With 100,000 elite soldiers at the start, what should you call me?

……

The mountain road was pitch black and silent, except for the chirping of mosquitoes, birds and beasts; the silence was so profound that it inspired fear.

But no one could have imagined that a group of people were lying in ambush on the hillsides on both sides of the mountain road, quietly waiting for the enemy to arrive.

A rustling sound arose, and a patch of green grass slowly moved backward, eventually disappearing behind a boulder.

Besides him, there were two other people leaning against the rock behind the stone, resting with their eyes closed.

"Xiao Yi is changing shifts."

"Okay, Brother Ming."

When his name was called, Xiao Yi opened his eyes, crawled out from behind the rock, and lay prone on the ground. His body was camouflaged with plants, which perfectly concealed him. Even if someone came right in front of him, it would be difficult to spot him.

Wang Xiaoming plucked a blade of grass and chewed it.

"The food today is really bad. It's even blander than the dry rations and biscuits we used to eat. The millet rice is hard, and there's biscuits and a piece of bitter salt. It's really disgusting."

Wang Xiaoming complained a little; this was the worst meal he had ever had since he joined the army, with almost no meat in sight.

Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, Wang Xiaoming took the initiative to talk to someone.

"Brother Yang, which batch of soldiers were you in?"

Yang Ge on the other side opened his eyes and replied, "The third phase."

"Oh, what a coincidence, I'm also in the third cohort," Wang Xiaoming said happily.

"No wonder you looked so familiar, Yang-ge. Are you in the class taught by Instructor Bing?"

Fei Yang: "That's right, I'm in Instructor Bing's class."

Wang Xiaoming: "I heard that Instructor Bing is the best person, kind and generous, unlike our instructors who punish people at the drop of a hat. Sigh."

"But compared to now, I was so much happier back in military school. I never imagined we'd actually be fighting. Come to think of it, this is the first time I've seen the principal. He looks so young..."

Wang Xiaoming kept talking in a low voice, rambling on and on.

At this moment, Liang Yi, who was on guard ahead, immediately warned the two of them.

"Something's up!" Fei Yang noticed Liang Yi's prompt and immediately interrupted Wang Xiaoming.

Wang Xiaoming's expression changed, and he tensed up. This was their first time participating in actual combat.

The two crawled forward from behind the rock, pointing their guns at the road below.

Ahead at the crossroads, the bright moon was setting in the west when a cavalry force charged forward at high speed, kicking up clouds of dust.

"General, there is a narrow intersection ahead. Should we send troops to inspect both sides?"

A soldier ahead turned back and reported the situation at the intersection to Li Shuotai in advance.

Li Shuotai squinted slightly, looking ahead in the moonlight.

"The pass ahead is indeed a good place for an ambush, but the rebels would never have expected our army to launch a surprise attack at this time."

Yesterday, while advancing along the Jianxi River, Li Shuotai discovered that the rebel scouts, lacking horses, could not keep up with their speed and were left far behind.

In other words, the rebels had no idea when they had crossed the Jianxi River, let alone when they would launch an attack.

Opportunities in combat are fleeting, and surprise attacks require speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness.

"Send two teams to scout ahead, and the rest will follow."

To be on the safe side, Li Shuotai still sent two teams to scout out the situation.

Although the rebels are poorly equipped, they have a large number of people. If they are surrounded, there will definitely be a lot of losses in the chaos.

Li Shuotai never imagined he would be defeated by a group of unarmored rebels.

This battle is destined to be won; the only difference is whether it's fought well or poorly.

"Yes, General."

Soon, the two groups of men entered the pass first. They dismounted and roughly inspected the hillsides on both sides. Finding no problems, they signaled the troops behind them to continue advancing.

"Speed ​​up, we need to raid the enemy camp before dawn."

Li Shuotai's order came from the rear: the troops at the front should advance rapidly.

The cavalrymen squeezed their horses' bellies, making them trot.

The infantry behind quickly ran to catch up.

Bang! A gunshot rang out first, echoing through the valley.

The next second, a barrage of gunfire erupted one after another, sounding like firecrackers going off during Chinese New Year, the intensity of the firepower was terrifying.

The new army soldiers faced downwards, pulled the bolt to eject the spent cartridge, pushed in a bullet, pulled the bolt, and finally aimed and fired. The fastest could fire a shot in less than two seconds.

The bullet struck the Qing soldier below, instantly shattering his chest. His eyes were filled with terror as he fell off his horse.

At a distance of less than 100 meters, even wearing three layers of armor would not save one's life, let alone the fact that the Qing army was on the march and at most wearing a light leather or cloth armor.

Although the new army only had one Hanyang rifle, it was a modern weapon with great power, long range, high accuracy, and low recoil. It was a devastating blow to the Qing army below!

What's more, they were ambushing each other in a confined space!

What's even more terrifying is that the enemy's muskets were more powerful than imagined; even horses couldn't withstand more than a few shots!

In the first volley of fire, Qing soldiers fell in droves, just like wheat being harvested in a rice paddy.

"Retreat, retreat quickly!"

Li Lutai panicked instantly; all he could think about was escaping.

He didn't understand why the troops ahead hadn't detected the ambush, nor did he understand why the enemy's firepower was so intense.

At that moment, he was filled with fear and only wanted to escape from this place immediately.

However, just as he shouted the order, several loud thuds rang out, and several bloody holes instantly appeared on his body. His pupils shrank, his eyes filled with disbelief, and he fell off his warhorse.

Without a commander, the soldiers at the front suffered heavy casualties from the ambush. The surviving soldiers ran back as if they had seen a ghost, blocking the road in an instant.

"Kneel down! Those who surrender will not be killed!"

Seeing that the Qing troops below offered almost no resistance, Battalion Commander Chen Dabiao immediately ordered a ceasefire and sent someone to make a public announcement.

As the gunfire gradually subsided, Chen Dabiao's lips curled into a slight smile. He had fought so brilliantly in his first battle; the commander would surely look at him with new respect!

"Go down and clean up the battlefield, and tell the men below to be careful."

Seeing the Qing soldiers below kneeling and begging for mercy, Chen Dabiao then ordered them to leave.

This battle was a one-sided rout. Not to mention that the new army had advanced weapons, their weapons also had the characteristic of unlimited ammunition. There was no time to reload; they could just pull the bolt and fire.

Therefore, the intensity of the firepower was comparable to that of several machine guns firing.

Chen Dabiao, carrying his gun, led his soldiers down the slopes on both sides, looking at the mess on the ground.

"Make sure the horses that are still alive are calmed down; they're all treasures!"

"It's the battalion commander!"

"Hahaha, Da Biao, we fought a brilliant battle! I never expected the Qing army to be so easily defeated."

At this moment, a man in his thirties walked up the opposite slope, grinning from ear to ear. He was Sun Quan, the battalion commander of the First Battalion, who was working with Chen Dabiao to ambush the enemy.

"Hehe, this is all thanks to the commander's brilliant strategy."

Just as the two were chatting, a commotion suddenly came from afar.

"I'll fight you to the death!"

"what!"

Bang bang bang!