The musketeers were different from other troops. Their attacks were entirely at long range.
When the enemy closed in, their destructive power diminished.
Because of this, as the people of the Peacock Kingdom charged forward, the musketeers raised their weapons.
This action baffled the people of the Peacock Kingdom.
"What are they doing? Are they going to use those weapons against us?"
"They shouldn't be. Their weapons are so short; they won't be effective against us, will they?"
"I can't figure it out, but I also feel that their weapons are very short and won't have much effect on us. We can charge right through!"
With these words, the people of the Peacock Kingdom hesitated no longer and charged forward.
This charge was exactly what the Qin soldiers wanted.
However, they didn't attack immediately. Instead, as time ticked by, they slowly began to speak:
"They've entered our range! We can fire soon!"
"This is the first time our musketeer corps is in action. We must show them how powerful we are!"
"Yes! This is the first step for our musketeer corps to make a name for itself!"
If these men hadn't experienced firearms, they wouldn't have felt such a strong connection to them.
But after experiencing firearms, they immediately fell in love with them.
In their hearts, firearms were incredibly powerful.
It could even be said that wherever firearms were deployed, they were invincible and could slay all enemies.
Therefore, at this moment, they were eager to let everyone recognize the might of firearms.
They gripped their guns tightly, waiting for the enemy to approach.
This wait did not last long.
After only five breaths, someone among them decisively gave the order.
"Fire!!!"
Without any preamble, the order to fire was given.
Upon receiving this command, the musketeers did not hesitate and pulled the triggers of their firearms.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!!"
The loud crack of firearms echoed in everyone's ears, a sound that made many tremble.
The people of the Peacock Kingdom were even more startled by the sound of the firearms.
However, this was not the most terrifying part. What was truly terrifying was that after the firearms roared, the men of the Peacock Kingdom at the forefront of the charge fell in swathes.
They fell with incredible speed, hundreds falling in what seemed like an instant.
Many felt that in the blink of an eye, the situation before them had changed drastically.
People who had been beside them suddenly dropped dead for reasons unknown.
They hadn't even understood how their comrades died.
Moreover, their men had not yet made contact with the musketeers.
This situation was even more peculiar.
Seeing this, many became extremely frightened.
"Wh-what's happening? Why did our men suddenly fall?"
"I-I can't see, but I feel like our men were hit by arrows!"
"Arrows? But I didn't see any arrows. Wh-what kind of weapon is this?"
Many Qin soldiers had never seen firearms, let alone the people of the Peacock Kingdom.
Even as swathes of men from the Peacock Kingdom died, they still didn't understand how they had met their end.
Their eyes were filled with confusion.
Confusion was soon followed by fear.
They had never imagined their enemies to be so terrifying, killing hundreds of them in an instant.
Their hearts sank, and an instinctive thought arose: flee.
However, before they could escape, the sound of firearms rang out again.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!!"
This volley of gunfire was as orderly and loud as the previous one.
After the sound faded, more men of the Peacock Kingdom fell in swathes.
And this time, even more fell.
Previously, it was hundreds; now, over a thousand were down.
The charging army of the Peacock Kingdom had a significant portion of its ranks instantly cleared.
This devastation truly filled the people of the Peacock Kingdom with dread.
"No, this is bad! This is sorcery! It's their sorcery! Everyone, take cover!"
"Run! Get out of here quickly! We are no match for them! Their weapons are too terrifying! We'll die if we stay here! Let's flee!"
"Let's go, now! We'll surely die if we stay! We must leave!"
These men had felt the threat of firearms, so they did not hesitate at all and wanted to escape.
They believed that only by fleeing would they be safe and survive.
Undoubtedly, their thinking was correct; fleeing at this moment offered them a way out.
However, as they began to flee, the musketeers did not hesitate and immediately pursued them.
Wielding their firearms, they rapidly chased after the fleeing men of the Peacock Kingdom. Thousands pursuing tens of thousands.
Such a scene was undeniably astonishing.
Even the Qin soldiers watching could not help but marvel.
"Tsk, tsk, I never imagined our musketeer corps to be so formidable, easily slaying so many enemies!"
"Indeed! These firearms are too powerful. I even feel they surpass the might of cannons!"
"In some aspects, the power of firearms does exceed that of cannons. Cannons lack their precision, but in terms of deterrence, cannons are still more powerful!"
Cannons possessed immense power. Though they lacked precise targeting, they could effectively deter the enemy.
Firearms, however, were designed to target individuals.
A single shot directed at a person would certainly result in immediate death.
With enough firearms in hand, one could sweep through an entire area.
Just like now, the musketeers were sweeping through the enemy.
They were even pursuing over ten thousand enemies with a force of only a few thousand.
In the past, this would have been difficult to achieve.
Even with superior strength, it would have been hard to instill such intense fear in the enemy.
The enemy would certainly not have broken into such a frantic rout at the very beginning of the battle.
Therefore, everyone now had a clear understanding of firearms.
At the same time, a sense of longing arose in their hearts.
They longed to possess firearms themselves and to become musketeers.
Of course, the most important task now was to pursue the enemy and annihilate those who resisted.
...