Pendor Calendar 358 August 8.
Seren Wasteland.
This day is the birthday of Li Ang - it is also the birthday of Leon Griffin.
But this special day can only be spent on the battlefield, because Agason's troops have appeared in Li Ang's sight.
Of course Li Ang deliberately provoked Agason to take the initiative.
Just like Emperor Marius said - Li Ang doesn't want to take the initiative to attack Calundru Castle at all. He has more cavalry troops and is more suitable for field battles.
Moreover, it is Li Ang's consistent idea to choose the battlefield by yourself, and to choose a battlefield with an environment that you are more familiar with or more comfortable with.
The right time, right place, right people and these factors, we must always maintain an advantage over the enemy. This is the teaching of our ancestors.
However, Li Ang wants Agason to leave Calundru Castle, but cannot let him enter Lion Territory--Agason is a dangerous person. The ability to conquer Seven Forks Fortress with a patchwork army before shows his ability. If he is allowed to enter the hinterland of Lion Territory, it will be really troublesome.
Therefore, the wilderness in the south of Serenmis and the north of Seren Village is the battlefield chosen by Li Ang.
This place is called Seren Wasteland, which is the no-man's land between Lion Territory and Bacchus Empire. The overall terrain is desert and hilly.
Most of the area is relatively flat grassland, suitable for cavalry operations; there are also some hills and woods, suitable for Noldo Elvess to ambush.
This is also where General Osa of Bax finally decided to withdraw.
Li Ang's central army is the Lion Territory regular army led by Leofric, which is the army of each lord. The teams of Herriwold, Forster, Charles and others are also among them, with a total size of about three thousand people.
The Chinese army is fighting New Pendor Royal Banner under the banner of Li Ang, but Li Ang himself is not here - it is true and false, this is also the teaching of our ancestors.
"Agason really took the initiative...Risadiran, send an order to Sigismund and let him act as planned..."
Li Ang rode Alice and issued the order on the top of an inconspicuous hill.
Risadiran did not leave Li Ang's side, but directly lit a red feather arrow and shot it towards the sky due south.
After the arrow shot into the sky, it brought up a stream of orange-red smoke.
This is the product of Lingjian, Noldo Workshop.
But this kind of arrow is not a new invention. It has been used for decades. It only needs to soak the hemp rope in saltpeter for two days, dry it and then rub in a large amount of salt. Finally, mix it with some leather and sawdust and wrap it around the arrow shaft.
Sigismund leads a group of infantry and is at the forefront of all the troops under Li Ang.
This unit was formerly 'Free Legion' and is now New Pendor Second Legion.
In front of them, there was a simple low wall. This was a temporary fortification to protect against crossbows.
After seeing the command arrow in the sky, Sigismund sighed regretfully, "Every time I am asked to lure the enemy, I must have been nicknamed the 'Lord of Frequent Defeats' by now..."
But complaints were complaints, and he still started to greet his men to prepare for battle.
"Crossbowmen prepare! No need to attack, let the enemy rush over! We will retreat when they rush through this low wall... Do you understand?"
Looking at Baxian who was gradually approaching a few hundred meters away, Sigismund confirmed the order to his subordinates again.
"Ha!"
His men answered neatly. This was not the first time they had fought a similar battle - this unit had seduced Fallen One, it had seduced Raven Sir Boris. During the days when Li Ang was missing, they had also seduced Brennus's troops in order to counterattack Harlingosburg. They had always been 'collapsed at the first touch', but there had never been any major losses.
Since Sigismund led the army alone, it can be said that he has never won a battle, but every time he was judged on merit, he was in the first place - all of them were defeated under orders...
"The empire lives on!"
Bacchus Empire's forward army had already issued a battle cry, and a light regiment at the front quickened its pace and spread out its array slightly.
That is Gladiator Corps, Sigismund is very familiar - he and his men also served as gladiators in Bax.
"The crossbowmen fire freely! The spears come out..."
Sigismund also took off his sword and began to give formal orders.
"Woo... Woo..."
Baxian The long sound of the French horn indicates that the war has officially begun.
After Gladiator Corps approached two hundred meters in front of Sigismund's array, it began to accelerate and run in a skirmish line.
These flexible and extraordinary gladiators are often used by the Bacchus Empire as the first batch of Charge Squad in field battles - most of them were guilty people, and after playing a certain number of games in the gladiatorial arena, they were promoted to the regular legion, which can be regarded as having atoned for their sins.
But in the Bax army, Gladiator Corps's status is relatively low - even though their personal combat effectiveness far exceeds that of ordinary soldiers.
In the Bax army, which pays attention to array and coordination, personal force does not get them any special treatment. On the contrary, being a former criminal will attract a lot of discrimination and prejudice.
To put it simply, these gladiators are actually cannon fodder. They will be sent as Charge Squad in field battles, and they will be used as the offensive force to seize the key points of the city during siege - both are the most difficult tasks.
At a charging distance of two hundred meters, Sigismund's second legion fired three rounds of crossbow arrows. Gladiator Corps, with a total of about 700 people, was shot down by nearly a hundred people on the way to the charge.
The quality of their armor is not that good...
This is also the practice in Bax's army. Gladiator Corps's equipment is the worst. Many gladiators can't even get armor, so they can only make some leather armor to protect their vital parts.
Moreover, it is the hottest time of summer, and some people even go to battle shirtless.
When they reached the low wall, dozens more were stabbed over with spears.
"Brothers! Retreat!"
When Gladiator Corps started to climb over the low wall, Sigismund started to retreat.
Li Ang was on the top of the mountain, watching Gladiator Corps of Bax pour into the array of Sigismund.
Sigismund's team "collapsed" again, and then began to retreat section by section in a way that looked chaotic but was actually quite orderly.
At this time, something strange happened.
Gladiator Corps was still charging forward, but the other Bax troops stopped three hundred meters behind them.
"That's not right... Your Majesty, the enemy's army has stopped. They did not follow those gladiators!"
Risadiran reminded.
"I saw it... It's okay to eat Gladiator Corps. Accumulating small victories into big ones is the norm on the battlefield... Let Kloze attack, and other troops don't move."
Li Ang nodded and continued to convey the instructions.
Risadiran once again shot an arrow into the sky.
Gladiator Corps was still advancing, Kloze and Silver Hand rushed out from behind a mound on the side, throwing a large number of spears at the gladiators.
Subsequently, Sigismund's troops turned back and fought back, and the two troops surrounded Gladiator Corps with three times the strength.
But the strange thing is that even though Gladiator Corps is facing destruction, Bacchus Empire's Chinese army still remains silent.
Bacchus Empire's Chinese army seemed to number at least 6,000 people, but they were still arrayed a few hundred meters away and did not provide any support to Gladiator Corps at all.
"What is Agason doing? He seems to be giving up on those gladiators?! No matter whether he is advancing or retreating, there must be some movement, right? Have you seen those Iron Ring Centurion under Agason?"
Li Ang frowned and thought for a while, then turned around and asked.
"I didn't see it. The cavalry in their army are all light cavalry. Moreover, I didn't see Agason. His flags are everywhere."
Risadiran replied.
"It seems like he is hiding on an inconspicuous hilltop like me...Risadiran, give me the command arrow. Go and look at the right wing and try to find Agason."
Li Ang is also a little uneasy - he has a feeling that Agason deliberately threw Gladiator Corps to his death!
But why?
Although the status of gladiators is relatively low, their combat effectiveness is really not low. Doesn't Agason feel distressed by such a loss?
And... what is he trying to do?
Is it to lure out his ambush troops?
But this can't be drawn out - I only need to let two troops deal with Gladiator Corps, and the other troops who should be ambushing are still ambushing!
Li Ang began to consider various other possibilities.
And Risadiran quickly drove his horse to the west.
"Hohohoooo..."
A night owl's voice sounded.
"Your Majesty, there is something strange happening in Baxian's army... There are more enemies than we thought!"
Owl Knight Ols ran to Li Ang: "There is another unit behind their central army, a cavalry of more than 3,000 people! It is estimated that they set off from Erudition City and did not move with Calundru Castle's troops! Currently, this cavalry is advancing rapidly towards our left wing, and it looks like it is going to go behind us!"
"There are three thousand more cavalry? Agason Where did you get so many cavalry?!"
Li Ang was shocked.
According to the information previously obtained, the army transferred from Emperor Marius to Calundru Castle has two legions, namely Bacchus Second Legion under Agason and Imperial Guard Immortal Legion under Marius himself.
The Second Army has a total of 5,000 people, which is the people Li Ang can see currently. Gladiator Corps also belongs to the Second Army.
Bacchus Second Legion originally only had more than 3,000 people, but after returning from Dexia, Agason brought back more than 2,000 war horses, and the Second Army also expanded by 2,000 cavalry. Currently, it is a combination of 3,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry, which is the largest army in the entire Bacchus Empire army.
Immortal Legion can also see part of it, they are arrayed behind the second army.
These two legions add up to nearly 8,000 people, which is already a very strong force.
Li Ang's side includes about three thousand conventional soldiers. Silver Hand Knight Order and Free Legion have nearly two thousand people in total. Griffin Knights and Horn Summon Ranger Corps There are more than 1,500 knights in, Silver Mist Ranger Corps and others, plus the Noldor troops under Noldo Guard and Isildur of Li Ang, the total strength is 7,500 people.
The forces on both sides are evenly matched, Baxian is stronger in battle formation, while Li Ang has more cavalry, and several units can perform mounted shooting.
Li Ang also made targeted arrangements for this. He planned to lure the enemy deep into the enemy first, elongate the battlefield, and then carry out a side attack, that is, implement 'Woodpecker Tactic' in stages.
The front army of Sigismund is a decoy, and the Chinese army brought by Leofric is also a decoy - in the first stage, let Sigismund lure the enemy. If the enemy's Chinese army follows up, let Leofric also 'defeat' the enemy, lengthen or disrupt the enemy's array, and then carry out a flank attack.
After all, the proportion of cavalry on our side is larger, and Li Ang doesn't want to fight a regular position battle with Baxian - he may not be able to defeat him.
But now three thousand cavalry suddenly appeared - these cavalry were not expected, Li Ang had not made any advance arrangements.
Moreover, the sudden appearance of the cavalry will inevitably lead to the complete failure of the previously designed plan.
"Aren't those cavalry Phoenix Knight Order? Who is leading the army? Is there a flag?"
Li Ang asked uneasily.
"No, Phoenix Knight Order did not participate in the war, they are still in Calundru Castle... and there are not so many of them."
Ols shook his head. "Those cavalry are all lightly armed troops, and the weapons they use are all Bacchus Empire standard equipment. They look like newly reorganized troops. The flag they use is the Bax flag - we don't know who is leading the army."
"... It can't be Emperor Marius himself... isn't he seriously ill in bed..."
Li Ang looked at the battlefield and muttered a few words, and then pointed to the east. "Ols, go to the left wing and take a look. If the cavalry just intends to go around behind us, then there is no need to be nervous... But I am worried that they will attack Long River City! Agason asked Gladiator Corps to die, maybe they are deliberately dragging my large army!"
On the battlefield, Bax's Chinese army was still moving forward slowly, very slowly, and the array was maintained extremely well.
As for Gladiator Corps, the entire army was almost destroyed, but no one surrendered.
There were relatively few people who surrendered, which is to be expected. Li Ang not long ago ordered to cut off the right thumb of member Shadow Legion. A general like Agason would definitely make a fuss about this.
However, compared with the difficulty of the enemy surrendering, it is definitely more beneficial to prevent Shadow Legion's 1,600 elite warriors from going to the battlefield again - it is not certain whether Bacchus Empire can win or not. There is no need to consider the opponent's views on surrender before deciding the outcome.
"Teacher... I think you should withdraw your troops immediately."
Alina's voice sounded behind Li Ang.
"Actually, I think so too... But if I withdraw my troops first, I will have to move the front line back at least twenty miles. I will lose my original battlefield advantage, and I may also be surprised by Agason..."
Li Ang stared at the battlefield and answered.
"That cavalry is not Agason's unit! It should be His Majesty Marus himself! It's His Majesty Marus who is using Gladiator Corps as bait. He wants to attract your large troops to the spot... If it is Agason, he would not dare to completely abandon Gladiator Corps, otherwise it will affect the morale of the second army!"
Alina said to Li Ang very seriously.
"... You're right! Blow the withdrawal horn!"
Li Ang What a thrill, indeed!
Agason is just the leading general. He will not completely ignore Gladiator Corps who has already engaged Silver Hand. This should indeed be Marius' handiwork!
Put a regiment into your ambush circle, and then use Agason's troops to suppress the formation, so that your large troops cannot move, and the cavalry on the periphery...
Wondering what his cavalry was going to do.
But no matter what Emperor Marius plans to do, he cannot follow his opponent's intentions!
Li Ang quickly shot an arrow with white smoke into the sky, and then immediately retreated to the rear with Alina.
"Woo... Woo... Woo..."
The horn sounded for withdrawal.
On this day, Li Ang's troops killed more than five hundred gladiators of Bax, but lost their original battlefield advantage.
It's hard to say whether this is a victory or a defeat.
Probably in the eyes of others, Li Ang is a small victory.
But in Li Ang's eyes, he was actually defeated for a while.
Li Ang's army retreated twenty miles in the direction of Serenmis. All the ambush troops also withdrew and re-camped in a flat field.
But Bax's army still moved forward slowly and set up camp at Li Ang's original Chinese army camp.
The three thousand cavalrymen also returned to Bax's camp after making a half circle on the flanks.
The person who came with those cavalry was indeed Emperor Marius himself.