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Chapter 551 Pacified Rebels

Gao Jie looked at the two thousand newly arrived arquebusiers and felt completely unburdened.

Cheng Xu watched the ten thousand rebel soldiers charging, similarly unfazed.

Since neither was feeling the "pear-shaped" pressure, perhaps it was time for some "apple-solute" joy!

“Rifled arquebusiers, grenadiers, fix bayonets!”

Cheng Xu's voice echoed through the heavy rain. The drumming rain threatened to drown out his command, but fortunately, in this era, military orders weren't conveyed by a single bellow from a general meant to reach the entire army. After his shout, those around him would echo it, and then the thousand-household commanders, hundred-household commanders, and squad leaders would all relay the order in succession.

Fifteen hundred men drew their bayonets, clicking them onto their gun barrels.

But another five hundred Chassepot riflemen hunched their bodies, using their frames and conical hats to shield themselves from the rain. Then, swiftly, they pulled out Paper Cartridges from within their jackets and loaded them into their rifle chambers.

Breech-loading rifles, designed for airtight sealing, had rubber components in their breeches.

If they could seal against air, then rain posed no challenge.

The golden Dao Xuan Tian Zun embroidered on Cheng Xu's chest also seemed to mirror his own, curving into a smile.

Li Daoxuan watched this scene unfold. His feelings were different from those of the soldiers. When the soldiers looked at the rebels, it was as if they were seeing a group of live targets.

But what Li Daoxuan felt was like playing a game of Civilization: his own tech tree had advanced to arquebusiers, while the enemy was still fielding swordsmen. That feeling was utterly exhilarating.

By this time, the rebel army had entered the five-hundred-meter range.

This distance was still too far for the enemy's archers; they couldn't even loose a single arrow.

But for breech-loading rifles... well, well, well...

“They're in range!” Cheng Xu shouted, “Free fire!”

Chassepot riflemen didn't need to line up in ranks to fire like smoothbore gunners. They didn't need volley fire to improve their accuracy, nor did they need disciplined three-volley firing to compensate for reloading times.

Thus, from the start of the battle, they could immediately engage in “free fire.”

A Chassepot rifleman casually took aim, pulled the trigger, and *bang*!

Five hundred meters away, a rebel dropped instantly.

Then, *bang, bang, bang*, the sounds continued incessantly.

Five hundred rifles began firing in rotation.

The fastest-charging rebels collapsed in droves.

Gao Jie on the opposing side was instantly startled: “Holy hell, that far?!”

This was several hundred paces away. Gao Jie's men hadn't even begun their charge yet; they were still slowly advancing. Cold weapon formations typically only began their charge when they were within a hundred meters.

At five hundred meters, the soldiers' fighting spirit hadn't even ignited. It was like singing Jay Chou's “Nocturne”; you were still in the rap segment at the beginning, having just finished the line “A swarm of bloodthirsty ants, drawn by decaying flesh,” and hadn't yet reached the most melodic part, “I play Chopin's Nocturne for you,” so the emotion hadn't built up yet.

But the enemy's first line was already, “Commemorating my dead love.”

And then the other side opened fire!

Sure enough, dead! Dead! So many rebels were dead! Faster than a love affair could die.

Gao Jie was utterly terrified.

And there was more to be shocked by. Those few hundred firearms not only shot far but also fired rapidly, *bang, bang, bang, bang*, a continuous barrage, as if reloading took no time at all. It was a veritable storm of fire.

The torrential rain seemed to be no obstacle. Reloading ammunition was no problem either. Nor was the firing range an issue. The relentless barrage from the other side utterly routed Gao Jie's vast army, men and horses tumbling.

Even more terrifying than the deaths was the collapse of morale.

The rebel soldiers were utterly bewildered by these long-range firearms that defied all common sense. They hadn't even touched a single hair on the enemy, yet they were already scared out of their wits. How could they possibly fight this battle?

With a roar of panic, the crowd scattered backward in disarray. No matter how Gao Jie yelled, they would not return to the front line.

The military formation instantly collapsed, and their frantic retreat also threw Gao Jie's main camp into chaos. Meanwhile, on the other side, the rebels who had been attacking the city had finally managed to scale the city walls, engaged in a desperate struggle with the government troops led by Wang Er and Bai Mao, as well as the militia led by Dou Wenda, when suddenly, the morale of the outer forces collapsed.

The rebel soldiers who hadn't yet reached the ramparts stopped climbing. They turned and fled westward in disarray. Those who had made it onto the city walls were immediately isolated...

A lone force gets no quarter, as has been the case since ancient times!

Wang Er wielded his great saber, swiftly cutting down the last few rebel soldiers still stubbornly resisting on the city wall. Then, from not far away, Dou Wenda's overjoyed shouts rang out: “Our reinforcements are amazing, ha ha ha, the reinforcements are amazing! Gao Jie has retreated, Gao Jie has retreated!”

Wang Er had heard numerous gunshots during the fierce battle, but hadn't had time to look. Now, having sheathed his saber, he looked down from the wall and finally saw a large group of arquebusiers in the distance, marching through the heavy rain towards Pingyang Prefecture city.

“Hey! Reinforcements are here!”

“Our people have arrived!”

“Pingyang Prefecture is secure!”

The militia members cheered.

Soon, the city gates swung open, and Wang Er and Bai Mao went together to welcome them within the gatehouse.

Dou Wenda, as the prefect, naturally had to join the welcoming party. He still had no idea where these reinforcements had come from. The moment he saw Cheng Xu, a flicker of curiosity crossed his mind: Why was this military officer's face covered?

Cheng Xu, as if sensing his doubt, clasped his fists in greeting and chuckled. “My apologies,” he said. “When I was younger, I took a blade to the face fighting bandits, leaving a rather unsightly scar. That's why I always keep my face covered.”

Dou Wenda exclaimed with a soft “Oh dear,” his suspicions immediately vanishing. He hastily clasped his fists again and said, “General, to be wounded in service of the nation, such scars are nothing but marks of honor; how could they be unsightly?”

He didn't believe such platitudes himself after speaking them; they were merely polite formalities. He swiftly moved past the subject.

Now it was Cheng Xu's turn to introduce himself.

This introduction required a bit of finesse. He couldn't claim to be Bai Mao's subordinate, as Bai Mao was merely a patrol commander. To command two thousand arquebusiers would be highly improbable for someone of that rank.

Shi Jian's name wouldn't work either. And certainly, he couldn't say he was from the Chengcheng County militia.

So he needed to find a more suitable identity for his introduction.

He then said, “This subordinate is Old Demon of Guyuan. Back in the day, I joined the Guyuan rebels and spent some time as a bandit. Later, I joined under Xing Honglang, Boss Xing, as a minor leader. A few days ago, Boss Xing accepted amnesty, and I followed suit. Hearing that rebels were rampant around Pingyang Prefecture, and that the Governor had called for nearby government troops to reinforce, I immediately rushed here. Boss Xing... *ahem*... General Xing will also arrive shortly.”

Dou Wenda was startled upon hearing this: So, these were pacified rebels.

These were not people to offend!

If they were genuinely legitimate military officers of the imperial court, he wouldn't be afraid. When had civil officials ever feared military ones? However... military officers who had once been rebels and then accepted amnesty? Those were people civil officials could not afford to offend.

They were the type to rebel again at the slightest disagreement, and thus, utterly terrifying.