Chapter 164: Battle of Dongchang Prefecture (Part 2)

【Click-click~Click-click~】

Amidst the sound of wooden wheels, a large batch of shield carts appeared before the Righteous Army formation.

The bondservant slaves dragging money-rat tails strained to push the shield carts forward.

Behind them, the Plain White Banner and Xielanqi foot soldiers in heavy armor, bowing their waists, followed forward.

The Righteous Army's bows, crossbows, and firelocks struck the shield carts, sending wood chips flying, yet failed to penetrate.

Facing a weaker enemy, the Tartars like to charge straight in.

Once they charge in, the enemy will collapse, and all that remains is to clean the battlefield.

If facing a truly strong enemy, the proper military discipline is still there.

Previously, using the Fake Ming Army and the Mongol Tribes, they probed and found the Righteous Army's firelocks and bows and crossbows to be powerful.

The Tartar armored soldiers very willingly got behind the push carts.

This kind of push cart, mainly made of wooden planks, covered with a layer of cowhide and a layer of iron sheet, with sandbags piled behind, can effectively resist ranged weapon strikes.

Having fought so many years of war, the Tartars are not stupid.

"Don't rush."

Seeing this through the Drone, Lin Dao, holding the Walkie-talkie, instructed, "Wait until they get closer."

"Grenadiers, get ready."

The Matchlock Soldiers firing continuously forward shot down quite a few exposed bondservant slaves and Tartars.

As the Tartars pressed closer, they shot from behind the push carts with foot bows.

The Tartar foot soldiers behind the shield carts pushed out small cannons and firelocks to join the exchange of fire.

The battlefield instantly erupted in gunshots, smoke filling the air.

A gust of wind blew, and the pungent smoke drifted everywhere, very choking.

The Tartars do have firearms equipped, the equipment rate usually above twenty percent.

Both the Bayara and foot soldiers carry them.

【Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh~~~】

Bullets whistled past overhead and by the ears, bringing immense psychological pressure to the soldiers on both sides.

Many usually well-trained loading steps were now flustered and error-ridden.

【Click! Click!】

A Righteous Army firelock soldier fired repeatedly, but the firelock had no response.

He shouted, "My firelock is broken!"

The squad leader beside him glanced and slapped him across the face, "Stupid goods, you didn't load the bullet!"

"Nobody panic!"

The squad leader shouted, "We shoot faster, shoot farther, and have greater power."

"Steady! Just follow the daily training steps."

The Righteous Army firelocks use fixed paper cartridges, the matchlocks are even seamless steel pipes.

In terms of equipment, they lead the Tartars by several grades.

As long as they bring out their daily training level, even if only half of it, they can suppress the other side.

【Bang-bang-bang~~~】

Another volley fired, the squad leader shouted, "Our armor is good, a hit on the arm or leg is at most a fracture."

"As long as it's not square in the face, we all~~~"

Words unfinished, a stray bullet flew from the other side, struck him square in the face, and knocked him to the ground.

A soldier beside him, fumbling to load a paper cartridge, lowered his head and saw the squad leader's terrifying appearance, his face smeared with red and white matter.

Fear in his heart overwhelmed his rationality; he threw away the firelock in his hand and turned to run.

"Meng Si'an!"

A comrade from the same village beside him grabbed him, "Are you crazy?!"

Being a deserter not only means beheading, but also implicates the family, reclaiming the previously granted land and rewards.

Conversely, dying in battle brings generous reward income.

Every Night School session repeatedly brainwashes, informing soldiers that death-in-battle income far surpasses running away.

"Let me go! Let me go!!"

Meng Si'an, in a state of fright, had already forgotten everything cleanly in his heart, only wanting to flee this terrifying battlefield.

Some people's cowardice is innate.

Perhaps they usually act very brave, but when it truly comes to life and death, their true nature reveals itself.

The comrade raised the stock in his hand and smashed it directly onto Meng Si'an's helmet.

One stock strike knocked him unconscious, prone on the ground.

"You want to die, no one cares, but don't implicate your sister!"

"I'm still waiting to claim the reward and go back to the village to marry Jiao'er sister."

Smoke filled the battlefield, cannon and gun sounds roaring incessantly.

The squad leader died; the other two comrades in the same squad were previously hit by Tartar firelocks, one with a broken arm and one with broken ribs, dragged back by the Auxiliary Soldiers.

As long as he doesn't speak, no one will know Meng Si'an once wanted to be a deserter.

This way, his family won't be implicated.

In the firefight, the Tartars held a numerical advantage, but the quality gap was too large.

The Righteous Army firelock soldiers wore sturdy armor; even if hit, it was hard to be fatal, at most injured and knocked down.

But when the Righteous Army's bullets came flying, even the Tartars wearing three layers of armor were no good!

As for those without armor, or the Bondservant slaves wearing only half-armor, they were even more wretched.

Both sides seemed to fall at about the same rate.

But on one side, most who fell were wounded, dragged away by Auxiliary Soldiers for medical treatment.

On the other side, those who fell had few wounded among them, because those who were hit basically all died.

The Meile Zhangying leading the team, seeing that continuing this exchange of fire would cause too great losses.

Simply ordered the shield carts pushed forward with all strength, preparing to unleash the signature skill that made them famous.

Pig Rush Charge!

In reality, whenever the Tartars fought the Ming Army, victory or defeat was almost always decided by these foot armored men's Pig Rush Charge.

Even many Ming Armies couldn't withstand the earlier firefight.

Encountering the Pig Rush Charge, they collapsed completely.

But this time the Righteous Army they faced was different; being able to stand and exchange fire meant they were unquestionably elite.

Could only use the ultimate move.

*Buzz~~~*

Another drone dove down, passing through the arrows and firelocks' obstruction, crashing onto the cannon position.

Amid the thunderous roar, the rising smoke and fire light enveloped this Red Barbarian Great Cannon weighing over a thousand catties, along with dozens of Bondservant slave gunners around it.

Under the combined strikes of drones and Artillery Camp cannons, the Tartars' cannon fire sharply declined, now fewer than ten guns.

Lin Dao caught his breath, taking a moment to glance at the battle situation on both wings.

In just this short while, the True Tartars on both wings had already charged up.

"Grenadiers, wait no longer!"

He held the walkie-talkie and shouted "Throw! Burn their shield carts!"

Every Regular Soldier Yingjun has a Grenadier squad attached.

Though only thirty-odd men, they are all selected from the whole army, those with the strongest arm strength and best physical coordination.

Among them, quite a few have the qualifications to serve as flag bearers.

Their daily training is just throwing bottles.

Throwing them far and accurate.

The Grenadiers within both wing formations, receiving the order, quickly advanced, standing behind the long spearmen.

They opened their specially made backpacks, taking out Molotov Cocktails from the anti-collision pads.

Took out windproof lighters, ignited the hemp cloth plugging the bottle mouths.

Just like in training, they took turns throwing the burning bottles in their hands toward the distance with all their might.

The burning bottles carrying fire, tumbling as they fell, mostly smashed onto the ground, raising large clusters of fire light that swallowed everything around.

Some landed on shield carts, flames devouring the shield carts; whether cowhide or iron sheet, none could block such flames.

Tun Dai is a Niu Lu Zhangying under the Bordered White Banner.

Previously he had been carefully hiding behind a shield cart, dodging arrows and firelocks.

Seeing the shield cart's speed slow down, he turned his head and glared angrily at the Bondservant slaves pushing the cart "Dog things, faster!"

The Bondservant slaves who usually feared him like a tiger, at this moment did not respond, but stupidly reached out pointing at the sky.

Tun Dai, turning back in doubt, raised his eyes and saw clusters of spinning fire light descending from the heavens.

"What thing?"

Before he could react, a cluster of fire light rushed straight at him.

Tun Dai instinctively swung his saber, directly slicing the fire light to pieces.

The next moment, splashing oil sprayed all over him.

*Boom~~~*

In an instant, Tun Dai became a fire man.

He frantically jumped and screamed, flailing limbs desperately tearing at the clothes and armor on his body.

Tun Dai is a Niu Lu Zhangying, wearing iron armor, and outside that a layer of cotton armor.

Protective power was high, but at this moment wanting to take off the armor was a pipe dream.

Flying sparks of fire light stained several nearby Bondservants, flames spreading rapidly.

The Bondservant slaves lucky enough not to be burned watched in horror at Tun Dai fallen into madness.

This brave warrior who could subdue fierce horses barehanded on ordinary days, was now wretched enough to make one's gallbladder split.

His miserable howls sounded as if from the deep abyss of the underworld.

Tun Dai, stumbling forward, fell before one of his own Bondservant slaves.

His face consumed by flames, staring at the Bondservant slave.

"Zha Yingchun! Kill me! Kill me!!"

The Bondservant slave sat on the ground trembling like a sieve, watching his master crawling toward him with fire all over his body, eyes rolled back, directly lay on the ground and fainted dead away.

Those who can become Bondservant slaves are naturally not courageous warriors.

The Grenadiers' burning bottle attack caused huge chaos to the unprepared Tartar troops.

Most life-threatening of all, these flames cannot be extinguished!

No matter what method, cannot extinguish the flames, can only watch helplessly as comrades are burned into torches.

Such a terrifying scene dealt a huge blow to the Tartars' military heart and morale.

Observing through the drone, seeing this scene, Lin Dao laughed heartily and picked up the walkie-talkie.

"The Tartars' cannons are done for, central army attack! Press forward! Press forward!!"

From the various central army camps that had been advancing in slow, small steps, dense drum sounds transmitted.

Their pace began to continuously quicken, passing the artillery camp and heading straight for the opposite side.

Huang Taiji, who dared not go to the hill's command platform, received information from all sides through the Two Yellow Banners' bayara.

In terms of intelligence gathering, he lagged far behind Lin Dao, who used drones.

Learning that the two wings had suffered fire attack, he was greatly shocked.

Fire attack is nothing unusual; what's unusual is fire that can't be extinguished!

"This is aimed at the shield carts."

Huang Taiji swiftly judged, "Burning the shield carts — they want to face off directly against our Eight Banners' elite? Who gave them the courage?"

In these recent ten to twenty years, on this land of East Asia, the strongest in frontal combat ability, without a doubt, are the Tartar troops.

In the past, the Ming Army mostly avoided them; those daring to actively engage were truly few.

"Aobai!"

"Suksaha!"

He immediately instructed, "You two go to Prince Rui and Yu Prince respectively, tell them no need to wait further, immediately arrange for all Mongol tribes to press forward entirely!"

"Slaves receive the order!"

The two young bayara spurred their horses and galloped off toward the east and west directions.

As for the righteous army pressing forward frontally, Huang Taiji instructed, "Pass order to all niru: prepare more floating soil sandbags. If enemy launches fire attack, bury it with sand and earth."

"Come on."

Huang Taiji tilted his head back and closed his eyes, striving to control his nosebleed not to flow out.

"Send out all your troops, give Hao Ge the opportunity to slaughter you!"

(End of Chapter)