Temple Sword

Chapter 206
Why didn't I think of it! ?This question flashed through his mind, why didn't I think that the river was not that deep at all?I overestimated the protection that rivers can bring...

The right-wing army roared and rushed to the river bank, but as soon as they got close to the water's edge, a rain of arrows roared from the other side.They were either hiding behind shields, or lying here and there in the dewy grass with arrows stuck in their bodies.

Seeing this, the captains immediately tried to get the archers on the right to shoot at the enemy troops crossing the river and bridge, but they could not stop their progress.

The light cavalry of Miklos Gutkled continued to cross the river with arrows and arrows. The infantry raised their shields on the bridge, gathered together and continued to rush towards the opposite bank. The companions who fell under their feet did not affect them. speed and determination.

"No, no, no!" Janos Babonik moaned, a thick vein began to throb in his forehead, "Cavalry!" he ordered loudly, "Activate all cavalry!"

But at this moment, something even more terrifying happened: Thousands of horseshoes sounded in the forest to the west, and Miklos' heavy cavalry seemed to appear out of thin air, crashing into Janos' left flank.

Antal Barto led a thousand cavalry at the enemy, his lance tucked under his arm, pointing forward, and his spurs urging his mighty steed to gallop.

Through the slits of his closed helmet he could see the assembled mercenaries hastily forming some sort of defensive formation, his heart beating faster than the hooves of a charging horse.

"Send them to hell!" he growled feverishly. "Send them to another world!"

"Saint George!" shouted the captains, and then a thousand roared after them, "Saint Michael!"

The distance between the two armies shortened rapidly, and the cavalry crashed into the unsuspecting left flank with terrifying force.From a distance, the wedge formation of heavy cavalry did not slow down half a minute due to the collision, and directly ran over the infantry team.

Of course, the situation is slightly different when viewed up close. Although the heavy cavalry did cause considerable damage in the first charge, the enemy did not resist at all.

Clashes of steel, shattering bones, spattering blood, neighing horses, death snarls and howls of pain laced with blasphemous curses, weave a song of destruction.

Before the Slavonian army had recovered from the shock of the raid, another galloping cavalry regiment appeared from behind the heavy cavalry.

The ferocious Cumans led by Isstvan Lakfi rode their short-legged horses around the fighting ranks, got behind the enemy's rear, and unleashed a steady stream of arrows from their short bows.

Swift as lightning, they swept across the battlefield like a plague, their arrows piercing the backs, legs, necks, and arms of their foes, or shooting straight through the body.

Janos Babonik's army didn't know which way to turn in fear. On the north side, Miklos' main force was about to cross the river. On the west side, the heavy cavalry team was constantly advancing. Now the south is also surrounded by a large group of light cavalry.

Lakfi tied a shield with a silver dragon and a red coat of arms on his left forearm, and pulled out a scimitar in his right hand, leading the Kumans to charge, allowing them to use any weapon freely and shoot as many arrows as possible.

His chest was about to be exploded by the violent beating of his heart, but when he saw the scene in front of him, he suddenly laughed: the attack had just begun, and the enemy team had already been completely defeated.

"Today we will dye the river red!" He repeated the previous words, "End them!"

At the order of Lakfei, who was called the White Dragon or Little Chief by the Kumans, all the drawn bows were put away, and a thousand Kuman riders rushed towards the enemy.

They took up spears, tomahawks, sabers, swords, maces, and other weapons, and Lakfell's new weapons finally got a taste of human blood.

After a short confrontation, the heavy cavalry suddenly divided into two groups, and only 500 people continued to fight towards the enemy's flank.

-

Miklos Gutkleder supervised the crossing of the whole army with iron sternness, and when the enemy army on the opposite side was in complete confusion, he followed the infantry with a small number of cavalry and crossed the bridge himself.

"God, please bless me!" He murmured his secret pagan prayer, the familiar buzzing in his ears growing louder, his stomach constricting, his nose smelling sweetness in the spilled blood Metal smell, this is the most familiar feeling in the world.

As usual, he calmed down after the smell and drove his soldiers on.

The hooves of the war horse no longer jogged on the stone bridge, but stepped on the grass on the bank soaked in blood, and this murderous artist began his creation.

He slashes to the right, slices to the left, thrusts forward, punches and kicks, and he not only seeks to inflict wounds large and small, but also to kill.

Miklos led his men deep into the enemy army, quickly tore apart Janos' defeated line, and directly reached the enemy's main camp.

Then he allowed himself to pause for a moment to figure out the position and situation of each unit. Looking from the saddle, the main force crossing the river from the north had all entered close combat, and the enemy's rear had also been captured by Lakfei's Kuman. Surrounded by cavalry, they had already charged in, tearing apart the rear defense.

He stretched his neck and looked west, and saw the heavy cavalry advancing methodically towards the center, at a somewhat slow speed.

this is not……

This is only half the number of heavy cavalry!
At the farthest point of the battlefield, the remaining [-] cavalry formed a circle, forming a strange scene on the battlefield.Miklos' dislike of Antal instantly turned into an unquenchable anger.

"What's going on here?" he grunted through gritted teeth. "What the hell are you bastards doing!?"

-

Janos Babonik was dizzy, and a chill of fear ran through his body.The enemy was already rampaging through his camp, not fifty horses from where he gave his orders.

It's over, it's over, desperate thoughts echoed in his mind, we're all going to die here!

unless……

"Wave the flag!" He quickly ordered, "Wave the flag to the waiting cavalry! It's time to let them out!"

One of the governor's entourage grabbed the red flag he had prepared earlier, held it high above his head, and began to wave it anxiously.

Soon, the sound of commotion came from the woods in the southeast. The two hundred cavalry who had been hiding inside finally moved. They were the governor's last hope to turn the tide of the battle.

In the distance, Janos also noticed the cavalry around the edge of the left flank, and like Miklos, he had no idea what was going on there.

Whatever that was, he thought confidently, a portion of their cavalry had been confined to the left, and now really might be the only chance!
He knew that although two hundred soldiers were not many, they had the potential to perform real miracles.

His veterans who have survived the bloody battle have told thousands of times the legend of the Battle of Rozgne, when Charles Robert's army suffered heavy losses and his banner fell to the ground long ago, but when Kosh When Ce's infantry suddenly appeared, they won quickly.

Many foolish people say that God performed a miracle in Rozgne and that He gave Charles a victory that decided the fate of the kingdom.However, Janos knew that it was not God who performed the miracle in that battle, but a cleverly hidden army.

In combat, rested and energized fighters are not only more effective, they can instill confidence in tired comrades, allowing them to pick themselves up and fight on.

Looking at the two hundred light cavalry rushing from the southeast, Janos held his breath.He appointed the old captain who commanded the team to ride at the front, with the drawn sword firmly pointed forward, constantly encouraging the people behind him to move forward.

At this moment of crisis, the governor pinned all his hopes on the two hundred cavalrymen. Time stood still and the voices around him became dull. He looked at his team and prayed that they would bring about a miracle of reversal .

The galloping hooves of the horses tore fresh clods from the ground, and the muscular bodies of the horses undulated in unison, almost flying into the air, bringing their riders galloping towards them.

"God, if I am the lord of this land according to your will, help me now!" the governor prayed to himself, "please do a miracle and put the power in the hands of my soldiers !Bring me victory, and I will be your most humble and devout servant in the world!"

The elite cavalry team that had been hiding in the forest finally reached the edge of the battlefield, the wedge formation became a side-by-side line formation, and two hundred riders rushed into the rest of the governor's army.

Janos Babonik could not believe his eyes, his best fighter and his most loyal captain turned traitor.He thought he could trust the troops he recruited, but he obviously underestimated the strength and means of Miklos.

His men had been bought, not just the captain in command of the cavalry, but all 200 of them.Not only did the two hundred light cavalry not obey their orders, they even turned their finger on their comrades in arms. Miklos Gutkleder was a veritable cruel monster who would do anything to win.

At this time, Janos could no longer see himself as the governor. He got off his horse in confusion and did not hand over the reins to anyone. He just abandoned the horse and turned his back to the terrible scene.

What took place this morning on the south bank of the Lonia River was not a real battle, but a massacre, the greatest humiliation that Janos Babonik had ever experienced in his life.

The nobleman who was the lord of all Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia a few days ago returned to his tent without saying a word under the puzzled eyes of his followers.

The terrible noise from outside became more dull through the heavy cloth, and Janos took off his helmet, then the shoulder pads and gauntlets, and finally the belt, before throwing everything feebly on the ground.

He slumped in his upholstered armchair and lay motionless, staring ahead like an empty shell, the flames in his eyes extinguished forever.

"My lord," his squire came in terrified, "my lord, we have no chance of winning! In the name of your faithful servant, I beg you to flee before it is too late!"

"Before it's too late?" asked the Governor in a barely audible hushed voice. "It's too late now, and this is the time... when it will all end, my boy."

But the attendant didn't want to give up, "My lord, I beg you!" He knelt down at the feet of the defeated, "Get on your horse and run away! The battle is not over yet, but they won't last long, and then..."

"Then they will come to me," Janos looked into the boy's eyes. "After my army is finished, I will be next. Do you mean that?"

"Yes, my lord," the loyal attendant nodded, "you must leave here as soon as possible!"

Janos Babonik sighed deeply, and placed his right hand soothingly on the shoulder of the young man with the thin beard.

"War is my choice," he said calmly and firmly. "If you want to leave early, no one will blame you. But I have no other choice. I caused all this. I should have humbly accepted the King's requirements, but my ambition is too great, I am too confident...

I'm not going anywhere, I've got the blood of hundreds on my hands, and now may God have mercy on my soul. "

(End of this chapter)