Chapter 844 Sir! Times Have Changed! The Shinsengumi Rifle Team's Shocking Debut! [4600]

"Uhhhhhhhhh!"

"What, what happened?!"

"What's going on with that sound?!"

"It's a thunder! The thunder fell!"

"What thunder! This is a cannon!"

…

In the blink of an eye, the Changzhou army was in chaos.

Due to their limited knowledge, many people - especially those forcibly recruited ronin, peasants and soldiers - had never seen a cannon and did not recognize the sound of the cannon. When they heard the terrifying "rumbling" sound, they were all frightened.

Some people even thought it was thunder falling from the sky, and their expressions changed with horror, and they almost collapsed on the ground.

Screams, roars, shouts, whines... "noisy" and "chaos" dominate this space.

At first glance, the Changzhou Army seemed to be showing signs of collapse.

At this time, Kurushima Matabei finally recovered from his shock.

As a veteran who participated in the Shimonoseki War and experienced saturation bombing by the U.S. and French fleets, he was no stranger to artillery and the "rumbling" sound of artillery.

Thanks to this personal experience, he knew very well: Although the cannon is a terrible weapon, its hit rate is not high, and its deterrent power is far greater than its destructive power.

The shells are not scary, the panic caused by the shells is scary!

After calming down, he gritted his teeth, stood up quickly, and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Don't panic! Don't scream! Don't run! This is just a cannon! It's not a thunder! Those cannonballs won't hit us that easily!"

The facts are as he said.

Although the firepower of the Shinsengumi was very fierce, dozens of artillery bombardments repeatedly, the "rumbling" echoed endlessly, and the sound was terrifying, but those shells basically fell outside the Choshu military formation, or even more distant places.

So far, no artillery shells have hit the Changzhou military formation, and only a few dozen people have been slightly injured by the aftermath of the explosion.

Kurushima Matabei happens to be a man with a loud voice.

As soon as he spoke, all the soldiers in the army heard his voice.

Under Kurushima Matabei's earnest persuasion, the soldiers' morale calmed down, and their screams and shouts gradually subsided.

As we all know, every additional "0" in the army size number increases the difficulty of management exponentially.

Not only that, the larger the army, the easier it is for panic to spread.

Unfortunately, the Choshu Army on the Fushimi side only had 3,000 soldiers. It was not large in scale and was relatively easy to manage.

If its scale is expanded several times, then Kurushima Matabei may not be able to stabilize the morale of the military in a short period of time.

If so, then this round of shelling alone would be enough to cause panic to spread rapidly, causing the army to collapse and flee.

In addition, Kurushima Matabei's ace - the guerrilla force directly affiliated with him - also plays a major role in the present.

The 600 soldiers of the guerrillas firmly defended the perimeter of the formation.

After the artillery rain came, although they also showed panic, they remained as stable as a mountain.

Neither shouting randomly nor moving randomly, he stuck to his position and effectively suppressed the spread of panic.

These elite soldiers are the backbone of an army.

They are here, the army is here.

If they were gone, the army would immediately disperse.

Seeing that the guerrilla soldiers remained motionless, those who were confused suddenly felt a little at ease.

In this way, after a brief panic, the Changzhou military formation barely restored order and was not in danger of collapse for the time being.

Kurushima Matabei breathed a sigh of relief - but soon, his face became filled with sadness again.

He turned his head and looked fiercely at the musketeers ahead who were getting closer and closer to them.

The hail of artillery fire is nothing to be afraid of.

The Musketeers, who are slowly approaching them, are the biggest threat!

If they were allowed to close the distance and enter their shooting range, it would be no joke!

At this time, Kurushima Matabei finally understood Aonto's tactics:

--snort! Use the cannon as cover and let the iron gunners take the opportunity to get close and shoot... What a good plan!

——Ju Qingden, you really underestimate us! Do you think we men from Changzhou will be intimidated by mere shells? !

As soon as he thought about this, Kushima Matabei immediately issued a new military order:

"Iron gunners and archers come forward! Defeat the enemy!"

There are a total of 250 musketeers and archers under his command.

Among them were 200 musketeers and 50 archers.

Although the number was small, Kurushima Matabei did not feel embarrassed.

Ju Qingdeng was so ignorant of soldiers that he sent musketeers to die without sending infantry or cavalry to escort him. How is this different from "baring his chest in front of the enemy's sword point"?

Just a few volleys are enough to defeat them!

Although under the persuasion and dispatch of Kurushima Matabei, the Choshu soldiers barely suppressed their panic, the fear caused by "cannonballs flying overhead and explosions heard repeatedly around them" would not be so easy. dissipate.

I saw the musketeers and archers of the Changzhou Army carrying their matchlocks and bows and arrows cautiously, moving to the front of the formation and forming three long lines.

The musketeers were in the first two columns, the first half squatting on the ground, the second standing. The archers stood at the end of the line.

In line with the simple idea of ​​"strike first to gain the upper hand", Kurushima Matabei immediately ordered:

"Prepare!"

The musketeers raised their matchlocks.

The archers raised their arrows and drew their strings.

"put!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Projectiles pierced the atmosphere one after another.

Arrows pierced the sky.

It whizzed down towards the 6th and 8th divisions who were still moving forward.

At this time, the distance between the two sides was about three hundred meters.

Because the distance was very far, only one unlucky guy was hit in the thigh by the projectile, and the others were unharmed.

After the unlucky guy fell to the ground injured, the person behind him immediately took two quick steps to fill the gap.

The troops continued to advance without any panic, as if nothing had happened.

Kurushima Matabei continued to order:

"Don't stop! Keep going! Keep going!"

The musketeers lowered their heads and concentrated on loading.

The "reloading" speed of the archers is undoubtedly faster than that of the musketeers.

After all, they just need to draw new arrows from the quiver.

Therefore, in just a moment, the archers fired a second round of arrows.

As they moved forward some distance and the distance between the two sides narrowed, many people fell to the ground this time after being hit by arrows.

"Ahhhhhhhh!"

"I-I was hit by an arrow...!"

"Tsk...! Damn Changzhou dog!"

The screams and wails in the 6th and 8th divisions suddenly increased.

At this time, the musketeers of the Changzhou Army had loaded their projectiles and were ready to shoot again.

These long-range troops are the elite of the Changzhou Army, not cannon fodder recruited temporarily - one wonders where those ronin and peasant soldiers would have the opportunity to use such expensive weapons.

Therefore, they all have a certain level of military training.

Accompanied by the sound of "click, click, click", the musketeers raised their weapons again.

Immediately afterwards, another barrage swept past.

Along with the blood mist, some people fell to the ground screaming because they were shot.

When Kurushima Matabei saw this, he couldn't help but grin with excitement.

His idea is simple: as long as he continues to output, he can defeat all the enemies before they get close!

As far as he knew, there was no army in the world that could ignore the barrage and move forward despite the barrage.

The once powerful Takeda Cavalry was defeated by the Oda Iron Artillery Team in the Battle of Changbi!

He seemed to have seen the tragic scene where the Shinsengumi Musketeers gradually lost their fighting spirit and order because they could not bear the casualties and panic, and finally collapsed.

However...as time passed, the smile on his face gradually solidified.

First his expression was startled, and then his joy gradually turned into disbelief.

Finally, his facial expression was dominated by strong shock!

The Shinsengumi Musketeers collapsed - this scene did not appear as he expected.

Under the attack of barrages and arrows, the 6th and 8th divisions indeed suffered continuous damage, and people kept falling down.

However, no matter how many people fall, the people behind will take two steps to fill the gap to ensure that the front row array is always neat.

Everyone kept their mouths tightly closed and looked forward. Even if their comrades fell down, they would not look sideways or become distracted.

Neither dodge nor fight back.

Everyone is following the order to "move forward" meticulously, just like a puppet!

For this reason, queues and formations are always intact and stable, with no signs of disorder!

This kind of scene could not help but make Kurushima Matabei feel his scalp numb.

Even Kurushima Matabei, who had personally experienced the Shimonoseki War and was a veteran, was like this, let alone others.

Seeing the Shinsengumi's musketeers getting closer and closer to them, the Choshu musketeers and archers all panicked, their hands and feet began to panic, and the frequency of attacks dropped significantly.

At this time, a certain general who also saw that something was wrong took a step forward, rushed to the island and defended his side, and suggested:

"Kurushima-sama! Let the iron gunners and archers retreat first!"

As soon as the man finished speaking, Kamijima Matabei angrily yelled:

"What nonsense are you talking about! If we order a retreat, we will only suffer more serious consequences!"

Anyone who knows a little bit about military affairs knows that when an army is fighting, it must not retreat casually.

"Fighting while retreating" is a high-end operation that is difficult to practice.

Regarding this point, Fu Jian, who mobilized millions of troops but suffered an epic defeat in the Battle of Feishui, has a strong say.

Thinking back to that year, Fu Jian listened to the suggestion of "if a small army retreats, let the soldiers circle around, and the servants and the princes slowly watch," and ordered the army to retreat on the banks of the Feishui River, which triggered a controversy. A series of chain reactions, the rear army thought that the front army was defeated, scrambled for their lives, and became a mess. The soldiers could not find the generals, and the generals could not find the soldiers. In the end, they were defeated and lost. Fu Jian lost so much that he even dropped his underwear. Unification The dream of the world came to nothing.

Advance and retreat in a well-founded manner - these four simple words are something that many commanders dream of and many armies cannot accomplish!

Except for the guerrillas, Kurushima Matabei did not think that the other troops under his command had the organizational ability to "retreat slowly" and "retreat while fighting"!

He was certain that if he gave the order to "retreat" to the musketeers and archers, it would most likely make the rear troops suspicious and lead to chaos!

By then, the Battle of Feishui might be reenacted!

Therefore, they must not be allowed to withdraw! We must hold our ground! Fight until the end!

"Don't panic! Keep shooting! Don't stop attacking! The enemy will soon be unable to hold on!"

Kurushima Matabei had to make up the lie that "the enemy army will be defeated" to appease the morale of the army.

Judging from the results, his words still had some effect.

The musketeers and archers on the front line calmed down a little. Driven by the desire to survive, they all fought hard, wishing to fill the gun chambers with bullets and pull the bowstrings to produce sparks, just to defeat the enemy army that was getting closer and closer.

Anyone with a brain knows: what will happen if the musketeers of the Shinsengumi get close!

It must be said that their performance is remarkable.

However, their heroic fight did not change the status quo.

The 6th and 8th squads kept moving forward!

Not to mention that they were defeated, they couldn't even slow down their marching speed.

Finally... they stopped.

They stopped at a distance of less than 60 meters between the two sides!

The distance was so close that even the changes in the expressions of the people on the opposite side could be seen clearly.

Inoue Genzaburo raised his knife and shouted:

"Raise your gun!"

Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click!

As soon as the order was issued, countless muskets were raised high.

"Aim!"

There were a series of "click", "click", "click" sounds of equipment colliding.

The gun body was laid flat, and the black muzzle pointed directly at the enemy on the opposite side!

Although the gun was not fired, this scene had already frightened the enemy on the opposite side!

At such a close distance, it was no different from "having the muzzle of a gun against your head"!

The timing of the attack chosen by Inoue Genzaburo was very clever and smart.

It happened to be the window period when the opponent had just fired a round of guns and was busy reloading.

The archers still had a way to shoot arrows to fight back.

But the musketeers who were still reloading were really powerless! They could only watch the dark muzzle of the opposite side pointing at them!

What was coming would eventually come -

"Fire!"

Inoue Genzaburo shouted loudly and chopped down the sword raised above his head.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Both the sound and the density of the bullets were far better than the terrifying barrage of the Choshu Army, tearing the atmosphere apart!

Countless bullets turned into a continuous rain curtain, whistling and pouring out!

Because the distance was close, and the soldiers of the 6th and 8th squads used the most advanced firearms at the time, the hit rate was very impressive.

Just one round of volleys, more than half of the opponents fell! The formation was completely messed up!

It is no exaggeration to say that such terrible casualties have basically lost their combat effectiveness!

You know, the musketeers and archers of the Choshu Army have been busy for a long time, and only shot down 30 or 40 people-in fact, this kind of lethality is already very good.

If it were other troops, bathed in the barrage and rain of arrows, so many people fell, I am afraid they would have been in chaos long ago.

It's just that the Shinsengumi is too abnormal! Even with huge casualties, they will fight to the death!

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!"

"I won't fight anymore! I won't fight anymore!"

"Save me! Save me!"

"Don't leave me!"

...

The army that won't retreat; the storm-like terrifying barrage; the visual impact of not many living people left around after a round of volleys... All these directly destroyed the long-range troops of the Choshu Army... No, correction. The fighting spirit of the remaining long-range troops of the Choshu Army!

They threw away their muskets and bows and arrows, and scrambled to turn around and flee for their lives.

Although there were still a few people left to hold their positions, they couldn't make any waves.

The musket team of the Shinsengumi not only had strong organization and terrifying hit rate, but also had an amazing reloading speed.

It took only 20 seconds for them to prepare for another shooting.

Inoue Genzaburo: "Fire!"

After the second round of barrages swept through... there were no complete living people on the Choshu Army's position.

Either they ran for their lives, or they fell to the ground wailing after being shot, rolling around in pain.

"..."

Kushima Matabei was stunned.

His mouth was wide open, and his jaw seemed to be about to drop to the ground at any time.

His long-range troops... his long-range troops of more than 200 people were wiped out after only two rounds of shooting!

In a short while, Kuushima Matabei came back to his senses, and his consciousness regained control of his body.

However, the reason why he came back to his senses was not because of how strong his willpower was, but because he saw the musket team of the Shinsengumi move!

They put away their muskets, changed back to the posture of hanging the muskets on their shoulders, and then slowly moved forward as before, straight to this place... the main camp of the Choshu army!

Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!

The sound of military drums accompanying the 6th and 8th squads hit Kuushima Matabei's heart one after another, getting heavier and closer!

Kuushima Matabei's face changed visibly - it became paler and paler.

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PS: Advance despite casualties, and fire after getting in front of the enemy - the lobster soldiers relied on this tactic to sweep the world and achieve the reputation of "The Empire on which the Sun Never Sets". This tactic represents extremely strict discipline, which is not something that every army can imitate.