Iron Dynasty Chapter 986

“Bang bang bang…”

“Bang bang bang…”

Bullets erupted from the barrel as flames burst from the muzzle. The slope ahead of the machine gun got pelted by the onslaught, sending rock fragments scattering in all directions. Before long, relentless fire from the machine gun carved out a modest crater into the hillside.

As the machine gun roared on, spent brass shells flew rapidly from the seam between the bolt and barrel. The canvas ammo strip feeding the rounds vanished swiftly into the weapon's maw. Within a single minute, a whopping three hundred fifty rounds and a seven-meter ammo belt had been unleashed entirely.

All this assumed the gunner eased up on the firing speed.

Xiao Ming felt his ears ringing slightly from the blast. Gazing at the Changping machine gun before him, a satisfied grin spread across his features. While the rest of the Great Yu Empire lingered in eighteenth-century industry, Qingzhou's capabilities had undeniably surged into the late nineteenth century.

Through years of steady tech buildup, the full-fledged industrial setup now exploded with innovative gear. Song Changping's success in crafting a machine gun akin to the Maxim, based on their present manufacturing foundation, clearly showcased Qingzhou's formidable industrial might.

“Perfect!”

Once the flawless ammo belt emptied out, Xiao Ming flashed a thumbs-up.

After a brief halt, he turned to Song Changping and remarked, “With the northern conflict on the verge of erupting, this is precisely when we require such arms to thwart cavalry charges. I'll allot you one month. How many Changping machine guns can you assemble?”

“We haven't set up a dedicated assembly line for machine guns in the military factory yet. Certain components for these guns were still hand-machined by factory workers on lathes and couldn't be sourced elsewhere. If Your Majesty needs them urgently, I can deliver thirty units within a month,” Song Changping replied.

“Thirty will suffice. These machine guns devour ammunition at a ferocious rate, and it looks like our stockpiles are about to dwindle,” Xiao Ming noted with a helpless tone.

“Likely so. Yet luckily, no conflicts rage elsewhere, so pooling them at one spot ought to cover our needs,” Song Changping assessed, gauging the ammo count.

Xiao Ming gave a nod. “Very well, proceed that way. Should we utterly crush the Golden Tent Khanate, the expenditure on these bullets will prove worthwhile.”

With this settled, Xiao Ming inspected the military factory once more prior to heading back to the palace. Concurrently, he assigned three hundred troops to the facility for machine gun handling drills.

Having wrapped up these tasks, Xiao Ming sank into his seat and let out a deep breath.

Noticing this, Qian Dafu chuckled. “Your Majesty has long fretted over Europeans stealing our firearm secrets, but now armed with this mighty national treasure, those Europeans will scarcely find a moment to weep.”

“Indeed. Armed with this, we'll dominate them utterly in firepower, and the old era of line infantry volleys will fade into obsolescence,” Xiao Ming replied, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

Back in his era's chronicles, the line-fire tactics persisted right up until the Maxim machine gun emerged, only vanishing for good amid the carnage of World War I.

This stemmed from how packed ranks got shredded mercilessly against machine gun barrages.

“Hehe, under those conditions, seizing Southeast Asia seems well within reach,” Qian Dafu laughed. During his stint in the Department of Minerals, he'd discovered the region's bounty in ores, plus its climate ideal for agriculture. Claiming it would yield vast hauls of grain and resources.

Yearning flickered in Xiao Ming's gaze. The machine gun's advent signaled he could hold vast territories with minimal forces. Thus, no more fretting over manpower shortages.

…

Raozhou.

Beneath the twinkling stars, Qi Guangyi guided eight thousand rifle cavalry through the darkness's veil. While based in Raozhou, he'd mapped the grasslands thoroughly, spotting barbarian clan sites blindfolded if needed.

On this mission, he commanded the eight thousand rifle cavalry as elite raiders to disrupt the three allied major tribes.

Unlike a decade prior, the barbarians now acted with far greater wariness. To shield their clans from raids in wartime, they'd consolidated the three tribes, erected barricades, and positioned cannons for defense against sudden strikes.

Launching a direct raid on the tribes as in days gone by would prove exceedingly tough, with steep costs.

Hence, Qi Guangyi directed his eight thousand rifle cavalry this round not at the three major tribes themselves, but to bypass them and strike the barbarian riders en route to bolster those tribes.

Given their hefty presence in Raozhou now, the three majors couldn't stand alone against them. Thus, Qi Guangyi anticipated Dolgor dispatching additional clans for support.

This created their opening.

With grassland clans differing in scale, their relief riders arrived in successive groups.

And as anticipated, skirting the three major tribes led them straight into a barbarian cavalry column rushing to aid.

As they neared cresting a ridge, a force of roughly ten thousand barbarian horsemen blocked their path outright. Across the endless plains, the rival arrays extended for miles.

“Corps Commander, those are Azure Dragon Tribe warriors,” a guard near Qi Guangyi reported. “Their grazing lands lie nearest to the Dzungar tribe.”

Qi Guangyi dipped his head. Exactly as expected, grassland barbarian riders wouldn't flee at their sight. Instead, they'd pursue aggressively, all the more with superior numbers on their side.

“Get the troops ready!”

Qi Guangyi commanded coolly. The gap between forces had shrunk to just over five hundred meters. Peering through his field glasses, he caught a barbarian officer doing the same toward him.

“The Tsarist Russians treat them well, even supplying binoculars.” Qi Guangyi scowled.

As he muttered, the signal horn blared. The rifle cavalry shifted at once, forming three mounted ranks. Every trooper gripped a carbine firmly.

As the rifle cavalry maneuvered, the opposing barbarian riders surged forward too. Waving their curved blades, they thundered downhill.

Stern resolve etched Qi Guangyi's face. This marked the rifle cavalry's debut clash. A stunning victory here would validate their edge over standard horsemen.

Atop the rise, a barbarian leader eyed Qi Guangyi and the eight thousand Great Yu Empire riders with icy disdain.

He went by Zak, banner chief of the Azure Dragon Tribe.

At his side stood a towering bald figure. Watching the onrushing cavalry, he bared his teeth in a smirk. “The Great Khan proves a genius tactician once more. He foresaw the Great Yu Empire targeting our relief forces, so he spaced each tribe's riders ten miles apart. That way, spotting Great Yu cavalry lets us ambush them swiftly.”

Zak burst into laughter at the words. “These Great Yu Empire fools dare challenge us on the steppes. This battle, our Azure Dragon Tribe claims the prime glory!”