Chapter 120: Charge in the city
Chapter 120: Charge in the city
"Whoosh!" Upon reaching the door, Zhang Chang'an decisively dismounted his left foot from the stirrup, tilted his body to the right, and with a forceful pull on his saddle, flipped himself onto the side of the horse, dangling precariously.
The warhorse, the moment he fell, suddenly lowered its head, its neck almost touching the ground, while its four hooves continued to gallop wildly.
The smoke of battle was pushed aside by them, and Zhang Chang'an forced his way through the low gap.
Wood chips grazed his back, and gravel hit the horse's legs, but these things did nothing to stop them.
The warhorse charged into the city, rearing up with a neigh, and Zhang Chang'an was propelled back onto its back by the force of the impact.
"call!"
After the horse's hooves stepped onto the wide stone road, Zhang Chang'an didn't even wait for the horse to run or use any moves before firing a shot with his backhand.
The foot soldiers at the entrance, who were disoriented and tumbling to the ground due to the previous shelling, were instantly killed by him.
"Drink!" Zhang Chang'an, riding on his horse, gripped the horse's back tightly with his legs, and with a backflip, his spear pierced the foot soldier and hurled him, knocking down the other two and piercing one of them in the process.
"Pfft pfft pfft!" Zhang Chang'an turned left and right and swung his gun, and the area in front of the door became much emptier.
And just as he swung his gun, the sound of many horses' hooves rang out all around him.
Kondo Isami reined in his horse, raised his famous sword Kotetsu, and cleaved the broken wood blocking the gap in two. He then charged in, sprawling on his horse.
Hijikata Toshizo wasn't riding a horse at all. He rushed to the gap, pushed off with his feet, and tumbled forward, rolling through the gap.
Izuminokami Kanesada already had it in his hand. He bounced up as he landed, and with a sweeping motion, he directly killed two spear-wielding foot soldiers who tried to rush forward.
Saito Hajime rode his horse to the breach, but did not charge in directly. He lowered his body, slid off the horse's back, and slid into the breach along the horse's belly. When he landed, he had already drawn his sword and cut down one man with a single stroke.
Okita Souji, like him, led his men and rolled into the city.
Just after they entered, there was a loud crash at the door.
The already crumbling city gate completely collapsed. Huge stones and wooden beams rained down, burying the breach entirely. Dust billowed into the sky, choking people and making it impossible to open their eyes.
There are still a small portion of the vanguard outside the gate, but if they want to get in, they either have to climb over the high-rise ruins of the city gate, or they have to dig it out again or bombard it.
"Damn it—" Zhang Chang'an cursed, then reined in his horse and scanned ahead.
Then, he froze.
The smoke and dust at the entrance gradually dissipated.
On both sides of the wide stone-paved road inside the city gate, one can see low samurai houses, and in the distance, the high walls of the inner city are not far away.
But just a few dozen steps ahead on the road.
Three rows of shogunate foot soldiers stood in neat rows. The first row knelt on one knee, the second row stood, and the third row was slightly taller.
That was a standard three-volley musket formation.
The dark gun barrels were densely packed, like a steel jungle, all pointed towards the city gate.
The foot soldiers wore black armor, with the butts of their rifles resting on their shoulders, their fingers on the triggers, their gazes cold and indifferent.
Behind them, even more soldiers were gathering, their spears like a forest, their banners fluttering in the wind.
No one spoke. Only the wind whipped up dust and smoke, passing between the two groups of people.
Zhang Chang'an's pupils suddenly contracted, and the Shinsengumi members behind him also stared wide-eyed, their eyes practically popping out of their sockets.
"Hiss!" The sound of Okita Souji's mechanical lungs operating was exceptionally clear in the deathly silence.
The next moment—
"put!"
A voice boomed from behind the formation.
Bang bang bang bang bang bang—
Countless lines of fire lit up simultaneously, as dense as fireworks at a summer festival. The gunfire merged into a deafening roar, and the entire city gate was covered with bullets.
"flash!"
Chief Kondo shouted, and at the same time swung his sword fiercely. Kotetsu danced into a screen of light, slicing away three bullets. He decisively turned around and kicked up a piece of the gatehouse, hiding behind the ruins.
Hijikata Toshizo did the same, rolling to the side. Izuminokami Kanesada cut down two bullets, but one grazed his arm, drawing a trickle of blood. He and Saito Hajime ducked behind a section of broken wall, the bullets hitting the wall with a series of thuds.
Okita Souji and the other members of the squad also found their own hiding places.
But the hail of bullets was too dense. Although the muskets of that era were not capable of penetrating thick, broken walls and ruins, it was still not a big deal.
One of the soldiers, unable to contain his anger after taking cover, was hit in the chest by three bullets the moment he leaned out slightly. He was sent flying backward, crashing into a pile of rubble and falling to the ground screaming, blood gushing from his legs and body.
Zhang Chang'an only had time to lower his body and make his horse crouch down. He then used his spear to pick up a huge fragment of the city gate from the ground and held it horizontally in front of him.
Clang, clang, clang—a bullet struck the thick, iron-clad wooden plank, sending debris flying. The warhorse beneath him neighed, a few stray bullets grazing its hind leg, leaving a bloody gash.
"I knew these guys had been messing around in this dilapidated city for so long, they must be as useless as turtles!" Zhang Chang'an said, supporting himself on the wooden plank with one hand and reaching for his waist with the other.
This time, it was two iron-shelled objects, also hastily made a couple of days ago using whale oil and saltpeter, using London technology. The iron shells contained a slow-burning mixture. He opened the mechanism and flung it forward with force.
"Pfft—" Thick smoke exploded out, turning the area in front of the city gate into a gray haze that instantly enveloped the area.
This was naturally the smoke bomb he used in London.
Before the foot soldiers could react, he pulled out three more fist-sized objects. These were even more potent, incorporating some gunpowder-related raw materials, and were also made in London.
Besides gunpowder, the copper casing also contained magnesium powder.
And it wasn't just him; after seeing the smoke ignite, Saito and the others also picked up the same thing to replenish the smoke, or joined him in throwing this second type of ammunition at the crowd. Boom! Boom! Boom!
A blinding white light exploded at the edge of the smoke, so bright it was impossible to open one's eyes. At the same time, a deafening explosion echoed through the city gate, making one's eardrums ache.
The gunfire from the foot soldiers instantly became chaotic.
Some screamed in terror, clutching their eyes; some dropped their guns and ran; some frantically pulled the trigger, bullets flying off into the distance. The three-volley formation completely collapsed, creating huge gaps in the line of fire.
"Rush!"
With a roar, Zhang Chang'an threw down the tattered wooden plank, picked up his spear, and his warhorse reared up, carrying him into the smoke.
His figure emerged from the white fog and appeared before the panicked foot soldiers, who hadn't even recognized him yet.
He had already thrust his spear into the throat of the nearest foot soldier, piercing through the back of his neck, and blood spurted out three feet.
With a flick of his wrist, the gun barrel swung horizontally, throwing the man toward two foot soldiers who were rubbing their eyes.
With the second shot, Pear Blossom swayed her head, the tip of the spear drawing a strange large circle in the air, piercing into the left rib of a foot soldier and exiting through the right rib. With a twist of the shaft, it swept horizontally, smashing the head of another foot soldier.
The third spear thrust straight through the chest of the small flag at the very front, the tip piercing the armor and protruding from the back. The man stared wide-eyed at the spear tip emerging from his chest, not understanding what was happening, before he was kicked away.