Chapter 661: Striking Mid-Crossing
The New People's Militia erupted in chaos, perfectly embodying the disarray typical of raw recruits facing their first battle.
Jiang Cheng, the commander of the New People's Militia, felt sweat bead on his forehead. He roared, "What are you panicking for? Pull yourselves together! You're protecting your own homes! If even you act like this, when the marauders enter Henan, all your elders and kin will die!"
His words, however, only made the new recruits more frantic, more chaotic.
Jiang Cheng: "..."
Even Gao Yiye grew anxious. "Oh dear, can they hold off the brigands?"
On the riverbank ahead, marauders were already landing.
Numerous small skiffs surged onto the shore. The Xiaolangdi water bandits, acting as collaborators, were the first to disembark. Following them, the vanguard units of both the South Camp Eight Great Kings and the West Camp Eight Great Kings also stormed the riverbank.
A throng of small boats jostled together, and the people aboard cheered wildly, leaping ashore. Their feet hit solid ground, and they let out joyful hoots and hollers.
They could see many sandbags arranged on the bank ahead, with people hiding behind them, but they didn't take these "militia" seriously.
The water bandits: "Ooo-ah!"
This only intensified the recruits' panic.
Just then, one hundred of Gao Yiye's personal guards suddenly leapt forward, swiftly raising their Chassepot Rifles and aiming at the freshly landed water bandits.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A hundred rifles fired in quick succession.
As the saying goes, the first bird out gets shot.
And so...
Xu Chenglong's, well, *bird*, was suddenly gone.
He looked down, utterly stunned, at his lower abdomen, then let out a piercing scream that tore through the sky.
Next, two more bullets struck his chest.
The wretched collaborator crumpled with a thud onto the riverbank.
The remaining Xiaolangdi water bandits around him also fell, suffering heavy casualties in an instant.
"They have firearms!"
"What's there to fear from firearms, damn it?" the subordinate of the South Camp Eight Great Kings roared. "After one volley, they take ages to reload! Don't be afraid, charge!"
The fierce bandits who had reached the riverbank roared as they charged towards the militia's positions.
However, after the performance by Gao Yiye's guards, the raw recruits' morale had stabilized. Seeing veterans lead the way, they no longer felt so flustered.
Steadying their nerves, they reloaded their firearms, raised them again, and took aim...
They had undergone several months of training; as long as they didn't panic, they could use their firearms effectively.
"Bang!"
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The New People's Militia soldiers had finally opened fire.
The fierce bandits, screaming as they charged, instantly fell in droves.
But the brigands were truly numerous. More boats docked behind them, and then more brigands scrambled ashore, whooping.
The New People's Militia soldiers continued to fire, felling another wave of newly landed brigands.
Li Daoxuan: "Huh? *Beach Landing Battle 1632*! Damn, I suddenly really want to play this."
Gao Yiye: "???"
Li Daoxuan waved to a soldier. "Lend me your firearm."
The raw recruit dared not refuse, quickly handing his firearm to Li Daoxuan.
Li Daoxuan took the firearm, striking a cool shooting pose. "Hmph, I was quite the sharpshooter back when I played *Beach Landing Battle*—hitting those *misses* was my specialty. Today, I'll show you my prowess."
He aimed at the foremost bandit and pulled the trigger.
"Bang!"
The bandit was completely unharmed and continued to charge forward.
Li Daoxuan: "..."
"Must be I'm not used to this mouse and keyboard yet. One more time."
Li Daoxuan aimed again.
"Bang!"
The bandit remained unharmed.
Li Daoxuan handed the firearm back to the raw recruit, saying casually, "Weapons of the mortal realm are truly difficult to use, far inferior to magical artifacts."
The raw recruit respectfully replied, "That's certainly true. You, accustomed to celestial artifacts, naturally wouldn't find these mortal weapons worthy of your esteemed gaze."
After flattering him, the raw recruit quickly reloaded, raised his rifle, and aimed at the fierce bandit Li Daoxuan couldn't hit. "Bang!" The bandit fell instantly.
The silicone at Li Daoxuan's lips twitched involuntarily, and he cursed inwardly: *Damn it!*
Just then, the tide of battle began to shift again.
Gao Family Village's fleet had arrived!
Ten flat-bottomed cargo ships lined up abreast, slicing across the river, charging into the marauders' riverine army from the flank.
Some of the brigands ahead had already landed on the opposite bank, currently playing *Beach Landing Battle 1632* with Li Daoxuan, while the brigands behind continued to paddle across the river, their numerous small boats stretching in a long line.
Bai Yuan realized this was the perfect moment for a true "strike mid-crossing."
The electric boats' motors were at full throttle. The ten large flat-bottomed cargo ships, like ten monstrous fish, parted the muddy river water, charging towards the brigands.
"Huh?" Zijing Liang jumped in surprise. "What are those strange ships?"
Chuǎng Wang (Gao Yingxiang), standing beside him, looked over as well. "How do they move so fast without sails or oars?"
"They don't look like official government vessels; they seem like private merchant ships."
"And they're heading straight for us."
Both shouted urgently: "Send some men to intercept them!"
However, as soon as they shouted, they realized something was wrong.
Their orders were not being transmitted effectively across the river.
Orderlies could only move around their own boat; they couldn't reach other boats, and they didn't even know the flag signals commonly used by naval forces.
Once on the water, the brigands' command system was effectively paralyzed.
Zijing Liang: "Damn it!"
Without central command, the water bandits on each boat could only rely on their own judgment and take individual action.
The brigands were used to fighting independently anyway; they didn't really need unified command.
One group of water bandits continued to charge towards the opposite bank, while another group turned to confront Gao Family Village's large flat-bottomed ships.
The South Camp Eight Great Kings, on his way to intercept, laughed loudly: "Let's seize those ten strange big boats! They look like they can carry a lot!"
The West Camp Eight Great Kings (Zhang Xianzhong), who was serving as a vanguard alongside him, hesitated.
He glanced at the landing battle on the opposite riverbank, heard the dense crackle of firearms, and an occasional explosion of a hand grenade, and suddenly remembered something.
Long, long ago, he had once attacked the Longmen Yellow River Bridge. At the bridgehead, he had also seen these sandbag defenses, with a large group of riflemen hiding behind them, shooting at his men and causing him to flee in disarray.
This incident had left a 5-centimeter-diameter circular shadow on his young mind. *Please calculate the area of this psychological trauma.*
Now, he seemed to be hearing those familiar sounds of firearms again!
It all felt eerily familiar.
The South Camp Eight Great Kings chuckled, "Old Xi, fancy joining me to seize those ten flat-bottomed ships?"
The West Camp Eight Great Kings (Zhang Xianzhong) feigned a laugh: "I'll leave those ships to you. Otherwise, if I were to take a few, you'd surely be displeased."
The new recruits were in utter pandemonium, performing a perfect imitation of greenhorns facing their first battle.
Jiang Cheng, the commander of the New People's Militia, felt sweat bead on his forehead. He roared, "What are you panicking for? Pull yourselves together! You're protecting your own homes! If even you look this pathetic, when the marauders enter Henan, all your elders and kin will die!"
It would have been better had he not shouted that, because after he did, the new recruits grew even more flustered and chaotic.
Jiang Cheng: "..."
Even Gao Yiye grew anxious. "Oh dear, can they hold off the brigands?"
On the riverbank ahead, marauders were already landing.
Numerous small skiffs surged onto the shore. The remnants of the Xiaolangdi water bandits, acting as collaborators, were the first to disembark. Following them, the vanguard units of both the South Camp Eight Great Kings and the West Camp Eight Great Kings also stormed the riverbank.
A throng of small boats jostled together, and the people aboard cheered wildly, leaping ashore. Their feet hit solid ground, and they let out joyful hoots and hollers.
They could see many sandbags arranged on the bank ahead, with people hiding behind them, but they didn't take these "militia" seriously.
Xu Chenglong, charging at the front, roared, "Charge through! Invade Xiaolangdi and reclaim our stronghold!"
The water bandits: "Ooo-ah!"
This only intensified the recruits' panic.
Just then, one hundred of Gao Yiye's personal guards suddenly leapt forward, swiftly raising their Chassepot Rifles and aiming at the freshly landed water bandits.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A hundred rifles fired in quick succession.
As the saying goes, the first bird out gets shot.
And so...
Xu Chenglong's, well, *bird*, was suddenly gone.
He looked down, utterly stunned, at his lower abdomen, then let out a piercing scream that tore through the sky.
Next, two more bullets struck his chest.
The wretched collaborator crumpled with a thud onto the riverbank.
The remaining Xiaolangdi water bandits around him also fell, suffering heavy casualties in an instant.
"They have firearms!"
"What's there to fear from firearms, damn it?" the subordinate of the South Camp Eight Great Kings roared. "After one volley, they take ages to reload! Don't be afraid, charge!"
The fierce bandits who had reached the riverbank roared as they charged towards the militia's positions.
However, after the performance by Gao Yiye's guards, the raw recruits' morale had stabilized. Seeing veterans lead the way, they no longer felt so flustered.
Steadying their nerves, they reloaded their firearms, raised them again, and took aim...
They had undergone several months of training; as long as they didn't panic, they could use their firearms effectively.
"Bang!"
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The New People's Militia soldiers had finally opened fire.
The fierce bandits, screaming as they charged, instantly fell in droves.
But the brigands were truly numerous. More boats docked behind them, and then more brigands scrambled ashore, whooping.
The New People's Militia soldiers continued to fire, felling another wave of newly landed brigands.
Li Daoxuan: "Huh? *Beach Landing Battle 1632*! Damn, I suddenly really want to play this."
Gao Yiye: "???"
Li Daoxuan waved to a soldier. "Lend me your firearm."
The raw recruit dared not refuse, quickly handing his firearm to Li Daoxuan.
Li Daoxuan took the firearm, striking a cool shooting pose. "Hmph, I was quite the sharpshooter back when I played *Beach Landing Battle*—hitting those *misses* was my specialty. Today, I'll show you my prowess."
He aimed at the foremost bandit and pulled the trigger.
"Bang!"
The bandit was completely unharmed and continued to charge forward.
Li Daoxuan: "..."
"Must be I'm not used to this mouse and keyboard yet. One more time."
Li Daoxuan aimed again.
"Bang!"
The bandit remained unharmed.
Li Daoxuan handed the firearm back to the raw recruit, saying casually, "Weapons of the mortal realm are truly difficult to use, far inferior to magical artifacts."
The raw recruit respectfully replied, "That's certainly true. You, accustomed to celestial artifacts, naturally wouldn't find these mortal weapons worthy of your esteemed gaze."
After flattering him, the raw recruit quickly reloaded, raised his rifle, and aimed at the fierce bandit Li Daoxuan couldn't hit. "Bang!" The bandit fell instantly.
The silicone at Li Daoxuan's lips twitched involuntarily, and he cursed inwardly: *Damn it!*
Just then, the tide of battle began to shift again.
Gao Family Village's fleet had arrived!
Ten flat-bottomed cargo ships lined up abreast, slicing across the river, charging into the marauders' riverine army from the flank.
Some of the brigands ahead had already landed on the opposite bank, currently playing *Beach Landing Battle 1632* with Li Daoxuan, while the brigands behind continued to paddle across the river, their numerous small boats stretching in a long line.
Bai Yuan realized this was the perfect moment for a true "strike mid-crossing."
The electric boats' motors were at full throttle. The ten large flat-bottomed cargo ships, like ten monstrous fish, parted the muddy river water, charging towards the brigands.
"Huh?" Zijing Liang jumped in surprise. "What are those strange ships?"
Chuǎng Wang (Gao Yingxiang), standing beside him, looked over as well. "How do they move so fast without sails or oars?"
"They don't look like official government vessels; they seem like private merchant ships."
"And they're heading straight for us."
Both shouted urgently: "Send some men to intercept them!"
However, as soon as they shouted, they realized something was wrong.
Their orders were not being transmitted effectively across the river.
Orderlies could only move around their own boat; they couldn't reach other boats, and they didn't even know the flag signals commonly used by naval forces.
Once on the water, the brigands' command system was effectively paralyzed.
Zijing Liang: "Damn it!"
Without central command, the water bandits on each boat could only rely on their own judgment and take individual action.
The brigands were used to fighting independently anyway; they didn't really need unified command.
One group of water bandits continued to charge towards the opposite bank, while another group turned to confront Gao Family Village's large flat-bottomed ships.
The South Camp Eight Great Kings, on his way to intercept, laughed loudly: "Let's seize those ten strange big boats! They look like they can carry a lot!"
The West Camp Eight Great Kings (Zhang Xianzhong), who was serving as a vanguard alongside him, hesitated.
He glanced at the landing battle on the opposite riverbank, heard the dense crackle of firearms, and an occasional explosion of a hand grenade, and suddenly remembered something.
Long, long ago, he had once attacked the Longmen Yellow River Bridge. At the bridgehead, he had also seen these sandbag defenses, with a large group of riflemen hiding behind them, shooting at his men and causing him to flee in disarray.
This incident had left a 5-centimeter-diameter circular shadow on his young mind. *Please calculate the area of this psychological trauma.*
Now, he seemed to be hearing those familiar sounds of firearms again!
It all felt eerily familiar.
The South Camp Eight Great Kings chuckled, "Old Xi, fancy joining me to seize those ten flat-bottomed ships?"
The West Camp Eight Great Kings (Zhang Xianzhong) feigned a laugh: "I'll leave those ships to you. Otherwise, if I were to take a few, you'd surely be displeased."
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