Sasha had dispatched all the infantry available on the main island to the western coast, the landing site of the Yan army. Faced with the Yan army's fierce offensive, Sasha knew that it was impossible to drive the enemy away, and even containing them would be difficult.

However, as long as the enemy is dragged into a protracted war by focusing on the front-line defensive fortifications, and reinforcements arrive, these enemy troops who have come from afar will surely be strangled here due to continuous losses.

When Sasha determined that he could not stop the enemy landing, he ordered the fleet to turn back and head towards the Brando Strait. There were two other fleets in the strait, and a large number of land troops were stationed on the land. After receiving the battle report from the front, they immediately assembled to come and reinforce the islands. At the fastest, they could arrive at the Star Islands in five days and nights.

What needs to be done now is to wage a protracted war with the enemy on this island, at least until reinforcements arrive.

These fortifications alone might not be enough to hold out. If the defenses were to be breached, the island's defenders would suffer heavy casualties, and might even be wiped out. However, Sasha believed it was all worthwhile.

Retreating at this time would only cause the important strategic location of the Star Islands to fall into enemy hands. Even if reinforcements arrive later, it will be difficult to recapture it. The enemy's naval power is too strong, and this alone is an insurmountable obstacle.

Therefore, even if it meant losing all his men, he wanted to keep the enemy here!

Sasha, who was prepared to sacrifice himself, thought this, but plans are never as fast as changes. Not long after the previous urgent military report was sent, even worse news followed.

"Sir, most of the coastal fortifications on the western front have fallen!!"

A messenger rushed in with the latest urgent report, which struck Sasha like a slap in the face. His eyes widened and his breathing became rapid.

"How long has it been! How could we be captured by the enemy so easily?!" he roared.

"Their infantrymen are incredibly accurate marksmen, and they're fearless. One of them can kill more than a dozen of our men. Also... they've brought their artillery ashore and are bombarding our lines." The messenger was ashen-faced. Like Sasha, he had never imagined that the enemy had captured most of the fortifications in such a short time.

It's important to understand that this isn't at sea, but on an island. Our army's combat strength is no weaker than that of any other country, and they have extremely rich experience in positional warfare. Although there are some new recruits in the 86th Division who lack combat experience, the majority are veterans.

Everyone understands how important the bunker complex is; once it is completely captured by the enemy, then multiple attacks from the enemy will follow.

On the western coast, the fighting is raging.

With the support of naval artillery, the Yan army, having set foot on land, focused its combat efforts on capturing fortified buildings. One assault team after another bravely charged into the bunkers. Although they encountered fierce resistance from the Götter garrison during their advance, the garrison always crumbled at the first contact due to the vast disparity in weaponry between the two sides.

The Goths primarily used flintlock muskets, which had short range and low accuracy. Even though the bullets they fired had some lethality, the low hit rate often made it difficult to completely neutralize the Yan soldiers' combat power. It's no exaggeration to say that they sometimes needed to fire hundreds of bullets to kill an opponent.

In ordinary combat, they would organize linear formations to fire volleys to increase fire coverage, projectile volume, and lethality. However, the Yan army they were facing was attacking in a scattered formation. In this loose formation, even if the Goths organized volleys, they would only waste bullets.

Wasting bullets is nothing in a life-or-death battle, but in the current battlefield where every second counts, missing a bullet means they have to spend a lot of time reloading, and in the meantime, the enemy has already fired their bullets.

Unlike the weapons used by the Goths, most of the Yan soldiers used percussion rifles, which had a clear advantage over flintlock muskets.

At long range, musketeers were not bound by formation; they could take cover behind nearby bunkers for precise aiming before firing, striving to make every bullet count. As for reloading, it was much more convenient. Thanks to the breech-loading mechanism, they could reload standing, crouching, or even lying on the ground. In contrast, the Goths' front-loading mechanism required them to be in a standing position, which inevitably exposed their bodies to bullets.

Apart from long-range shooting, in close-quarters combat, assault troops are armed with repeating breech-loading rifles. Although the accuracy is somewhat reduced, the ability to fire multiple rounds quickly is a huge advantage.

With crossfire of long-range aiming and close-quarters assault, the Yan army gradually eroded the outer perimeter of the entire complex in less than an hour. Once inside the bunkers, they were unstoppable, capturing several strongholds in a very short time with near-crushing force.

Soon, when the last defender inside the fortress was shot dead, the Yan army completely occupied the coastal fortifications. However, this was only a partial victory. But controlling these fortifications would allow the follow-up troops waiting to land to safely set foot on land, and at the same time bring more artillery.

At present, the light field guns that have been unloaded from the warships and begun firing are the light field guns. Thanks to the infrastructure of the Star Islands, the battlefield is flat and wide. Therefore, the light field guns mounted on the gun carriages can be pushed forward smoothly by the Yan soldiers. Although the shells they fire only weigh five to six pounds, their unique explosions still allow them to exert great power.

At this moment, the bombardment from these light artillery pieces alone has already caused immense suffering to the Gothic infantry lines. In the first few rounds of shelling, the Gothic gunners thought of exchanging fire with them, risking their lives for each other. However, after several rounds of firing, their ammunition carts and artillery suffered tremendous damage, and everyone realized that this huge gap was like the boundary between heaven and earth.

The subsequent heavy artillery fire was the final straw that broke the camel's back.

When those explosive shells, each weighing over ten kilograms, landed in their lines, countless fragments of the ammunition shot out in all directions. A single shell could cause casualties to a small squad, while their artillery fire had little effect.

At this point, the entire defensive line collapsed completely.

Whether artillery or infantry, the Goths could no longer hold a single position. They fought and retreated amidst a hail of bullets, gradually ceding the entire western coastline.

Their defeat led to the Yan army's triumphant advance.

One after another, field artillery vehicles were pulled forward by the Yan soldiers, who spread out in all directions, forming an unstoppable steel torrent.

Smoke filled the battlefield, and flames ignited everywhere. The Yan soldiers roared as they charged forward, determined to seize the Star Islands with a complete victory.