A Crusader with System in the Middle Ages

Meanwhile, directed by messengers, the Norman Knights began to swarm toward the Church.

According to the conventions of war, Churches and Monasteries were not to be plundered; they enjoyed the Peace of God.

In practice, however, the reality was often less than ideal.

In principle, Knights did not receive a salary from their lords, nor did the lords have any obligation to provide one.

The price they paid for their lands was military service to their lord.

The lord would ensure his Knights had enough land to support themselves and fulfill their military obligations.

However, the land a lord granted a Knight was not always sufficient. Knights relied on selling grain and other agricultural products from their lands to generate income, which they used to pay their Attendants, servants, and soldiers.

However, the prices of these products fluctuated, so their income was unstable. A bountiful harvest wasn’t necessarily a good thing for a minor lordly Knight, as it meant a drop in grain prices. Because their holdings were small, their manors had a limited grain output.

Great lords, on the other hand, had vast manors. Even if grain prices fell, they could compensate with their massive yields.

Thus, warlike Knights were eager to go to war. It was an opportunity to capture valuable prisoners and seize great wealth. With luck, they might even grab a few decent-looking women, who were also considered spoils of war—provided they were easy on the eyes.

Their Christian faith forbade them from buying or selling the women, but they could demand a ransom, force them to become mistresses, or simply use them for a few minutes of pleasure.

Because most of the time, the women they encountered looked like bats and smelled like goats.

Churches and Monasteries were often the wealthiest places. When a war proved unprofitable, many a Knight would ignore the roars of the Cultivators and plunder what belonged to God. After the war, they would have a sudden crisis of conscience and donate a portion of their loot back to the Church, just to make sure God wouldn’t get angry.

The Peace of God, as called for by the Pope, was not entirely useless. At the very least, even the most depraved Knights treated the Church as a last resort, and they tried their best not to harm the Clergy while plundering.

It seemed they had now reached that point.

The Norman Knights, having received their orders and gathered before the Church, were seething with the resentment of having gained nothing.

After confirming the order to attack with the two Counts, Eric and Belem, the Knights put their Attendants and Light Infantry to work. They brought over Giant Crossbows and Catapults and launched an indiscriminate assault on the Church and the citizens outside.

As the Norman Knights began their assault, the stones from the Catapults inevitably struck the citizens outside the Church. Panic ensued. People fell, crawled, and died, but a good number survived.

"The Normans, disciples of the Devil! They attack the house of God!"

"Demons! Demons!"

"My Lord, save us!"

"..."

Shouting in despair, they began to scatter. Many fell, and before they could get back up, they were trampled underfoot. The stench of blood once again filled the air.

Of course, some of them recalled the customs of war. If they surrendered to the Knights and willingly became their prisoners, they would be protected. After paying a ransom, they could regain their freedom.

A portion of the citizens began surrendering to the Knights.

The Wales Longbowmen stood, drew their bowstrings, and loosed arrows at the arrowslits in the tower. The Longbow was renowned for its great range and penetrating power.

White-fletched arrows whizzed by. Many were shot high into the air, arcing down to fall vertically upon the tower.

The amateur citizen Archers in the Church tower were soon at a disadvantage under the Longbowmen’s assault.

Fortunately, they kept their heads down. Some of the tower platforms were quite high up. Once the citizen Archers realized their skills were no match for their opponents, they adopted more conservative tactics. They also remembered their goal: to delay the Normans, not defeat them in a frontal engagement.

Thus, they would hide for a good while before firing another Arrow.

In the tower, a citizen Archer drew his bowstring taut. ’One, two... nine, ten,’ he counted silently. He shot to his feet, ready to aim and fire, but in the next instant, a powerful force struck him. His chest took a heavy blow, and his body slammed straight into the wall behind him.

The intense pain in his chest rendered him speechless. Bright red blood sprayed forth. The poor Archer had been struck in the chest by a Crossbow Arrow from a Giant Crossbow, pinning him to the wall.

His companions screamed in terror. Immediately after, a stone from a Catapult struck the tower. The structure finally reached its breaking point and collapsed, taking the Archers on it down as well.

The Norman forces erupted in cheers.

"God is with Normandy!"

"Gloucester forever!"

"The Red Dragon will bring victory!" the Wales Longbowmen cried out in their own tongue.

"Saint George protect us!" the English Light Infantry yelled.

Though sturdier than a typical building, the Church was no military fortress built to withstand a siege. Under the bombardment of the Catapults and Giant Crossbows, its less-than-sturdy decorative features—exposed pillars, vaulted ceilings—began to collapse.

The assault continued from noon until dusk. In fact, after just two hours of bombardment from the Catapults and Giant Crossbows, the Church was already starting to crumble.

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