GBP Chapter 442 Close combat
Chapter 442 Close combat
The new recruits of the standard battalion, led by Su Hongtu, stood ready, awaiting the moment of close combat. The bandits did not keep them waiting long; soon, some of them broke through the militia's defenses and appeared on the wall.
Seeing the bandit soldiers brandishing their steel swords and leaping menacingly into the city wall passageway, the standard battalion soldiers instinctively took a few steps back. After all, firing from a distance was completely different from face-to-face combat—many of them had never seen blood before today, and this was their first time firing a gun in actual combat. These bandits attacking the city had at least a dozen lives on their hands, killing almost every day for survival, showing no regard for the lives of others or their own. Their eyes gleamed with a bloodthirsty ferocity, which frightened the standard battalion soldiers.
Seeing their opponents show fear, the refugees became excited, brandishing their steel knives and rushing forward. In the blink of an eye, they cut down several soldiers, who didn't even have time to parry or throw a punch. The remaining militia scattered like birds and beasts. They could manage throwing stones, but fighting the bandits head-on was truly difficult for them.
Originally, the best opportunity for the defenders was when the attacking side first entered the city walls and had not yet established a firm foothold. If the enemy were to gain a foothold and reinforcements were to continuously arrive, the city's defenses would be in danger. Due to the fear and hesitation of the standard battalion soldiers, more refugees appeared on the city walls, like ants crawling out of a hole, densely packed, and surging up the walls.
Su Hongtu was getting anxious. The difference between a new recruit and a veteran was stark; in a split second, the best opportunity was lost. If he hesitated any longer, the city walls would fall. He picked up his rifle and shouted, "What are you standing there for? Charge!" As he shouted, he stabbed the nearest refugee, his movements steady, accurate, and ruthless, striking him squarely in the chest and abdomen, piercing him through the heart.
With the superior taking the lead, the soldiers seemed to wake from their daze, mustered their courage, and charged towards the refugees.
In the first round, both sides suffered casualties. The standard battalion soldiers lacked confidence and their actions were not decisive enough, while the refugees were in high spirits, resulting in a draw.
Su Hongtu shouted, "If they don't die, we will. Whether we live or die depends entirely on ourselves!" Then he yelled "Kill!" and stabbed another opponent.
Under his leadership, the soldiers shouted "Kill!" and thrust their guns at their opponents.
In the second round of bayonet fighting, the refugees were slightly at a disadvantage. Length matters, after all, the rifle and bayonet were nearly two meters long, far exceeding the length of a steel knife. Once the bayonet thrust was executed, the refugees couldn't even get close to the spear-like bayonet, let alone land a blow.
The subsequent thrusts gradually lost their rhythm, the movements becoming less synchronized, but the soldiers slowly regained their confidence. They stood close together, forming tight ranks of three to five or six to seven men, repeating the thrusting motions, forcing the refugees to retreat.
Well-trained assassination techniques have a clear advantage over the individual sword-slashing and hacking movements. Moreover, the refugees don't have much of a fighting spirit to begin with, and they've already exhausted too much energy in the process of shifting their main attack direction. They're only holding on with a sliver of energy. Now that they can't gain the upper hand, some of them are getting impatient or panicked. Some of them are looking around with their eyes darting around, searching for a way out.
Seeing this, the battle-hardened Su Hongtu knew his chance had come and shouted, "Brothers, give it your all and drive them down!"
The new recruits, gradually getting into the swing of things, roared and charged at their opponents with bayonets. The refugees, their morale crushed, retreated step by step. When they reached the wall, with nowhere to go, some gritted their teeth and fought on, while others climbed over the wall, intending to climb down the ladder.
But people below kept climbing up, and the fleeing refugees had nowhere to put their feet. In desperation, they kicked at the ladders, and some unlucky ones fell off, headfirst to the ground, and were about to die.
The others were furious. They'd climbed the city wall only to be driven back, getting no credit and being blocked in their way. This was outrageous! So they swung their swords to cut off the feet of the fleeing refugees. Enraged, the refugee, perched on the higher ground, stabbed back with his sword, and a fierce fight broke out between the two sides at the top of the ladders and the edge of the city wall.
After Su Hongtu led his soldiers to either stab or drive away the refugees who had stormed the city walls, he stood by the wall and saw this ridiculous scene. He couldn't help but shake his head, thinking that they were indeed a mob with no military discipline.
The refugees, engrossed in their fierce battle, were completely unaware of the commotion behind them. Only when bayonets came stabbing them did they realize the gravity of the situation. They cried out in agony as they fell to the ground. Some of the quicker ones didn't even wait for the bayonets to pierce their flesh before jumping down with their eyes closed. The drop of about ten meters was better than being stabbed to death, even if it broke their legs.
Looking from afar below the city walls, one could see a surge of people on the top, like ants rushing up the walls only to be driven down again soon after. This caused those on the ladders to fall like a landslide, extinguishing any glimmer of hope that had been kindled.
Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong, who rode to the North Gate to take command, were very disappointed. Without the miscellaneous defensive weapons such as logs, stones, and wolf-tooth sledgehammers, they were no match for the enemy in a head-on confrontation.
Zhang Xianzhong said viciously, "It only took two hours to attack Luzhou, and we only lost about a thousand men. Now we can't even capture the walls of a small city like Hezhou in a whole morning. I refuse to believe it! I'll send in ten or twenty thousand men, and I refuse to believe we can't take down Hezhou!"
Gao Yingxiang frowned and said to Zhang Xianzhong, "Zhu Dadian is indeed worthy of being the one who quelled the rebellion in Shandong. He is a skilled commander, and the generals defending the city are also very capable. They are adept at using weapons and can hold their ground even in hand-to-hand combat. This city is much more difficult to capture than Luzhou. Continuing to fight like this is not a solution. Let's call it a day for now."
Zhang Xianzhong said unwillingly, "The garrison inside the city is at most a few thousand men. Are we going to give up with our 50,000 troops?"
Gao Yingxiang's eyes sharpened: "Don't get arrogant just because you've won a few battles. Have you forgotten how we were chased all over Henan by Hong Chengchou and Cao Wenzhao? If we waste all our troops under this small city of Hezhou, what will we use to resist when Hong Chengchou's army arrives?"
Zhang Xianzhong was somewhat sobered by Gao Yingxiang's glare. Although Gao Yingxiang's tone made him very uncomfortable, the other party had more seniority and prestige than him, more troops under his command, and what he said made sense, so he could only endure it.
Gao Yingxiang turned his gaze toward the city gate and said without any room for doubt, "Order the troops to retreat! We'll think of other ways to attack the city."