When people who study the history of military wars in later generations look back on the most important war history of this era, almost all military historians agree that during the civil war of the Byzantine Empire, the most important one was the Battle of Osgilia. The battle is definitely the assault of the Rodriguez cavalry regiment into the city.
In the countless studies and descriptions of later generations, after restoring the entire process of this extremely tragic assault, almost no one was not affected by the swearing to death that broke out from the Rodriguez cavalry regiment. Shocked by the aura of nature.
Although in this process, some people occasionally raise some questions on details. For example, the most prominent question is to let an army as important as the cornerstone of the imperial army risk the annihilation of the entire army, with less than 10,000 alone or even It's a tired army, assaulting an enemy army several times or even more than ten times his own - just to escort their crown prince into the city to inherit the throne, is this a huge sacrifice worth it.
Some people even think that although the courage of the Rodriguez cavalry is admirable, it should be a needless sacrifice and not worth advocating.
Or, there are several military enthusiasts who will make various assumptions, such as if the Rodriguez cavalry did not attack frontally, but turned around, would they have a chance to avoid the rebel brigade, or directly The rebels that drove Armenia
Or, of course, there are many obstacles on land, but what if you can choose to go by sea? Aren't there still allies of Landis on the sea road
In short, such a sacrifice, although courage is commendable, is it a little foolish and loyal...
Unexpectedly, among the questions raised by all these scholars, the first person to stand up to defend the honor of Rodriguez was a person no one thought of.
- Reinhardt, this guy who later became an important member of the military group under King Char, was later called the "Lion Heart" famous general because of his outstanding exploits and outstanding military talent - the biggest general in his life A stain is considered to be that in the battle of the Roderian cavalry assault into the city, he did not follow the main assault of Rodriguez. Such a record was criticized for a long time. "Retreat".
But when someone questioned the role of the Roderian cavalry in that battle, it was this Reinhardt who was the first to stand up to defend the honor of the Roderian cavalry and refute others.
A few years later, when Mr. Reinhardt retired as a professor of war history at the Imperial Military Academy, he personally wrote an article titled "My Great Patriotic War Memories One or Two—The Afterglow of Rodia". It wrote: "Perhaps after the descendants have looked through countless maps, consulted countless materials, spent countless hours, and made countless assumptions - perhaps, under such circumstances, many people can design more A better marching route can even design a variety of different tactics to avoid the greatest casualties, and use various ingenious ways to make the marching route avoid the main force of the rebels as much as possible... But I think, these are bullshit.
Yes, gentlemen, this is bullshit.
Because at that time, knowing that His Majesty Cantos was dying, we had to send the crown prince to the city in the shortest and fastest time. Therefore, the respected General Ruhr, there was no 'innumerable time to look at innumerable maps and innumerable materials' - what was left to him at that time was only the short time of less than an hour! And in this one hour, a decision that affects the life and death of the empire must be made!
You must understand that at that time we were stationed about thirty miles northwest of Osgilia, and the city of Osgilia was full of rebels, and our troops were so weak that our scouts even had a reconnaissance radius of less than five miles! We don't have the eyes of the sky, and it is impossible for us to know all the details of the entire battlefield like the scholars who studied the history of war in the future! For example, our eyes were covered with cloth at that time! As for the scholars who studied, after you have read a lot of materials and reviewed a lot of information, you clearly know the distribution of troops of all the rebel armies and each barracks, and know the advantages and disadvantages of each line of defense - but at that time, We don't know this!
And, you can come up with all kinds of hypotheses. But at the time, for us... we had no choice! We must succeed once, we cannot fail! !
Therefore, General Ruhr chose the safest, but the most sacrificed method: to force it with strength! With the frontal force of the Rodriguez cavalry that is unrivaled in the world, he rushed over with the shortest marching route in a straight line.
As for making the assumption from the sea route into the city, I prefer to call this a romantic fantasy.
Gentlemen, please remember, Rodrigues, we do not have ships in our logistics! At that time, almost all the coastal quays outside the city of Osgilia were occupied by rebels... Let's attack a quay first and take the ships, it's even more risky! As for the claim of contacting the Landis Navy, not to mention whether it could be contacted in an emergency situation at the time, even if it could be contacted, from a political point of view, it is impossible for us to hand over the Crown Prince to the Landisians! Although we were allies at the time, in the face of national interests, no covenant can be trusted! "
This article, written by Reinhardt, is included in the archives of the Imperial Military Academy's History of War.
In the battle at that time, the second flag regiment suffered the most heavy losses for the Rodririan cavalry. The flag regiment of more than 2,000 cavalry, with great courage and strong fighting power, overwhelmed a cavalry regiment in Armenia. Forcibly attacking the army formation of Armenia's main infantry corps, facing the enemy's heavy armored infantry formation ten times as large as his own, he was able to force the enemy to retreat step by step, on the verge of collapse! Although the entire army was annihilated in the end, according to the statistics after the event, the two thousand Rodian cavalrymen killed and wounded at least 6,000 rebel infantrymen. Together with the cavalry regiment of the defeated rebel army, the total number was close to Ten thousand!
The research on the war in which the Rodriguez cavalry assaulted is still ongoing, and some people have even studied the route and the distribution of troops of the Rodriguez cavalry at that time: the second flag regiment fought first, the first flag regiment followed, and then The third flag regiment guards the crown prince, and the fourth flag regiment is broken.
But it was later found out that the military order of the then General Ruhr was "The Second Banner Regiment opens the way, and in case of setbacks, the two wings can be spread out, and the heavy armored cavalry of the First Banner Regiment can be used to break the battle."
But at that time, when the Second Banner Regiment faced the dense and thick formation of the Armenian rebels' main infantry regiment, when the attack was frustrated, they did not carry out this order, or in other words, the flag officer of the Second Banner Regiment who died in battle did not. Executing this order simply orders the troops to move forward.
There is also much debate about this detail. The most mainstream view is that the commander's blind advance is too reckless. If the two wings spread out after a setback, make room for the heavy armored cavalry of the first banner regiment to attack the Armenian infantry line array, perhaps the effect will be better. Better, perhaps, the Second Banner Regiment would not have to be wiped out.
Although the 2,000 light cavalry and the 20,000 heavy infantry of the rebels retreated, almost collapsing, this kind of combat effectiveness is indeed amazing, but such losses can be avoided.
Regarding this issue, the one who later stood up to defend the honor of Rodriguez was an even more unexpected candidate—a general under the armenian rebel governor Hughes at the time! The rebel general later defected to the Empire before the Armenian rebel group was overthrown. After being tried by a military court, he was spared his death because of his defection. He was exiled in Sicily for fifteen years, and later in the country when the emperor was married. He was granted amnesty in the pardon order and returned to China.
After returning home, the rebel general worked as a non-staff war history researcher at the Military Academy and wrote an article titled "The Heavy Rain I Witnessed."
In the article he wrote:
"As a commander-general, I feel deeply ashamed when I see two thousand light cavalry force my heavy infantry phalanx to retreat. The Second Banner Regiment is the one I have ever seen in my life. , the bravest and most courageous army.
Some people may think that it would be unwise to use two thousand light cavalry to attack a phalanx of heavy armored infantry ten times as large as oneself.
But in my opinion at the time, the second flag regiment's approach was the most sensible one.
The terrain at that time was a muddy and semi-dry river beach on the left, a hillside on the right, and the road in the middle was only 50 meters wide. The Armenian heavy infantry is more than 20,000, all equipped with the world-famous Armenian elite armor and weapons. In a not wide terrain, once the 20,000 heavy infantry formed a dense and thick array, it was enough to withstand the impact of the cavalry.
At that time, the impact of the Second Banner Regiment of Rodriguez, the reason why the Armenian infantry could be beaten back, in addition to their courage and combat effectiveness, more importantly, our infantry has not been able to form a complete formation!
When the news of the destruction of the vanguard's cavalry regiment was received, the whole army was shaken, and the spirit of the army was unstable. In a hurry, although the array was barely formed, it lost its weight!
It can be said that if the second flag regiment does not attack immediately, it will leave us plenty of time to rectify the phalanx! Once we are given time to rectify the formation, then... even if the heavy cavalry of the First Banner Regiment of Rodrigue arrives, it may not be able to defeat us head-on... Maybe, but the loss will be greater!
The second flag regiment's approach is not unwise, but to exchange its own sacrifice for the most precious fighter! I respect the flag officer of the Second Banner Regiment, I think he is an excellent commander! He must have been keen to catch the fighter plane. If he ordered to suspend the attack at that time and waited for the arrival of the heavy cavalry, then it would give me precious time to rectify the army! But he didn't - he almost immediately gave the order to charge with mortal determination, and such an order gave me no time to set up the formation calmly! Under the continuous onslaught of the cavalry of the Second Banner Regiment, although it has not really defeated us, it has made our infantry fearless.
And the arrival of the heavy cavalry of the first flag regiment that followed made this battle come to an end soon!
It can be said that if the commander of the Second Banner Regiment did not order an immediate charge, even if the Rodriguez cavalry could defeat my troops, the losses and costs would have increased by at least 50%.
To this day, I still deeply regret it.
Just like the emotion I made on the battlefield at that time: such an iron army could not open up territory for the empire, but died in the civil war... It can be said that this is the sin of us people, and it is also our life. misfortune in this era. "
- This is a review from the "enemy general".
It is a pity that this article, due to the identity of the author, was not included in the document of the war history of the Imperial Military Academy, but was only circulated in private.
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The pouring rain continued, as if it had leaked that day. The dense rain curtain poured straight down from the sky, interspersed with the thick and black clouds, and lightning flashed from time to time.
This night of slaughter seems to have made the rain crimson.
What a bloody rain!
Hughes was soaked all over, and the raindrops hit his armor, making a crackling sound.
The Armenian governor was full of exhaustion and panic. His expression was like that of a frightened beast. The rain had washed away the blood on his armor, but his hair was still stuck to his forehead, tufts and drooping on his eyelids. superior.
Hughes put his hand on his waist... Unfortunately, there was only a scabbard on his waist, and the original sharp sword was lost. The boots were covered in red mud—yes, mud, red!
The rain seemed to hit Hughes so much that he couldn't even straighten his waist. He hunched his waist like a frail old man, and there was no vitality in the linen's eyes.
"Sir, front, front..."
A voice came from the side, and then a barely stable hand supported Hughes, pointing to the front of the rain screen, beside the path, was a small dilapidated house.
The embarrassed soldiers around him had already run over, and someone just kicked open the door and rushed in. Some of these soldiers have horses, and some can only run on two legs. Just at this moment, it seems that everyone has forgotten the distinction between superiors and inferiors. It seems that everyone is running for their lives in a hurry, and no one will pay attention to the honorable Governor Hughes anymore.
Surrounded by Hughes, there were only a few of his guards and a general wearing a mountain armor.
When everyone helped Hughes to run into the house, the defeated rebels around him just stared at him with numb eyes, but the general suddenly puffed up and shouted loudly: "The Governor is here. , are you all blind! Go to two people to make a fire!"
As he walked over and scolded a few times, these numb soldiers regained some vitality in their eyes, and gradually gathered together. Under the assignment of the general, they dispersed to work.
The fire soon started, and there was finally a bit of warmth in this damp and cold room.
This may be a small inn that has been abandoned - originally on the roads outside Osgilia, there are not many such inns. Only after the outbreak of the war, most of the residents here fled, leaving only empty and dilapidated houses.
A soldier took off his helmet, caught some rain outside, and set it on fire.
Hughes sat in front of the fire, as if he had not recovered.
The general next to him noticed the body of the Governor, and seemed to be trembling - not cold, but the fear and despair, which seemed to have not dissipated!
The general sighed softly, slapped Hughes hard, blocked his face with his body, and whispered in Hughes' ear: "Lord Governor, please cheer up - soldiers, all watching following you!"
After saying this sentence twice in a row, Hughes finally regained some vitality in his eyes. He raised his head, looked at the general beside him, and suddenly grinned, revealing a miserable smile. : "Soldiers... Ha! Where are my soldiers? Where are my tens of thousands of soldiers? All... all gone, gone... "
No more! All gone! !
No more! !
Just less than an hour ago - Hughes seemed to have just experienced the worst nightmare in his life! !
The vanguard's cavalry regiment was routed, and more than 2,000 Rodriguez light cavalry almost chased and killed them.
His 20,000 multi-armored infantry hurriedly formed an formation and stopped in the middle of the road, a tragic fight. The 2,000 Rodriguez light cavalry beat their own two foreign heavy armored infantry back and forth, and was on the verge of collapse!
But finally, relying on the great advantage of their own strength, the two thousand Rodriguez cavalry, at the end of the force, finally failed to penetrate the thick formation of their own infantry.
However, the courage and swearing-to-death momentum of these Roderian cavalrymen had already terrified their entire army!
Immediately, when another wave of cavalry from Rodriguez arrived, the situation became one-sided.
The line of defense of his own array was already crumbling, but it was the most powerful heavy cavalry regiment among the Rodriguen cavalry!
The first wave of shocks directly tore a huge hole in his defense line. As the hole that was breached became bigger and bigger, he even filled in the supervising team, but he was unable to fill the gap. Once defeated, The entire army collapsed, and the impact of the heavy cavalry shattered several lines of defense in an instant!
His own infantry finally collapsed completely. Countless people lost their weapons like crazy and fled, while the heavy cavalry of Rodriguez drove straight in...
Can't stop it, can't stop it at all!
At the most dangerous time, the Rodriguez cavalry almost rushed under Hughes' nose. Fortunately, the 100 Iron Guards around him swore a block to the death, and the rest of the people had already set up Hughes, who had completely collapsed all the way. run wild.
Hughes and the guards around him have warhorses. Once they run, they will naturally run faster than the defeated infantry. The heavy cavalry of Rodriguez had to rush to kill the defeated soldiers, and at the same time the speed of the heavy cavalry was not too fast, which gave Hughes a chance to escape.
And what happened next made Hughes almost unable to cry.
He fled all the way with people, ran halfway, and encountered two prepared cavalry regiments under his command that arrived late. Because the order to march tonight was too hasty, these two cavalry needed to reorganize their equipment to advance, but instead fell at the back of the large force.
After reuniting with the cavalry, Hughes regained a little courage, but at this time, Hughes had completely lost his mind. Under his madness, he made another huge mistake - just like a bet that had already lost its red eyes. Disciple, in the rush to turn the tables, he has completely lost his rationality!
He went mad and ordered, and the thousands of cavalry around him immediately fought back! In his crazy consciousness, Hughes radically believed that the Rodriguez cavalry could overwhelm his infantry regiment, and it was already the end of the shot.
As a result, he did not listen to the dissuasion of the people around him, and after forcibly ordering a counterattack, he suffered an even worse defeat!
After the cavalry rushed up, they did not immediately encounter the heavy cavalry of Rodriguez, but they encountered a large number of defeated infantry of their own people!
These rout infantrymen have been completely frightened, throwing away their armor and armor, and fleeing like crazy, and there is the charge of Rodriguez from far behind.
All people have lost their reason at this moment, and the only thought in everyone's heart is: escape!
As a result, these mad rout soldiers rushed towards them, but instead they swept away the Armenian cavalry formation! !
The queue was dispersed by their own people. At the beginning, the cavalry tried to shout to rectify it, but later found that these rout soldiers did not obey the order at all, and immediately after the charge of Rodriguez came from a distance, the Armenian cavalry generals were helpless. Only one decision could be made: he ordered his cavalry to wield butcher knives and clear the road!
When the cavalry, in desperation, raised their sabres towards their defeated soldiers, the scene fell into even more chaos.
The Roderian cavalry immediately came up, but the Armenian cavalry fell into the chaotic tide of their own rout, and completely collapsed after being charged by the Rodrian cavalry!
Hughes is completely broken! He had already gambled on the last cavalry, but he did not expect to be defeated so quickly.
Fortunately, the generals and subordinates around him saw the opportunity quickly, forcibly surrounded Hughes, who was already crazy, and quickly fled. And there are many smart people among these subordinates. Seeing the cavalry of Rodia galloping along the road, they quickly wrapped Hughes, left the road, and fled towards the path in the wilderness—sure enough, Rodia The cavalry didn't seem to have any intention of splitting up to pursue, but the battalion went all the way along the road towards Osgilia.
At this moment, sitting in the abandoned house beside the path, Hughes was already wrapped in a blanket—it was dug out from the house by his guards. The blanket was a little moldy, and there was an indescribable stench, but Hughes was wrapped tightly, sitting by the fire shivering.
Finally, the water in the helmet on the fire boiled, and a guard held it in front of Hughes: "Sir, drink some hot water..."
Hughes raised his head blankly, took it blankly, and took two sips blankly - he didn't seem to feel hot anymore. After swallowing two big gulps of hot water in a row, the rebel governor suddenly slammed his neck!
puff! !
He opened his mouth, and a mouthful of bright red liquid sprayed out directly onto the helmet in his hand! The blood stains scattered on the water in the helmet gradually dispersed.
Hughes vomited blood, as if to dispel the stagnation in his heart a little, and finally there was some brilliance in his eyes-he suddenly loosened his hand, and the helmet fell to the ground.
The "noble governor" burst into tears: "My army! My army!!!!"
In order to seize the opportunity tonight, Hughes rushed to advance the army. One cavalry flag regiment was first defeated, and then an infantry regiment of 20,000 troops was completely defeated frontally, and then the two cavalry flag regiments that came later were also destroyed... Just this, he lost It's close to 30,000 horses!
And the troops behind that came later, without their own command, plus the rout of the army going all the way, I am afraid that they will also be coerced into rout. The Rodriians don't even need to wave their weapons, just drive all the way on horseback. , like driving a flock of sheep!
Under his own deliberation, the Armenian family that he has managed, tens of thousands of heroic soldiers, are equipped with the best weapons and armors.
How can Hughes not vomit blood? !
"My lord... my lord!"
The general beside him held down Hughes hard and said loudly: "The army is gone, we can recruit again! The weapons are gone, we can build it again! Armenia is the best in the world! As long as we still have land, mines, and population, You don't have to worry about not being able to raise an army! But if your lord falls, what will happen to those of us under your command!"
After shaking a few times in a row, Hughes gradually stopped crying—he was originally considered a great man of a generation, but when he suddenly encountered such a pale, it was inevitable that he was in a state of confusion. After gradually calming down, he finally regained his sense of reason.
Looking up at the general beside him, Hughes took a breath.
He was silent for a while, before replying in a calm voice: "Send all my guards out! Everyone flagged and went along the surrounding wilderness trails to gather up the rout! Also, how many more do we have? cavalry?"
"There are less than a hundred around." The general smiled bitterly.
"I'll give it to you!" Hughes gritted his teeth: "These cavalry are for you, you take them, and walk along the road... I think the Rodrigues are already heading for Osgilia, you go now , should not meet them, you go along the road to gather our defeated army, and then bring them all here to assemble."
Seeing that the Governor finally got a little cheered up, everyone around him finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The general hesitated for a moment: "Your Excellency... I have sent all my subordinates to take me away. You must keep some people to protect you here..."
"Protect?!"
Hughes suddenly smiled miserably: "I've reached this point now, what's the point of protection? If you can't gather our men and horses back, I'll be dead even if I'm alive! Go! There's an army, we can only Stay alive! Remember, go!"
After all his subordinates took orders, there were less than 20 wounded soldiers in this dilapidated house, but Hughes had already stood up and stood at the door of the room. The door was opened, and there was a strong wind outside. poured in.
Between that day and the earth, the thick rain curtain has become a little thinner, as if after more than an hour of pouring, the torrential rain has finally slowed down, but just looking around, it is all muddy, many places, even turned into a swamp...
Hughes suddenly lit up and looked into the distance!
In the distance, in the direction of Osgilia, I saw a fire in the distance of the horizon! Although the distance here is very far, it is not too clear to see, but the fire is very eye-catching in this dark night!
Hughes slammed a punch on the door and sighed: "Those Rodian cavalrymen are already attacking our coalition camp! Alas... I'm careless, careless! Since I can know the news of the old emperor's death, those The Rodian cavalry also seems to know, they rushed to Osgilia so desperately, I think they came to protect the crown prince from entering the city to inherit the throne... I made a mistake, just one step... "
Indeed, if Hughes did not urge the army to attack the Roderian cavalry tonight, but calmly arranged the army on the road leading to Osgilia and ambushed...
Hughes smiled miserably, but suddenly looked at the sky, the thick dark clouds gradually dissipated with the heavy rain, but in the distance, there was a faint rumbling of thunder.
"God..." Hughes sighed and held the door sullenly: "Don't tell me, are you still protecting this ancient empire? God, are you still protecting Byzantium?!"
The flames in the distance made half of the night sky red. Although it was far away, there was no sound of fighting, but when I thought of the fierce battle tonight, I could fully imagine that the rebels outside the city of Osgilia at this moment. What a tragic battle the joint defense line is going through at the moment!
Those Roderian lunatics will attack the rebels' joint defense line desperately, and they will not stop... Even if only the last person is left, they will not stop.
Won't!
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That night, with less than 8,000 remnant cavalry, the Roderian cavalry launched a death-defying attack in the face of more than 200,000 rebel coalitions. The rebels were caught off guard and hurriedly set up a defense line. During the fierce battle of the rebel army, 14 senior generals below the governor of the Carthaginian military region of the rebel group were killed, and 33 middle-level generals below the flag regiment level, and the total number of killed and wounded rebels reached nearly 30,000. The entire army of the 13th Corps of the Empire is up and down, no one fears death, no horse retreats! The rebels finally lost their nerve and had to break through.
Rodriguez's entire army entered the city, the regiment general Ruhr was seriously injured in seven places, and all the regiment-level generals under his banner were killed in action.
On the same night, Emperor Cantos of the Empire died of illness, and Crown Prince Garcia was crowned and succeeded. He ordered Ruhr to be appointed as Deputy Minister of Military Affairs of the Empire. Ruhr refused on the grounds that he was seriously injured. Weeping loudly: "The loyalty of Rodriguez and the Empire has been exhausted today with blood! The loyal soul is very clear, Your Majesty will not forget today!!"
After speaking, the general vomited blood and fell into a coma in the hall of the coronation ceremony.
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Different from the coronation ceremony in the city, which was stained with blood, but known all over the world, just 30 miles northwest of the city, at the same time at the same time, a branch of the army, the number of the whole army was less than 4,000, and the horses were all weak. Ma, but in this night, standing still in the rain, until nearly dawn.
Four thousand soldiers took off the Rodriguez uniforms that symbolized glory, and looked north under the leadership of a young officer.
"After today, there will be no Rodia."