Iron Harvest: When Farming Becomes Conquest-Chapter 252 - 21: Roman’s Great Defeat

The next day.

Both armies observed each other’s situations, almost advancing simultaneously.

They confronted each other in the wilderness, separated by five hundred meters.

Kate was the commander of the rebellion army.

Following convention, he divided the army into five divisions.

The vanguard, also known as the forefront, consisted of two thousand robust youths from the Believer Army.

The Central Army was the Riptide main force.

The rear army was composed of three thousand lower-quality believers, nuns, and priests, led by Mapple, the Choir leader.

The right wing comprised three thousand mercenaries, pressing forward as much as possible to assist the vanguard, led by Granar, the Mercenary Marshal.

And the left wing was the reserve force, made up of one thousand soldiers from the Bexites family, mostly spectating unless needed urgently, playing a crucial role in emergencies.

The formation was sound and standard.

The division of troops was for easier maneuverability.

Usually, dividing into three subdivisions was sufficient—right wing, central, and left wing.

An army of thousands was best managed in these three subdivisions.

But for an army of tens of thousands, not setting up several subdivisions would make conveying orders impossible.

Even so, operation was somewhat burdensome and appeared very stiff.

Yet, humans of this era were accustomed to this.

The army and Roman faced each other.

Because they were far apart, they could only see each other’s general formation.

By now, there was no need for redundant words.

Roman rode a white horse, and he gently waved his hand, "Attack!"

The Flag Officer immediately waved the signal flag.

Four infantry square formations, totaling twelve hundred men.

Marching in square, they attacked the enemy army,

Facing them were the two thousand believers of the rebellion vanguard.

Since half of the mercenaries were ranged forces, consisting of Archers and Crossbowmen, they were unsuitable as the vanguard.

And two-fifths of the Riptide forces were cavalry units, which were also unsuitable.

Even though the Believer Army was immensely diverse, they weren’t easily defeated.

They were an ideal vanguard unit.

...

Battles didn’t start with everyone charging at once.

That would be chaotic.

In the Middle Ages, large-scale military operations—especially these open-field confrontations between two armies—

Started with tentative skirmishes, then escalating to full deployment based on the evolving situation.

I push, you push.

Thus, the battle line grew longer and eventually evolved into a full confrontation between the two armies, the scene becoming more chaotic.

At this time, it tested whose organization was stronger, whose soldiers were more resilient.

As long as you held out,

You’d win.

There were no detailed tactics.

Because the foundation of tactics was army formations, without sufficient military training, most tactical maneuvers couldn’t be executed.

Even forming the most basic square was something that these Believer soldiers had intensely trained for a while.

Their equipment wasn’t great, at best it was a clothed army, with very few wearing armor.

Of course, while the armor was incomplete, their weapons were decent.

Like spears, axes, swords, and shields.

These were the military equipment supported by the Riptide family and the Church Court; they couldn’t send them into battle with pitchforks.

As for why peasants were willing to fight, it naturally boiled down to faith and money.

The five hundred nuns in the rear army formed a choir and began their Holy Chant.

The vanguard and rear guard were separated by about two hundred meters, so the chant could be heard.

Those choral voices were incredibly pure, coordinated, impactful, and sacred... It was as if their souls were being cleansed.

This was a motivational power mastered by the nuns.

This power in itself didn’t impact human sense but made them extremely fervent.

Because it embodied a terrifying charisma.

In the world of those times, the material world was barren, the spiritual world was sparse...

Let’s not dwell on these premises.

Even a modern person, once they hear rousing music, can sometimes help but feel their blood surge.

If this music were the national anthem, calling you to fight at the nation’s dire moment with the capital behind you, probably very few could stay calm.

This had nothing to do with extraordinary powers.

It was purely because humans are emotional and carried away.

"For the All Gods!"

"For faith!"

Both sides met in short combat on the wilderness.

Then, the faithful Believer Army was pressed to the ground and beaten by Roman’s infantry squares.

Don’t think that the former has two thousand while the latter only has twelve hundred.

But not a single move of Believer Army looked decent, and their formations were not organized.

Because of the Choir, they were also overly fervent.

The Choir could not bestow them with extraordinary power, they were merely the lower echelon of the Holy Chant group.

They could only provide the Believer Army with a boost similar to an adrenaline surge.

But war isn’t a problem that could be solved just by being fervent.

If you can’t do a math problem, you simply can’t; extreme anger won’t help.

Things remained as they were.

Such nature could never overcome a well-formed Infantry.

Alas, the army seeking to suppress the rebellion was itself overthrown by the rebels.

They kept retreating, not daring to advance.

The Super Long Spear was unbeatable in close combat.

At this moment, the mercenary responsible for the right flank received an order from Kate and led his troops to press forward; they couldn’t just watch as the vanguard was crushed.

The Mud Marsh three thousand battle mercenaries, including about a thousand Crossbowmen.

The Mercenary Army burst in from the right side and unleashed a volley.

Crossbow Arrows fell like rain, and the Infantry suffered a fierce attack.

Though the Sword and Shield Soldiers on the flank were prepared and raised their shields, they still suffered heavy casualties.

About a hundred people died in this volley.

"Run!" All the squad leaders shouted.

The originally advantageous infantry phalanx instantly collapsed, disintegrated into a disorganized mess.

The spear wielders threw away their spears just to lighten their load and turned to flee.

Everyone was momentarily stunned.

No, guys...

Kate quickly realized it!

"Pursue!"

The vanguard received the order and started the pursuit.

Meanwhile, the other squads also began advancing, albeit slowly in order to maintain formation.

As they moved a hundred meters forward, they were shocked to find that the enemy’s collapse had disrupted their own formation. free𝑤ebnovel.com

Visibly, Roman’s army was dispersing.

The previously strict phalanx lost more and more runners, and no matter what, it couldn’t hold its shape.

During this process, the figure on the white horse, seeing the unfavorable situation, also fled.

Now it was completely over, with no formation left.

It was all chaotic, a clear sign of a routed army.

"Chase faster!" Kate was somewhat anxious, seeing that the enemy was about to escape.

He immediately ordered the entire army to march at full speed.

Unexpectedly!

He thought it was going to be a tough nut to crack.

After all, the previous two battles demonstrated the River Valley Army’s prowess.

Two thousand against seven thousand, the six nobles were crying for their parents, with over half dead or injured.

Last autumn on Buck High Land, one thousand elite troops rolled over Trick’s face, leaving no chance for retaliation.

Now, they’re crushed in a single encounter?

Kate tried to think.

Was it because the army was too large?

Because of the Church Court’s All Gods banner?

Fear of the Choir and Judgement Knight?

Or was it the Mud Marsh mercenary Crossbowmen who were too strong?

Various guesses surfaced in his mind.

But the opportunity in battle was fleeting, allowing no time for further thought.

The ten-thousand-strong army surged forward.

Now, no one cared about maintaining formation; they all rushed towards the abandoned weapons.

These weapons, though common in style like short swords, axes, and broadswords, were of much higher quality.

More importantly, perhaps due to the hasty escape, those weapons were discarded along the way.

Every few meters, a fine steel weapon gleamed coldly, stretching on for a kilometer.

In the Middle Ages, there was no practice of turning over captured goods for collective distribution.

Whoever grabbed the spoils of war, they belonged to.

Otherwise, the Free Riders under the Riptide Family wouldn’t be so enthusiastic about the war.

Not just the Believer Army, the mercenaries were also tempted.

Mercenary Marshal Granar quickly led his men forward.

At this moment, there was no one to control their movements.

Because the Free Riders and Oath Knights under the Riptide Family clan had also surged forward.

Riding warhorses or packhorses, they were much faster.

Unfortunately, the terrain became more complex further on.

Rocks, slopes, unfavorable for a full-speed cavalry charge, they weren’t prepared to chase the enemy with the speed of their horses but to grab the weapons before others.