Chapter Thirty: Massacre

  The shooting speed of the Maxim heavy machine gun reached 600 rounds per minute, with 333 bullets on a canvas belt, and it took more than half a minute to fire all of them. The resulting metal storm also became a cloud of death. Those bandits who followed the seventh squad and attempted to charge into the station were instantly knocked down in large numbers, as if they had been cut down like wheat. This caused the bandits' attack to pause, while the soldiers of the seventh squad took advantage of the opportunity to enter the station unscathed.

  "Bang!" After the seventh battalion soldiers entered the barracks, the gate was closed again, completely cutting off the bandits' hope of entering the barracks. At the same time, the rifles in the hands of the soldiers also started firing, and they, hiding behind the wall, did not have to worry about being injured by the bandits, calmly shooting with a clear mind, basically one shot one hit. Of course, this has a lot to do with the fact that the Sichuan-Xikang Army attaches great importance to the soldiers' marksmanship, as long as they are willing to spend money and use bullets to train them, the soldiers' marksmanship can naturally be trained.

  "Boom!" The third company's artillery also opened fire. Five mortars, each firing three shells. After each shell exploded, shrapnel flew everywhere, taking away several lives at a time.

  Under such a fierce blow, the bandits' attack was instantly suppressed. The huge casualties caused the bandits' morale, which had just been raised with great difficulty, to collapse again. These bandits were originally a mob. Attacking a well-defended military station was already very difficult for them, and under the third company's powerful firepower, the bandits immediately collapsed.

  From the bandits' charge to their defeat, it took less than five minutes. However, on the grassland in front of the third battalion's position, nearly two hundred corpses were left behind. Some seriously injured bandits who had not yet died let out mournful wails, but no one paid any attention to them.

  "A bunch of trash!" Ma Qi put down the binoculars in his hand and cursed, three miles away from the Li Bing station on the grassland. This attack did not involve the 500 elite cavalry under his command, but only used these bandits to test the firepower of the third battalion's garrison. The result was unsatisfactory, although the third battalion's garrison had very strong firepower, but the bandits collapsed so quickly, which made him extremely dissatisfied.

  The four bandit leaders' faces didn't look too good, even Ma Lao Da, who was loyal to the Green Horse Army, had an unusual expression. This was their first time attacking the barracks of the Western Sichuan Army, and the fierce firepower composed of cavalry guns, heavy machine guns, and artillery made them tremble with fear. Under such perfect defense, what's the difference between attacking and sending themselves to death? Seeing so many casualties among their subordinates, these bandit leaders felt as if their hearts were bleeding. After all, this was severely consuming their strength! Ma Ke's scolding also made them feel resentful. However, intimidated by Ma Ke's dominance, they could only bury their resentment deep in their hearts.

  "Let's have lunch first, and then continue the attack an hour later!" Ma Qi threw down this sentence and left on horseback. However, the four bandit leaders seemed to be in a cold storage room, feeling icy all over their bodies. It seems that Ma Qi would not stop until he had exhausted their men and horses. They wanted to resist, but they knew that resisting would only lead to a quicker death.

  After the bandits retreated, the soldiers of the third company cheered. They had repelled the bandits' attack so smoothly that their confidence was further strengthened. Although the bandits were numerous and powerful, with solid defense and strong firepower, they had no problem defending the station.

  "It seems that cavalry is really outdated. Under the dense firepower, the cavalry charge is nothing but a death sentence!" Wang Wei's face turned pale as he said this, looking at the corpses outside the station. He and Wang Yuezhe were both on the battlefield for the first time, and seeing such large-scale casualties made them feel uncomfortable.

  "Hmm! The continuous improvement of firearms has severely compressed the survival space of cavalry. However, in the next few decades, there is still a need for the existence of cavalry. After all, the mobility of cavalry is still irreplaceable." Wang Yuezhe nodded, as someone who had crossed over from another world, he was naturally very clear about the development of military technology. When mechanized vehicles became widespread, that would be when cavalry exited the historical stage, but for now, cavalry was still an indispensable and important branch of the military.

  "How are our casualties?" Wang Ze asked.

  "Zero casualties!" Wang exclaimed excitedly, having killed over 200 enemies without a single injury to his own men. It was indeed a rare victory.

  "Order the soldiers to hurry up and eat and rest! This group of bandits doesn't seem like they'll retreat so easily!" Wang Yuez said.

  "Hmm!" Wang Wei nodded and turned around to go down from the tower.

  Taking advantage of the time, the soldiers of the third company continued to have lunch and rest, accumulating their strength. After all, these bandits had only temporarily retreated, and the battle would definitely continue.

  Those herdsmen, at the beginning of the battle, seemed a bit flustered. However, after repelling the bandits' attack in just a few minutes, they quickly calmed down. This made them believe that the soldiers of the third company could protect their safety.

  An hour's time passed quickly and after Ma Fei's troops formed their attacking formation again, the soldiers of the third battalion also took their positions.

  "The enemy's firepower is fierce, everyone should disperse during the charge. This time, the elite of our Qing Ma Army will also launch an attack, and we must break through the station in one go!" Ma Qi said loudly. There was no way out, without artillery, they could only rely on human lives to fill the gap. And the elite of the Qing Ma Army couldn't be wasted randomly, so these bandits had to serve as cannon fodder to attract the firepower of the Chuan Xi Army.

  "Yes!" The soldiers and horse bandits of the Green Horse Army all took orders.

  "After breaking into the military station, the weapons, cattle and women inside, I don't want any of them for my Green Dragon Army. All will be yours!" Ma Ke said again.

  "Attack the military station! Attack the military station!" The originally dispirited bandits suddenly became hot-blooded. They now knew that all of Khasank's herdsmen had gathered at the military station, and what a large number of cattle, sheep, and women there were! If they could get their hands on them all, they would become rich.

  The four bandit leaders were also extremely excited. The firepower of the Chuanxi Army was so fierce that if these weapons were all theirs, wouldn't they be able to walk horizontally on the grasslands? Although it's a bit heart-wrenching to lose subordinates, looking at these rich spoils of war, naturally one can't help but forget about those things. The original dissatisfaction with Ma Qi had also dissipated into thin air.

  Apart from Ma Qi's troops, who stayed behind with a team of Qing cavalry soldiers, the rest of the Qing cavalry and Ma Fei launched another attack, including four Ma Fei leaders. The Qing cavalry and Ma Fei had a total of 1,500 people, minus the 200 lost in the first attack, leaving 1,300 people. So many cavalry charges, although somewhat chaotic, formed a mighty momentum that shook the mountains and seas.

  "Everyone in position, prepare for battle!" Seeing the bandits charging again, Shen Ming, the deputy platoon leader guarding the north side, immediately gave the order. The squad leaders of each squad also carried out the command. The mortar of the firepower group was also adjusted and ready to fire at any time.

  This time, the bandits drew lessons from their previous experience and dispersed to attack. They shouted loudly and charged towards the barracks on horseback at high speed. Among them, some of the bandits were in neat formation, obviously well-trained regular troops.

  "Damn it, the Qing government actually sent someone disguised as a bandit, they can't be bypassed!" Wang Yuze suddenly understood what was going on and cursed in his heart.

  "Fire!" As soon as the bandits entered the effective range, the heavy machine gun opened fire. In the "rattling" sound, bullets were fired one after another, and any bandit who was not hit by the heavy machine gun bullet basically had no chance of survival. The caliber of the heavy machine gun bullet was large, and after being hit, a big hole appeared in the body instantly, and even directly cut in half, with no chance of survival at all. Even if the bandits took a sparse formation, they were still swept down by the heavy machine gun's sweep, piece by piece.

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