Ironvine Territory (66)
Bom, a veteran of the First Regiment of the Fourth Legion, and his squad, under the command of their captain, formed a sword and shield formation to protect the flanks of the central army formation. However, the enemy's desperate surprise attack directly shattered the foremost gunnery.
Their Sword-and-Shield Soldiers formed the front line of defense, engaging in fierce combat with the enemy Cavalry. In the initial battles, the black-armored Cavalry clad in chainmail were all tall and strong, and it took seven or eight men working together, some cutting off the horses' legs and others launching sneak attacks from behind, to take them down.
Bom, relying on his veteran experience, organized a seven-man squad and killed a Heavy Cavalry without serious injury, even taking off his chainmail and putting it on himself.
Although the blood-soaked chainmail was uncomfortable to wear and had a strong bloody smell, Bom was very satisfied. With this set of chainmail, his chances of survival on the battlefield would greatly increase.
Just as he was preparing to lead his companions to press on, the enemy's follow-up Light Cavalry arrived. With the addition of fresh troops, the duchy's soldiers felt their formation crumbling.
Bom knew that if Battalion Commander Jax didn't send reinforcements, they would probably be defeated. But he was a veteran, and he knew that with the already broken gun emplacements at the front, the entire Second Battalion was here, and Battalion Commander Jax probably couldn't send any more men.
Bom felt it was time to run away, so he told his companions to stop fighting and began to slowly retreat.
But at that moment, a sudden hail of arrows covered the entire battlefield.
Bom wasn't sure how long the volley of arrows lasted; he only knew that he held his shield above his head, and there was a constant clanging sound of arrows hitting it. Occasionally, heavy arrowheads would pierce his kite shield, but fortunately, because he was relatively small, he could hunch over and hide under the shield.
When everything was finally over, Bom put down his shield and looked around at the battlefield. His comrades who had been hiding with him were now lying on the ground, their bodies riddled with arrows, and they were all lifeless.
It was only then that Bom realized he had also been hit by an arrow. When he raised his shield to avoid the arrow, a heavy arrow pierced through the shield and struck his shoulder. Fortunately, he was wearing chainmail shoulder guards, so the arrow didn't penetrate deeply, only grazing his shoulder, which is why he hadn't noticed it at first.
At this moment, Bom was somewhat at a loss. He knew that the arrow rain had just reached his rear, and his comrades who had fought the enemy had become expendable pawns, most of them killed by his own arrows.
Bom glanced at the direction of his main camp. The battle flag symbolizing the First Regiment of the Fourth Legion was still standing there high, but at this moment, the battle flag for which he fought felt somewhat cold to him.
Bom gritted his teeth and ran in the opposite direction, deciding to surrender to the enemy.
As a veteran of the Second Battalion, he knew his Battalion Commander Jax's style all too well. If he went back like this, Jax would definitely not let him off the hook.
As for the enemy troops they had just fought, they were all Cavalry, and they still had quite a few warhorses. Even if they couldn't defeat the duchy's army, they could run away. Following them should give them a chance to survive. This was his war intuition as a veteran.
Moreover, the Northlands Cavalry might not necessarily lose. Just like that volley of arrows earlier, far fewer Northlands Cavalry died from the arrows than ducal soldiers.
However, after deciding to surrender, he had to reluctantly give up his chainmail, fearing that the Cavalry would not let him go if they saw him wearing the armor of their comrades.
Just as he finally crossed the battlefield and ran to a spot not far from the Cavalry, shouting his surrender, the Cavalry suddenly cheered in unison.
Bom was initially puzzled. He was just an ordinary soldier; why would his surrender make these Northlands Cavalry so happy?
But soon he heard the Cavalry shouting things like "Victory!" and "We've won!"
He suddenly realized something, and turned to look behind him. The military flag that had been standing in the main camp was now overturned, and there was a scene of dust flying and men and horses falling over.
Even if Bom couldn't see anything clearly, he knew that the First Regiment, to which he originally belonged, had been defeated and its battle flag had fallen. He guessed that either Battalion Commander Jax or Regimental Commander Jindio were likely in grave danger.
Just as he was in a daze, a voice rang out behind him. "Hey, are you surrendering?"
He turned his head and saw a Cavalry covered in blood shouting at him. He quickly nodded.
"Go over there and drop off your weapons; someone will take care of you."
After saying that, the Cavalry turned to another Cavalry and said, "Go find Doctor Enda and have him take some men to search for the wounded. We're short-handed, so let's use these prisoners of war as laborers for now."
Upon hearing this, Bom realized that the Cavalry must be an officer, as he was followed by several other Cavalry, one of whom was carrying a battle flag.