For the mortar battalion commander Ding Liang, a large pile of prey was temporarily blown away by the shells, and it was not suitable for his troops to provide continuous fire coverage for the time being.
But this group of slow-moving live targets soon merged with a new group of live targets, and the target became a bigger mess.
The area is even much larger than before. There are both people and horses, densely packed and mixed together, making it easier to attack.
The most important thing is that they have no idea that they are not out of the range of the mortar, thinking that they can sit back and relax if they join up with the cavalry who are coming to rescue.
Obviously, as long as there are still artillery shells on the army's side, they will not easily let go of such a plump prey. With five or six thousand bandits gathered on the plain, the opportunity is really rare.
"Boom, boom, boom..."
After re-measuring the range, Ding Liang asked the mortar battalion to open fire. In order to achieve the maximum killing effect, even the backup guns were used.
Twenty-four mortars fired a salvo. The power was naturally extraordinary, and the damage caused to the two rebel troops was also devastating.
Zhang Wenxiu and his troops had just joined Feng Shuangli's men. When they saw the other party, they looked at the sky in the distance in confusion, and then heard a series of explosions.
"Boom boom boom..."
Along with the unstoppable fireball and the scattered iron nails, for a while, people in the team were shouting, screaming and wailing, all mixed together, it was as noisy and disorderly as a market, almost boiling.
Feng Shuangli and his subordinates had never been bombed before, so they were immediately stunned by the explosive bombs. Nearly a hundred fine cavalry were blown to the ground, including their men and horses.
The war horses were frightened or injured, and then ran around out of control, trampling and injuring nearby infantry one after another, making the rebel formation even more chaotic and abnormal.
Near the explosion point, the infantry who were knocked down by the explosion suffered disaster. They were trampled by the war horses and suffered broken bones and tendons. They were either dead or injured, and they may not be able to recover even if they rest for a long time.
Not to mention that you are on the battlefield at this moment. If you can't walk back by yourself, you will either be abandoned in the wilderness and fend for yourself, or you will have to become a prisoner of the army and be at the mercy of the other party.
Fortunately, nearly a third of the explosive packets were thrown away, and the accuracy was off by a full thirty or forty steps. Even if they exploded, they would not hit any valuable targets.
But just about fifteen or six explosive charges that fell into the designated area knocked the rebel army into chaos. From the generals to the soldiers, everyone was like a frightened bird, trembling with fear.
"Wen Xiu will lead his troops to retreat to the mountains first. I will lead others to charge into the formation. We must eradicate this firearm completely to avoid endless disasters!"
Feng Shuangli, who had good eyesight, saw the firearms position of the government troops on the hill in the distance, so he planned to lead his troops to attack directly. The government troops were huddled in the city, and they had no choice but to come out to fight, so they could not let them go.
"Shuangli, don't be reckless, and be cautious! I looked at the general's flag, and it must be Luo Dai. This general is full of tricks, and he also leads the army well. He has fought with our army several times before, and today there are thousands of fine cavalry. We are well prepared, but it is difficult to deal with!"
In the past, Zhang Wenxiu would have charged into battle with Feng Shuangli, vowing to capture the enemy general alive, then cut him into pieces and rip out his heart and liver, in order to relieve the hatred in his heart.
However, today is different from the past. The siege of the city was thwarted and our own troops suffered heavy losses. It is still unknown how many people can run back in the end. If all our troops are lost, how will we explain to our father when we return?
Who can guarantee that if the two troops join together, they will be able to defeat Luo Dai, who is armed with nearly invincible firearms? Wouldn't it be worse if it folded again?
Zhang Wenxiu does have a gambler's mentality, but it is obvious that he cannot win this game, and he does not intend to continue betting. If he loses all his chips, he will not be as good as his fourth brother Nengqi.
"Don't worry Wenxiu, I will definitely deal with this Luopifu!"
Feng Shuangli nodded in agreement. There were not many people who could scare Zhang Wenxiu. It seemed that Luo Dai was a brave and strategic general, so he had to be careful.
In fact, rushing into the formation is a helpless move. If the opponent uses firearms and his own troops are bombarded, they will inevitably flee. However, Luo Dai leads his troops to cover up the attack. How can he be invincible?
If the rebel cavalry cannot stop the official army from charging, the already exhausted infantry will be killed in the wilderness by the enemy.
The two armies were less than one mile apart, but this place was four or five miles away from Yanghu Mountain. How could a man outrun the horses at such a long distance?
Feng Shuangli also had to buy Zhang Wenxiu's troops as much time as possible. Otherwise, when all the infantry were dead, they would have gone down the mountain in vain, and all their efforts would be in vain.
"Dou Mingwang! Zhang Junyong!"
"The general is here!"
"Assemble the troops! Charge into battle!"
"Got the order!"
"Boom boom boom boom..."
Just when the generals had reached an agreement, the second batch of artillery shells arrived. Even if the infantry were gone, there were still horsemen, so they could still achieve considerable results.
Mortars especially like to hit such clustered targets in dense formations. Whether they are humans or horses, wearing armor or shirtless, as long as they can reach them, they will be "warmly entertained".
As a result, Feng Shuangli, who had just stabilized his position, watched helplessly as the officers and soldiers used firearms to blast his elite cavalry to the point where they were knocked upside down, with blood and flesh flying everywhere, and the ground was devastated.
In the face of such sharp bullets, any fine knight is like a panicked hare, completely unable to withstand the thunderous strike of such a weapon falling from the sky.
Now, Feng Shuangli also knows why Zhang Wenxiu was able to lose so many troops and horses. Before Xiangyang City was captured, the infantrymen felt as if they had seen a ghost when they saw such bullets, and ran away without looking back. go.
"The horsemen advance! Whoever dares to escape! Shoot with arrows!"
Feng Shuangli's cavalry also became chaotic, and many people were thinking of retreating. Feng Shuangli could only shout loudly when he saw this, so as not to cause chaos before fighting.
This thing is indeed unmatched by humans. If we can't rush to it quickly and destroy it, we will definitely hurt the rebel soldiers. Thinking of this, Feng Shuangli led his troops to rush towards the location of the officers and soldiers.
Since you will be bombed if you retreat, and you will also encounter the enemy's cavalry, it is better to rush into the formation, firstly, you can cover the retreat of the infantry, and secondly, you can take the opportunity to destroy this firearm.
Feng Shuangli had 3,000 horsemen under his command, and Zhang Hualong led 500 horsemen. Although they had been hit by two batches of bullets, they still had more than 3,000 men and they were determined to charge into the formation by force.
After some panic and stabilizing their position, everyone began to gallop along with the generals. The army gradually accelerated and ran in a cone shape towards the officers and soldiers arrayed in front of the high ground on the shore.
"Pass to my general! Fire arrows on the spot! The enemy will not stop riding! The arrows will not stop! Load heavy arrows!"
Since the rebel army had been overwhelmed by its own artillery and chose to jump over the wall and launch the attack first, Luo Dai chose to stop quietly and strike later, using bows and arrows as the first choice to resist the enemy from a long distance.
The heavy arrows of the horse soldiers had not been used very much, and each of them still had at least ten more. After counting the wounded soldiers sent into the city, there were no less than 3,670 officers and soldiers, which was comparable to the rebel army that came to compete.
Just in case, Luo Dai ordered Liu Zian to lead 500 horsemen to protect the safety of the mortar battalion. Together with Yang Shien's 500 men, 1,000 horsemen should be considered foolproof, so that he could lead his troops in Defend the enemy in advance.
"Fire the arrow!"
The horseman stretched the bow string to the limit, aimed the arrow cluster forward and upward, and chose to throw it away. This allowed the heavy arrow to reach the farthest range, but it could only shoot fifty steps. Any further away would not have much lethality. .
Moreover, the first wave of arrows has the longest range and consumes the most kinetic energy, so it has the least lethality. The damage caused to the bandits is actually very effective, more like scratching the surface, unless it hits the face or unarmored soldiers.
The most deadly thing was the one before they drew back their bows and drew their swords. They were less than twenty steps away from each other. If they were powerful enough, they could almost shoot through the armor and the men at the same time. It would also cause the most combat casualties to the bandit army.
From the first time they fired arrows to the time when the two sides came into close combat, the officers and soldiers could only fire three times, and the first time could only be regarded as a blind shot, and the battle results were far less than the last two.
Because it was a projectile or an extreme range shot, only a few pawns on the rebel side were knocked down, and most of them could still continue galloping and charging into the formation.
The second time, many people were knocked down on the spot and trampled to pieces by the horses of their companions behind them, but those who were still sitting on the horses still cared about the lives of others.
When he was about to see the opponent's facial features clearly, what followed was the most vicious arrow rain.
The firing effect of the outermost cavalry of the official army was almost like a multi-beam ray, knocking down the entire front row of the rebel army by 70 to 80%.
Nearly six to seven hundred men were directly killed. Counting the tripped horsemen, the total number was nearly a thousand, equivalent to one-third of the troops invested by the rebels.
Many of Feng Shuangli's subordinates planned to draw their bows and swords in advance and kill the officers and soldiers on the opposite side who were stretching their necks to release arrows. However, they were just a few steps away and were directly hit by heavy arrows, leaving them unable to fight back.
At such a close distance, once a heavy arrow pierces the torso, most of the combat capabilities will be lost directly. Even if you can continue to fight, your physical fitness and strength will be greatly reduced.
Ten swords are worth less than one arrow!
This means that if you are chopped ten times, as long as your arms and legs are not lost and it is just a flesh injury, it will not be a serious problem. People who practice martial arts have rough skin and thick flesh, so it does not matter if the sores are not infected.
But as long as the arrow penetrates the skin, it will damage the muscles and bones, and if the arrow penetrates the torso, it will damage the internal organs. Even after being healed, the person will be disabled.
In the battle against the Donglu, the Ming army was afraid of the Tatars' art of surrounding the formation and outflanking, which could cut off the infantry's retreat, and secondly, gradually weaken the Ming army's effective strength.
Most of the Tatar arrow clusters were smeared with feces. Once a Ming soldier was hit by an arrow, the sores would easily become infected, which would cause a large number of troops to be reduced and seriously affect the combat effectiveness. This is probably more than being hacked a few times.
"Just put it on your forehead!"
Thanks to the escort of his soldiers, after losing several soldiers who were standing in front to defend Feng Shuangli from the rain of arrows, the general finally got the chance to kill the enemy soldiers with his own hands.
When encountering each other on a narrow road, the brave wins. There is no point trying to run away at this time. There are people in front, behind and on the left and right. You have to fight even if you don’t want to, and you have to fight with your life, otherwise the opponent will directly kill you.
"Gun!"
As a shout came from the opposite side, what the rebels encountered was not the common broadsword but a spear more than ten feet long, which lay across the battlefield, almost making the army's defense line as scary as a hedgehog.
The function of the spear is to stab, so the size is usually longer than the long-handled sword. The long-handled sword can also be as long, but it is difficult to exert force.
When the spearmen are in a stationary state, the damage caused by the spears is actually caused by the enemy soldiers. The principle is the same as when an airplane hits the sea. The faster the speed, the greater the resistance.
The pikeman does not need to exert force deliberately, as long as the arm strength and waist and abdominal strength are sufficient to ensure that the pike is in a horizontal state and aimed at the invading enemy.
Luo Dai also borrowed the spear from Liu Guoneng, because this guy was a former bandit, and it was much easier to forge a spear than a broadsword.
In addition to sword and shield soldiers and archers, almost every infantryman has a spear. Even without the spear head, it can be used as a spear, and if it is shortened, it can also be used as a javelin.
The rebels also had weapons here, but they were not the main battle weapons of the cavalry, so when they encountered the weapons held by the officers and soldiers, everyone was caught off guard. Before they could reach them, they were stabbed in the body with a spear.
There is no need for any tactics to use a spear. All you need to do is line up in a row, take good posture, wait and wait until the opponent rushes forward, lean forward, and tighten your arms and waist and abdomen instantly to prevent the spear from being released.
If you are not stabbed, or if a nearby enemy is attacking you, you must immediately let go of the gun handle and draw out your waist knife to resist its attack. Otherwise, if you hold on to the gun handle, you will either be able to kill only one enemy, or you will be killed by the enemy before killing the enemy. Beheaded.
The offensive of the rebel cavalry that rushed up first came to an abrupt end because it was impossible to break through the official spear formation. Some soldiers rushed to the opposite side from the gap, but they were quickly poked by the spears thrust out from the rear row. middle.
"Cut off the spear! Keep charging!"
Feng Shuangli was not stabbed, but the situation Bu Qu encountered was as irritating as if he had been shot. If they were to confront each other like this without being able to charge forward, his side would suffer a big loss.
As the rebel horsemen rushed forward one after another, the front row forced their way in, and the rear row fired arrows, the officers and soldiers on the opposite side began to retreat slowly, and the casualties suddenly increased.
However, with such a desperate fight, the rebel forces suffered an even more terrible loss. Before they could reach the Luodai Dahu Banner, only half of Feng Shuangli's troops were left, and the rest were either killed or injured.
"Stand firm! Don't move lightly! Form a formation to win!"
Being able to inflict a large number of casualties on the rebels, our own frontline retreated less than ten steps under the impact, which was considered an initial success. While overjoyed, Luo Dai hurriedly shouted loudly that if there was a real panic, everything would be lost.
"Mingwang! Your Majesty! Outflank from the left and right sides! Be sure to annihilate the official and military firearms on the hill!"
"The general will get the order!"
The two men each led their own soldiers to retreat to the back row, and then led two to three hundred men and horses to bypass the frontal defense line of the official army and stabbed them diagonally from both sides.
"You've come just in time! Brothers, stay put and shoot the traitors quickly! Capture and kill the enemy generals and reward them based on their merits!"
Liu Zian clearly saw the tactics used by Luo Dai on the top of the mountain, and it was not in vain that his clan brother Liu Guoneng paid him tuition with two thousand horsemen, so he could learn and sell them now.
The number of enemies in front of them is almost the same as that of Liu Zian's men and horses. At such a close distance, it is impossible to completely block the enemy's advance by firing arrows. Once the horse soldiers charge up, their speed is quite fast.
The officers and soldiers only shot once and then raised their guns to fight. However, the enemy cavalry activated flexibly and did not fight head-on. Instead, they kept looking for gaps in the defense line and slipped through the gaps.
Soon they engaged Yang Shien's men in battle. One thousand officers and soldiers fought five to six hundred traitors. Their strength was not based on absolute superiority, let alone a quick victory.
"The horse soldiers are ready! Take aim with the musket! Fire when the thieves get close!"
Ding Liang did not let the cavalry from the artillery battalion rush over, which would make it difficult to distinguish between ourselves and the enemy. Instead, he waited for the thieves to be killed and retreated, and let the cavalry go up to cover them up.
Liu Zian and Yang Shien's cavalry did not dare to approach the artillery camp deliberately, for fear of being accidentally injured by bird cannons. If they fired face to face, a wisp of green smoke would be a life.
The gunners had long since given up firing. The company's more than 100 soldiers, except for the horsemen, all lined up with guns and bayonets on their blunderbuss, implementing three-stage tactics. The left and right sides were covered by horsemen.
