It was close to noon, the wind was mild, and the temperature was not too high, so it was a good time for the two armies to fight a decisive battle. After determining that the opponent would not go out of the village to fight, the Eight-Nation Coalition began to advance slowly. Twenty-one infantry phalanxes, divided into three rows, seemed to move a large area of spears from the forest, slowly moving forward, except for the sound of neat footsteps, there seemed to be no other sound on the whole battlefield.

"Its Xu Rulin ......"

Boyan stood on the top of the watchtower, his face was blue and white, and he blurted out the words of "Sun Tzu's Art of War".

The garrison of the Delhi Sultanate was encamped against the Yamuna River, and across the river was the tall walls of the city of Delhi. There was a pontoon bridge between the camp and the city of Delhi, and in the event of an unfavorable battle, the army could retreat to Delhi at any time. The camp was formed in a long and narrow shape, like a barrier, and was placed in the northeast of the city of Delhi. The camp was built under the guidance of Boyan, and it was not a wooden wall, but composed of two low rammed earth breastwalls, among which there were also semicircular artillery forts. Beyond the outer breastwork was a ditch two feet deep and three feet wide, which also brought in the waters of the Yamuna River.

The archers and musketeers of the new army in Delhi were in good standing behind the first rammed-earth breastwork. The cannons were also erected, loaded with solid shells, and aimed the muzzles of the guns at the advancing Eight-Nation Alliance.

The new army in Delhi also used compound bows, similar to those used in Persia and Central Asia, and before the infantry of the Eight Nations arrived, a row of arrows had been fired, and clusters of arrows were inserted diagonally into the ground, forming a white line of separate layers. This is the effective range of the infantry bow. The arquebuses provided by the Mongols were captured in the European theater of the Tiandao 2nd year, and the effective range was larger than the compound bow of the Delhi army, but Boyan still suggested that the Indian new army should unify the firing distance of the arquebus with the compound bow, which was about 70 paces.

Behind the second parametry of the Delhi barracks were maces and maces, just as the Mongols had done in the battle against the Ming army - the scimitars were largely useless against an enemy who was protected by steel armor. A mace and mace are the right choice.

However, the officers leading the team at all levels still held a cold sweat in their palms, and watched the brigade of the Eight-Nation Alliance slowly approaching the range of their own artillery.

It is said that it is the Eight-Nation Alliance, but in fact, it was the British, Song, Lu, and Soviet armies that went into battle, and the black warriors of the British Navy did not go to the battlefield. They were not professional infantrymen, and Chen Defang brought them here just to strengthen their momentum. Now these blacks were guarding the camp along with the armies of the Srivijaya, Ladakh, Guge and Sakya factions of France.

So put on the battlefield. That is, twenty-one infantry brigades and one artillery brigade belonging to the British army. In addition, the coalition army also had two light cavalry brigades, both of which were Shi Tianze's army, both of which were unarmored light cavalry and could not be used to charge into battle, so they were deployed in the rear of the battlefield and did not participate in the battle.

When the coalition army was approaching two and a half miles away from the Delhi military camp, Chen Defang, who was riding behind the twenty-one infantry phalanx, suddenly raised his horse whip high and ordered loudly: "Stop!" ”

Then I heard a short, dull trumpet. All the infantry phalanx suddenly stopped advancing. Orders are forbidden, as if they were one person!

Chen Defang nodded with satisfaction, and in the face of this strict order, the twenty-one infantry brigades here were already no less elite than the Ming Army.

"Let's engage in battle according to the drill code, first the artillery bombardment, and then the infantry charge."

Chen Defang seems to be the so-called "minister" of the Song Dynasty, a scholar in charge of the army, and a scholar who is in charge of the army. Of course, the staff officers and the officers below were responsible for the specific operations. Many high-ranking officers of the Ying, Song, Sulu and Fourth Army have studied in the Daming Army Military Academy, and they have also opened a military academy with the battalion. Most of the middle and lower-ranking officers came out of the battalion military academy.

The use of military academies to train standardized officers in batches is actually a military revolution of far-reaching significance. This made it easy for the imperial court or civilian government to control a large number of military resources. If we combine it with smoothbore guns, rifled guns, and bronze cannons, which are easy to standardize and be easily mastered by soldiers, but are more powerful than cold weapons that require long-term training to use well, then the civilian government will be able to master a truly combat-effective army.

On the artillery position, 108 3-inch bronze cannons of three artillery regiments and 12 8-inch mortars of a siege artillery battalion have been arranged in front and back.

"Three miles away! Target enemy camp! ”

"All direct-fire batteries. Fire! ”

The commander of the artillery brigade had been leaning on the telescope propped up by the tripod, and at the sound of an order, a thunderous roar spread over the field, and the white gunpowder smoke from the muzzle of the cannon suddenly filled the battlefield.

The heavy and dull sound of the cannon slapped on the eardrums, making Boyan's brows tighten more and more. It's just the vassal army of the Ming Dynasty. The firepower is already as powerful as this, if you encounter the main force of the Ming army, you don't know how strong it is! I heard that the Ming Navy also has a giant ship equipped with 108 cannons! So many cannons are cast in bronze, and the success rate of casting cannons is low, that is, two or three out of ten. Although most of the bronze can still be recycled, the loss is still staggering. With so many artillery pieces cast, I'm afraid the money spent will be piled up.

It seems that the news that there are gold and silver mountains in Mingzhou in the north and south is true!

It's a pity that the Great Mongolian naval army is too weak to go to Mingzhou, and it can't win enough gold and silver. Even if he entered Paris and seized a large area of the rich plains of Europa, the financial resources of the Great Mongolia still could not be compared with the Ming Dynasty......

The artillery of the Delhi Sultan's army also began to counterattack, their artillery was eliminated by the Mongol army, the caliber was different, the casting was sloppy, the quality of the H medicine was also poor, and the shells fired could not reach the artillery positions of the coalition forces at all. It tossed out a lot of smoke.

At this time, it is still the dry season in India, and the wind direction is mostly northeast and northwest, and now the northeast wind is blowing on the battlefield. The wind was not strong, but the smoke from more than 100 cannons on the battlefield was blown towards the positions of the Delhi army. However, after a few rounds of shelling, the front of the Delhi army was engulfed in choking smoke, and the scene twenty or thirty paces away was no longer visible.

Boyan put down the binoculars and ignored the sound of the cannonballs. Although the artillery fire of the coalition forces was fierce, he was not worried about the heavy losses of the troops on the Delhi side. The anti-artillery capabilities of the low, thick rammed earth breastworks were tested on the battlefields of Europa.

"Drummer! Beat the drums! ”

"Musketeers, guns on the shoulders!"

"Shieldman, raise your shield!"

When the artillery bombardment from both sides lasted for about half an hour, the coalition forces were on the battle line. A new order has been delivered. Not because the shelling hit the opponent hard, but because after half an hour of bombardment, the barrels of both sides were already heating up, and the rate of fire of the guns began to drop significantly. On the side of the Delhi army, there were only thirty or forty artillery pieces, and they were evenly deployed, and the firepower was already sparse. If the rate of fire is reduced again, it will basically not pose a threat.

Lai Toad, who had just been promoted to the acting commander of the second battalion of the 1st Musket Regiment of the British Army, drew his big horizontal knife and pointed forward. Commanded loudly and in high spirits.

He didn't know now that his father had given his life for his country, and his younger brother Lai Fu did not follow Lei Batian into the army, but boarded Selassie. Solomon's slave ship sailed to the Atlantic. As a result, the brothers did not have a chance to meet.

As a toad of the Tianzhu Great British Special Brahmin, it can be said that the wealth and color officials have three incomes these days. The newly married wife is a rare little beauty, not only much more beautiful than Lai Toad's wife in China, but also Du Sanniang. And it also brought a rich dowry. It's really a double harvest. After the wedding, he returned to the barracks, and within a few days, Lai Toad was promoted two levels in a row, jumping from second lieutenant to captain, and became the acting battalion commander.

The reason why the official rose so quickly was because the toad was born in Chen Huaiqing's guards; Second, because many middle-level officers of the British army have been transferred to serve as magistrates, and the territory of Great Britain is getting bigger and bigger, so it is natural to need a large number of magistrates. And the vacated posts are cheaper for low-level officers like Lai Toad.

By this time, an artillery battalion in the center of the battlefield had stopped firing. The route of advance was ceded to the infantry. Then, the dull and rapid sound of the horn continued to sound. This was the signal to urge the British 1st, 2nd and 3rd Musket Regiments to attack.

"Second Battalion of Musketeers, forward!"

Lai Toad raised his horizontal knife, pointed ahead, silently counted the steps in his heart, and took the lead into the battlefield filled with gunpowder. Behind him. A company of shields and two companies of musketeers had formed three horizontal columns. More than 400 soldiers, under the command of the company commanders and platoon commanders, followed behind Lai Toad without hesitation, and rushed into the smoke of gunpowder at the speed of walking.

Knock knock knock......

With the rhythmic beat of drums, there were more than 3,600 people in nine musket battalions. It gathered on the battlefield to form a moving wall, marching in orderly steps, rapidly approaching under the cover of gunsmoke.

"Stop!"

Lai Toad shouted loudly, raised his horizontal knife high, and then swung it down violently, giving the order to stop advancing. The drummers of the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Musket Regiment immediately stopped beating the drums, and the company commanders and platoon commanders below also gave the same order.

"Sword and shield company, whole team, set up shields! Half squat! ”

"A company of muskets, half squatting, guns! Second company of muskets, half-squatting, ready! ”

Lai Toad continued to give orders, and ordered his subordinates to set up the shield first, and then put the heavy Heavenly Dao Second Year Arquebus in the bayonet on the shield.

Lai Toad also half-squatted down, squinting his eyes and looking around, the battlefield was filled with gunsmoke, the visibility was extremely poor, and only the rammed earth wall more than a hundred steps away and the friendly troops on the left and right could be vaguely seen, and they were all in the same formation as Lai Toad's second battalion of musketeers, ready to shoot.

The Heavenly Dao Two-Year Musket is a heavy musket, and it can theoretically hit targets a hundred paces away, but that's just a theory. If it weren't particularly unlucky, it would have been impossible to be killed by a musket firing from a hundred paces away in this day and age.

"Fire!" The toad ordered loudly.

"Bang ......"

The sound of arquebus firing suddenly rang out throughout the front line.

"It's ......"

Boyan, who was standing on a watchtower in the Delhi military camp, heard the gunshots and hurriedly raised his lookout to look at the place where the gunshots came from. In the eyepiece, rows of red muzzle flames flashed, and then a white smoke erupted.

"So far?" Boyan frowned deeply. Fire from a hundred paces away? What can be hit?

Just when he was confused, gunfire was heard from the Delhi military line, but it was much more messy.

"Playing the piano indiscriminately, shooting at a distance of 100 steps, and with so much smoke, how can you hit it?"

After the Battle of the Vistula, he followed Kublai Khan across the Great Plains of Bodefa. From the banks of the Vistula River to the banks of the Seine, he has fought dozens of battles with the armies of the Europa, large and small, and has accumulated a wealth of experience. Naturally, we know that although the theoretical range of a heavy arquebus is not close, it is difficult to hit a target at a distance of 50 paces, and it is difficult to hit anything even from a platoon gun at a distance of 100 paces.

Firing at this distance is a waste, not only is it a waste of H medicine, but it will also cause the barrel to overheat, and you will not be able to shoot when the opponent gets close......

"Damn it!" Thinking of this, Boyan completely understood what was going on, he turned around and shouted loudly at his entourage, "Pass my order and tell them not to shoot, this is a trap for the Han people." They're trying to heat up the barrels of our guns! ”

Boyan is worthy of being a famous general in history, and he reacted quickly enough, but unfortunately it is not his Mongolian white flag that is firing now, but the new army of the Delhi Sultan. was originally a recruit, and when he went to the battlefield, he was nervous to death. When you see the enemy shooting, you will naturally return fire immediately, who cares about the distance and proximity?

Moreover, the Delhi army on the battlefield are all believers in the true God, who will really listen to the words of Boyan, a Christian?

Boyan's words didn't have any effect, but the gunfire on the battlefield was as fast as a burst, and the two sides were far apart, and it was really a happy fight.

The nine coalition forces were pikemen, and at this time they had assembled behind three regiments of musketeers who were firing. It is said that it is a "pikeman", but no one really holds a spear, everyone is a steel sword and a rattan shield, and there are a group of shirtless men, holding a rattan shield, and seven or eight people are carrying a long ladder, standing in front of those warriors with steel armor and steel knives. They all craned their necks and were eager to try, completely ignoring the sporadic shells. Just wait for the drums of the attack to sound! According to the battle plan, they will launch a charge after the Delhi army's gun fire is weakened (because the barrel and barrel of the gun are hot), solve the opponent with hand-to-hand combat, and take the first line of defense of the Delhi army.

At the same time, west of the battlefield, on the banks of the Yamuna River, a large group of Delhi cavalry and a considerable number of servants, who were quietly leaving through the pontoon bridge, heard the sound of gunfire coming from the east, turned their heads to look, and then marched again with their heads covered.

Now it's up to Delhi City to be unable to carry it first, or whether their roundabout cavalry will succeed first! (To be continued.) )