"Oh?"

Seeing this, Gu Shisan couldn't help but chuckle. "These Dian King's armies actually dare to launch an attack on us? Heh! I never expected that!"

"I really didn't expect that!"

Tan Chengtong, standing beside him, nodded and said, "However, Deputy Commander, we cannot let our guard down. Strategically, we can despise the enemy, but tactically, we must take them seriously!"

"Not bad!"

Gu Shisan glanced at Tan Chengtai and nodded in satisfaction.

He knew in his heart that Tan Chengtong was also a veteran from the main force, and naturally he was much more cautious in his strategies and tactics than the militia.

With him around, I feel quite at ease!

Gu Shisan nodded and said, "I will not underestimate them. After all, the Dian King's army has 30,000 troops, while even if we include the militia, we only have six or seven thousand people at most, which is almost four or five times our strength!"

We definitely can't underestimate them!

As he spoke, Gu Shisan turned to look at Tan Chengtai and asked, "Second Regimental Commander, how do you think we should fight this battle?"

"Use your strengths to attack their weaknesses!"

Tan Chengtong said directly, "Deputy Commander, our troop strength is our weakness, but our firepower is our strength. Therefore, we must make full use of our strengths to make up for our weaknesses! Let the artillery bombard us fiercely and strike a blow to the enemy's arrogance! Order all units to spare no ammunition and give them a good beating! Only by completely extinguishing the arrogance of the Dian King's army will we have a chance to defeat them!"

"Okay!"

Gu Shisan nodded, agreeing with Tan Chengtian's idea.

Immediately, Gu Shisan's troops launched a relentless bombardment of the Dian King's army.

One cannonball after another soared into the sky, accompanied by a piercing shriek, and fell toward the army of the Di Dian King.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The bombing raids sent dust flying across the ground. The soldiers of the Dian King's army, caught in the blast wave, suffered heavy casualties.

In a short time, rows of corpses were left on the ground, blood splattered, flesh and blood mangled.

The entire battlefield was like a hellish scene!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The endless bombing continues to rage.

The artillery fire continued for more than half an hour without stopping.

Even Duan Kesheng was stunned. Lying in his dugout, he stared blankly at the bombing all around him.

After a long pause, Duan Kesheng murmured, "Where did Prince Xin's army get so many cannonballs? Don't they have any money for them? How can they have so many?"

However, no matter how puzzled Duan Kesheng was, the overwhelming bombing was an undeniable fact before him.

The bombing, which lasted for more than half an hour, almost completely looted the positions of the Dian King's army near Liucheng Town.

Even the Dian King's army, which had been full of fighting spirit before, was now completely terrified.

"How...how can we fight this war?"

"We haven't even seen a shadow of Prince Xin's army, and so many people have already died. If we were to charge in, wouldn't we all die here?"

"I heard that even Li Ming's hundreds of thousands of troops couldn't stop Prince Xin's army from entering the pass!"

"No wonder the Prince Xin's army of several thousand troops in Guiling Province was so overwhelming that they were at a loss!"

...

On the battlefield, the soldiers of the Dian King's army were discussing the matter.

A chill ran through each soldier; they were all somewhat afraid and timid.

When this thought appeared in my mind, it soon spread like a flood breaking through a dam.

However, Duan Kesheng was completely unaware of all this.

"no!"

Duan Kesheng took a deep breath and said, "We can't let Prince Xin's army continue fighting like this. What about Vice General Liu and Vice General Sun? Where are they now?"

"Reporting to the general,"

A trusted aide clasped his hands in a fist salute and replied, "Vice General Liu and Vice General Sun are being held back by Prince Xin's army at the front lines. Their firepower is too intense; they can't break through. Moreover, Vice General Liu and Vice General Sun have suffered heavy casualties..."

"Um?"

Duan Kesheng frowned, and his mood was somewhat down.

He never expected that his 30,000-strong army would be blocked here by 6,000 or 7,000 soldiers from Prince Xin's army.

What he didn't expect was that his 30,000-strong army suffered heavy casualties.

This was something he had never encountered in all his years of military service!

After a long while, Duan Kesheng finally let out a long breath and said, "Instruct General Shi's troops to send out another team to carry out a breakout and flanking maneuver! The action must be swift!"

"I refuse to believe it!"

Duan Kesheng frowned and said coldly, "How many soldiers does Prince Xin's army have? How many of us can they hold off? If they can hold off this place, can they hold off everyone else?"

Under Duan Kesheng's orders, another unit made a flanking maneuver towards the outer perimeter.

However, no matter how much advice Duan Kesheng offered, the battle at the front made no progress whatsoever.

On the side of Vice General Liu and Vice General Sun, they had already suffered heavy losses, with most of their soldiers killed or wounded, and they had not even been able to break through the defenses of Prince Xin's army.

General Shi's troops encountered a fierce attack as soon as they reached firing range.

Bullets rained down like a deluge, completely blocking the advance of General Shi's troops.

Every step forward resulted in the loss of dozens or even hundreds of soldiers' lives.

Even with General Shi's urgent urging, the soldiers at the front still felt a strange unease in the face of such a one-sided battle.

"Can this war continue?"

"Prince Xin's army is too powerful; we can't defeat them!"

"Run! We can't win!"

...

When the thought crossed the minds of the soldiers at the front, it quickly spread throughout the troops.

Before long, the soldiers at the front began to collapse.

Defeat is imminent.

Like a flood bursting its banks, it was unstoppable.

At the rear, General Shi, who was overseeing the battle, turned pale upon seeing this scene, unable to believe his eyes.

"They've been defeated just like that?"

General Shi stared wide-eyed, and asked in astonishment, "Is Prince Xin's army really that powerful?"

However, no one could answer General Shi's question.

The army collapsed like a house of cards!

The soldiers at the front line fled back like madmen, dragging the soldiers behind them along with them as they began to flee.

Before long, the rout spread to the side of Deputy General Liu and Deputy General Sun, and the soldiers there also began to rout.

The collapse across the entire front happened very quickly.

It happened so fast that Duan Kesheng didn't have time to react at all.

By the time Duan Kesheng learned of this news, all three lines of defense had collapsed, and his previous plans had completely crumbled.

"How is this possible?"

Duan Kesheng's eyes widened, still somewhat incredulous, and he coldly said, "Tell the supervisory team to stop the fleeing soldiers! Anyone who dares to retreat again will be killed without exception!"