Chapter 71

On July 19, while the Spanish army outside Dinyuan Fort was anxiously waiting for news, the Liao Meng detachment on the south bank of the Dafish River received reinforcements. A mixed force consisting mainly of the Third Infantry Company, 100 auxiliary longspear soldiers, a few naval artillerymen, and four cannons arrived at the south bank and joined up with the main force of the Liao Meng detachment.

The victory on the south bank greatly boosted the morale of the Army Department. The staff officers, who were not entirely ignorant, keenly realized that this victory seemed to have shifted the entire battle situation. After a discussion, Peng Zhicheng, a man with a high-stakes gambling nature, decided to double down. He not only sent reserve personnel to fill the gaps in the Liao Meng detachment after the battle but also decided to strengthen the front lines further.

One of the two remaining infantry companies of the Army Department was dispatched. Additionally, Peng Zhicheng, putting aside his pride, borrowed a few artillerymen from Wang Qian's navy. These artillerymen pulled four newly cast cannons from the arsenal, along with a certain number of longspear soldiers, and headed straight to the front lines.

Liao Meng's forces now consisted of two infantry companies, one mounted infantry company, a half artillery company (12 cannons), a large part of a cavalry regiment, and 200 fully equipped longspear soldiers after replenishment, plus some logistics and support personnel, totaling over 590 men. After receiving a large amount of supplies, Liao Meng led his troops westward. After a day's march, they arrived at the villages on the south bank of the Dafish River by late evening on July 19, where the Spanish had built their crossing bridge.

Liao Meng's large-scale movements could not be hidden from the Spanish. The Spanish forces guarding the bridge on the south bank immediately put up fierce resistance. These Spanish soldiers, hiding in their fortifications, fired their matchlock guns at the Third Infantry Company of Liao Meng's forces, who were testing the enemy's strength. It was almost dark, and after a brief test, the Third Company withdrew. Liao Meng was not in a hurry; his forces were already blocking the Spanish from returning south. Whether or not to capture the bridge was no longer significant; it was better to focus on setting up the artillery positions.

The villages in the area had been severely damaged by the Spanish, with many bricks and wooden materials from the houses used to build fortifications. Liao Meng watched this scene with a grim expression, determined to leave every Spanish soldier here.

The night passed without incident. On the morning of July 20, the Spanish forces guarding the bridge on the south bank emerged from their fortifications and formed up on the open ground. Liao Meng raised his telescope and saw that the Spanish had gathered about 600 men, mostly musketeers, with only a few longspear soldiers at the front. Next to the infantry formation were four small cannons, with some artillerymen hitching horses to the gun carriages, preparing to move forward.

"Form up! Prepare for battle!" Liao Meng's simple orders were quickly followed by the hundreds of soldiers in his detachment.

The 200 longspear soldiers, with the help of the logistics troops, put on the emergency-delivered 1931 full-body armor. They discarded the greaves that hindered movement but kept the helmets, arm guards, breastplates, and skirt armor. The 200 longspear soldiers formed a 40x5 square formation in front of the musketeers, all holding 2.7-meter-long spears, standing firm in the cold west wind.

The 246 flintlock musketeers from three companies formed two 24x5 square formations on either side of the longspear formation. The six company commanders and deputy commanders stood at the right end of the first row of musketeers, and all non-commissioned officers and officers above the rank of sergeant wore full-body armor. In the gaps between the two formations were six cannons each. Additionally, there were two flag bearers and two drummers.

The cavalry regiment and the logistics troops stayed together as a mobile force, ready to strike at any time.

The west wind was at 5-6 levels, and the visibility on the battlefield was good. At 7:00 AM, seeing the Spanish forces starting to move, Liao Meng gave the order, and the hundreds of soldiers in the three infantry formations roared in unison, "Victory!"

Two drummers took the lead. One took out a military bugle and played "The Victory March of the Army," adapted from the "People's Liberation Army March" from the future. The other drummer beat a small drum hanging from his waist in time with the melody. The company commanders, hearing the bugle call, took out the copper whistles hanging from their necks and blew them, then shouted, "Victory belongs to the Army, forward!"

With the sharp sound of the whistles, the soldiers moved forward slowly under the commands of the platoon leaders, "One-two-one... left-right-left..." Two red military flags with the American eagle emblem fluttered in the wind, and the soldiers' steps were steady. Although they were somewhat nervous, they managed to control their emotions.

The artillerymen were the undisputed stars of the battle. The 8 four-pounders and 4 eight-pounders between the two infantry formations of Liao Meng's detachment opened fire first. Their long range allowed them to cover almost the entire battlefield, so they did not need to move the cannons forward like their Spanish counterparts.

The first round of artillery fire did not land well, but that was just a test. Of course, firing at such a distance did affect the Spanish morale, as it meant they would have to endure several rounds of artillery fire before engaging.

The distance between the two sides was closing. Liao Meng's artillerymen fired again, and the almost flat trajectory of the shells crossed the hundreds of meters between the two formations, directly hitting the dense Spanish formation.

"Thud! Thud!" The sounds of blood splattering and flesh being penetrated were heard. Several shells caused terrifying casualties among the Spanish, and their officers shouted and cursed, trying to steady their troops. They rode their horses back and forth in front of and behind the formation, ensuring that every soldier could see them clearly.

"Control the pace! Follow the drum and bugle! One-two-one... one-two-one..." Lan Guo, the new acting company commander of the Third Company, shouted at the top of his lungs. He wore a bright and thick 1931 full-body armor, with a cartridge box, a saber, and a flintlock pistol hanging from his belt, and a 32-乙 type flintlock rifle slung over his shoulder. The soldiers' steps were stiff, and many were no longer following the rhythm, causing the formation to become skewed. Lan Guo had to shout loudly to remind them.

The artillery continued to bombard, creating gaps in the Spanish formation, which were quickly filled by the men behind. The Spanish, now in a desperate situation, finally showed the courage to fight to the death.

The buglers repeatedly played "The Victory March of the Army." When they started the opening "Forward, forward, forward!" the Spanish artillery finally opened fire.

A four-pound shell whistled through the air and penetrated the longspear formation to the right of Lan Guo. The powerful iron ball grazed four or five soldiers before finally losing its energy and landing on the grass. The soldiers grazed by the ball were either dead or injured. One soldier with a severed thigh lay on the ground, screaming in agony. His artery was ruptured, and hot blood gushed out like a fountain. Unable to die immediately, he futilely tried to cover the wound with his hands, but the blood continued to spread on the grass.

Lan Guo turned away; the survival rate for wounded soldiers in this era was very low. Moreover, with his thigh blown off and his artery ruptured, even a god could not save him. The enemy's artillery fire continued, with 2 four-pound bronze cannons and 2 six-pound bronze cannons. The Spanish artillerymen quickly cleared the barrels, loaded the powder, and fired, their actions as smooth as if they were in training.

"Boom! Boom!" This time, it was the flintlock musketeers' turn to suffer. A six-pound iron ball landed in front of Lan Guo and then bounced up, hitting a soldier. The unfortunate soldier's right arm was completely torn off by the iron ball, and the ball continued to fly toward Lan Guo with its momentum still intact.

"Oh no!" Lan Guo thought, trying to dodge but it was too late. In that moment, he recalled his university days, his military career after crossing over, and his newlywed wife. It's over, he closed his eyes instinctively.

"Whoosh!" A gust of wind passed by his ear, and the iron ball grazed past him, less than ten centimeters away, then bounced off the ground and hit a longspear soldier in the abdomen behind him. The remaining energy of the iron ball was completely absorbed by the soft abdomen, and the former Dutch pirate longspear soldier screamed and fell to the ground. His abdomen was torn open, and his intestines, broken into several pieces, spilled out onto the ground. He lay on the ground, screaming for help, but no one stopped to assist him. Perhaps if he survived until the end of the battle, the two Taoist priests with the army would come to perform the rites, but he clearly would not live that long.

Lan Guo felt a cold sweat break out all over his body. For a moment, he thought he was going to die. But at the last moment, fate had spared him, and he narrowly escaped death. The feeling was not pleasant, and Lan Guo steadied his nerves. Now was not the time to be distracted; the enemy was still in front of him! His anger toward the Spanish gradually grew, and he raised his saber, shouting, "Don't be afraid! Hold steady! The cannonballs only find cowards! One-two-one... one-two-one... steady your steps!"

The 8 cannons of the artillery company fired another round. At this point, both sides' infantry had entered the range of the muskets. The Spanish, with about a hundred flintlock musketeers at the front, gradually leveled their loaded muskets and began to aim.

"Raise... aim... ready... fire!" A sharp whistle sounded, and the camp training officer, Zhu Liang, who was commanding the front, swung his saber down.

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