【4600】
The cannons that were roaring a second ago suddenly became quiet.
All that remains in my ears is a "buzzing" tinnitus.
"It finally stopped..."
"Well...my ears hurt..."
"Ahem! Ahem! Damn it! This must be the Sa thief's artillery!"
The smoke gradually dissipated...the true appearance of the Changzhou Army's position slowly came into view.
To put it bluntly, it has become the surface of the moon.
Looking up, there are potholes, large and small, everywhere; there are broken clods of soil everywhere; there is an unpleasant stench of blood and gunpowder everywhere...
Those tents that had not been moved out in time had their curtains torn to pieces, leaving a dilapidated scene.
Today's artillery is still very backward.
Aiming depends entirely on visual inspection, and its destructive power cannot be compared with modern artillery. It cannot even penetrate thick city walls.
In addition, it was dark, making it difficult for the soldiers of the Satsuma Army to aim, which further reduced the casualties of the Choshu Army.
When everyone was at a loss, Katsura Kogoro stepped forward and became the backbone of everyone. He quickly ordered the Choshu Army to abandon Kyoto and retreat westward to the domain.
Thanks to his prompt decision, the Changzhou Army was able to withdraw from its position in time and avoid heavy artillery damage.
Except for those who were accidentally injured by shrapnel, only 32 unlucky ones were directly hit by artillery shells and turned into a pile of pitiful meat paste.
Katsura Kogoro did not break his promise - he personally led 300 troops and became the rear guard of the entire army.
He held the knife, lowered his eyelids, and stared at the position of the Huisa Allied Forces in the distance.
The artillery fire of the Huisa Allied Forces has stopped... This is both a good thing and a bad thing.
When an army stops bombarding the enemy, it often means...that their army is about to overwhelm them!
Sure enough - click, click, click, click - the rapid sound of horse hooves, from far to near!
Katsura Kogoro frowned and suddenly pulled out the saber that was leaning on the ground.
"The enemy is attacking! Prepare to engage the enemy!"
As soon as he said this, the atmosphere around him instantly became tense!
The men from Choshu who accompanied Katsura Kogoro to the rear did not bother to complain any more and took up their weapons one after another, showing expressions of common hatred on their faces.
The troops that launched the first wave of frontal offensive were none other than the Aizu Army's world-famous cavalry!
Aizu's number one general, Sagawa Kanbei, took the lead, waving the spear in his palm and saying sternly:
"kill--!"
As soon as he finished speaking, "kill" sounded one after another! The second act of this war after the shelling began!
Katsura Kogoro raised the saber in his palm high, his eyes fixed on the approaching cavalry in front.
"Prepare...release!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The harsh sound like exploding beans dominated the eardrums of everyone present.
Thirty musketeers lined up into the "Snake of Changshan" and fired their guns together.
Being a queen is a technical job.
Without the support of powerful weapons, it is impossible to complete such an arduous task with just bravery.
Before the large force of the Changzhou Army left, they specially left behind 30 advanced flintlock rifles.
Although the quantity is small, it is definitely a weapon to win unexpectedly!
A row of barrages swept away, and the Aizu Cavalry on the opposite side suddenly began to scream and wail one after another.
The shot horse neighed, raised its hooves, and knocked off the knight on its back.
The horses, frightened by the gunfire, could not help but slow down out of fear.
The originally orderly cavalry formation suddenly became chaotic for a moment.
The results were impressive, but... with only 30 flintlock guns, the barrage was too sparse!
"Don't be afraid! Keep going! Keep going!"
After roaring, Sagawa Kanbei lightly knocked on the horse's belly, further forcing the horse to speed up.
It is true that in the recent offensive and defensive battle of Iga, Sagawa Kanbei performed poorly, which added glaring stains to his resume.
However, his bravery and courage really deserve the reputation of "Aizu's most powerful general"!
Under his loud encouragement, the Aizu cavalry cheered up and regained their strength in the blink of an eye.
Finally...the two armies met!
"Hui Hui Hui Hui Hui Hui Hui Hui——!"
One by one, the cavalry knocked away one Changzhou soldier after another.
At the same time, Katsura Kogoro and others also launched a fierce counterattack.
"You know how to commit adultery! Go to hell!"
"Look at the knife!"
"Shoot the men first, shoot the horses first! Hit their horses first!"
Katsura Kogoro raised the sword in his palm high above his head and stared straight ahead at the cavalry that was approaching rapidly.
At the moment when the two figures met each other, Katsura Kogoro shouted loudly and slashed down with his sword!
With a click, a large horse head with a complete cross-section rose into the sky!
Under the influence of inertia, the headless horse ran forward for a long distance, and then collapsed to the ground like a pounce.
The knight on his back "ejected" directly! He flew several feet away and fell onto his back.
After landing, he hummed and raised his head to the ground, like a wild boar digging into the mud.
It can be seen that he should want to stand up, but he can't do it.
The fall was so hard... even if this man didn't die, he definitely suffered serious injuries that were difficult to heal.
Katsura Kogoro is worthy of being the winner of the Shinto Muken-ryu's Immortal School and the proud disciple of "Saito of Power".
All the cavalrymen who came close to him were chopped to pieces by him!
Wherever the silver light passes, flesh and blood fly!
At this time, an eye-catching sound came from the distance again.
This time...it was the dull sound of thunderous footsteps!
The infantrymen of the Huisa Allied Forces formed a tight formation and rushed over in a roaring manner!
Compared with the cavalry team, which is powerful but has limited lethality, this large-scale infantry team is the real threat to the Changzhou Army!
Although Katsura Kogoro was red-eyed, he did not lose his due reason and judgment.
He wiped the blood from his face, stretched his neck, and shouted loudly:
"Don't be in love with fighting! Don't be in love with fighting! Our goal is not to defeat the traitors and thieves! It is to buy time for the evacuation of the large forces! Listen to my orders! Fight while retreating!"
…
…
Intercepting the enemy and buying time for the evacuation of large forces - this is an extremely difficult task.
The Huisa Allied Forces have 3,000 troops.
Katsura Kogoro's rear army only has 300 troops.
Three hundred versus three thousand...the advantage is his!
On this basis, we must try our best to save the lives of the rear army... This is even more difficult!
To be continued...