Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 787 The Voice of Truth
After discussing with Zhu Wenkui, Tang Sai'er returned to her starting position to check on the troop assembly, and then called Li Li over.

“Uncle Li, I told Brother Kui what the Javanese merchant said,” she said to Li Li. “His reaction was even more intense than you expected!”

"What? You told him directly?" Li Li was taken aback.

“Didn’t you tell me that by using those words from the Yuan people, I could explain the reasoning to him: although I did rebel, it wasn’t anything particularly important?” Tang Sai’er said, “I took this opportunity to explain it to him.”

“Then don’t rush to say it now,” Li Li quickly explained, “There’s going to be a war soon, and you’re suddenly saying something like that to him…”

“I think the timing is quite good,” Tang Sai’er said. “We’re about to go to war, and I’ll be leading the charge, so it’s easier to explain things to him clearly. At other times, it would be inappropriate for me to be so direct.”

“Didn’t I say before that these things are better left as hints? If you just say it so directly—is that even a hint?” Li Li said helplessly.

“No. I think it’s a good way to put it.” Tang Sai’er shook her head and insisted, “In the time I’ve known him, I feel that he actually prefers this straightforward way of expressing himself.”

“We are civilized people, not barbarians. What woman expresses her love so forcefully? This not only violates the requirements of etiquette and Zhu Xi’s advocacy, but also easily reinforces the image of a fierce thief. It’s like strengthening the very element you need to avoid in our strategy,” Li Li pointed out.

“But I think Jeanne is quite straightforward. He probably falls for that,” Tang Sai’er said doubtfully.

“You have to differentiate yourself from her. Besides, the French are barbarians, so they don’t need to worry about anything,” Li Li explained. “But it’s different where we are. Even barbarians influenced by our Chinese culture wouldn’t act like that. When I was a child, I went with the chieftain to southern barbarian countries like Champa and Zhenla. Such behavior wasn’t common in their courts…”

“Besides, you’re already forcing him to take the lead and demonstrate your strength; if you say these things to him now, wouldn’t that seem like you’re blackmailing him?” He sighed and added, “Furthermore, who uses war to win favor? If you lose, all your boasting will be exposed, and even if you survive, you’ll be too ashamed to face anyone. It’s not worth the gamble, is it? On the other hand, even if you win, it will seem like you’re forcing him. How can a prince accept that?”

“I think this way of expressing my opinion is quite good.” Tang Sai’er hesitated for a moment, “So I just said it directly, too lazy to beat around the bush.”

"No, boss, so many of us are relying on you, how can you be so casual!" Li Li was on the verge of collapse: "Everyone can see that the Wu Prince's Mansion is actually not short of talent. The people under their command are more than enough to make a name for themselves in Europe. They can do just fine without us..."

"Huh? Are you sure?" Tang Sai'er was skeptical.

"I've studied and even prepared for the imperial examinations, you know," Li Li said speechlessly. "I can tell the difference, can't I..."

“Those people are already familiar with each other. Whether it’s Commander Yang or Miss Jeanne, they are both veterans in the Prince’s mansion. Why should we newcomers compete with them? Aren’t we just hoping you can make connections with us?”

"Throughout history, the most dangerous yet most rewarding things have been the struggle for the throne and the infighting in the harem. We can't treat this like a child's dating game, can we? Let's be serious about it, even for everyone's sake."

"Alright, let's focus on the battle then. Don't worry, if I make it big, I'll definitely help everyone out." Tang Sai'er immediately assured them, "I finally managed to get the first strike opportunity in this battle, so let's make it exciting and give everyone a good show!"

"Okay, okay," Li Li had no choice but to agree.

After giving her long explanation, Tang Sai'er seemed even more enthusiastic. She finished giving her orders and rode off to find other leaders to assign tasks.

A short while later, Haki Gray, still wrapped in bandages, rode over at a trot.

"Hey? Why aren't you resting? Why are you here?" Li Li asked hurriedly. "The fighting is probably about to start."

“I have no mind to recover from my injuries.” Gray shook his head repeatedly and replied in broken Chinese, “My men are almost all wiped out, and they haven’t accomplished anything. I only insisted that Commander Yang put me here because I knew we were going to fight. If we miss this decisive battle, I don’t know if I’ll ever have another chance to make a contribution.”

"Hey," he said, pointing to Tang Sai'er's flag in the distance, "My servant said he saw you two chatting for a while. How's it going with Miss Tang?"

"Hey, I think we should focus on preparing for the battle." Li Li looked very pessimistic.

“You’re a scholar from the Khitan. You must know the ins and outs of the court there,” Gray said quickly. “Why don’t you quickly look in the books and see if there are any records of successful experiences, and then teach her?”

“It’s in the books. In the ‘Garden of Stories,’ there’s a story about Jiang Yi giving advice to Anling Chan. But that’s because Anling Chan knew how to read the situation and say the right thing, so later generations summarized it as ‘Jiang Yi was good at planning, and Anling Chan knew when to act.’” Li Li shook his head and said, “But Miss Tang’s mind is full of war. She uses the ideas I give her haphazardly. It feels like Fan Zeng is giving advice to Xiang Yu. No matter how I try to help her, it won’t work.”

"Oh? I was hoping to get some benefit from this, so that we could also have a chance to rise above others, or even be granted land and territory." Gray said with a hint of regret.

"Let's just focus on preparing for the battle. I think Miss Tang is really not good at this," Li Li said helplessly. The two sighed a few times and then left.

At this moment, Jessica was already mobilizing the infantry, adjusting their formation as they began to advance. A short while later, Tang Sai'er also raised her flag, signaling everyone to take their starting positions.

Here, you can see that the Poles are still using their traditional two-tiered formation. In the first rank are several thousand infantrymen, arranged in checkerboard-like columns according to their lords and cities. Compared to the number Tang Sai'er scouted earlier, this is much smaller, but they are still placed at the very front, blocking the route with a slightly sparser line.

Behind the infantry were the cavalry, who formed the main force, also organized into small squads according to their respective lords. Hundreds of squads lined up in a row, forming a wider line than the front. In addition, perhaps to compensate for the infantry's disadvantage in combat strength and numbers, they also temporarily converted large wagons looted from the camp into chariots, which were placed at the front.

In previous battles against the Romans, both sides frequently used shield carts, but the Hussites' approach was unprecedented in Europe. So, in that sense, they learned it quite quickly…

There were more than twenty armored vehicles in total, and because of the rush, their level of completion varied greatly. Some of them were already quite well-made, with baffles installed, covered with wet felt for fire protection, and even water buckets prepared. It seemed they had been through quite a bit of trouble with the rockets yesterday, and had even come up with contingency plans. However, there were still some that were just hastily piled with some miscellaneous items on top of the large vehicles, probably because there simply wasn't enough time to do them properly.

In addition, they dug some simple trenches to protect the wagons used as support points. However, these trenches were not long and were not connected, probably because their main force was still cavalry, and they needed a more mobile area; otherwise, they wouldn't have retreated to this flat area. Therefore, it was essential to leave sufficient passageways. If they continued to create obstacles haphazardly, they risked trapping their own cavalry in as well.

The Ming army's formation was completely different. Their infantry ranks were now at the rear, arranged in five rows. The first row consisted of infantry from the southern prefectures who hadn't seen much fighting before and whose strength was relatively intact. The last row comprised the most experienced veterans from the mountainous areas. The others were sandwiched in the middle, forming three layers and creating a near-square formation.

At the left front corner of the infantry formation was Zhu Wenkui's cannon. At the right front corner were six huge wedge-shaped formations of cavalry. As for the sides and rear of the infantry formation, unlike the conventional formations popular in Europe today, there were no cavalrymen placed for cover or the terrain used to conceal the flanks. They were simply left wide open on the plain.

The Polish-Lithuanian allied forces had likely rarely seen this type of formation and were unsure how to respond. However, the Ming army quickly began its operation.

As the cavalry moved toward their starting position, the allied forces showed little reaction, seemingly not intending to risk a charge. They simply continued to adjust the cavalry's position, spreading the formation wider, presumably to prevent a flank attack.

Of course, Zhu Wenkui also didn't intend to give them a chance.

While both sides adjusted their positions, he directed everyone to move all the artillery pieces to their calculated locations. Although everyone felt this area was too far forward and somewhat dangerous, urging him not to wander off, Zhu Wenku insisted on staying and participating in the battle. Under his guidance, the artillerymen quickly completed their preparations.

After exchanging orders with each team, the battle officially began. Zhu Wenkui's two large cannons were the first to roar.

In fact, following Guo Kang's advice, these cannons could be omitted. Large cannons would directly hinder the army's mobility. Furthermore, these cannons were not well-suited for field battles, performing better in sieges and naval warfare. Given their current strategic situation, they were unlikely to face a direct assault on a fortress in the short term. Even if they did, following Roman custom, they preferred digging and blasting rather than continuous bombardment. Besides, if absolutely necessary, casting a few mortars temporarily beneath the city walls was not out of the question; Zhu Wenkui himself was a master craftsman, ensuring sufficient siege firepower in the heat of battle.

However, Zhu Wenkui felt that they were likely taking the main roads, so the impact of mobility shouldn't be that significant. Moreover, unlike the Romans, he had always been obsessed with bringing larger cannons to the battlefield. He hadn't used them much before, and this time, it finally gave him a chance to demonstrate their range and power.

The accuracy of these cannons was actually rather average, but their target was the entire enemy formation, so they could hit almost anywhere. The gentle slope opposite was perfect for the shells to bounce across. Moreover, they deliberately positioned the heavy artillery on the flanks, allowing the possible flight paths to pass diagonally across the entire formation. In the first volley, one shell grazed the edge of an infantry square, literally sending several men flying.

During the lulls in the firing, they pushed the other artillery pieces forward a little further. Based on the results of Zhu Wenkui and Guo Kang's previous tests, this medium-sized artillery—the so-called "88mm gun"—didn't have a significantly shorter range than heavy artillery when firing spherical solid shot, likely because the shells were considerably lighter. The main difference, however, lay in the destructive power of the projectiles.

In Guo Kang's view, this type of artillery was sufficient to deal with the various targets that might appear on the battlefield. That's why he insisted that it was the most suitable field artillery.

Moreover, due to its reduced size and weight, this artillery piece is not only easier to maneuver, but also significantly simpler to manufacture, allowing for full utilization of the best metallurgical techniques currently available. Therefore, although smaller, the "Type 88" gun utilizes the latest technologies and equipment from casting to boring, making it even more advanced than those precious heavy artillery pieces. It can also carry a larger number of these cannons.

When Zhu Wenkui set off this time, he brought all of the dozen or so "88mm cannons" with him. When these cannons began to bombard the tanks in concentrated bursts every two or three minutes, the Polish and Lithuanian people probably understood why, in the history of previous wars, those great powers that did not lack gunpowder rarely produced as many "tall and mighty" tanks as those in Central Europe.

Before long, almost all of the hastily assembled vehicles on the enemy's front line were destroyed.

Seeing these tall, sturdy, mobile fortifications—some even bearing military flags and used as key nodes on the front line—collapse and crumble one after another, the Allied infantry were clearly stunned. Although artillery was not uncommon in this era, given the average level of education among these infantrymen, most obviously could not understand the principles of artillery's destructive power and its advantages and disadvantages. They simply thought that if even these robust structures were quickly destroyed, how could they possibly withstand an attack on the infantry?

As a result, the artillery bombardment not only destroyed the fortifications but also severely damaged the morale of the Eastern European infantry. In particular, seeing that the carts had been largely eliminated, Zhu Wenkui began directing his men to turn the artillery around and bombard the enemy lines. Although these shells were much smaller, they were still far beyond what a few men stacked together could withstand. Soon, considerable casualties were inflicted on the frontline infantry.

The Polish-Lithuanian infantry began to waver. Although they did not flee immediately, many began to hide in the trenches they had dug earlier. Some infantrymen simply lay down in rows on the ground, too afraid to stand up. No matter how the officers whipped them or even cursed them with crosses, they simply covered their heads and refused to obey.

The priests in the Polish army also sprang into action, urging everyone not to fear the devil's sorcery, to maintain their faith in the truth, and to achieve the goal of eradicating heresy. However, the roar of the truth of war gradually drowned out their sermons. From a distance, it was clearly visible that large sections of the infantry's formation were faltering.

(End of this chapter)