Chapter 879: Experimental Car No. 4
Ranks formed...
Dozens of tribes unfurled their banners, their massive cavalry formations stretching across the plain.
Opposite them, Bo'erzhijin Elinchen commanded a force of nearly ten thousand cavalry, their ranks an intimidating display of power.
On the Wushen tribe's side, however, only four thousand riders stood ready, their formation looking noticeably thin in comparison.
The Wushen tribe leader cast a quick glance over his shoulder at the Han Chinese cavalry. They were his secret weapon, his wellspring of confidence.
That glance caught Experimental Car No. 4 as it rumbled to the rear of the formation. Suddenly, the front section of the vehicle detached from its towed cannon.
The towed cannon spun around, settling with its muzzle aimed squarely at Bo'erzhijin Elinchen's array. The front section of the vehicle, now unburdened, continued its advance, drawing parallel with Zao Ying.
"One cannon? What good was that?" the Wushen tribe leader mused. He'd seen Han Chinese cannons in action; they launched solid iron balls, barely a nuisance to a charging cavalry. A lone cannon, he figured, was utterly negligible.
Yet, the sight of that hulking iron beast, the forward section of the machine, stirred a flicker of unease within him.
From Bo'erzhijin Elinchen's ranks, dozens of warriors roared insults in unison: "You wretches across the field, how dare you defy Bo'erzhijin Elinchen? Today, we will deliver a savage lesson, and you will learn who truly commands the grasslands!"
The Wushen, in turn, unleashed their own chorus of taunts, dozens of voices shouting back: "The blood of Genghis Khan runs thin! Bo'erzhijin Elinchen is a mere husk of a man. Henceforth, every soul upon these plains will bend to my will!"
Bo'erzhijin Elinchen, incandescent with fury, bellowed, "Charge!"
"To the charge!"
The cavalry of the Ordos tribe, howling like wolves, surged forward at once.
These were the proud, heavy cavalry of the Old Northern Yuan nobility, heirs to the glorious tradition of Mongol heavy horsemen. Both rider and mount were encased in heavy armor, and once they launched their charge, their thundering momentum was truly unstoppable.
The Wushen's side, however, mustered a far less imposing presence, composed almost entirely of light cavalry.
A tremor of panic ran through the Wushen tribe leader. He instinctively spun his head back toward Zao Ying.
And in that very instant, he witnessed the Han Chinese's solitary towed cannon, a wisp of smoke curling from its matchcord...
"BOOM!"
The muffled roar thundered across the plain, startling every warhorse nearby that hadn't been accustomed to the shock of gunfire. They whinnied frantically, hooves pawing the earth in agitation.
A dark, ominous cannonball tore through the air.
Tracing a graceful arc, it plunged into the heart of Bo'erzhijin Elinchen's heavy cavalry formation.
Cavalry charges were utterly unlike infantry formations; their ranks were spread wide. Landing a direct hit on a rider with a solid iron shot was akin to winning a grand prize lottery.
As expected, this shot didn't strike the jackpot. The dark sphere missed every single cavalryman, merely impacting a patch of open ground.
But then...
"BOOM!"
It detonated a second time.
A devastating torrent of shrapnel and small steel balls erupted outwards. The sheer force was such that the heavy armor of the cavalry, thick as it was, offered no protection, being violently punctured with sickening thuds...
A warhorse shrieked in agony, toppling sideways.
Its heavy cavalryman screamed, flung from the saddle.
In a single blast, a gaping hole was ripped through the center of the cavalry's spearhead formation.
Bo'erzhijin Elinchen gasped, "What in the blazes was that cannonball?"
The Wushen tribe leader guffawed, "Hahahaha! Amazing, truly amazing!"
Bo'erzhijin Elinchen's cavalry, moments ago charging with such arrogant confidence, were utterly stunned by this single cannon blast. Their formidable momentum shattered.
The Wushen tribe leader roared, "Charge!"
Zao Ying echoed, "Charge!"
Zao Ying's arquebus cavalry, a swift line of riders, galloped directly to meet the heavy cavalry.
Bo'erzhijin Elinchen raged, "Han Chinese cavalry, daring to counter-charge our Mongol heavy horsemen head-on? Such utter delusion! Tell me, shout it aloud, who commands the mightiest cavalry in all the world?"
His lieutenants around him bellowed in a single voice, "Mongols! Genghis Khan! Mongols! Genghis Khan!"
The proud, ancient nobility of the Northern Yuan, still shouting, still lost in the fading luster of their past glory...
They failed to grasp that the Northern Yuan was, by now, merely the twilight flicker of a bygone era.
"Fire!"
At Zao Ying's sharp command, the cavalry unleashed a flurry of "bang, bang, bang" shots.
The leading ranks of the Mongol heavy cavalry instantly crumbled, a tangle of men and horses hitting the ground.
No matter how formidable their armor, it proved useless against the sheer force of the breech-loading rifled guns.
However, after delivering their volley, Zao Ying's riders would need to execute a hit-and-run maneuver; reloading these weapons took precious time.
The cavalry peeled off horizontally, desperately trying to gain time to reload their weapons.
But then...
The forward section of Experimental Car No. 4, which had surged ahead alongside Zao Ying's unit, didn't veer off to the side like the cavalry. Freed from its heavy towed cannon, it had become remarkably agile, moving with far greater speed than before.
Now, it rumbled forward, spewing black smoke, relentlessly barreling toward the cavalry.
A musket emerged from the front of the vehicle, and with a sharp "bang," it felled a cavalryman.
Just as Zao Ying expected the musket to pause for reloading, the soldier in the co-driver's seat of Experimental Car No. 4 executed a swift, practiced push on the gunstock. The breech cover slid open, gunpowder residue and paper cartridge remnants tumbled out, and in the same fluid motion, a fresh round was fed from the magazine into the chamber.
With another swift push, the soldier sealed the breech once more.
And then, he squeezed the trigger again.
"BANG!"
Across the field, another cavalryman crumpled.
A shot every single breath!
This rapid fire left not only the Mongols but even Zao Ying and Zheng Daniu utterly speechless.
"BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!"
Experimental Car No. 4 unleashed a continuous stream of fire, a bullet for every breath, delivered with brutal speed and precision. The Mongol iron riders charging its path were struck again and again, tumbling from their saddles.
Across the field, Bo'erzhijin Elinchen stood utterly agape. "What in the heavens IS that contraption?" he stammered.
After several rapid shots, Experimental Car No. 4 was slow to pivot and hadn't managed to pull away, allowing the Mongol cavalry to press closer. A young horseman nocked an arrow and let it fly.
"CLANG!"
The arrow merely glanced off its armor...
Indeed, Experimental Car No. 4 was forged for battle. To prevent its "head" from being caved in again, its armor had been drastically reinforced. Even the viewing port, a mere slit of thickened glass at the front, was designed for maximum protection.
There was no earthly way an arrow could penetrate its hide.
With the arrow proving futile, the two forces converged. In the blink of an eye, the monstrous vehicle was upon the Mongol riders.
Seeing an imminent collision, the Mongol heavy cavalry were thoroughly shaken. They frantically reined in their mounts, veering sharply to either side.
The riders in the very front, with an unobstructed view, managed to evade it.
Those further back, their vision obscured by their comrades, couldn't see clearly enough. When the front riders scattered, the cavalry behind them suddenly saw the vehicle hurtling directly at them. There was no time to react.
"CRUNCH!"
A sickening crunch, laced with the screams of men and the agonizing shrieks of horses. Experimental Car No. 4 plowed through several Mongol heavy cavalrymen, overturning them one after another, crushing them beneath its treads...
This horrifying spectacle didn't just terrify the enemy.
Even their own allies were utterly appalled!
The Wushen tribe leader muttered, "I always knew the Han Chinese were formidable, but I never conceived they could be *this* formidable."
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