Chapter 29: Cavalry Charge

  October 31, 1890, snow had already begun to fall on the plateau. After a night's accumulation, the area outside Kassanka station was already covered in white. Although the snow wasn't heavy, it didn't have much of an impact on walking or horseback riding. However, if the snow continued to fall and grew heavier, it would definitely have a serious impact on their actions.

  Wang Yuezhe stood on the tower beside the gate of the barracks, looking at the snowflakes falling from the sky, feeling a bit tense. Until now, there was still no news of Ma's bandits, but this couldn't be taken lightly. Now that it had started snowing, if Ma's bandits didn't attack within these two days, the danger would decrease greatly. After all, heavy snow was unfavorable for cavalry charges, and attacking the barracks in such weather was no different from seeking death. However, now that the snow had just begun to fall, this seemed to be the last chance for Ma's bandits as well.

  "Ah Wei, is there any news about the horse bandits?" Wang Yuze asked. This was his first battle after taking over the troops, and he couldn't afford to make any mistakes! If the horse bandits were to attack, they had to win this battle at all costs.

  "No!" Wang Wei shook his head. "It's already started snowing now, and the scouts who were sent out have all returned. However, snowy days are not favorable for cavalry attacks, so the bandits shouldn't be coming, right?" Wang Wei said.

  "This is hard to say. The snow is not thick now, and it will not have a great impact on the cavalry, this is also the last chance for the horse bandits. If the horse bandits attack us, it should be in the next one or two days. Pass down the order, let everyone cheer up!" Wang Yuezhe said.

  "Yes, General!" Wang Wei replied, accepting the order.

  After Wang Wei left, Wang Yuze stayed on the tower, staring at the north, where the horse thieves would come to attack. The four sides of the barracks were all set with anti-cavalry trenches, which could withstand the charge of cavalry. In addition, five Maxim heavy machine guns of the third company also took their positions, each accompanied by one on the towers around the barracks. One was left as a spare. Five mortars were also prepared and placed in the middle of the drill ground inside the barracks, which could support the fighting in all directions. The wall of the barracks was not high, only three meters. Shooting holes were opened on the wall, from which soldiers could shoot outwards. At the same time, the wall could provide good protection for the soldiers and reduce casualties.

  "Will the bandits come or not?" Wang Yuze thought to himself. After all, attacking a heavily fortified military station was tantamount to seeking death for ordinary bandits. A ragtag group of bandits might be able to deal with ordinary herders on the grasslands, but against regular troops, they would only end up being slaughtered. The difference in combat strength between regular troops and bandits was like heaven and earth.

  "Why did the bandits appear on the north side of the barracks, wanting to attack? Is there any other force behind this, such as the Qingma Army in the north?" Wang Yuze thought secretly. He was almost certain that there must be instigation or even direct participation from the Qingma Army. Otherwise, how could the bandits have such a big nerve? However, if the Qingma Army really is involved, then the danger would be much greater. After all, the Qingma Army may not be as good as the Chuanxi Army, but it's still a well-trained regular army."

  Wang Yuezhe had a faint premonition that Ma's bandit attack might be today.

  "Come on, solid fort, you will definitely make them bleed!" Wang Yuze thought secretly. The horse bandits, which one of them didn't have blood-stained hands? They came to attack the fort, and it was a good opportunity for the Sichuan army to eliminate the harm for the people.

  Before long, several hours had passed and it was already noon. The sky remained gray and overcast. Snowflakes fell from the sky in a flurry, although they didn't seem to be getting bigger, nor did they show any signs of weakening.

  The soldiers in the cooking class have prepared lunch, all steamed buns and sauce meat, but no vegetables. The highland military station, once winter comes, vegetable supply is more difficult. The herders who were received at the military station also started eating. They are very self-aware to stay in their own tents, not giving trouble to the Sichuan army. After all, the Sichuan army is willing to let them enter the military station to avoid the bandits' looting, which has already saved their lives, if they don't know how to be content, it's too ungrateful!

  "Bang! Bang! Bang!" Suddenly, a burst of gunfire came from the north. The soldiers of the third company, who were having lunch, immediately realized that the bandits had arrived. They quickly put down their lunch, stuffed two buns into their bags and rushed out.

  "Bandits are coming, each department to their posts!" The voice of Wang Yuez's command came from the tower. He had been staying in the tower and happened to see the bandits launching a surprise attack. On the grassland in the north, a large black wave of people was surging southward. In front of them were twelve figures, rushing towards the barracks while firing back at the enemy. They were the 12 soldiers of the 7th squad of the northern outpost of the garrison.

  After discovering the bandits' approach, they abandoned their outpost and returned directly to the barracks under the leadership of Class Leader Dai Yulong. After all, relying on a simple outpost to resist the attack of thousands of bandits was simply impossible. Withdrawing back to the barracks was the only way to preserve their strength.

  In less than two minutes, the various departments of the third company were already in position. The three rows of the third company, with the first row defending the main gate of the northern station, and the other three sides only had one class each. After all, the north was the focus of the horse bandits' attack. The third row was used as a reserve team.

  "Commander Lian, so many bandits?" Seeing the vast black mass, there were at least over a thousand people, Wang Wei's face changed color.

  "Hmph! What's the use of having more troops? They can't break through the garrison, they only have one dead end!" Wang Duanzi was very confident in defending the garrison. Obviously, the bandits didn't have artillery, and even the Qing army didn't have many cannons. Relying solely on human lives to fill the gap, wanting to break through the solid defense of the garrison was impossible.

  "Commander, should we ask for reinforcements from headquarters? After all, we only have 200 men!" Wang Wei suggested.

  "Alright, send someone to inform the headquarters then!" Wang Yuez accepted this proposal with a nod. From Gasangka to Lhasa, it would take several hours by horseback, and with the current snowfall, it would take even longer. The reinforcements wouldn't be able to arrive until tomorrow at the earliest. It's mainly due to the poor communication! Although telegraph lines have been set up in major cities in western Sichuan province, allowing for rapid communication, places like highland military outposts still rely on horseback messaging.

  "If only wireless telecommunication could be achieved earlier!" Wang Yuezhe said quietly. It is said that Sichuan has already started researching this aspect. Guglielmo Marconi, the inventor of wireless telegraphy, was only 16 years old at that time. However, another person, Russian Popov, was already 31 years old. This man was currently conducting research in this area at the Academy of Sciences in Chengdu. It is said that he had already found a clue and would soon be able to invent it successfully. Wang Yuezhe also supported scientific research with all his might. Whether they were Chinese scientists or foreign scientists, they were attracted to Sichuan. The Sichuan Academy of Sciences was such an institution. Every year, the government would allocate a large amount of special funds for scientific research, covering a wide range of fields, including not only military and industrial aspects but also other natural sciences. Wang Yuezhe even knew that the famous scientist Nikola Tesla had been lured to Sichuan by Wang Xiang. It was clear that in order to enhance Sichuan's strength in technological innovation, Wang Xiang had invested heavily.

  The cavalry charge was extremely fast. When the soldiers of the seventh class had just arrived at the gate of the barracks, the horse bandits were already close behind. The horse bandits brandished their swords and shouted loudly as they rushed towards the barracks. Apparently, they intended to take advantage of the seventh class soldiers entering the barracks and rush in with them. Unfortunately, they didn't have such an opportunity.

  "Fire!" Wang Yuze's loud command came.

  "Rat-a-tat-tat!" The Vickers machine gun mounted on the tower immediately spat out a stream of fire. The long canvas ammunition belt began to feed, and one by one, the scorching hot bullets shot towards the bandits, bursting into blossoms of blood.

  P.S: The first update is here, Happy Valentine's Day to all book friends!