"Come on Bayonet!" "Come on Bayonet!"
There was a crashing sound, and the Arda Soldierss pulled out the Bayonets from their waists and put them on the muzzles of their guns.
"Officer forward!"
Bryce shouted, and deputy commander Joyce immediately repeated his order, "Officer, move forward!"
No one moved, because the officers of each company, platoon, and squad had stood in the front row of their ranks from the beginning.
Kent Family's cavalry is getting closer and closer, and is already less than 500 meters away from the square formation.
"Get ready!" "Get ready!"
The outermost row of soldiers on both sides of the phalanx facing the cavalry immediately knelt down on one knee. The second and third rows of soldiers remained standing. The third row of soldiers passed their muskets through the gaps between the soldiers in front. All three rows of soldiers pointed their muskets forward.
"Steady, steady!"
"Never shoot without an order!"
Makarov whispered to the people around him that when faced with a high-speed advancing enemy, many people would not be able to help but shoot in advance, regardless of whether the opponent was within range, especially those new recruits who had never been on the battlefield.
Josse nervously wiped the sweaty palm of his left hand on his body, and then squeezed the trigger again. This guy was left-handed when he first started using the musket. Others held the gun with their left hand and pulled the trigger with their right hand. Only he held the gun with his right hand and pulled the trigger with his left hand. After a period of training, this habit was forcibly corrected by Sergeant Makarov who strictly followed ""1991 Infantry Training Regulations"" (compiled and published by the Staff Department). But in the tense moment of this great enemy, he unconsciously returned to his original habits.
He was arranged to stand in the third row. This was to "take care" of their new recruits. However, the protection on his body was not as good as that of Soldiers in the first two rows. Josse only wore a leather armor on his upper body, while Soldiers in the first two rows basically wore armor made of metal in important parts. After all, this is an era when cold weapons are prevalent. In addition, Paul can produce a large amount of iron. Paul does not hesitate to increase the armor coverage of his army to cope with hand-to-hand combat that may occur at any time.
Jia Ais raised the corners of his mouth and laughed contemptuously.
He recognized the flag held by the army blocking the road ahead. It belonged to the Greiman Family, the house of the little lord who almost got into a fight with the Kent Family last year.
"Paul Greiman! I was extremely gracious to spare you last year, but I didn't expect that you would not be grateful but would try to continue to oppose us!"
"Greiman, look at your army! There are just over a thousand conscripted farmers, armed with ridiculous weapons that are sticks instead of sticks, and guns that are not guns. Those horses are just draft horses used to pull carts and loads. Oh! The formation is quite neat, but what's the use of it?"
He ordered his lieutenants to wave the flag and signal to the other cavalry - one on the left and one on the right to break up the square. The cavalry team he led, including knights and retinues, totaled nearly 300 people. Although the number was far less than Alarda Army, Jia Ais was confident that it would be effortless to break up the phalanx.
There is a huge difference in fighting ability between knights and peasants.
The leading knight picked up the throwing gun hanging on the horse - unlike on Earth, the knights here did not think that using long-range weapons was despicable and shameful - according to his past understanding, as long as he and his companions behind threw the guns in their hands, the group of farmers who had just put down their hoes would lie on the ground with their heads pouted or simply disperse. When the opponent's formation was disrupted, they could rush in and trample them wantonly.
And seeing that there aren't even crossbowmen in the phalanx on the opposite side, this is even more reassuring. They can "tease" each other unscrupulously. However, even if there are crossbowmen, it is difficult to cause effective damage with the inferior crossbows that ordinary Soldiers can equip and the thick armor on his body.
Close! Getting closer! Bryce raised the command knife high.
In the Alarda Army, the four sides of Hollow Square are called front, back, left and right respectively. Now the four chief and deputy Battalion Commander are each responsible for one side, and Bryce is responsible for commanding the front troops.
Finally, the first enemy rushed to a place about 50 meters away from the square formation. The opponent held a throwing gun in his hand and was ready to attack.
"Fire from the first row in front!"
The command knife fell quickly, and Bryce's command resounded throughout the phalanx.
"Touch!" "Touch!" "Touch!"
Continuous roars of muskets sounded, and thick smoke immediately enveloped the front of the phalanx.
The few knights running at the front immediately flipped over on their backs and fell backwards while maintaining the posture of raising their guns, falling under their horses.
"No!" The knight who fell to the ground instinctively wanted to roll to the side. He didn't want to be trampled to pieces by his companions behind who couldn't restrain their horses' hooves.
But what made him feel bad was that the strength in his body seemed to be taken away all of a sudden, and it was difficult to turn over.
Wait, what happened just now? The knight's brain realized something was wrong.
I just heard a noise, and then I felt like I was hit hard by something, and then I fell off the horse.
What exactly is it? I haven't seen the trajectory of the attack at all.
The knight suddenly felt a burning sensation rising on the right side of his abdomen and subconsciously touched it with his hand.
A big hole - the touch on his hand shocked him, the thing actually penetrated his thick armor! More terrifying things followed.
Pain... an increasingly painful feeling... replaced the previous burning sensation and began to spread radially throughout the body.
"Damn! It hurts!"
The knight grabbed a handful of grass from his side and threw it into the air like he was venting his anger.
What came into view was a terrifying sight - the dead grass leaves that were supposed to be yellow were dyed red by something.
"Fire from the second row ahead!"
The Kent Family cavalry that followed suffered the same fate as their previous companions.
The two battalions on the expedition have been equipped with Flintlock Gun. Without the match ropes, the Soldiers can be arranged almost side by side. One of the major effects achieved is that the firepower output density of Salvo Fire has been greatly improved.
Some of the cavalrymen who rushed over were shot, some were shot on their horses, and some were hit by both men and horses. However, thanks to the accuracy of the muskets, many people survived. Some people's horses were frightened by the sound of gunfire and ran around without control, carrying their masters on their backs.
But there were still lucky ones who rushed within the throwing distance of the throwing spear and used all their strength to throw the throwing spear into the phalanx.
Under the attack of these few knights, Alarda Army suffered casualties.
The wounded were immediately dragged to the central open space of the phalanx, and some medical soldiers who had just been trained and mastered basic disinfection knowledge and bandaging techniques immediately treated them.
"Fire from the third row ahead!"
Bryce issued the order bitterly. Seeing Soldiers, who had trained so hard, was injured, he suddenly felt distressed.
The third Volley Fire sound sounded, and the Kent Family cavalry who threw their guns and turned their horses' heads in an attempt to break away from contact were swept away.
The first round of firing caused nearly 50 enemy cavalry to lose their combat effectiveness.