in several battles before, and officers were maintaining order, so it wasn't too chaotic. They were able to get out of the gate and, along with the mountain infantry who were also on guard duty, formed a second line behind the chariots. A short while later, a group of riders ran up and found Prokop, saying that Glenaryan had asked them how their preparations were going; if they could hold out now that they were withdrawing. Father Prokop replied that the formation was complete and there were no problems. The riders immediately returned.

Prokop gave the order to light torches on the tanks for illumination, but forbade the second rank of infantry to have any light, and also to extinguish the matchlocks of the artillery battalion. They were to be relit when the enemy approached and given the order to fire.

Before long, they heard shouts of battle approaching again.

The Glai cavalry were the first to retreat. They had several dozen men left, almost all wounded. The camp officer led them directly to the side gate of the main camp and then arranged for medics and servants to care for them. Next, Lorenzo's several hundred men also retreated to the northeast corner of the camp, dismounted, and, armed with lances and longswords, formed a defensive line.

The Polish cavalry, who were the first to engage, had been counterattacked several times before and were now in disarray, which slowed them down. The first to pursue were a large number of Lithuanian cavalry who hadn't yet entered the battle.

They had originally planned to surround the "Mongol camp," but before they could complete the encirclement, the enemy withdrew. Upon closer inspection, they discovered that there was another group of infantry providing support. Some vanguard light cavalry swept past, finding their front wide but their formation thin. They then ran to the Mongol camp next door where they dismounted and exchanged two rounds of fire, finding the enemy's formation solid and their armor sturdy, and gained no advantage. So they circled back and began calling for more men.

After they retreated, Father Prokop ordered his men to return to the camp gate and extinguish some of the torches on the watchtowers and near the main gate. The light there dimmed considerably, while in other directions, as more soldiers moved out, the area became increasingly lively.

Meanwhile, all that remained were the scattered torches on the wagons. The Swiss had devised a solution: the mountain infantrymen crouched down, hiding behind the wagons. Even up close, it was pitch black and impossible to see anything clearly. In comparison, this made the area seem much weaker. As a result, the Lithuanian cavalry that had previously advanced turned back.

It was quite dark, so they couldn't run very fast. However, a large number of people quickly gathered and rushed over together, trying to surround the chariot and then attack the people behind it and at the camp entrance.

Only when they approached did Prokop notify those behind him that they could prepare to attack.

The soldiers of the artillery battalion relit the fuses and prepared to fire. At this moment, the enemy cavalry had already engaged the soldiers on the chariots.

The infantry between the chariots were the first to be charged by the cavalry, and the two sides quickly engaged in a fierce battle. The chariots themselves, being the most conspicuous, naturally attracted a lot of enemy attacks.

The cavalry's attack position was relatively high, not much lower than that of the chariots, so they were less at a disadvantage than infantry when attacking the defenders on the chariots. Therefore, many Lithuanians simply stood up from their stirrups, or even stepped onto the saddle hills and jumped onto the chariots.

Moreover, the enemy quickly discovered that engaging in close combat with infantry was disadvantageous, because they were on horseback, lacked the enemy's density, and could not use their rear ranks to cover the front ranks and increase the density of attacks like the enemy could. Therefore, the fighting was very frustrating.

However, chariots, compared to warhorses, took up more space and carried only a few soldiers, making them ideal for coordinated attacks. So soon, almost all the chariots were surrounded by enemies. Most chariots were still fighting with long-handled weapons, but in a few, Lithuanians had already jumped inside and begun close combat with the defenders on the narrow rooftops.

Elsewhere, some enemy soldiers, finding it difficult to break through, dismounted and began to regroup, charging the infantry. Thanks to their superior mobility, they quickly achieved overwhelming numerical superiority. It is estimated that at least two or three thousand men were attacking this vulnerable direction.

Meanwhile, more Lithuanians and Poles were swarming in, some of them already flanking the tanks and attempting to encircle them from the open space between the tank lines and the camp trenches.

At this time, the Tyrolean infantry were still waiting at the camp gate, while the sparse tank lines had been almost completely cut off and surrounded by the enemy. Moreover, these men were clearly superior to Sigismund's army, and far surpassed the Prague soldiers, in both their organization during sieges and their ability to adapt to changing circumstances. Therefore, the defenders faced immense pressure from the outset.

However, the Tabor forces were already used to this situation. Prokop personally held up a large, shining flag and stood in front of a tank in the middle, encouraging the soldiers to fight hard.

This flag was a gift from the Romans. Previously, a group of Hussite supporters, according to the agreement, had traveled to Constantinople to meet with Jessica, preparing to assist the Wu King's palace with security and weapons testing, and incidentally learning about the Romans' advanced warfare tactics.

During this time, a sudden riot broke out in the city, and the Wu King's palace was besieged. Dozens of Hussite soldiers fought desperately to cover the escape of the queen, prince, and others, and many of them gave their lives while performing their guard and rearguard duties.

One of the monks, carrying their iconic Holy Grail, fought valiantly. Finally, he set fire to the gunpowder magazine, perishing alongside his enemies. Afterwards, the prince and Jessica returned to the battlefield and discovered the wooden Holy Grail, blackened by the flames but surprisingly intact. The believers considered this a miracle and thus preserved the Grail.

To express their gratitude for their sacrifice and to commemorate their immense contribution to the defense of Constantinople, the Roman Catholic Church presented this banner to the Hussites. Their representative, Guo Kang, had the banner made and presented it to the prince and Jessica; Jessica then brought the banner to the believers on Mount Tabor, informing them that the royal court had decided to continue employing Hussite soldiers of Bohemian origin as their guard.

This flag is also Roman in style. It has a cross-shaped wooden frame with a black brocade banner hanging from the crossbar. The background on the flag is a mosaic of shimmering thin metal sheets. Now, it reflects a dazzling light under the firelight. In the uncovered center, the black background is revealed, forming the shape of a Holy Grail, in remembrance of the charred Holy Grail. Below, the words "Guardians of the Capital" are written.

Some soldiers had been separated by the cavalry and could only fight on their own using their chariots, but none of them wavered. And the enemy showed no sign of stopping.

The Lithuanian and Polish cavalry denounced the Hussites as heretics and apostates, vowing to burn them all at the stake; the Hussites, in turn, denounced them as lackeys of the devil, who preyed on good believers and protected the fallen, arguing that the faith of Europe could not be saved without their killing.

Both armies, calling upon the names of the Heavenly Father and the Heavenly Brother, fought each other to the death with equal fervor.

(End of this chapter)