As they spoke, the vanguard of the Fengtian Army had already landed on the south bank one after another.
Li Biao personally led the troops to the front lines. Seeing that the Yin army remained inactive, he felt somewhat relieved and quickly issued an order:
"The vanguard, form a circular formation! Shields facing outwards, spears extended! Archers and crossbowmen, position yourselves inside, prepare to fire!"
The 30,000 Fengtian troops quickly changed formation.
The outermost layer consists of a triple shield wall, with shields connected together and long spears protruding from the gaps, resembling a steel hedgehog.
The archers in the formation drew their bows and nocked their arrows, tilting them upwards at a 45-degree angle, ready to unleash a volley of arrows at the command.
This is a classic defensive formation, specifically designed to counter cavalry charges and also offers strong resistance against infantry.
On the watchtower on the north bank, Ma Zongliang breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Once the vanguard has established a foothold, the central army can safely cross the river. At that time, the 160,000-strong army will press forward, and even if it costs lives, they can fill the Yin army's defenses.
But the unease in his heart never dissipated.
His gaze fell once again on the high ground on the left flank of the Yin Army, where the cloth-covered carts had been removed, revealing thirty dark cannon barrels.
The cannon muzzle was pointed directly at the river.
......
It was three quarters past Chen Shi (7:45 AM).
The central army of Fengtian began crossing the river. Fifty thousand infantrymen waded across the river in three routes, stirring up the water and making it muddy.
Just then, three cannon shots suddenly rang out from the Yin army's formation.
"Boom—Boom—Boom—"
The sound was deep and thunderous, echoing throughout the battlefield.
The soldiers of the Fengtian Army looked up, wondering where the voice came from.
The next second, they witnessed a sight they would never forget.
On the high slope on the left flank of the Yin army, twenty cannons simultaneously spewed fire.
Thick smoke billowed from the cannon muzzle as twenty solid iron bullets whistled out, tracing low, flat arcs through the air as they hurtled towards the Yi River channel!
"What is that?" a soldier from the Fengtian Army exclaimed in surprise.
Before he finished speaking, the first iron ball hit the river.
"Bang!"
The water splashed up three zhang high!
After the iron bullet entered the water, it continued to advance, carving a deep trench in the riverbed. Wherever it passed, the Fengtian Army soldiers who were crossing the river were directly smashed to pieces!
Limbs and entrails flew into the air, instantly staining the river red.
But this is just the beginning.
Twenty iron bullets fell into the river one after another, each taking away more than a dozen lives.
Some of the iron balls bounced off the boulders at the bottom of the river and continued to fly forward, smashing through the Fengtian Army's formation on the bank!
The densest river-crossing team is right in the center of an iron bullet.
It first smashed a soldier's shield and chest, then pierced a second man's abdomen, broke a third man in half, and finally struck a fourth man's head.
The head exploded like a watermelon, splattering red and white matter all over the faces of those around it.
"Sorcery! This is sorcery!" Fearful screams rang out from the Fengtian Army.
The river-crossing team was thrown into chaos.
The soldiers tried to retreat in terror, but those behind them continued to advance, colliding with each other. Many fell into the river and were trampled to death by their comrades.
Li Biao watched from the south bank, his eyes wide with fury.
He roared, "Don't panic! Form formation! Form formation!"
But human fear cannot be suppressed by commands.
Especially when the second wave of attacks came.
On the high slope, ten cannons loaded with grapeshot opened fire.
This time the sounds were even more intense, like thunder rolling across the earth.
Instead of iron bullets, the cannon spewed out hundreds of iron beads, stones, and scraps of iron!
These shrapnel shells created a deadly storm, covering the river surface and a hundred paces of the south bank beach!
"Puff puff puff puff—"
That was the sound of a bullet piercing flesh.
The Fengtian Army soldiers crossing the river fell in droves, as if swept by an invisible scythe.
The shield was like paper against the shotgun shells; the iron balls easily pierced the wooden shield and penetrated the human body.
The Fengtian Army's circular formation on the beachhead was also severely damaged. The outermost shield wall was riddled with holes, and the soldiers behind the shields fell to the ground screaming.
A volley of shrapnel caused more than two thousand casualties to the Fengtian Army's vanguard!
“This… how can we possibly withstand this…” Vice General Zhao Kui’s voice trembled.
Li Biao gritted his teeth: "Crossbowmen! Aim at the high ground and fire!"
Within the Fengtian Army's circular formation, thousands of archers managed to maintain their composure and fired upwards towards the high ground.
Arrows rose into the sky like dark clouds and fell toward the artillery positions.
But it's too far away.
The arrow landed fifty paces in front of the slope, not even touching the edge of the cannon.
The third salvo of artillery fire was ready.
Just as the Fengtian Army's vanguard was being torn apart by artillery fire, the war drums in the Yin Army's ranks suddenly changed.
The steady "thump-thump-" turned into a rapid "thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!"
The Mo Dao Battalion moved.
Three thousand Mo Dao soldiers marched forward in unison.
Their steps were heavy and orderly; with each step, the earth trembled.
The heavy armor rubbed together with a "crackling" sound, and the eyes beneath the demon mask were cold and merciless.
Xi Sheng walked at the front. The long sword in his hand was eight feet three inches long and weighed forty-two pounds. The blade had been forged a hundred times and gleamed with a dark blue-green cold light.
"Mo Dao Camp—" Xi Sheng roared.
"Go!" Three thousand men responded in unison, their voices echoing across the land.
When they were a hundred paces away from the Fengtian Army's circular formation, the Fengtian Army's archers began to fire directly.
Arrows rained down, striking the heavy armor of the Mo Dao warriors with a clanging sound. However, most of them were deflected, except for a few that pierced through the gaps in the visor.
The heavy armor worn by these Mo Dao warriors was a composite structure of plate armor and chainmail, personally designed by Zhao Muyun. The plate armor at vital points was three-tenths of an inch thick, making it impossible for ordinary arrows to penetrate.
Eighty steps.
Sixty steps.
Forty steps.
The spearmen in the Fengtian Army's circular formation gripped their spear shafts tightly, the tips of their spears jutting out from the gaps in their shields, trembling as they pointed at the approaching steel giant.
Twenty steps!
Xi Sheng suddenly accelerated, his Mo Dao changed from vertical to horizontal, he gripped the handle with both hands, and the tip of the blade pointed diagonally forward.
"First row—Slay!"
"roar!"
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