The kite team's bombing method was jokingly called "blind sniping" by Wu Lai, because it was really "blind" - the distance was determined by the markings on the rope, and the position was determined by adjusting the rope traction posture according to the wind direction. Moreover, each enemy artillery position was a small barracks, and it was obviously not easy to accurately hit the warehouse and artillery.
But the kite team did it. If it didn't work once, try it twice. If it didn't work twice, try it three times. Although only two kites were launched on one side each time for fear of the ropes getting tangled, the wind tonight was strong enough to make the kites rise into the sky at a very fast speed and fly to the predetermined position. When the mark on the rope reached the end, the operator would adjust it again according to the real-time wind direction and then cut one rope. The kite, which lost its balance, would dive headfirst.
According to Wu Lai's estimation, for every six kites launched into the air, he would be able to accurately hit one. Although there would be slight errors with the remaining five, they would definitely hit the range of the artillery position and exert some power.
It must be said that his estimate was very accurate. Although this hit rate was not high, Wu Lai had prepared a lot of kites and bombs for these turrets, so Wu Lai didn't mind throwing one or two more kites at each turret...
Soon, the first artillery positions on the left and right cliffs were engulfed in thick smoke and fire...
At the same time, a hundred shotgunners rushed into the first stone wall under the cover of shield and sword soldiers.
"Bang!" A large amount of gunfire spurted out from the muzzle of a shotgun, and three Tianjuan soldiers who rushed over with swords brandishing fell to the ground. Several people who followed closely behind also splattered blood and wailed.
"Bang!" A Tianjuan soldier who was thrusting his spear suddenly leaned back, and half of his head turned into a ball of flying blood...
"Bang!" Seven or eight wounded soldiers who had just struggled to stand up fell down again, and two torches flew far away...
After the shotgun roared dozens of times, there were no more Tianjuan soldiers standing in the first stone wall.
The sword and shield soldiers picked up or lit torches and began to search for people who pretended to be dead - this was one of the routine combat tasks of the Sixth Division, because their division commander Pu Tong said that after many years of military service, what he hated most were those who pretended to be dead on the battlefield and then launched a sneak attack.
There are many versions of why Pu Tong hated it so much. One of them is considered the most reliable by everyone who has heard it. After a battle, Pu Tong was triumphantly patrolling the battlefield to command and collect. Unexpectedly, when he walked to a pile of corpses, two enemy soldiers who pretended to be dead suddenly "resurrected" and pounced on him. Then, Pu Tong was stabbed in an indescribable place in the buttocks. Although it was not fatal, for the next one and a half months, Pu Tong felt that the most tormenting thing was going to the toilet...
"Hurry up and search!" Pu Tong's loud voice rang out, "Yell three times and let those who are willing to surrender crawl out on their own. After three times, stab the bodies several times and cut their throats. Don't stab the fleshy parts!"
After the soldiers responded in unison, some people began to shout "surrender" among the scattered pile of corpses.
"Commander, do we still want him to surrender even though he is seriously injured?" A company commander ran up to Pu Tong and asked.
Pu glared at him: "Do you still need to ask these questions? Haven't I said again and again that for wounded soldiers who are willing to surrender, no matter how serious their injuries are, we must save them at all costs and give them a chance to reform!"
After saying that, Pu Tong winked at the company commander. Seeing that the company commander looked confused, he winked again and patted the company commander on the shoulder.
"Commander, I understand." The company commander suddenly realized.
"Go!" Pu Tong waved his hand with satisfaction, turned around and shouted to the others, "All the outsiders, get out, and those who are capturing prisoners, don't worry about the spoils! The explosives team, come up and blow up the door ahead!"
After a while, with a series of muffled "bang bang bang bang" sounds, the gate of the second stone wall was shattered into pieces. Before the smoke and dust had dispersed, Pu Tong led his men to rush into the first stone wall again. At the same time, twenty mortars roared...
After the kite team had used up twenty-nine kites, Wu Lai's "reconnaissance plane" took off again. Partly because it was necessary, and partly because of the wind, so this time his "reconnaissance plane" stayed in the air longer than before. When it was retrieved, he happened to see Pu Tong and his men blasting open the gate of the fourth stone wall and rushing into the fifth stone wall.
After watching the scene, Wu Lai immediately summoned Spotted Wolf: "The first and second artillery batteries on the left and right wings have been destroyed. The muzzles of the third artillery batteries are already aimed at the passage. According to their range, they can cover half of the area of the sixth stone wall. Behind the seventh stone wall, the enemy is already increasing its troops. The vanguard of the Sixth Division has already rushed into the fifth stone wall, so you must hurry up and destroy all the third artillery batteries on both wings to ensure that the Sixth Division is not disturbed by artillery fire."
"Yes." Spotted Wolf agreed, turned around and ran back to the command position...
…
The pain in Leiden's heart was no less than the pain caused by the wounds on his body.
In the first wave of "air raids" by the Kite Team, he was relatively lucky. Although the bomb that deviated from the designated position collapsed most of his shed and killed a dozen people including his guard captain, Leiden survived. Apart from some scratches and cuts from flying debris, the most serious injury was the blow to his right waist that hit the door frame.
But these injuries were painful to him. You know, although he had been in the army for some years, he had never suffered an injury like today, not even once.
After climbing up from the door frame, Leiden ran desperately out of the artillery position. In his panic, he didn't care about the soldiers who were fleeing with him. Not long after he ran away, several of his guards and a lieutenant caught up with him, and then helped him onto the horse, and jolted all the way to the second artillery position. But before Leiden could dismount and walk in, another bomb fell from the sky.
So Leiden simply headed straight for the third artillery battery.
He felt slightly lucky that this place had not been attacked. What made him even more fortunate was that there was a natural stone fort in the third artillery position - it was actually a large raised stone, the size of three ordinary houses. What was amazing was that there was a hole in the middle of it, which could accommodate seven or eight people without feeling crowded. The most amazing thing was that the entrance of the hole was just diagonally opposite the stone wall passage.
This naturally became Leiden's temporary command post. After making sure that he was temporarily safe, he ordered all the torches on the third turret to be lit, and then used flag signals to command the third turret on the opposite side to adjust the muzzle and point it at the Sixth Division...
But Leiden was not sure at all. The stops and starts along the way gave him a better understanding of the Sixth Division's offensive methods - first use artillery fire to blow up the defenders behind the stone wall, then blow open the gate, capture prisoners, clear out the resistance, blow open another door, and follow up with artillery fire...
He couldn't understand why the enemy knew the exact location of the artillery position. If they didn't know, how could they hit the target accurately without missing anything? He couldn't understand why the enemy knew the exact deployment of the troops on the stone wall. How could they know that there were people behind the first, third, fifth, and seventh stone walls, but no one behind the second, fourth, and sixth stone walls? Under his strict defense, the enemy had no chance to go up the cliff to investigate. Even if the enemy's scouts really came up, how many sentries would they have to avoid in order to find out the deployment behind so many stone walls? Could it be that the enemy had gods to help them in the battle?
Most importantly, what happened to those bombs that fell from the sky? How could the enemy's artillery have such a long range? Then why did the Canyon Pass hold out for so long? If it wasn't for the artillery...
Leiden didn't dare to think any further. His mind was in a mess like a pile of hemp ropes that were tangled beyond repair. Everything about the enemy made him feel confused and afraid...
What should I do? How should I fight this battle? Who can tell me? Oh, pray to the gods, pray to the gods, God Luo, you are the guardian of the people of heaven, please send down the oracle and tell your humble people what I should do. Leiden bowed his head and closed his eyes, crossed his hands on his chest, and prayed with far greater piety than before...
…
"Bang, bang, bang!" With a series of loud noises, the gate of the sixth stone wall opened. Pu Tong, who was resting with his ears covered outside the gate of the fifth stone wall, immediately stood up and called on the mortar team, shotgun team, and shield men to run behind the fifth stone wall.
"Old rules! Hurry up and set up the artillery, and give those guys two good blows." Pu Tong shouted as he ran, "Be careful this time, don't rush in after blowing the door open, especially pay attention to the small stone forts on the left and right sides. The shield soldiers will cover a few people first and throw a few shells to kill the bastards inside first!"
"Okay!" the soldiers around responded.
"There are still prisoners! Make sure to tie them up tightly! We will treat them well after we return to the camp!" Pu Tong shouted. During the attack on the defenders behind the fifth stone wall just now, several prisoners suddenly attacked, strangled a shotgunner and cut his throat. One of them even tried to snatch his gun. The gunman next to him saw the situation and opened fire immediately. The prisoners were killed, but the ammunition bag on the shotgunner who was attacked exploded, injuring several shotgunners around him. Pu Tong was so heartbroken that he was furious. How could he let such a loss happen again?
Pu Tonggang led his team to rush into the third of the sixth stone wall, and the gate of the seventh stone wall opened, and then.
"Get down! Shield soldiers, cover!" Pu Tong shouted, and the people around him and behind him lay down in a large number. The shield bearers crouched forward and stacked up in several layers in front of everyone.
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"Charge! Kill!" A flash of fire appeared behind the seventh stone wall gate, and shouts of killing were like thunder. Team after team of soldiers holding swords, torches and roaring rushed out of the gate, rushing towards Pu Tong and others.
"I knew these bastards weren't coming to surrender!" Pu Tong spat fiercely, and while climbing up, he shouted an order, "The artillery team retreat! The rifle team advance!"
The mortarmen retreated as ordered, and the shotgunners quickly crawled forward and got into the defense circle woven by the shield bearers. At the same time, more than a hundred figures suddenly appeared above the seventh stone wall, drawing bowstrings, loading arrows, and preparing to shoot from a high position.
After taking a glimpse in the firelight, Pu Tong frowned and asked the third commander squatting beside him: "You are good at archery, show me, at this distance, can they shoot at us?"
The third captain took a quick look and shook his head with certainty: "It's definitely not possible. Even though they all have longbows and are high above, they are against the wind and can't shoot. Even projectiles won't work."
"Then I'm relieved." Pu Tong nodded, drew his sword and pointed it forward, "Shotgun! Fire as soon as the enemy enters the range. Pay attention! Make sure the firepower continues!"
The only answer he got was the blast of a shotgun, as the enemy charged forward...
…
"Supreme Goddess, didn't you hear my prayer?" Leiden's body trembled involuntarily, just like his voice.
He tried hard to hold the telescope tightly in his hand, because he felt that if he used a little less strength, the telescope would definitely slip and fall to the ground and break into countless pieces.
He had no time to ponder why he had such strange thoughts, because he was watching the fighting inside the sixth stone wall. The more he watched, the more his heart ached. It hurt so much that it felt as if countless wounds were bleeding, and it hurt as if he was falling into an abyss.
What he saw was a crushing massacre. Soldiers under his command kept falling. In the smoke and fire, corpses, pools of blood, and scattered weapons kept piling up, and the enemy was approaching step by step. Every time a charge was stopped, the Assyrian shieldmen would move forward a few steps...
"General! The reinforcements have arrived as you ordered." A sudden report startled Leiden. He turned around subconsciously and then he realized that the person who reported to him was the messaging general.
"Are you sure it's in place?" Leiden asked.
"Yes, troops and horses have been deployed behind the eighth, ninth and tenth stone walls, and shields and archers have been added. Two thousand five hundred people have been deployed on the cliffs on both sides of the tenth and eleventh stone walls. Wooden beams, bows and arrows, torches and oil bags have been prepared, which are enough to block the wall." The general who sent the message replied.
"Good! Great!" Leiden nodded heavily, with some hope in his heart. "Send someone to Canyon Pass immediately to report the current battle situation here to General Garlon. Also, ask him to transfer 50 muskets and tell him that the situation is urgent."
"Yes!" The general replied loudly, and then asked, "General Leiden, do you have any other instructions? If not, I will go right away."
"Go, and come back soon!" Leiden waved his hand, raised the telescope again, and after taking a few glances, he stretched out his hand to summon the messenger waiting outside the stone gate.
"General, what do you want me to do?" the two messengers asked while saluting.
"Go and notify the flag signal soldiers to tell the artillery on the opposite side to open fire immediately!" Leiden frowned and gave the order, then said to the artillery officer waiting behind him, "We will open fire immediately."
"General, our people are still charging..." The deputy general at the artillery position was stunned and said quickly.
"Open fire immediately! Make sure to block the enemy outside the seventh stone wall! Do you hear me? Immediately! Immediately!" Leiden roared...