Shells whistled through the sky, and the occasional explosions seemed to make the air tremble. The seawater rolled in the shells as if boiling. Amidst the hail of bullets, the escort ships of the Second Warship adjusted their positions to withstand the shells fired from the opposite side, while a large number of transport ships rushed straight towards the southern beach of Chalmers Island without regard for anything else.
Inside one of the transport ships, the soldiers prayed anxiously in the hold, hoping that enemy shells would not fall on the ship at this moment. They had already witnessed the power of those shells; if the transport ship were hit by a dozen or so, its wooden hull would be destroyed in the instant of the explosion.
As soldiers, there was nothing they could do at that moment but to grip their rifles tightly, pack enough ammunition, and hope that the warships could land safely on the shore. Then they would disembark immediately, adjust their lines, and fire a volley at the enemy on the shore with their rifles in order to seize the coast.
Meanwhile, the sound of artillery fire outside continued incessantly, causing the ship to rock violently. Many soldiers were being tossed about by the rocking. After an unknown period of time, the sound of artillery fire suddenly subsided considerably.
The sergeant who ran down from the deck shouted urgently at them:
"We're about to log in!"
"Grab your weapons! Don't panic after landing! Immediately organize your forces and advance into the island!"
"Don't fire indiscriminately and hurt your own people!"
"besides......"
Before he could finish speaking, a loud "bang" rang out, and the warship seemed to have hit something, causing the entire ship to tremble.
Most of the privates were thrown to the ground during this greatest jolt, but before they could get up, the sergeant shouted:
"Hurry! Hurry!"
"Get ashore! Get ashore!"
Urged on by the sergeant, the privates felt a surge of tension, but also a sense of relief that they had actually made it to the beach. After all, the enemy bombardment they had witnessed was incredibly fierce, and it would have been extremely difficult to reach the beach under such bombardment. It was for this reason that they did not organize themselves into ranks on the deck as usual, but instead hid inside the cabin.
But now, this relief vanished in an instant, for even more difficult battles lay ahead. The privates strode onto the deck amidst the shouts of their sergeants.
When the dazzling sunlight shone in, many soldiers squinted and hurriedly looked around.
Because of the hasty landing, the warships that rushed to the beach were all stranded, and there were quite a few of them. The scene in the sea behind was horrific. The wreckage of warships drifted everywhere on the sea. Those were escort ships. They had been severely damaged in order to cover the landing of the transport ships. The enemy ships that destroyed them were still spewing thick white smoke, and they were like monsters ravaging the sea.
In the more distant seas, the fleet that was cooperating with the Yan Kingdom had become clear. It was indeed the Rose Fleet of the Sheng Lu Kingdom that they had seen not long ago. Upon seeing these warships, the soldiers' eyes seemed to spit fire.
"Quickly! Get down!"
"Hold on tight to your weapons, don't fall into the sea! Once on the beach, don't rush in, organize your lines, and advance steadily!" The sergeant's urgent shouts continued.
The soldiers dared not delay and rushed down the wooden ladders that had been laid down from the ship, running wildly toward the shore.
The shelling continued, and the air was thick with smoke. Although the explosions had subsided considerably, they still rang out from time to time, which kept the soldiers on edge. In this harsh battlefield environment, the well-trained Goths immediately formed ranks upon stepping onto the beach, forming rows of musketeers.
The musketeers were the first to disembark, while the gunners followed. Because it was a forced beach landing, there was no time to transport the heavy artillery ashore, so the gunners had to take the light artillery with them.
The musketeers, lined up in rows along the narrow coastline, did not fire without permission. They needed to advance a little further. Surprisingly, the enemy soldiers on the shore did not immediately launch an attack. The soldiers seized the opportunity and sprinted forward with all their might.
Meanwhile, Xia Liyan also managed to disembark. He was now among the rear troops, with the gunners running ahead of him. After stepping onto land, the musketeers in the front row were advancing. Everything was proceeding tensely yet in an orderly manner.
Even so, Xia Liyang's eyelids twitched. With such a large-scale amphibious landing, the enemy must have seen it all, yet they didn't provide suppressive fire when they landed, which was quite unusual.
Their warships already possessed extremely powerful shells, so logically, there should have been equally powerful cannons on land as well.
Despite his doubts, Xia Liyan could only assume that the enemy's preparations on the shore were insufficient, causing a delay in the battle. At this moment, the most important thing for his side was to immediately advance the front line and quickly control the high ground. As long as the enemy forces on the island were completely annihilated, then they could rely on Chalme Island to carry out the subsequent defensive battle.
Even if the enemy has a strong naval force, it will not be so easy for them to attack after losing Chalmers Island.
"Quick! Charge straight in! Capture their fortifications!"
Although they were far apart, Xia Liyang could see the Yan army's defensive fortifications on the high ground in the distance. Although they were simple, their height alone indicated their threat level. In order to avoid being shelled, the advancing infantry had deliberately stretched out their lines, almost extending to the entire southern coastline.
The gunners formed rows of advancing lines, while the artillerymen behind them had all dispersed and were positioned far behind these rows of gunners.
Just as they were making steady progress, the sound of cannon fire from the sea gradually ceased.
As Xia Liyan ran forward with the privates, he turned his head and could hardly believe his eyes. It seemed that the enemy warships had no intention of destroying their own ships.
Chief of Staff Humphrey, standing beside him, wiped the sweat from his face and gritted his teeth, saying:
"These bastards! They want to capture all our warships!"
Xia Liyang was furious, but there was nothing he could do. He could only shout angrily, "There's no other way. The warship will have to be abandoned!"
"Never mind all that, our mission now is to defeat the Yan people on the island and gain control of Chalme Island!"
"Their defenses on the island seem inadequate; we're sure we can take Chalme Island!"
Humphrey nodded and replied, "Yes, Marshal!"
Then he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Quickly!! Advance and take the high ground!"
——
At the highest point of Chalmers Island, a bright red flag flutters in the fierce wind.
Standing beside the flag, Qin Ze's expression was stern as he watched the Goths below advancing in rows like ant colonies on the beach.
"Simple and brutal linear tactics, with such dense formations—is this the secret weapon that allowed you Goths to dominate the continent of Salisnor?"
Then, he raised his hand and said coldly:
"Shoot them in a line!"
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