In the wilderness of the western suburbs outside Youzhou City, the dull sound of cannons sounded like some kind of shout before giving an order, and also like the beginning of a burst of thunder.
Under such an order, hundreds of Yandi Qingqi pressed their bodies against their saddles, shouted like the wind with their spears and guns in hand, and rushed to target the wind and thunder flag hanging on the top of the only remaining archery tower outside Kaiyang Gate. He jumped through the gap left by the troops.
The artillery positions behind the camp that were reused outside the city did not show any panic at all. Facing the fiercely attacking Yandi cavalry, the gunners still calmly washed the barrels, pushed in the powder packets and projectiles, aimed, and Ignite and fire.
Passing by the whole group of Yandi cavalry formations who were roaring and sprinting forward, they scrambled to fall into the ranks of the troops running behind to follow; in an instant, groups of soldiers were being shot obliquely at various bomb impact points. During the violent impact and bounce, flesh and blood flew everywhere or were shattered to pieces. Several or even dozens of people fell down and died. However, they continued to move forward, following the contiguous tails and curls raised by the cavalry. The smoke and dust rushed towards the face.
When the Yandi light cavalry, which gradually dispersed forward and backward, rushed within a hundred steps away, the Huai army gunmen squatting behind the wooden fence, horse-proofing, and wire barriers also roared amidst the sounds of passwords and whistles. All of them stood up, and they were seen lying down, half-kneeling, or standing upright, holding the cannons over their chests or shoulders. They placed the long fire cannons on preset stands or horses, and they formed many rows of overlapping upper and lower rows;
And between the rows waiting for the command, the smoke from another artillery fire once again spread thickly and floated horizontally;
And from between the carriage boards behind them, many long-barreled muzzles filled with shotgun shells were poked out, and a new type of large firecracker was set up - it was controlled by three or four people, but its body was longer than ordinary light guns. The gun should be huge, and a small copper gun should be used to fire projectiles densely, aiming slightly above the Yandi cavalry galloping in front.
Suddenly there was a brief roar from the opposite side, and a wave of fine arrows filled the sky while running. For a while, in the Huai army's gun array behind the camp, people were knocked over and shot down one after another. , and gaps of varying degrees appeared in the blood splash.
But what these Yan cavalry expected, the musketry and artillerymen on the opposite side fired early due to panic did not happen;
Most of them stayed very calmly behind the bunkers and defense fences. Even if the artillery roared beside them or the arrows flew in front of them, they remained indifferent and unusually calm, as if they were sculptures that solidified human beings, long blazing guns, and long cannons together. Generally, it shows the seriousness, murderousness and terror like a weapon.
Then, they were hit by a barrage of barrages shot diagonally upwards like rain, covering and penetrating from top to bottom; then, more preset flowering thunders were triggered and bloomed among them; in an instant, There were deafening bombardments and bursts of gunpowder smoke from the front, back and left. Behind them, the blurry Yandi cavalry, including men and horses, fell down one after another, neighing.
But this was not over yet. Before the cannons in the vehicle array and the fort could be re-adjusted and refilled, they saw more Yandi cavalry in brown armor and fur hats in the blood-red smoke clouds. He continued to bravely lift his horse over the corpses of his comrades in front, and came towards the enemy with his spear and spear. Many spear blades and spears hit the horse and the wooden fence, making crackling sounds and breaking apart.
At this time, all the long and short cannons that had been waiting for a long time behind the camp wall and the vehicle formation erupted. They were all filled with shotgun shells, and they hit the bodies of the Yandi cavalry in the queue like a violent storm. It was like pushing through an invisible wall out of thin air on the battle line, and wherever it passed, more people and horses were overturned, rolled, and fell.
Just this "scattering bullets in the face" tactic of suppressing first and then getting closer, instantly destroyed these Yandi cavalry who relied on inertia and momentum to maintain a certain posture of going forward and succeeding. The last bit of persistence and Rely on; rely on;
They were all shocked and stagnated and entangled in front of the formation in such a mess. Then they were killed and penetrated by the fire cannons that were fired close at hand. They fell to the ground one after another like rice piled together waiting to be harvested. Die.
At the other end of the battlefield, Liu Menglong, one of the few veteran generals in Pingdao and the commander of both the Qingyi Army and the Hengsai Army, had turned an ugly livid color.
"The first battle is over"
He looked at the remaining cavalrymen who were able to turn around and escape after only a few escaped the hail of bullets fired from behind. He was so angry that he felt his gums were bleeding from biting them.
"Let the second and third formations turn around immediately"
"Don't hit me head-on again"
"The fourth and fifth formations are on standby"
"Find a way to bring out as many first-line teams as you can handle"
After all, these are the mountain cavalry that he recreated with his own handsand his disciples, among whom there are many veterans and capable soldiers who have followed him in battles for many years; since the establishment of the organization, they have accumulated dozens of battles, large and small, and charging into battle to kill the enemy is useless. There are almost no formations that they cannot break away, and there is nothing that they cannot get rid of. hostile force;
Even under Zhang Bangchang, the Governor of Hebei Province, although he was known as a warrior general and commanded dozens of armies with an army of 200,000, he was led and commanded by his horsemen and horses, and most of the time he remained silent. What they can do is to have their wealth and people taken away repeatedly, so they have no choice but to huddle in various city passes and do the passive response of strictly guarding, or they can fall behind and eat dust from afar. . .
However, now, because of his momentary indiscretion and neglect, he was so easily defeated without any warning by the Huai army's firearms array that took the initiative to fight outside the city.
What¡¯s more important is the energy that was dampened on the spot. Although it was only the first battle that was defeated, the experiences they experienced from this experience were enough to affect the morale and the hearts of the remaining troops.
As the saying goes, the basic principle of "strengthening, then weakening, and finally exhausting" is also applicable to the cavalry who hurried back to come for reinforcements.
However, as if to confirm his worries, the belatedly arriving Huai Army cavalry seemed to be getting better, and appeared unhurriedly on the north side of the battlefield.
Although the number detected for the time being is not very large, it has once again cast a shadow over their departure from the battlefield to regroup and enter the great cause
"Is this the foreign aid Han Zhongyan is counting on"
Under the gradually turning gloomy sky, I stood on the gate tower and looked at the fighting and retreating array in the distance.
"It's just like that."
Under the impact and harassment of the Huai Army cavalry, this process did not seem to go smoothly. From time to time, small groups of troops on the edge were scattered or separated from the retreating array; but judging from the overall morale and order, It can be said that this army, which is at a disadvantage and in retreat, has never experienced any major fluctuations or chaos.
It's a pity that there are less cavalry waiting in the corresponding areas outside the city. There are only two battalions of hussars and one battalion of hunting cavalry, plus dozens of ranger regiments. Otherwise, relying on the tactics of hammering the iron cavalry with the troops will not be enough. Can achieve more results and victory.
In Youzhou City, the battle in the inner city has not ended; because the defenders of the inner city have fought to the end and have now controlled a small half of the south and east city walls, and it seems that they will continue to fight at night. .