Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 258 The First Battle
Time goes back to a day ago. When the morning light first appeared, accompanied by the sound of the assembly call, the coalition forces began to assemble.

Among them, the company of Roger of the Antiochus Army took the lead, followed by other Antiochus Army and the direct troops of Tyre.

The marching column consisting of four columns moved quickly on the coastal plain.

The coastal plain of the Levant extends from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula in the south to Antioch and the border with Asia Minor.

Among them, the land that ancient Israel clearly occupied mostly reached the Plain of Acre. The land further north was controlled by the Phoenicians for a long time.

Among them, Carthage, which was destroyed by Rome during the Punic War, was also founded by Phoenicians from Tyre.

It can be said that war has existed since the beginning of human civilization and has never stopped.

Today, it is the turn of the Franks and Arabs to kill each other in the ruins of many empires.

Roger, who was walking in the queue fully armed with armor, found it difficult to understand a few days ago why the Kingdom of Jerusalem was so persistent in training and marching.

In the past few months, a daily march of 4 leagues was only the norm, and long distances could reach 8 or 10 leagues.

One league is about 5 kilometers.

It was not until two days ago, when he received the mission and was actually walking on the coastal plain today, that Roger truly realized what was going on.

Speed ​​is of the essence in war; use speed to defeat slowness.

40 kilometers, or 8 miles, is a distance that would take an ordinary feudal conscripted army three days at the slowest and two days at the fastest.

They set out in the morning and arrived in the evening, completing the march and building camp in one day.

Walking on the coast, the sea breeze blows on your face from time to time.

The Turkic scouts in the distance were observing Roger's army, but they were powerless. Apart from reporting the news, they had no way to stop the rapid movement of the army.

By the time Saladin heard the news, he organized his army and prepared to counterattack.

The Antiochus army had already passed Rashihanekra and entered the Acre Plain and was about to reach the pre-planned camp.

Just as the sun was about to approach the sea surface, Roger's company's first battle finally came.

Unlike Roger's previous wars, the battle he experienced this time was the norm in this era.

Before, whether it was Leonard or Garys, they were actually considered rare heroes in this era.

Leonard's fighting style is extremely imaginative and most people cannot figure it out. He is real but fake, and fake but real. If his opponents had not been absolutely crushed time and time again, he might have continued to get away with it.

Garys is even more outrageous. He is either ahead of the times or breaks through with his personal strength. He is an opponent that cannot be dealt with no matter how hard you try.

Therefore, Roger lost the two battles in a row.

And this time, this is the scene that will be encountered in a normal battle.

The fighting style that mainly relies on cold weapons is neither exciting nor blood-pumping. To be exact, it is quite boring.

There was no scene of Saladin's cavalry charging at Antiochus's army at all costs.

There is also no scene where the infantry on our side stand still and are ready to die when fighting against the cavalry.

The former is what the Frankish knights would do, while the latter is the reaction the troops would have when Gellis was present in person.

The company Roger was in was not inside the vehicle array, but outside it.

The other soldiers in the chariot formation were busy building the camp. They had to complete the construction of the camp before tonight and prepare for the siege the next day.

From the very beginning, according to the top priority plan of the Kingdom's Military Affairs Department, this would not be a long siege, and there was not even any plan to engage in a field battle with Saladin's nomadic light cavalry, but only a sudden attack on the city.

One of the costs of doing so was that Roger's company, which had just completed its march, had to face Saladin's cavalry head-on.

The cavalrymen under Saladin, in groups of more than a hundred, rushed over from several hundred steps away, with smoke and dust billowing.

In Roger's opinion, the momentum was actually quite scary. As a member of the army, he was naturally nervous.

But the squad leaders on the side blocked the two sides of the queue, and the platoon leaders were at the back of the line urging the soldiers to hold their spears.

While Roger was getting nervous, the cavalrymen retreated to the sides when they were within arrow range.

It was more of a demonstration than an attack or a battle.

Even though there were artillery pieces set up next to Roger, he chose not to fire because of the distance.

In this way, the two sides ended their first confrontation with a tense opening but a less-than-full ending.

In Roger's opinion, the performance of these cavalrymen is actually not much different from those gangsters and bullies.

They tried to scare off ordinary infantry by showing off their terrifying power, but they were afraid of artillery and arrows and did not dare to rush towards them directly.

On the battlefields of the Levant today, artillery is no longer a secret due to the large number of battles.

Most of the combatants are aware that the emergence of new weapons has begun to change the rules of war, and everyone is trying their best to adapt.

Therefore, the nomadic light cavalry no longer dared to rush directly to the front of the infantry formation and shoot arrows.

If the enemy's artillery is filled with shells, the cavalry will suffer even greater losses.

But such false shocks are not ineffective.

Those nomadic light cavalrymen, numbering in groups of more than a hundred, were performing their previous actions again and again.

Thousands of light cavalry, enough to form more than a dozen regiments, take turns to fight.

First they gathered together to gather their strength, then they smashed into the army formation, but then dispersed outside the safe range.

Roger could clearly feel that the line between himself and his comrades was actually slightly deformed.

Although artillery shells can cause considerable damage to cavalry, as vanguard troops, they actually do not carry many artillery shells.

When the enemy has a certain understanding of artillery, it is no longer possible to simply use artillery to scare them off.

In this case, we have to return to the confrontation between spears and cavalry.

The infantry formation relied on the uniformity of the spears in the front row to deal with the cavalry charge. After Roger's company displayed its high-quality formation, the opponent was naturally unwilling to attack directly.

Instead, it was through continuous false charges by cavalry squads, coupled with some long-range projectiles from the corners.

This would gradually crush the company's morale, causing gaps in the entire spear line.

Then one or two real Mamluk charges would be used to widen the gaps in the Crusader formation.

This forced the Crusaders to turn around and flee, thus disrupting the infantry lines behind them.

Finally, the cavalry chased and dispersed the deserters, expanding the chaos and defeating the Crusaders. Even for Roger in the army, such repeated attempts were not exciting. Instead, the constantly tense and relaxed nerves made him tired.

You know, they had already completed a march of 7 miles before!
Roger's mental quality was actually quite good, so he just started to feel numb and then sluggish. As for the soldiers who had never really participated in actual combat, their limbs began to become stiff and their breathing became disordered.
However, since the military formation of Gellis has left the medieval level, it has begun to evolve towards the Spanish square era.

Even though the morale of many soldiers began to decline, there was no collapse.

In the Spanish Phalanx era, neither the phalanx nor the line formation actually directly improved the combat capability of the infantry.

Instead, it ensures that the soldiers in the front row will not easily collapse.

In the army formation where Roger was, he could not turn around and run away, because the moment he ran away, the infantry in the back row would try their best to stop him for their own safety.

The squad leader and platoon leader on the side would urge themselves to stand well and record their performance in battle as a basis for subsequent evaluation or punishment.

Under such an organizational system, a small number of elite feudal warriors would become insignificant.

After all, a side with good organization and a large number of people will obviously be better than ordinary elite forces.

"Steady, steady!"

The squad leaders beside Roger were trying their best to cheer up the soldiers beside them and let them take deep breaths to relieve stress.

As veterans who followed Gairis from Transjordan to Antioch and then from Antioch to Tyre, the non-commissioned officers like the squad leader, not to mention their combat skills, their morale is really stronger than the other, and is in a nearly locked state.

No matter how many times this false charge happens, it will hardly have any effect on these sergeant squad leaders who have firm beliefs.

As long as the morale of the non-commissioned officers does not collapse, ordinary soldiers like Roger can maintain the battle line, and the overall spear line will remain stable.

The light cavalry under Saladin did not dare to act rashly.

As the sky gradually darkened, the camp was completed, and even the temporary dock extending to the coast was successfully built.

At this time, the benefits of having Venice, Genoa, and many other Italian city-states as friendly forces began to show.

Large quantities of supplies and heavier artillery began to be loaded down from the ships.

But even before the supplies and artillery landed were the German Crusaders under Eden.

To be precise, the knights who had boarded the ship from Tyre and had not walked the entire journey were the first to go ashore. Their horses were also being comforted to ensure that they could settle down as soon as possible after reaching shore.

When the thousand German knights under Eden were ready for battle and expressed a strong desire to attack.

The battle of half a day was over.

It is still a psychological game and does not require a real conflict.

Just like the nomadic light cavalry, they did not dare to charge the neatly arranged infantry formations, knowing that this would be tantamount to suicide.

They also knew that the knights' charge could easily break down the nomadic cavalry's group.

It would obviously be unwise to engage in a head-on conflict with the arrogant Frankish knights.

If the enemy had not built camps and docks on the coast, Saladin's troops would still dare to stop them on the beach. Anyway, the enemy's knights would definitely not ride horses when they went ashore.

But now, in the half-afternoon confrontation with the enemy, the infantry line not only did not collapse, but also gradually repaired the barracks.

Even the knight managed to get ashore, how can we fight him?
Just withdraw and leave those troublesome things to Lord Saladin. They, the subordinates, should stop worrying about the big man!
Besides, even if the Crusaders successfully landed, they still occupied the city of Acre and had the military advantage.

Therefore, I don’t think this retreat will lead to any serious consequences.

When Gellis went ashore and asked Pierre and other chief officers about the situation, he received a reply that made him happy.

"Prophet, the total casualties of the vanguard troops are 24, of which only 3 are seriously injured. The others are mostly slightly injured, mostly by the enemy's arrows. No one has fled."

Garys patted Pierre on the shoulder. He was very satisfied with the result.

It can be said that he did not intervene in the entire battle this time, and he was really standing on the boat watching the process.

Of course, I understand how excellent the performance of these soldiers is.

In this afternoon's battle, there was no need for the soldiers to perform brilliantly or the officers to be resourceful.

As long as they can apply the experience gained from training, it will be very good.

On the other side, when Saladin received the relevant battle report, he had to look serious and show anger.

For several hours, the thousands of cavalrymen under his command should be as unstoppable as the sea.

But this time, let alone facing the Frankish knights, even facing the infantry of the Crusaders, they did not cause the enemy's army to disperse!

The veteran Muzaffar, who was standing by, subconsciously wanted to question this process after hearing it, saying that this should not exist at all!
Even if the previous cavalry were just bluffing, the other necessary processes were not missing. As long as the Crusader infantry showed a little disorganization, the bluffing charge could be transformed into a real charge!

Faced with such bluffing, even the Mamluk infantry under Saladin would appear uneasy and reveal their flaws, and then be defeated on the right wing by Muzaffar.

But how come the Crusader infantry are two levels stronger than the Mamluks!

After Muzaffar said something loudly, Saladin patted him on the shoulder to shut him up, and then handed him a silk scarf to wipe off the cold sweat on his face.

The other side was not so much furious as a little timid, because the Frankish knights were stronger than the Saracens.

If the infantry is so strong, what are they fighting for?

Even if we defeat the opponent by outnumbering them, I'm afraid we will suffer heavy losses.

After calming Muzaffar down a bit, Saladin summoned the emirs from all over the country to review today's situation.

Whether it was the fact that the Tyrian army set out in the morning and arrived the following evening, or that the enemy army did not move at all this evening, it was somewhat beyond Saladin's understanding.

"The battle this afternoon really opened my eyes. Are we still Allah's warriors? We have captured Jerusalem under Allah's blessing. Even the Roman Emperor Barbarossa fell into hell under Allah's will."

"How come after such a hard fight this afternoon, we didn't even hurt the enemy, and all ten of our men were not killed, yet we just retreated!"

"In this way, wouldn't it boost the morale of others?"

Saladin's scolding made all the emirs present look embarrassed.

Indeed, this afternoon's battle was more of a performance than a battle. There was no progress at all and it was just a laughing stock.

But many emirs expressed dissatisfaction, after all, the troops under their command did not participate in the war.

Therefore, everyone patted their chests and said that after two or three days, when their army was assembled, they would definitely teach the Crusaders a lesson.

Saladin also nodded and agreed with their opinion.

Anyway, the walls of Acre are solid, so it shouldn't be a problem in the short term.

(End of this chapter)