Chapter Thirty-Three: Reinforcements

  "How are our casualties?" Wang Yuze asked Wang Wei as he came down from the tower after the battle stopped.

  "The casualties are not heavy, within the acceptable range. However, the consumption of ammunition is a bit large. After the wall was blown open, in order to repel the enemy's attack, both the heavy machine gun and the mortar were firing at their fastest speed." Wang Wei replied.

  "It doesn't matter, this time the bandits' attack force is only over a thousand people. It seems they've paid at least half the price already. The sky will be dark soon, and their attack will stop then. When the reinforcements arrive tomorrow, it'll be our turn to counterattack!" Wang Yuez said.

  Now, the sky had gradually darkened. After nightfall, the temperature would plummet, and with snow floating in the air, the temperature would drop even lower. The soldiers of the third company were fine, at least they had hot soup, strong liquor, and cotton clothes to keep warm. But the bandits didn't have it that good.

  The sub-zero temperatures of over -10°C at night were enough to freeze them all to death.

  "Bring over that heavy machine gun on the east side and form a crossfire with the third row of heavy machine guns. Also, tell the soldiers not to worry about the rapid consumption of bullets, as long as we can hold our position, it is the greatest victory. The consumed bullets will be replenished by the regimental headquarters soon!"

  "Alright, pass it on!" Wang Wei immediately went to convey the order. Taking advantage of the brief pause in Ma Fei's attack, the soldiers began to transport ammunition and recover their strength. The heavy machine gunners also started to replace their barrels. In the intense battle, the heavy machine gun barrels were easily damaged, fortunately, the third company had enough spare parts, and they could be replaced immediately after being damaged. A well-trained heavy machine gunner can replace the barrel in 20 seconds, without affecting the battle at all.

  Less than half an hour later, the bandits launched another attack. The sky had gradually darkened, and this was their last attack. If they still couldn't succeed, they would have to retreat and find a place to camp before it got completely dark. Otherwise, the cold weather would freeze them all to death.

  "Brothers, this is the last chance! If we can rush in, I will reward each of you with 50 taels of silver. Kill one soldier from the Western Sichuan army and get 100 taels of silver. Kill an officer and get 200 taels of silver. Whoever kills the highest-ranking official in this military station, I, Young Master, will reward with 1,000 taels of silver!" Ma Qi loudly declared. He also knew that if this attack still didn't work out, then this action would be a complete failure. The Western Sichuan army's reinforcements would arrive soon, and at that time, he could only retreat ahead of time, otherwise, it was very likely that he would get trapped himself. That's why he offered such high rewards.

  Great rewards must have brave men, under Ma Ke's high bounty, whether it was the Ma bandits or the Qing cavalry, they all let out a wolf-like howl. The originally low morale rose again.

  "Charge!" Ma Qi shouted loudly.

  "Kill!" The horse bandits and the Green Horse Army let out a thunderous roar, rapidly charging towards the barracks. In the lead were over 300 war horses. Although there was no one on their backs, under the driving of the horse bandits all around, the war horses charged quickly at the gap in the wall of the barracks.

  "Damn it, they're going to charge our defenses with war horses. Artillery, open fire!" Wang Ze put down the binoculars in his hand and shouted loudly. When the bandits began their attack, he returned to the top of the tower again. Although it was a bit more dangerous here, it was more convenient for him to control the situation and command the battle.

  "Boom! Boom! Boom!" The five mortars of the third company began to fire rapidly. Shell after shell exploded among the horse bandits and the Qing cavalry, although there was a considerable distance between them, almost every shell took away one or two lives. Especially those that exploded in the midst of the horses caused even greater panic among the herd, forcing the surrounding horse bandits and Qing cavalry to spend time calming them down.

  Then the heavy machine guns on the tower also opened fire. Piece by piece of scorching bullets, angrily flew towards those bandits and Green Army men, knocking them to the ground. Those who fell off their horses didn't even have a chance to survive. The warhorses galloping rapidly from behind were enough to trample them into minced meat.

  Despite the continuous shooting, the bandits gradually approached the barracks. After crossing the blown-up roadblock, the bandits launched a charge. The frontmost cavalry, under the control of the Qing army soldiers, rushed towards the breach in the wall. Although many war horses were shot and killed along the way, more than 100 remained.

  "Boom! Boom! Boom!" The artillery position built in the barracks, five mortars, constantly adjusting the direction of fire. When the bandits approached the barracks, their shooting target had already been set to a range of 20-30 meters outside the gap. Shell after shell exploded among the bandits. Because the gap in the wall was only so big, the bandits had to gather together to charge in. This gave the soldiers of the third company a great opportunity to kill the enemy.

  "Charge in! We must charge in!" Ma Qi's heart was racing as he watched from the back. This action was strongly demanded by him in front of his father, Ma Haiyan, who didn't want to over-stimulate the Western Sichuan Army. If they failed and suffered heavy casualties, it was unthinkable how he would explain it to Ma Haiyan. After all, Ma Haiyan had more than one son, and his younger brother Ma Lin, although four years younger, had already entered the military. If he didn't perform well, the successor of the Qingma Army might be replaced. Therefore, he must use a victory to prove himself.

  The war horses let out mournful whinnies as they crossed the gap in the wall, and many of them were shot down to the ground, thrashing about in their death throes. However, some of the war horses managed to dodge the dense fire from the Sichuan army and continued to charge forward. The ones at the very front had already reached within twenty meters of the third row of simple trenches. Behind the horse group were the mounted bandits and Qing cavalry, brandishing their sabers with a ferocious air. In close combat, they preferred using sabers rather than rifles.

  "Grenades ready, throw!" shouted Shi De You loudly. Instantly, dozens of grenades flew quickly towards the gap in the surrounding wall, blasting the charging war horses and the bandits and Green Horse Army behind them, sending them tumbling over. This caused the bandits and Green Horse Army's attack to pause momentarily.

  "Continue!" Shi De-you was overjoyed at this sight. The soldiers in the third row threw out dozens of hand grenades again. A fierce explosion occurred at the gap in the wall, shrapnel flew everywhere, and after the explosion, not a single living thing was left. After the soldiers in the third row continuously threw several rounds of hand grenades, they completely suppressed the attack by Ma's bandits and the Green Horse Army. The artillery and heavy machine guns set up on the tower also fired wildly, harvesting the lives of Ma's bandits to the greatest extent possible.

  Grenades, as a simple yet effective weapon, have played a significant role in both attacking and defending. With nearly thirty years of use in the Sichuan-Xikang Army, they proved to be crucial during the Qing army's siege. The history of grenades dates back to ancient China. In 15th-century Europe, grenades filled with black powder emerged, primarily used for fortress defense and prisons. By the mid-17th century, some European countries equipped their elite troops with field-use grenades, referring to soldiers trained to use this ammunition as grenadiers. However, with the development of guns and cannons and the decrease in castle sieges, grenades fell out of favor by the 19th century. It wasn't until the Russo-Japanese War in 1904 that grenades saw large-scale use again. After the rise of Sichuan-Xikang, this weapon developed rapidly, much like mortars.

  "Damn it! Prepare to retreat!" Seeing that they were repelled again, Ma Qi fiercely threw the whip in his hand to the ground, extremely angry. They were about to succeed, but ultimately failed at the last moment.

  At this time, a rumbling sound came from the distant horizon, as if it were thunder.

  Ma Qi's face changed dramatically, and he naturally knew that this was the sound of war horses running, as he had grown up on horseback since childhood. He immediately realized that the reinforcements from the Western Sichuan Army had arrived.

  PS: First update, please collect!