Chapter 364: Beach Landing Battle
It was only then that Bai Yuan realized that while cannons and flintlock rifles shared the same firing principle, their practical application was quite different.
A single person could handle a flintlock rifle with ease, but a cannon? A whole group of people struggled to operate it.
He began to silently calculate in his mind. It seemed one cannon required at least a dedicated artillery crew: one to load ammunition, one to aim and fire, and another to clean the barrel and reset it. Inexperienced, they'd be flailing, just like now. Even when proficient, a minimum of four or five men would be needed to operate a single cannon.
Very well. From now on, artillerymen would be trained in five-person teams.
Amidst the frenzied activity, it took what felt like at least one hundred and thirty-two blinks of an eye, but finally, the cannons were reloaded, their muzzles once again aimed at the rebel fleet on the river.
During those one hundred and thirty-two blinks, the rebel fleet had drawn significantly closer. The Yellow River's current was already swift, carrying the downstream ships at a rapid pace. Compounded by the rebels, who, after being hit by two cannon shots, had accelerated their charge, they approached with lightning speed.
Bai Yuan knew. The two cannons had only one more chance to fire. He roared, "Fire! Everyone else, prepare for combat. Archers, crossbowmen..."
Boom! Boom!
The two cannons fired again. This time, the enemy was closer. One cannon, by sheer luck, scored a direct hit on a medium-sized merchant vessel. A gaping hole tore through its side, sending splinters flying, and dozens of rebels plunged into the river. The other shot went wide, only causing a momentary scramble among the rebels.
The beach landing battle was about to begin!
The swiftest boats ploughed headfirst onto the sands of Qichuan Ferry.
A throng of fierce bandits stormed ashore.
"Loose arrows!"
Feng Jun bellowed. As the cry erupted, he realized blood was streaming from his nose. He wiped it with a hand, smearing it into an arrow shape across his face. "Loose arrows! Loose arrows!"
The Heyang County militia drew their bows.
Their arsenal was a chaotic mix of heavy war bows, lighter bows, common hunting bows, and slender longbows... They unleashed a messy volley of arrows at the bandits who had just landed. Yet, the fierce brigands showed no fear. They raised their shields, ducking behind them, and all that could be heard was the dull thudding as arrows embedded themselves in the wood. Few of the bandits were injured.
Bai Yuan instantly recognized them: "Border troops! These are rebel border troops."
Wang Jiayin himself hailed from the border army, and he commanded numerous rebellious soldiers, whose formidable strength was no mere boast. It was this power that allowed him to become the paramount leader among all the bandit chiefs in the early Chongzhen era, winning battle after battle.
If these rebel border troops managed to gain a firm foothold on the beach, a relentless stream of rebels would continue to pour ashore.
Feng Jun cried out anxiously, "Arrows alone will struggle against them."
"Hmph, so what if they're border troops?" Bai Yuan retorted, drawing his rifled flintlock. With a casual aim, he targeted the leading bandit, who looked like a centurion or captain—a clear figurehead.
Bang! The flintlock roared, and the man's face exploded in a bloody mess, sending him tumbling onto the sand.
The surrounding rebel border troops gasped in shock. "They don't just have cannons, they have flintlocks too!"
"How did that shot land so precisely? Right in the captain's face."
"Damn it, must have been a fluke!"
"Hold your ground! Don't be afraid!" someone bellowed.
Bai Yuan, reloading his weapon, yelled at Padi Tu and Zheng Gouzi, "Did you bring any hand grenades?"
Padi Tu shook his head. "No, we didn't. Our orders this time were to protect the Saintess, so we didn't carry hand grenades."
"Damn it! Then we'll have to wait for Instructor He Jiu to arrive with the main force."
Bai Yuan continued reloading, his eyes scanning the beach. After their captain was eliminated, the bandits' morale suffered a slight blow. But they were, after all, border troops. They held the beach, deflecting arrows, refusing to retreat. Occasionally, a couple of arrows would fly back, striking the tall wooden palisade. Behind them, three more ships simultaneously charged onto the beach, spilling a continuous stream of rebels ashore.
Feng Jun peered over the palisade wall. Just then, a rebel fired an arrow, which struck Feng Jun's head with a muffled thud. The shock nearly sent him reeling, but he felt no pain. It was then he remembered the white helmet he wore—woven from rattan, much like the helmets of the rattan armor troops, offering surprisingly robust protection.
"Loose arrows! Keep firing!" Feng Jun roared. "Stop targeting those shield-wielding border troops. Shoot at the ships, at the men paddling over!"
A torrent of arrows flew towards the boats. The rebels held up shields, pot lids, wooden planks, and even thick cotton garments, using these makeshift defenses to deflect the arrows as they frantically paddled towards the shore. The arrows had little deterrent effect.
Bai Yuan couldn't help but recall two or three years prior, when Bu Zhan Ni first attacked Fengyuan Town. Liang Shixian had borrowed hundreds of brightly painted large bows from Gao Family Village, and a scattered volley of rather weak arrows had been enough to terrify Bu Zhan Ni's forces, making them think only of fleeing. But times had changed! The rebels of today had grown, and casual arrow fire was no longer enough to stop them.
Bai Yuan sighed inwardly. We don't have much of an advantage here. Relying solely on the Heyang County militia, this dock will be difficult to defend.
Just as he was pondering their next move, Padi Tu, an arrow still lodged in his helmet, scurried over to a cannon, hunched low. He called out to Bai Yuan, "Mister Bai, the enemy is too close, our cannons are useless now, right?"
Bai Yuan confirmed, "Yes, they are."
"Then this powder charge, I'll borrow it for a moment," Padi Tu declared. He grabbed a cannon's powder charge, inserted a fuse, lit it, and with a powerful swing, hurled it onto the beach. The charge whistled through the air, rolling to a stop at the feet of a group of shield-wielding border troops.
The rebel border troops froze.
Bai Yuan blinked, "Huh? You can do that?"
The fuse burned down!
Boom!
The powder charge exploded.
This particular powder charge wasn't mixed with iron pellets or encased in a metal shell; it wasn't a shrapnel bomb, so its lethality was limited. However, detonating at the rebels' feet was enough to shatter their formation.
Smoke and dust billowed up, throwing the border troops into disarray, their shields knocked askew. The militia seized the opportunity, unleashing a wave of arrows into the swirling smoke. Screams erupted from within the haze. Some men stumbled out, several arrows protruding from their bodies, while others recoiled backward, splashing into the Yellow River with a heavy thump.
Padi Tu threw his head back and roared with laughter. "Hahahahaha! As expected, only this Lord Rabbit can truly break the deadlock!"
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