On the coast, several warships flying the British flag and the East India Company's flag were lined up, shelling the strongholds on the shore with their side-mounted guns.
A large number of small boats are carrying sailors for landing.
After the soldiers landed in small boats, they quickly jumped out of the small boats. Regardless of the water on the coast that was up to their calfs, they straightened their bodies and reorganized into an array on the beach.
While they were regrouping, the defenders in the stronghold did not give up resistance and kept shooting at them.
From time to time, one or two unlucky people would be hit by flying lead bullets, and then half of their heads would be opened, and their brains would be splashed all over the people around them.
However, all the soldiers did not waver and were still lining up in the formation line with a determined or indifferent look. After the formation was organized, they started to march forward in formation to the beat of the military drum.
Even during this process, because they were lined up and moving slowly, some people were constantly being knocked down.
But this is the way of war in this era. Limited by the range of the flintlock gun, which is so bad that hitting a target of more than ten meters requires faith. If you want to use muskets on a large scale in this era, you must adopt this kind of battle, which later generations jokingly called queuing to kill.
Way.
They lined up neatly, braved the enemy's artillery fire, and marched slowly to the beat of drums in the hail of bullets. Then, after approaching the enemy, they fired volleys of guns.
In this era, what the military strives for is discipline and courage. Whichever army can get closer to the enemy before firing the first row of guns will be able to gain greater advantages and lethality on the battlefield.
For this reason, line infantry places special emphasis on endurance and formation during training, because they usually have to constantly bear the mental pressure of being shot away by teammates who were chatting and laughing with you just now.
After advancing in front of the enemy and firing a shot, you have to stand straight and reload, then fire another shot. After that, you attach a bayonet to your rifle and use it as a spear to charge the enemy.
Although it does sound silly, the line infantry tactics of this era are the most advanced army tactics, and the line infantry is so powerful that it can be called any type of arms in the cold weapon era.
In terms of close combat, it is not inferior to the spearmen. In this era, the rifle is as long as a person's height. With the bayonet inserted, it becomes a spear.
As for long-range firepower, although flintlock guns are embarrassing, they are much stronger than crossbows. It takes three to five years to train a qualified longbowman, but a rifleman can be killed on the battlefield in three months.
.
Moreover, shooting does not require much physical strength or skills, which has led to the possibility of a large number of civilians who could only be used as cannon fodder to become soldiers.
Just like now, the soldiers disembarked from these warships are not elite troops, but mercenaries recruited by the East India Company from India, Africa and the Caribbean.
Only a small number of the officers are from Europe and have received professional military training, and most of the grassroots soldiers did not even know what a gun was before.
After being recruited, these mercenaries only received less than three months of military training. After they learned how to line up and shoot, they were sent by warships to seize the island and land on the island.
Fortunately, they were not facing elite armies from European countries, but Spanish colonial garrisons similar to them.
Even the Spanish Empire in its most powerful era would not do such a wasteful thing as recruiting a large number of troops from the mainland and sending them to the New World as garrisons.
Due to cost considerations, some officers or a small number of elites are usually recruited from the mainland. After being stationed in the colonies, they train the local indigenous people to serve as the main military force of the colonies.
Therefore, although they suffered casualties, the soldiers belonging to the East India Company were not seriously injured. It can even be said that the casualties they suffered were only minor in this era.
Although the efficiency of landing by small boats was very low, it was still acceptable in this era. They quickly deployed three line infantry regiments on the beach and began to advance towards the stronghold.
Behind the three line infantry regiments, small mortars were already in place and began loading and firing.
Although this most primitive mortar has limited power, it is still very useful for providing a source of vitality and for demolishing small strongholds.
There are bigger cannons, but obviously such things cannot be easily transported and put into battle by small boats.
Moreover, they have a fleet equipped with dozens of cannons. The bombardment of the fleet is enough to solve most problems. Although the extension of the naval guns is not enough and is only enough to clear the beachhead, it is enough.
The three line infantry regiments advanced very quickly. After approaching the stronghold, they stopped. Under the command of the officer, they raised their flintlock guns and began to load bullets.
In this era, paper fixed ammunition has become popular, and the armies of various countries use fixed gunpowder and bullets wrapped in paper tubes.
Therefore, loading bullets is much faster than in the past. Bite open one end of the paper shell bullet, pour the gunpowder into the gun chamber, and then use a purl to insert the lead bullet and paper shell into the gun chamber, and then you can pull the trigger.
.
The thick smoke produced by the burning black powder quickly obscured the sight of the line infantry. The battlefield was filled with gunpowder smoke, and many people slowed down their movements because of the choking smell.
And this is the difference between elite veterans and ordinary ragtag troops. If the ones here are genuine lobster soldiers, they can ignore the smoke generated by these shots, complete the second reload, and continue shooting.
But these recruits, who had only been trained for less than three months, were obviously not so well-trained.
But it didn't have much impact. After two rounds of volleys, there weren't many people in the stronghold who dared to take the lead.
Moreover, the three infantry regiments alternately covered the advance, and one of the infantry regiments had already entered charging distance and began to bayonet.
The rifle with the bayonet inserted is raised up, just like the most famous spear formation in the cold weapon era. At first glance, the bayonet is white, like a steel hedgehog.
And when they launch a charge, the bayonet array like snow waves will really hit them like waves, or smash the enemy into pieces like a sandcastle, or smash them to pieces like waves hitting a rock.
.
War is so cruel. Fortunately, the enemy these recruits have to face this time is not very strong. It is they who smash the enemy, not the enemy who smashes them.
"It looks like the boys did a good job." On the warship on the sea, an East India Company officer was holding a telescope and watching the infantry rushing into the Spanish stronghold, with a satisfied smile on his face.
And battles like this are happening everywhere in the Caribbean right now.
