Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

Chapter 167: Ximen Tang sends out troops! Firepower crushes
Toot—toot—!
Seeing the Western coalition's musketeers, they began to march towards the flank.

For a while,
The main force of the Xiongwu Army led by Ma Liangkun sounded the horn.

The spearmen in the front row knelt on one knee and began to aim.

Simultaneously,

A row of shield soldiers held up their shields and stood in front of the musketeers, leaving only the muzzles of their guns exposed.

Five meters behind the shield soldiers were the archers and spearmen.

Butterfly formation!

This is a battle formation that has been passed down since the Three Kingdoms period. The direction of the battle formation can be changed at any time according to the enemy's attack.

Advance to attack, retreat to defend!

The butterfly formation is highly maneuverable and its combat effectiveness is unquestionable.

After the musketeers opened fire, they began to reload their ammunition in unison.

at this time,

The archers began to shoot arrows to prevent the enemy from getting closer.

Spearmen throw their spears at the enemy to increase their lethality.

Repeat the process over and over again, constantly moving forward.

this moment,
The Xiongwu Army was divided into eight "butterflies", with each thousand people forming a "butterfly formation"!
Alande led the troops of the First Battalion of the Western Allied Forces and dispersed from the side.

This was not the first time that the Western coalition forces fought against the Daqian Dynasty; there had been many confrontations before.

The army of the Daqian Dynasty purchased a batch of Weiyuan cannons from the West, which were extremely powerful.

But this cannon was very clumsy, had no mobility and could only be fixed in one position.

Therefore,
As long as you avoid the attack range of the Weiyuan cannon, there will be no danger.

but,

Although Alande looked down upon the Daqian Xiongwu Army, he was not careless at all.

He knew that although the army of the Daqian Dynasty did not have powerful muskets, they did have a powerful crossbow.

This powerful crossbow is called the 'Eight Oxen Crossbow'. Although it is complicated to use, its range can reach 500 meters and it is very powerful!

Not to mention that ordinary soldiers would surely die if hit by the 'Eight Ox Crossbow', even for the strong Silver Knights, it would not be easy to avoid the 'Eight Ox Crossbow'.

Therefore,
Alande ordered the musketeers to disperse into groups of five to prevent the troops from gathering together and becoming targets for the "Eight Oxen Crossbow".

honestly,
Alande was not worried at all about the Daqian Dynasty's muskets.

The muskets sold to the Daqian Dynasty not only had poor accuracy, but also had weak bullet power. At a distance of more than 200 meters, the lethality was very low unless they hit the vital points.

Once the armor is put on, the musket bullets used by the Daqian Dynasty army will not be able to penetrate it.

If Western countries dared to sell muskets to the Daqian Dynasty, they would naturally sell "weakened versions" and would not sell the most advanced ones.

Whizzing--!
really,

As Alande ordered the soldiers to disperse, the Xiongwu Army's "Eight Oxen Crossbow" began to fire.

The distance between the two sides was more than 300 meters. The Xiongwu Army's musketeers did not open fire, but took the lead in using the "Eight Ox Crossbow"!
Alande looked at the crossbow arrow flying out of the air and a smile appeared on his face.

It seems that the Daqian Xiongwu Army dispatched troops in a hurry, and only carried less than fifty of these powerful "Eight Ox Crossbows".

This powerful crossbow is very cumbersome to use.

After firing the first arrow, if you carry a small number of them, there will be no threat.

At this moment, Alande breathed a sigh of relief.

The troops of the First Battalion of the Western Allied Forces moved to the flank while firing.

The two sides were several hundred meters apart, and the accuracy of Western muskets was poor.

Although it is more powerful than the Xiongwu Army's muskets, its lethality does not pose a threat to the Daqian soldiers at a distance of more than 300 meters.

Both sides seemed to be fighting fiercely, but both were very cautious.

In this fierce confrontation, neither side gained an advantage.

Because the Daqian Xiongwu Army formed a butterfly formation, and at the same time, shield soldiers erected thickened shields in front.

Therefore,
Even though the Western coalition forces continued to fire, they were unable to shake the Xiongwu Army's butterfly formation when the two sides were several hundred meters apart.

The soldiers of the Xiongwu Army were all elites who had undergone rigorous training. They remained unmoved by the Western musket attacks.

The formation was not at all disordered. Even if a soldier was injured by a bullet through the gap in the shield, others would immediately take his place.

Bang bang—bang bang—!
In the first round of confrontation, both sides were testing each other. With a distance of several hundred meters between them, the power of their attacks was not strong.

Although the Xiongwu Army had dozens of "Eight Ox Crossbows", their accuracy was poor and it was very cumbersome to re-pull the crossbow.

not to mention,
At this time, the Western coalition forces had dispersed and the two sides were in a stalemate.

The power of the Western coalition's muskets could not be fully exerted even though they were hundreds of meters away.

Faced with the Xiongwu Army's shield formation, the Western musketeers were helpless and unable to break through the defense.

-

Two hours have passed since the two sides first clashed.

This place is more than five kilometers away from Tanggu Port.

Ma Liangkun, who was very ambitious at the beginning, now feels a little anxious and has doubts in his heart.

The Western Allied Forces seemed to have always maintained a safe distance. They neither attacked nor retreated, and just confronted the Xiongwu Army.

Although it seems that the Xiongwu Army has the advantage.

but,

Only Ma Liangkun himself knew that the entire Xiongwu Army was in a passive situation.

All this made him feel very unhappy.

The muskets in the hands of Westerners have twice the range of those of the Xiongwu Army.

What on earth do these bastards want to do? Why do they keep fighting and retreating?

Ma Liangkun was lost in thought.

No reason!

This is not the fighting style of the Western coalition forces. Don’t they always like to use artillery?

hum!
Suddenly, Ma Liangkun remembered something and felt a chill on his back.

Damn it——!
The Western Allied Forces had been retreating in order to get out of the attack range of the Weiyuan cannon.

Oops—Tanggu Port!
After Ma Liangkun came to his senses, cold sweat broke out on his forehead and his whole body felt cold.

The enemy has been using this tactic of fighting and retreating, dragging the main force of the Xiongwu Army here.

No wonder there were only about 5,000 people. The rest of the Western coalition forces began to attack the Tanggu port.

The Western Allied Forces had 20,000 troops stationed in the Bian Du Concession.

Three thousand men were sent to bypass the Dagukou Fortress and enter Tianjin.

The remaining 12,000 people must have started to seize the Tanggu Port after the Xiongwu Army went out.

There were only two thousand people stationed at Tanggu Port. How could they possibly withstand the powerful attack of twelve thousand Western coalition forces?

Snapped!
Thinking of this, Ma Liangkun slapped himself hard in the face.

"Brothers! Retreat! Return to Tanggu Port—quickly!"

He let out a fierce roar to the subordinates around him.

When Freck saw the Xiongwu Army start to move, a smile appeared on his face.

It’s almost time!

Now that these Daqian troops have already come out, how can it be easy for them to go back?
next moment,
He just waved his hand and pulled off the cloth covering several large carts that were retreating.

The Western Allied Forces’ most powerful weapon—Krupp infantry gun!
This is the latest infantry gun developed by West Germany, and its lethality is extremely fierce.

Speaking of,
The Krupp infantry gun and the Weiyuan cannon purchased by the Daqian Dynasty were produced by the same manufacturer.

However, the Weiyuan Cannon is a Taiwanese cannon and has no mobility.

The Krupp infantry gun is the latest improved version. Although the caliber of the cannon has been reduced, its mobility has been improved.

Before this, Freck had never used artillery.

Because it is too close to the Tanggu Port, once artillery is used, it is easy to alert the enemy.

Now the Xiongwu Army has been led five kilometers away from the Tanggu Port and is no longer within the coverage of the Weiyuan artillery.

The Krupp infantry gun can finally be used.

"fire!"

Freak yelled.

Boom—boom—!
Five Krupp infantry guns opened fire, the horses neighed, and the earth shook.

The powerful shock wave completely destroyed the Xiongwu Army's "Butterfly Formation".

this moment,
The power of artillery on the battlefield makes people despair.

The soldiers of the Xiongwu Army avoided the shrapnel from the artillery shells, but were knocked to the ground by the shock wave and could not get up.

Muskets and cannons form a combination at this moment!
Freke ordered the soldiers to change guns and fire with an expressionless face!
Rows of Xiongwu Army elites were knocked over by the shock waves of the artillery shells.

The screams and wails of death, the roar of heaven and earth, converge into a death song on the battlefield.

The Krupp infantry gun could load two shells per minute.

Therefore,
After one wave of artillery attack ended, Freke ordered the musketeers to suppress it and then started the second wave of attack.

Every artillery attack would cause dozens or hundreds of casualties to the Xiongwu Army.

The north wind is howling——!
The battle formation of the Xiongwu Army was quickly destroyed by artillery fire.

Ma Liangkun's eyes turned completely red and bloodshot!
Looking at the deputy general beside him, whose neck was scratched by shrapnel from a shell and who was lying on the ground covered in blood, a trace of regret finally appeared in his eyes.

After all, I underestimated the combat effectiveness of the Western Allied Forces.

No, it was probably because they didn’t expect that the Western Allied Forces were equipped with infantry artillery that could conduct mobile operations!
How to fight this horse?
This military expedition not only failed to achieve any results, but also allowed the Westerners to break through the Tanggu port.

Ma Liangkun felt deeply guilty and felt that he deserved to die.

-

Tanggu Port.

At this time, the two corner defense cities of Dagukou Fortress had been breached. More than 3,000 Daqian elite soldiers were killed in the battle.

Simultaneously,

The twelve Weiyuan cannons deployed near the Tanggu Port were destroyed.

Although relying on fortifications, they were able to block several consecutive attacks from the Westerners.

but,

Once the entire Tanggu Port lost the protection of the Weiyuan cannon, it was only a matter of time before it was captured.

Hunter didn't feel happy at the moment, but was extremely annoyed.

He didn't expect that the garrison left at the Tanggu Port would be so tenacious.

In order to capture the Tanggu Port, the Western Allied Forces suffered heavy casualties, and hundreds of elite soldiers fell under the fortifications.

For the Western Allied Forces, every death of a soldier is something that cannot be tolerated.

After capturing the two citadels of Dagukou Fortress, internal conflicts within the Western Allied Forces began to erupt.

no way,
The American and Italian soldiers suffered too many casualties and they stopped attacking.

They occupied two Acropolises and stopped charging forward after destroying the Weiyuan cannon that could threaten the Western coalition forces.

Hunter was so depressed that he wanted to cry but had no tears. These Daqian soldiers were brave and fearless, and almost caused the coalition forces' attack to fail.

After the fall of the Acropolis, the first port to be hit was Tanggu Port.

With only 2,000 defenders, they were unable to withstand the fierce attack of the Western coalition forces.

Therefore,
Some people living in the Tanggu Port spontaneously ran to the fortifications to resist the attack of Westerners.

Even some of the elderly, weak and sick were sent to the front line.

"Pour hot oil! Quick, pour hot oil—!"

"Crossbow, load the crossbow with arrows and draw the bow!"

"Fire the trebuchets and bring the stones over!"

"Musketeer, I can fire a musket, give me bullets--!"

Shouts were heard from all sides on the defensive walls of the Tanggu Port.

The ground of the fortifications was stained red with blood, and artillery shells had blasted several gaps in the city walls.

The fortifications were littered with corpses.

Thick smoke billowed around, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood.

The Western Krupp infantry guns bombarded the fortress, causing heavy casualties to the Daqian soldiers defending the city.

But every time the Western coalition forces approached the fortifications and were about to attack the Tanggu port.

Many civilians and some remnant soldiers once again displayed extremely tenacious fighting power.

They were fearless and used their flesh and blood to block the Western coalition's attacks again and again.

in addition,

In addition, the elite American and Italian soldiers gave up and stopped attacking.

Therefore,
The war suddenly became stalemate.

How could he be willing to accept that the Western coalition forces led by Hunter failed to take over the Tanggu Port?

The fierce fighting at the Tanggu Port was extremely brutal, and it also caused chaos in several other important defensive positions in the Dagukou Fortress.

Originally everyone thought that the Western coalition forces were just testing the waters and would not actually launch an attack.

It now seems that everyone underestimated the determination of the Western Coalition.

Hunter only had 20,000 troops under his command.

Seymour also had 80,000 allied troops stationed on the outskirts of the Dagukou Fortress, watching covetously.

If troops are sent from other places to support the Tanggu Port, they will be immediately bombarded.

Because twelve Weiyuan cannons were destroyed, the support route was cut off by the Western Allied Forces.

Tanggu Port has become like an isolated island.

Simultaneously,

With Seymour's 80,000-strong coalition army tying down Ye Zhicheng's main force in the Dagukou Fortress, the Tanggu Port was left isolated and helpless.

Hunter launched another attack, determined to take over the Tanggu Port.

have to say,

Once Hunter took over the Tanggu Port, it would mean that the Dagukou Fortress would be completely lost.

Seymour's army will march straight into the capital.

The one hundred Weiyuan cannons stationed at the Dagukou Fortress will soon be destroyed and lose their deterrent effect.

at this time,

Ye Zhicheng was in the central office hall of Dagukou Fortress. When he saw the urgent military intelligence report that had just been delivered, he was so angry that he almost had a cerebral hemorrhage.

Damn it——!
How could that bastard Ma Liangkun send troops from the Tanggu Port to pursue the Western Allied Forces?
Isn't this a sheep entering a tiger's mouth?

With the firepower configuration of the Xiongwu Army, there are the defensive fortifications of the Tanggu Port and the Weiyuan cannon.

No matter how strong the Hunter coalition forces are, they will never be able to break through the Tanggu Port.

Ma Liangkun led 8,000 elite soldiers of the Xiongwu Army to pursue the Western Allied Forces, but he still hadn't returned until the Tanggu Port was about to be captured by the Western Allied Forces.

Now the defensive fortifications of Tanggu Port have been completely destroyed!

I wonder if Xu Wenyang is still alive! ?
"You stepped on the horse——!"

Ye Zhicheng smashed the table in front of him to pieces with one palm, shaking with anger.

He was worried that Ma Liangkun would be impulsive, so he specially sent Xu Wenyang to assist him, but he didn't expect that something would go wrong in the end.

"General! Let me go support the Tanggu Port!"

A deputy general said loudly: "Tanggu Port is the most important place in Dagukou Fortress. Once it is breached, the entire Dagukou Fortress will be completely breached."

"As long as Hunter's coalition forces enter the Tanggu Port, we must retreat. Otherwise, the Western coalition forces will surround us and put us in great danger!"

Ye Zhicheng shook his head and said, "Seymour's 80,000 troops are stationed just a few kilometers away. Once we send troops to support the Tanggu Port, the defense will be empty, and Seymour's army is likely to launch a general attack."

"In addition, the support route has been cut off by the 3,000 Western coalition forces that bypassed the Dagukou Fortress!"

"Damn it, they've newly equipped infantry artillery, which is the latest equipment of the Westerners. It has very strong firepower and incredible mobility."

"Is it God's will to destroy our Daqian——?"

Ye Zhicheng just felt dizzy.

Ma Liangkun, you are such a reckless man!
At this moment, Ye Zhicheng was thinking about more than just Dagukou Fortress.

If Hunter captured the Tanggu Port, the Dagukou Fortress would inevitably be breached.

Immediately afterwards, Seymour's army will head straight for the capital.

The Western Allied Forces were equipped with the latest infantry artillery, which was extremely powerful.

Before this, the Western Allied Forces did not have such terrifying artillery.

The army of the Daqian Dynasty, even the elite Xiongwu Army, seemed vulnerable in the face of the artillery of the Western coalition forces.

The Daqian Dynasty is in danger——!
-

Just before the bloody battle broke out at Tanggu Port.

After Chen Jie got up early in the morning, he asked Yan Kuangtu and Zhang Changfeng to gather all the people in Ximen Hall.

Although the urgent conscription order from the Ministry of War had not yet arrived, Chen Jie felt his heart pounding.

at this time,

He was ready to go to Dagukou Fortress to resist the Western Allied Forces.

but,

What Chen Jie didn't expect was that the situation on the battlefield suddenly got out of control!
Ma Liangkun, assistant lieutenant general of the Xiongwu Army, was actually provoked and deceived, and rashly sent troops to pursue the Western coalition forces.

They fell into the enemy's trap and the 8,000 elite soldiers of the Xiongwu Army suffered heavy losses.

The Tanggu Port was about to fall.

This is crazy——

The Ministry of War sent an army of 100,000 to the Dagukou Fortress, and began to reinforce the troops half a month ago.

How come everything turned out fine and suddenly became like this?
Seeing the information that Ximen Tang Qianying had just sent via carrier pigeon, Chen Jie felt extremely heavy-hearted.

Originally, he wanted to take advantage of the situation and try to gain some benefits from the Ministry of War.

Unexpectedly, the situation deteriorated to the point where it was almost out of control.

"Mr. Zeng, the plan has changed. We must send troops as soon as possible!"

Chen Jie was in a bad mood. His plan to get some benefits from the Ministry of War was ruined.

"The Westerners have already equipped themselves with the most advanced 'Krupp Infantry Cannon', which has crushed the army of the Daqian Dynasty!"

"If we don't send troops, I'm afraid the Dagukou Fortress will be lost soon!"

"The situation doesn't wait for anyone. We must set off immediately. I hope we can make it in time--!"

Plans can’t keep up with changes!
The situation was critical and Chen Jie no longer cared about gaining any benefits.

"Sir, can our mortars gain an advantage over the Western artillery?"

Zeng Xuanhuai asked worriedly.

Chen Jie smiled and said confidently:
"Don't worry! Their artillery can fire at most two shells per minute, and it takes twenty people to move it at the same time. The accuracy is more than fifty meters."

"Our mortars can fire 20 shells per minute. The lethality of our shells is several times greater than theirs, and our mobility is more than ten times greater than theirs."

"What's more, our mortars are accurate to within one meter. In the first exchange of fire, we can destroy all of their 'Krupp Infantry Guns'!"

"With the shipment that arrived this morning, we now have 60 mortars."

"Even if they take over Tanggu Port, we at Ximen Hall will completely destroy them!"

Zeng Xuanhuai nodded, feeling a little annoyed.

Everything was planned well, but I didn't expect that bastard Ma Liangkun would bring the battle forward.

In this case, even if Ximen Tang managed to turn the tide and capture the Dagukou Fortress, he probably wouldn't be able to gain much.

(End of this chapter)