I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Kanazawa Tadatsugu: "Fire!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang...

The thick smoke from the burning gunpowder engulfed the punitive army's gun formation.

The barrage of bullets overwhelmed the Soma clan's level.

The soldiers of the punitive expedition did not fire their guns at the same time, but instead fired in three columns in turn: while the first column fired, the second column prepared, and the third column loaded gunpowder and bullets; after the first column finished firing, they moved through the gap between the two columns to the rear column, the second column moved forward to fire, and the third column filled in the position of the second column, and so on, in a progressive firing cycle to ensure that the barrage was never exhausted - this is the classic musket tactic: three-stage firing!

Almost simultaneously with the start of the musket's roar, the bowstring also began to clang.

"Zhang Gong!" Qing Deng raised the Ding Gui Shen sword high in his hand.

With a creak, the soldiers of the Third and Eighth Divisions drew their bows to their fullest extent, arrows pointing diagonally into the sky.

"Release!" Qing Deng forcefully swung down the Ding Gui Shen sword he had been holding high.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud...

A swarm of black locusts rose up from the rear of the punitive army and instantly pounced on the checkpoint of the Soma clan!

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This chapter is a long one of nearly 8000 words, so it would be really inexcusable not to vote for it with a monthly ticket!

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Chapter 296 Qingdeng Pass! Impregnable!

Although the matchlock gun was not very accurate, with so many rows of bullets fired at once, it was bound to hit some targets.

In the blink of an eye, the checkpoint was completely surrounded by the whistling of bullets and arrows, as well as the screams and cries of people.

Caught off guard, many bandits were pierced by the scorching bullets, falling and rolling in pools of blood.

As bullets pierced flesh and people let out agonizing screams that seemed inhuman, vibrant peonies rose from the level—peonies made of blood!

Blood splattered several feet high, flying and scattering in mid-air due to inertia, truly resembling beautiful peonies.

Unfortunately... these "peonies" have the characteristics of the epiphyllum.

As soon as they appeared, they withered and fell in a hurry.

"Raise your shields! Raise your shields! Raise your shields! Raise your shields now!"—such a voice echoed through the checkpoint.

The bandits reacted one after another, raising the thick wooden shields they had prepared beforehand to block the barrage of bullets.

Matchlock guns and bows and arrows were the basic weapons of fire-fighting thieves—this is common knowledge.

Therefore, in order to guard against the arquebuses of the punitive army, the Soma clan specially prepared a large number of extremely thick wooden shields.

These wooden shields... it would be more accurate to call them "walls" than shields.

Each shield is 30cm-50cm thick. The thickest ones are even more than half a meter thick.

Soma Mountain is covered with primeval forests, so preparing these wooden shields was a piece of cake.

The matchlock gun was ultimately too outdated. In terms of firepower, it couldn't compare to the Spencer rifle and other firearms that were popular in the West at the time. It was passable against unarmored targets, but it was somewhat ineffective against wooden shields that were several tens of centimeters thick.

After the shields, as thick as walls, were deployed, the number of people shot immediately decreased significantly.

However, the bandits showed no signs of relaxation – because in addition to the “swarm of bees” in front of them, there was also a “swarm of locusts” overhead that constantly threatened their lives.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud...

The sound of the bowstring being released echoed continuously around Qingdeng.

Hundreds of arrows, carried by the wind and a chill, brought pain and death to the bandits at the pass.

The bow, with its over 2-meter-long body, may have a slightly flamboyant design, but its power is by no means small!

Even on a global scale, the Japanese bow is undoubtedly a "heavy bow".

In terms of lethality, the Japanese bow is even more powerful than the famous English yew longbow.

The arrow, released from the taut bowstring and soaring into the air, flies straight up in an arc. It reaches its highest point before gently falling, tracing a graceful parabola.

One end of the parabola connected to the archers' formation of the punitive expeditionary force; the other end connected to the heads of the bandits in the pass!

The swarm of arrows, like black locusts, like a sudden rainstorm, like a raging flood, engulfed the checkpoint in one fell swoop.

Like an invisible sickle slashing down, it harvested more than a dozen "ears of rice" in a single strike.

Blood rain, distinctly different from being hit by bullets, blooms and splatters throughout the level.

Because the bow was far less lethal than the matchlock gun, a regular shield was sufficient to deal with the rain of arrows fired by the punitive army.

The bandits frantically raised their ordinary wooden shields, which were of normal thickness, above their heads, and arrows rained down on them, riddling them with holes.

Despite raising their shields in time, a small number of arrows still managed to slip through the gaps between the shields and strike some unfortunate individuals.

Although the negotiations between the two sides had broken down, my grandson still wanted to try his best to facilitate "peace negotiations" in order to minimize troop casualties.

Therefore, in today's battle, my grandson will employ a "sweeping fire with fire" tactic—deploying the entire Second, Third, Fourth, and Eighth Divisions! The First Division will serve as the general reserve. We will achieve our goal in one decisive battle! We will inflict a crushing defeat on the Soma clan! We will teach them a lesson in the power of the Fire Thief, ensuring they dare not harbor any unrealistic ambitions again, and striving to facilitate peace negotiations in the future!

The first, second, and fourth squads were all arquebusier squads, while the eighth squad and the third squad under Qing Deng were archer squads. The number of the two types of squads was roughly the same, so the density of barrages and arrow rain in the punitive expeditionary force was almost identical.

Under a barrage of superior firepower, the level was riddled with bullet holes and stray arrows.

The bandits, unable to lift their heads under the barrage of bullets and arrows, cowered behind their shields, not daring to expose even a sliver of skin.

Although Qingdeng had only been in office at the Fire Thief Bureau for a short time, he had already discovered that my grandson had extremely high prestige within the Fire Thief Bureau.

Despite being a "literary type" who relies solely on his brain, he can still command martial arts figures like Kanazawa Tadatsugu and Mizushima Ninzaburo to obey his orders.

At that moment, my grandson, seeing that the barrage of firepower was about to be unleashed, calmly waved his hand forward.

Upon seeing my grandson's gesture, the soldier standing beside him holding the conch shell quickly and swiftly brought it back to his lips.

Waaaaah—! Waaaaah—! Waaaaah—!

The resounding conch shell and horn drowned out the roar of muskets and bows.

Upon hearing the horn, Kanazawa Tadatsugu... this fierce general, respectfully known as "Fire-Hound," immediately sprang to his feet like exploding lava:

"Everyone! Follow me!"

After the shout, Jin Zezhongfu, who was given the power of "frontline command" by my grandson because he served as "Deputy General of the Army" in this battle, took the lead and charged straight at the pass like a rabid dog released from its cage!

At that moment, Qingdeng felt as if a flame was burning in his chest for no apparent reason.

It was only then that Qing Deng suddenly realized that although he had been through countless battles and fought countless life-or-death struggles, with over a hundred lives lost under his sword, he had never fought a war before... never participated in a formal war!

The booming of cannons and the trembling of bowstrings rose and fell in my ears.

The air was thick with the smoke and fog from burning gunpowder, making it pungent and acrid. A nauseating, bitter taste lingered in my mouth, no matter how much I swallowed.

The fearful and tense expressions on the faces of my comrades were everywhere I could see.

The stench of blood wafting from the enemy's checkpoints repeatedly stimulated and provoked my senses.

The air was thick with the scent of blood and death.

This should have been a terrifying scene that would have left people speechless and filled with fear.

But Qingdeng felt neither afraid nor nervous.

He could hear his own heavy breathing and feel his heart beating so fast and powerfully that it seemed about to burst out of his throat.

His blood was burning hot. The blood flowing in his veins seemed to be on fire, scorching his forehead and back, causing sticky sweat to break out.

Qingdeng was unsure of his current feelings, why he felt both so excited and so calm.

Whether it was due to this strange emotion or not, Qing Deng's body made a strange movement—the instant after Kanazawa Tadashi shouted "Follow me!", Qing Deng's brain had not yet had time to respond, and his feet, which were firmly planted on the ground, "took the liberty" to leave the ground.

Once you take the first step, it becomes simple—charge towards Soma's challenge with your mind and body!

At the same time, "Fire Tiger" Mizushima Ninzaburo and Aoto drew their swords and went into battle one after the other.

A quarter of an hour later, apart from the First Squad which served as the general reserve, all the squads put down their arquebuses and bows and arrows, drew their swords and spears, and switched from ranged attacks to close combat, following closely behind the three captains who had bravely taken the lead!

Captain Nobuyoshi Kazama of the Eighth Division did not have the courage of Aoto and Tadashi Kanazawa to charge ahead. Therefore, he only mingled awkwardly with the crowd and followed the main force after the main force had started to move.

The punitive expedition, spearheaded by Aoto, Kanazawa Tadatsugu, and Mizushima Ninzaburo, pressed down on the heavily fortified pass with overwhelming force!

To the bandits inside the checkpoint, they looked like menacing thunderclouds approaching them.

Neat, black uniforms form the main body of the somber clouds.

The gleaming swords and spears were like flashes of lightning constantly flickering within the dark clouds.

The barrage of bullets and arrows bought precious time for Qing Deng and his men to charge.

When the bandits realized that the punitive expeditionary force had begun its charge, they hurriedly threw away their shields and grabbed knives, spears, and bows and arrows—this change of weapons allowed Qingdeng and his men to advance safely for several meters.

"Fire arrows! Fire arrows! Fire arrows!"—such a voice echoed through the checkpoint.

A few breaths later, the bandits retaliated.

In that instant, Qingdeng heard a hissing sound coming from ahead, which then quickly grew louder and turned into a whistling sound.

Qingdeng instinctively lowered his waist, and an arrow as thick as Qingdeng's finger traced a straight trajectory, grazing his side and piercing the chest of a fellow runner behind him.

The man screamed in agony, his body arching backward in a bizarre, bow-like shape, and then sprang backward in a grotesque manner.

One arrow after another pierced the air, vying to "bite" at the punitive army.

Although the Xiangma clan couldn't acquire firearms, they were capable of obtaining bows and arrows.

The density of arrows launched from the checkpoint wasn't high, but it still caused Qingdeng and his group a lot of trouble.

Except for a few who were not hit in vital areas and were determined, all the soldiers who were unfortunately hit by arrows collapsed to the ground, clutching the wounds and groaning in pain.

At the crucial moment when the entire army was charging forward, no one had the time or energy to care for those wounded by arrows.

All Qing Deng and the others could do was walk around the wounded soldiers lying on the ground... and wish them well, hoping they could hold on until the ambulance arrived.

Qingdeng's "Focus" and "Eagle Eye +2" were both activated.

Suddenly, an arrow shot straight at Qingdeng's face.

The person who shot this arrow was clearly not very skilled. The arrow speed needs improvement—with the help of the "Focus" and "Eagle Eye +2" talents, Qingdeng easily saw through the arrow's trajectory.

In the next instant, his body moved as his mind directed. Qing Deng raised his sword and slashed forward—crack—dispelling the arrow with a single blow.