Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 158 Car Formation
Just when Orville was about to convince himself with this logic, another thought suddenly came to his mind.

[Is it necessary to be so timid and frustrated? ]

Now the main force of the Wessex Kingdom's defenders has been besieged in the city of Winchester by the Ninth Legion. It stands to reason that with the mobilization capacity of an early feudal kingdom, it would not be able to mobilize many regular soldiers. Theoretically, the army of thousands or tens of thousands of people that Orville imagined is impossible to exist.

The most likely possibility is that this is a group of guerrillas with a slightly larger number and a certain level of organization. The number of people may not be as large as the baggage train. Orville actually doesn't need to be so afraid. He is often too cautious.

It's not his fault, because Orville has never led an army independently. He has always been assisted by experienced adjutants. Although they would also give orders, he had the confidence to lead him. Now he is alone and has no one to rely on, so it is inevitable that he would be a little panicked.

He subconsciously glanced at Rollo standing beside him. The strong man was silent and prepared to execute the order issued by Orwell. Rollo was actually a smart man. He knew what his position was, so he would not take over the job of a military advisor. He was just a mercenary leader and part-time guard captain. He just needed to do his job well. He didn't need to show that he was in a hurry to give Orwell some irrelevant suggestions. Such a self-willed person might not be liked by the master.

In fact, Orville really hoped that Rollo could exchange ideas with him now, but seeing his expression, he knew that it was impossible. However, despite this, he still felt a little relieved, because Rollo still had that stern face, looking serious and calm, and was not affected by the previous cavalry at all, just concentrating on doing his job.

After all, mercenaries and pirates are all risky jobs, and those who have reached a certain level in this line of work must have a big heart. Rollo must have experienced the feeling of being stared at by the enemy dozens of times. He certainly won't be as panicked as Orville.

He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down, then issued an order to everyone with a stern face: "You all saw that there are enemies lingering near us. This is a very dangerous signal. Stop marching temporarily and connect the baggage wagons into a circle as our cover. We will rely on these wagons for defense."

At this point in time, the Romans had not fought many battles with nomadic tribes, and had not yet developed a method of chariot formations to restrain cavalry and infantry attacks. However, this did not stop Orville from following suit and creating an original monkey version of the chariot formation. He had originally intended to use it against the Franks or Parthians in the future, but he did not expect it to come in handy now.

Originally due to lack of experience and training, some panicked soldiers suddenly felt reassured by Orville's orders. When people are panicked, their rationality will decline, and they will either blindly follow or fall into chaos. Fortunately, the result now is the former rather than the latter.

These soldiers had certainly never come across such a thing as a chariot formation, but what Orville said was easy to understand, and under the command of the centurion of the Royal Guard, they soon got busy.

A nearly circular chariot formation was quickly built. The carriages were unloaded and placed on the outside of the formation, while the horses were gathered together and placed in the center of the position. The soldiers relied on the chariot formation with thick wooden boards for defense and attack. In this way, the position of Orville and others was completed.

The agricultural civilization on the other side of the Eurasian continent often had to deal with nomadic peoples, and had accumulated a lot of relevant experience. The chariot formation was proven to be an effective means to deal with cavalry. It could offset the impact of cavalry and provide cover for the infantry in the position. This made the infantry in the position less afraid of the attack of projectile weapons. If the enemy outside the position wanted to break through the formation, they could basically only rely on close combat. Seeing that the position was ready, Orville turned his head and looked at Rollo on the side: "I'll trouble you with the rest. You will be rewarded for your bravery. I know your plan. You want land and a stable residence. I can provide you with all these. How about starting from this battle? I think the huge Kingdom of Wessex can still find a place for you to settle down."

Frankly speaking, Orville couldn't completely trust Rollo. The reason he brought him instead of Belisarius or Stilicho this time was because the two officers were busy fighting and couldn't be away. It would be a waste of talent to let a general be his bodyguard, and Orville only had a few capable people under him, so he had no choice but to have Rollo accompany him.

Unexpectedly, this has become a battle to test Luo Luo's loyalty, and it is also the result of a series of coincidences.

Luo Luo himself didn't seem to have any bad intentions. He just responded and nodded heavily: "I will prove that my loyalty is worthy of your reward, and I will also prove that we are excellent warriors. Just watch."

After saying that, he picked up his exaggerated comic-sized two-handed battle axe, put on his helmet and armor, and entered combat mode.

There is a reason why Luo Luo's nickname is "Walker". He is too tall and strong, and Nordic horses are relatively short and cannot bear his weight at all. Therefore, he can only walk on foot. That's why he is called "Walker". It's not because he is an unformally ordained monk like Wu Song.

Fierce generals have always been popular in ancient times. Rollo, a meat mountain, standing in the middle of the army was like a stabilizing force, which stabilized the morale of the army. After they had calmed down, Orville took the opportunity to start his brief pre-war speech.

"We should thank Jupiter for giving us the opportunity. Together we can defend the empire's wealth and honor. This has always been our glorious mission and duty. Don't be afraid of the enemy, the climate, or the terrain. Let me see your bravery and courage, and don't let me look down on you! Let us survive together. The victor will eventually be rewarded, whether it is money, land, freedom, or even citizenship. As long as you have made a contribution, I will reward all the brave and meritorious people. Each of you will have at least 20 dinars to get."

The usual pleasantries were inevitable, but many people were really interested, especially after Orville claimed that warriors who killed more than five enemies would receive 100 dinars and citizenship.

As the saying goes, there is always a brave man under a big reward. Orville was willing to spend money because he didn't want to take the money to the grave and pay it as toll to the ferryman of the Styx.

(End of this chapter)