amaotonovel Chapter 77 Rapid-Fire Gun
Chapter 77 Rapid-Fire Gun
Alice led the 1st Naval Infantry Brigade through the city almost non-stop. Under the leadership of the Republican Army, the 1st Naval Infantry Brigade quickly reached the west side of the city, which had become a battlefield. Alice could hear the roar of flintlock muskets, the screams of agony, and the sound of metal clashing.
"Enter the enemy!"
The naval infantry immediately dispersed, and under the watchful eyes of the Republic's allies, the unit quickly dispersed into the streets littered with corpses and wreckage. The infantrymen knelt, stood, and no one stood in the open.
The black powder from the granular magic crystals burst forth with white smoke. The arrival of this new force turned the tide of the war. The Republican army lacked gunpowder weapons and mostly relied on swords and crossbows. The flintlock muskets in the hands of the church could easily break the Republican army's charge.
"Cover fire, advance and throw grenades!"
Alice leaned against a door panel at the front, and the Holy Army spotted them. A small column of infantry began to form a line and raised their rifles to fire at them.
Alice took a half step back and raised the Spencer repeating rifle in her hand. Unlike any other rifle available, the one in her hand could fire without reloading.
She aimed, pulled the trigger, and the bullet grazed Alice, only to excite her more. The Spencer repeater in her hand spat out deadly round-nosed lead bullets. She pulled the lever, and the fixed brass cartridge case flew out. The next bullet was drawn from the barrel and entered the chamber. She pulled the hammer and pulled the trigger again.
The rotating bolt action is more complicated to manufacture, but its high rate of fire and magazine capacity bring unparalleled tactical advantages. The soldiers behind her watched as the princess fired and pulled the bolt repeatedly with her rifle. Alice skillfully aimed at the Holy Army infantry in the front line. She was worth ten infantrymen by herself, but no one had ever seen her use vampire magic.
"Grenade!"
The naval infantrymen's belts had attachment points for G1 wooden-handled grenades. One naval infantryman pulled out a grenade, unscrewed the cap, pulled the pin, and threw it with all his might.
Boom!
The black powder charge wasn't high in yield, but it was enough to deal with the dense battle lines. In the storm of Minié bullets, the church battle line that the Republican army couldn't break through was easily crushed. More concentrated firepower, more accurate bullets, and greater power. Alice unscrewed the magazine from the buttstock. There were more magazines in the box on her waist, each loaded with 7 bullets. Theoretically, this rifle had a rate of fire of up to 14 rounds per minute.
Everyone could see the benefits of equipping the Spencer repeating rifle, and Alice also agreed that this rifle would bring revolutionary changes to the troops. However, in reality, for this era, the Spencer repeating rifle's high rate of fire was a waste. Before the enemy was fully equipped with flintlock muskets, the shooter with the Spencer would only use it for "fire suppression," and the ammunition consumption was several times that of using a single-shot breech-loading rifle.
This type of rifle can only be issued to elite special forces.
"charge!"
Alice had a premonition that the heroes were getting closer and closer, and that the Church's landing force couldn't be just this small. She was the first to leap out of her cover, her repeating rifle firing like an automatic cannon that kept spitting out bullets. Several Church soldiers who were lucky enough to escape being hit saw her excited, dark expression and the Spencer repeating rifle in her hand, and immediately dropped their rifles and ran towards the city gate.
Under the watchful eyes of the Republican army, the grey-clad soldiers quickly approached the city gate. A portion of the church troops occupied the city wall, but for the naval infantry, the city wall was of limited use. In addition, the flintlock muskets in the hands of the church were not very accurate and had a slow rate of fire. A platoon of soldiers carefully aimed their Sharps rifles, and every church soldier who poked his head out would receive a 13mm lead bullet.
With suppressive fire, Alice ordered, "Fix bayonets!"
Despite the Sharps rifle's reputation for accuracy, the bayonet remained essential. The newly manufactured bayonet had a 14-centimeter-long blade, replacing the slide bayonet used in the Minié rifle. These bayonets were secured with a special bayonet lug and also functioned as daggers.
In the sunlight, the forest of cold light rose, and Alice patted an officer, who blew his military whistle.
Beep beep beep ————————
"For the country and the people! Charge!"
"charge!"
Amidst the dust kicked up by the explosions and on the battlefield where bullets flew, the Holy Army, having struggled to regroup, witnessed a fearless charge. Alice charged almost at the very front, surrounded by infantrymen who roared as the soldiers shouted. The two columns of the Church Army had not yet loaded their bullets when Alice raised her rifle and aimed at the Holy Army officer who was holding a longsword, preparing to face the bayonet charge.
boom!
Who says you have to unload bullets before charging? Alice charged forward, firing her rifle as she went. Every trigger pull dealt a blow to the Holy Army. Before bayonets, there are no gods.
In one charge, Alice led the naval infantry and easily swept through the church's forces, but they had spent too much time on their way, and the hero had already led a small group of church troops to break through.
"Damn it!"
Alice's hands fell to her sides, her small, now blackened hands gripping the repeating gun.
"My lord! I am willing to offer my humble assistance to your army."
Alice looked up. It was Farooq Danny, the leader of the Republican Army, as mentioned in the intelligence report. Over the past few days, he had come to realize that the Church and the Republican Army were not in the same league. In his view, the Church's army was large, well-equipped, and its soldiers were highly trained and fearless.
But now, the demons of the north have defeated them. The fleet at sea is not large, but the church's fleet has sunk into the sea.
He saw new tactics and weapons. The battle between the demons and the church forces was completely different from what they knew. If the church army still carried a trace of the past, then the demon army was more like a ranger-style battle.
And the person in front of him... white hair, red eyes, a member of the royal family of the vampire and demon realms, he knew that the so-called unified Crimson Empire had split, but he did not expect that the princess would take the lead in a battle, charging into the fray with a rifle.
“Horse! You are Farooq Danny.”
"Greetings, Your Highness, beautiful and powerful princess. I have come to express my gratitude. My daughter has received treatment and is much better now."
“The church army broke out of the city half an hour ago, and you can’t catch up with them, but I know a shortcut, and I’m willing to do it for you.”
Alice nodded, and Farouk brought 35 horses. Alice immediately gathered 30 soldiers who could ride horses, and Farouk led the way while Alice followed on horseback.
"Sir, please take this side path!"
Outside the city, all was peaceful. The church's retreat was hasty. Alice glanced at it and the sky seemed less pleasant.
"It's the rainy season in Brittany right now, and there's a high chance it will rain. My lord, rain is not a good time for battle."
"What's bad for them is also bad for us."
Apart from the Spencer repeating rifle in Alice's hands, the remaining soldiers were armed with paper-thrown rifles, meaning they might lose their ability to fire in the heavy rain.
But there was no other choice.
The cavalry roared forward, marching into the storm.