NABC Chapter 65 Bloody Fight
Chapter 65 Bloody Fight
The crossbowmen silently aimed at the gleaming crowd. Their breathing was a little rapid, but their faces showed no tension. Their fingers rested steadily on the crossbow's blades, their eyes fixed on the mercenaries running at the forefront.
"Fire!" Seeing them cross the center line of the field, Tiberius decisively ordered the crossbowmen to prepare to fire!
next moment--
"Boom! Boom! Boom——!"
A chilling, violent vibration of bowstrings suddenly exploded! It wasn't sporadic firing, but a nearly synchronized first volley!
Dozens of heavy crossbow bolts instantly detached from the steel crossbow arms, carrying terrifying kinetic energy, tearing through the air with a sharp whistling sound, like a deadly swarm of bees, and suddenly pounced on the Mario alliance army, which had no formation and was crammed together!
Then—
"ah--!"
"My legs!"
The dull thud of a blade piercing flesh, the crisp sound of bones shattering, and the sudden, piercing screams instantly replaced the previous clamor and curses!
Those mercenaries and armed servants who rushed to the front, trying to steal credit and show off, were the first victims: their ornate leather armor and even chainmail were easily pierced like paper by the armor-piercing crossbow bolts at such close range! Some were shot through the chest and fell backward without a sound; others were shot in the thigh or abdomen, screaming and rolling on the ground, instantly losing their fighting ability; and some unlucky ones were hit by several crossbow bolts at the same time, and were knocked backward like rag dolls.
With such a dense formation, aiming was almost unnecessary; simply aim and fire to achieve results. After firing, they followed their daily training, handing the crossbows to the loader behind them and taking the pre-loaded crossbows from them to continue firing.
Standing on the carriage, Lisangluo waved his arms excitedly, shouting, "Well done! Well done! They should be taught a lesson!"
"Seventy paces! Light infantry, aim and fire! Aim at the left side, they've broken off from the main force!" Tiberius, on the wagon, precisely saw the crossbows striking the enemy's charge, and then saw their ranks break apart.
The light infantrymen drew their bows and aimed at the enemy from the wagon platform. Another volley of arrows followed.
Their left wing was indeed disconnected, and they were at their most desperate when they broke through the arrows to the goal.
"Whoosh!" A spear pierced the forehead of an unlucky man.
Some tried to rush forward, but were stopped by spears, shields, and wagons. The gleaming spear tips were terrifying, while the wagons and shields in front of them only reinforced the hedgehog forest.
Then, something astonishing happened: the seven hundred Mario allies, whether at the core of the charge or on the left and right flanks, were actually driven back by Tiberius in a short time.
"Damn it, attack! Attack!" Mario, sitting on his tall horse, angrily commanded his mercenaries to launch an assault, attempting to overwhelm the "vulnerable" Lightning Legion with sheer numbers.
However, the narrow arena terrain severely limited the numerical advantage of Mario's army, preventing them from spreading out. Their instinctive huddling together made them easy targets for spears.
Those so-called "masters" were utterly useless against the dense, orderly barrage of spears. For every spear they tried to parry, three or four more would immediately thrust in from different angles! Even the most ornate swords were pierced through before their masters could even be drawn.
However, there are also some ruthless characters among them—
A burly man wielding a two-handed greatsword, attempting to slice through the chariot formation.
"Crossbowmen, light infantry! Kill that guy wielding the greatsword!" Tiberius roared at the crossbowmen, throwing a broken spear to the ground. "He's breaking through the lines! Damn it! That guy's already killed three! Spearmen! Smash your spears on his neck and thighs!"
This greatswordsman actually smashed several spears in half, attempting to use them as a breakthrough to cleave through the spearmen's defenses!
Before he could even break through the defenses, he was struck in the chest by three arrows, followed by two spears piercing his abdomen and neck. He collapsed like a felled tree.
Other agile swordsmen who attempted to roll and break through were blocked by the wagon camp's obstacles and then pinned to the ground by the shield bearers with javelins!
Their skills were worthless in the face of well-organized battle formations.
The previously dazzling soft-sword swordsman fared even worse; before he could even unleash his "skill," he was taken down by a volley of crossbow bolts.
After all, everyone has seen your "strength," so naturally they will "pay special attention" to you.
This was an outright massacre! A one-sided massacre!
The soldiers of the "Lightning Regiment" were expressionless, like true machines, simply repeating actions they had practiced thousands of times: thrust, retract, advance, thrust again. Crossbowmen calmly reloaded behind the shield wall, picking off any enemies who tried to approach. The shield bearers held firm, and any brave daredevils who occasionally charged close were immediately dealt with by javelins, spears, and their own machetes.
This stalemate (or rather, one-sided slaughter) lasted for about forty minutes. Tiberius calmly observed the battlefield and noticed that Mario's allied forces were showing signs of fatigue; their morale had plummeted after several failed charges, their command system was nearly malfunctioning, and there was obvious disorganization and chaos among the troops.
Just as the allied forces temporarily retreated and the two armies entered a stalemate—
The time has come!
Tiberius took a deep breath and issued a series of orders to his men.
When Jules Maud on the stage saw the "Lightning Brigade" formation begin to change, he suddenly stood up, his eyes filled with disbelief and shock!
The main force of the "Lightning Regiment"—spearmen and crossbowmen—began to concentrate on one side of the position, forming a heavy spearhead of attack. The center and right flank, however, lagged behind, seemingly out of formation. From the high ground, they appeared as a straight diagonal line charging towards the Allied forces. Simultaneously, the left flank advanced with astonishing precision at a 45-degree angle, like a giant python viciously biting at the already somewhat chaotic, even completely out-of-control, left flank of the Allied forces!
"A diagonal attack?!" Jules exclaimed, his voice trembling. "How...how could he know this?! I never taught him this!"
The diagonal attack tactic involves concentrating the main force on one side, gaining a local advantage on that side with superior forces, and then launching a fierce attack on the enemy's center and right flank after achieving a local victory. This is a classic tactic of infantry groups winning with fewer troops since the classical era!
Jules himself only gradually mastered it after many years of fighting, while his twelve-year-old nephew actually performed it so perfectly with a group of slave soldiers on such a chaotic battlefield!
[Who taught him this? Or...] Jules was hesitant to think about it.
Or did he figure it out on his own?
The left-wing coalition forces were completely unprepared for such a fierce attack after holding their ground for so long. Their morale was already low, their formation loose, and some were already preparing to retreat. Faced with such a sudden and brutal offensive, many were caught off guard.
Why did these spiky turtles suddenly start attacking? This was completely beyond their expectations!
Thus, under the slanted advance of the "Lightning Squad" like a giant hammer, the left flank of the Allied forces collapsed instantly! The spearmen paid no attention to their flanks; they fought fiercely, thrusting their spears straight at the enemy in front of them. Some spears were like skewers of candied hawthorns, with several people on them. Correspondingly, they completely disregarded whether their flanks were likely to be attacked.
"Are you worried about the flanks?" someone asked during the training of this tactic. Tiberius then gave a mocking smile and drew a few lines on the ground with a stick, depicting a possible battle formation.
"Just remember one thing: as long as you're fast enough and your thrust is efficient enough, the enemy won't have time to react..."
The stick broke, and Tiberius's eyes gleamed with confidence.
"Then they can't possibly attack your flank! Because they've already been routed! And a retreating army is worse than the lowest pigs and dogs!"