West Continent, Banz City, late January 1433.
The sky seems to be snowing again. Now is the coldest time of the year. After this month, the glaciers will thaw soon, and spring will spread with new green in a very short time. The scouts who had left the city returned one after another, and the rebels had finished their rest.
The battle is coming.
According to the king's order, the adult men from the whole city of Banz gathered. The number of people gathered on the first day failed to meet the king's requirements, so the king issued another writ. As long as all the slaves in the city joined the battle, they would be free from the moment they took up arms.
This order was more effective than the previous one, and overnight, many slaves converged on the place where the weapons were distributed.
A simple high platform was erected on the square of Banz City. This was the largest knighthood ceremony in Legrand's history.
The temporarily recruited soldiers gathered on the square, and the sun rose from the clouds and shone on everyone's faces. The expressions on those faces were filled with unease, with hesitation and fear, but there was also a trace of excitement. In the snow, the swords in the hands of people's armor reflected a dazzling light.
The lieutenant looked at the assembled team.
This is the new army that the king can gather in a hurry now. Many of them were slaves yesterday, and most of the other free people were from merchants. Such a group of people will be named knights today. If other countries knew that Legrand used such a group of rabble as knights, I'm afraid it would be a big joke, right
The lieutenant noticed that in the team, those slaves with deep cheeks had the brightest eyes in the team, and they held the swords in their hands tightly, as if they were holding their own lives.
The king ascended the high platform.
The iconic silver hair of the Qiangwei family was blown by the cold wind, and there was no smile on his face. Now no one will pay attention to his too young face when they see him for the first time. His scarlet cloak fell to the ground, and the light from the crown shrouded him, majestic and stern.
The crowd that was still a little turbulent stopped, and the people who had just become soldiers looked up at the people they were about to swear allegiance to.
"Who among you escaped here from somewhere else?"
The king looked down at the people below.
People looked at each other, most fearing the majesty of the king.
After a while, a young man squeezed out of the crowd and stood before the king. He was thin enough, and the leather armor was empty and nondescript.
"Very well," said the king lightly. "Now, brave sir, tell me why you have escaped here?"
"They killed my master, they killed my sister," said the young man hoarsely. He was a slave. "The town was burned, and we fled here."
"Did you hear that?"
The cold wind brought a chill to the king's voice, and his icy blue eyes glanced sharply at everyone.
"It's been over a month and you know better than I who the people who are about to arrive in Banz City. Those are ruthless thugs eager to break into your homes, loot your wealth, and kill your young children. , take your wives, cut off your hands and feet, and pick up your heads for boasting."
In the words of the king, the smell of blood roared.
That's all the tragedies that have happened in this month-long rebellion. Those burned down cities, those whose stomachs were cut open and died in agony, those hatreds that have long been indistinguishable from right and wrong.
"Tell me, is this what you are willing to accept? Are you willing to die?"
the king asked sharply.
"No!" the young slave replied forcefully.
The anger of hatred burned in his pupils.
The first voice appeared, and the people below began to answer the king's questions, and the voices gradually became one.
Who wants to die like this? Who wants their home to turn into ruins in an instant? Who wants to be separated from life and death
"You need to know one thing." The king's voice sank. "My uncle, the Duke of Buckingham, died a week ago. He died for you. He is Legrand's knight and protects any A Legrand, it's his responsibility, he died for you, that's his honor!"
"I was once advised to retreat."
There was a commotion in the crowd. Everyone knew that once the king and his cavalry had withdrawn, the city of Banz would be destroyed. Panic appeared on people's faces.
"But I refused." The king drew his sword and pointed to the north, "My uncle died in battle, so I'll take his place and protect you! They think I don't have a knight, so I'll grant the title of knight today. All of you! Take up your knives and swords, and you will fight for yourselves, for Legrand, not for me!"
"Kneel down!"
He pointed his sword at the young slave in front of him and shouted sharply.
The young slave looked at the king, then at the crowd under the high platform, and finally knelt down slowly on one knee. The crowd followed the young slaves, and in the end, they all knelt on the icy snow.
The king stepped forward and put his sword on the young slave's shoulder.
He looked down at the young slave.
In his eyes, the slave only felt that what was resting on his shoulders was not a cold long sword, but a scorching red fire. It was an honor a slave could never imagine.
"I'll be considered stupid for entrusting my life to a bunch of you despised rabble."
The king's words were loud and clear.
He put the national sword on the shoulders of the humblest and announced that he would fight alongside them. The lieutenant looked at this scene, and felt that the air seemed to be flowing with lava. From the icy cold winter, a little bit of war seemed to be surging out. As if an invisible taboo had been broken, the lion's roar was contained in the deep, powerful words of the young king.
"But I believe in you, today, I give you the glory, because you were born in this land! Because you will fight for this land!"
"I will bestow upon each of you the name of a knight."
"Tulus!" cried the king, "tell them what a knight of Legrand is!"
The lieutenant responded, and he clenched his fist and tapped his heart: "Loyal, brave, guard."
"Loyal, brave, and guardian." The king looked down at everyone from a height, "you should be humble and resolute. You should be brave and swear to protect your kingdom to the death. Legrand's future is in your hands, and you fight for her. , and she will bring honor to you. I will stand by your side, and I will put my life into your hands."
"From today onwards, all of you are Qiangwei's iron cavalry!"
"Now-"
He withdrew his long sword and held it high.
"All the knights who are willing to fight to protect Legrand, take an oath! You will fight for Legrand!"
Iron armor collided, swords slammed, one after another, the imperial knights at the moment of the "rabble crowd" in the previous moment, they clenched their fists and tapped their hearts, and their voices converged: "Fight for Legrand!"
Fight for Legrand!
The bard played a generous melody in the square, and he sang in a low voice:
"Legrand, the Legrand unmatched anywhere in the world
on this land
There are dense forests, meandering rivers, and vast pastures
O warriors here, they are free and brilliant"[1]
This is the old Legrand ballad.
Behind the king, the rose cavalry stood silently, they drew their swords, raised them high, and sang in unison along with the melody of the harp: "Legrand, let her people cut off her for her sake. The body and saddle of the enemy, a corpse piled upon one, will always be remembered for the bravery of the king and his knights!"[2]
"Now-"
King ordered.
"Get out of town! Prepare for battle!"
The gates opened.
The rose cavalry, who had already finished waiting, walked from the lowered suspension bridge to the outside of the city, and the newly conferred knights followed the commander appointed by the king and set foot on the battlefield. All the knights wore bright red cloaks, which were originally a symbol of the royal family, but at this time, the king distributed this honor to those who had just become knights.
They are the Chinese army.
The sky was dazzling, and Legrand's guards began to line up.
The battle set by the king was a must pass between Banz City and Newcana Castle—that is, where James encountered the King's cavalry that day. At this distance, it was impossible for them to even retreat to Banz City. From the moment the drawbridge fell, all those who set foot on the battlefield had nowhere to go.
The army is divided into three divisions, the central army, the left wing, and the right wing.
The Rose Cavalry split up a team and became the commander of the new reserve force, leading the largest army to station on the gentlest slope on the road. The front row of rose iron cavalry inserted a scarlet king flag into the snow. The king's flag fluttered with great momentum.
On the right flank, all the longbowmen were concentrated, and the lieutenant led them on the hillside on the right side of the battlefield to meet the enemy's left flank light cavalry. As soon as the troops on the right reached the hillside, they began digging trenches and laying as many traps as possible.
The left wing is all the rose cavalry, led by the king himself. They put down the king's flag and waited quietly on the route of the cavalry led by Prince Will himself.
The battle lines have been drawn, and the bloody battle is coming.
The warhorse breathed hot air from its nose, and the king's hand rested on the hilt of the sword at his waist.
He stared straight ahead.
It was very cold, so cold that the horse's breath turned into a faint white mist. This was the king's first real war. This war will decide the fate of the whole kingdom...and maybe the whole world. Because in this war, the king put himself as a bet on the battle table.
He led the rose iron cavalry to meet the rebel army several times his own.
He might also die.
The knights behind them wiped their swords and made the final preparations before the battle.
The king bowed his head slightly, and saw his eyes on the sharp sword. There seemed to be a faint flame beating in the depths of the icy blue pupils.
The ground began to vibrate.
The king raised his head, and on the horizon in front of him, the snow began to rise, and the great salamander flag on a white background appeared in his field of vision. The main force of the rebel army led by Prince Will has arrived.
The king swung his sword, and the highly penetrating sound of the bullhorn echoed in the icy air. The cavalry held a shield in one hand and flattened their lances in the other.
"kill!"
The author has something to say: [1][2] Modified from "Roland's Song" for medieval knight literature