But the Xixia people and horses were frightened, especially the horses.
Even though Li Yuanhao has learned to be smart and plug the horse's ears to prevent loud noises, it is difficult to cover its eyes with a blindfold as well.
Regardless of the cost or the fact that they were not charging blindly at this moment, they would only expose the horses to gunfire.
After more than a dozen rounds of shooting, the Western Xia cavalry scattered like birds and beasts. Jia Kui then led his soldiers to the beach. More than a hundred of them organized a firepower network, forcing the surrounding Western Xia soldiers not to step out of line.
Then the ship began to turn back and continue to pick up people.
If the Western Xia army took the opportunity to charge forward regardless of casualties at this time, the firepower network organized by more than a hundred people would have no problem capturing them even if one or two hundred of them were killed.
The defending general on the Xixia side was no fool. He actually understood this and began to shout at the soldiers from all units to assemble quickly.
However, if the number of people was too small, they would just be going to die. But most of the Western Xia soldiers were already scared out of their wits, and the frightened horses were running around. It was very difficult to reorganize the personnel and launch an offensive, and time was urgently needed.
Both sides raced against time. After about a quarter of an hour, the Western Xia side finally managed to organize a team of 3,000 people, arranged them in battle formation, and planned to launch a death charge.
But before they even started, they fell into despair, because the next wave of Song soldiers had already rowed their boats to the shore at high speed, also forming a musket formation.
With the current situation, even if we rush over and win, it will be a miserable victory at best.
The Xixia general gritted his teeth and shouted in Xixia: "Warriors of our tribe, the eagle will not bow its proud head to anyone. Even death cannot shake our honor. Kill!"
"kill!"
The group of people who followed Li Yuanhao to conquer the country were considered the elite of Western Xia. They were so brave and fearless that they launched a death-like charge.
Seeing this, Jia Kui, who was building a defense line on the shore in the distance, sneered and shouted, "Draw your weapons."
Immediately, soldiers came onto the boat and began to carry grenades.
Although muskets and cannons were widely equipped, the Song army always had reserves of these things. After all, it was a fight between firearms and cold weapons, so how could they not prepare anything?
The Song soldiers hung two or three grenades on their waists. When crossing the river for the second time, Jia Kui ordered people to move a large number of grenades onto the boat.
At this moment, about thirty people abandoned their guns and moved grenades to the front of their positions.
The remaining 200 or so people continued to form three firing formations, aiming their guns at the Western Xia cavalry that were charging towards them on the northern plains.
"shooting!"
When the cavalrymen were more than a hundred feet away, which is about three hundred meters, Jia Kui shouted loudly.
Although the Minié bullet is not as convenient and simple to load as the breech-loading rifle, its range is not much inferior.
Later, during the Civil War, Confederate sniper Sergeant Grainen created a miracle by killing Union General John Sedgwick with a single shot from a Whitworth rifle at a distance of 900 meters.
The structure of this rifle is even worse than the current muskets of the Song Dynasty.
Because the early design of the Whitworth rifle did not have Minié bullets and used hard projectiles, the muzzle was easily stuck by the bullet during loading, making it impossible to shoot.
Minié bullets were not used until a later period, and the lack of airtightness led to incomplete combustion, which caused serious problems with the residue inside.
Today, weapons manufacturing in the Song Dynasty is the result of extensive research by the imperial court, unlike in the 18th and 19th centuries in the West, where folk craftsmen or gunsmiths often modified and designed the weapons themselves. Nimi bullets were the first to be widely used, and their airtightness was reduced to the lowest level.
The power of a country and the power of an individual naturally have completely different levels of perfection in the firearms they design.
So to some extent, the firearms of the Song Dynasty today are more advanced than those during the American Civil War, and even stronger than those during the Guangxu period of the late Qing Dynasty in 1880.
It has basically reached the threshold before the First World War, that is, the era before France invented smokeless gunpowder in 1886, and before the world abandoned black powder after 1890 and began to vigorously develop modern rifles.
At this moment, the enemy cavalry regrouped and launched another attack towards the river. Dozens of musketeers immediately opened fire, followed by a second round, a third round, and a fourth round, which continued endlessly.
The Xixia cavalry in front fell like wheat being harvested, causing the Xixia general who was also charging with the team to sweat profusely and feel a sense of fear in his heart.
But he didn't dare to think of slowing down or leaving the battlefield.
Sometimes marching and fighting all depend on momentum. Once the momentum is not displayed or the morale is lost, the army will be truly defeated.
Therefore, the Xixia side could only continue to charge forward, praying to God to protect them and prevent bullets from falling on their heads.
One hundred zhang is only a distance of 300 meters, which takes less than a minute, but for the Xixia soldiers, it seemed like half a century had passed, so long and terrifying.
But after sacrificing hundreds of lives, the remaining two thousand or so finally reached the front, making the surviving Xixia general both excited and nervous.
He was excited because luck had indeed favored him and allowed him to survive. He was nervous because he saw with his own eyes that when the Song army was about to close to within thirty feet, they suddenly pulled out the grenade that made them tremble with fear.
This thing is very familiar to the Xixia people.
Before the Xixia soldiers could react, they heard the Song army shouting, "Grenadiers, prepare!"
"Throw!"
Thirty zhang is more than ninety meters. At this distance, the bombers cannot throw the bomb even if they try their best.
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