Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 814 Reverse Hammer Anvil
After another day of travel, the Crusaders rounded the small hill in the center of the forest. From where the vanguard was positioned, they could already see the valley through which the road passed on the southern slope of Mount Osnin.

Although it's called a valley, the terrain here is much gentler than in the northern mountains. It's closer to the heart of the Rhineland region, near several rivers, making it more economically and transportation-oriented, and thus more developed. The trees on the mountains are much sparser; instead, orchards and farmland are scattered across the relatively gentle slopes and valleys. Beside the fields are numerous houses, and even an elevated aqueduct stretches along the valley from afar.

The Crusader leaders observed for a moment and all agreed that they should have traveled a little longer yesterday. Because they were worried about any remaining Ming troops, they had set up camp early the previous day and spent the night in the open. If they had known beforehand that there were so many houses here, they wouldn't have needed to sleep in tents.

Unlike the situation to the north, the houses are more concentrated near the southern mountain pass, and there are only fences around them, without any trenches. Moreover, upon closer inspection, it can be seen that the elevated irrigation canal branches into several streams after approaching this settlement, flowing into different fields.

Many nobles, though born into privilege, had never seen such a sight before, and they all stopped their horses to observe it with curiosity. However, some had indeed seen something like this before.

Rudolf, the acting commander of the Habsburg family, said he had visited Tyrol years ago and seen similar irrigation canals there. The fruit orchards on the mountain, with their various arrangements, looked much like what he remembered, probably orchards built by the Wu royal government. He had heard that the Wu kings had been operating in the Rhine region even earlier than in Tyrol. Perhaps their experience came from this area.

As they continued walking, they indeed found a small river beside the valley. A huge waterwheel stood by the river, constantly spinning as it was struck by the water flow, scooping water onto a frame and then letting it flow away through the pipes.

A Saxon nobleman told them that he had passed through this area before, when the waterwheel was just beginning construction and the foundation was being laid. The merchant traveling with them told him that it was built by the government, with funds raised by the locals, and that there was more than one such waterwheel.

To the south, in the valleys through which the Ems River flows, lies an even larger irrigation system. It's said that several large merchants from Cologne and Strasbourg have invested heavily in this area in exchange for exclusive rights to sell the produce from these local plantations. However, because it's farther from the main road, it's not as well-known.

Because of the distance and the unwelcoming attitude of some powerful lords, such as the Archbishop of Cologne, who prevented them from moving north, King Wu's management of this area started much later than that of the Strasbourg region to the south, only about two or three years later. At that time, the Archbishop, having lost out on the issue of church reunification, had suffered significant losses from his investments and accumulated a mountain of debt, and was thus forced to loosen his control in various aspects. The city and the relatively prosperous riverside plains were divided up by powerful local figures; however, the areas near the mountains were much poorer and had been largely unwanted until King Wu's people were willing to come and cultivate the land, so they were given to them. Unexpectedly, development there was so rapid.

Judging by the timeline, this area should already have some initial production. Furthermore, judging from the density of the houses and the state of fortifications, these villages seem to be quite peaceful, resulting in a high population density but relatively few defensive structures. However, the Wu king's forces probably haven't had time to further penetrate to the north and east. This area should be the boundary of their sphere of influence.

Several nobles sent men to search the house, but found no villagers; they assumed they had all fled. They wanted to take the opportunity to loot the place, hoping to profit from this obviously more prosperous area, but someone immediately stopped them, saying there were orders from above that they must leave this cursed mountain range today, and no one could afford to waste time.

Although somewhat regrettable, the nobles were probably fed up with the ordeal and wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, so they reached a consensus. Therefore, they had no choice but to obey orders, grab whatever they could find, and leave, planning to try again another time.

After walking for another hour or so, by noon, the Crusaders had passed the village and reached the spot where the stream flowed down from the mountain. The road forked here; besides the main road they were on, there was a smaller, seemingly newer path leading into the mountains. Along the roadside, there were even some half-dug pits, piles of stones and earth beside them, and several large stones used for tamping the soil. These building materials and tools were simply left by the roadside, appearing to have been hastily abandoned recently.

Some nobles believed this was a defensive fortification the enemy was building to buy them time, but the Crusaders advanced too quickly and had to abandon it before completion. However, several more knowledgeable nobles said this was simply the normal procedure for road construction. They were likely preparing to expand the road, but the sudden outbreak of war forced them to halt work.

It seemed there was nothing interesting here, so Sigismund ordered them to continue. He told everyone they would rest after they reached the other side. So the group continued onward under the blazing sun.

By 2 PM, the sun was already very bright. Fortunately, they hurried and finally arrived at the mountain pass.

The Cumans Sigismund had sent out were also taking a break in the valley. After searching the area and finding no enemies, they all hid in the nearby shade. This section of the hillside was indeed much gentler and didn't seem like a good hiding place. Therefore, Sigismund didn't urge them on, letting them rest as they pleased.

But just then, news came from the rear that someone seemed to be following them from that direction. Sigismund and the others were surprised and didn't react for a moment. But just a few minutes later, the sounds of battle came from that direction.

Sigismund and his men's first reaction was that the remnants of the Ming army, who had been causing trouble for the past two days, were again bluffing and harassing them. Logically, not a large enemy force should have gone that way, so, as with the previous days, the rear guard should be able to drive them away quickly. Therefore, although the location was slightly different from before, the leading nobles felt it was nothing to worry about, even thinking they could ignore it to avoid slowing down the advance.

However, the mercenary leader Pippo Spano objected. Compared to the nobles, who were brimming with confidence after repeatedly repelling harassments in the previous days, he was quite worried, sensing something was amiss. He reminded Sigismund that the nobles had been urging the soldiers onward to speed things up. The Crusaders had indeed marched very quickly, but this had also stretched the column considerably.

He also bluntly stated that the Crusade's march was not ideally organized, especially in the last two days, as everyone was getting impatient, making the ranks even more chaotic. Those lagging behind were already struggling to keep up, representing the weakest link in the army in terms of physical strength, training level, and discipline. If they couldn't hold on and began to collapse, it could affect the entire army. Therefore, the current situation is indeed quite troublesome.

Sigismund wasn't entirely sure what was going on either. He stated that he had strictly adhered to military principles throughout the journey, diligently conducting reconnaissance and early warning. Of course, no one could guarantee that the enemy wouldn't get in at all. But at least these preparations ensured that large enemy forces wouldn't suddenly appear. Even if some escaped, their numbers would be small and wouldn't pose a significant threat to the army. However, Spano insisted that during the journey, to prevent ambushes, Sigismund had sent men to search the sides of the road at the front of the column. The situation behind them was truly uncertain. Sigismund and the high nobles found this rather strange, wondering why they weren't scouting ahead but rather behind them.
Besides, he only had this many men at his disposal to act as scouts—don't be fooled by the fact that his Hungarians and Cumans were undisciplined; they were already the best light cavalry in the Crusades. Those of higher quality were proper knights, but they weren't willing to do this kind of hard work; those of lower quality were unlikely to be able to handle this task well, and might even run away after being sent out.

Therefore, only these people, and a few mercenary groups he knew well, could perform the scouting function. Qualified cavalry among them were even fewer. To prevent enemy ambushes, these men had to search and advance over a considerable area in the mountains, a very arduous task requiring constant rotation. Maintaining early warning within a fan-shaped area ahead was already quite an achievement. In the entire Holy Roman Empire, there were probably only a handful of such teams.

This time it was very strange; heaven knows how the enemy got behind us.

However, just as they hesitated, the sound of gunpowder exploding began to echo around them. Not only were the shouts of battle from behind growing closer, but Ming soldiers also began to appear on both sides. At the very intersection they had just passed, on the construction site that everyone had glanced at and then overlooked, a group of people suddenly emerged and began to attack them.

Sigismund and his men then realized that this was truly an organized, large-scale ambush. Not to mention the people nearby, all wore uniform armor and carried standard weapons, clearly unlike the group of farmers from a few days ago. Upon closer inspection, they discovered that the group had apparently been hiding behind a small hill, the area in front of which was uneven due to construction work, which the Cumans hadn't bothered to check. Clearly, they had cleverly used this to conceal themselves.

Given this situation, the situation on the rear guard was likely far more serious than anticipated. At this point, the nobles had no time to ponder how the Ming army had appeared in that direction; they could only wait until the fighting was over. So, they quickly went to their respective units, urging everyone to turn back and, before the Ming army could advance, quickly reorganize their ranks and go to provide support.

Fortunately, the terrain here was relatively flat. Under Sigismund's command, the men in the middle of the marching column gathered around their respective lords and headed to provide support. The vanguard and his central vanguard quickly formed a battle formation and then deployed, creating a horizontal line commonly used in line battles.

Most of the Crusader's elite forces were concentrated on this side. Spanoul's Italian mercenaries advanced to the left flank, engaging the Ming infantry at the fork in the road. Using their numerical superiority, they successfully drove them away, capturing the earthen slope and construction site, thus securing their flank. Duke Ludwig of Brunswick and Count Rudolf of Austria led their troops to the right, occupying the hillside there, and then moved forward to support the central force.

Furthermore, after calming down, Sigismund and his men analyzed the situation and estimated that the Ming army's rapid appearance was likely due to their rapid advance along the road. While the attackers appearing on both sides of the road were also regular troops, their numbers, as seen in their earlier engagement with the Italians, were a significant weakness, similar to previous attacks.

This confirmed their earlier suspicions: while reconnaissance and early warning couldn't guarantee absolute success, they could make it difficult for large enemy forces to hide. Now, all they needed to do was deal with the large Ming army rushing in from behind.

Although the full battlefield is still not visible from this side, it's estimated that the Ming army pursued them in a long column. Furthermore, the flanks are relatively quiet, and there don't seem to be many enemies on the mountains, indicating that the main Ming force hasn't had enough time to fully deploy. They are likely operating along the roads and in the narrow areas on either side, leaving the flanks vulnerable.

The woods in this area were sparse, especially the small hills on both sides of the road, which had been converted into plantations, making it suitable for cavalry operations. Therefore, Sigismund dispatched one of his most elite core men, a personal knight from Hungary and Bohemia, to the far right. Once Ludwig's lines were stable, they would flank and outflank the enemy from that direction.

Sigismund himself led the remaining men, sitting in the center to command them.

Thanks to their superior numbers, the Crusaders had ample time to regroup. After some time, the rear guard seemed to be collapsing, with wave after wave of Ming soldiers pursuing them and engaging the main force, which had already turned and formed its battle lines. Fortunately, due to their thorough preparation, the Crusaders were able to fight back calmly. The attack gradually turned into a stalemate.

Sigismund and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief.

If the enemy blocked them in front and then let these small groups attack from the rear, they might have a bit more trouble. But for some reason, these people seemed to be unfamiliar with basic hammer and anvil tactics, and instead sent their entire army to chase after the enemy. This tactic might work well against ordinary small units, but it's less effective against the large number of Crusaders, especially since their core strength is quite good.

Now both sides' main forces are probably tied up, and they are waiting for the right-wing commander to find the best opportunity to deliver the decisive blow.

However, just then, right behind him, horns sounded and the sound of galloping hooves grew louder. Sigismund and the others turned around and were surprised to see a large group of cavalry rushing down from the hill behind them, approaching quickly along the road. The banner carried by the leader was none other than La Hire, who had previously challenged them to a duel. And this time, the number of cavalry was far greater than before.

Now, all the troops here have been sent out to fight the Ming army. Only Sigismund and a few high-ranking nobles remain here, protected by some trusted men, and commanding from behind the lines. While frantically calling for protection, the crowd turned to face the enemy, watching as the opposing cavalry lowered their lances and began to accelerate along the road.

As a result, those nearly a thousand men easily crushed the Cuman light cavalry who were still hiding in the shade of the trees. Then, as they always did, they ignored the other formations and charged headlong into the central command flag.

(End of this chapter)