Chapter 24

"Attention! Align to the right! Look forward! Shoulder arms, march, one two one... one two one..." Following Peng Zhicheng's commands, the 250 soldiers of the newly formed First Battalion marched with relatively neat steps, passing through the north gate and forming an array outside the city.

The First Battalion was arranged by sentry units, with three sentries forming a single unit. The first row of each sentry was at the front, and so on, forming a 48x5 square formation. The first four rows of soldiers wore sturdy 1931-style full-body armor, with a small bag, a large bag, and a firepot hanging from their waists. The small bag contained the primer, while the large bag was carefully packed with cylindrical paper bags, each containing gunpowder and bullets. This was the result of the穿越众 (穿越者) promoting the use of fixed ammunition. The firepot was used to ignite the match for firing.

The soldiers of the First Independent Field Artillery Sentry had already set up the artillery position ahead, with six 4-pounders and two 8-pounders in place. Behind each cannon was an ammunition cart loaded with barrels of gunpowder and various types of shells. The artillerymen were busy around the cannons, making the final preparations before firing.

They had set up the position as soon as they received the news of the enemy's landing. With 45 soldiers and three or four dozen draft horses, they had pulled the eight cannons to the position in the shortest time possible. Once the artillery position was set up, these Finnish draft horses were immediately returned. In battle, anything could happen, and if the horses were injured, it would be a significant loss. In the eyes of the Executive Committee, these horses were far more valuable than the cannons.

The returned horses were not idle. The Executive Committee had gathered 40 usable horses. After a round of propaganda and promises, mainly offering them the status of free citizens and money, they successfully recruited 40 Cossack riders. These Cossacks were almost all skilled horsemen. The Executive Committee equipped them with newly forged 1932-style sabers as weapons, using them as a reserve force. With a major battle imminent, any additional strength was welcome.

Peng Zhicheng raised his military telescope, and through the lens, he saw the enemy also forming a neat square formation. Their uniforms looked slightly disordered, but in this era, European armies didn't have standardized uniforms, so some disorder was normal.

The enemy had no artillery, probably because it was difficult to transport them during a sea landing, or perhaps they lacked draft horses for transportation. In any case, this was good news for the 250 soldiers of the First Battalion.

The enemy commander also raised a monocular telescope. Peng Zhicheng wondered what he must be thinking when he saw their well-equipped and determined soldiers.

Shawn Lafrance's mood was indeed very bad.

This landing operation was entirely the result of his stubborn insistence. Initially, everyone, seeing that the fort could not be easily breached, had suggested returning or continuing south to raid Spanish towns.

The English and Dutch could talk about raiding Spanish towns because they were either genuine pirates or their home countries were at war with Spain. However, Shawn Lafrance, as a senior official of the Saint Christopher Company and a colonial representative of the French government in the Caribbean, had to be cautious. He did not want his foolish actions to drag France into a direct conflict with the Spanish Empire.

However, there was no need to consider so much when dealing with the Tartars, who had no background. Although Shawn was always puzzled about why this Eastern nomadic tribe had sailed thousands of miles to South America, it was clearly not the time to delve into this question. He just needed to know that attacking the Tartar fortress would not cause any additional trouble.

Moreover, the most crucial point was that the fortress contained astonishing wealth! Wealth that could save the company and even make the king envious! If they succeeded, the company would be saved, and he would gain the favor of the Paris elite, such as Cardinal Richelieu, ensuring his rapid rise. Perhaps one or two beautiful noble ladies would also be captivated by his heroic deeds in the New World, which was almost certain!

To achieve this, Shawn Lafrance had to persuade the other ship captains, mainly the Dutch and English. Captain Adrian Flores understood his urgent need to save the company and, as the commander of the expedition, had to obey his orders.

The "Goodwill" did not carry any soldiers, so Shawn was not very concerned about whether the English would participate. As for Captain Reuben de Meer of the "Crow," Shawn had to work hard to persuade him, as this Dutch fluyt carried 150 soldiers.

To convince Captain de Meer, Shawn had to promise a larger share of the spoils, which finally made him reluctantly agree to land and attack with the French, but with the condition to retreat immediately if the situation turned unfavorable.

After Captain de Meer agreed, the English captain, John Stone, was indifferent and ultimately agreed to bring 25 sailors to try their luck.

Before setting out, Shawn Lafrance was slightly worried due to the enemy's fort, but he still believed he could defeat and occupy the city. Cortés and Pizarro had conquered Mexico and Peru with just a few men, and he now had 375 well-trained European soldiers. Occupying a city with a population of less than a thousand Tartars should not be too difficult.

The only concern was the city walls. If the enemy hid behind them, and he had no artillery, occupying the city would be a bit tricky.

So, when Shawn Lafrance saw the enemy not hiding in the city but forming an array outside, he was initially overjoyed. However, this joy quickly faded when he saw the Tartars forming a neat square formation, with most soldiers wearing shiny plate armor and holding muskets, looking well-trained. This made his mood slightly worse.

But with no way back, they had to move forward. Perhaps the enemy was just putting on a show.

"God bless." Shawn solemnly made the sign of the cross and then shouted, "Soldiers, for glory, for wealth, I order you to attack! God bless us!"

"God bless!" The soldiers prayed and then advanced, shouldering their matchlock muskets and various other weapons.

The stream wetland, after the Executive Committee built a reservoir and improved the irrigation channels, now had very little water flow. However, the muddy riverbed was still a nightmare for marching.

The soldiers of the First Battalion formed an array in the harvested wheat fields, with about half a meter between each person. They nervously loaded their ammunition, checked their matches to ensure they were not extinguished, and waited for the officers' orders.

For those who were new to battle, saying they were not nervous would be a lie. But with no other choice, they had to face it. Fortunately, their training was thorough, and they only needed to mechanically repeat their drills.

However, the first to open fire were not them. The 8-pounders and 4-pounders of the First Field Artillery Sentry fired in sequence, solid iron balls whistling towards the enemy, causing several limbs to fly and creating some chaos. Unfortunately, the ground was slightly soft, absorbing much of the kinetic energy of the cannonballs, reducing the effect of the ricochets.

The enemy's advance speed clearly increased, causing their formation to become somewhat disordered. The cannons were now firing almost directly, with shells constantly landing among the enemy, each time taking several lives. Soon, both sides were within musket range.

Peng Zhicheng, wearing 1931-style full-body armor, stood between the first and second sentries. He raised his right hand and loudly commanded, "Fire in retreat, ready, fire!"

Following his order, the First Battalion erupted in gunfire. The 48 soldiers who had fired quickly moved to the rear to reload, while the second row continued to fire, then retreated to reload, repeating the process.

After the first row fired, Peng Zhicheng clearly saw the enemy's advance pause, with at least twenty men hit and falling. When the second row's muskets fired, the battlefield was instantly shrouded in smoke. Through the smoke, Peng Zhicheng vaguely saw the enemy soldiers, under the command of their officers, beginning to counterattack.

The high-speed bullets whistled and struck the curved iron plates made of high-carbon steel, producing a dull clanging sound. Occasionally, someone would scream, having been hit in the face.

The third and fourth rows of soldiers fired in succession, and the bullets from the enemy were now sparse.

After all five rows had fired, the first row advanced again for a volley. At this moment, a strong wind blew, allowing Peng Zhicheng to see the situation on the other side of the battlefield clearly.

The scene on the other side of the stream wetland was gruesome, with bodies scattered everywhere. The enemy's formation was clearly broken, and the heavily wounded soldiers began to turn and flee, with the officers unable to control them and also joining the retreat.

Peng Zhicheng grinned and said, "A matchlock era firing line! Liao Meng, are you still alive? Ha, organize the men for a pursuit. Pay attention to your own safety and try to avoid any casualties."

Liao Meng laughed, excited by his first battle, "I'm not that easy to die. Fifth row of each sentry, follow me! Pursue the enemy!"

"Right, I almost forgot." Peng Zhicheng slapped his thigh, the sound of metal clanging, "You, Xiao Li, go back quickly and have the Cossack riders sent out. Damn, if we don't use them now, when will we? Ah, if I had known the battle would go so smoothly, I would have deployed them earlier."

After complaining, Peng Zhicheng ordered the remaining musketeers to form up and prepare to cross the muddy riverbed for the pursuit. Of course, they had to remove their armor first, as wearing it would be too exhausting.

The artillerymen laid wooden planks on the riverbed, allowing everyone to pass smoothly.

Not far away, the Cossack riders, holding their bright sabers, charged out of the city gate like a gust of wind...