Bitter Fight

The whistling shriek of iron arrows tearing through the air broke the afternoon's tranquility.

Four phalanxes of Venetians crossbowmen simultaneously raised their crossbow arms, the finely crafted heavy crossbows from the Ligurian region poised to fire.

At the command of the Venetians commander, a dense rain of arrows reflected deadly glints in the sunlight.

The Imperial Army's position was instantly bristling with trembling fletchings, and the dull thud of sharp arrowheads penetrating thick wooden shields merged into a continuous sound.

"The second wave is coming! Shields up!"

Albrecht stood on the makeshift lookout tower and, seeing the crossbowmen behind the enemy advancing, quickly issued a warning.

These professional crossbowmen from Padua employed a rotating firing tactic; each phalanx of three hundred men could reload within twenty seconds.

When the third wave of arrows fell, a section of the Imperial Army's soldiers had already fallen, their arrow-riddled bodies staining the trenches dark red.

Marco Antonio's face was covered by a fearsome visor; his gaze coldly swept forward, and the crisp sound of his gauntleted hand striking his arm guard echoed.

The five heavy infantry phalanxes in the front line immediately began to advance. These heavily armored warriors from various parts of Northern Italy formed three horizontal ranks, wearing riveted plate armor over their chainmail.

The front-row soldiers held large kite shields, followed by assault teams wielding battle axes and spiked maces.

"Prepare to fire!"

Within the Imperial Army's battle line, hundreds of soldiers holding various ranged weapons suddenly appeared, most with crossbows, and a few archers.

Other soldiers propped copper gun barrels with stands on the gaps in the wooden palisades, holding ignition devices, ready for battle.

As the command flag dropped, arrows from the Imperial Army flew like locusts towards the approaching enemy.

Accompanied by a volley of gunfire, gunpowder smoke instantly engulfed the defensive line, and lead bullets brought forth a mist of blood as they pierced the kite shields.

The Venetians heavy infantry solidly withstood this round of firing. Some were hit by arrows or bullets and fell to the ground, but subsequent soldiers immediately filled the gaps.

Following closely was the Imperial Army's subsequent firing, but at this moment, another volley of arrows came from behind the advancing enemy, and the unprepared Imperial Army instantly lost dozens of crossbowmen.

Facing the dense ranged firepower in the center, the Venetians heavy infantry phalanx finally reached the trench.

They leaped into the trench, advanced along the slope, and pressed their kite shields against the wooden palisade, while the soldiers behind them quickly chopped with battle axes.

Imperial Army spearmen thrust through the gaps; several-meter-long wooden spears pierced the Venetians' throats but were immediately severed by axe blades.

More long spears thrust downwards into the trench, and crossbowmen even fired directly at the enemy from extremely close range.

Crossbow bolts pierced armor, and those hit cried out in agony and fell to the ground; the lucky ones were dragged back by comrades, while the unlucky ones had their ribs mercilessly crushed by war boots, dying on the spot.

After leaving behind hundreds of bodies, the Venetians heavy armored soldiers retreated, fleeing to the rear of the formation to reorganize.

"Continue covering fire!"

Upon receiving the order, the Venetians crossbow commander waved his flag.

The Venetians crossbowmen once again raised their crossbows, and a dense rain of arrows once again covered the sky.

The Imperial Army soldiers, who had already received the warning, immediately raised their shields to block, preventing the enemy from succeeding.

After several more rounds of firing, six phalanxes of Venetians heavy infantry began their second assault on the Imperial Army's position.

Some dismounted Venetians heavy cavalry, holding long lances, reformed into new phalanxes with the retreating heavy infantry, following as a third wave to attack the Imperial Army's defensive line.

A fierce battle once again unfolded beside the trenches dug by the Imperial Army.

Albrecht on the lookout tower noticed the presence of enemy cavalry on both the left and right flanks of the defensive line; they had already outflanked the Imperial Army.

Albrecht was prepared; he drew his sword and pointed to the left flank: "Order the heavy cavalry to engage!"

Over a thousand Imperial Army cavalry arrayed on the hillside immediately began to charge the enemy's flank.

These well-equipped ironclad cavalry held three-meter lances level, and the armor plates on their barding gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

As soon as they charged down the hillside, they collided head-on with the Venetians cavalry, and a fierce impact occurred on the battlefield, with many cavalrymen struck by lances falling off their horses. A Venetians heavy cavalryman shakily climbed up from the ground, then took a blow to the head from a spiked mace, his skull shattered.

These Italian mercenaries awoke as if from a dream; the rules of war they adhered to did not apply here.

The German would not stop to take prisoners after you fell off your horse; they would only seize the opportunity to end your life.

The Imperial Army's dominant downhill charge successfully suppressed the Venetians mercenary cavalry.

At this moment, an Ottoman war cry suddenly echoed on the right flank.

Fifteen hundred light cavalry, divided into three groups, attempted to bypass the Imperial Army's defensive line of supply wagons and directly assault the Imperial Army's flank.

They hovered outside the Imperial Army's lines, continuously firing strong bows.

Guarding the flanks were greatsword soldiers and spear phalanxes. The harassing tactics of these Ottoman light cavalry caused them continuous and significant casualties, and they had no good way to counter it.

"Crossbowmen prepare!" Three hundred Imperial Army crossbowmen ambushed behind the supply wagons suddenly appeared.

Flat shots from dozens of meters away struck the Ottoman cavalry like lightning; their armored leather protection could not withstand the penetration of crossbow bolts, and people were shot down from time to time.

With a strange horn blast, these Ottoman light cavalry had maneuvered into a suitable position, and they swung their scimitars, attacking the Imperial Army's defensive line from the flank.

The prepared Imperial Army immediately formed dense spear phalanxes, with greatswordsmen and sword-and-shield soldiers covering the flanks of the phalanxes.

The light cavalry charging at the front were immediately turned into pincushions, and the crossbowmen continued to fire at the enemy, attempting to drive away the enemy cavalry hovering not far away.

In the center of the battle line, several Venetians heavy armored soldiers used battle axes to split open the wooden palisade, and the assault teams pouring in from behind wielded various weapons.

The human wall formed by the Imperial Army spearmen was forcefully torn open, and the blood-stained spiked maces brought up shattered limbs with every swing.

A bald giant, wielding a two-handed battle axe, specialized in hooking the edges of shields to overturn soldiers, and his comrades immediately followed up, cutting down the fallen soldiers.

When Albrecht arrived at the breach with the Margrave of Ansbach's guard, he saw three Imperial Army soldiers mangled by a heavy flail.

He gripped his sword with both hands and walked towards the burly man wielding the flail and a heavy shield, sidestepping the enemy's horizontal sweep, then raised his sword and powerfully hacked, directly smashing the man's visor, and hot blood splattered onto his armor.

The Imperial Army warriors, who had originally considered retreating, cheered upon seeing their commander's bravery.

Under Albrecht's organization, they reformed their ranks, pushing the Venetians forces who had climbed over the obstacles and charged in, step by step, back to the edge of the trench.

However, the Venetians' third wave of attack was already close, and many more enemies were preparing to launch an assault.

On the left flank, the Venetians cavalry retreated in disarray, but the Imperial Army cavalry did not pursue.

Another cavalry unit attacked them from the flank—the enemy intended to wear down these cavalry through a series of successive attacks.

The spear phalanx on the right flank began to waver at this moment.

After being repelled in the first charge, the Ottoman light cavalry immediately resumed their skirmishing tactics, constantly depleting the Imperial Army's strength and morale with arrows.

The crossbowmen, under direct threat from the cavalry, had already retreated to the rear.

The Venetians heavy cavalry, who had somehow maneuvered to the right flank, dismounted and quickly formed a phalanx.

The front-row heavy armored soldiers held long lances, and the warriors in the back row held shields and various weapons, advancing towards the Imperial Army's defensive line, meeting force with force, and from time to time, warriors were pierced by long spears and fell.

The Imperial Army, at a disadvantage in both stamina and numbers, was gradually retreating.

Crossbowmen, having switched to sword and shield, poured out from the second defensive line; they formed a dense horizontal line with square shields and attacked the advancing enemy from the flank, barely slowing the enemy's advance.

The dull thud of spiked maces striking iron-bound wooden shields was like a downpour, and the sound of shattering shields constantly echoed.

As the sun began to set, the Imperial Army's position had been divided into several isolated parts.

The crossbowmen's quivers were all empty, and the musketeers were fighting with their sabers.

Only a few hundred cavalry remained on the left flank, tightly entangled by numerous light cavalry and unable to break free, and the units on the right flank had also suffered over half casualties.

The wooden palisade of the central defensive line was completely shattered, and soldiers from both sides tumbled together in the trench, engaged in extremely brutal hand-to-hand combat.

Marco Antonio raised his grim visor, a victorious smile on his face.

He waved to a messenger: "Order the reserves to launch a general assault!"

The last few heavy infantry phalanxes began to advance; these fresh forces wore the latest Milanese full plate armor, wielding heavy spiked maces or sharp longswords.

Albrecht's sword was already serrated from hacking, and a broken arrow was stuck in his breastplate.

When he saw the Venetians reserves appear on the horizon, his sword-gripping hand trembled slightly.

He exhaled, muttering: "Your Majesty, I almost fell out with my second brother for you, don't disappoint me."

There was no more time for him to pray; more enemies were charging towards him.