Chen Ran sat upright on horseback, his gaze cold and calm as he watched the chaotic and noisy scene of the attack on the city from afar, a cold smile playing on his lips.
The entire event was unfolding exactly as he had planned and controlled!
Chongzhen was wary of the Donglin faction’s outspokenness, thus he would never let Chen Ran hold a position higher than a Thousand-Household Commander in the Northern Guard of the Jinyiwei.
As long as Chen Ran remained in the capital, he would inevitably be entangled with the Donglin faction.
And he would also be drawn into the quagmire of factional disputes!
Moreover, a position like the Thousand-Household Commander of the Northern Guard only controlled the Jinyiwei, the emperor’s court hounds!
Although he had several hundred elite soldiers at his disposal, he could only leave them at Tianjiazhuang.
Therefore, he had to achieve a new great feat and show the emperor his military prowess.
Then, he could use this opportunity to leave the capital, find a foothold, and quickly grow his strength!
Baxian County was close enough to the capital for Chongzhen to witness his military performance.
The Wenxiang Sect rebel army was nothing but a mob, lacking competent leadership, they couldn’t achieve anything.
But by seizing the carriage convoy of the Emperor’s father-in-law, Tian Hongyu, the incident would shake the court!
The might of tens of thousands was enough to make this achievement seem grand!
Therefore, Chen Ran had Jiang Jie and Shen Lian infiltrate the Wenxiang Sect and instigate Xu Daqiu to rebel!
And he immediately ordered Lu Jianxing to lead several hundred Jinyiwei from the Northern Guard to take control of the city garrison.
Now, the Wenxiang Sect rebels’ attack on the city had been thwarted, and Chen Ran’s several hundred elite troops were about to make their appearance!
At this time, Xu Daqiu and the others heard the horn of Chen Ran’s troops, turned around, and saw Chen Ran’s several hundred elite soldiers. They couldn't help but be stunned.
Xu Daqiu was filled with rage seeing that the city wall was still unconquered. He was looking for someone to vent his anger on.
Seeing that Chen Ran only had a few hundred men, he immediately shouted:
“Hu Dahai, you failed to breach the city wall. I order you to take two to three thousand brothers and immediately eliminate these several hundred court hounds, as a way to make up for your failure!”
“Yes!”
Hu Dahai had only suffered minor injuries, his shoulder now wrapped in bandages. After hearing Xu Daqiu's order, he immediately stepped forward again, wielding his large saber.
Looking at Chen Ran’s troops in the distance, Hu Dahai couldn't help but let out a ferocious laugh.
Damn it, Baxian County has a city wall that I can’t conquer. Two to three thousand men against your several hundred, it's a piece of cake!
“Brothers, follow me and kill these court soldiers, redeem ourselves!”
“Kill!”
Two to three thousand Wenxiang Sect rebels turned around and charged towards Chen Ran’s troops.
Chen Ran watched as the two to three thousand Wenxiang Sect rebels turned around and charged towards him. He raised his hand and roared:
“Form ranks!”
Whoosh!
With a single command, everyone quickly formed their ranks!
At the forefront, eighty Jinyiwei death warriors lined up in three columns, each separated by four feet!
Behind them, five hundred Qi Jiajun elite musketeers stood unmoving, their spears like a forest!
As the ranks were aligned, everyone roared in unison!
“Tiger!”
Though they were less than six hundred, their roar was like thunder!
This furious cry startled Hu Dahai and his two to three thousand Wenxiang Sect rebels.
Hu Dahai was stunned for two seconds before he sneered:
“Just a few hundred people, how dare they put on airs!”
“Brothers, charge forward, kill them all, and we’ll get the credit. Once we break into the city, the gold and silver and the women will be yours for the taking!”
At his encouragement, the Wenxiang Sect rebels were like they had been injected with stimulants, all roaring and rushing forward.
In the blink of an eye, the rebels had charged to within three hundred meters of Chen Ran’s troops.
“Prepare!”
Chen Ran raised his right arm and roared.
The eighty Jinyiwei death warriors immediately raised their repeating muskets and pointed them at the approaching rebels.
Chen Ran’s gaze followed the charging rebels, his right arm remained high in the air, steady as a mountain!
Soon, the rebels were within one hundred and fifty meters!
“First row, prepare!”
Chen Ran roared again.
Nearly thirty Jinyiwei death warriors in the first row placed their fingers on the triggers.
The rebels were within a hundred meters!
“Fire!”
Chen Ran suddenly roared, his voice like thunder!
Boom boom…
Thunderous gunshots suddenly rang out.
Nearly thirty repeating muskets simultaneously fired, lead pellets shot out of the barrels, instantly traversing the one hundred-meter distance and piercing the chests of the Wenxiang Sect rebels in the front ranks.
Bang bang bang…
Streams of blood instantly sprayed from the Wenxiang Sect rebels in the front, like blood-red blossoms suddenly blooming on the front line!
More than twenty rebels instantly fell to the ground like weeds swept away by a gale.
The thunderous sound of thirty repeating muskets firing simultaneously also startled the Wenxiang Sect rebels who were charging forward.
Many of them had never seen a musket before, and they had never heard such a terrifying sound.
They felt as if their hearts had been struck by a heavy hammer.
Many of them were instantly terrified, their faces turning pale.
But just then, the second volley of gunfire rang out.
The Jinyiwei death warriors used repeating muskets, each one capable of firing two shots!
The first volley had just subsided, and the second volley followed immediately, without Chen Ran’s orders.
Bang bang bang…
Another burst of thunderous gunfire!
More rebels fell!
Although the number of fallen rebels was small compared to the two to three thousand rebels, the thunderous gunfire and the instant killing still stunned the two to three thousand rebels.
This was the first time they had faced such a terrifying weapon!
This thing was much scarier than bows and arrows or spears. People were killed instantly!
But before the rebels could recover, the first row of Jinyiwei death warriors had finished firing and quickly crouched down. The second row of death warriors then raised their repeating muskets and quickly aimed them at the approaching rebels.
Bang bang bang…
Another burst of gunfire!
Two rounds fired, dozens more rebels fell!
Then, the second row of Jinyiwei death warriors crouched down to reload, and the third row of death warriors raised their muskets…
This was the first killer move Chen Ran had unleashed:
Three-round burst!
This three-round burst was a tactic where all musketeers were divided into three rows. The first row fired, then crouched down to reload, then the second row fired, and by the time the second row had fired, the first row had reloaded and was ready to fire again. This continued with the third row firing, then crouching to reload, and the first row ready to fire.
Round after round, it wouldn’t stop unless the barrels exploded or the ammunition ran out!
In this era, not only in the Ming Dynasty but also in the West, the three-round burst tactic had not yet appeared!
Although Chen Ran only had a small number of Jinyiwei death warriors and repeating muskets, this terrifying three-round burst had killed over two hundred rebels in less than a minute.
Don’t underestimate the number of these two hundred rebels!
They were the most valiant of the rebels and therefore charged at the front!
They were like the tip of a blade, the sharpest and most lethal part!
But Chen Ran’s three-round burst was like an iron shield, instantly shattering the tip of the blade, blunting its edge!