King of German Mercenaries

By dusk, all the fighting in the town was over, and everyone had begun to place prisoners and count the results. The East scouts led by Schwartz and the West scouts led by Sauer also basically returned.

Among them, the two of them intercepted and killed many scattered skirmishers on the east and west roads. However, Sauer's men and horses did not dare to intercept the Frisian noble convoy escorted by 120 cavalry. According to Sauer's report, this convoy retreated to Leeuwarden with a total of 120 cavalry and more than 800 light infantry. However, in terms of combat effectiveness, the 120 heavy cavalry is more powerful. As for the more than 800 light infantry, they are also the bottom of the fighting force in the Frisian Aristocratic Republic. It's just that the heavy armored swordsmen with strong combat power were cleaned up because they couldn't run fast in heavy armor. Only those light infantry were left, and it was easier to escape, so they ran with the convoy.

However, although these 800 light infantrymen were not enough for night battles, they could be used to defend the city, but they were more than enough. Leeuwarden, with its tall walls, is the second largest city in the Frisian aristocratic republic. Although its commercial activities are far behind that of Groningen, its sturdiness is not much worse. Therefore, the next siege of Lufaden is still quite difficult. With the tall and sturdy city walls, the more than 800 light infantrymen can also hold on for a long time.

...

At dinner time, a scout suddenly returned from the west...

"Report the baron, scout 21 will report to you!" After speaking, the scout numbered 21 gave a Roman military salute.

"Well, what's the matter?" Marin asked as he ate.

"My lord, the plan to contact Texel Island arranged by Mr. Sauer has failed!"

"Huh? Contact failed? What happened? Didn't the enemy withdraw?"

"Yes, Lord Baron, but the enemy has left 6 warships to block the Mars channel and prohibit the passage of ships, otherwise they will open fire!"

"What? They dare to attack the merchant ships in Amsterdam?"

"That's not true, but every Amsterdam merchant ship entering and leaving the Mars channel must pass near the south side of the Mars channel. If there is any sign of approaching Texel Island, it will be bombarded immediately..."

"Hey - these bastards are so cautious!" Marin suddenly felt a bit of a toothache.

"However, on the way back, my subordinates went to Harlingen to have a look and found a big secret!"

"What secret?"

"The home port of the six Friesian warships is in Harlingen. Every night after dark, the six ships will dock in Harlingen, and the crew will go ashore to rest..."

"It's really good news, scout 21, you've made a contribution!" Marin stood up instantly excitedly. He has long been thinking of doing a big voyage, but unfortunately, the two Clark sailboats ordered by Spain and Portugal are still under construction. As a result, 80 young fishermen selected from the island of Texel are currently under the leadership of Portuguese sailor instructors, driving small fishing boats for sea training in Thorenche.

The 6 warships of Friesland, although not big, are much better than the small fishing boats on the island. Moreover, these six warships can be equipped with artillery and have self-protection capabilities. In particular, the two largest sailboats are enough for a voyage to India...

"and also……"

"And good news? What is it?"

"Most of the food and other properties on Texel that the Frisian army looted before were also piled up in Harlingen. Even more than 800 fishermen kidnapped from Texel were temporarily placed in Harlingen. . Their fishing boats are also in Harlingen Fishing Port..."

"Haha - that's really good news! That is to say, if we capture Harlingen, we can make up for most of the losses!"

"By the way, how many enemies are there in Harlingen?"

"There are 260 crew members, gunners, and 200 spearmen in total. My subordinates observed it last night. Every day at midnight, there are about 30 people on duty in 4 places.

"

"Well, that's fine, go and call Schwartz and Sauer. Also, whoever, please invite Mr. Ziger!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

...

Soon, Schwartz and Sauer entered the room where Marin was. And Zig came over after a while. Marin told the three people about the situation and expressed his determination to capture Harlingen.

"Lord Baron, if you want to capture Harlingen, this distance will take more than a day..." Zig said after thinking.

Harlingen is about 50 kilometers away from Malham, and the normal marching speed of the Swiss is 30 to 40 kilometers per day. Therefore, it takes more than a day to travel from Malham to Harlingen.

"I can't wait that long, and I'm afraid it will change. I hope that I can take Harlingen in the shortest possible time!"

"Should we rush to march tomorrow morning?"

"No, leave now, and try to arrive tonight!"

"It's impossible, as infantry, we can't go that far overnight!"

"Mr. Zieg, I don't want everyone to go to Harlingen. There are only 400 enemies in Harlingen, and there are no walls. Also, I want to attack at night. Therefore, I don't need too many people. But the point is, We need to hurry!"

"Then it's just a horse ride."

"Yes, each of my subordinates has two horses. 70 subordinates are 140 horses. Since Harlingen is only half a day away from here, I decided not to change horses this time, one horse per person, one horse per person. Hurry up..."

"That's 140 people, but the horses tend to get overworked..." Zig said.

"I know, it's okay for a horse to be tired a little bit. After the event, take a break for a while and feed more concentrate!" Running over a distance of more than 50 kilometers in one go, although the horse will be exhausted, it will not be exhausted. After a period of rest, you can still recover.

"Lord Baron, why do you insist on occupying Harlingen tonight? Is there something you are determined to win?"

"Yes, Mr. Ziger, I would like to get the six Frisian warships in Harlingen! With these six warships, the traffic between Texel and the land is hindered. And these six warships , will go to sea early in the morning and come back at night. If you want to capture these 6 ships, you must take advantage of the night when the sailors of the other party return to land to sleep!"

"I understand, I'll go back and select 70 elite warriors who can ride horses, walk with your people, and raid Harlingen tonight!"

"No, 100! In the afternoon we seized 28 Frisian horses pulling carts. In addition, the two horses I was riding were brought out for the raid!"

"You really paid for it..."

"No way, Texel is an island, and warships mean a lot to us. Please, I hope you will seize the warships on the dock as soon as you arrive, and give priority to controlling the two largest warships..."

"Understood...this reward..."

"The mercenaries participating in tonight's operation will be given 1 extra gold coin!"

"Deal, I'll hold the line tonight!" Facing the gold coins, Zig was also a little tempted.

"Thank you so much, your extra reward is 10 gold coins!"

"Haha, thank you very much. I have a horse myself, but I can bring an extra soldier!"

"Well, please! Schwartz, Sauer, follow Mr. Zig, and be sure to grab the warship! Remember, the warship is the most important thing, and the property on the shore is secondary!"

"clear!"

Soon, with 100 elite Swiss infantry, and 70 light cavalry led by Schwartz, Ziger embarked on a journey to the west by taking advantage of the night...

At no cost to the horsepower, the team arrived near Harlingen in the middle of the night. Schwartz arranged for two of his men to gather and look after the 172 exhausted and panting horses. The rest, led by Zig and Schwartz, followed scout 21, who was familiar with the terrain, and quietly approached Harlingen...

At this time, it was about 2:00 in the morning. In the small town of Harlingen, almost everyone fell asleep. As a fishing port, Harlingen naturally has no shortage of wild cats. In the middle of the night, the roar of the wild cat was very harsh, causing several domestic dogs in the town to bark. But it also gave cover to the night raiding team. Had it not been for these wild cats to seduce the dogs in the town, the night raid might have been discovered if the dog heard the barking from the night raid team.

And with the echoing barking of the wild cat and the domestic dog, the night raid team did not attract the attention of the domestic dog in the town at all...

Schwartz kept Marin's demands in mind and made the capture of the warships his number one goal. Zig, on the other hand, was responsible for leading the Swiss mercenaries, attacking the barracks in Harlingen, attacking and killing the infantry in Harlingen, and capturing the sailors and gunners as much as possible.

As for how to distinguish between infantry and crew, it's simple - infantry, according to Scout 21, are light infantry with spears. As long as you see those with spears, they will kill them all... And those with sailor's scimitars are mostly sailor crew members... Marin explained, try to capture as much as possible...

The Swiss mercenaries who came this time were all melee experts who used two-handed swords. Zig took them and quietly touched the barracks. And Schwartz, and Sauer, with 68 men, pulled out the saber from his waist, and quietly touched the pier...

In the silent night, after a loud whistle, fierce fighting broke out in both the dock and the nearby barracks. Schwartz took his men and quickly cut down the 10 guards guarding the pier, and rushed to the two largest warships first...

But an accident happened... It turned out that the "Viking", the smallest of the six warships, suffered serious injuries to the hull. A group of shipbuilders repaired the ship during the day and did not leave after dark, and slept directly on the ship. .

The shipbuilders of the "Viking" were awakened when Schwartz led the men aboard the two largest warships. They knew about the dock being attacked. So, they hoisted the sails hastily, pulled the anchor and drove the boat away from the harbor...

Fortunately, none of the craftsmen in this group knew how to use artillery. Otherwise, the 5 search warships controlled by Schwartz and others may be bombarded...

After taking control of five warships, Schwartz left a group of men to guard the ships, and then took 50 men to support Ziger, who was attacking the camp.

Zig and his men quickly broke through the gate of the infantry stationed in the port, rushed in and led them to slash. 100 Swiss elite, quickly routed 200 Frisian light infantry.

However, the barracks where the infantry and sailors lived were not together in the town. Friesland Admiral Hooper knew that there was a sneak attack on Harlingen when there were sounds of fighting on the docks and in the infantry battalion. So, he hurriedly took 260 sailors and gunners, got dressed, took the sailor's machete, and rushed towards the pier...

At this time, Schwartz happened to get off the boat with 50 people. The two sides had a face-to-face encounter, and Schwartz realized that it was not good, and immediately took people back to the ship to defend on the side of the ship and prevent the Frisian sailors from boarding the ship. Hupper, on the other hand, directed the sailors to desperately try to retake the ship.

Although the sailors were not as good at close-quarters combat as the pirates, their fighting for their lives also put a lot of pressure on Schwartz and others. After a while, five Texel hussars were cut down.

Fortunately, Ziger and 100 Swiss masters have cleared the infantry battalion. Hearing the sound of fierce fighting from the dock, Ziger immediately rushed over with someone...

Where are these one-handed sailor's machetes in hand against the elite Swiss infantry with two-handed swords? After Hooper was hacked to death by Sieg, most of the Frisian sailors and gunners surrendered under the leadership of Captain Kidd, the deputy commander of the fleet. As for a small number of diehards, they were all hacked to death by Swiss swords...

UU Reading Books welcomes all book lovers to come and read, the latest, fastest and most popular serial works are all in UU Reading Books! Mobile users, please read.