Chapter 702: Stay Steady
The soldiers on the outermost layer of the phalanx desperately blocked the orcs' swords with bayonets to provide cover for the soldiers in the inner layer. The soldiers in the inner layer took over the loaded muskets, then aimed and pulled the trigger. Bang! Brilliant blood flowers bloomed where they pointed.
The soldiers in the innermost layer were responsible for loading ammunition to ensure the continuous firepower output of their companions.
The rigorous training on weekdays played a role. At such a close distance, almost everyone's bullets hit the target. In addition to the cavalry on horseback, the larger war horses were also excellent targets.
The orc cavalry followed the gaps between the phalanxes and entered, but they soon found that no matter which direction they went around, there were human soldiers shooting at them with that terrible flamethrower weapon. The orcs in the two phalanxes found that they would be attacked from both the left and right directions.
They used their riding skills to the extreme, attacking, provoking, shooting arrows, trying to tear open a corner of the phalanx, but all the human soldiers would remain motionless and not retreat. If a soldier died or was injured, the person behind him would immediately replace him in his original position.
The strategy of luring people to leave the phalanx after one strike did not work either. No one would leave the phalanx to fight. In fact, there was no need. The orcs found that the range of the flamethrower weapons in the hands of human soldiers was much longer than their short bows, and their horses could never outrun those deadly projectiles.
Armor can effectively protect against bows and arrows, but it is useless against these projectiles that are so fast that the trajectory is almost invisible to the naked eye.
There were explosions, a large number of muskets were fired, and thick smoke spread on the battlefield. The orc cavalry in the smoke could not see their companions in the distance. There were only deadly projectiles that kept shooting in the smoke.
Such an unfamiliar combat environment makes people wonder if humans have used strange witchcraft.
The fear of infantry against cavalry, in addition to the amazing momentum of the opponent's charge, is more because of the lack of means to counter the opponent.
If you have a Metal Storm by your side, or drive a tank, no matter how many cavalrymen you have, they are nothing but a pile of meat in your eyes.
Although the Arda soldiers only have flintlock rifles, after continuous iteration and improvement, they have long been out of the scope of primitive firearms, and their range and power have crushed the short bows used by the orcs on horseback. The one-hit-and-escape combat that the orc cavalry usually uses does not work. Horses cannot outrun bullets, and pulling the trigger is easier than turning the horse's head.
How to overcome the fear of the thing you fear is to find that the opponent can also be killed.
The Arda soldiers recovered from their initial panic and began to respond to the enemy's attack calmly.
They attracted most of the impact of the orc cavalry.
The friendly soldiers on both wings saw the Arda people being "swamped" by the orc cavalry through the smoke. At first, they were terrified. If the Arda people in the middle were defeated, there was no doubt that the entire Austrian army would be cut into two parts that could not support each other.
The officers hesitated whether to let the soldiers move to the center to support the Arda people-some brave people have even started to act.
Schroeder discovered their movements in time and immediately sent someone to rush over and ordered them not to move.
They soon had no time to take care of the Arda soldiers because the orc cavalry also began to attack them. According to the pre-arranged plan, the friendly forces also set up a hollow square formation like the Arda army, with archers protected in the middle and dense spears pointing in four directions. In fact, in terms of resisting cavalry attacks, the spears in their hands are more deterrent than the bayonets in the hands of the Arda soldiers.
The fierce battle lasted for a long time, and the friendly forces were surprised to find that the Arda army in the middle actually held on, attracting the main force of the orc cavalry like a magnet.
Although the bad environment made it impossible for them to see clearly, the sound of the musket shooting was easy to hear, and the sound like popping beans did not stop for a quarter of an hour. Correspondingly, there were constantly injured orc cavalry evacuating in a hurry from the smoke.
This greatly encouraged them, and this battle was worth it.
The orc cavalry who bravely inserted into the gaps between the squares were the most unfortunate. The crossfire from both sides caused them to suffer heavy casualties, and people kept falling off their horses.
Due to the obstruction of smoke, many people lost their way, and even scattered orc cavalry rushed to the vicinity of Paul and others. They were killed or captured by the guards because they were outnumbered.
"Send him over here."
Paul greeted the guards.
A captive who had just been captured was brought to him by the soldiers.
Paul looked at him with great interest. This was the first time he had seen orcs in this world with his own eyes, and it was also the second race other than humans. He had seen a dwarf before, a guy who was obsessed with regaining the position of patriarch. I don't know how his prince's revenge story went.
The orc in front of him was a tall guy, with a burly figure and a strong physique. His back was as broad as a panel, and dense hair could be seen from the gaps in the armor.
The captive wanted to struggle, but soon he got a good beating. Although the orcs were strong, the Alda soldiers who served as Paul's guards were also carefully selected strong men, not to mention that his hands were tied.
His legs were kicked hard and he was forced to kneel down. The two guards pressed his back hard, making him unable to stand up.
"Human, you... you..." The orc with two purple eye sockets was still unwilling to admit defeat. "You used evil black witchcraft, despicable!"
Paul sighed, "An uninvited and annoying guest has no right to say such things!"
Then his voice turned cold, "I ask you, how many orcs have entered the territory of Aldo? How many people came from the northwest?"
The orc was punched in the face, and blood spurted out of both nostrils, and the hair on his face was stuck together by the blood.
The one who made no mistake in the poem was in the book!
The guy still said stubbornly: "Human, don't even think about making me utter a word. The brave Aguzar will not betray his people."
Paul was about to let his men continue to beat him to death, and a figure rushed to him in a hurry.
It was the wizard Desen who swore allegiance to him not long ago. Before he set off, this guy volunteered to follow him no matter what happened.
"Lord Graman! Please hand over these hairy bastards to me! I will take out every word they know, and even remember what happened in their mother's womb."
"You?" Paul looked at the wizard's face full of hope. This guy seemed very eager to show himself.
"Let him try." Marianna suggested to her son, "Dessen is a mage who specializes in spiritual studies."
Ah, yes, his mother's words reminded Paul that this guy should be good at interrogating intelligence.
"Okay, you will be responsible for interrogating them."
Paul's words made Dessen overjoyed, "I will definitely satisfy you, Lord Graman."
At this time, the situation on the battlefield changed again.
The orcs' left and right wing cavalry rushed over, intending to support the stalemate in the center, but the Austrian army's left and right wings were also cavalry, so they would naturally not let them do as they wished, and rode up to meet them.