Wu Wenchu did not have many cavalry under his command, only more than 500, but he believed that these more than 500 cavalry would definitely have a great effect, so he safely sent these cavalry to attack Lanfang's army formation, which was not equipped with spears and shields. It was hoped that the cavalry assault would turn the tide of the battle.
However, Zhao Xuening had already predicted his actions.
In this case, he can only fight hand-to-hand. Is there any other way he can do it?
Gone.
So, there is nothing to worry about.
cavalry?
hehe.
Zhao Xuening gave an order, and the infantry on the left line were ready to fire in the direction of the cavalry attack.
"Raise the gun!"
"put!"
"Raise the gun!"
"put!"
Hundreds of muskets were fired at the same time, two rounds of volley fire. The Xishan cavalry who were sprinting were hit hard. The dense bullet net came directly towards their faces, overturning dozens of cavalry at once. Two rounds of fire. Several dozen more cavalrymen were overturned.
The fallen cavalry in front tripped many cavalry behind, and many cavalry fell to the ground and flipped over. The remaining cavalry continued to attack, but their faces lost much of the initial ferocity and perseverance.
Although the Lanfang infantry did not have shields or spears, their sharp bayonets still posed a huge threat.
War horses are afraid of sharp objects. Unless they are strictly trained and wear a vest, the war horse will automatically stop charging.
Unfortunately, the Xishan Dynasty did not have the capital to make a vest for any war horse, so the horses of the Xishan Cavalry did not have vests and did not have the ability to make a frontal impact.
A short distance of 150 meters was only enough for the Lanfang Musketeers to complete two rounds of volleys they had prepared.
However, these two rounds of salvos had greatly delayed the impact of the Xishan cavalry. Later, the front row musketeers raised their bayonets and pointed them at the cavalry. The densely packed bayonets made it impossible for the war horses to approach Lanfang's formation.
The musketeers in the rear row completed loading ammunition again.
"put!"
The commander gave the order, and another volley was fired. The dense bullets shot towards the cavalry, and another group of people fell on their backs.
The cavalry attack could not succeed, and the Xishan Infantry could not get any other benefits here. However, seeing that the cavalry had finally bought the time when the Lanfang artillery did not fire, Wu Wenchu gritted his teeth and urged the drums to beat faster, and the infantry marched A little faster.
As long as you get close, you can compete with the number of people!
No matter how sharp their firearms are, as long as they get close, it will be hand-to-hand combat, and they can bully the minority with more!
start running!
Rush over!
But Wu Wenchu didn't know that the Lanfang gunners had not stopped firing, but were already ready and waiting for them to approach.
Towards the direction where the Xishan infantry were attacking, a group of Lanfang light field guns that had been prepared for a long time raised their muzzles, and the muzzles of the guns loaded with grapeshot were aimed at the position where they were coming from, ready.
The range of grape bullets is not far enough. If the distance is too far, they will have no power. However, if fired at close range, the effect is very good and it is very cruel to the enemy.
Those Xishan soldiers who were urged to run had no idea what kind of outcome they would face. They had already entered the range of grape bullets, and their lives had begun to count down.
Artillery commanders have raised their command knives.
ignition!
Artillery fire!
Boom boom boom boom.
With the sound of a cannon, a light field artillery roared, and dozens of small shells rushed out of the muzzle, creating a cross-section like a goddess scattering flowers, and rushed directly towards the running Xishan Army Formation, covering a Xishan soldiers in a small area.
That scene was like cutting wheat with a sickle, cutting off a large handful of wheat with one stroke. With this shot, the scattered grape bullets could take away the lives of more than ten or twenty Xishan soldiers by one person, and the dense military formation was instantly stunned. Make a conspicuous notch.
Grape bullets fired at close range are much more powerful than flintlock bullets. One shot can easily break an arm or thigh even if it misses a vital point.
Of course, if it hits other parts of the body, it is not impossible to make a bloody hole or simply break the body.
Although the degree of bloodshed is not as bloody as a forty-pound solid bullet entering a military formation, the frontal lethality brought by grape bullets is still a nightmare for large-scale infantry intensive military formations.
More than twenty field artillery roared together, spraying flames at the Xishan military formation, and a large number of grape bullets flew out, knocking them off their feet, their limbs and arms flying everywhere, and blood splattering everywhere. The scene was extremely spectacular.
Wu Wenchu was stunned.
He thought Lanfang's bombardment was over, but he never expected that there were still experts.
Three times, three shellings, each shelling could bring damage and huge shock to his troops.
You can handle it once, you can deal with it twice, but what about three times?
The cavalry is finished and can no longer fight for time. Can the infantry formation charge through?
Can you rush past the threat of artillery?
Wu Wenchu didn't know the answer, but the battlefield quickly gave him the answer.
After three rounds of grapeshot bombardment, Zhao Xuening ordered the infantry formation to start charging forward and launch an active attack on the Xishan military formation that was already scattered and began to collapse.
The attack method is to shoot forward.
Three rows of soldiers lined up, one row fired and loaded, the three rows advanced to become one row, fired again, loaded, the second row advanced to become one row, fired, loaded, and so on, firing and advancing at the same time.
Although the speed is slow, it can form a long-lasting and effective fire strike. It is a very useful tactic for opponents who lack equipment and training.
The Xishan Army is such an opponent.
The Xishan soldiers, who had been stunned by the ferocious grape bomb shelling, were about to lose the courage to continue fighting. However, Lan Fang's army launched a frontal attack at this time.
The muskets in their hands spit out tongues of fire and white smoke, and the bullets hit the bodies of the Xishan soldiers one after another, beating them to death. Each volley could overturn many Xishan soldiers. This directly stopped their progress completely.
The crossbowmen and musketeers of the Xishan Army who were originally in the front and wanted to attack from a distance lost their organization. They fired guns and arrows indiscriminately and opened fire without orders. No one cared about whether they could hit the Lanfang soldiers. Fire the gun, shoot the arrow, and all will be well.
Of course it doesn't work.
Scattered matchlock shots and arrows did not threaten Lan Fang's army, and their losses were very minimal.
As Lan Fang's army continued to approach, the Xishan army retreated. Wu Wenchu's eyes turned red and he beat drums to cheer him up, but it was useless. In anger, he could only send out his supervisory team to kill the retreating soldiers, forcing the soldiers to continue to charge forward. Fighting with Lan Fangjun at close range.
However, the momentum of Lanfang's army's advance was really fierce. As they advanced, they opened fire. The ferocious firepower had a strong deterrent effect. Comrades around him were constantly killed and some were injured. They howled miserably and drew blood. He sprayed the faces and bodies of his comrades around him.
All the Xishan soldiers felt that Lanfang's army was a greater threat and more terrifying than the supervising team. When they were splashed with blood again, they collapsed and turned and ran away in a hurry.
The two armies have not even engaged in close combat, and the losses of the Xishan Army are not as high as expected, but they have collapsed and cannot continue to fight.
Lanfang's army was still approaching, and Xishan's army was still collapsing. Seeing this, Zhao Xuening ordered the entire army to stop shooting, charge forward with bayonets drawn.
The highly organized and disciplined Lanfang soldiers were in formation even during bayonet charges. A group of people rushed forward at a unified pace under the command of the officer, forming a group combat effectiveness. Facing the Xishan soldiers who were broken into formation, they were completely It's a crushing blow.
Their sharp bayonets kept thrusting forward, piercing the bodies of the Xishan Army soldiers one after another, and the hard rifle butts broke the jaws of the Xishan Army soldiers one after another.
Wu Wenchu was in a daze, dumbfounded. He didn't understand why he had insisted on all the tactics, but still lost completely. He had already lost without even starting a hand-to-hand combat.
But none of this mattered anymore. He was led away by his own soldiers, riding a horse and galloping faster than anyone else. He took the lead in escaping and successfully escaped the pursuit of Lanfang's army without cavalry.
But not many of his men escaped.
In this battle, the Xishan Army was killed by Lanfang's army, with more than 2,000 people killed and more than 4,000 captured. Only less than 3,000 people escaped from the battlefield.
Zhao Xuening did not order further pursuit, but instead withdrew his troops and returned to the nursing camp, and arranged for ships to send the four thousand people to Luzon Island first. There were many mines with high risk factors that required the participation of a large number of laborers. These people Just the best choice.
But we can't let them die so easily. They must be drained of all the remaining value before they can die.
