Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king

Chapter 97: First battle(4)

Men moaned in agony where they had fallen, clutching at their wounds, their cries of pain rising into the cool morning air. Horses whinnied in fear and distress, their screams cutting through the clamor as they lay dying or struggled to rise, their legs shattered by the fall. The stench of blood and sweat began to mix with the cold breeze, causing many of the men to breath from their mouth as not smell the foul odors.

Among the chaos, the remainder of the enemy cavalry, undeterred by the broken line ahead, pressed on. Dust swirled as the surviving knights reformed their ranks, their steeds snorting and pawing the ground, eager to charge. The ground trembled once more, the pounding of hooves a rhythmic drumbeat of death as they galloped forward with renewed ferocity, as if they casualties they had just suffered did not exist.

Asag could see his formation tightening, the men gripping their spears as they braced for impact. The recruits behind the veterans clutched their weapons, eyes wide with fear, some murmuring desperate prayers to the gods for protection.

"BRACE FOR IMPACT!" Asag bellowed, his voice cutting through the chaos as he hurled another javelin into the approaching mass of knights, the only thing he could do to help in the fight. The clash, long anticipated, finally came.

The cavalry charged, fully expecting the sight of their gleaming armor and sheer momentum to send the infantry scattering. It was a tactic that had worked countless times before—peasant levies would break at the first sight of a cavalry charge, their fear overpowering any courage they could have . But this time, against all odds, the infantry held.

The knights surged forward, lances leveled for a devastating blow, but something unexpected happened. The infantry didn't waver. They stood firm, their formation tight, their spears poised as they faced down the enemy . The horses, creatures of instinct and survival, hesitated. They saw the deadly points of the spears aimed directly at them and began to slow, their eyes wide with fear. No amount of spurring or shouting from their riders could convince the beasts to charge headlong into a wall of sharp, unyielding steel.

Panic rippled through the cavalry as their mounts resisted, trying to veer off or rear up to avoid impalement. The horses, confused and unwilling to march to their deaths, slowed to a near halt before the lances could reach the infantry . In the chaos of their refusal, they exposed their underbellies and chests to the infantry below.

The men on the front lines, , seized the opportunity with deadly precision. They thrust their long spears upward, driving them into the vulnerable horses and unseating their riders. The scene was chaos—horses reared in terror, throwing men from their saddles, while the infantry pressed the advantage,those behind the three lines of spearment quickly advanced bearing hammers or daggers, stabbing and smashing at the knights now on foot or struggling to regain control.

With powerful swings, the soldiers aimed low, smashing the knees of both horses and riders. The impact sent knights crumpling to the ground, their armor offering little protection against the sheer force of the blows. Horses screamed in agony as their legs buckled, collapsing under their own weight and trapping their riders beneath them.

For any man watching this fight, it would undoutably be labelled as unchivalrous, as injuring horses was frowned upon . The mercenaries however did not have any problem fighting like this , since those were a set of values that did not belong to them, who lived and died in the mud.

For those knights still in the saddle, the infantry struck high, driving their maces into the stomach plates, hoping to knock the wind out of the armored warriors. Some blows connected with a hollow clang, forcing knights to gasp for breath as they doubled over in pain. The men with hammers were swift, retreating behind the spears as soon as their strike landed, allowing the spearmen to thrust forward once more.

Yet not all the knights were thrown off. Some regained control of their panicking steeds, managing to hold on despite the chaos. These knights lashed out in desperation, hacking down at the infantry with their swords and maces , cleaving through anything on foot . One knight, his horse rearing up, smashed his sword into a soldier's helmet, sending him crumpling to the ground. The knight then drove his spurs into his steed, forcing the animal to barrel through a small group of infantry, scattering them like leaves in a storm.

But the infantry regrouped quickly, pushing behind the lines of spears.

As the chaotic melee raged, more javelins soared through the air. The infantry behind the spearmen kept a steady rhythm, launching their projectiles into the air. The cries of men and the high-pitched whinnies of panicked horses filled the battlefield.

At a distance, Sorza watched in disbelief. His brow furrowed as he took in the strange, almost mechanical way the enemy infantry fought. It was nothing like he had expected. These weren't peasants who would break at the first sight of a cavalry charge. They were disciplined,the spearmen held their line unwaveringly, while the men behind them moved in perfect synchronization, throwing javelins, then stepping back into formation.

"This isn't working..." he muttered to himself, gripping the reins of his horse tighter. His initial confidence had withered, replaced by a growing sense of unease.

With a swift decision, Sorza raised his sword high into the air, signaling to his riders. "Pull back!" he shouted. "Pull back and regroup!"

The call echoed across the battlefield as one knight after another relayed the order. Slowly, the cavalry began to retreat. The riders tugged at their reins, forcing their steeds to turn and gallop back.

As the cavalry regrouped, pulling back a safe distance from the enemy, Sorza called out, "Ready yourselves! We will charge again. This time, we will break them." His voice was firm, but there was a sliver of doubt creeping into his tone that he hoped the men would not hear.

-------------

The clash between the infantry forces was no less intense than that of the cavalry. On the left flank, while the cavalry struggled to break through, the infantry battle unfolded with brutal ferocity. The two forces could not have been more different.

The Oizen infantry, largely composed of peasants, was a ragtag group hastily armed with spears and shields. Their shields were simple, wooden, and not even covered with tattered leather. Most wore little more than cloth and leather tunics, and their spears were of uneven length and craftsmanship. They stood shoulder to shoulder, gripping their spears with shaking hands, their faces pale as they awaited the inevitable charge. These were farmers, vagabonds, and laborers—men who had never seen battle before this day, and it showed. They were here only because their prince had called upon them, and also for the oppurtunity to plunder during war.

On the other side stood the mercenary infantry led by Alpheo, who was standing on the back directing the battle, men who were fighting for coin rather than any sense of duty toward a master or lord. Alpheo's soldiers were better equipped, each man wearing chainmail that glinted under the sun and helmets that covered their heads. Their shields were thicker, stronger, and better maintained than the Oizen peasants'. But most importantly, they carried with them not spears, but close-combat weapons—swords, hammers, and maces.

Alpheo knew that the battle would be won not in long engagements, but in brutal, close-quarters combat, making use of shock and awe. The Oizen peasants were armed with spears, and spears were only effective while keeping distance. His men, wearing chainmail and wielding blunt weapons, would close that distance and render the spears useless. The goal was to get in close, deny the Oizen troops the space they needed to thrust their weapons effectively, and then use their superior armor and heavier weapons to crush them.

The two forces clashed, and immediately, the difference in experience and equipment became apparent. The Oizen peasants, trying desperately to maintain a shield wall, jabbed their spears forward, but Alpheo's soldiers moved in too quickly. The chainmail-clad infantry pressed forward relentlessly, shields locked together as they pushed through the thin line of peasants. The blunt weapons came into play, with hammers and maces smashing down onto shields, arms, and legs. The swords cut through flesh when the opportunity arose, but it was the hammers and maces that made the biggest difference.

Each blow from the mercenaries' hammers rang out with a sickening crack, breaking through wooden shields and shattering bones. Even the spears that managed to hit home glanced off chainmail or were deflected by shields. The Oizen infantry, already untrained and nervous, quickly found themselves overwhelmed by the sheer brutality of the assault. Their spears, meant for keeping the enemy at a distance, were useless in such close quarters, making the infantry feel like mouses in a cage.