The Battle

    Still out of arrow range, the waiting artillery fired their guns. When the thunderous noise and smoke cleared it could be seen that the leading wave had been bowled over like nine-pins. The twenty five soldiers who had fired knelt down to reload and the second line behind them fired their weapons in turn at the still advancing Briganti. These too were stopped in their tracks. Before more Briganti could exit the valley another volley was fired, this time by artillerymen that had been concealed on the slopes at either side of the valley. The result was a pile of bodies that made it very difficult for any kind of regrouping. Recovering from the shock Domhnall sent soldiers up the valley sides to attack the Chinese on the slopes, but they too had formed two rows and whilst those who had fired the first volley knelt down the second row fired their weapons.