monarch

Chapter 36 Duel

The early morning fog finally dissipated. This is a typical autumn morning. The sky is a leaden gray. The cold wind from the North Sea blows on people, wrapping in moisture. Although the temperature is not low, it makes people feel quite cold.

The large armies of England and Scotland faced each other across the Esk River.Robert Dudley squinted and watched the St Andrews banner of the Scottish army trembling in the wind.The people on the other side seemed to be boundless, crowding the shallows on the other side of the river, there were red-haired highlanders with long hair and tomahawks, shouting something to the Englishmen on this side of the river, although they couldn't hear Clear, but certainly not a good word from their obscene gestures; more of a levies of tenant farmers of noble lords, much smaller than the former, in colorful shabby clothes, so You can tell the difference at a glance.In the center of the army, there is a group of people riding tall horses, with the biggest flag flying above their heads.The leader was a man whose hair seemed to have turned gray. He looked at this side of the river, and his eyes were facing the Earl of Hertford beside Robert.

Earl Allen on the other side of the river looked enviously at the Englishmen on the other side of the river. They wore uniforms of uniform colors, and even ordinary infantrymen wore at least one breastplate. Although its protective ability was doubtful, at least it looked quite bluff.In the distance the English cannons were already in position, their muzzles directed at his position.

"Your Excellency, it's time."

Earl Allen turned his head and looked at Earl Hume who couldn't wait. "Are you sure?" he said beggingly, "This is suicide, those cavalrymen under you..." He didn't go on, but everyone knew what he meant.Most of Earl Hume's cavalry came from highland clans and even horse bandits. They came here because Earl Hume gave them more money than they could get by robbery.They rode their own rough domestic horses, armed with nothing but sabers and daggers, and if they weren't a mob, they certainly were.

Earl Hume is a black-haired, middle-aged man who has a reputation for recklessness, bad temper, and alcoholism.The earl's greatest hobby is to stand drunk on the top floor of his castle on a sunny day, and shoot the old ladies who come to pick mushrooms in the woods near his castle with crossbow bolts. Thirty years ago, when his father died with the late king on the battlefield against the English, he was just a little boy, and now, 30 years later, he finally has the opportunity to avenge the father he was not close to, although he drove him away. He went to war not so much with hatred of the English as with his bloodthirsty instincts.

"The glove has been thrown, do you want to give up the duel?" Earl Hume said disdainfully.This timid old man should stay in Edinburgh and wait for the good news. What is he doing here commanding the army?

Earl Allen sighed, "Let's begin." Even a layman could see clearly that this duel was a complete farce, but the idiot opposite him who had read too many knight novels would not listen to him at all. .This army is completely a product of patchwork. The nobles and clan leaders brought their own people, and they could turn around and go home immediately.If there is a king here, they will take care of one or two things, but these people are not so patient with him, the so-called regent.

"Two thousand cavalry, you bring one thousand and five hundred." Although Earl Hume's cavalry is not satisfactory, this is the entire cavalry strength of Scotland. give away.

Earl Hume didn't look happy, but he finally sold Earl Arlen a face.

Fifteen hundred Scots cavalry crossed the Esk River from the ford, and formed up in the open space where the duel was scheduled.

"Fifteen hundred cavalry." The commander of the English army, the Earl of Hertford, said coldly.

"Your Excellency, Lord Gray, take fifteen hundred cavalry, and let us quickly end this farce."

Lord Gray was the cousin of the Marquess of Dorset who was his wife's valet, and he never smiled, and always had a serious expression on his face.Hearing the commander's words, he didn't speak as usual, just nodded slightly, saluted, and galloped towards the flanking cavalry.A moment later, there was a sound of hooves from the direction of the cavalry.

Among Lord Gray's [-] cavalrymen, there were [-] knights. These heavy cavalrymen wore thick plate armor and held long riding fences in their hands. Even the horses under their crotches were tightly covered by iron armor. .These cavalry were undoubtedly the most fearsome military forces in the Middle Ages. Although they have been greatly challenged since the introduction of gunpowder into warfare, they are still the masters of the battlefield so far.

The remaining 500 men also carried heavy lances, but their armor was only about half the size compared to the knights who were covered in full body and horse plate armor.They wore light breastplate and shoulder armor, and wore helmets that showed their faces. The leg armor was replaced by a special kind of boots, and they carried a sword at their waist.They are called the second-class cavalry, they are much lighter and more maneuverable than the knights, and more importantly, they are much cheaper.However, although they are not fully protected by armor, the armor protecting their vital parts is thicker than that of knights, and even protects them from firearms.

The cavalry of both sides lined up on both sides of the open space. Earl Hume's 500 men lined up in several horizontal lines, while Lord Gray on the opposite side put [-] knights in the center, and [-] lighter and inferior cavalry were drawn into the center. Put it on the two wings, making a posture to outflank the Scots.

After the cavalry finished forming, the battlefield fell into an astonishing silence, and all eyes on both sides of the river were fixed on the duel field.

"When was the last time there was a duel of this magnitude?" Robert heard the Earl of Hertford ask himself.

"It seems to be the twelfth century, and I can't remember exactly, sir."

"It's really amazing. I'm afraid such a scene will never happen again." The earl turned his head back to the original position, and once again cast his eyes on Lord Gray, who was at the forefront of the English cavalry target.

Suddenly, the cavalry on both sides moved almost simultaneously.The Scots moved very quickly, and the light cavalry rushed towards the opponent's phalanx like arrows off the string.

The English heavy cavalry also began to run. They were very heavy, so they were not fast at first, but slowly accelerated.

The distance between the two sides was getting closer and closer, and the hooves of three thousand cavalrymen were deafening, and everyone felt the ground tremble slightly under their feet.

"He's going to hit the English head-on!" shouted an officer beside Earl Allen in horror.The advantage of the light cavalry lies in mobility, while the advantage of the heavy cavalry lies in its impact. If Earl Hume can use the flexibility of his cavalry to make the English exhausted, they will have the power to fight when they are exhausted. Now he wants to attack head-on as if he has gone crazy. Could it be that he thinks he has lived too long?

Earl Hume felt the wind blowing past his ears, and he felt his heart beating faster and faster.The Englishman on the opposite side was getting closer and closer, and the blood in his whole body was about to boil.He hadn't been this excited for a long time since he was kicked out of the Regency Council by the Earl of Arlen. He raised his saber and pointed the point at the English cavalryman who was rushing towards him. In fact, it looks like a silver iron bump.The knight opposite raised his heavy lance, and his movements seemed so slow and so good that he could dodge without much effort.

When Earl Hume was only a few meters away from the spear point, he leaned over with an agility that seemed to be ten years younger, avoiding the oncoming lance.He swung his saber and slashed at the Englishman, who had been knocked out with one blow, and the saber fell sharply.

There was a slight dent in the plate armor of the English knight. Earl Hume stared at the dent, which was almost invisible to the naked eye, and his eyes widened. Pain instead - another knight's lance knocked him from his mount.He first saw the leaden blue sky, and then the ground full of withered grass, and the smell of the soil broke into his nose.

He fell to the ground, and then there was another sharp pain, and countless horseshoes stepped on him.

Then came eternal darkness.

……

The Earl of Hertford looked at the slaughterhouse expressionlessly, and the Scottish cavalry hit the rocks like waves, turning into bloody waves.Earl Gray's knights cut the Scots formation into pieces as easily as hot knives cut through butter.

"What a tragedy," he said to his adjutant.

"A noble tragedy," replied Robert Dudley.

"That's not necessarily the case." The earl smiled mockingly, "It's better to say it's a stupid tragedy." He looked ahead, and the Scots had already started to retreat.

Lord Gray's lesser Lancers, who had not seen blood, quickly accelerated. They outflanked the retreating Scottish cavalry from both wings, blocked their retreat path, and together with the following knights completely surrounded the participating Scottish cavalry.

"It's over." The Earl of Hertford said softly, less than half an hour before it started.

There was a commotion from the Scottish army on the opposite side, and some phalanxes were already showing signs of collapse.

"Your Excellency, do you want to attack?" An officer next to the earl was eager to try. Now that the morale of the Scots is low, it can be regarded as a good time.

The Earl of Hertford pondered for a long time before shaking his head.

Although the Scots suffered a defeat, they still waited for work on the other side of the river.

He had to wait for the Scot to come to his door on his own initiative.

Horns sounded from the opposite side, and the Scottish army began to retreat.

The Earl of Hertford pouted, turned his horse's head, and issued an order to retreat.

……

Earl Arlen walked back to his tent wearily, and his servant hurried forward and wrote down the armor for him.

"Your Excellency, would you like some drinks?" the servant asked courteously, holding a heavy plate armor in his hand.

The count sat wearily on an armchair, waved his hand impatiently, and dismissed the servant who seemed to be about to say something.He closed his eyes and pressed his hands to his temples, trying to clear his mind and get the horrible scene of the afternoon out of his mind.

There was another commotion outside, the count opened his eyes irritably, and his adjutant opened the curtain of the door and came in, looking a little pale.

Earl Allen, who seemed to have been crushed by the burden of fate, sighed, "What happened again?" He said weakly.

"The remaining five hundred cavalry, sir."

Earl Allen sneered. He had expected that these mobs would be unreliable, but he didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

"What do they want?" Earl Allen was ready to agree to their request. All these people want is money, but who knows how many people will still have money after tomorrow?

"They... are leaving." The adjutant stammered.He had just returned from the cavalry, and the gang had been completely terrified by today's horrible scene.But in all fairness, they did have reasons to be afraid—500 people were wiped out in less than half an hour, and the rest of them would be killing themselves if they stayed.

"How much money did they get before? I'll double them." Although the treasury is empty, if he loses, it's not something he needs to worry about.

The adjutant bowed and withdrew.

Earl Allen closed his eyes again, feeling his head hurt even more.

……

When Earl Arlen woke up, it was dark in the tent. He went to the door and opened the curtain, and found that the sun had already set.

His servant hurried forward, "What are your orders?" The count noticed that his servant's smile was a little stiff.

"Has Mr. Johnson returned?" His adjutant had been gone for several hours, and the Earl was eager to know what was going on with the cavalry, the last mobile force he had left.

"My lord, Mr. Johnson..." the servant gritted his teeth, and finally confessed, "Those scoundrels killed Mr. Johnson!"

The earl's eyes darkened, "What's going on?" He grabbed the servant's arm and stared at the grinning servant who was pinched by his iron palm.

"The men were riding away when Mr. Johnson got there, and he stopped them and told them to stay, promising to pay them twice as much, but the leading horse bandit said the treasury was clean, and Mr. Johnson and You..." He raised his head and glanced at the count's expression quietly, "You are all liars."

"Then he chopped down Mr. Johnson with a saber and rode away with his men...the army couldn't stop them." These horse bandits and mountain people were already familiar with escaping from the pursuit of the royal army.

"So now there is not a single cavalry." The earl muttered to himself, he turned and walked back, his steps were a little staggering, the servant stepped forward two steps to help him, he waved his hand and refused, alone Walked back to the tent alone looking at least 20 years older.

……

At the same time, the atmosphere of the commanders of the English army in the castle a few miles away was completely different. The skills of the chefs here have also improved significantly, and everything seems to be getting better.

Lord Gray drank the wine in his glass in a few sips. "My lord," he turned to Earl Hertford, "why didn't you give the order to pursue the victory today?" The army formation was torn in half, but the commander strictly ordered him to return to the starting point, which made him slightly critical.

The Earl of Hertford took a sip of the Bordeaux wine slowly, the wine was slightly sour, and he frowned slightly, "Your cavalry were already exhausted at the time, and the Scots were shocked, but they were waiting for work on the other side of the river, can you Win but the loss will be huge." He paused slightly, "I want them to take the initiative to attack us."

"Today they should realize that their meager quantity advantage is meaningless in front of our quality advantage," said an officer. "I doubt that Earl Allen will take the initiative to kick the iron plate."

"Then we'll find a way to get him to come." The earl wiped his hands, "Sir Robert." He turned his head to face the boy sitting beside him.

Robert Dudley felt that countless eyes were being looked at him, envious, admiring, and of course jealous. "My lord?" He nodded slightly.

The Earl of Hertford whispered something in his ear.

Robert bowed and walked out of the room.

The Earl of Hertford waved to the servant, "Bring me a glass of ale instead." The wine was poor, and I hoped the ale would be better.

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