Northern Song Dynasty: Starting from the son of Song Renzong - Chapter 363: Attack on Hungary
Northern Song Dynasty: Starting from the son of Song Renzong
Chapter 363: Attack on HungaryChapter 363: Attack on Hungary
The eighty-ninth year of the Li Yuan Dynasty.
Isfahan.
Although Isfahan was a must-pass place on the Silk Road, it would have been good if it had more than 100,000 people.
However, now, with the development over the years, it has directly exceeded 300,000 and is approaching 400,000.
of course!
In addition to a stable living environment, there is also a business environment, and equally indispensable are war immigrants.
For example, those who came from the Song Dynasty.
After arriving here, they often choose to settle down there.
They often left their wives here and headed alone to the front line in Constantinople.
only……
Although Isfahan is now very prosperous.
But to some extent, it still has its limitations.
For example, the arable land resources around are not very sufficient, there are mountains on the left, and mostly desert on the right.
If it weren't for its status as an important transportation route on the Silk Road, there wouldn't be much to praise here.
to this end……
Isfahan is also hesitating whether to move the capital.There were two options for moving the capital: Baghdad or Constantinople.
From a centralist perspective, Baghdad might be better.
If it is Constantinople, it will be more conducive to commanding operations from the front.
But if it were placed in Constantinople, it would be like exposing its own butt.
For example, Khwarezm and some nomadic peoples near northern India might be difficult to control once they leave Isfahan.
At least, the influence will not be that great.
this year.
Another 50,000 people from the Song Dynasty came overland from the grassland and arrived in Isfahan.
In fact...
Isfahan also has a very serious problem.
That is the imbalance between men and women.
Here, it is often difficult for men to find a wife, because those who can come from the Song Dynasty are usually young and strong, and are illegitimate sons of the family.
How to solve the marriage problems of these bachelors is also a top priority.
of course!
There is no such thing as a free lunch.
If you want to get a wife, you have to pay a price.
Otherwise, it’s impossible for others to give it to you for free.
At this time, the emperor of Isfahan had already been replaced.
It was a young king.
When he met the leaders of the 50,000 people, including his relatives, he treated them well and asked about their wishes.
"So you are planning to go to the front line and establish a country?"
The other party replied: "That's right."
"Then Hungary might be a good place."
"Appreciate further details."
……
The two of them discussed it.
Then, the former said, "But before that, I think you should ask the ancestors first."
Considering that we are already here anyway.
The other party simply spent about twenty days to reach a port in the west, and then spent another month.
Only then did I meet Zhao Xin.
Zhao Xin had nothing to say.
He just told the other party that he was very pleased to see his descendants who were so ambitious.
only……
It is impossible to divide the territory that has been conquered with the other side.
After all, it was someone else who hit him.
If they want to expand their territory, they can only do it by themselves.
Hungary is a really nice place!It can be used for farming and grazing.
It is sandwiched between Poland and Bohemia and is very vulnerable to attacks from these two countries.
He also had no idea about the strength of his descendant.
to this end……
It can only test the opponent's skills in horse riding, archery, and even military tactics.
What Zhao Xin didn't expect was that the other party's performance was quite good.
Maybe it's because I've been exercising since I was young.
At last……
He also warned the other party not to be arrogant and underestimate the enemy even in this situation, and only then did he let him go.
He also told the other side that they were unfamiliar with the area and could seek advice on fighting experience from frontline generals such as Yue Fei.
Don't let your pride and conceit lead to a disastrous defeat or even being captured alive.
to be frank.
This is what Zhao Xin fears the most.
As for the relocation of the capital to Isfahan.
Zhao Xin also replied in a letter.
Isfahan does feel a bit like something that is neither good nor worth leaving.
You can consider moving the capital to Constantinople.
But to be honest, Constantinople is not completely without flaws.
For example, if it is too strong, it will make people more prone to decay and degeneration.
It is also one of the end points of the Silk Road, and many of its trade items are too dependent on supplies from the East.
The only thing is that it is second to none in terms of security.
But how can you have your cake and eat it too?If the capital is moved to Constantinople, it would be best to arrange for trustworthy people to be in charge of areas such as Central and West Asia.
otherwise……
This unified situation may soon fall apart again.
The advantage of Constantinople is that its lower limit is relatively high.
After all, it has never been breached for thousands of years, so it is definitely not a joke.
If it is Baghdad, it will be more conducive to coordinating all parties, but if it is Constantinople, it may easily lead to separatism.
After Zhao Xin gave all the feedback.
After careful consideration, the other side finally decided to move the capital to Constantinople.
This is mainly because Constantinople is indeed strong enough.
Moreover, as the capital, placing the country's rich people and nobles here can also help make people from other places rich.
Make the entire Silk Road more prosperous.
then.
Isfahan began to work on moving the capital.
There was basically no opposition among the domestic nobles.
after all……
Many people went there because of Constantinople's former reputation.
They had also heard a little about how prosperous Constantinople was in the past.
As for the 50,000 people who came from the Song Dynasty, they all came to Constantinople together.
Preparation and training must be carried out in Constantinople.
Then, it was not until the autumn of the following year that the expedition officially began.
Naturally, Hungary also learned the news early on.
after all……
The Song Dynasty directly issued a declaration of war to him.
The requirement was for him to surrender and become a vassal.
On the Hungarian side, ten years ago, Gezzol II was unfortunately captured along with Innocent II during the Crusades.
Therefore, the king of the Kingdom of Hungary is now Gezo II's younger brother, Ladislaus II.
Compared to his brother, Ladislaus II is naturally a coward.
When the Song Dynasty's declaration of war was delivered to him, he immediately asked the Holy Roman Emperor for help.
can only say……
They are all grasshoppers on a rope.
Once Hungary was conquered, they would directly attack the heartland of their Holy Roman Empire.
therefore……
Next, the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick I, who was crowned by the pseudo-Pope Eugene III, presided over the defense against the Song Dynasty's attack. Considering that the 150,000 people before were unable to defeat him.
This time, Frederick I also directly recruited 200,000 troops.
Of course, this naturally includes Hungary and Polish soldiers in northern Hungary.
Hungary's population is just over one or two million.
But they can probably provide at least 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers.
If we include militia and other things, the number is estimated to increase to 50,000.
Poland is actually similar to Hungary.
The two together make a ragtag army of 100,000.
The remaining 100,000 were all paid by Frederick I.
of course!
At most half of Frederick I's soldiers were regular soldiers, and the rest were basically peasants, thieves, or criminals.
Frederick I was a relatively strong emperor.
This can be seen from his letters to the Song Dynasty.
He claimed that he had 500,000 soldiers and horses, and if the Song Dynasty was not afraid of death, they could come.
However, most of the battlefield in Hungary is plains, and apart from the rivers, there are few other dangerous places. This is indeed more advantageous to the side with more soldiers.
After all, if you have a lot of soldiers, you can divide them into multiple units, so you can go around the enemy from behind and have enough soldiers to hold the front.
And to fight against the Song Dynasty.
Frederick I also formed a heavy cavalry of 2,000 men.
Each person wore multiple layers of armor, so even if facing muskets, it cannot be said that there was no possibility of resisting.
It can be seen that the Western world has not made no effort at all over the years.
It is these efforts that have made the local area even poorer.
After all, if you want to raise such an army, the investment is not small.
and……
What if all these heavy cavalry were killed.
Basically, every upper class in the entire Shinra Empire is expected to be in mourning.
The battlefield took place where there was a river.
After all, this is the only dangerous place they can rely on.
On Yue Fei's side, in addition to the 50,000 people who came, he also recruited some scattered tribes from Romania.
These tribes together have a population of about 10,000 to 20,000 people.
then……
The two sides in the final battle were Yue Fei's 30,000 troops, 50,000 troops from the Song Dynasty, and 20,000 troops from some scattered tribes in Romania.
A total of 100,000 people against the 200,000 Holy Roman Army.
The gap between the two sides is not that big.
It's just one to two.
However, it is indeed a bit difficult to defeat the enemy's 200,000 troops in an open area.
Of course!Under the threat of artillery, as long as you are not defending the city, it is basically easy to fight.
Frederick I also collected some information about Yue Fei.
They must be aware of the existence of those artillery pieces.
But how to fight against these artillery.
One thing to say!
This is almost unsolvable.
But the good news is that their allies Hungary and Poland each have a considerable proportion of cavalry.
Therefore, facing those artillery pieces, they may only be able to use cavalry to quickly kill to the enemy and scare the enemy out of their wits, only then will they be able to break the deadlock.
However, Frederick I still thought things were too simple.
Early that morning, the armies of both sides finally met on a large plain bordering Serbia and Hungary.
On the Song Dynasty side, the infantry and cavalry are clearly visible.
On Frederick I's side, most of them were cavalry or mounted infantry, making it difficult to tell that the other side was actually infantry.
no way!Because if it weren't for the cavalry, it would basically be like delivering food.
Since both sides have a very broad field of vision, there is nothing to hide.
Following the command, the two sides conducted the first mutual test.
There were cavalrymen fighting each other.
Frederick I sent out his first knight, and Yue Fei sent out Yue Yun.
Both of them led two thousand cavalrymen each, and they started fighting there.
During this process, Frederick I naturally kept an eye on the situation on the battlefield.
I hope to find some flaws in the enemy's military formation.
But after taking a look.
The enemy's soldiers were arranged in a very neat and orderly manner.
It was almost impossible for him to see any flaws.
So Frederick I waved his hand again and added several thousand more cavalry to the battlefield.
Yue Fei also had some on his side, and they all pushed the enemy cavalry back.
At this time, Frederick I finally saw a little hope.
That is, when the cavalry leave, there will be no one to protect the infantry.
Fortunately, Hungarians were previously a nomadic people, but in the past two hundred years, most people have become settled.
But even after settling down, the number of horses remained.
This is mainly because Hungary's population is not very large to begin with and is not so large that it cannot afford to raise horses.
This makes them feel more advantageous when facing the Song army.
Frederick I looked at the Song army and it seemed that they didn't have many horses.
Moreover, the number of soldiers was far less than their own.
As long as he sends some more cavalry and attacks their left and right flanks a few more times, maybe the Song army will only have the infantry in the middle left.
But even so, using cavalry to fight infantry is indeed a bit foolish.
But that's all they can use.
therefore……
What to say.
Isn't this the only solution?
The result was that the two sides spent the whole morning negotiating but still could not come to a conclusion.
after all……
It is easy to shake a mountain, but it is difficult to shake the Yue family's army.
Frederick I was also afraid that if he rashly used all his heavy cavalry to charge into the battle, he would suffer heavy losses.
By the time……
Even if he won this battle, his career as the self-proclaimed Holy Roman Emperor would probably be over.
first day.
The two sides ended the battle with just a little fighting.
Both sides withdrew their troops or returned to their camps.
night.
Each of them held a meeting.
Frederick I mainly discussed how unbreakable the enemy's formation was.
As for Yue Fei, everyone was waiting.
in fact……
If a real fight breaks out, Yue Fei's side will definitely crush the opponent.
But since the enemies were all cavalry, their infantry would definitely not be able to keep up.
If you use artillery right from the start, and use it against cavalry, it's basically like using a cannon to kill a mosquito.
What are they fighting this battle for?Of course, it's not just for chopping off heads and gaining military merit.
What they want is a permanent solution.
therefore……
They had to find an opportunity when the enemy couldn't escape so that they could launch a real attack.
and……
Yue Fei must have known this too.
What lies before them now is only a small part of the enemy's forces.
He just couldn't believe that the enemy had become so rich that everyone could ride a horse.
but……
You're right, people have started using horses to plow the land.
indeed!
Compared to them, we may not be short of horses.
(End of this chapter)