Chapter 475 The Two-Stage Firing Method
The battle tactic currently employed by the Gao Family Village militia was the two-stage firing method.
One hundred riflemen would fire, then fall back to reload. Another hundred would step up, fire, then fall back, and the first hundred would then advance again.
The two-stage firing method was slower in its rotation of volleys compared to the three-stage method, with longer intervals between shots. However, it was considerably easier to successfully train.
While the three-stage firing method was highly praised, its actual implementation in training proved incredibly difficult.
This was a fact Li Daoxuan only truly grasped when attempting to teach the militia the three-stage volley.
To have all riflemen divide into three ranks, smoothly rotating through reloading and firing without a single misstep, proved far more challenging than he had ever imagined.
In the historical fiction he used to read, protagonists would effortlessly establish the three-stage volley with minimal training. Yet, during his own practical drills, he discovered that the militia soldiers simply couldn't execute the three-stage rotation fluidly. They would inevitably fall into disarray; one soldier's mistake would ripple through a section, and a section's chaos would lead to total collapse.
Furthermore, Gao Family Village was constantly in a state of "rapid expansion." New recruits continually joined the militia, and as soon as a formation of seasoned soldiers was properly trained, new recruits would be integrated. In this environment of relentless growth, trying to force a three-stage firing method was nothing short of a joke.
Thus, Gao Family Village adopted the two-stage firing model.
The soldiers were somewhat nervous, but they performed admirably. Under the cover of the woods, they didn't have to face the enemy's charge directly. Their formation, stretched into a bag-like shape, also made it harder for them to get disorganized while reloading.
As soon as one hundred riflemen finished firing, another hundred immediately switched in to shoot, then quickly switched again...
Each volley rotated every ten-odd seconds.
This rate of fire was enough to leave the rebels utterly bewildered.
"Damn it, how many riflemen are truly in those woods?"
"More than a hundred!"
"It's more than two hundred, too."
"Five hundred, at least five hundred."
"They just keep firing, damn it, they're still firing."
Panic seized the rebels!
The true number of riflemen in the woods became an impenetrable mystery.
They could only hear the incessant bang-bang-bang of gunfire. A shot rang out here, then there; a flash of muzzle-fire erupted on one side, a puff of white smoke rose on the other. Bullets rained down relentlessly on Sunjiagou Pass.
The rebels who had charged out of the pass were now screaming in terror, utterly disoriented.
In truth, it wasn't just them who were stunned; Li Huai was equally dumbfounded.
He had just been doubting whether this Centurion Shi's two hundred men could fight, but now his mouth hung wide open, large enough to fit an egg.
He had seen muskets before; they were not some rare equipment!
However, it was highly unusual for a centurion under the Shaanxi Commander-in-Chief to possess two hundred muskets. And for those two hundred riflemen to achieve the effect of five hundred was beyond his wildest imagination.
Ten thousand ferocious bandits were now piled up at the mouth of the pass. Those behind dared not advance, and those in front were already shrinking back.
Li Huai's soldiers, in a flash, rallied.
The government soldiers, who moments ago had been scattering in all directions, now converged on the "Li" army banner. Before long, Li Huai's eight hundred men seemed to have "resurrected" with full health and vigor.
Oh, wait, not quite "full health"—seventy or eighty had already fallen in battle.
Nor "full vigor"; many had abandoned their helmets and armor during that panicked retreat, now standing bare-handed and exposed like farmers.
Li Huai merely glanced at his subordinates and was overcome by a profound sense of helplessness. This rabble, damn it, even rallied, they were useless for a fight now.
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He couldn't help but curse furiously: "Where are your helmets? Your spears? Did you throw them all away? Damn it, you pile of dog shit!"
Just as he was in the midst of his rant, Wang Er, with a wry, sarcastic tone, asked, "General Li, where is *your* helmet?"
Li Huai fell silent, speechless.
A sharp intake of breath!
Alright, he'd lost enough face already, so a little more wouldn't hurt. Li Huai turned, cupped his fists towards Wang Er and Shi Jian, and pleaded, "Gentlemen, please help me defend Pingyang Prefecture. If this prefectural city falls, countless lives will be lost in a catastrophe..."
Wang Er replied, his tone still dripping with sarcasm, "I fear what you truly care about isn't the suffering of the people, but losing your official's hat, isn't it?"
Li Huai was speechless once more.
He froze.
After several seconds, Li Huai burst out in anger: "You insolent fellow! A mere foot soldier, repeatedly defying this general! What the hell is your position in this army? Are you the designated general's critic?"
Wang Er was about to retort, but then he remembered his current identity and the mission he had to accomplish. *Forget it*, he thought, *no need to stoop to this guy's level*. He snorted, disinclined to offer further critiques.
The embroidered image of the Heavenly Lord on Wang Er's chest, however, split into a wide, mischievously happy grin.
Li Huai rubbed his eyes. *Did that embroidery on his chest just grin?*
He stared intently again, and the embroidery no longer seemed to be smiling.
"Was that just this general's hallucination?"
Shi Jian spoke up, "General Li, although your men have lost their armor and weapons, they still have mouths, and those can be useful."
Li Huai asked, "What good are mouths?"
Shi Jian declared, "Everyone, shout with me."
He roared at the top of his lungs towards the outside, "Hahahaha, you foolish rebels! You've fallen right into this general's trap! With my ambush sprung, I guarantee not a single one of you will escape with your lives!"
At that shout, Li Huai suddenly understood and quickly joined in the yelling.
His several hundred soldiers also quickly opened their mouths and began to shout along.
Hundreds of men roared together, their voices interspersed with the rifle shots. This sound reached the ears of the rebels outside, striking a hidden fear in their hearts.
The Eight Great Kings of the Southern Camp roared, "Damn it! So Li Huai deliberately lost to us, feigned retreat, and lured us into this ambush! Lads, we've fallen for the government troops' trick! Retreat quickly!"
The rebels, already somewhat panicked by the continuous rifle fire, were naturally more than willing—a hundred, a thousand times willing—to retreat upon hearing they'd been tricked. They let out two strange shouts in unison, turned, and fled.
Before long, the bandits had vanished completely, scrambling out of Sunjiagou's southern entrance and sprinting into the distance.
At last, they were safe.
Li Huai's body went limp, and he collapsed onto the ground. He couldn't run anymore, absolutely couldn't run.
His several hundred unarmored soldiers also all collapsed to the ground.
Wang Er cast a glance at the oddly stripped-down government soldiers, a look of disdain on his face. He desperately wanted to retort but forced himself to hold back. Just then, he heard the embroidered Heavenly Lord on his chest chuckle, whispering, "The army should be the backbone of a nation. Look, what a sorry state the Great Ming's backbone is in now, eh?"
Wang Er exclaimed, "Ah? The Heavenly Lord is with me! These Great Ming soldiers truly are rotten beyond belief."
Li Daoxuan said, "Wang Er, now look at those rebels. How do they compare to the government soldiers?"
Wang Er pondered earnestly for a few seconds, then sighed. "The rebels are even worse than the government soldiers."
Li Daoxuan stated, "Therefore, neither of them can protect this realm!"
Wang Er's spirits lifted. "I understand now! This realm, it must still depend on us."
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