Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 652 Infantry Clash
Due to the home advantage, the Mamluks were better prepared. Perhaps they discovered that the Romans had more and more powerful artillery, so they did not try to confront each other and force the other side to attack first. Instead, they immediately rushed forward after deploying their formation.

The Roman army responded immediately. All the battalions followed the flag order, stopped advancing, and set up their artillery. When the enemy was 300 steps away, the legion's heavy artillery roared first; when the enemy was 200 steps away, the artillery of each battalion also joined the battle one after another.

A large group of "jihadists" crowded in, becoming the best targets. Their dense formation was soon broken into several gaps, and the ranks were completely in chaos. The priests in the ranks and the Mamluks supervising the battle behind them urged them to keep running forward, but the entire formation no longer existed, and they could only rush forward in a chaotic group.

When they were within a hundred paces, the infantrymen of the large group joined in the shooting with their firearms; when they were fifty paces, all the soldiers in the first row picked up their bows and threw the arrows in their hands as quickly as possible.

Among the legionary equipment, bows and arrows are weapons that do not occupy the establishment, and everyone will be issued one. Since the court manages armor and long weapons, but not bows and arrows, they are also widely used by the people. In addition, the Purple Tent Khanate has always encouraged everyone to learn archery, horse riding and other skills according to ancient rituals, and various competitions in the countryside have been held regularly. Therefore, bows and arrows are widely used.

Many soldiers even disliked the poor quality of the bows issued by the Ministry of War and chose to bring their own. Du Fu's poem "The carts rumble, the horses neigh, and the pedestrians carry bows and arrows on their waists" is a similar situation. When marching to the camp, the soldiers would not carry armor and long-pole weapons with them, but bows and swords were quite popular among the people, and they usually brought their own.

After the order was issued, the army array instantly launched a hail of arrows, and only the Russians on Guo Kang's side were left staring blankly. Due to insufficient training, Guo Kang and his men were worried that the Russians would not be able to use bows and arrows properly, so they only gave bows and arrows to a few hunters who had some basic skills. As a result, they ended up in the current situation.

However, the firepower of the legion was actually a bit excessive for the enemy in front of them. According to the experience of previous generations of warfare, the role of bows and arrows on the battlefield is to kill a large number of unarmored and lightly armored enemies, rather than to attack heavy armor. Relatively speaking, increasing the shooting speed and reducing physical consumption are more important. Therefore, everyone fired arrows very quickly, and their lack of this did not have much impact. And the bows and arrows they used were also a bit too powerful for the Mediterranean region.

The enemy's infantry had very low armor rates and basically no protection. They only had a tattered robe and a headscarf, and even lacked hard helmets. Behind them were some tribal infantry in slightly better condition. Although they had been completely deformed while running, they still managed to maintain a basic formation. The soldiers used leather, grass vines, and even wood chips as simple armor.

According to the traditional experience of the Arabs, this kind of thing is enough to deal with the bows and arrows of the Mediterranean world and the Persians. The heavy cavalry of the Arabs at that time had this level of protection. However, the "high speed and low armor penetration" of the Central Plains bows and arrows is also low relative to the armor rate of the Central Plains. Using these things to deal with it is a bit too much, and it will definitely not pass the "junk soldier filter".

So it was no surprise that Guo Kang could see a large number of enemies being shot down by arrows from a distance, and he even wondered if the order to shoot arrows was given too late, and if the distance could be extended a little longer. While he was thinking, the veterans in the front row had already shot ten arrows at a rate of one shot every two or three seconds, and began to prepare for combat.

The enemy that was charging forward suddenly slowed down. The fastest runners almost died halfway, which made the infantrymen behind them who were reluctant to go forward even more hesitant. But the slowing down of the pace actually gave the Roman army more time to attack. The legionnaires began to change positions under the command of the captains of the hundred and ten, and the new soldiers started shooting again, killing more enemies in the open space in front of them.

Some Egyptian soldiers also picked up bows and arrows to fight back, but their firepower was still too weak to have any effect. After realizing that something was wrong, the officers commanding the infantry did not expect them to be able to fight the Romans, and began to shout loudly, urging their men to continue to speed up.

This time, Guo Kang didn't need to give orders. The three hundred-man squads in the first row immediately changed their formation. The soldiers in the second row moved forward to fill the gaps between the squads. The artillery of the large battalion did not withdraw, but took advantage of the opponent's delay to reload the small artillery.

Zhu Wenkui was now in the open space between the second and sixth hundred-man teams. Guo Kang, who was behind the team, could hear him shouting at the top of his voice, "Double shotgun shells! Double shotgun shells!" He directed his men and stuffed another cloth bag in.

A few breaths later, the enemy had already rushed to the front. Guo Kang could hear their roaring religious prayers and see the ferocious faces of the people in the front row.

However, at this moment, Zhu Wenkui waved the flag. The number of firearms he brought far exceeded the number of normal battalions, causing the front line of the Second Battalion to "erupt" like a volcano in an instant.

The fire from the muzzle was clearly visible even in the broad daylight of Egypt. On the battlefield, all the slogans of holy war shouted by humans were easily drowned out by the roar of the artillery volleys. Grape-sized lead bullets flew everywhere, tearing the human bodies, simple protective gear and flags in a fan-shaped area in front to pieces.

A large section of the crowd rushing over from the opposite side suddenly opened up. In an instant, Guo Kang felt that the crowded and noisy battlefield even became quiet for a moment.

Many enemies seemed to have never seen such a scene before - maybe even the first time they had seen a volley of artillery fire. After all, they lacked knowledge and experience, and had not received much training. Faced with the front-line soldiers suddenly falling to the ground and blood splattering everywhere, they were stunned, not knowing what was going on and what to do.

Guo Kang was no longer a complete novice. Seeing the enemy in a daze, he immediately took advantage of the moment when the Mamluk officers had not yet recovered and shouted, "Second line counterattack! Now!"

Next to him, the flag bearer Ma Wanjun immediately picked up two colorful flags and waved them. The drummers of the brigade also beat the drums to attack. The first row of centuries changed their formation again, shrinking the formation to leave a wider gap. The three Russian centuries, according to the pre-planned plan, went around from the back, crossed the front row, and took the initiative to attack the enemy.

Before the war, they had drawn up several plans and told each hundred-man team in advance. Especially for the new recruits, Guo Kang went to explain them to prevent them from running around without understanding. After the war started, they only needed to tell them which plan to use through flags, which saved a lot of trouble.

As they advanced, the Ross recruits also changed their formation and formed a triangle formation. This was the offensive formation that the Tang army liked to use back then. Of course, they were organized in this way not because they expected them to be as flexible as the Tang army, but mainly because it was simpler.

According to Guo Kang's previous instructions, after the formation change began, the two horizontal teams in the front row and the two horizontal teams in the back row each formed a triangle. This formation was also simple to construct. As long as a few veterans were used to "frame" the formation from the outside and everyone followed the front team, the most basic forward and turning functions could be achieved.

Next to Guo Kang, the two "wedges" of the 300-man team rushed towards the enemy so quickly. At the front of the team was Brother Alexander, a clergyman in the team. Behind him were two veterans and followers holding crosses and flags. Five veterans were distributed at the waist of the triangle and the other two tips. At the end of the team was Captain Lucas, who was carrying a big axe and ready to hold the line and provide cover - he was also responsible for commanding.

When passing by here, Captain Lucas and several veterans also greeted Guo Kang. The new recruits were a little nervous and didn't have the time to spare, so they just trotted forward mechanically. Brother Alexander, who was leading the way, was a little excited. He held a chain hammer and a shield, shouted "For the Father, for the motherland!", and rushed forward. The soldiers followed him, accelerated together, and rushed straight into the enemy group.

At this time, the enemy had recovered a little, and seeing someone actively attacking, they all rushed forward. The two sides quickly crowded together. Looking at the two wings of the brigade, other teams also started fighting with the enemy one after another.

Although the enemy was numerous, their fighting capacity was not very good. Although they had a great momentum, when the real battle started, these few centurions of new recruits were able to beat them back again and again, and it seemed that they were not as good as the infantry who performed when they landed before.

Guo Kang estimated that the Mamluks had enough time to make some preparations, and the infantry guarding the beach and preparing for landing should have been specially selected. Now the array is larger and the number of people is greater, the average quality of the infantry is lower.

"Send a message to the vanguard, and try to penetrate the enemy infantry." After thinking for a while, Guo Kang gave the order again.

The trumpeter next to him blew a few short horns, and Ma Wanjun immediately waved his flag and issued the order to "continue attacking." This place was very close to the front line, and the commanders of several hundred-man teams also saw the news and blew their whistles in response.

"Give orders to Captain Lu, tell him to keep an eye on the front, follow the vanguard, and prepare for support." Guo Kang continued to give orders: "Give orders to Commander Lao Yang... tell him to prepare the rear defense and deal with the cavalry attack." He suddenly realized that he didn't know what Captain Jessica's official title should be called. It always sounded strange for a captain to command a commander. Fortunately, the others didn't understand it very well, and just thought it was a special title and didn't pay much attention to it.

Ma Wanjun changed two flags and waved them. He also ordered several of his men to put down the big flag on the baggage cart next to him and replace it with another one. Soon, the team behind him also started to move.

"Captain, do you think the Mamluks will try to outflank us?" he asked after delivering the order.

"That's what I think. We need to take precautions in advance." Guo Kang said.

"This sounds like a very monotonous tactic..." Ma Wanjun looked at the front line, turned his head and muttered in a low voice.

"They have no choice." Guo Kang shrugged. "The Mamluks only have two tactics. Either they wait for us to defeat their infantry and they are exhausted, and then they send their main forces to fight us head-on. Or they take advantage of the fact that we have not yet defeated these cannon fodder infantry and are temporarily entangled, and then they seize the opportunity to go around from the flank and launch a surprise attack."

"According to intelligence, the local emirs are very unhappy because the Caliph colluded with outsiders to rebel. This time, in addition to the Sheikh, three powerful emirs also came, bringing 3,000 to 5,000 Mamluks. Together with the Mamluks' followers and the local Egyptian 'free men' legion, there are probably about 20,000 people. Their main force is actually about the same number as ours."

"But the problem is that this is even the weakest time for the Mamluks - this weakness is not only in terms of the quality and number of troops, but also in terms of command. The Sheikh did not have time to establish his authority through internal and external wars before he ran directly into our main force."

"If it is a normal battle, with the current strength of our expeditionary army, it is impossible to eat up 5,000 Mamluks in one go. But we are strong enough, no matter which army leader fights us head-on, he will definitely suffer heavy losses. So I guess they must be more inclined to let the cannon fodder soldiers hold us back, and then look for any weaknesses and opportunities to attack from the side. Because compared to a head-on confrontation, the losses in this way can be expected to be relatively minimal."

"We discussed this speculation during the meeting. Everyone has similar ideas, so we must be cautious in our defenses while also defeating the enemy infantry as quickly as possible."

"In fact, according to the camp's arrangement, the Eighth Army is the main attacker. I estimate that they will penetrate the enemy's line much faster than we do. However, the sharper our attack, the more we can hold back the enemy and prevent them from supporting the main attack. The faster the enemy infantry collapses, the less time their main force will have to observe and act, and their commanders will be more hurried. Therefore, we have to do our best here as well."

"I understand." Ma Wanjun nodded. "However, should we call back Captain Lu and the 100th Squadron? If the main force of the Mamluks chooses to bypass the battle line and attack from the side, our cavalry on the left wing may not be able to stop them. The infantry of each battalion must be prepared to deal with the charge. Can Commander Yang alone stop them?"

"One third of our team is with him. We still have enough troops, and they are veterans in defense. There will be no problem." Guo Kang was very confident: "If it is not enough, we still have the reserve team. Don't worry."

After hearing what he said, Ma Wanjun thought about it and said he understood.

Guo Kang asked him to deliver a message to Father Ivan again, asking him to take auxiliary soldiers to help clean up the artillery.

At first, the brigade's artillery was placed in front of the column and on both wings. When the enemy rushed forward, the artillery fired the last round, abandoned the heavy artillery, and returned to the back of the column. However, Guo Kang's side soon began to counterattack, and soon pushed the front line back.

Now everyone was fighting together, and the artillery had no chance to be used for the time being. The enemy was also trying to stop the vanguard and had no time to care about this side. Only some stragglers ran in from the gaps between the hundred-man teams.

However, this also made them face enemies from both sides. The few brave enemies in the lead were quickly eliminated by the veterans in the second line with bows and arrows, and the rest of the people immediately scattered and ran back. Zhu Wenkui led the artillery and returned to the artillery to start the cleanup work.

Father Ivan, who received the order, led a group of auxiliary soldiers to help. Seeing so many people coming, the enemy dared not rush into the gap, but just watched them drag the cannons away from a distance. Guo Kang sent a message to Zhu Wenkui, telling him to be careful behind. Zhu Wenkui discussed with Captain Jessica, and finally asked the auxiliary soldiers to help, drag the baggage carts and line them up. A few of the small cannons were set up between the carts.

After the arrangements were completed, they waited patiently.

Another quarter of an hour later, the front line had already started the routine rotation. Under Lu Yougong's command, the three Ross Centurions who had led the front were replaced by two veteran Centurions. Unlike Guo Kang's previous plan, he did not let the first Centurion follow and still stayed in the middle of the formation. However, the combat efficiency of the veterans was obviously higher, so it did not have much impact.

At this moment, Ma Wanjun suddenly reminded Guo Kang that the enemy seemed to be coming. He also said that there was smoke and dust in the distance on the left, which should be a large number of enemy troops advancing quickly.

The terrain here was very flat, and there were many obstructions from the soldiers on both sides, so Guo Kang couldn't see anything in the distance. But it didn't take long before a rider suddenly ran over, waved a flag at them, and shouted.

"That's a Syrian." Guo Kang looked at his flag and turned to shout, "Translator! Where's the translator?"

"Here he comes!" Old Sea Urchin's apprentice Idris ran over, shouted a few words to the rider, then turned back to Guo Kang and said, "Captain, he said he came from the left wing. All the enemies have gone over there, and now all the Turkmen and Kurds have run away. Their emir led his men to retreat and join the Knights Templar in defense, and asked him to come over to deliver the letter."

"I understand. Let him continue to notify other people." Guo Kang nodded.

It was expected that the allies over there could not hold on. Rather, in the original plan, they were used as guards to provide the legion with buffer time - when they ran away, it was the enemy coming. It was also for this reason that they were placed at the edge to prevent them from affecting the entire formation.

This unit did not flee directly like the mercenaries, but tried to defend themselves, which was very responsible. They even knew to inform their allies, which was completely worthy of the Mamluks' professional soldiers. There was no way to ask for more from them.

Next, Guo Kang and his men will have to deal with the enemy on their own.

(End of this chapter)