The troops stationed in Panama have already been equipped with machine guns, but a company-level stronghold with a hundred or so people can only have four at most, and they will never receive such a large number of equipment as the military.
This was the first time that the Japanese army had obtained so many machine guns, and all machine gunners had received sufficient training time before departure.
In addition to having enough ammunition, each machine gun is also equipped with an optical sight, making the machine gunners feel even more powerful.
Before this battle, the Spanish troops attacking the Panama Canal area had already experienced the power of machine guns.
But most of them believed that since the Ming army was equipped with a small number of machine guns, their side had every chance of winning.
Since the expeditionary force did not allow machine guns to fire at long distances, the Spaniards were even more convinced of their previously speculated views.
In Wang Yong's view, letting the machine gun fire at a far distance from the target is a waste of precious bullets.
Even if each machine gun has 5,000 rounds of ammunition, it cannot be used up in this battle. It will still be useful for attacking other places in the future!
Wang Yong did not allow his adjutant to fire the signal bomb, so the entire army had to use artillery and tank troops to fire to stop the enemy. The infantry, including the Japanese troops, had to watch helplessly.
It wasn't until the opponent advanced to a distance of about two hundred meters from the main formation that three red flares suddenly rose into the sky, allowing the infantry to start killing.
Wang Yong deployed three hundred machine guns on the front, and the scene of simultaneous firing was extremely spectacular, equivalent to three hundred fiery snakes extending into the distance.
The charging Spanish infantrymen did not expect that the opponent's vitality suddenly became so powerful. They were hit by bullets and fell to the ground wailing.
Marquis Martinez believed that the 70,000 infantrymen responsible for the frontal assault, even if they included 45,000 minions, could still make a difference due to their superior strength.
But the firepower advantage displayed by the yellow-skinned monkey surprised him, completely beyond his previous imagination.
The empire has successfully imitated revolvers and short muskets, and has begun equipping cavalry units in large quantities.
Since the structure of this new weapon is more complex than that of a flintlock gun, the cost is difficult to significantly reduce.
For the time being, the infantry can only continue to use flintlocks to attack the yellow-skinned monkeys, which is at a disadvantage in terms of firepower.
It takes dozens of steps to complete a reload while traveling, and the rate of fire is far inferior to that of revolvers and small arms.
The empire has never thought of imitating guns that can fire continuously.
First, we have been suffering from the lack of physical objects. It is temporarily impossible to make speculations based on reports from frontline soldiers.
Second, the mass production of revolvers is already very expensive. If we continue to produce machine guns, it may continue to delay the time for infantry to equip them with revolvers.
Third, if the quantity of this kind of weapons and equipment is too small, it will not have much effect. It must be equipped with troops on a large scale like revolvers, and coupled with the consumption of bullets, this is another expense.
Since revolvers can be used instead of flintlocks, when firepower is insufficient, small cannons and mortars can be used as supplements.
Coupled with the many difficulties they face, Spanish senior officials do not pay much attention to machine guns.
But now, at the critical moment of defending New Madrid, they have tasted the bitter pill caused by the machine gun, and they have to open their mouths to swallow it...
If three hundred machine guns were deployed on a fifty-mile-wide defense line, the firepower would be greatly diluted.
But now the expeditionary force has shrunk into a ball, with a width of less than three miles on one side, and an average of one machine gun every five meters.
Seventy or eighty thousand people from the other side rushed over at once, which was really scary.
When the machine guns of the expeditionary force begin to roar collectively, the other party will know what is more terrifying!
This was an unusual experience that neither side of the war had ever experienced before, because the density of firepower on the battlefield was beyond imagination.
The barrage formed by the bullets fired from the machine guns simply made it difficult for the Spanish infantry to move.
Row after row, they were knocked to the ground by bullets. Those in front fell down, and those behind them suffered disaster before they could react.
It may take two or three times as long to cover the last five hundred feet as it does to cover the previous mile.
This is just the speculation of some people. The situation on the scene is simply difficult to move forward quickly.
The soldiers at the back were almost all charging over the bodies of their comrades. Even so, they were beaten so hard that they couldn't even lift their heads.
The fire snake on the opposite side seemed to have never stopped after roaring, and kept telling them in an extremely harsh voice that passage was prohibited...
The three hundred tanks advancing in coordination suffered the same fate as the infantry. One after another, they were blasted into sawdust and fragments by tank guns.
There are only fifty steam tanks of the expeditionary force responsible for frontal defense. However, after installing a breech-loaded gun with a very high rate of fire, being outnumbered is no longer a problem.
As long as the breech block can be used, the breech-loading cannon can ensure the airtightness of the artillery, thus improving the range and power of the front-loading cannon.
The disadvantage is that it is expensive and poor countries cannot afford it. Fortunately, the Ming Empire is not short of money.
Now that the armored force has been replaced with a third-generation steam tank and a vehicle-mounted machine gun, it is not necessary to replace the door cannon.
The tank crews also cherished this opportunity to hit live targets on a large scale. After all, there were fewer and fewer enemies who dared to confront the Ming Dynasty's division...
Since the tonnage of the ironclad ships equipped by the navy has become larger and larger, even exceeding the 10,000-ton mark, countries that dare to challenge the Ming Navy have almost disappeared.
No wonder Jie Xuan told the generals in private that while he was still in the King's Fleet, he was driving hundreds or even tens of millions of armored ships and doing piracy.
If you don't deliberately catch the "big fish", few silly fish will come over and die!
Once the enemy realizes that its own strength cannot compete with the Ming Dynasty King's Master, or even has the ability to scratch the surface, then it will definitely not deliver the goods to your door!
The situation on the Army's side was slightly better. In order to lure the snake out of its hole, Wang Yong did not even let the plane take off, for fear of scaring the other side into not fighting.
He learned the relevant knowledge of Air-Land Battle when he was in military academy.
In the past, airships were incredibly slow, almost like aerial oxcarts, and it was too difficult to coordinate with ground troops.
Now that there are planes that can run faster than horses, this tactic has been completely activated.
But I have to "think" a little for the enemy. I have traveled thousands of miles to come here, so I can't just turn my back on the enemy...
Especially when there is no cavalry at all, it is difficult to pursue the enemy's cavalry troops with tanks and infantry alone, and it is also difficult to achieve what you want with aircraft.
Instead of taking the initiative, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive, it is better to sit back and wait, the kind of waiting that blocks people's doorsteps!
I heard that the Spaniards destroyed the Inca Empire with only a hundred people. Wang Yong was simply incredible at this time.
Now that I have brought 25,000 people to attack the Spanish capital, this is a great deal of face to the Spanish!
Although there are 20,000 Japanese soldiers in the army, these people are not just making up the numbers.
Ming army instructors trained 20,000 Japanese troops on an island in Japan for three months.
The main purpose is to help them become familiar with the king's tactics and the new weapons they are equipped with.
We don't expect them to be able to kill everyone, but at least they need to learn how to protect themselves on the new battlefield.
Emperor Haojing was not optimistic about the plan of 25,000 expeditionary troops to attack the Spanish capital, for fear that any failure would affect morale.
Jiexuan really planned to do this, but gave the opportunity to Wang Yong.
The latter did not expect that the attack on Acapulco de Juarez would go so smoothly, and then took advantage of the opponent's empty defense and drove straight in.
Thinking about it, I was a little scared. If the 20,000 Japanese troops were unable to withstand the opponent's offensive, then their lone army deep into the enemy's hinterland would suffer the end of annihilation.
However, the tenacity displayed by the Japanese army impressed both Wang Yong and the Spanish cavalry.
The soldiers who can participate in the expeditionary force are all elite forces selected from the troops under the command of many daimyo. Almost all samurai and iron cannon ashigaru shoulder heavy responsibilities.
In name, it's to bring glory to the country, but in reality, it's to find an opportunity to make a fortune so that you can live a comfortable life when you go back.
Like their predecessors who went to Liaodong to fight, the samurai all wanted to buy new outfits or products, while the Ashigaru looked forward to living a life where they could eat meat every week.
This will definitely not work in the homeland where there is no war to fight. Only by becoming a mercenary and going abroad to fight can you reap the benefits.
If you become a prisoner directly, you will have nothing, and you will be beaten with a whip by the other party to do hard labor.
With revolvers in hand, the samurai and ashigaru were not going to be captured without mercy.
Even though the momentum of the attack by tens of thousands of Spanish cavalry was similar to that of a tsunami, the Japanese troops from three directions were still holding on to their positions and resisting desperately.
The ashigaru who went on the expedition were all iron cannon ashigaru, and there were no spear ashigaru. After the former received bayonet training, they also had certain close combat capabilities.
The firing of bows and arrows was left to the warriors supervising the battle. When there was no need to fire arrows, the warriors could use their own short revolvers as a tool to kill the enemy.
Some samurai with sniper characteristics can obtain a magazine-type rifle equipped with a scope and become a junior sniper after intensive training.
It is difficult for them to hit the enemy with one shot from a long distance, but it is not a big problem to hit the larger enemy war horses.
When the Japanese army was equipped with revolvers on a large scale and had 800 machine guns, the output of firepower was quite terrifying.
The combat effectiveness of 20,000 Japanese troops is comparable to that of 200,000, or even 300,000 iron cannon ashigaru when using flintlock muskets.
Since tanks and trucks were deployed at the front end of the defense line, it was extremely difficult for the Spanish cavalry to directly break through the Japanese infantry defense line.
Each tank and truck has a machine gun team, which means that the Japanese army has 800 indestructible firepower points in three directions, all of which are supervised by samurai.
Before the tanks and trucks were destroyed and the samurai were killed, the Iron Cannon Ashigaru could not be easily defeated by the Spanish cavalry.
Of course, there's also the Teppanyaki Ashigaru's repertoire - throwing grenades!
In the past, when they were too cash-strapped to equip flintlock rifles on a large scale, the troops of major names used this as a life-saving trick.
On the battlefield where the temperature exceeds 30 degrees, even the cactus taller than a human has been wilted by the harsh sunlight, but the two sides are still fighting in full swing.
The Spanish cavalry charged forward on horseback, firing continuously. Even though some people kept falling off their horses and dying, they still carried out large-scale assaults on targets in front and back.
The Japanese army relied on the advantages of tanks and machine guns. The iron cannon ashigaru fired in an orderly manner, taking advantage of the revolver rifle to the limit.
The Spanish cavalry had a certain advantage in strength, with 10,000 people participating in the assault in each direction.
Abe Shinichi deployed 6,000 men in three directions, leaving 2,000 men in reserve.
The Western Army's less than twice the strength advantage was directly offset by the presence of 800 machine guns on the Japanese side.
The cavalry advances much faster than the infantry, but the problem also arises, that is, it is very difficult to attack the fortress.
In front of the Japanese defense line was a horse trap, and then there were tanks and trucks. All the high and low mounds nearby had been turned into artillery and machine gun positions.
Once the Spanish cavalry approaches the direction of the Japanese army, they will immediately be strangled by a combination of tanks and machine guns. The crazy crossfire can beat any cavalry to death.
The veterans under Wang Yong's command have an attitude of indifference or resentment towards the continuous killing of targets, while Shinichi Abe's Japanese army is activated by blood. The more the opponent dies, the more excited they become.
If they were not strictly prohibited from launching a counterattack, looking at the corpses of the Spanish cavalry, the Japanese samurai would have wanted to take their ashigaru directly into the counterattack.
Thirty thousand Spanish cavalry lost nearly 20,000 people in about half an hour's assault, almost setting a record for the most disastrous defeat in the history of the Spanish Empire.
When the 30,000 Flemish troops led by Marshal Merlot went to attack Paris, they were not beaten so badly by Budes' French army.
The current situation is that if some of the cavalry hadn't run fast, I'm afraid all of these 30,000 people would have been harvested by the damn yellow-skinned monkeys...
Facts have proved that there is no difference between cavalry troops charging into machine gun positions and willingly committing suicide.
As long as the number of machine guns reaches a certain level, it won't work even if the opponent's machine guns have low firing accuracy.
In Emperor Haojing's view, a machine gun that uses twenty rounds of bullets is a scam.
But when the ammunition belt supply was immature, this method of ammunition supply became more reliable.
If the opponent's fire suppression is dominant, the power of the machine gun will naturally be greatly reduced.
The Spanish artillery had already been knocked out by the flying "Scuds". This was considered as wishing them a Merry Christmas in advance.
Emperor Haojing has always advocated the "Tian Ji Horse Racing" in terms of firepower, using missiles to hit the opponent's artillery, using artillery and guns to hit the opponent's cavalry infantry, and using tanks to block the opponent's cavalry...
With the arrival of machine guns, the advantages of this strategy become even more obvious.
The entire expeditionary force can eat enough horse meat tonight, and they can also use the surrounding cactus as a side dish!
The 70,000 Spanish infantry responsible for the frontal assault lost nearly 50,000 people and were beaten back by the expeditionary force.
They were beaten while retreating, and finally turned into a desperate escape. Marquis Martinez, who was supervising the battle at the rear, was so angry that he threw his telescope.
It is understandable that the infantry should turn around and run away. The yellow-skinned monkey's firepower is too fierce, and this battle is really impossible to fight.
If you continue to rush forward, it will definitely be a dead end.
You can charge, but who wants to die directly?
