coobybook Chapter 1139 The Battle for National Destiny (5)
Chapter 1139 The Battle for National Destiny (5)
Katsura samurai were heavy infantry.
Moreover, they were not ordinary soldiers, but heavy infantry composed of elite nobles and freemen.
They were best equipped, most rigorously trained, most generously rewarded, and possessed the strongest fighting spirit.
When the front rank of a formation falls, the rear ranks take their place, which is a great test of individual combat ability and fighting will.
Inspired by the belief that dying in battle is the highest honor, they would only choose to retreat when faced with a major setback.
In the wars waged by the Tubo Kingdom against foreign powers, enemy forces often used heavy cavalry charges to quickly attack the Tubo army.
However, with the loss of elite troops, this tactic became increasingly difficult to implement.
However, the Tibetans excelled at waging wars of attrition with their resilient heavy infantry.
Therefore, the longer the time interval, the more the balance of the war will shift in favor of Tibet.
It was with these heavy infantry that the Tibetan Empire dominated the northwest.
Looking at the Gui warriors' formation that was beginning to move according to orders, Lu Dongzan added in a deep voice, "Tell the boys that whoever is the first to break through the Qing army's formation will be rewarded with a thousand head of cattle and sheep, a thousand households of slaves, and a fiefdom of a hundred li!"
"Those who cower and refuse to advance will have their entire clan reduced to slavery!"
"I stand with you all on the front lines, and we swear to fight to the death!"
With a combination of generous rewards and severe punishments, coupled with the Grand Secretary's promise to personally lead the troops into battle, the wavering morale of the army was finally managed to be barely rallied.
The bugle call grew heavy and drawn out, and the Tibetan army formation began to change.
Those square formations that were originally in the center of the formation began to slowly move forward.
The first to set off were the Guangxi warriors, specifically those designated by Lu Dongzan.
Their armor was clearly much better than that of ordinary soldiers. In addition to chainmail, many of them also had lamellar armor made of iron plates or a whole breastplate on their vital parts.
The helmets are all the same style, with neck and face protection, and only two round holes are visible at the eyes.
His main weapon was a spear with a thick shaft and a long, broad tip that gleamed coldly. He also carried a shield and a knife, sword, and axe for close combat.
Their steps were synchronized, their footsteps thumping heavily on the frozen earth as they steadily advanced towards the Qing army's lines.
Behind them, more infantry formations sprang into action.
Despite the impressive scale of the Tibetan army's previous offensive, neither the slave soldiers, who were essentially expendable, nor the Tibetan cavalry that launched flanking attacks, could be considered true fighting forces within the Tibetan military system.
Needless to say, slave soldiers were mainly responsible for plundering and logistical tasks in the Tibetan army.
The Gui warriors' formation, slowly advancing at this moment, is the very foundation of the Tubo Kingdom, the last remaining strength of the nobles.
In the field of vision, the Tibetan army formation transformed into a raging tide composed of cold metallic light and fur, surging forward.
The warriors in the front row held wooden shields as tall as a person, with raw cowhide covering the shields and studded with iron nails.
Between the shields stood rows of long spears, like a forest.
Their steps were not fast, but they were unusually orderly and heavy.
Meanwhile, most of the cannon barrels on the Qing army's artillery positions had become scorching hot and red-hot from continuous firing, making it difficult to fire again in a short period of time.
The few remaining operable cannons roared, and live shells landed in the enemy ranks. Although they could cause casualties, against the massive, deep square formation, this amount of firepower was like a pebble thrown into a pond, and the ripples were quickly submerged by the surging tide of people that followed.
The mortars continued to fire, but the defenses of these elite Tibetan troops were far superior to those of the slave soldiers.
Chainmail combined with lamellar armor significantly enhances defense against shrapnel.
Unless they are directly engulfed by the epicenter of the explosion, most of them are only injured and staggered, but they can still grit their teeth and continue to move forward.
The mortar fire coverage is more about disrupting some of their formations and is no longer able to create the devastating disruption it once did.
The resilience of these Katsura warriors was also fully revealed at this moment.
They silently endured the casualties; when someone in the front row was blown away by artillery fire, the soldiers in the back row immediately took their place to maintain the integrity of the shield wall and the forest of spears.
They seemed to know nothing of fear, their eyes fixed only on the Qing army's lines ahead, and on their unwavering determination to break through the enemy lines.
In Tibetan beliefs, dying in battle was not something to be feared, but rather the highest honor for a warrior.
After paying a considerable price, the heavy infantry formations withstood the Qing army's long-range firepower and continued to close the distance between them.
Three hundred steps, two hundred and fifty steps, two hundred steps...
The atmosphere in the infantry formations at the forefront of the Qing army was extremely tense.
The shield bearers slammed their large shields heavily onto the frozen ground in front of them, while the spearmen braced the butts of their spear shafts against the ground, the spear tips protruding from above the shields in front.
Everyone held their breath, staring intently at the approaching metal wall.
The new recruit from Shu felt his palms were covered in cold sweat, so slippery that he could barely hold the spear shaft.
He stared at the approaching Tibetan heavy infantry, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down: "Brother... Brother, shouldn't it be our turn this time? They... they're almost here!"
The veteran still had that half-closed-eye look, and he even had the leisure to pick his ear.
He glanced at the new recruit and sneered, "What are you panicking for? It's not our turn yet! Take a break, take a break!"
"They're not there yet?!" The recruit nearly jumped up, pointing at the Tibetan army formation that was already within two hundred paces. "They're practically right in our faces! If we don't move soon..."
"Shut up, look behind you." The veteran interrupted him, gesturing with his chin toward the rear of the army formation.
The recruit instinctively turned around.
Within the main Qing army formation, beside the black dragon flag representing the highest command, several brightly colored triangular command flags began to wave up, down, left, and right, signaling messages.
Immediately afterwards, new changes occurred within the military formation.
The passageways that were originally neat and dense infantry formations were quickly expanded.
Squads of soldiers dressed in black battle coats and carrying muskets quickly emerged from their respective camps and outposts.
They ran quickly laterally along the line of defense, eventually reaching the very front of the position.
Immediately, a long line of three columns was drawn up in the area directly facing the main direction of the Tibetan attack.
The soldiers completed the formation, inspected their muskets, and loaded ammunition at an extremely fast pace.
The first rank of soldiers knelt on one knee and placed their muskets on forks.
The second row members bowed slightly, while the third row members stood upright.
Countless dark gun barrels were pointed at the steadily advancing Tibetan heavy infantry.
The new recruit stared in disbelief at the scene: "This is...!"
"Musketeers, three rows of volley fire," the old soldier said lazily. "A brilliant idea His Majesty has come up with. Watch closely, don't blink."
As if to confirm the old soldier's words, a sharp bronze whistle rang out from the ranks.
In the musketeer formation, officers of all ranks stared intently at the red command flag pointing towards the center.
One hundred and fifty steps...
One hundred and thirty steps...
One hundred and ten steps...
This distance represents the final acceleration distance for charging heavy infantry.
From within the ranks of the Katsura warriors, low roars began to erupt, the shield wall tilted slightly forward, and the spears were leveled, preparing for the final charge!
At that very moment—
The red command flag of the central army was suddenly waved downwards!
"First row! Aim—"
The officers' roars instantly erupted from the musket formation.
The musketeers in the first row, kneeling on one knee, almost simultaneously completed their final aiming adjustments, their index fingers firmly gripping the triggers.
"put!!!"
Bang bang bang bang!
In an instant, a dazzling flash of light erupted in front of the musket line, followed by a continuous series of explosions like rolling thunder.
Thick white smoke rose like a wall of fog, instantly engulfing the figures of the first rank of musketeers.
The instant the first volley of gunfire ceased, the officer of the second platoon of musketeers roared out the order:
"Second row—step forward—aim—"
After the first rank of soldiers finished firing, they immediately stood up without pausing.
While rapidly moving backward to reload, they made way for the second rank to fire, their movements as fluid as if they had practiced a thousand times.
The second rank of musketeers stepped forward and quickly raised their guns amidst the lingering smoke.
"put--"
Bang bang bang bang bang! !
More frequent explosions followed, along with more flames and thicker smoke!
Then comes the third row.
"Third row—move forward—aim—fire!"
Bang bang bang bang bang bang! ! !
Three rows of shots, so fast it takes your breath away.
Gunfire was almost constant, one wave subsiding only for another to rise.
The flames flickered incessantly, and billowing smoke enveloped the entire musketeer formation in a white smoke screen!
The Tibetan vanguard, charging directly into the musket array, suffered the most devastating blow since the start of the war.
As elite heavy infantry, they were not afraid of long-range attacks and were truly ruthless characters who dared to advance amidst a hail of arrows.
However, arrows still have a trajectories to follow, and can be blocked by shields.
The scorching lead bullets that tore through the air were so powerful that their trajectory was impossible to discern.
Puff puff puff puff—
One second they heard gunshots, and the next second the sound of gunfire was heard densely hitting their own shield wall.
The wooden shield, covered with leather, was easily pierced by lead bullets, as if it were made of paper.
The arms and chest behind the shield instantly exploded into clouds of blood mist.
Under the direct impact of the lead bullet with astonishing kinetic energy, the chainmail plates twisted and shattered, tearing through flesh, crushing bones, and ripping apart internal organs in an even more horrific way.
The warriors at the forefront of the charge fell in droves, as if struck head-on by an invisible giant hammer.
Some had their helmets blown off, their skulls exploding.
Some had bloody holes in their chests, staggered a few steps, and collapsed to the ground.
Some shields shattered, arms broke, and they rolled around screaming in agony.
The neat shield wall was instantly riddled with holes, and the forest of spears collapsed and swayed in an instant.
After just three volleys, the vanguard of the Tibetan army's most elite Gui warriors was like snow that had been branded with a red-hot iron, melting away and collapsing in large swaths.
In the Qing army's ranks, the new recruit from Shu stared blankly ahead, his ears still ringing from the aftershocks of the volley of fire.
He opened his mouth, but found that he couldn't make a sound.
The veteran next to him had opened his eyes at some point, his gaze lazily sweeping across the front, then glancing at the new recruit who was still in shock, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Did you see clearly?" His voice reached the recruits' ears clearly. "In front of our musket array, they're just a bunch of tin cans waiting to be smashed."
The recruit nodded blankly.
So this is how wars can be fought.
So, when will it be their turn to take the field?