Chapter 285 - 222: A Blacksmith Uses a Hammer

As the Norman Knights drew near, the Archers on the outermost perimeter panicked. They hastily drew their bowstrings and fired at the Knights, trying to force them back.

However, the Knights had no intention of charging their formation. Instead, they bypassed the civilian phalanx entirely. The two squadrons of Knights met behind the civilian formation and, without pausing, continued to circle it from opposite directions, showing no inclination to charge.

The Norman Knights held their Iris Shields sideways to block the scattered Arrows. Due to the distance and the Archers’ panic, the Arrows lacked force. Many that struck the Iris Shields merely made a faint thud before falling away.

The Arrows were a motley assortment, but most were light, diamond- or triangular-headed projectiles, the kind typically used for hunting.

Belem observed the Shield Soldiers of the Civilian Militia. They wielded a motley collection of weapons—axes, Longswords, and even hoes and wooden clubs, just as mismatched as their Arrows. He noticed, however, that none of them held Long Spears. The Shield Soldiers on the very edge of the phalanx didn’t even have weapons, only broken Wooden Shields.

Belem led his Knights in a continuous circle. The Knights circled without attacking, but the rapid thundering of hooves, like muffled thunder, kept the civilians’ nerves stretched taut. They loosed their Arrows out of sheer terror of a cavalry charge.

The middle-aged man in the center of the formation, dressed as a Priest, appeared to be the military leader of this Civilian Militia.

Belem noticed he wore a Helmet. His black robes were bulky and lumpy; clearly, he was wearing Chain Armor underneath.

He had noticed the Civilian Militia’s reckless actions and was trying to stop them, brandishing a Longsword.

According to church law, Clergy were forbidden from wielding a Longsword.

"Stop shooting! Hold your fire! Don’t waste your Arrows!"

His expression was grim. He noted that these Normans were different from the Teutonic Cavalry they had encountered before. They were far more disciplined than the Teutonic Knights, who would simply charge headlong into any Infantry they met.

But even so, he remained confident.

The Priest’s words had an effect. The Archers closer to him stopped shooting. They were mostly in the center of the formation, so their nerves were relatively steady. Their earlier wild volleys were merely a result of being infected by the panic of the other Archers.

However, the civilian Archers on the outer edge either couldn’t hear the Priest’s shouts or were too enveloped in fear to listen. To them, the Priest’s orders were easy for him to say from the safety of the center. In any case, they kept shooting.

But they also realized their supply of Arrows was limited and began to fire less frequently. Instead, they started inching closer to the Shield Soldiers beside them.

Belem quickly noticed this. He gave a hand signal to the Knights behind him, completed one more normal circle around the civilian phalanx, and then suddenly wheeled around, charging violently at the rear of the Archer line.

The immense impact of the Warhorses drove their Lances forward. The Archers, who had no protection—not even Leather Armor—were utterly defenseless. The line of Archers directly in their path was instantly shattered.

The outermost line of Archers almost immediately broke apart. Some even began to rout, but most held their ground and started to fire back at the Knights. One lucky shot hit a Knight in the arm.

Belem’s Lance struck an Archer square in the eye socket, the tip bursting out the back of his skull. A piercing scream, sharp even amidst the din of battle, rang out. Belem violently yanked his reins, turning his Warhorse’s head. Gripping his Lance, he dragged the unfortunate civilian Archer along as he galloped around the civilian phalanx.

The Knights had no intention of getting bogged down. Following Belem, they quickly broke away from the formation and resumed their previous tactic of circling the civilian phalanx.

This was a standard Norman Knight tactic: apply constant pressure and wait to strike again when the Civilian Militia became exhausted or their spirits broke.

"Go back to celebrating your Mass, Priest! Don’t delude yourself into thinking you can teach us anything about the Art of War!

Do what a Priest is supposed to do! Go sing your own hymns in your confessional!"

Belem laughed maniacally, taunting the Priest in the center of the formation.

He dragged the pathetic Archer with his Lance until the man could no longer make a sound and his body was a mangled mess of flesh and blood. Only then did he discard the Lance.

He returned to his Attendant’s side, and the Attendant handed him a Warhammer.

After that, he led the Knights in several more charges, successfully shattering the outermost ranks of Archers. Some Shield Soldiers even left their formation to try and protect the Archers, only to be easily cut down by the Knights.

The Shield Soldiers on the perimeter began to fearfully push their way toward the center of the phalanx. Some even dropped their Shields and scrambled into the inner ranks bare-handed, hoping their comrades would protect them.

Without the harassment of the Archers’ Arrows, the Knights could easily close the distance and launch even fiercer attacks on the Shield Soldiers.

Belem felt the time was right. After circling twice more, he began the formal assault on the Shield Soldiers.

The four squadrons of Knights attacked the Shield Soldier phalanx from all sides.

"Saint Michael!"

"For Normandy!"

"God is with us!"

"Unyielding Montgomery!"