Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

Chapter 166: Foreigners, are you so afraid of death?

Dagukou Fortress, Tanggu Port!

While Chen Jie was still testing the 60mm mortar, Ma Liangkun was already overwhelmed by anger.

Not only him, but all the soldiers of the Xiongwu Army were ignited with anger at this moment.

"Sir! Are we so cowardly that we won't send out any troops and will just watch these Westerners enter Tianjin?"

"They kill anyone they see. They've already massacred several villages and towns!"

As we watched thousands of Western coalition forces bypass the Dagukou Fortress and burn, kill and loot in the villages and towns on the outskirts of Tianjin City.

As the scouts continued to bring news, the eyes of all the members of the Xiongwu Army began to turn bloodshot.

"General! Don't be impulsive!"

Xu Wenyang warned, "The Western coalition did this in order to force us to send troops from Tanggu Port and provoke our Xiongwu Army!"

"Once the general sends out his troops, without the deterrent force of the Weiyuan cannon, the Western artillery will be able to close the distance and unscrupulously carry out fire coverage."

"With our Xiongwu Army's muskets, we can't defeat the Western Allied Forces at all!"

"The most urgent task is to preserve our strength and not send out troops!"

"The Westerners are so eager to attack our Tanggu Port, it seems they are planning to launch a general offensive!"

"General Ye has just sent an urgent order, asking us to defend the Tanggu Port and not move our troops!"

Bang!
Ma Liangkun suddenly punched the wall of the fortification.

The powerful pressure from a strong man who has reached the state of great success of Iron Bones and Dark Power is terrifying.

"Enough! Sir, I don't know what it means to put the overall situation first, what is righteousness and morality. At this time, you still want to hold back and preserve your strength!"

"Westerners have already started to massacre our Daqian people, and we still have to endure it!?"

"How long do you have to endure this? Tell me, how long do you have to endure this?"

"Do you know the despair those unarmed civilians felt when faced with Western muskets?"

"We have been patient since the Westerners' warships arrived in Daqian. We have been patient since the Japanese occupied Weihai, Shandong, went all the way north, landed in Lushun again, and took Liaodong directly. We are still patient!"

"Now the Westerners have entered Tianjin and are killing our people, and you still want us to endure it!"

"We are soldiers of Daqian. Since the day we entered the military camp, we have always had a belief in our hearts, which is to defend our country."

"Sir, I can't stand it today! Even if I die in battle, I must fight the Westerners once!"

"The soldiers of my heroic army will never stand by and watch the Westerners slaughter our people. I will send troops--!"

Ma Liangkun said this in a decisive tone, with a firm look in his eyes.

Xu Wenyang was horrified and shouted: "General, a little impatience can ruin a great plan!"

Ma Liangkun took a deep breath, shook his head and said:

"Sir, the Western coalition forces currently appear to have only 5,000 troops stationed there. They divided their forces to bypass the Dagukou Fortress and enter Tianjin City."

"It's obvious that they are sure that our Xiongwu Army will not dare to send out troops!"

"Damn it, I will send troops today even if I disobey your orders."

"I will personally lead 8,000 elite troops to fight against the 5,000 troops stationed by the Western coalition forces. 2,000 troops will be left at Tanggu Port, including some of the surrounding civilians to defend it!"

"The fortifications of our Tanggu Port are like a solid wall. Even if we leave two thousand people and some civilians nearby, they won't be able to break through easily."

"As long as we defeat these 5,000 stationed troops, all the troops they have sent to enter Tianjin City will retreat."

"Today I will show the might of my heroic army and break the undefeated myth of the Western coalition forces!"

Xu Wenyang suddenly became anxious and said, "But - General -!"

but,

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Ma Liangkun.

He said righteously: "Enough! Sir, you don't need to persuade me anymore!"

"I know what you want to say, but I have my own decision. I want to continue to endure it, but - I can't do it!"

"I am the assistant commander of the Ministry of War. I cannot tolerate the Westerners entering Tianjin City to burn, kill and loot. I cannot just turn a blind eye!"

"Even if I die in battle, killed by Westerners' guns and cannons, I, Ma Liangkun, will die without regrets."

"Even if the king of heaven comes today, I will still send troops!"

"If we continue to endure like this, the morale of our Xiongwu Army will be completely destroyed. Everyone has lost their faith, their goals, and their fighting spirit!"

"Once the Westerners launch a general attack, we will be in disarray and vulnerable!"

"Sir, you are a very good counselor, you have a broad perspective and have helped me a lot!"

"But in today's battle, I can't listen to you--!"

Ma Liangkun said this in a decisive tone, turned around and left, walking towards the wall of the fortifications -!
"General——!" Xu Wenyang shouted.

But at this moment, he found that his throat was blocked.

yes--!
Although the overall situation is important, morale is equally important.

The Xiongwu Army was known as the elite among the elite of the Daqian Dynasty's military. How could they watch the Western Allied Forces enter Tianjin and burn, kill and loot?

I've been holding back for too long and now I'm exhausted!
-

Ma Liangkun led the elite troops of the Xiongwu Army and charged out.

It has to be said that the equipment and combat effectiveness of the Xiongwu Army make it the strongest army in the Daqian Dynasty.

Westerners have musketeers, and the Xiongwu Army is also equipped with musketeers.

The first contact between the two sides ended with a great victory for the Xiongwu Army.

Bang bang—bang bang—!
After Ma Liangkun led his troops out of the Dagukou Fortress, he was extremely brave. After a brief exchange of fire between the two sides, the 5,000 Western coalition troops stationed there were forced to flee in panic.

Hundreds of vanguards of the Western Allied Forces fled in panic after encountering the musketeers of the Xiongwu Army.

When all 8,000 troops broke out of the Dagukou Fortress, Ma Liangkun was the first to bear the brunt, wearing armor, riding a tall horse, and leading the musketeers to charge forward.

Although the power of the Daqian Dynasty's muskets was far inferior to that of Western muskets.

but,

With their fearless courage and the ability to suppress the enemy's firepower with muskets, the impact was still very strong.

Especially the battle formation of the Xiongwu Army, which used muskets to clear the way and cavalry to attack, and marched at a very fast speed.

The brief confrontation forced the Western coalition forces to retreat continuously.

this moment,
Ma Liangkun's domineering aura aroused the fighting spirit of the Xiongwu Army.

but,

He was not carried away by victory, but quickly stopped marching and became more alert.

These Western tactics give people a very strange feeling.

They seemed to be very afraid of death and did not dare to engage in close combat with the Xiongwu Army.

Once they discovered the Xiongwu Army charging, they would retreat quickly, running faster than anything else.

Therefore,
Although the Xiongwu Army broke out of the Tanggu Port fortifications, they defeated the Western Allied Forces like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.

but,

Apart from being shot at by the enemy's muskets, no results were achieved.

"Are foreigners so afraid of death?"

Ma Liangkun was confused and a little bewildered.

He has always believed that Westerners' fighting capabilities are extremely strong.

In the Battle of Shandong, the Eight-Nation Alliance defeated the Shandong garrison and forced them to flee in panic, suffering heavy losses.

The 150,000-strong army was completely defeated!

But now, when Ma Liangkun led his troops to fight against the Westerners, he found that the opponent's fighting power was completely different from what he had imagined.

“Go—go—!”

Taking advantage of the victory, the momentum of the Xiongwu Army increased.

but,

After rushing for two kilometers, the Western Allied Forces did not stop fighting at all.

They fought and retreated, as if frightened by the momentum of the Xiongwu Army, and could only fight back with muskets.

call--!
Ma Liangkun let out a breath, looked up at the Western coalition forces a few hundred meters away, and finally let down his guard.

Damn it——!
The fighting power of Westerners doesn't seem to be that good!
At this moment, his blood boiled and he looked extremely excited.

The other troops in the Daqian Dynasty’s Ministry of War are afraid of you, the Western Allied Forces, but my Xiongwu Army is not afraid of you.

You have muskets, and so do we! When it comes to fighting tough battles, our heroic army has never been afraid of anyone!
come on!

Today, I will let you Westerners see what the elite troops of the Daqian Dynasty are like!

"Brothers! Encircle them from both wings. Let these Westerners have a taste of our might today!"

Ma Liangkun gave the order decisively, and at this moment he seemed very heroic.

The eight thousand heroic soldiers were instantly divided into three groups.

In the middle were four thousand elite troops, including one thousand musketeers, one thousand cavalry, and two thousand infantry.

Two thousand men were sent out from each wing to form a flanking formation.

Once the Xiongwu Army is mobilized, its combat effectiveness cannot be underestimated.

As expected, they are the most elite troops of the Daqian Dynasty. After a period of pursuit, they showed great momentum.

After the troops were divided into three groups, they formed a combined battle formation.

That's right,

This was a battle formation that had been passed down in the Daqian Dynasty for thousands of years, encircling the enemy from both wings, making quick detours, and forming a pincer attack.

Simultaneously,

According to the development of modern warfare, muskets replaced the previous archers, and sprinted at high speed to shorten the distance with the enemy.

This kind of battle formation was able to form penetration and division in the era of cold weapons, and its combat effectiveness was unquestionable.

Any powerful army, once caught up by the cavalry, would quickly be cut off from retreat and surrounded.

The Western Allied Forces retreated very quickly.

In less than fifteen minutes, they had retreated two kilometers.

but,

Under the fierce pursuit of the Xiongwu Army, the Western Allied Forces had to stop and counterattack with muskets to slow down the marching speed of the Xiongwu Army.

Therefore,
The pace of retreat naturally began to slow down.

Soon, the Western coalition forces appeared less than 500 meters away from Ma Liangkun.

Toot—toot—!
As the horn sounded, the cavalry and musketeers led by Ma Liangkun stopped chasing.

Unable to advance any further, the Western Allied Forces suddenly stopped.

I saw an officer wearing a silver knight uniform and riding a tall horse covered in full armor, looking calmly at the approaching soldiers of the Xiongwu Army.

Around him, all the Westerners were holding muskets, ready for battle.

It seems,
The Westerners had no intention of continuing to flee, but instead wanted to start a war with the Xiongwu Army.

This Western officer in armor looks very familiar.

When Ma Liangkun looked up, he knew that this bastard was the guy who had been riding a horse and provoking him outside the fortifications of Tanggu Port.

"You stepped on the horse——!"

Ma Liangkun couldn't help but curse, and with the sword in his hand, he wanted to rush out and fight the Western Silver Knight in a duel.

but,

The moment he was about to rush out, he saw rows of Western musketeers ready for battle, and he immediately suppressed his impulse.

call--!
He took a deep breath, adjusted his state, and calmed himself down.

The current way of fighting is completely different from the previous era of cold weapons. It is impossible to fight one-on-one in front of the battle.

What's more, he is now the lieutenant general of the Xiongwu Army and cannot afford to make any mistakes.

The Western general on the other side has pretty good fighting ability.

Given the enemy's combat effectiveness, it is impossible for them to be defeated and flee when they were attacked by the Xiongwu Army just now.

Ma Liangkun narrowed his eyes and had to be cautious.

"Set up the butterfly formation——!"

Wow——!
The Xiongwu Army quickly formed a battle formation.

this moment,
Ma Liangkun always felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't tell what was wrong.

He could only use stillness to counter movement and set up a battle formation first.

Eight thousand people against five thousand people!
In terms of numbers, the Xiongwu Army has the advantage.

However, they were at a disadvantage in terms of equipment. The power of Western muskets was much greater than that of the Xiongwu Army.

at this time,

If they attack rashly, the Xiongwu Army will easily suffer a heavy loss.

Just as Ma Liangkun ordered the Xiongwu Army to begin to form the "Butterfly Formation", the silver knight Freke, who was wearing armor on the opposite side, looked at the battle formation set up by the Daqian Army with surprise.

Looking at the Xiongwu Army's orderly formation, interweaving and advancing and retreating freely, it looked like a butterfly.

Cavalry, musketeers, archers, spearmen——!
With all the military services integrated together, the Western Allied Forces would have no chance of winning if they tried to launch a head-on charge.

this moment,
Freke couldn't help but admire it in his heart.

As expected of an ancient oriental civilization, the changes in battle formations are breathtaking.

No wonder the Daqian Dynasty was called a sleeping elephant. With such excellent battle formations, if it were the era of cold weapons, the Western coalition forces would not be able to match it at all.

Even if the Eastern Expedition Army that swept across Europe hundreds of years ago encountered a battle formation like that of the Daqian Dynasty, it would surely be defeated and flee.

The Daqian Dynasty was able to stand in the East for thousands of years, which was indeed unique.

At this time,

Standing next to Freke was a deputy general of the Western Allied Forces named Aland. He looked at the butterfly formation set up by the Xiongwu Army of the Daqian Dynasty and said with a disdainful smile:
"General! This battle formation is so fancy and useless!"

"It only takes a few cannons to bombard them, and their battle formation will soon be in chaos and fall apart."

"Under the firepower of our muskets and artillery, they are all lambs to be slaughtered."

Freke shook his head and said solemnly:

"No, you are wrong! This battle formation is the crystallization of wisdom. It is the strongest battle combination formed based on the strengths and weaknesses of each type of soldiers."

"The Daqian Dynasty has stood in the East for thousands of years, and has produced many talented people with great wisdom. They should not be underestimated."

"Although we in the West have broken all the battlefield rules of the cold weapon era by relying on industrial changes."

"But Eastern civilization has been passed down for too long, and they are all very smart. Once they wake up, they will be a force that can change the world."

Alande curled his lips and sneered:

"That being said, as long as we, the Western Alliance, turn this place into a colony, what can they do even if they wake up?"

"In addition, the army in front of us is equipped with such a complete set of muskets. They should be the elite among the elite of the Daqian Dynasty!"

"Destroying their army is like the Japanese sinking the Beiyang Fleet of the Daqian Dynasty in the East China Sea. They will never be able to build an army with such combat effectiveness again."

Upon hearing this, Freke laughed and said:

"You are right! The army in front of us is the 'Heroic Army' of the Daqian Dynasty!"

"The other armies of the Daqian Dynasty are completely different from the Xiongwu Army. Many Daqian soldiers have never touched a musket."

Alande said in a deep voice: "General, what should we do now? Should we continue the confrontation to delay time, or should we go to war directly?"

Freke smiled calmly, with a sharp light in his eyes, and sneered:

"Of course we have to fight! Our goal is to hold back the main force of the Xiongwu Army!"

"General Hunter's plan is indeed brilliant. I didn't expect the Xiongwu Army to actually send out troops!"

"Remember, we just need to stop them with the musketeers. There is no need to fight to the death and avoid close combat to prevent casualties!"

"Fight while retreating, and hold back the Xiongwu Army, and you will win!"

"The defense of Tanggu Port is now at its most vulnerable. I hope General Hunter can take over Tanggu Port as soon as possible!"

"As long as Tanggu Port is breached, the entire Dagukou Fortress will collapse without a fight!"

Whoosh-!
After saying that, Freke kicked off and mounted his warhorse.

"Alande, you lead the first battalion and attack their flanks with muskets from the side so that they can't encircle them!"

"Remember, don't open fire. Killing the enemy is not our goal!"

"We need to create an illusion for the other side, an illusion that will allow them to completely destroy us."

"Delay the main force of the Xiongwu Army as long as possible!"

Arend stood at attention, saluted to Freke and said, "Yes! General Freke, I promise to complete the mission!"

finished,

He called out to a musketeer team and quickly rushed towards the flank of the Xiongwu Army -!
(End of this chapter)