Chapter 2180 - Ambush (Part 5)

Today he wore a set of government-issue brigandine armor, holding a Japanese sword in hand, surrounded by a group of "little brothers." They were all brothers, nephews, and in-law relatives of the Yang clan, numbering a full dozen or so.

These people all relied on Master Yang's care on ordinary days, running merchant caravans locally, doing business with Li people, lending at high interest, working as butchers, milling rice, selling fertilizer... all profitable businesses. For any trade or industry, as long as his family was doing it, people of other surnames couldn't interfere. Otherwise, they would be beaten until "they opened a dye shop" (bruised all colors). Though they didn't make huge fortunes, every family was well-off.

These people were Master Yang's "base," so he rarely disciplined their tyrannical behavior on ordinary days. If they were occasionally arrested by the government, a single calling card would get them bailed out.

"Brothers, charge with me!" Yang Xiaodong raised his Japanese sword and charged up with this gang of brothers. The militia behind also let out a strange cry and surged up again.

Among them, one Luo Shisan ran the fastest, but not paying attention to the stones underfoot, he tripped and fell flat on his face, even stabbing himself with his sword.

"F*ck..." Before Luo Shisan could finish speaking, the militia behind trampled over him. In an instant, this unlucky egg was stomped until he stopped breathing.

Many of the militia in the rear echelon were farmers who'd never fought before, incomparable to the first batch of militia who rushed out for bayonet combat. However, seeing the main general leading the charge, even though reluctant, most followed along to charge at the oncoming Fubo Army.

Yang Erhu called over a former Ming army musketeer named Ma Huliang and ordered him to take a small squad of bird-gunners to outflank the side, waiting for a chance to catch the Kun off guard from the flank.

"You get close before shooting, catch them off guard!"

After instructing him, seeing the Kun lining up to reload, with one officer-looking man waving a command sword very conspicuously, he immediately called over Pan Datou.

"You, shoot that Hair Rebel leader dead!"

Pan Datou got this nickname because his head was big and his neck thick. He was originally a hunter in this village, skilled at using bird guns and traps. He didn't want to come to fight originally but was forced into service by the Yang family. He was unhappy the whole time, yet dared not refuse—after all, nowadays Master Yang could kill a whole family with one order; who dared to disobey? At Yang Erhu's order, he immediately blew the slow match on the bird gun into a glow and raised it.

Speaking of Pan Datou's bird gun, it had quite a history—it was neither a local earth gun nor a government soldier's bird gun, but a "Red Hair Bird Gun" sold to his grandfather by a merchant in Sanshui when he went there to sell game. It was very handy to use, and three generations of the Pan family had relied on this Red Hair Bird Gun for food.

Pan Datou squinted to look and murmured: "Master! It's a bit far here. The gun can reach, but it might not be accurate..."

Yang Erhu said impatiently: "If it's too far, walk a few steps forward! If you miss once, shoot twice! Any more chatter and I'll chop off your dog head first!"

Pan Datou dared not argue with him anymore, so he had to walk a few steps forward, raised the bird gun, and aimed carefully.

Li Gangsheng was organizing the formation to reload when suddenly, with a whoosh, a lead pellet grazed past him. He was startled: The enemy has bird-gunners!

Village militia having a few small iron cannons like Tiger Crouch cannons or a few privately cast single-barrel or three-barrel hand cannons was not rare; in Guangdong, it could even be said to be common. But "matchlock muskets" were quite rare. Regardless of quality, the bird guns equipped by government troops were military weapons, rarely possessed by civilians. As for Portuguese or Japanese matchlocks, they were even rarer.

He remembered the situation report mentioned news of scattered government firearms, and immediately called the corporal of Squad 9.

"You take a squad as a reserve, watch for enemy movement on the flanks! Fire at will when necessary, prioritizing enemy firearm operators!" After saying this, he looked at the approaching militia and shouted, "Grenades! Throw!"

Twenty grenades sizzled, smoking as they smashed into the swarming crowd. Immediately, there was a burst of wailing and screaming for fathers and mothers. Having never experienced a hail of bullets, these militia simply didn't understand what dispersed formation meant; one explosion took out a large patch. It instantly turned into chaos.

"All units, charge!"

This time he simply didn't shoot, leading the team directly to charge and kill. With a thrust, he tore open the throat of a militia member charging in front. The man immediately went limp on the ground like a bled rooster, blood spurting wildly.

Li Gangsheng had undergone nearly a year of bayonet training. The tactical movement he was most familiar with and skilled at was undoubtedly the thrust. According to the bayonet regulations, the thrust is the main means of bayonet fighting and the focus of training. When thrusting, push the gun forcefully toward the target with both arms (left hand mainly controlling direction), while using the pushing force of the right sole and the waist to move the body forward. Immediately kick a big step forward with the left calf driving the thigh (when kicking out, the foot should not be more than two fists above the ground). Stab the enemy at the same time the left foot touches the ground, letting the right foot slide forward naturally. When thrusting, one must be "fast" and two must be "ruthless." "Fast" means stabbing quickly after aligning the thrust point; do not pull the gun (i.e., pulling the gun back before stabbing), as pulling the gun tells the enemy 'I am going to stab you,' and the opponent will be prepared, so of course, you won't hit. "Ruthless" means combining the three forces (pushing force of two arms, pushing force of waist, and kicking force of right foot) into one force to stab the enemy fiercely.

The enemies in front of him had unsteady footsteps and insufficient arm strength; they were simply not his match. Against enemy soldiers holding big sabers, he didn't even bother to block. He just aimed at the enemy's arm or chest and executed a step-in thrust. In one move, he had no match. Getting into the killing rhythm, he led the soldiers to penetrate the militia's chaotic formation in just a few minutes.

Yang Xiaodong shook his head, which was dizzy from the grenade concussion, and stood up leaning on his spear. The "brothers" around him were dead or injured, lying in a pool of blood. In front of him was the invincible enemy commander. He knew the situation today was irreversible, but the tragic scene of defeat like a mountain collapsing roused a fierce hostility in him. He roared and stabbed straight at a figure in blue military uniform on his right. A Fubo Army soldier was caught off guard and nailed directly to the ground, man and gun together. He pulled out the long spear and went straight for Li Gangsheng.

Li Gangsheng had long noticed this brave enemy commander. Judging by his attire, he should be an important leader of the enemy, perhaps the culprit. He leveled his bayonet facing the enemy commander, adopting the bayonet preparatory posture.

"Preparatory Use of Gun" is the preparation movement for bayonet fighting. If this movement is done well, defense will be tight and offense facilitated, threatening the enemy psychologically. If facing the enemy, sending the gun out with a "whoosh" to complete the preparation movement at once, while glaring angrily, it will make the enemy shudder. Conversely, it will encourage the enemy's arrogance. Therefore, when "Prepping Use of Gun," movements must be correct and powerful, spirits high, and momentum majestic.

A militia member saw an opportunity and chopped from behind. Li Gangsheng didn't even look back, kicking directly on the sneak-attacking enemy soldier's shin. The enemy soldier screamed "Ah," and Li Gangsheng sent and pulled the bayonet; this enemy soldier was instantly finished. The surrounding enemy soldiers were awed by his deterrence, and for a time, no one dared to resist.

Yang Xiaodong finally made his move. He shook the long spear left and right; the red-tasseled spear rolled up a bowl-sized spear flower. He pushed his body forward with the kicking force of his right sole, simultaneously taking a quick step forward with his left foot. The spear tip suddenly moved like a poisonous snake, heading for Li Gangsheng's right ribs.

"Defend Right Thrust!" Li Gangsheng couldn't help shouting out loud. Defend Right Thrust means when the enemy stabs toward my right, I forcefully parry the enemy gun and quickly counter-thrust. The essentials of defending against a right thrust are: when the enemy gun stabs toward my right, the left hand pushes the gun quickly toward the front right and slightly down (not exceeding two fists), while the right hand brings the rifle butt sharply toward the front inside and slightly up. With the combined force of both hands, use the vicinity of the bayonet lug to smash the enemy gun heavily. The posture at this time should be: left arm slightly bent, gun side facing top left, muzzle approximately in line with the outside of the right upper arm. After parrying, take the shortest path to quickly counter-thrust the enemy.

At this moment, Li Gangsheng was fearless in the face of danger, smashing the spear shaft violently with the rifle body near the bayonet lug. The two guns intersected with a loud clack, crisp and audible. Both looked at each other, thinking What great strength!

Yang Xiaodong turned the spear shaft around, wanting to sweep with the shaft. Li Gangsheng keenly seized the gap and thrust out, aiming straight for the lower body. Yang Xiaodong had to change moves to block with the spear shaft. The two went back and forth for several rounds without giving an inch. By this time, the battle was nearing its end.

Li Gangsheng looked at the mountain road under his feet, remembering the experience summarized by veterans when learning bayonet fighting: Mountain terrain is complex with steep slopes, making it hard to stand steady and inconvenient to maneuver. Therefore, in bayonet duels, one must seize the favorable position (seize high avoid low, seize left avoid right), stand steady with both feet, and strive for the initiative.

The two were standing parallel on the slope at this moment. With a thought, Li Gangsheng started stepping toward the upper side of the mountain road. Yang Xiaodong thought briefly and understood the reason. He thrust his long spear at Li Gangsheng—he was waiting for this very moment! In the blink of an eye, Li Gangsheng executed a Beat Down Thrust, smashing the spear shaft away, then stabbed violently toward Yang Xiaodong's right ribs. The bayonet glinted coldly, emitting a whoosh.

Deception Thrust is used against enemies with tight defenses. Use various clever methods to deceive, lure, and confuse him, causing him to expose gaps, then quickly thrust. Movement essentials: The attacker feints a thrust to the enemy's right (about a fist's distance above/front of the enemy's left hand). Taking advantage of the enemy defending the right, immediately turn the gun and take the shortest path to stab down.

Yang Xiaodong fell for it. At this moment, the bayonet was only a fist away from him. He hurriedly moved the spear shaft across to block. However, this thrust was just a feint. Li Gangsheng's bayonet turned midway, making Yang Xiaodong's long spear hit empty air. Then, the bayonet was sent downward fiercely. Yang Xiaodong's calf was instantly pierced by the bayonet. Li Gangsheng calmly twisted the bayonet left and right.

"Ah!!!!!!" Severe pain made him let out an inhuman scream. Yang Xiaodong could no longer hold on, releasing the long spear in his hand and sitting on the ground. The sound of a rifle butt breaking through the air came to his ears. With a bang, he fell to the ground immediately, life or death unknown.