Confidence Shattered

At this point, the Government Army inside the fort simply retreated and stayed behind the wall, firing arrows out through the crenellations.

Arrows rained down on the charging men, but fortunately everyone was wearing stab-proof vests reinforced with steel plates and helmets, and because it was dark and aiming was difficult, very few were injured.

At this moment, the main force had arrived. A soldier carrying a large iron ball rushed forward, lit the fuse with a tinderbox, and as the flames were about to reach their end, he swung his arm and hurled the iron ball through the open fortress gate. He then turned and ran, shouting as he went.

"Get down!"

Boom--!

A deafening roar, like a muffled thunderclap, shook the entire camp. Gravel and clods of earth rained down, hitting everyone's helmets and shoulders, causing sharp pain.

Before the smoke had even cleared, several men in black had already leaped inside.

The inside of the fortress gate was partially destroyed by the bomb, and the remaining defenders were left dazed and confused. Several men, carrying sabers, searched the area, and if they found anyone still breathing, they would finish them off with a blow before cleaning up the battlefield.

The rest of the troops continued their advance, crossing the camp and rushing towards the next location.

Their whereabouts had been exposed, and there was nothing left to hide. This battle was changed from a night raid to a full-scale assault.

Immediately afterwards, within a dozen minutes, two more loud explosions rang out. The other two fortified camps leading down the mountain were also destroyed or destroyed in succession.

The troops from Azure Cloud Stronghold pushed their way down the mountain, reaching the foot of the mountain.

The explosions on the mountain had already alerted the area below. The Black Armor Army was indeed a formidable force, with impeccable organization and discipline. By the time Hu Tieniu and his men arrived, torches were already lit across the valley below, and the Black Armor Army had formed a neat array, firmly blocking the mountain pass.

Hu Tieniu was following the group down the road when a brother rushed up to him.

"Boss, the Black Armor Army has formed ranks at the mountain pass. What should we do?"

"Come on, let's take a look." Hu Tieniu turned his head and waved to the coachman beside him, "Come on, let's go forward first."

When they reached the foot of the mountain, the vanguard of Azure Cloud Stronghold had already engaged the enemy. The leader of the team came forward, his face not looking too good.

"Boss, their shields are too tough. Our crossbows are useless. We've fired several rounds, but haven't taken down many."

It's alright.

As Hu Tieniu spoke, he quickly climbed onto the roof of the carriage. The heavy machine gun was mounted on the roof, offering a commanding view with no obstruction in front and a wide field of fire. He waved to the machine gunner.

"Beat them!"

The Black Armor Army opposite were advancing in rows, the front row holding shields and the rear row carrying long spears, their steps perfectly synchronized, pressing towards the mountain pass step by step. Upon hearing the order, the machine gunner grabbed Maxim and opened fire.

Gunfire erupted suddenly, and a hail of bullets rained down, shattering the iron shield in the front row. This was a heavy machine gun, not a crossbow; it could penetrate even thin steel plates. A first-tier ordinary iron shield was no different from paper in front of it, and the people behind the shield fell in rows.

After one burst of fire, another carriage pulled up alongside, its Maxim already set up.

"Beat them!" Hu Tieniu shouted.

The second machine gun roared in response. The machine gunner quickly changed the ammunition belt; the Maxim was water-cooled, so the barrel wouldn't heat up quickly. After changing the ammunition, he turned around and fired again.

The two heavy machine guns opened fire simultaneously, and the momentum shifted once again.

The Black Armor Army truly lived up to its reputation as the most elite force in the Great Qin. As rows of soldiers fell, those behind them kept pushing forward without stopping. The generals in the ranks roared at the top of their lungs.

"Charge! All of you, charge forward!"

These soldiers were truly fearless, charging forward despite the hail of bullets. Shields were shattered layer by layer, and soldiers clad in black armor emerged from behind the broken shields to continue the charge.

The crossbowmen in the village also joined in, unleashing volleys of bolts into the formation. But the black armor worn by the Black Armor Army was no ordinary weapon; even from a hundred paces away, the bolts couldn't penetrate it at all.

But there were only two machine guns, while there were nearly eight thousand people on the other side, their eyes red, surging forward over the corpses of their comrades, completely disregarding life and death.

A Maxim belt contains only about two hundred rounds. Once you start firing in bursts, it runs out in no time, forcing you to frantically replace it with a new one.

Moreover, in the pitch black and with people packed together, no bullet could guarantee it would take down an enemy. They fought and exchanged blows until more than a thousand Black Armor Army had been lost, and the vanguard had already rushed to within thirty or forty paces of the valley entrance line.

At this distance, the crossbowmen finally came in handy.

No matter how thick the black armor was, it couldn't withstand such close proximity. Within thirty or forty paces, powerful crossbow bolts pierced the air, and people kept falling, some with several crossbow bolts embedded in their bodies, looking like hedgehogs, before finally staggering to the ground.

The protective power of this black armor is truly remarkable.

Just as they were about to collide, large shields were erected in unison at the front of Azure Cloud Stronghold, and spearmen formed ranks behind them.

In this way, the crossbowmen's firing range was blocked by their own shield wall, leaving them only able to fire outwards using their two machine guns.

The two armies clashed violently in the next instant.

The shields of the Black Armor Army had long been riddled with bullets by machine gun fire. Those who rushed forward relied solely on their heavy armor, thrusting their long spears forward relentlessly.

But what stood in their way was a transparent riot shield that Shen Jingchuan had purchased from modern times. It was ridiculously sturdy and could not be pierced or broken by knives or guns.

The machine gun on the roof never stopped firing, its bullets flying over their own shield wall and raining down on the rear of the Black Armor Army, mowing down hordes of them. Even so, the soldiers, their eyes bloodshot, pressed forward, stepping over the corpses.

Just as the stalemate was at its peak, the four-wheeled carriage equipped with a machine gun arrived and stopped on the side.

Hu Tieniu roared at the top of his lungs.

"Lin the Second, it's up to you now!"

Lin Yue had already set up the cannon on the vehicle. The machine gun fire was deafening, but being so close, he heard Lin Yue's shout clearly and immediately roared back.

Just you wait and see!

Before he could finish speaking, he grabbed the machine gun.

Thump--

A 23mm shell plunged headlong into the dense crowd; this was a completely different matter than a machine gun.

One shot was enough to take down more than just one or two soldiers; the soldiers in the front ranks were pierced through and sent flying backward. The bullets exploded in the crowd, sending blood and flesh flying everywhere – a truly gruesome sight.

The rear guard of the Black Armor Army finally couldn't hold on any longer, and they fell one by one. Taking advantage of the dense crowd, the two heavy machine guns fired with unerring accuracy, clearing gaps wherever their guns swept.

The rear guard of the Black Armor Army finally couldn't hold out any longer.

In just over ten minutes, more than half of the eight thousand men had been killed. They had never fought a battle like this in their lives.

They have always been the ones who charge forward in formation, crushing and flattening the enemy. This bravery and spirit are the result of countless hard battles and victories.

But today, that little bit of confidence was completely crushed by machine guns and cannons.

It's unclear who turned around first, but the rear guard's formation suddenly crumbled, and they began to retreat, turning into a rout in the blink of an eye.

But two legs can't outrun bullets. When a person turns their back, they become an easy target. Machine guns and cannons chased after the fleeing soldiers, spraying bullets all the way. Very few of them actually managed to escape this valley.

The group of about a thousand Black Armor Army who rushed to the shield wall and clashed with Azure Cloud Stronghold caused the firearms on the vehicles to hesitate, fearing that they might accidentally injure their own men. They dared not fire their machine guns or cannons in this direction.

The two armies were separated by shields, spears clashing and swords slashing, with men constantly groaning and falling to the ground.

On one side was black armor, and on the other side were stab-proof vests and riot shields reinforced with steel plates. Both sides had tough protective gear, and neither side gained an advantage for a while. Not many people fell.

At this moment, Hu Tieniu jumped out of the car. He grabbed a submachine gun and grinned at Lin Shan beside him.

"Lin the Eldest, this time, it's up to us."

Having said that, he crouched down and charged toward the shield wall. Without a word, Lin Shan picked up his gun and followed without hesitation.