Chen Zhaojun led his troops to occupy the best positions on the city wall, loaded their guns, but did not fire immediately.
For a musketeer, every bullet is extremely precious.
Because each of them only has 100 bullets in total.
Fang Jing, the infantry commander who had stormed the city wall, began to direct his men to arrange tall shields to block the rain of arrows flying up from below.
The musketeers lay prone beneath the battlements, shielded from view, poised to fire.
The Xia army below continued to charge up the city walls. The Song army, which had captured the city walls and guarded the key points, began to assemble. On one side, spearmen held the key points, while on the other side, crossbowmen suppressed the Xia army's advance.
The Xia army soldiers who attacked were shot in the forehead, in the eyeball, and in the chest by crossbow bolts...
The spearmen, positioned at the top of the steps, gripped a small shield in one hand and a spear in the other, forcefully thrusting at the advancing Xia army.
The Song army had temporarily suppressed the Xia army below the city walls.
But the number of Xia archers below increased, and the rain of arrows became dense, like a downpour coming upside down.
The Song army's shields could not be penetrated by arrows, but the dense rain of arrows created a powerful impact, making the soldiers feel as if a tiger was pouncing on them. Their wrists were pressed down painfully, and they would be pushed down immediately without using their hands to push.
The arrow rain simultaneously shifted towards the entrance of the stairs, and more than a dozen Song army spearmen at the entrance were instantly shot dead.
A breach appeared in the strategic point, and the Xia army below charged up, engaging in close combat with the Song army above.
Chen Zhaojun lay prone behind the battlements and shouted, "Ready!"
At his command, the musketeers placed their loaded muskets on the gaps between the battlements, lay prone on the ground, and were protected by the shields of their infantry armor.
Some musketeers were huddled together, so they simply shared a single opening.
"emission!"
At his command, the sound of muskets immediately rang out.
Dozens of bullets shot downwards simultaneously, some hitting Xia Jun's forehead, some his mouth, some his chest, and some his eyes.
Immediately, more than thirty Xia soldiers fell to the ground, some seriously wounded, others dead.
Chen Zhaojun's firearms battalion was not under Fang Jing's command. Seeing that the musketeers had already begun to act, he immediately ordered, "Archers, suppress them!"
The archers, crouching in the back, began to nock their arrows and shoot downwards.
At the same time, flags were waved on the city wall.
Wang Gui, the commander of the Divine Martial Army, immediately ordered: "Kill!"
The Shenwu Army infantry, who had already reached the city gate, began to advance rapidly. This once-mighty iron army, which had struck fear into the hearts of Jiaozhi, roared in unison: "Long live the Emperor!"
Their pace quickened, with the infantry at the front carrying heavy shields, while those behind them held their spears horizontally forward, and they soon advanced into the city.
As soon as they stepped into the city, a storm of arrows rained down on them.
The rhythm of the war drums outside changed, suddenly becoming extremely fast, as fast as a waterfall crashing against rocks.
Fang Jing knew that the vanguard battalion of the Shenwu Army had already broken through, and the city walls had to cover the Shenwu Army infantry's charge.
"Archers, fire freely!"
Song soldiers continued to scale the city walls using ladders, and the number of arrows fired back from the walls also increased.
"Thunderclap!"
Twenty thunderbolts were immediately thrown down.
Bang bang bang...
A thunderbolt exploded below the city, blasting a gap in the formidable Xia army's defenses. The Xia army's foremost infantry line briefly collapsed, and the Xia army commanders were quickly replenishing their ranks.
But the Shenwu Army infantry armor had already advanced powerfully forward like tanks.
Chen Zhaojun's musket fired four times in a row during this period. After the musketeers in the front row finished firing, the musketeers in the back row immediately stepped forward to fire.
This meant that each person fired two shots, which was completely unexpected.
This speed was fast enough, and the muskets played a significant role in suppressing the Xia army archers below.
The Song army's archers fired freely, but they didn't actually aim at the target. Instead, they shot the arrows straight out and let them fall to the ground, hitting wherever they could, as long as the general direction was correct.
Muskets were far more accurate than archers. When the Shenwu Army infantry charged in, they fired freely, and with the strong suppression from the musketeers, the pressure on the Shenwu Army infantry was immediately reduced to a minimum.
The Xia army's defensive line, breached by the thunderbolts, provided the Shenwu Army's infantry with an excellent opportunity.
They approached Xia Jun, and the entire army began to run in a rhythmic, small-step pace. The shields in front quickly slammed into Xia Jun's bodies, followed by spears thrusting out from the rear.
Each of them was clad in military equipment weighing up to thirty kilograms, and when they charged together, it was as if a tank from later times was pressing down on them.
The war quickly shifted from a long-range weaponry battle between the two sides to close-quarters combat as the Song army gained the upper hand and charged forward.
The pressure at the top of the city wall stairs instantly lessened, and the Song army began to kill the Xia soldiers who had stormed the city and shoot them dead on the stairs.
The battle line was officially pushed into the city below by the Song army's rhythmic and well-commanded tactics, and they engaged in close combat with the Xia army.
Compared to Jiaozhi, the Xia Kingdom was a powerful nation. The Xia army was very strong. Most of them were Hu people, with a fierce and warlike culture. They were organized into groups and their battles were quite disciplined.
This was the first time the Shenwu Army had directly confronted the Xia Army, and it could also be considered the first time the Shenwu Army had fought a tough battle.
Fortunately, the thunderbolt had just blasted a gap in the Xia army's front line of defense. Before the Xia army could replenish its defenses, the Shenwu Army's infantrymen had already pressed in and fought their way through the gap.
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