The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 255 The Iron Cavalry Has Arrived

The Iron Pagoda is composed of three people connected by leather ropes.

The lances were twelve feet long, extending far forward to engage enemy spearmen in duels. These lances were ridiculously long; the Song army's hook-and-sickle spears were only seven feet two inches long, making them utterly insignificant in the face of the Iron Pagoda's lances.

In addition to lances, the Ironclad Cavalry is also equipped with straight-bladed sabers, clubs, flails, etc., which can be used for close combat when the enemy approaches, and are also suitable for attacking enemy infantry who are close by.

As soon as the three hundred Ironclad Cavalrymen started to move forward, a large group of auxiliary soldiers surged up behind them, setting up rows of barricades behind the Ironclad Cavalrymen.

For every step the Ironclad Cavalry took forward, the auxiliary soldiers carried the barricades and moved forward one step as well!
This is the pride of the Iron Pagoda. Whenever they go to war, there are chevaux-de-frise behind them pressing forward step by step, indicating that the Iron Pagoda will not retreat, but only move forward.

"go ahead!"

"attack!"

"Hezameng'an is invincible!"

The Jin army's momentum was overwhelming...

Meanwhile, in the rebel army's ranks, Zhang Dashu jumped up with a start, overjoyed: "They're here! They're here! Heavy musket battalion, get ready to work!"

Qi Chongli and the Thirty-Two Eunuchs, who were standing next to Yue Wenxuan, also jumped up at the same time: "They're here! The Iron Pagoda is here! My God, the Iron Pagoda is here!"

The thirty-two-year-old man could only gasp in shock and fear.

But in addition to his fear, Qi Chongli also developed an extra ability: to swear. The old man threw aside his scholarly integrity and began to swear, his spittle flying: "You damned Ironclad Cavalry, you sons without an anus, I'll kill you bunch of bastards... kill you! I'll curse your ancestors for eighteen generations!"

Gong Erniangzi broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this and whispered, "True Lord, are all cultured people like this?"

Yue Wenxuan shrugged: "Most literati are hooligans, with Li Bai as a prime example. They all like to frequent brothels."

Madam Gong Er: “…”

The Ironclad Cavalry advanced slowly, with the barricades following suit. The cavalrymen, their morale soaring, braved the bullets from the skirmishers and the firepower of the musketeers, desperately firing arrows to create battlefield space for the Ironclad Cavalry.

Encouraged, the catapults behind them began to hurl stones with all their might.

Under such a fierce offensive, even the rebel army's door-panel formation began to waver.

Guwei saw that several door panels seemed to be moving backward, shaking violently. His eyes lit up, and he pointed to the spot, shouting, "I see it! The palace traitor's weakness is right here! Ironclad Cavalry, charge there!"

The Ironclad Pagoda charged towards the spot where the door panel was shaking...

The rebel spearmen and halberdiers, all equipped with fire arrows, seemed to be overwhelmed by the Ironclad Cavalry's imposing presence and couldn't help but unleash their attacks on them. However, it was all in vain; the fire arrows struck the double-layered heavy armor, a mere joke, and fell to the ground with a clanging sound.

A few musket bullets also hit the Ironclad Cavalry, but they had no effect whatsoever.

The Iron Pagoda's double-layered heavy armor also had a layer of felt pillows for cushioning, so bullets could not penetrate the armor or cause internal injuries through it. This is why the Liao, Western Xia, and Song armies found it difficult to kill the Iron Pagoda even when they used blunt weapons.

"attack!"

"The enemy's weakness is right in front of us."

"Those few door panels couldn't hold up anymore."

With a loud roar, Guwei caused the door panels to break apart, revealing the weak points behind them.

The Ironclad Cavalry were overjoyed. They raised their twelve-foot lances, ready to break through the breach and disrupt the enemy formation.

Huh?
wrong!

Wait, what's that in front of me?

Ten feet ahead, hundreds of rebel soldiers stood in neat rows before them. Each of them held a huge musket—no, not held in their hands, but rather propped up on a pitchfork stuck in the ground. Just by looking at the pitchfork, one could tell that this firearm must have been incredibly heavy, too heavy for them to hold by hand, and had to be propped up like this.

Gu Wei felt a sense of foreboding...

Qi Chongli's spirits lifted: "This is the secret weapon used to deal with the Iron Pagoda? Oh my! When that simpleton Zhang Dashu mentioned it earlier, he had his hands empty. I thought he was gesturing with some kind of magic, but now I know he was gesturing with a giant musket? Haha, let's get them! Let's kill those turtle bastards."

Zhang Dashu, the battalion commander of the heavy firearms battalion, was now holding a heavy firearm that was far more exaggerated than that of his comrades. It was not only large and long, but also equipped with a bayonet, a ten-foot-long blade! It was nearly three feet longer than the Song army's seven-foot-two-inch hook-and-sickle spear, and it was truly terrifying.

He grinned and shouted, "Fire!"

"Bang bang bang bang!"

The heavy musketeers in the front row opened fire, the sound of their gunfire muffled.

Just by listening to the sound of this musket, you can tell that the amount of gunpowder it contains far exceeds that of ordinary bird guns.

The moment the thought of "something bad" crossed Guwei's mind, he saw a whole row of Ironclad Pagoda soldiers fall down in a flash.

Double layers of heavy armor and felt pillows are utterly useless against the terrifying bullets of heavy muskets. They can penetrate them in an instant, leaving no room for negotiation.

The Battle of Pavia in 1525 proved this point.

Oops!

It was only 1129 at this time, and it seems that Europeans had not yet had time to prove it, but the Jin Dynasty's Iron Pagoda had already proven this point 400 years earlier.

The front row of the Ironclad Cavalry collapsed en masse, and the middle and back rows were immediately shocked: "What's going on?"

Suddenly, the front rank of the heavy musket battalion put away their pitchforks and retreated. The musket soldiers in the back rank stepped forward, stuck their pitchforks into the ground, and set up another row of muskets, opening fire.

"Bang bang bang bang!"

Another volley of heavy bullets flew over, and another platoon of the Ironclad Cavalry fell down with a clatter.

Guwei's mouth was wide open, and he couldn't close it for a long time.

Qi Chongli's mouth was wide open, and he even forgot to curse.

At this moment, the thirty-second eunuch still retained his language ability. As expected of someone who grew up in the palace, his mental fortitude was extremely strong, his adaptability was superb, and his ability to change course with the wind was +999. In just 0.32 seconds, he flattered Yue Wenxuan beside him: "Your Highness is mighty. With such a powerful weapon, how can we not defeat the Jin invaders! Your Highness is truly a blessing to our Great Song Dynasty and a blessing to all Han people under heaven."

The mighty and invincible Ironclad Cavalry was also experiencing such a head-on blow for the first time.

In an instant, two rows of comrades fell. For the first time, the remaining Ironclad Cavalry felt so close to death. This armor seemed to be of no use at all.
What kind of weird weapon is that on the other side?

The fear of the unknown shattered the Ironclad Cavalry's invincible confidence.

Many members of the Ironclad Cavalry even had the idea of ​​escaping.

Such a thought was something they had never had before.

Of course, escape was out of the question; behind them were layers upon layers of barricades.

The Iron Pagoda can only move forward, not backward.

Their dictionary only contains the word "charge"!
The rest of us continued shouting and pushing forward...

Zhang Dashu roared, "Loading! Load it now!"

Zhang Yong also shouted: "Hold the chariot formation for now, hold the formation for now, and buy time for the heavy musketeers to reload!"

(End of this chapter)