The Last Frontier of Fire and Sword
Chapter 242: Battle of Lidarburg 22
Jan Sobieski did not expect that the entire battle line around the support point of Lida Fort had all fallen into a stalemate. Although the battle seemed to be very detrimental to the defenders of Lida Fort, the front was almost broken several times, but it was exhausted again and again, as long as Jan Sobieski gritted his teeth to block the fiercest. In the first wave, the coalition’s follow-up offensive was definitely not as violent as the first time. And his move to transfer troops from the left has already fallen into the calculations of Marshal Brae Wiichensburg. Everything was planned according to the military plan of Marshal Brae Wiichensburg and Okinsky. Pace of development: Marshal Brahe Wichensburg did not expect to be able to rely on a powerful attack to capture Lidaburg, but the battlefield situation had to launch a frontal attack, so Marshal Brahe Wichensburg designed a The plan to mobilize the opponent: maintain strong pressure on Lida Fort, attract as many enemy forces as possible here, and then nail it to death, and then Robert Douglas will launch a fatal blow on the left flank of the front. It is precisely because of this that Brahe Wichensburg and Okinsky, even though they knew that it would be impossible to occupy Lida Fort with a force of 14,000 men, they still desperately launched a fierce attack on the solid position again and again in order to cooperate with Robert · Douglas, crucified Fajan Sobieski's infantry and mobile force.
After Jan Sobieski transferred away the 1,500 infantry from the left wing, Marshal Brahe Wichensburg's "left uppercut" was finally launched.
At 5 o'clock in the afternoon, Douglas saw that the time was ripe and ordered him to order all four thousand infantry troops to press on, and one thousand cavalry to cover the two wings of the infantry phalanx. Ten squadrons, also organized in accordance with the Swedish military system, lined up in front of the stream, with their musketeers at the front and the pikemen at the back, pressing like a dark cloud against the remaining five hundred Polish infantry on the other side. The Polish infantry on the other side was caught off guard, but they did not back down, and still fired back with muskets. At the same time, they sent people to notify General Stanislaw Liancikolonski in the rear.
Chechen's mercenary group was placed in the position closest to the woods. Cheechen knew that such a civil war would be cruel to the kind-hearted Father Spasokukotsky, so he deliberately placed the priest's squadron on the far left. Although some people secretly questioned Cheerchen's doing this to prevent the deputy commander Bashit from competing with the leader's uncle Pidro, Cheerchen has a clear conscience.
Ten phalanxes eight times the strength of the opposing team surrounded almost five hundred Polish infantry regiments. These Polish infantrymen had formed a circular formation, and they desperately fired in all directions, trying to block the enemy from all directions.
In Cheerchen's squadron, soldiers were hit by stray bullets and fell. But no one fired before General Douglas's order. This was the general's death order.
The square array is getting closer and closer to the circle where the enemy is, and the soldiers in the first row can even see the opponent's Adam's apple and desperate face.
Thirty steps. At this distance, the casualties of the mercenary regiment increased sharply. Just now, five musketeers were knocked to the ground in the enemy's round of shooting.
The ten phalanx stopped. Their muskets were aimed at the circle at the same time.
The fear of being surrounded by groups and aiming at the muzzle of more than two thousand black holes is unimaginable by people who have never experienced it. Even if the Swedish army has not opened fire, some Polish soldiers in the interior of the circle have lost the courage to fight. They threw down their weapons in despair and fled in all directions, as if the same drop of ink was spotted in the water and then spread.
At this moment, the cavalry led by Stanislaw Liantzkoronsky began to arrive. The Swedish cavalry on the right flank greeted them fearlessly. The order they received was to block the cavalry and buy time for the infantry phalanx to destroy the enemy infantry.
The Swedish cavalry soon fought with the cavalry led by Stanislaw Liantzkoronsky. The main force of this 1,000-man Swedish cavalry is composed of fifty Swedish pistol cavalry. They rode the tallest and strongest army horses in plate armor, and held a musket in one hand. The Scottish Broadsword was hung on the wrist through a string at the end of the hilt, and it entered the camp of the Polish cavalry like an iron tower.
With a sharp whistle, two thousand muskets fired at the same time, like the same thunder sounded on the ground.
After the smoke cleared, the place where the Polish infantry originally stood was already a Shura field. Nearly 300 Polish infantrymen were killed and wounded. The deceased and the wounded lay on top of each other, and the wounded groaned in pain. The surviving person did not continue to run away, or fell on his knees in a disorderly manner, making a gesture of surrender to the Swedes.
In just one round, the remaining five hundred infantrymen on the left wing were all wiped out.
Seeing the tragedy of his own infantry, Stanislaw Lianczkoronsky's eyes cracked. He ordered the cavalry to defeat the Swedish cavalry as soon as possible to avenge his compatriots.
The quality of the Polish cavalry is indeed better than that of the coalition. Although the weapons and armor of the Swedish pistol cavalry were superior to that of the Polish cavalry, and even better than that of the wing cavalry. But the Polish cavalry still tried every means to kill the Swedish pistol cavalry. They used the Tatar method to show the ropes to trap the Swedish pistol cavalry, and then pulled off the horse. At this time, the proud full-body plate armor of the Swedish pistols became a burden. If they could not get up quickly, they would be driven to the Polish pistols and dragoons to shoot at close range with muskets. And even the best plate armor can't defend against the close-range firing of a musket.
The Polish cavalry and the Swedish cavalry repeatedly charged and countercharged. The Polish cavalry, who had the upper hand in number and overall quality, gradually gained the upper hand, and the Swedish cavalry began to loosen up.
However, the fearless battle of the Swedish cavalry also bought enough time for their infantry. The ten square formations changed abruptly, with the Pikemen in front and the Musketeers behind. Each phalanx left enough passage for cavalry.
The second whistle sounded. The front line where the Swedish cavalry had begun to leave, withdrew behind the phalanx. But Stanisław Liantzkoronsky would not give up. He followed the retreating Swedish cavalry and began to pursue and fight.
The three-pounder gun that had been pushed through the creek opened fire on the Polish cavalry through the passage left by the infantry phalanx. The grape shells fired by these small guns successfully prevented the Polish cavalry from pursuing them. The momentum of the Polish cavalry's pursuit was a pause.
Stanislaw Lianczkoronsky led the cavalry out of the range of the artillery. But he must continue to hold his ground or repel the Swedes' attack.
It is not advisable to give up the position and return to Lida Fort. Because his army has exhausted almost all the food in Lida Fort, it is a dead end to be trapped in the isolated city. And winter is coming soon.
The Swedish infantry phalanx began to move forward. As a last resort, Stanislaw Liantzkoronsky ordered the cavalry to launch several counterattacks.
Although it is said that a general is innocent and exhausted, the difference in the quality of the troops can highlight the superiority of the coach's strategy: Brahe Wichensburg's strike was calculated in advance, and it has not only formed a part of the battlefield. The superiority of the number of troops annihilated the left-wing infantry, and the combination of arms is balanced. Artillery, cavalry and infantry cooperate in combat. When the cavalry is disadvantaged, they can retreat behind the infantry phalanx for protection, and wait for the infantry to repel the Polish cavalry with a burst of intensive firepower. , And then fight out from behind the phalanx. The main force of the Polish infantry was all nailed to Lidaburg. Even if Stanislaw Liantzkolonski asked Jan Sobieski for reinforcements, Jan Sobieski would probably not be able to provide troops.
After three consecutive failed attacks, the Polish cavalry began to die and rest for a while.
Looking at the corpses of more than 500 Polish cavalry soldiers lying in front of their own positions, they were full of thoughts. Today’s battle can be described as a replica of the battle between himself and Colonel Jerzy Khaletsky. The Swedish army, like its own, wiped out the enemy's infantry first, and then fought the cavalry with a strong phalanx. The difference is that General Douglas has more troops and better quality.
"It's over." Cheerchen sighed. Although the battle continued, Cheerchen clearly felt that the Polish army was about to lose in this battle. At this time, Cheer Chen sincerely hoped that the opponent's coach could see the situation clearly and lead the remaining cavalry to retreat.
But things obviously didn't end as Cheerchen guessed. With a stern horn, the Polish cavalry resumed their offensive formation. And this time, Stanisław Liantzkoronsky shrank the attack surface, attempting to penetrate the Swedish army's defense line with a single breakthrough.
Douglas is obviously also keenly aware of this. He ordered the two wings to move closer to the center, and attack the enemy with a wider depth.
The first wave of dragoons and pistols jumped out. They used a half-length maneuver to continuously shoot the Swedish pike phalanx, trying to shake the soldiers' will.
The musketeers behind the long-lance phalanx returned fire, and the Swedish cavalry also rushed out of the phalanx, trying to disperse the enemy.
The mutation happened at this moment. As the Swedish cavalry rushed out, the Polish dragoons and pistol cavalry quickly retreated. The originally sheltered battlefield was revealed-behind them was a neat line of wing cavalry.
Before the dragoons and pistol cavalry all dispersed, the wing cavalry and the armored Cossacks who stood with guns launched a charge. They tried to defeat Sweden before returning to their phalanx, and pushed the remnant defeat into the opponent’s phalanx to disrupt the Swedes’ formation. The Swedish infantry on the two wings is concentrating in the middle, which increases the thickness of the formation and at the same time makes the flexibility of the square formation worse.
This is an extremely insidious strategy. Decades ago, the Polish cavalry defeated the Swedish army of nearly 20,000 by pushing the enemy's defeated army to their own infantry phalanx.
But this time, Stanislaw Liantzkoronsky clearly underestimated the quality of the Swedish army after Gustav's reforms. As the wings began to move, General Douglas quickly asked his subordinates to make a second change during the march. The six infantry phalanx on the two wings spread out at the same time, encircling Stanislaw Liantzkoronsky's cavalry. And those Swedish cavalry trapped between the infantry phalanx and the Polish cavalry attack did not retreat, but launched a countercharge against the Polish cavalry, using their lives to buy time for their companions.
Although this counterattack was weak in front of the smashing winged cavalry, it still bought time for the infantry. When the winged cavalry slammed into the center of the Swedish army's phalanx, the two wings had begun to encircle. Seeing from the sky, it was like a white crane with its wings spread out. Although the left wing of this wing is slightly slower.
The infantry phalanx that had been prepared still could not stop the attack of the Polish wing cavalry. The four phalanxes on the attacking surface of the wing cavalry were defeated almost instantly. Some brave infantry tried to form a smaller square to delay the impact of the wing cavalry, but this was just a drop in the bucket.
More than 1,300 soldiers from the four phalanxes fled towards the stream. Here, General Douglas ordered all the artillery to fire one last time, and then ordered them to retreat. At any time, artillery is a more precious asset than artillery.
General Douglas stood on the bank of the river, and he yelled for the rout to move closer to him~lightnovelpub.net~ After a short while, three to four hundred people were gathered around the generals.
Stanisław Liantzkoronsky, who broke through the line of defense, also quickly spotted Robert Douglas. He led a team of cavalry to surround him and was about to kill the enemy chief. Stanisław Liantzkoronsky slammed a long lance to Douglas, who was standing at the forefront of the infantry phalanx, and Douglas dodged it dangerously and sideways. Stanisław Liantzkoronsky's fatal blow only killed an infantry next to Douglas, and his ultra-long cavalry gun was also pinched in the infantry's body for a while and could not be pulled out. Taking this opportunity, Douglas slashed the two-handed sword in his hand, beheading the head of Stanislaw Liantzkoronsky’s horse, and Stanislaw Liantzkoronsky fell from the horse that lost his life. After the sacrifice of several guards, he was rescued from the hands of the Swedes by his men. But even if Stanislaw Lianczkoronski survived by chance, he suffered seven or eight injuries and was unconscious when he was rescued.
Stanisław Lianczkoronski failed to see that the Swedish infantry of the six squadrons on the two wings and Chechen's mercenary regiment had completed the siege of him, and the Swedish cavalry had already circled behind the Polish army.
Although the mercenary regiment led by Cheer Chen completed the encirclement later than the right flank, as soon as they came up, the two deputy commanders of Bachter and Piedro attacked the Polish cavalry's unprotected flank. The pikemen kept poking the cavalry who had lost their mobility into a group of horses, and the muskets began to harvest lives in rows.
Finally, the combined advantages of the coalition forces and the fearless spirit of General Douglas played their final role. When the Polish cavalry found their rear surrounded by Swedish cavalry, they no longer expected victory.