In the large family of the Guangxi Army, the Elephant Guard Chariot Soldiers are the youngest members. Except for the officers and flag commanders who are from Nandan Guard, all the lower-level soldiers are newly recruited mountain people and Han people. They were only established at the end of June this year

Army; on the way from Guangxi to the seaside in July, they learned to drive carts and ride horses; in August, they practiced musketry and fighting on the bumpy and rocking ship; in September they practiced formation and flag order after landing ashore. By the end of October,

They are about to go into battle to kill the thieves.

The chariot brigade does not have the complicated organization of Nandanwei's veteran infantry - fire soldiers, spearmen, sword and shield soldiers, grenades - the chariot brigade's organization is very "simple", they are all chariot soldiers -

4 stinking chariot soldiers plus 2 Guangxi ponies form a vehicle crew; 3 vehicle crews form a small flag; 8 small flags form a squadron; 4 squadrons form a brigade.

In Jin Shiqi and Cha Yingcai's plan, this force has a strong future. It will develop into a heavy assault combat force, more suitable for the war environment in the northern plains. But for now, they are just a group of light soldiers who have just completed basic training.

infantry.

…

On October 25, the seventh year of the Apocalypse, 400 chariot soldiers from the third chariot brigade of the Elephant Taming Battalion rumbled out of the camp.

They did not drive or lead horses today, but were fully armed and marched on foot. Each of them carried a musket on their shoulders, and the black musket tube exuded a gloomy murderous aura. The musket was carried by chariots and soldiers on foot.

Standard equipment for combat; relying on vehicles for close combat, there are also secondary weapons. Each vehicle crew is equipped with 2 sabers and 2 spears.

No one in the team spoke, there was only the sound of hundreds of pairs of cloth shoes stepping on the sand. Looking forward from the team, I saw a sparkling iron helmet flashing with the cold light of the morning, rushing forward like a river; the top was swaying.

Dotted with bright red tassels, more like falling flowers rolling on the waves.

It's getting brighter and the harbor is ahead.

From a distance, you can see tall and short ships moored in the river. They are connected one by one. All the civilian sailors on the fleet have evacuated to the camp, and the ones guarding the ships now are the first brigade.

Brothers of the chariot soldiers. It is said that they have been helping the engineers to set up defenses, build the gangplank on the ship, and go ashore to cut bamboo and wood in the past few days, but they are very tired.[

Suddenly, a bright light flashed!

Immediately afterwards, the rumble of cannons was heard in the air.

The chariot soldiers looked over and saw that toward the east of the river mouth, the fire was flickering, and there were even fireballs rushing towards the sea. Then there were clouds of white smoke, which quickly expanded and spread between the sea and the sky.

"The fight has begun!" The third brigade looked over at the commander's horse from a distance.

Although we can't see the battle situation at sea, the firepower is really fierce!

As the commander-in-chief, Ma Cao had a general understanding of the layout and strategies of the Guangxi Army. Although the Jinghai port was wide, the rocks below were densely covered, and the ship's route was limited to a fixed channel. On the north bank of the river mouth, Jin Shiqi

Five artillery brigades were lined up. If Zheng Zhilong wanted to rush into the river mouth to attack the fleet, he would have to pass through all the artillery positions - including a direct-fire artillery battalion, a rocket launcher battalion, an 8-pound mountain artillery battalion, and a 16-pound field artillery battalion.

There are also more than a dozen 8-pound artillery pieces brought ashore by Portuguese sailors.

General Jin once said with a smile: It's like tower defense.

Although Ma Cao didn't understand what "tower defense" was, he guessed that it must be something very powerful. General Jin also said that Zheng Zhilong did not dare to attack frontally. He would land from the east and west coasts and then outflank them. Ma Cao also agreed with this.

"Let's land, outflank, and fight in the field! What will happen if the pirates land and play field battle with the Guangxi army..." Jin Shiqi's smile is still vivid in his mind.

But at this moment, Ma Cao looked at the artillery fire in the distance - so fierce and dense, with such flames reaching the sky, it seemed that Zheng Zhilong did not choose to fight in the field. He really attacked from the mouth of the river!

Ma Cao couldn't understand. It was said that Zheng Zhilong had a strong army and hundreds of Western artillery equipment. But if he rushed into the river mouth in a column, he would be bombarded by firepower from the shore. This is a taboo for military strategists.

! Even more dangerous than playing field battle with the Guangxi Army! Even if he rushes in, he will still suffer a lot of damage. Does Zheng Zhilong have no brains?

At this moment, two flag soldiers galloped over on horseback, one after the other, delivering the general's military orders.

Ma Cao checked the seal and code and immediately ordered the whole team to rush into the port.

…

"One and Two Squadrons are hiding in place!" "Stand by!" "Third Squadron, follow me!" "Fourth Squadron follow!" [

The teams of chariots and soldiers shouted orders one after another, and the soldiers gradually separated.

The soldiers don't have to think about anything now, they don't dare to think about anything, it's useless to think about it... They just stare at the flag of their squadron and the small flag and keep running. Those solemn and frightened faces, immersed in

In the cool morning mist, it was illuminated from time to time by those gorgeous lights in the distance.

The artillery fire became more intense, and the sand beneath our feet was shaking. In the distance, we could see countless small black dots running fast on the beach of the port. They were frightened crabs.

Chariot soldier Wei Sheng followed the team and rushed behind a hidden stone barrier. He saw several sailors lifting up the tarpaulin, revealing layers of black-painted rocket boxes.

"The thieves have landed on the west side!" President Bai of the Fourth Squadron yelled, "Each person carries a box of arrows, let's go kill them!"

The chariot soldiers ran over one by one, grabbed the arrow box, and then gathered together after the squadron flag.

Suddenly someone kicked Wei Sheng and shouted: "Big man, you carry an extra box!"

As soon as Wei Sheng turned around, he saw a short, black and strong man, who was the flag commander of his small flag. This guy was cunning and cunning. He often made things difficult for Wei Sheng and the other mountain soldiers, and they all secretly called him

Dead black melon.

"What the hell!" The damn black melon stared at Xiaona!"

Wei Sheng picked up two boxes of rockets without saying a word, and several brothers tied them to each other's backs with ropes. This is a large box of 96 rockets. One box weighs 30 kilograms, and it will be damned if it weighs 30 kilograms more.

Shen ah. When the team set off, they saw that he was indeed not carrying a rocket box, and he was jumping and walking happily. This bastard was so mean, and several mountain soldiers in Xiaoqi secretly thought

They made a few noises, but they could only endure it. Who let someone be the flag leader?

The artillery battle at the mouth of the river became more intense, and the air here at the port smelled of burning. Even the heat of the flames rushed to their skin.

After giving an order, 200 soldiers from two squadrons rushed along the river. They all carried large rocket boxes on their backs, like a group of saints. They were not going to the river mouth where the artillery battle was taking place, but to a pontoon bridge upstream.

"We're about to cross the river!" Wei Sheng looked at the other side of the river. Behind the hills was the beach. He didn't know how many thieves were coming. He looked back at his brothers. The more than 200 people seemed a little thin...

Soon, the soldiers arrived at the narrow part of the river upstream of the port area. They stepped onto the pontoon bridge. This bridge was erected by engineers half a month ago. Below it were a dozen small boats and rafts lined up. Above it,

It was paved with bamboo and tightened with cables. When the soldiers were on the bridge, there were still a dozen white-bearded old engineers standing in the river with their bare legs, banging on the wooden stakes. There were also a few more

The disabled engineers carried the pontoon bridge on their shoulders to increase its stability. They also waved their palms with missing fingers and shouted at the vehicle soldiers: "Elephant training camp, brothers, kill the thieves!"

Wei Sheng followed his brothers and rushed onto the pontoon. His feet suddenly became weak and he almost fell over. "Stupid fool!" Dead Black Melon roared from the front again, "Please take it easy. If you drown, no one will collect your body!"

After the soldiers crossed the pontoon bridge, the brothers of the Third Squadron stayed in place and were responsible for protecting the pontoon bridge. However, Wei Sheng's Fourth Squadron continued to run towards the hill to the west of Jingjiang. That hill

On the top of the hill is a small white fort.

They ran for more than a mile and climbed up a small hill, and their view immediately broadened.

Behind them, the Jingjiang River they had just crossed merged into the sea diagonally, so the west bank looked like a triangular peninsula. The harbor with dozens of large ships moored was to their left, and the battlefield at the mouth of the river was like a picture of raging flames.

.show it in front of them.

It was already broad daylight now.

On the sea at the mouth of the river, there are many sails and ships, and large blue and black ships are floating among the waves like broken clouds. That is the legendary pirate king Zheng Zhilong.

There is a fierce battle at the mouth of the river! Zheng Zhilong sent dozens of clippers. Just like a pack of wolves rushing towards the mouth of the river, the artillery positions on the shore were attacked by flames and smoke rose. It was the two thousand artillery brothers of the Sanli Battalion who were fighting bravely to kill. Direct-fire cannon spray

The white gleaming silk threads hit those small boats with crisp crackling sounds; the cannons fired bursts of volleys and flew down in the sky, bursting into pieces of wood on the deck and ship's side; the rockets were even more continuous, every time.

Dozens of rockets pulled curved smoke and dust falling from the sky and sprinkled it all over the sea. The rising explosion smoke bloomed like a flaming tree crown!

Various types of firepower criss-crossed the sea, and smoke and dust of various colors, red, black, and brown, rose continuously. The ships released by Zheng Zhilong trembled and exploded in the gunfire, and were ignited one by one, rising into flames that soared into the sky!

Those ships were originally "fire ships" and were loaded with sulfur, grease and other substances. However, under the firepower of the Guangxi Army, they could not even reach the docking area of ​​the port area before they burned, exploded, spun and sank! Broken wood,

The mast, the broken hull, the burning canvas flying in the wind, and the burst oil cans spread into a sea of ​​red fire across the river and sea! The thieves who were driving the boat hurriedly jumped on the boat and fled to the sea, but were capsized by the fire ship.

Pressed into the sea, entangled in whirlpools, and even blown up by a lucky rocket!

"Mighty!" "Long live the enemy!" "Blow up the thieves!" "Burn them!" On a hill a few miles away, the soldiers of the fourth squadron of the third brigade of the elephant training battalion shouted and cheered! They held their hands high

Holding a 30-pound rocket box, he waved the fire gun heartily. Wei Sheng also roared, sat on the ground, laughed, and then grinned and sang folk songs...

"I saw it! You saw it!" Xiao Qi Chang Die Hei Gua also shouted hoarsely, "Our Guangxi Army has never been defeated!"

"Have you seen enough?" A loud shout suddenly came from the hillside. It was the commander-in-chief of the 4th Squadron, "Follow me!"

The soldiers cheered for a while and hurriedly picked up the rocket box and climbed up the hillside. While talking and laughing, they pulled the shoulders of the brothers behind and the buttocks of the people in front, and finally climbed to the top of the mountain. They looked at the other side of the hillside and suddenly

I was shocked——

On the other side of the hillside, not far away is the coastline, and there are dozens of boats floating on the sea!

Densely packed...

Zheng Zhilong’s fleet is so huge that it spreads all the way from the river mouth! Although the ships here are small and medium-sized, they are slowly approaching the shore! Several of the smallest ones have already touched the coast, and groups of thieves can be seen with the naked eye.

They were testing the depth of the water and preparing to wade ashore. There were people moving on almost all the decks, mixed with the cold light of swords, followed by smoke and dust from firecrackers, and thieves rushed to the shore and opened fire.

.

It turns out that the thieves were storming the port over there, and they were also landing here!

No wonder the general rushed the generals to send this group of chariots and soldiers over!

"Have you seen enough? Put down the rockets and follow me!" President Bai of the Fourth Squadron shouted, and led the soldiers into the fort on the top of the mountain.

The fort was square in shape, ten feet long and ten feet wide, with eaves above it, just like a big house. The walls were made of bluestone and were very thick, and there were six cannon ports each facing the sea and the port.

When the vehicle soldiers from the Elephant Taming Battalion rushed into the fort, dozens of Jinghai Battalion soldiers stationed here had just gotten up, some were putting on their pants, and some were drying their quilts. When they saw this group of fire soldiers, they were immediately frightened.

He shouted and hid in a corner of the fort.

"What are you doing!" shouted a fat man in the lead. He was still naked, but he was holding a helmet in his hand, and looking at the helmet flag, he was also a hundred generals.

The commander of the elephant training camp pointed to the south and shouted: "The thieves are coming! Didn't you see them?"

The naked boss said hurriedly: "Look...I saw it!"

"Why don't you run?" General Che Bing asked bluntly.

"We... we have to fire a few shots anyway... before we run!"

"Well done!" Mr. Elephant Tamer Bai patted Mr. Jinghai's shoulder, his white flesh trembling... "That's it. You can't hit anything anyway, so you should retreat. We'll cover you." (To be continued.)
Chapter completed!