Chapter 428: Opening Fire
Old Zhang Fei hadn't spent his years rebelling in vain. He had risen in rebellion with Bu Zhan Ni in the first year of Chongzhen, accumulating over three years of battlefield experience by now. Fighting against government troops and local militias, he had honed his combat skills.
By now, he was keenly aware of the limitations of weapons like the Three-Eyed Arquebus and matchlocks.
These firearms had extremely low accuracy and limited power. At a distance of thirty zhang, it was practically impossible for their shots to penetrate a one-inch-thick wooden board.
Of course, the closer the distance, the stronger the penetrating power of their lead shot.
At around ten zhang, even a one-inch-thick wooden board ran the risk of being pierced.
That was why he had instructed his hardened bandits to craft these one-and-a-half-inch-thick wooden shields.
Their thickness was comparable to a large, stout butcher block, making them incredibly heavy; impossible to wield with a single hand. They had to be supported with both hands, their lower edges braced against the ground, as the bandits slowly pushed them forward. Even at a range of ten zhang, neither the Three-Eyed Arquebus nor the matchlocks could pierce these thick wooden shields.
Relying on these wooden shields, the bandits could advance close enough to their enemies.
Once they were within four or five zhang, the bandits could drop their shields and dash towards the wooden stockade wall.
"No more pointless chatter with the villagers. Attack directly!" Old Zhang Fei declared, waving his hand. "We're pressed for time; we need to level this stockade before Xing Honglang returns."
The bandit army briefly adjusted its formation within two arrow flights' distance, then began to press toward the stockade. The bandits at the front raised their thick wooden shields, laboriously pushing them, slowly inching forward.
Their advance thoroughly terrified the common folk within the stockade.
Large groups of villagers who had come from Pujiutemple began to cry. The elderly, women, and children huddled together, trembling, while the able-bodied young men, sweating profusely, tightened their grip on their farming tools.
But then, Lao Nanfeng's booming laughter echoed from a high watchtower. "Faint-hearted folks, don't cling to the walls to watch! Just honestly retreat into the small wooden houses. If you don't look, you won't be scared."
"But if we don't look, we'll be even more scared!" came a cry.
There were only three watchtowers, and all of them were now crowded with archers. However, the space was limited; there were only about twenty archers in total. They drew their Kaiyuan bows, estimating the distance.
Convinced it was enough, they unleashed a series of sharp whistles as arrows rained down on the bandit army below.
Shot from above, the arrows easily arced over the wooden shields held by the foremost bandits, falling instead upon the heads of those behind them.
But the bandits were also prepared. Those further back, lacking thick wooden shields, had leather shields, wooden planks, and even pot lids. Raising these impromptu defenses, they quite easily fended off the few scattered arrows descending from the watchtowers.
A few impatient bandits drew their bows and retaliated against the watchtower, but shooting from a lower position to a higher one, their range was clearly inferior. The bows they used were also no match for the Kaiyuan bows of the Gao Family Village Militia. Their arrows flew halfway before falling limply, striking the stockade wall with soft thudding sounds.
Behind the stockade wall, the firearm soldiers estimated the distance, a few of them unable to hold back their eagerness to engage. Many lifted the covers blocking their firing holes, frequently peering outside.
Yet Lao Nanfeng shouted loudly, "Firearm soldiers, hold steady! At this distance, you won't penetrate their thick shields. Don't waste bullets carelessly!"
The firearm soldiers had no choice but to force themselves to hold steady.
The bandits continued their advance, moving with remarkable ease. It didn't take long for them to enter the twenty-zhang range.
Even at this range, only a few scattered arrows flew from the other side, which truly amused them. Old Zhang Fei couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Hahaha, Xing Honglang isn't here! The remaining soldiers in this stockade are all useless, they don't even know how to fight! We've closed this distance, and they haven't dared to fire a single shot. Lads, perk up! The food in this stockade will soon be ours!"
Just then, Lao Nanfeng instructed the archers on the watchtower, "Go down. It's time for a change."
The archers nodded and swiftly descended from the watchtower. Next, Gao Chuwu, leading twenty grenadiers, climbed up.
Gao Chuwu declared, "This distance is just right! We're within grenadier range."
Lao Nanfeng chuckled. "Excellent! Beacon tower, light the fire."
In the very center of the stockade, a prepared bonfire was ignited, sending a thick column of black smoke soaring into the sky.
On the river to the north, the warship captains who had been waiting for a long time were immediately overjoyed. "Warships, depart! Head back to Gudu Ferry!"
Lao Nanfeng let out a chuckle. "General Gao, I'm ready to lead the cavalry battalion in a charge. This side is all yours."
Gao Chuwu grinned. "I'll handle the rest."
"Good!"
Lao Nanfeng swiftly descended from the watchtower, vaulted onto a warhorse, and galloped to the stockade's side gate. There, over two hundred cavalrymen had long been waiting. Lao Nanfeng leaped onto his horse, spear held horizontally, and positioned himself at the very front of the cavalry. He smiled and said, "Don't panic, let General Gao engage them for a bit first."
The first to act, naturally, was Gao Chuwu.
He was the man in the Gao Family Village Armored Grenadier Battalion who could throw hand grenades the farthest. When his raw strength erupted, he could hurl them nearly eighty meters.
But ordinary grenadiers were far inferior to Gao Chuwu; most could only manage throws of about twenty zhang.
That was why Lao Nanfeng had waited until the bandit army entered the twenty-zhang range before replacing all the archers on the watchtowers with grenadiers.
As Gao Chuwu unleashed his throw...
The twenty grenadiers who had already scaled the watchtowers simultaneously lit their fuses.
"Ugh, it's too cramped up here on the watchtower! No room for a run-up, so I can't throw far!" someone complained.
"Well, at least try for seventeen or eighteen zhang, can't you?" another retorted.
"Damn it, the fuses are lit! You have to throw them now, whether you like it or not!"
"Throw them quickly, or they'll blow us up!"
A mix of laughter and curses erupted from the small watchtowers as twenty fuse hand grenades, following Gao Chuwu's lead, flew out in unison.
At that moment, the bandit forces were advancing with a smug sense of ease.
The firearms they were wary of hadn't opened fire, and the salt smugglers within the stockade were trembling. The bandits outside felt they had already won.
Little did they know, just then, a shower of small black spheres descended from the sky, landing behind the wooden shield wall.
The less quick-witted bandits turned their heads to glance at the black spheres on the ground, their minds still puzzling over "What is this?" when the fuses on the spheres finally burned out. With a thunderous "boom," the black spheres exploded.
Shrapnel, too swift and tiny for the naked eye to track, instantly struck down all the surrounding hardened bandits.
Some didn't even have time to scream before they died.
And those bandits clutching the thick wooden shields couldn't help but stagger, their shield wall instantly thrown into disarray.
Seeing this sight, the firearm soldiers didn't even wait for orders. They flipped open the covers, extended their matchlocks through the firing holes, aimed at the bandit army, and opened fire!
Comments