bookrebus Chapter 741: Mortar's Debut (Part 2)
Chapter 741: Mortar's Debut (Part 2)
The brief stalemate was broken. Seeing that the encirclement failed and they were counter-encircled by the Fengtian Army, the ferocity of the Cossack cavalry was completely aroused!
Wilder roars emanated from the Cossack cavalry formation, and some of them galloped forward fearlessly, attempting to charge into the death jungle formed by the caltrops and spears.
As a result, the dense spear tips pierced the men and horses, which was a terrible tragedy.
More Cossacks relied on their superb horse-controlling skills to pass by at a speed of whirlwind dozens of steps away from the armored cavalry.
Amid the violent jolting of galloping warhorses, they were able to control the reins with one hand and hold the heavy musket with the other.
boom! boom! boom!
Scattered gunfire rang out again, the kind of harassing shooting that the Cossack cavalry was famous for.
They took advantage of the higher speed of their horses to repeatedly jump, stop, and shoot at the edge of the effective range of the Fengtian Army's pepper bottle pistols.
The scorching lead bullets spurted out, cunningly hitting the relatively weak connection point of the armored cavalry's line.
Puff puff--
Despite being heavily armored, the Fengtian Army's armored cavalry began to suffer sporadic casualties when faced with sudden cold gunfire.
Although the losses were not large, they posed a constant threat to the morale and formation of the Fengtian Army.
The iron wall felt like it was being stung by countless tiny poisonous bees. Although not fatal, it was extremely annoying.
What's more, as the top-level military force, each armored cavalry is extremely precious.
A set of armor is very expensive, and the training cost is also astronomical. Only people with excellent physical fitness can do it.
"Damn it! These sons of bitches shot me from behind!"
Wang Sanchun gnashed his teeth as he watched, put down his telescope, and challenged Yang Zhongsi to a fight:
"General Yang! I beg your command!"
"I can lead my light cavalry to attack and entangle those white-skinned bastards from the flank to buy time for Zilong and the infantry regiment!"
Yang Zhongsi did not answer, but calmly scanned the battlefield:
The armored cavalry wall in the center was temporarily stabilized, but was continuously harassed by the Cossack cavalry muskets.
On the flank, the infantry artillery regiment had approached the designated position and was setting up mortars.
Judging from the current battlefield situation, time is of the essence. As long as we complete the encirclement, we will win this battle!
This expedition was a long-distance battle. The Fengtian Army sent out only a few troops, but they were all elite.
In addition to the two elite infantry and artillery mixed regiments and Yue Yun's armored cavalry, there are also 3,000 elite cavalrymen under the command of Wang Sanchun, all of whom are the best fighters selected from ten miles away.
"Okay!" Yang Zhongsi made a prompt decision. "Wang Sanchun, you lead our 3,000 light cavalry to attack!"
"The goal is to entangle the Cossack flank cavalry, focusing on harassment. Cover the infantry and artillery regiments in establishing their positions. Do not engage in a prolonged battle."
"The artillery regiment's fire preparation is complete. Sound the retreat immediately."
"Order!"
Wang Sanchun was greatly encouraged, with fighting spirit in his eyes. He turned around and strode towards his warhorse.
Behind the war horses, three thousand Shiwei cavalrymen wearing heavy leather armor, carrying bows and spears, looked at Wang Sanchun with sharp eyes.
Wang Sanchun raised the sword in his hand and roared:
"My men! Follow me and chop up those bastards who shot me from behind!"
Three thousand Fengtian Army light cavalry rushed down from the other side of the slope like arrows.
They were lightly equipped and rode faster, and soon they approached the Cossack cavalry that were flying kites on the flank of the armored cavalry.
The situation on the battlefield suddenly became more complicated.
In the center, there was a stalemate between the steel barrier and the black wolf pack, and on the flanks, there was a chase and stranglehold between light cavalry and light cavalry.
Although the Shiwei light cavalry were not equipped with muskets, the bows in their hands had a faster shooting speed.
The Cossack cavalry responded hastily, and a large number of them were swept down by a sudden rain of arrows.
Wang Sanchun is now a completely different person. After studying with Yang Zhongsi for so long, although he cannot change his impulsive bad habits, he is also a qualified commander with both roughness and meticulousness.
He did not lead his cavalry to charge recklessly into the enemy formation, but instead fired at the Cossack cavalry's flanks at the maximum range of their bows and arrows.
The Cossack cavalry had no good way to deal with this group of Shiwei cavalry that suddenly rushed out, after all, their line was too scattered.
They could only gather enough troops to fight back under the orders of several officers.
At this moment, the left side of the infantry and artillery regiment's position.
The regiment commander heaved a long sigh, grinned, pulled out a strange-looking pistol from his bosom, and pointed it at the sky.
boom--
The blazing red flare pierced the gray sky with a sharp sound, like a blood-red eye overlooking the chaotic battlefield, attracting the attention of half of the battlefield.
After doing all this, the leader's tense nerves finally relaxed a little.
He fiercely wiped the cold snow foam from his face and roared, "Artillery, listen to the order, aim at the Cossack cavalry group directly ahead!"
Orders were passed down through layers of communication via flag signals and shouts.
The gunners quickly calibrated the firing parameters and began preparing to load the mortar.
On the hillside, a personal guard saw the signal and hurriedly said, "General Yang! The regiment is ready. Should we order Generals Yue and Wang to withdraw?"
Yang Zhongsi stared at the battlefield on the right.
The Second Regiment's positions were still busy, and some of the artillery positions had not yet been set up.
That’s not enough. If the artillery fire fails to cover the entire area, it will definitely give this group of Cossack cavalry an opportunity to break out.
He gritted his teeth and squeezed out two words: "Wait!"
At the right position, the commander of the Second Regiment saw that the first regiment's red flares had already been launched into the air, and half of the mortars on his side had not yet been fixed to their bases. He was so anxious that his eyes turned red.
He pushed aside the slower gunner next to him and rushed to a gun himself, desperately tightening the fixing bolts with his frozen hands.
"Hurry up! Hurry up, all of you! Are you embroidering?!"
"Set up the guns! Reload! Target the left wing!"
The entire regiment saw the signal flares from the opposing friendly forces being launched into the sky, and their unwillingness to admit defeat was instantly aroused.
The soldiers roared and crawled in the snow, finally adjusting the last gun into position before the light of the flare on the left completely disappeared.
"Report! Loading completed!"
"Report! Aiming complete!"
The commander of the Second Regiment stood up suddenly, almost pulled out the signal gun from his arms, and pulled the trigger hard towards the sky!
Whoosh—bang!
Another dazzling red light rose into the sky, like the second eye of the god of death, suddenly opening!
At the edge of the battlefield, several Cossack officers with a keen sense of smell had already noticed the unusual movements on both sides.
Although they had not seen the two rising flares, their fighting instinct still made them feel a little nervous!
"Damn it! What the hell is that? It must be a trick of the Orientals!" A centurion wearing a tall fur hat and a thick beard roared in Russian, "Charge! Disperse them!"
After saying this, the centurion brandished his saber and took the lead.
He took the lead and led more than a hundred cavalrymen under his command, rushing diagonally towards the position of the Second Regiment on the right, which had just completed the launch of the signal flare.