In mid-September, Antioch.
Since the war started, reinforcements have arrived at the camp on the outskirts of the city one after another. Damien heard that the crown prince's reinforcements were on their way Cilicia, and planned to delay it for a while.
Although Karak Fortress was besieged by Mamluk, the defenders set off fireworks every day to convey messages to the defenders hiding in the nearby mountains and forests. Currently, the enemy has abandoned the surface trenches and is digging underground tunnels.
Digging tunnels is a common means of siege. The disadvantage is that the progress is slow. Even if everything goes smoothly, the enemy will not be able to break the city within half a month.
On September 16, Konya Legion led by Romanus came to the outskirts of the city.
With this batch of reinforcements, Antioch's Eastern Roman Empire army has grown to thirty-two thousand, meeting the conditions for launching a decisive battle in the wild.
Romanus walked into the command post surrounded by everyone and observed the many soldier models placed on the map. After a long time, he asked a question, "When will the attack be launched?"
Damien: "According to the emperor's edict, you are the commander-in-chief of this operation. We have no right to decide the timing of the attack."
Me?
Romanus obviously hadn't adapted to this new identity yet, so he turned his attention to Andronikos next to him. The latter's expression was even more blank, and he had no idea of intervening in the military.
Romanus asked about the situation of the fortress, and a staff officer replied, "Karak Fortress It has been raining heavily for two days, and the enemy's trenches and tunnels have accumulated water. The attack pace has slowed down, and the fortress can hold on for another month." Romanus's first reaction was to continue delaying, but on second thought, the enemy did not know yet that Rome's reinforcements had arrived. Now to launch an attack, the enemy was caught off guard.
If we delay for a few more days and the enemy receives the news and takes precautions in advance, it will be difficult to implement this plan.
"My idea is to rest for a day and launch the attack tomorrow. Is there any problem?"
Damien The soldier model on the mobile desktop, "We had a meeting to discuss whether to attack or continue to defend. Both options have their own pros and cons..."
Romanus lacks command experience, so he can only adopt the suggestions of senior officials and deploy according to their ideas.
After a few busy hours, the command post formulated a detailed decisive battle plan, then summoned middle-level officers to inform them of the news of tomorrow's departure.
Late at night, Romanus finished the meeting and walked around in the empty and silent courtyard.
At this moment, he was exhausted physically and mentally. He had received too much information in a short period of time, and his mind was in a state of continuous dizziness, making it difficult to concentrate on thinking about problems.
"Actually, I am suitable for commanding a brigade or battalion-level unit, rather than commanding an army of tens of thousands in the first battle. This is completely beyond the limit of my ability."
Romanus somewhat regrets his behavior two months ago. Now that things have come to this, he can only carry out his duties as commander-in-chief and find a way to survive this test.
"Every time before making a decision, I should ask the officers for their advice, hoping I won't make a mistake."
... Early the next morning, the cavalry and Mountain Infantry set off first, marching southwest along Orontes River.
The task of the vanguard is to clear out the small group of enemies that have infiltrated and prevent them from passing the message to the Mamluk main force outside Karak Fortress.
Karak Fortress is more than 20 kilometers away in the southwest direction of Antioch. It is located on the south bank of the downstream of the Orontes River. Some distance further to the west is the entrance of the Orontes River.
A fortress was also built at the mouth of the river to block the river surface and prevent the enemy's small Galley from penetrating into the river.
At 7 o'clock in the morning, Attica Legion left the camp, followed by Romanus, Konya Legion, and finally the auxiliary troops with weaker combat capabilities.
In order to increase the marching speed, they did not carry baggage and were expected to enter the battle before three o'clock in the afternoon.
"Defensive operations are still easy. You can obtain supplies at your own stronghold, and you don't have to worry about the enemy setting up an ambush at a certain location and being caught unawares."
Romanus rode his mount "Chestnut" and observed the mountains on both sides of the river valley. He couldn't help but recall the two mountain ambush battles in history:
Battle of Trajan's Gate, Myriokephalon battles.
The commander-in-chief of the former is Basil II, and the commander-in-chief of the latter is Manuel I. They were both suddenly attacked by the enemy when passing through a narrow section of road.
In the military textbook written by Vitus, these two battles are highlighted. Not only Romanus, but all trained officers have been exposed to relevant content.
Romanus thought to himself, "In his early years, my father fought with the Florence army and encountered an ambush by Duke Milan on the way. It is estimated that this incident had a great impact on him, so much so that he formed a special Mountain Infantry..." Suddenly, a messenger on horseback came to report:
"Mountain Infantry is fighting in the mountainous area on the southeast side. The situation is anxious. I request His Highness to send reinforcements."
Romanus asked the legion's senior management for their advice and decided to put the remaining Mountain Infantry into the battlefield.
After some time, a report from the Attica Legion came from the front line:
Mamluk seemed to have received news of the casualties of the scouts and sent more reconnaissance troops to the outside world. Damien was worried that the enemy would detect his intentions in advance, so he abandoned Nine-Pounder Cannon and part of Six-Pounder Cannon in an attempt to speed up the march and not give the opponent time to adjust their formation.
"Without Nine-Pounder Cannon, how can we suppress the enemy Artillery?"
Romanus I heard that the enemy is equipped with Venice's new Field Gun, and its indicators are similar to our own Nine-Pounder Cannon.
Attica Legion moving forward lightly means that they are at a disadvantage during the artillery stage and must endure artillery fire to launch an attack. Is this too risky?
Romanus asked the top brass of the legion, and the deputy general reminded in a low voice, "Your Highness, now is not the time to get entangled. Since Damien has made adjustments, we must keep up with his speed to prevent the forward from being disconnected from the main force of the Chinese army."
Romanus understood what the other party meant. After hesitating for a moment, he ordered the large-caliber Field Gun to be abandoned, and the whole army accelerated its march.
Soon, a large group of messenger riders ran back and forth along the marching column.
The infantry remained silent and followed the footsteps of the people in front of them. Some Artillery received instructions to let Harness Horse drag the artillery to the field on the roadside, which meant that they could avoid the next battle. Many people were relieved and secretly grateful for this good luck.
At noon, Romanus's headquarters stopped in a village.
The situation was urgent, and the soldiers only had half an hour to rest. Their lunch consisted of bread and small sausages that they carried with them. They sat in the shade, holding food in their right hands and tin kettles in their left hands, and ate their simple lunch in silence.
The food of the senior officers was better, but it was a pity that Romanus lacked appetite. He ate a small piece of white bread at will, then took out the map of the area where Karak Fortress was, and thought about the next battle plan.