Abandoning linear formations essentially means abandoning the most effective means of attack. The flintlock muskets equipped by privates are inaccurate and slow to reload. Even well-trained infantrymen can only fire three bullets per minute. When the formation is spread out and they are charging, the already low hit rate will become even lower.

But this was a decision made under duress. By this point, the enemy's firepower suppression was completely in place. Not to mention launching an advance, the soldiers in front had been dying one after another, and the soldiers in the rear were practically fighting over the corpses of their comrades.

If it weren't for the beach and the vast ocean behind them, they should have retreated completely after fighting to this point, because defeat was inevitable.

However, their current geographical disadvantage blocked their retreat, so they could only choose to disperse and launch an attack as skirmishers, but their weapons could not be used as effectively as those of the enemy.

The artillery was supposed to provide fire support for the infantry so they could continue their advance, but the artillerymen in the rear suffered even heavier casualties. At least 80% of the artillerymen had died in the explosions from the shelling, and the surviving artillerymen were only carrying light artillery, which had insufficient range and power.

From the moment they landed to the start of the battle, in less than two hours, the Second Fleet's army, which had launched the amphibious assault, had already suffered 70% casualties.

The remaining 30% of the troops had not yet advanced into the Yan army's positions, and the troops that had been sparsely attacked had now spread out, which to some extent slowed down the rate of casualties.

The soldiers stopped their blind frontal assaults and began running in all directions, hoping to escape the battlefield and penetrate deep into the island to wage guerrilla warfare against the Yan people.

In fact, they had never been forced into guerrilla warfare by the enemy before, but through this ongoing battle, everyone realized that they could not engage in direct combat with the Yan people.

There is no doubt that the Goths learned something from this battle.

But to escape this predicament, simply running on your feet is not enough.

On higher ground, within the Yanbing position, the heavy artillerymen had already ceased firing. With the Golts now completely scattered, their heavy artillery fire was no longer effective in causing damage.

Of course, continuous bombing is still possible, but it's unnecessary.

Because instead, the firepower came from the light gunners, from multi-barreled rapid-fire machine guns. The gunners were flushed, their eyes gleaming, their hands gripping the handles tightly, the long barrels pointed directly at the fleeing Goths below.

"Crush them!!!" came the excited howls, like wolves.

"Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!!"

Several small-caliber shells were instantly fired from that narrow cannon barrel!

Compared to those heavy artillery pieces, the power of these shells is negligible, much less powerful. However, their high rate of fire is something that those heavy artillery pieces can never match.

Within a minute, these machine guns can fire forty or fifty rounds. Just now, under the high-speed firing, the machine guns shook constantly, and the gunners who were gripping the handles tightly were also inevitably shaking.

Although the bullets fired could not compare to conventional artillery shells in terms of power, they were more than powerful enough to deal with human tissue.

Just like what's happening right now.

Xia Liyang, drenched in sweat, ran wildly with the soldiers towards the north. His eyes were fixed on a group of rocks ahead. If he could get through there, he could circle around to the island. This was the only thing he could do at the moment.

A direct breakthrough was no longer possible; only a multi-pronged approach could allow some people to enter the island, and now he hoped to be one of them.

As he ran for his life, the rapid "rat-a-tat-tat" of bullets made his heart pound, but with bullets flying everywhere, he could only ignore them and keep moving forward.

Suddenly, a group of soldiers running in front of him were suddenly thrown into various directions.

It happened in an instant. Less than three meters in front of him, the running soldiers were suddenly thrown into the air, along with their broken arms, legs, ripped skulls, and unevenly torn pieces of flesh.

Time seemed to stand still at this moment.

Xia Liyang's pupils contracted, and he stopped abruptly, his whole body almost stiffening.

A cloud of crimson mist still lingered around the shattered soldiers, and the thick, pungent smell of blood almost made Xia Liyan vomit. The internal organs flowing out of the pierced chests and abdomens slowly dripped onto the ground, with reddish-brown blood splattered here and there.

A dozen or so bullet holes remained beside the bodies of the dead soldiers, testifying to the destruction they had caused.

"Watch out! Marshal!" the soldier behind him shouted, lunging at the stiff-bodied Xia Liyan.

"Bang bang bang!"

Xia Liyang, who had fallen to the ground with the bullet, finally came to his senses. He was about to get up when his left hand reached for nothing.

He stumbled and fell to the ground.

When Xia Liyang turned his head to look at his left hand, his already pale face instantly turned completely bloodless, and his expression froze.

I don't know when, but my left hand was severed from the forearm. Only a layer of skin was left hanging on my arm, and the dangling forearm was swaying back and forth in front of my eyes.

"Ahhh!"

A sharp pain finally came after a few breaths, and a heart-wrenching scream came from Xia Liyang's throat.

The surrounding scene was even more unbearable to look at. The soldier who had rushed forward earlier was already a pile of minced meat, while the soldiers around him were scattered all over the place, lying on the ground in various positions. Those who were lucky enough to survive were still groaning weakly.

Thick blood mixed with clumps of human tissue clung to the ground. Covered in blood, Xia Liyang used his remaining right hand to push himself up and then ran wildly while howling.

"Put-put-put!"

Amidst the dense gunfire, bullets from the rapid-fire cannons rained down across the entire battlefield.

The high-speed firing had caused the tip of the cannon barrel to glow red, the machine gun was shaking more and more violently, and the gunner's body was shaking more and more violently.

However, the gunner still gripped the handle tightly, as if the machine gun was part of his body. The loud noise continued to bombard his ears, but he enjoyed it, as if he was encouraged.

Under continuous firing, the enemy's body was torn to pieces, causing the gunner's eyes to turn bloodshot, his body to be covered in sweat, and his roars to become increasingly excited.

"Crush them!!!"

This was by no means a literal venting of anger; it was a real act of shattering the enemy's body.

"Put-put-put-put!"

Another burst of fire ensued, causing the machine gun to shake violently as if it were about to disintegrate, and the gunner was also affected by the shaking, which became increasingly severe.

Then, his eyes rolled back, and he instantly collapsed into exhaustion. Even so, he still gripped the handle tightly, unwilling to let go.

"Brother, go down and rest!"

At this moment, the Yanbing soldiers behind him rushed forward impatiently and forcibly pulled the gunner away from the machine gun.

Then, he gripped the handle tightly and howled excitedly:

"My turn!"