The gunshots rang out like popcorn, as frequent as if there were no intervals.
Of course, this was a psychological effect of the Shuixi rebels. The lead bullets that were continuously fired were far less dense.
But as the white smoke rose, the flashes of light from the slowly advancing Ming army musketeers made the rebels, who had never seen such a style of fighting and such a scene, feel like they were in hell.
Boom, boom, boom... More than a dozen tiger squat cannons roared and poured hundreds of iron sand at the enemy.
With screams and wails ringing in the ears and facing enemies approaching like monsters spewing fire and smoke, the rebels were finally on the verge of collapse.
“Stop shooting!”
“Stop shooting!”
“Stop shooting!”
As the flags and drums changed, the officers shouted loudly and the musketeers stopped and loaded their ammunition in an orderly manner.
The gunfire stopped, leaving only sporadic artillery fire. But this was not the end, but the prelude to a major explosion.
Kneeling, squatting, and standing, the first three rows of musketeers took positions that surprised and confused the enemy. Then, they saw denser flames and thicker white smoke.
Every musketeer knew exactly what would happen after a concentrated fire. He watched as the musketeers in the last three rows walked past him and to the front, the musketeers who had finished firing silently fixed their bayonets to their muskets.
"Fire!" As the officer swung his sword, there was another dense roar that was almost indistinguishable in number.
The drumbeats suddenly became more intense, and the battle flag pointed diagonally forward.
Earth-shaking shouts suddenly broke out, and the Ming army officers and soldiers suddenly quickened their pace, holding their bayonets, and launched a fierce charge at the rebels who were beaten to pieces.
"kill!"
"kill!"
"kill!"
In this charge as turbulent as the tidal wave, every soldier couldn't help but widen his eyes and let out shouts from his chest.
In the eyes of the frightened rebels, the enemies were like bloodthirsty wolves and ferocious beasts, each with a ferocious face, rushing towards them in an unstoppable manner.
Collapsed, the rebels finally collapsed, and were completely defeated before the battle even started!
Amidst the panicked and terrified cries and shouts, the rebels began their chaotic flight, with horses and men trampling on each other, their flags toppling, and the chaos being so chaotic that no one could stop it.
But the officers and soldiers, as ferocious as wolves and tigers, did not slow down their pace and pursued them even more bravely.
Puff! The bayonet pierced into the back of a rebel, and amid the splattering of blood, he paused for a moment before the bayonet was pulled out.
Xu Xiaoqi bared his teeth. He had experience with stabbing with a bayonet, but he knew he couldn't thrust too hard, as it would get stuck. He quickened his pace and charged forward alongside his comrades.
Does killing feel good?! Everyone has their own feelings, but for officers and soldiers like Xu Xiaoqi, this is their job. Killing the enemy with blood and flesh flying everywhere does make them very excited.
The thrill of the chase made the Ming army even more crazy, while the rebels did not even dare to turn their heads, throwing away their guns and knives, wishing they had two more legs.
Even some rebels who knelt on the ground and begged for mercy were killed by the Ming army officers and soldiers, who were completely unable to stop.
The thunder of horse hooves echoed across the battlefield as hundreds of Huguang cavalry charged in. Facing the rebels, who had lost all their fighting spirit, their desire to take advantage was obvious.
Under the general's flag, Sun Yingyuan issued an order to stop the pursuit and began to discuss the experience and shortcomings of this battle with several officers.
The new army was just being established and was undergoing training and refitting. Although it was considered to be well-armored and well-armed, it did have many shortcomings in tactics.
This is perfectly normal, just as in the age of firearms, tactics were constantly being refined through trial and error. Looking back from a later perspective, it would be a bit harsh to think that the people of the time were foolish and their tactics were clumsy.
History has proven that all new tactics are met with resistance when they are created and introduced. The reason is simple: without actual combat proof, how could people at the time make a judgment?
Fire muskets in rotation, maintain the continuity and persistence of firepower, and try to kill the enemy from a distance; dare to fight with bayonets and not be afraid of any enemy in close combat.
Although Zhu Youxiao did not mechanically apply these two principles, he still wrote them into the Infantry Drill Manual. In his view, in this era, if these two points could be achieved, then the army would be fully qualified to be a strong one.
The Shuixi rebels were obviously much easier to deal with than the Jiannu.
First, the equipment: few of the rebels wore armor, and none of them wore heavy armor, or even multiple layers of armor; they had bows and arrows, but not many of the Jiannu's longbows and heavy arrows;
Secondly, the rebels excelled at mountain warfare, taking advantage of the complex terrain of mountains, forests, and river valleys, making them difficult to eliminate in a short period of time. However, they did not have an advantage in open battle.
The main reason why the rebellion was so fierce was that it was launched suddenly and the inland garrisons were not strong enough. By the time the Ming army in various places took it seriously, the rebels suffered a series of defeats.
The 6,000 troops transferred from the capital were far superior to the garrison troops. Not only were they well-equipped, but their combat effectiveness far surpassed that of other Ming troops.
With the arrival of 6,000 elite troops, the new Guizhou Governor Wang Sanshan also received strict orders from the court to divide his troops into three groups and advance towards Guiyang.
The 6,000 Beijing troops and the 4,000 Huguang Ming troops served as the central route. They first fought in Xintian, then in Longli, and then successively recaptured Qilichong and Bijiepu, killed the rebel general An Bangjun, captured An Bangyan's brother Alun, and killed tens of thousands of rebels.
"The rebels' fighting power is just so-so, far inferior to that of the Jiannu!" Huang Degong curled his lips and shook his head, full of contempt.
Xu Hongyu agreed deeply, nodding repeatedly and boasting a little, "Brother Huang is absolutely right. I have fought against the Jiannu in southern Liaoning, and they are indeed fierce and stubborn."
Cao Bianjiao chuckled and said, "I read the intelligence before we came here. The Shuixi rebels are particularly good at fighting in the mountains and forests, but they are very mediocre at charging into battle on the plains. Our trip here is just to train them."
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