The third regiment of the third division was advancing at full speed, and the scouts rushed over to report the urgent situation.
Shen Xun rushed to greet him.
"what's the situation?"
The scout did not dismount.
"More than 3,000 Dongjiang rebel cavalry are coming towards your troops."
Shen Xun couldn't help but feel his scalp numb.
Their regiment only had more than a thousand men, and due to the rapid march, their heavy weapons were left behind.
Looking around, the terrain is too flat.
If it collides with the cavalry, I'm afraid it will be a disaster.
But you can't retreat.
If the infantry retreats in front of the cavalry, it is seeking death.
At the critical moment, Shen Xun made a quick decision.
"Seize the hill next to it and establish a defensive line."
The third regiment immediately stopped advancing and rushed to the vicinity of Huangshan Mountain on the left.
Huangshan is a small hill, less than fifty meters high, and full of rocks. It is the best place to defend against cavalry attacks.
However, because the mountain is too small, the entire third group cannot go up the mountain.
Shen Xun also took advantage of the terrain on the west side of Huangshan Mountain.
On the west side of Huangshan Mountain are the larger Guanshan and Langshan Mountains, with undulating valleys and even many small puddles in the middle.
Shen Xun deployed his entire army here and set up mortars on Mount Huang, leaving a company of soldiers to defend.
Just as preparations were being made here, the ground rumbled violently.
Mao Chenglu arrived.
Mao Chenglu learned from the scouts that a group of New Army infantry had separated from the main force. He thought this was an opportunity and immediately led his cavalry to rush over.
I thought it would be a surprise battle, catching the new army by surprise.
But the battlefield reconnaissance capabilities of the New Army are infinitely higher than those of the Dongjiang Rebels.
When he arrived, the third regiment had already set up its formation.
However, when he saw that the third regiment had neither barbed wire nor trenches, but only a small number of troops deployed on the nearby mountain, Mao Chenglu couldn't help but laugh arrogantly.
"This is God helping me!"
The rebel cavalry was also full of fighting spirit.
They have always been chasing rabbits away from the New Army, and they are also holding back their anger in their hearts.
At this time, I saw the lone New Army troops and wanted to take revenge.
"Take a seat, we will rush in from the left wing."
Du Si Chen Bushe took the initiative to ask for a fight.
"In the future, we will attack the right wing."
Another captain, Mao Kai, was not willing to lag behind.
Mao Chenglu felt that the military spirit was available, so he did not delay.
"Tell the boys to rush in and kill all these bastards."
The rebel cavalry began to move, divided into three groups, and pressed against the third regiment's line from three directions.
If it were in the past, if they encountered the cavalry without any cover, the third regiment would definitely be in chaos.
However, after the blocking battle at Mulingguan, the third regiment was tempered, and the new recruits became veterans and had already adapted to the war.
Seeing the cavalry rushing towards them, the soldiers remained completely calm. Under the command of the officers, they lined up in three rows, front and back.
This is the best array used by musketeers to deal with cavalry charges.
In fact, as long as it is a head-on confrontation, even if there are no machine guns and fortifications, the musket array will not be afraid of the cavalry.
Many times it was the cavalry who suffered in such confrontations.
After all, the density of firepower of the array musketeers is so high. After three rounds of strikes, there are very few cavalry that can rush forward, and they cannot break through the infantry line.
The biggest advantage of cavalry against infantry is actually to use mobility to attack both wings. Find the flaws in the movement of the infantry formation, and then break through and cut them off.
Valley
But the place chosen by Shen Xun was surrounded by mountains on both sides, and the cavalry could not get around it.
There were ditches, ridges, pools and muddy puddles in the middle, making it impossible for the cavalry to attack with full force.
Even so, Shen Xun was also very nervous.
This should be the first time that the infantry of the New Army faced off against the cavalry without bunkers or artillery. He had no way of judging the outcome.
The shaking of the earth became more and more violent, causing all the muscles in his body to tremble and his heartbeat to accelerate uncontrollably.
The moment his eyes gradually became bloodshot, when he saw the cavalry entering within 500 meters, Shen Xun suddenly shouted: "Fire!"
Although the cavalry is still far away, the cavalry is very fast. If it does not fire from a distance of 500 meters, it will not even be able to complete the three-stage shooting.
Although the first wave of firepower did not cause much damage, there was still time to reload, giving one more opportunity to fire.
Following his order, the New Army's position was filled with smoke, and the sound of fired beans directly suppressed the power of the cavalry charge.
Some people faintly fell down in the rebel cavalry column, but it did not affect the overall situation.
Mao Chenglu lay tightly on the horse's back, using the horse's head and neck to block the vital parts of his body.
Seeing the new army opening fire, he was even more surprised.
"Speed up! Don't give them a chance to reload."
With just such a word, the cavalry rushed out for more than a hundred meters.
The New Army's second round of fire strikes was much more accurate.
More than a hundred rebel cavalry were shot down on the spot.
Some of the horses that had lost their owners continued to charge blindly with the brigade, while others ran around randomly.
Those who ran randomly were quickly knocked down by the horses that followed, causing great chaos.
Bang bang bang bang bang bang...
The third row also fired shots.
The commanders on the front line shouted in shrill voices.
"Fix bayonets! Form up!"
Under this wave of volley, the rebel cavalry paid a price of more than 300 people.
Before the hand-to-hand combat with the new army, the rebels had lost more than one-tenth of their damage.
The first platoon of soldiers who completed the firing team really completed reloading again.
At this time, the rebel cavalry had already rushed within fifty meters.
Breathing can be heard on both sides, and every detail is visible, so there is no need to aim carefully.
And this shot was also the most effective salvo.
All the cavalry in the front row of the rebels were beaten down, and the fallen horses became an obstacle.
The cavalrymen in the second row had no time to react, and many fell down and rolled, adding to the chaos.
With such a delay, the momentum of the cavalry charge inevitably stalled, and the infantry of the new army felt the pressure and relaxed inexplicably.
Shen Xun keenly seized this opportunity.
"charge!"
The loud sound of trumpets resounded throughout the battlefield, and the new army advanced instead of retreating, facing the rebel cavalry.
The cavalry rampage that Mao Chenglu expected did not appear.
Although in the first wave of collisions, many New Army soldiers were indeed knocked away and paid the price with their lives.
But the rebels suffered greater losses in men and horses.
The long bayonet is very effective whether it is used to stab people or horses.
The sabers in the hands of many cavalrymen could not touch the enemy at all, and they were pricked like hedgehogs by the forest of bayonets.
It is better if the cavalry is stabbed to death, but the consequences of being stabbed by the war horse are more serious.
The crazy war horse has limited effect on the people running on the ground, but to the following cavalry, it is like a god of death.
It is no different from modern European battlefields.
After the cavalry penetrated the first infantry line, it became the massacre target of the following two lines.
Shen Xun asked the second line of defense to rush in to support, and asked the soldiers of the third line of defense to continue loading and shooting.
The rebel cavalry lost their horse speed. After falling into the formation, they became a living target while riding on the horse.