Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 185: Defeatist Advisor
With the terrain restricted like this, there wasn't much room for either side to maneuver. Neither Orville nor Harold were military geniuses with magnificent imaginations or unrestrained creativity. Both sides fought according to routines and rules, and what mattered more was the basic qualities of the soldiers and grassroots officers.

Harold was now at his wit's end, and the only trick he could use was a cavalry charge to win the battle. Orville could roughly guess what was going on, so he made preparations for it.

He also ordered his cavalry to go out and confront the enemy head-on - compared to the unified cavalry units of the Franks, this time Orville's troops were actually pieced together in a scattered manner.

The Romans invested their resources in legion infantry and did not pay much attention to cavalry construction. In addition, the land of Rome or Italy is indeed not suitable for raising horses. Their cavalry has always been small in number and their combat effectiveness is only at the average level. It cannot be said to be weak, but it is not objective to say how strong it is.

Orville was not the commander of the Guards, so naturally he did not have such super luxurious treatment as the entire local cavalry unit. At the beginning, his cavalry squad was composed of the light cavalry brought by King Herod of Parvi. Their combat effectiveness was mediocre and their numbers were not large.

Later, he absorbed some cavalry in Gaul, and when he attacked the Wessex people, he reorganized some local nobles and made them cavalry to fight with the army. There was indeed no significant difference in quantity between the two sides, but the quality and unity were relatively poor.

Even by the Romans' self-righteous and picky standards, the Franks should not be considered as mere barbarians. They had reached the level of civilization of the early feudal era. Compared with the Franks in history, the only thing they lacked seemed to be riding gear such as the Takahashi saddle and stirrups. As far as Orville knew, they seemed to have figured out the Takahashi saddle, and with further research they might be able to come up with the revolutionary stirrup. After all, this was not a complicated technology, and ideas were much more valuable than craftsmanship. Basically, any craftsman could make it if they could think of it.

Faced with an opponent of this level, Orville did not dare to be overconfident. The goal he set for his cavalry unit was just to delay the enemy.

The cavalry units that entered the charging state were very fast. There were currently no heavy shock cavalry in the world on the northern coast of the Mediterranean, but light cavalry could also run at a speed that would attract people's attention, and might even be slightly better.

The two sides quickly approached each other and then collided, starting a very brutal hand-to-hand fight.

First there was a round of spear throwing, and most of the soldiers who were charging at the front were injured. The cavalry of both sides collided with each other, and many people were knocked off their horses, and many people were even thrown off their horses. The scene was very chaotic for a while.

Generally speaking, the Germans were much better at controlling horses. More of them maintained their balance on their horses, then calmly drew their weapons and engaged in close combat with the enemies around them.

Due to the limitations of this era, the positioning of cavalry was more of flexible and mobile mounted infantry and melee cavalry responsible for close combat. Shock cavalry was still in its infancy, and the way the opposing officers used cavalry was obviously more conservative. The two sides engaged in close combat, and many people, after being knocked off their horses, patted their buttocks and picked up their weapons beside them to continue to join the battle.

Just follow the steps. The Germans don't need to resort to surprise attack. They have the advantage in hard power. It is the Romans who need to use all kinds of skills.

The reason why Harold did not let the cavalry charge into the forest was that he was worried about the enemy's Celtic light infantry. Now this worry has become a reality. The battle between the two sides gradually became white-hot. After the Germans began to gradually gain the upper hand, a large group of Celts rushed out from the depths of the forest and surrounded and beat the Germans on horseback. They had undergone a lot of drills beforehand and were already familiar with how to deal with cavalry - four people in a group, one person stabbed the cavalry's mount with a short spear, the other two took advantage of the situation to pin the cavalry to the ground, and finally one person killed the lone cavalryman who was controlled with an axe or a long sword.

This combination was simple and efficient, and the Celts' joining the battlefield tilted the balance of war again - although cavalry was expensive and powerful, once they were dragged down and fell into a tug-of-war, they were not much stronger than infantry, not to mention that the Germans were facing enemies that outnumbered them.

The Celts fearlessly attacked the flank of the Frankish cavalry, putting them in a state of being attacked from both sides to a certain extent. Now the Frankish commander had only two choices - either grit his teeth and charge hard to break through the enemy's defense line and go straight to the weak position on the enemy's rear flank without considering his own retreat and chance of survival, or choose to retreat from the woods and return to the starting position.

If the Franks were serving their king now, their fighting enthusiasm would probably be several levels higher. Perhaps this young cavalry officer would choose to fight to the death and sacrifice himself for the future of his country and monarch, but now they are fighting for the Anglo-Saxons on the British island.

Although they would not abandon their posts or disobey orders, most people in the classical era were indeed unable to understand things like strategic environment and long-term planning. They could only burst out with sufficient awareness and fighting will when defending their homeland. In this strange island country, they certainly could not sacrifice their lives without hesitation.

After weighing the pros and cons, the young cavalry officer chose to blow the retreat horn and order his cavalry to withdraw from the forest.

After leaving behind the bodies of one or two hundred men, these cavalrymen finally escaped from the forest. There was no achievement worth mentioning, but rather a lot of losses. After escaping death, the morale of the cavalrymen was severely hit.

Ivar, who was watching the battle from the rear, witnessed all this and sighed silently. At the same time, he whispered to his soldiers, "Go and prepare to withdraw the soldiers. This battle is almost lost. Don't let the soldiers suffer too many losses. We have further plans. Are the ships ready?"

The other party replied: "Of course it is ready. It is anchored near Hastings and can leave at any time. It is just waiting for us to get on the ship. Everything is ready."

Ivar nodded slightly to express his satisfaction. Seeing this, the adjutant continued to busy himself with his own affairs. He called in the Vikings' own light cavalry and asked them to inform the Viking commanders on various fronts. Dozens of people dispersed in an instant and went about their own business.

Ivar watched his warriors go away in silence, his hands unconsciously clenching the hilt of the sword.

(End of this chapter)