Chapter 480: Slow Reaction
“Kill –”
Finally, someone shouted, and the sudden sound echoed in the silent night.
However, along with this shout, a series of shouts also appeared in all directions in this valley, and it gathered into a single sentence: “Kill –”
The serf rebels in the South County who had entered the status of infantrymen had launched the deadliest night attack!
Meanwhile, the members of the knight corps, who were the main force to quell the rebellion, were still sleeping soundly.
No one could react in time!
Because of the 5,000 people, less than 20 sentries were left. Even these sentries were exhausted from traveling day and night to this place.
In addition, they did not pay much attention to the lowly troop cla.s.s like the serf rebels. However, it was because of this belittlement that led to this night attack. It also made the members of the knight corps, who were still sleeping in their tents, in a short period of time, they were scattered like a tide by the rebel army!
The knights who were still sleeping in their tents woke up in the midst of the loud shouts. However, when they completely woke up, their tents were pierced and torn apart. Then, the enemies rushed in!
However, it was too late!
The ferocious-looking rebel soldiers used their spears and longsword to pierce through the knights who had already taken off their armor. They were unarmed and couldn’t resist at all. They slaughtered them easily!
It was really a ma.s.sacre!
A b.l.o.o.d.y ma.s.sacre!
The knight squires at the outermost perimeter did not have time to react. They were drowned by the rebellion army soldiers who swarmed in. Then, they turned into corpses. They did not even have time to struggle before they were all killed in the tent where they were sleeping soundly!
Then, there were the middle-level knight attendants. Perhaps, they even showed some signs of resistance.
After all, the squires at the periphery had stopped them for a moment.
They immediately woke up when they heard the screams, as well as the sounds of slaughter and ferocious curses.
They picked up the weapons beside them, but before they could put on the mail armor, the tent was immediately broken open. Even though they barely used the longsword in their hands to resist a few times, more and more rebels surged in. These knight attendants could not resist at all. They retreated one after another, wanting to go to the tent where the knights were to organize a defense.
But their retreat was obviously an action out of a pure panic without time to think!
They retreated in a mess. Their strength of resistance had become very low.
After causing a small number of casualties among the rebellion soldiers, most of the knight attendants wore simple long robes and held longsword or lance. They quickly retreated, quickly becoming defeated and directly running towards the knights ‘defensive line.
The tents of the knights were in the center.
They were also the ones who reacted.
Under the double delays of the squires and attendants, these knights were fully armed.
However, there were only less than 500 of them. Even with the knight attendants and squires who had retreated, they could only gather around 3,000 people in the end. Among them, there were nearly 1,000 people who did not have time to put on their armor!
However, just as these people gathered to resist, they were completely surrounded.
The 20,000 elite members of the rebellion army moved out in full force, trapping them firmly in the valley.
The front row was armed with long lances and spears, while the back row was filled with elite warriors in heavy armor. On both sides of the valley, there were long-ranged troop cla.s.s soldiers armed with bows and crossbows, as well as pilums and catapults.
Under the moonlight, they could see clearly even without torches.
The same was true for the knights.
There was nothing they could do.
They could no longer break through this dense encirclement.
That was because their warhorses were kept on one side of the valley not far away. When the rebel soldiers launched a sneak attack, the tents of the warhorses were the first to be destroyed. All the squires who stayed behind were killed. There were no captives left behind, it was to prevent the captives from wasting their energy and taking care of them.
However, to the knights who were surrounded in the middle, these uprising army soldiers were as if they had destroyed their most important escape tool. It was simply impossible to break out of the encirclement!
Who would have thought that the well-equipped knights would fall to such a state?
This was simply impossible!
Especially the commanders of the five knight corps, who looked at each other in dismay.
This time, they had originally planned to stay far away from the main battlefield to relax.
However, they did not expect to be in danger of being annihilated now. Looking at the surrounding phalanxes of lance that were less than 50 meters apart, they had nowhere to go. Under the moonlight, the spearheads that flashed with a chilling light carried a terror that could pierce through everything, no one dared to ignore so many lances.
Moreover, there were more and more warriors in heavy armor behind them. They held longsword and looked at them coldly. However, when they looked back, they realized that many of their heavy armor looked extremely familiar. It seemed to be their standard armor!
That’s right, it was indeed the standard weapons and armor of these knights.
They found it during the night raid.
Then, it was put on by the soldiers of the rebellion army to make the most of it!
Even at the top of the valley on both sides, a large number of long-range troop cla.s.s were waiting for orders. The total number was close to 5,000 men. Although there were only a few war bows and heavy crossbows, most of them were using hunting bows and light crossbows, as well as simple-cut javelins.
Even the primitive catapults that were temporarily made from two leather ropes.
However, these were still long-range weapons!
From a high vantage point.
With the difference of more than 30 meters between the two sides of the hill, the inertia and lethality formed by these long-range weapons was enough to kill!
Even if they were trapped here, starving these knights who lacked supplies for two days would make them exhausted and lose their combat ability. Even if they were to break out of the encirclement, there would be continuous long-range attacks to exhaust them.
During the process of breaking out of the encirclement, more and more of their comrades were killed or injured. This was also a great blow to their morale!
It could be said that these 3,000 knights were like fish in a barrel.
Rolf came to the top of the hill.
Behind him was the leader of the rebellion army.
The two of them did not say anything. Instead, they looked at the 3,000 knights who were tightly surrounded in the narrow s.p.a.ce below. They stretched out their hands and waved forward. They ordered to take the lead and destroy them before these people were ready to break out of the encirclement!
“Fire!”
Their respective middle-level commanders shouted the order.
On both sides of the hills, all the long-range weapons were fired at the same time. As the whoos.h.i.+ng sound continued, more and more black shadows appeared under the moonlight. The terrifying scythe of death swung down fiercely in the air. It made the knights who were closely arranged into a defensive line under the ground scream in pain.
Even hunting bows and light crossbow, heavy pilums and irregular stones could cause heavy casualties to those knights who did not have armor and s.h.i.+elds in a hurry, not to mention the lethal arrows shot by war bows and heavy crossbows!