Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 184 Fighting
Historically, Harold's troops' recklessness directly led to the failure of the battle. Since Orville knew this, he would naturally be more cautious.

It is hard to say whether William's defeat was a sting operation or an accident. In any case, he just assumed that the other party had thought it over and done it intentionally. Suspicion should be a virtue rather than a shortcoming for a commander. He should not seek merit but avoid mistakes. Except for those top-level situations, fighting is more about who makes fewer mistakes rather than who makes better decisions.

He repeatedly stressed to the soldiers not to leave their posts without permission, as this could be a trick of the enemy, and that they should just follow the orders of the centurions and captains and fight in a planned manner. The soldiers were still relatively obedient anyway, and after repeated emphasis, not many people left their posts without permission, and the formation remained as stable as a rock.

Since the Romans had made perfect preparations, the situation on the Germanic side was now quite passive. In order to prevent the trend of collapse from expanding, Harold had only two choices - either send out his own reserve troops to take over, or let the Frankish cavalry charge first.

In the end, he chose to use the cavalry as his trump card and let the infantry troops take over first. His own guards and part of the Viking troops were sent to the battlefield. The military strength of the left wing was originally weak, so it was reasonable to send out the reserve troops. However, Harold did not expect the troops to collapse so early, so he sent out these reserves much in advance.

The situation on the Roman side was not good either. They had no time to rest. Just when they had time to catch their breath, they had to face the powerful German elite army again. These people were of high quality and had very good physical preservation. For a while, the Roman troops were caught in a bitter battle.

Orville was observing the situation on the hillside and noticed the Germans' small moves at the first time. He ordered Rollo, "Take your soldiers and charge forward. Follow the original plan. This battle will determine our future and fate. I wish you good luck."

Rollo was not good at speaking, so he just nodded in agreement silently, then saluted and left to gather his soldiers.

He and his former Vikings had no aversion to cannibalism. Death and killing were commonplace to them, and they had had many conflicts with other Vikings in the past.

Five hundred Viking warriors joined the battlefield at Rollo's command. They were significantly different from their counterparts - their equipment was several levels better, and they did not look like pirates at all, but rather like elite soldiers.

Some works portray the Vikings as being well-equipped, with any warrior being able to equip themselves with a complete set of weapons including mail armor, iron helmet, long sword, shield, axe, dagger, javelin, etc. However, if you think about it in reality, you will know that this is impossible.

Although the North has a pretty good level of metallurgy, the resources are certainly not abundant, otherwise there wouldn't be so many people leaving the city and going out to sea to become pirates and bandits. It is precisely because of the scarcity of resources that many people have to rely on looting for a living.

Although most Vikings were experienced in combat and were brave and aggressive, their equipment was generally not very good. Leather armor, a shield and a one-handed weapon were standard equipment. Those who could afford iron armor and helmets were considered small leaders. As for a full set of equipment at the level of film and television dramas, those were decent things that only a few people could afford. Most people just did the job to get by, and were happy as long as they didn't delay killing people.

In contrast, Orwell prepared a luxurious "signing gift package" for his mercenaries. Rollo chose elite soldiers, and the quality of the people he brought was pretty good. Orwell generously equipped all of them with armor and used them as personal guards and spearhead troops. This must have made the Romans and auxiliary soldiers feel a little unbalanced, but Rollo's performance has always been excellent, and they can only complain if they are dissatisfied. Orwell and them have a private employment relationship, and the money is paid by Orwell himself, and he has not misappropriated the legion's funds, so the legion can't say anything.

Now, Rollo and his men were about to prove their worth. They rushed into the battlefield like an arrow from a bow, and made a slight maneuver, going around the woods and attacking the Germanic army from the side. This sudden appearance of force on the battlefield caught them off guard, but their reaction was not slow, and they quickly sent out several troops to deal with these Vikings.

The addition of fresh troops boosted the morale of Orville and also actually alleviated some of the pressure on the front line, allowing the Roman legions and spearmen on the front to withstand this wave of attacks.

The sound of shields colliding, the sound of metal clashing, the sound of people roaring, the wailing of people before they die. There are all kinds of sounds on the battlefield. Both sides hold their breath and grit their teeth to start fighting. The first wave is a test of courage and explosive power, and the latter is a test of endurance and perseverance. Both the Romans and the Germans know that this battle is of great importance. Everyone is desperately holding on, hoping that the other side will be the first to collapse.

Orville later sent several reserve troops to the right wing of the army to hold the battle line steadily. The enemy gradually gathered their defeated soldiers. The officers and the supervisory teams shouted and ordered the soldiers to reorganize their formation, muster up the courage to participate in the war, and even drew their swords to kill several deserters who disobeyed orders and lost their will to fight. At least they suppressed the panic and stabilized the situation.

Hand-to-hand combat is a long and seemingly inefficient process that often lasts for a long time until both sides are exhausted or one side can no longer hold on.

In fact, by noon, the Germans had already begun to think of retreating and wanted to withdraw to rest before playing the second half. However, although the Romans were also exhausted, they still held on to the Germans and refused to let go.

The German officers commanding the front line found that the enemy did not give them any chance to withdraw from the battlefield. They had no choice but to fight on without hesitation. They could not show weakness at this time, and the two sides continued to engage in fierce hand-to-hand combat.

The Romans' accumulated training came in handy at this time. The army's resilience and obedience were quite high, giving them an advantage in fighting this war of attrition that tormented both sides.

In the end, the Germanic left wing, right wing and center army could no longer hold on and were in danger of collapse and being penetrated by the Romans. Once the front line was penetrated, the only result waiting for the Germanic people was defeat.

Harold had no other backup plan and had no choice but to send out the Frankish cavalry. At this time, the three parties had no time to argue, as losing the battle would benefit no one. Under the order of the cavalry commander, thousands of Frankish cavalry were divided into two cavalry wings and concentrated on the right side of the line, preparing to charge through the woods and launch a flank attack on the Roman army's flank.

(End of this chapter)