Chapter 166 Coward

The gunners were all students personally trained by Qin Mo. Although blocking fire was a training subject for infantry artillery brigades, it was still worth using them. Majapahit's attack formation was so dense that not a single shell was wasted, taking away more than a dozen lives.

“Master, their thunder has started again. I hope your judgment is correct.” Bramiden began to comfort himself upon hearing the continuous cannon fire.

“General, you have seen those two iron balls. They are inanimate objects, not divine objects. They cannot distinguish friend from foe. As long as your warriors are mixed up with the Great Xia people, they will surely become useless.”

It must be said, the wizard Cacha was very clever; he analyzed a lot from the pair of chain bullets they had captured, giving Bramiden the confidence to continue fighting. Of course, the most important reason was that he didn't believe in any Thor at all.

“Cunning Great Xia people, our warriors are about to charge, you will be torn to shreds, and all of you will be killed.”

Compared to Bramiden and Kacha outside the port, Sinruda and Hamirula had a clearer view. The Daxia people had lit many bonfires around the defensive perimeter, which dimly illuminated the attacking barbarians and the rows of Daxia people behind the fence.

"Your Highness, they are really... pitiful..."

Kaihime could see clearly that the barbarians in front had tried to turn around and run away, but they were pushed forward by the barbarians behind them. Now they were only a hundred meters away from the defensive circle. They finally regained their confidence and began to run and howl at full speed. Unfortunately, they did not know what awaited them.

"Slap slap slap"

The sound of popping beans began to ring out, and a volley of fire from a rifle finally drove the barbarians who were about to reach the fence into despair. Rows of barbarians fell one after another, howling in pain.

Compared to powerful artillery, rifles are the nightmare of infantry and cavalry. As long as they are positioned properly and well-trained, unless the enemy is a superhuman who knows no fear, they will all be defeated.

The fierce Manjapa people began to break down. They desperately turned around and squeezed to the sides, no longer charging towards the fence that was so close, even though it was only a few dozen meters away.

"It was so close, it was really dangerous! It seems we need to increase the proportion of riflemen further."

Qin Mo could see it clearly from the high platform. The barbarian attack was like a surging wave, suddenly stopping and reversing when it was dozens of meters away from the defensive perimeter fence, instead of crashing forward and destroying it.

The stagnant barbarians became the perfect targets, and the riflemen began to pick off them accurately. Now, the number of riflemen in the infantry battalion exceeded half, enough to form a continuous barrage.

"Berlu, blow the horn, retreat."

Seeing that the fat man Hamilula had already begun to furtively give orders to his men, Sinruda immediately sent his trusted confidant to inform his trumpeter; he didn't want to leave others to cover their retreat.

As expected, Hamilula's trumpeter sounded the retreat horn first, and before all his men had retreated, he and his trusted followers disappeared into the night.

"That coward! If the Great Xia people dare to pursue us at night, what are we afraid of if we join forces?" Xinluda spat and looked at the fat man's back with disdain.

There are still six or seven thousand soldiers on the battlefield. If organized properly, most of them could be evacuated. But now it's a complete mess, and it's unknown how many warriors will be able to sneak back to the ship in the dark.

"Kai, go and tell Wu Mingyi not to pursue them. Send cavalry to follow the fleeing soldiers and harass them with gunfire, but don't get too close so the barbarians can see through our disguise. Getting on the ship is not the same as getting off. If they can't leave before dawn... hmph!"

Qin Mo didn't have enough cavalry to deliver a fatal blow to the scattered Manjapahit people, but he could still harass and intimidate them.

"Hi!"

Kaihime obeyed the order and quickly jumped off the lighthouse, heading towards Wu Mingyi's location.

When Kaihime saw Wu Mingyi, he was training his troops, seemingly preparing for pursuit. Thousands of corpses and even more wounded littered the open ground around the defensive perimeter, the stench of blood filling the entire battlefield.

"Commander Wu, His Highness has instructed you to send cavalry to harass the fleeing soldiers, but not to pursue them in large numbers. Just fire shots to intimidate them."

"We must not pursue them? What... what does Your Highness mean?"

Wu Mingyi was brimming with confidence. Back in Beiding City, he only had a little over a hundred Type 1 rifles. So this was the first time he had witnessed large-scale combined firearms and artillery combat. Although the barbarian warriors had almost charged him just now, the power of the firearms still filled him with confidence.

"At night, in complex terrain, it is difficult to form ranks to meet the enemy. If the rifle squad cannot form ranks, how much combat power do they have... remains to be verified in actual combat."

Having been around Qin Mo for so long, Kaihime's understanding of muzzle-loading gun tactics far surpasses that of others, and she naturally understands the importance of formations.

"Please inform His Highness, young lady. Wu Mingyi obeys."

Compared to attacking, retreating is a true test of a commander's ability. Only a renowned general or an experienced veteran can rally the fleeing troops and mount a sustained resistance.

Sinnuda was not a famous general, nor could he be considered an old general based on his age, but he was definitely an experienced commander. During the Majapahit unification of Java and the conquest of Sumatra, he had seen many defeats and routs, except that he was not the one who failed.

"None of the Aguwu are allowed to retreat first. Light torches so your men can see your faces. Have your Buyut lead the way and retreat first, then board the ship one by one."

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