Volley Fire!
The stone fortress wasn't particularly tall, but its walls were sturdy and its location was tricky.
Above the fortress, sparse but accurate arrows and sporadic gunfire rang out, felling the Sauron infantrymen who tried to approach.
The Sauron, shielded and braving a hail of arrows, struggled to prop up the wall with makeshift ladders fitted with iron hooks, roaring as they climbed.
From time to time, Sauron soldier were struck by stones falling from the ladders or arrows being shot, falling down with screams.
But many more people still followed suit, clinging to the wall like ants.
Some valiant Sauron soldier had already successfully scaled the walls and engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat with the defenders.
The roars, screams, and the muffled thuds of swords piercing flesh and bone were clearly audible!
Unag and Invag withdrew their gazes from the flanks, exchanged a glance, and both saw the resolute determination in each other's eyes.
The flanking attacks have already tied down some of the enemy's forces; the offensive on the main position must not be halted!
"We can't wait any longer!" Invag roared. "We must press forward! Rain down arrows, then launch a full-scale attack!"
Unag nodded grimly. "Order the phalanx to advance! At a distance of one hundred paces, unleash a volley of arrows! Suppress their walls! Fire another volley at fifty paces! Then, heavy infantry, charge forward and smash open those breaches!"
The call to attack sounded again, this time with even greater urgency and fury!
The massive Sauron infantry phalanx, with heavy but orderly steps, began to accelerate its advance!
Wooden Shield stood before them, and broadswords formed a forest. Heavy footsteps pounded the ground, creating a thunderous roar that shook the earth slightly.
On the Broomflower defense line, all the soldiers held their breath, gripped their weapons tightly, and stared intently at the ever-approaching wave of death.
One hundred paces! The Sauron Army suddenly stopped at the officer's shout!
"Raise the bow!!!"
Upon hearing his captain's roar, Einar immediately took a step back, took a deep breath, drew an arrow from his quiver, skillfully nocked it on the bowstring, and, like all the other Sauron archers around him, drew his compound bow to its full extent!
"Put!"
Buzz!
A chilling twang of a bowstring rang out!
A hundred arrows soared into the air like locusts, forming a dense black cloud in the sky. With a mournful whistle, they pierced the sky and fiercely covered the Broomflower's defense line!
Most of the arrows clattered against the sturdy breastwork planks and erected shields, or sank helplessly into the ground in front of them.
However, many arrows still flew over the fortifications and landed in the rear ranks.
"Raise your shields!"
"Lower your head!"
The officers' stern warnings and the soldiers' hurried parrying echoed through the Broomflower formation.
The arrows struck the shield with a dull thud, occasionally punctuated by a suppressed groan or scream.
There are always some unlucky souls who get hit in the arm, shoulder, or thigh by stray arrows that slip through the gaps.
After a volley of arrows, the Sauron phalanx did not pause, but continued its advance like a moving mountain range! The shadow of death drew ever closer!
Fifty paces! At this distance, the Broomflower soldiers could clearly see the ferocious faces of the Sauron soldier opposite them and the patterns on their armor!
Sauron's massive infantry phalanx once again came to a sudden halt, as if from a rock.
Karl's command rang out again, "All, aim! Ready!"
The moment the order was given, the Musketeers in the front row reacted in unison.
They took a deep breath, trying to calm their wildly beating hearts, and firmly pressed the heavy butts of their muskets against their shoulders.
Pairs of eyes peered through the rudimentary sights and sights, their gazes locked onto the increasingly clear enemy figures emerging from the smoke and dust ahead.
Sweat trickled down their foreheads, seeping into their eyes and stinging, but no one dared to raise their hand to wipe it away.
The arms gripping the butts of the rifles trembled slightly from being held out horizontally for so long. Many people gritted their teeth, using all their strength to fight against their instinctive fear and the trembling of their arms, trying their best to keep the barrels stable.
The entire array was shrouded in a suffocating silence, with only heavy breathing and the faint crackling of the burning fuses audible, like a volcano about to erupt.
In the Sauron Army formation, the archers in the Second Platoon did not hesitate to draw their bows again. The creaking sound of the bowstrings being pulled to their full length rang out in rapid succession, and the cold arrowheads once again pointed to the sky, preparing for a second, and even more deadly, close-range volley!
However, just as the Sauron arrow was about to leave the bowstring!
A sharp whistle rang out across the entire front line!
Almost the instant the whistle was sounded, gunfire erupted like thunder on the Broomflower defense line!
Dozens of dazzling orange-red flames suddenly erupted from behind the gap left in the Broomflower Army formation!
"Bang! Bang bang bang bang!!!"
The deafening gunfire was like a thunderclap from a clear sky, violently impacting everyone's eardrums and even drowning out all the noise of the battlefield!
Immediately afterwards, thick plumes of white-gray smoke billowed out from the breach, quickly spreading and enveloping the entire front line in a pungent haze, blurring visibility.
The deadly volley of lead bullets, moving at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, instantly traversed the fifty-pace death zone and crashed into the dense ranks of the Sauron Army!
"Pfft! Pfft! Snap!"
A series of muffled thuds as flesh and bones were torn apart and shattered suddenly rang out!
Einar felt a loud bang in his ear, which made his head buzz. Then he saw an old soldier Olf Orff, who was struggling to draw his bow, suddenly lean his upper body backward!
The thick leather armor on his chest was easily torn apart like paper, and a horrifying hole the size of a bowl appeared instantly. Blood and bits of flesh gushed out, even splashing onto Einar's face!
Olf didn't even have time to utter a sound before he fell straight backward like a felled log, his bow falling limply to the ground.
"Ouch! My leg! My leg!"
"Help! I can't see! My eyes!"
"Mother..."
Screams and wails instantly replaced the battle cries, erupting shrilly within Sauron's ranks!
The bullets mercilessly pierced through the makeshift Wooden Shield, tore through the leather armor, and even punctured the chainmail buckles!
The soldiers who were shot were struck as if by an invisible hammer. Some died on the spot, while others fell to the ground, rolling and convulsing wildly, letting out inhuman screams, their wounds a bloody mess!
With just one volley, more than a dozen Sauron soldier fell to the ground instantly, some dead and others maimed!
Einar was completely dumbfounded.
Warm blood was smeared on his face, carrying a strong smell of rust.
He watched helplessly as his comrade, who had been so full of life just moments before, was instantly reduced to a mangled corpse; he saw his once fierce and ruthless companion now lying on the ground, howling in agony, his intestines spilling out...
He had never experienced such a brutal and efficient massacre!
The power of the musket far exceeded his imagination; it was incomparable to that of bows and arrows!
His hand holding the bow began to tremble uncontrollably, and his first thought was to turn and run away, to get as far away from this land of death as possible!
"Don't retreat! Raise your bows! Raise your bows now!" The officer's hoarse roar and the trembling yet instinctive actions of his comrades around him as they raised their bows reminded him of the chilling cruelty of the Sauron Army.
Those who desert in the face of battle will be killed without mercy, and their families will be enslaved!
His survival instinct was eventually overwhelmed by greater fear, and trembling, he raised the bow again, almost by muscle memory.
However, just as the Sauron archers were still reeling from the shock, their fingers had barely touched the bowstring, and before they could even fire the second volley of arrows, in the blink of an eye...
"Back row! Aim! Fire!" Karl's icy voice pierced through the smoke of battle once more!
"Bang! Bang bang bang!!!"
A second volley followed immediately! More flashes of fire and billows of smoke! Another storm of scorching, deadly metal crashed into the Sauron!
"Ah!"
"Well!"
"..."
More soldiers fell screaming, and the formation became clearly chaotic and turbulent.
The Sauron paid a heavy price, finally managing to fire a second, sparse, and inaccurate volley of arrows.
The arrows flew over the breastwork and landed in the Broomflower formation, eliciting a few muffled groans and sporadic screams, but the casualties were clearly negligible.
Behind the breastwork, Karl calmly observed the outcome of the battle through the dissipating smoke.
Seeing the large number of wounded and injured soldiers lying on the battlefield in front of Sauron, his tense lips finally relaxed slightly, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
The Sauron who built their nation on archery and horsemanship, and their horsemanship and archery skills were unparalleled, which was what he had always feared most.
But today, faced with well-prepared fortifications and a disciplined Musketeers, the Sauron' renowned arrow rain seemed to have failed to achieve its intended effect.
Relying on their fortifications, their own side suffered minimal casualties, while the Sauron paid a heavy price under the firearms.
Such an exchange ratio is absolutely unsustainable for the Sauron army, which values the efficiency of exchanging casualties!
Their total population is far smaller than that of the Goldflower Kingdom, making the loss of every elite warrior invaluable.
Sure enough, a low, rapid horn sound came from behind the Sauron Army, and the rhythm changed.
The archers, as if granted a pardon, immediately retreated in panic, many still bearing the lingering fear on their faces.