allonlinenovel Chapter 111 Counterattack
Chapter 111 Counterattack
"First company hold on, second company retreat, third company form a line!" Although the chariot formation was broken through again, Jiang Xuefeng was not afraid at all. He gave orders calmly and decisively.
At this time, the first company had already engaged in a fierce hand-to-hand combat with the enemy, with bayonets drawing blood and the fight being fierce.
Although they only learned a few simple moves when learning bayonet fighting in their daily lives, when they really arrived at the battlefield where life and death were at stake, the soldiers were pleasantly surprised to find that this seemingly simple bayonet fighting technique was actually extremely effective. Every move and every style could play a key role at the critical moment and deal a fatal blow to the enemy.
Upon receiving Jiang Xuefeng's order, the entire First Company gritted their teeth and desperately resisted the surging cavalry attack. The Second Company moved swiftly, retreating like a nimble cheetah to the rear of the Third Company, which had already formed its formation. Their movements were unified and unwavering.
"The first company will withdraw from both sides and form a battle line behind the second company. The third company will advance!" As Jiang Xuefeng's order was given, the passionate drumbeats representing the army's advance rang out. The soldiers of the third company moved at the sound of the drumbeats, adjusting their pace to the rhythm of the drumbeats. Their eyes were firm, their formations were neat, and they marched forward in a firm battle line like a moving steel wall, with great momentum.
"First row, fire!"
Upon hearing the command, the soldiers of the first company quickly broke away from the Qing army without hesitation, nimbly turned to the sides, and retreated to the rear in an orderly manner. Meanwhile, the third company was facing the enemy head-on. As the command fell, the sound of volleys of gunfire exploded again like firecrackers, and the air was filled with smoke.
"Second row, shoot!"
"Third row, shoot!"
Accompanied by the inspiring beat of war drums, the soldiers of the People's Army marched in unison, following a rhythm they had practiced countless times. As they marched, they fired their weapons methodically, following commands with expert, coordinated movements. After firing, they quickly returned to the rear ranks to reload, while the next rank took up the fire, and the cycle continued, forming a continuous web of fire.
Having just broken through the chariot formation, the Qing troops thought they had finally defeated the Ming troops in one fell swoop, and were filled with pride and underestimation of the enemy. However, they never expected that the Ming troops would not only quickly stabilize their shaky formation, but also seize the opportunity to launch a fierce counterattack, catching them off guard.
Accompanied by the incessant sound of gunfire, Qing soldiers continued to fall, screaming in agony. Even those wounded who survived were mercilessly stabbed in the necks of the wounded soldiers with the sharp iron bars of their rifles, leaving a fatal bloody hole in their wounds. They spared no enemy, demonstrating their tenacious fighting spirit and ruthless style.
"Captain Jiang, it's our turn now." Yao Er could no longer suppress his inner impulse and desire.
Throughout the march, his cavalry, self-confident as their elite, had always looked down upon Jiang Xuefeng's new troops, treating them with disdain. But what was the outcome of the battle now? From the beginning until now, these five hundred elite cavalrymen behind him had merely stood by and watched, helplessly watching as the enemy cavalry was nearly crippled by Jiang Xuefeng. If they didn't attack now, how would they ever hold their heads up in front of the enemy in the future? Wouldn't they become a laughingstock?
"Alright!" Jiang Xuefeng thought for a moment, nodded, and said, "I'll have the cavalry company cooperate with you."
The previous counterattack had completely shattered the Qing cavalry's fighting spirit. By this point, these Qing soldiers had already lost their fighting spirit and were scrambling to flee in panic like frightened birds. Jiang Xuefeng knew that if his men were to maintain their combat effectiveness, they must strictly maintain their formation. At this moment, having Yao Er's cavalry pursue and kill them was the most appropriate tactical arrangement, which would achieve the best results.
"Okay, let them follow us." Yao Er said after a little consideration.
Seeing Jiang Xuefeng had cleared the way for his attack, Yao Er, in high spirits, led the elite cavalry, who had long been filled with anger, and shouted in unison, urging their horses to charge forward like a gust of wind. The horses' hooves raised clouds of dust, and their momentum was fierce.
"Wang Shuanzhu, can your cannon hit the big flag on the opposite side?" Although Yao Er's cavalry had already rushed forward swiftly, Jiang Xuefeng was thinking in his heart whether he could create a bigger opportunity to fight and deal a heavier blow to the Qing army.
"Report to the battalion commander, the range is sufficient, but I don't know if we can hit the target accurately!" The speaker was a simple and honest man in his twenties. His name was Wang Shuanzhu, and he was the best gunner in the battalion.
During training, he once shot down a tree a thousand paces away with a single cannon, a feat truly remarkable. He also possessed a remarkable skill: no matter how far away the target was, he could simply aim it, and his meticulously tuned cannon would always hit the target with a near-perfect accuracy, a feat unmatched in the military.
The new army's falconet cannons had been improved and could fire at a maximum range of 2,000 steps. At that moment, Ke Yongsheng's central army flag was only 1,500 steps away. Theoretically, the artillery could definitely hit it, but accuracy was difficult to guarantee in actual combat. After all, the battlefield situation was ever-changing, and various factors could affect shooting accuracy.
"If you can hit me, I will give you a credit!" Jiang Xuefeng encouraged with a smile, his eyes full of expectation and trust.
"Okay!" Wang Shuanzhu said without hesitation, immediately concentrating on visually estimating the distance. Relying on his rich experience and keen intuition, he carefully adjusted the angle of the artillery. His eyes were focused and determined, and fine beads of sweat gradually seeped out of his forehead, but he was completely unaware.
"Alright, prepare the first shot!" Wang Shuanzhu shouted, "Fire!"
Accompanied by the deafening roar of the artillery, a cannonball shot towards the Qing army opposite like an arrow, and exploded dozens of meters away from Ke Yongsheng. The huge explosion made the earth tremble slightly, and the air was filled with smoke.
Ke Yongsheng was so frightened by the sudden artillery shell that his face turned pale and he was so terrified that he almost fell off his horse.
"It can actually fire so far away! The power of this artillery is too incredible." Ke Yongsheng frowned and looked gloomily at his retreating men and the enemy cavalry that had finally set out.
What had been agonizing this time was the unexpected death of Fei Yanggu on the battlefield. Fewer than a hundred of his own cavalry had returned from the attack. However, he still had fewer than two thousand cavalrymen with him, while the enemy's cavalry was only five or six hundred. He thought to himself, "Is this not a situation where we can't defeat them again?" He believed he still had a certain advantage in numbers and could still fight.
"Ke Ye, success or failure depends on this battle. You must take your personal guards and fight to defeat this cavalry." Ke Yongsheng looked serious and stern, and his tone was full of unquestionable firmness and command.
"Yes!" Ke Ye clasped his fists and accepted the order, his eyes revealing a resolute murderous intent.
As the horn sounded shrilly, except for dozens of personal cavalrymen who were left behind to protect Ke Yongsheng, the rest of the troops launched an attack like a surging tide, and the shouts of killing shook the earth.
"Kill!" Yao Er took the lead, like a god of war descending. The spear in his hand flashed coldly in the sunlight. Like a swimming dragon, he bravely charged into the enemy cavalry.
The two armies were already very close to each other. In the blink of an eye, the two cavalry units collided with each other like two surging dark clouds. Yao Er's cavalry was like an extremely sharp steel knife, piercing straight into Ke Yongsheng's cavalry. Wherever it went, the Qing cavalry fell off their horses, and screams were heard everywhere.
"Kill them!" Ke Ye was also a fierce and valiant general. His personal guards were carefully selected elite warriors, each highly skilled in martial arts. He personally led his personal guard battalion forward, blocking the advance of the Ming cavalry. He also engaged Yao Er in a tit-for-tat confrontation, the two of them engaging in a fierce and agonizing battle. The surrounding soldiers were awed by their bravery.
The People's Army cavalry, however, did not engage in close combat with Yao Er as usual. Instead, they cleverly wandered outside the battle group, making full use of the muskets they carried. These muskets were also carefully improved self-propelled muskets. Although the barrels were shorter, the addition of rear sights and front sights greatly improved the accuracy of the shooting.
So, despite the Ming army's smaller numbers, their flexible tactics and advanced weaponry gradually tilted the tide of battle in their favor. Having suffered such a heavy blow, the Qing cavalry's fighting spirit began to waver, morale plummeted, and many soldiers began to consider retreat, their will to fight gradually crumbling.
"Have you calibrated it?" After the first shell was fired, Wang Shuanzhu stared at Ke Yongsheng under the banner, muttering non-stop, as if carefully calculating something in his mind. Seeing that Yao Er had already engaged the Qing army, Jiang Xuefeng was extremely anxious and couldn't help but ask.
"Battalion Commander, you asked me to shoot accurately, so shouldn't I calculate carefully? Don't interrupt my train of thought." Wang Shuanzhu glanced at Jiang Xuefeng with dissatisfaction, his eyes revealing a hint of concentration and persistence. He was fully devoted to the critical task of artillery calibration at this moment and would not tolerate any interference.
"Okay, okay, just calculate it quickly, I won't disturb you." Jiang Xuefeng knew very well the importance and professionalism of Wang Shuanzhu, and he also cherished this top sharpshooter under his command very much. He hurriedly said with a smile, and although he was anxious in his heart, he could only wait helplessly.
"Alright." Wang Shuanzhu finally revealed a delighted smile. He excitedly stepped forward and personally adjusted the angle of the falconet with skillful and precise movements. He said, "Start loading!"
After the artillerymen on the side quickly placed the sub-guns, Wang Shuanzhu took a deep breath and lit the gun himself!
"Boom!" A cannonball, carrying Jiang Xuefeng's full hope, roared like a roaring beast and rushed towards Ke Yongsheng who was standing under the general's flag.
"Marshal, be careful!" Ke Yongsheng was completely focused on the fierce fighting on the battlefield. He had no idea that a cannonball would suddenly hit him like a death knell. Fortunately, his guards reacted quickly, swiftly hurling him to the ground in the nick of time, shielding Ke Yongsheng with their own bodies.
With a deafening roar, the flag behind Ke Yongsheng was ripped apart, the immense force of the explosion knocking everything around him to the ground. Shrapnel from the shrapnel flew like deadly hidden weapons, mowing down most of his guards. Blood splattered everywhere, a horrific sight.