Traveling through time and space and becoming a deposed prince, he just wants to survive!

Chapter 437 Between life and death

The number of troops that Shi Li deployed this time, including artillery, totaled more than 10,000.

According to common sense, cavalry should have been sent to charge under the cover of artillery.

Unfortunately, in the first round of attack, Hou Lin rashly sent out the cavalry, and now the only cavalry left are the 2,000 people he brought with him.

Hou Lin was unwilling to take such a risk and destroy his own direct forces.

The infantry on Shi Li's side raised their shields and advanced forward cautiously before the cannons opened fire.

At first, the bullets hit the shields, barely blocking them. However, as they approached the front, dense bullets began to penetrate the shields. Fortunately, the soldiers were wearing armor, so they could barely hold on.

But the good times did not last long. Many people's shields were riddled with holes, and some were even hit directly by bullets in their armor and died on the spot.

Seeing that the enemy's artillery was about to be assembled, Zhao Yongqiang sneered and decisively ordered Qin Ke and Du Qiyue at the artillery position: "Light up all those artillery pieces!"

Qin Ke and others took action immediately after receiving the order, directing the gunners to fire shells at the target.

The operation of a mortar is quite particular. Every time a shell is fired, the landing point must be carefully observed. If there is any deviation, it must be adjusted again before firing.

This time, the ? tribe's cannons were in trouble.

They had just loaded the cannon and before they had time to load gunpowder into the barrel, shells from the opposite side came raining down.

The shells exploded when they hit the ground, not only killing the people on the position, but also the cannons and gunpowder, triggering a chain reaction.

The artillery of the ? tribe was dazed by the explosion. Those who managed to escape were basically very brave people. After all, deserting the battlefield is also a capital crime.

The infantrymen in the front fell down in rows, and the attacking force of tens of thousands of people slowly advanced forward.

When they were only a hundred steps away from the target, they were ready to attack with short cannons.

At this moment, a larger gun barrel suddenly extended from the opposing barricade.

Although it is called a cannon, it is actually much thinner than a conventional gun barrel, with a caliber only as thick as a wrist, and looks like a large-caliber rifle.

This is the shotgun.

The ? tribe army also has similar weapons, but theirs is a tail-ignition type.

As soon as the gun barrel on the opposite side was extended, the soldiers directly pulled the hemp rope in their hands.

There was a loud bang, and dozens of huge projectiles were sprayed out like a rainstorm.

"Boom bang bang..."

The bullets hit the shield heavily, instantly making big holes, and then hit the soldiers' bodies hard.

The person who was shot staggered suddenly, and some people were horrified to find that these bullets could actually penetrate the human body.

One shot can hit several people.

There are at least five hundred shotguns in a row, and you can imagine the power of them firing together.

This sudden and fierce attack directly caused the infantry to lose their combat awareness.

Especially after the shields in front were broken, their bodies were completely exposed to the shooting range of bullets.

This loud noise successfully attracted the attention of Shi Li and Hou Lin.

"Not good, the infantry might retreat because of this."

With his keen intuition honed through years of battle, Shi Li sensed the dire situation ahead and immediately issued an order: "My personal cavalry, charge immediately! Also, send another team forward. Do not pause!"

Shi Li's cavalry had already gathered around him. After receiving the order, they spurred their horses and rushed forward like tigers without hesitation.

Hou Lin also hurriedly commanded the infantry to charge forward, but the army of 10,000 people did not advance very fast. It was obvious that some people had become timid.

In desperation, Hou Lin had to send out a supervision team of hundreds of people to drive the soldiers forward like driving ducks.

"Quick, send some men forward to support the artillery! Although the gun carriage is destroyed, the barrel is not that easily damaged. Just bring the bracket and gunpowder!"

Shi Li knew clearly that these were what the artillery position lacked. As for the gun barrel, that was not a problem at all. The shells were just iron balls and were not easily damaged.

Then, more than 2,000 people rushed forward, carrying gun carriages, wheels, and gunpowder, and rushed forward in one go.

Seeing the enemy so crazy, Zhao Yongqiang thought to himself: It’s just in time.

Immediately, he quickly ordered Cui Qin's second battalion to form a second defensive line, and let Yu Sanwan's third battalion organize defense on both wings to prevent the enemy's attack from the front, especially to guard against the enemy's cavalry from encircling from both sides.

Sure enough, just as Zhao Yongqiang expected, the 2,000 cavalrymen, under the cover of the infantry in front, suddenly separated as they approached and galloped to both sides.

Seeing this, the artillery quickly adjusted its direction and attacked the cavalry.

However, cavalry has the advantage of speed after all, and the damage caused by artillery fire is not great.

Fortunately, Yu Sanwan's team arrived in time and quickly blocked the defense lines on both sides.

Yu Sanwan's team had only been equipped with rifles for a short time, unlike Yunfeng's team, who were already proficient in using rifles and had skilled shooting skills.

The soldiers of the Third Battalion had no problem firing, but facing the cavalry's charge like a whirlwind, they were so nervous after firing the first shot that they didn't even have time to pull the bolt.

The close-range cavalry's detour and sudden attack caused the three battalions to lose a similar number of people after annihilating seven or eight hundred cavalrymen.

Although the cavalry had broken through the defenses, it was not a happy occasion. The Second Battalion, acting as the second defensive force, quickly attacked and quickly wiped out the remaining cavalry.

Although the Second Battalion also paid a certain price, it was insignificant compared to the Third Battalion.

When Zhao Yongqiang's position was briefly shaken by the cavalry charge, the soldiers remained calm and composed in the face of the infantry rushing in like a tide, without any panic.

Unexpectedly, as a burst of artillery fire came from behind, Zhao Yongqiang's heart tightened, and he realized that the enemy's artillery had already fired.

Although Shi Li's cannon fired solid bullets, the damage caused when they landed on the crowd of Yunfeng Group could not be underestimated.

The falling shells not only killed and injured many soldiers, but also destroyed a lot of shotguns.

A large group fell into chaos in an instant, with the wailing of the wounded one after another, and some soldiers fled in all directions to avoid artillery shells.

Seeing this, Yunfeng shouted loudly: "Don't panic! Keep fighting back and take the wounded away!"

The artillery on Shi Li's side had a slow reloading speed, and Zhao Yongqiang's artillery also needed time to adjust to the new attack target.

In this panic, both sides fired what they thought were fatal shells at each other.

The enemy's infantry rushed forward like mad, and a large group was hit by artillery shells again, with casualties becoming more serious.

As a last resort, Zhao Yongqiang hurriedly ordered the Second Battalion to move forward quickly, fill the gaps in the First Battalion's formation, and fire in time to suppress the infantry's attack.

The frontline was in chaos, with some soldiers firing and others helping the wounded. If it weren't for the remnants of the Third Battalion holding on, the enemy infantry would have likely taken advantage of the chaos to charge in.

Chen Da, who was on the mountain, saw this scene and was extremely anxious. He felt that he had to help. He made a quick decision and led his men along the mountain road, approaching the direction where Shi Li was.

Liu Yongsheng, who was on the opposite hill, saw Chen Da's intention through the telescope and immediately followed suit, quietly moving forward with his men.

The soldiers of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions fought extremely tenaciously, forcing the charging ? tribe infantry to retreat step by step.

Shi Li saw that the artillery position had gone silent again, but he had just witnessed the power of the cannon and was unwilling to give up, so he ordered people to go up again and set up the artillery position again.

At the same time, he sent Hou Lin to lead the team, and rushed all the remaining troops forward in an attempt to make a last-ditch effort...