The "crackling" sound of gunfire was drowned out by the footsteps of the enemy. Hiding behind the short parapet, the weak front line of less than a hundred people suddenly sprayed out a puff of white smoke. The bandits rushing in front seemed to have hit a wall of air. , twenty or thirty men fell in an instant. The vanguard was suddenly reduced by half. They had no experience in dealing with an organized firearms unit, and they had no formal organization after months of riots. Some people turned around and ran away immediately after being fired upon, while others wanted to Taking advantage of the Nationalist Army's loaded ammunition, they rushed forward to engage in hand-to-hand combat. When they were unable to advance or retreat, they themselves became confused.
"Prepare...release!"
The order for the second salvo was issued, but less than half of the rifles completed the reloading and firing process in time, and most of the soldiers had no time to reload.
Malai's hands and feet were trembling and he couldn't control himself. He dropped his flash cap several times. Because the ammunition was strictly managed during training, Malai received a lot of sticks from the training military for dropping his flash cap. I subconsciously went to pick it up. When I heard the order for the second volley, I became even more anxious and panicked. I couldn't pretend to be ready after struggling for several minutes.
"Stop picking it up, pretend to be new!" The squad leader kicked him and shouted, "Quick!"
"Free fire!" Li Dong knew that the squadron's training level was not enough to support the entire squadron's continuous salvo fire, so he had no choice but to issue this order.
Malay finally put on the flash cap and raised his rifle to take aim. At this time, the parapet patrol was already full of gunpowder smoke, and he could only vaguely see the dark shadow of the enemy running.
So close! Ma Lai was so frightened that he almost dropped the gun. He pulled the trigger almost subconsciously. The rifle made a loud noise and shook violently in his hand. The recoil hit his shoulder painfully, but this gun The sound, smoke and impact made him calm down and his hands stopped shaking. The movements he learned during training seemed to have returned to his body.
"Quick, load and shoot!"
The sergeants ran along the parapet, roaring. The soldiers loaded, aimed, and shot mechanically according to the steps taught in training. The Malays were like divine help when it came to loading, as if they were born to do this. They actually fired six shots in one minute. By the end of the shooting, he couldn't even see clearly what was in front of him.
The enemy who rushed to the parapet found that this short fortification turned into a natural chasm. If he climbed over the wall with the muzzle of his gun, he would be beaten to death ten times by the opponent. However, the opponent could avoid his own bows and arrows as long as he squatted down. It was very difficult. The vanguard, who was about to receive concentrated fire, retreated.
The bandits first retreated dozens of meters away in an attempt to weaken their opponents with bows and arrows. However, the bullets fired from the parapet followed them, so they had to retreat. When they retreated to almost the limit of the range of their bows and arrows, a leader shouted: "Don't retreat. We're already so far away, we can't hit you!" Before he finished speaking, a row of lead bullets flew over and he was shot dead on the spot. Upon seeing this, the bandits turned around and ran, running wildly, and some even ran to the mountain pass in one breath.
"The enemy has retreated!" the sharp-eyed soldier shouted loudly.
A burst of cheers immediately rang out from the parapet. For the new recruits who were disgraced yesterday, this defensive attack was so exciting that the gunshots fired and people fell. It was simply easier than target shooting! Bodies were lying on the ground in front of the parapet. The smell of blood actually stimulated their spirits. The new recruits who were originally timid were now as strong as cattle, with their chests and belly raised, looking like casual and battle-hardened veterans.
"Pay attention to concealment!" The sergeants ran, "The enemy is not defeated yet!"
The enemies who had been defeated for a while were still blocked at the mountain pass, and their numbers were still increasing. It seemed that they were preparing to launch a second attack. Li Dong was very anxious. This place was less than a mile away from the town, but so far, no matter who had retreated without authorization,
Neither the 1st Squadron nor the advance party of the 8th Battalion in the town sent a single soldier to support him.
"Where is Ai Buyi? Are you back?"
"No!"
"Have the messengers returned?!"
"Here it comes!" The messenger sent to contact the battalion headquarters has returned. Out of breath, he ran to Li Dong and reported that Battalion Commander Yang asked him to "persist on the spot" and that he was mobilizing troops.
Encircle and destroy this enemy.
"...He said that if you can't hold on, retreat gradually, up to an hour."
Li Dong took out his pocket watch, looked at it, and put it back. Battalion Commander Yang asked him to use him as a bait to bring in the enemy for "encirclement and annihilation."
"Okay, I understand. Where is Squadron 1?"
"Battle Commander Yang has sent people over to tell them to return to their original positions!"
Li Dong felt relieved now that he could understand the determination of his superiors and he was not afraid of any difficult task. He immediately ordered the troops to regroup and check the status of weapons and ammunition.
"Squadron leader, the enemy is making moves!" the lookout whistle shouted.
Li Dong raised his telescope and saw some commotion among the enemy soldiers at the mountain pass, as if they were making way for something.
When Xin Furuo heard this, he quickly took Li Dong and lay down on the parapet. When he took a closer look, a group of soldiers wearing Ming army uniforms came out of the Yao people's formation, and the six carts headed by them had painted tiger heads standing upright and played cards.
, if it’s not a shield car, it’s nothing!
Isn't this equipment for officers and soldiers? Li Dong was secretly surprised. Shield carts were widely used in the late Ming Dynasty. They were very effective in resisting attacks by light and small-caliber firearms. It's not surprising that bandits would think of using them. The problem is whether they are bandits or Yao people.
, wars are all about lightness and speed, and it is impossible to carry such bulky attack equipment in normal times.
How did the Yao people get together with the Ming army?! Although everyone is wondering about this question, there is not much time left for them. The National Army does not have cannons, and the shield car is loaded with cards and there is a layer of water behind it.
The thick cotton quilt was sandwiched with a layer of sand, connecting three or four layers. Not to mention the smoothbore rifles in their hands, even the Mini rifles of the Fubo Army could not penetrate at a longer distance. Artillery or cavalry must be available to be effective.
response.
"Quick, ask your superiors to give us artillery support!" Li Dong once again sent out the messenger.
His current situation was a bit critical. His troops were originally at a disadvantage due to the integration, but in order to hold the flanks wide open, the line of shield vehicles could not withstand the rush of shield vehicles. Once the battle line was broken through, they would have no choice but to "retreat."
Fortunately, the enemy was wary of their firepower. After the shield vehicle approached, the infantry just hid behind the shield vehicle and advanced slowly, at a speed comparable to a snail.
"Fire!" Li Dong ordered when he saw that the shield car was approaching within 100 meters.
A single volley of concentrated rifle fire from the entire squadron filled the front of the parapet with smoke. The cards on the shield car were beaten beyond recognition and torn apart, revealing the quilt behind it.
The quilt had been torn by bullets, and sand leaked out from inside. However, the lead bullets did not penetrate the "composite armor" of the quilt-sand. Except for a few unlucky guys who were helping push the cart from the side, they were hit and killed by fire.
Outside, the shield vehicle continued to advance forward. The formation of the following enemies gathered tighter, completely shrinking behind the shield vehicle. The formation was stretched very long.
Li Dong ordered each squad to spread out towards the two wings. The closer the enemy advanced, the more the two wings were exposed. By the time they were at a distance of 50 meters, the shield vehicles could no longer protect the soldiers behind them.
"Fire!"
The infantrymen on both sides fired volleys at the same time, and the bullets swept across the queue, like a sickle being swung across. Instantly, the queue behind the shield car spattered with blood, the bandits fell staggeringly, and the shield car stopped instantly.
"Blow the charge horn!" After Li Dong finished speaking, he pulled out his command knife, jumped out of the parapet first, and shouted, "Kill!"
Two squads rushed out from the left and right wings in an instant and attacked the formation of shield vehicles from the flanks. The bandits, who had already been thrown into disarray, were stunned when they saw the national army with shining bayonets rushing towards them like tigers descending the mountain.
, turned around and ran away. In an instant, the first shield car was captured.
Li Dong rushed to the shield car, which was already covered with blood. He was shocked. No wonder the car was moving so slowly. It turned out that there was a squatting tiger gun hidden behind the "earth armor" of the shield car. It had been loaded and was hit by bullets.
The dead gunner fell beside the wheel, and the matchlock on his musket had been lit.
As long as they get closer to another ten meters or so, the gunner will knock down the "earth armor" fixed with cowhide ropes in front, exposing the muzzle, and then he can fire a solid shot at the National Army hiding behind the parapet.
"What kind of bandits are these? They are just officers and soldiers!" Li Dong cursed secretly.
The soldiers all around were already engaged in hand-to-hand combat with a few bandits who refused to escape. The clash of swords and guns, the sounds of fighting and screams became a chaotic mess. Soon, the National Army wiped out all the few bandits.
, captured the second and third shield carts... All the shield carts were captured by them, and the enemies had all been routed. However, at this time, the enemy's archers could also shoot arrows in this direction, without the protection of the parapets.
Nationalist soldiers were hit by arrows one after another.
He shouted: "Quick, get back!" He saw Yang Erdong, "You have destroyed all these cars! Hurry!"
Yang Erdong led several dexterous soldiers and threw torches into the cars one after another to ignite the gunpowder on the cars.
"boom"
The Tiger Crouching Cannon on the first shield car was attracted, and the ammunition in the barrel erupted violently. However, the "earth armor" in front of it was not knocked down. All the ammunition was blocked by the shield, except for the heaviest.
The "Dangmenzi" penetrated the shield and flew a few meters away before landing on the mud and rolling a few times.
The six shield vehicles exploded one after another, and the entire squadron withdrew. Although the crisis was averted, there were almost ten casualties. The soldiers gasped and wiped the blood on their faces and hands.
While the Wuzhou Squadron was still taking a breath, the left wing where Luo Mao was on guard suddenly heard the sound of a volley of gunfire. Li Dong was startled, and the troops that had just withdrawn suddenly became panicked.
"Don't panic!" Li Dong called Yang Erdong, "You are responsible for monitoring the enemy here. Team 2 is following me!"
Just when they took the initiative to destroy the shield vehicle, the "surprise soldiers" who had detoured from the Banbiangang area suddenly appeared on their exposed left wing, and happened to bump into a squad led by Luo Mao who was on guard here.
Next update: Volume 7 - Guangzhou Governance Chapter 389