Three hundred metres, two hundred metres, getting closer and closer, Zhu Ping’an noticed the Japanese pirates had charged to about one hundred and fifty metres, knowing they’d surely repeat their old trick of shooting arrows at around one hundred metres to cover the front ranks’ assault, he shouted to alert the troops, “Raise shields, lower heads, watch out for Japanese pirate bullets and arrows!”
“Raise shields, lower heads! Beware of bullets and arrows!”
From camp commanders to squad leaders, the Zhejiang army’s officers echoed the shout, reminding their men to raise shields and duck.
After this period of training, obedience had been ingrained in the Zhejiang soldiers’ bones, hearing Zhu Ping’an and the officers’ shouts, they promptly lowered their heads, the rear ranks slanting their shields to protect themselves and those in front.
Barely two breaths after the Zhejiang soldiers raised their shields, the Japanese pirates, reaching one hundred metres, began drawing bows and firing muskets.
Among this wave of four thousand Japanese pirates were over a thousand archers and more than a hundred musketeers.
In an instant, arrows fell like a torrential downpour, mingled with bullets like hailstones, hurtling toward the Zhejiang army’s formation.
Clang, clang, clang… thud, thud, thud…
Arrows and bullets struck shields and cotton armour, producing a dull metallic clashing sound.
“Ah…”
Occasionally, a few muffled groans of pain rang out.
With over a thousand arrows and more than a hundred bullets, some inevitably slipped through, piercing shield gaps and hitting Zhejiang soldiers, especially the muskets, despite the hundred-metre distance, a few performed exceptionally, their immense power penetrating shields, fortunately, every Zhejiang soldier wore cotton armour with large protective coverage and high defence, even stray arrows and bullets weren’t fatal.
This volley of arrows and bullets from the Japanese pirates injured over a dozen Zhejiang soldiers, mostly minor wounds, only one was unlucky enough to suffer a slightly heavier injury, but not severe enough to leave the front line.
Under this arrow barrage’s cover, the charging Japanese pirates advanced to within eighty metres of the Zhejiang formation.
Then, they loosed another volley of arrows, unable to reload muskets in time, this round was all archery.
This arrow rain caused a few more light injuries among the Zhejiang troops, the Japanese pirates closing to sixty metres under its cover.
By now, the arrow-shooting Japanese pirates stowed their bows, joining the forward charge, those at the front were too close to the Zhejiang position, their archery wasn’t precise enough for perfect accuracy, arrows couldn’t distinguish friend from foe, further shots would likely misfire and hit their own, so they put away their bows and charged.
“Prepare! Fire!”
Zhu Ping’an, as the Japanese pirates reached fifty metres, raised his right hand, ordering the Zhejiang army to ready their muskets, when they closed to about thirty metres, he swung his hand down forcefully, commanding, “Fire!”
“Bang, bang, bang…”
At Zhu Ping’an’s order, the Zhejiang army’s muskets roared in a dense, disciplined volley, as if opening the gates of hell.
The foremost charging Japanese pirates felt as if a hammer had smashed into their bodies, toppling backward uncontrollably, in their final glimpse, they saw a blood flower bloom on their chests.
Strength drained from their bodies, warmth fled, even consciousness slipped away…
Fear, regret, unwillingness, helplessness… in that last moment before consciousness faded, they sank deep into terror and remorse, why volunteer as vanguard, why become a Japanese pirate, if only they had another chance…
But there were no ifs, they could only end their short, sinful lives in fear and regret.
The frontmost Japanese pirates fell like wheat before a scythe, toppling in droves, kicking up clouds of dust.
“Ah, it hurts like hell…”
“Help, save me, save me, I don’t want to die…”
Some Japanese pirates, not killed instantly, hit the ground, letting out gut-wrenching screams of agony.
The scene was too horrific, none of the charging Japanese pirates had imagined such a way of dying on the battlefield, their comrades falling like harvested wheat, no matter how brave, fierce, or skilled, before the Zhejiang army’s muskets, all met the same fate—a scream, then collapse.
No matter how great your martial prowess, your body was still flesh, even in armour, it was useless, the Zhejiang muskets’ power was too great, fired from thirty metres, iron armour might as well have been paper.
“Bloody hell, watch out!”
After the Zhejiang army’s first volley, the Japanese pirates hadn’t yet recovered from their shock and fear when a terrified shout rang out, they looked up to see the Zhejiang front line shift seamlessly, the front rank retreating after firing, the rear stepping up to become the new front, the transition smooth as flowing water.
Then, they saw the Zhejiang line erupt in sparks again, the orderly, dense musket fire—bang, bang, bang—ringing out once more.
From the sparks flew deadly bullets.
Like the Grim Reaper swinging his scythe again, another swathe of Japanese pirates fell like harvested wheat.
Those killed instantly were the lucky ones, gone in a flash, those hit but not dead screamed like butchered pigs.
Their cries were like those of damned souls in hell having their tongues torn out or frying in oil, chilling and spine-tingling.
After two volleys of musket fire, the front ranks of the charging Japanese pirates were cleared into patches of empty ground, blood flowing like rivers.
Too terrifying.
Scalps tingled, hearts felt gripped by demons, thumping wildly, breath catching in their throats.
Every Japanese pirate still charging felt death’s terror viscerally, trembling, legs weak, barely able to move, propelled only by momentum, their speed greatly diminished.
Especially those now at the front, stepping over their fallen comrades’ bodies, their fear was magnified several times over, they knew they were next, faces pale, mouths gaping, no longer shouting battle cries but hoarse screams…
“Bang, bang, bang…”
The Zhejiang army’s muskets fired again in disciplined unison, like hell sounding its harvest horn once more.
Amid screams, the Japanese pirates fell yet again like reaped wheat, dying in droves.
“Mother, I’m done for, I’m done for…”
“I don’t want the silver or the women anymore, I just want my life, run, if we don’t run, it’ll be our turn, the Zhejiang army’s firearms are too powerful, one hit means death!”
The sheer terror of life and death overwhelmed many charging Japanese pirates, especially those now in the front, they couldn’t suppress their fear any longer, screaming in panic, they turned and ran back.
They were Japanese pirates, a ragtag bunch with little discipline to begin with, like a plague spreading, one deserter infected ten, ten infected a hundred, soon, chaos erupted among them.
