When the telegraph line was successfully laid to the front-line command post outside Yizhou City, Zhao Chun, Lin Shaozhang and others immediately began to contact the Western Expedition Command.
Furthermore, they consulted with Karhana Beile, a bandit from the grasslands of Yizhou City, about his experiences.
Before long, news of Khalhanabele's general experiences also came from the Western Expedition Command.
Zhao Chun and Lin Shaozhang were slightly taken aback when they saw the contents of the telegram.
"Hehe, I didn't expect that!"
Zhao Chun was somewhat surprised and said, "This Karhana is an old rival of our big army! I just wonder if he has learned the essence of our techniques!"
"Old Zhao,"
Looking at Zhao Chun, Lin Shaozhang said, "We've stockpiled plenty of artillery shells and supplies, and we now have 70,000 men outside Yizhou City. It's a good time to test the waters with an attack and see what's really going on in Yizhou City!"
"Alright!"
Zhao Chun nodded.
Immediately, Zhao Chun, Lin Shaozhang, and other division commanders made arrangements for the offensive against Yizhou City.
Five infantry divisions launched an encirclement of Yizhou City from five directions: southwest, south, southeast, east, and northeast.
Meanwhile, the two cavalry divisions maneuvered on the periphery.
After the troop deployment was completed, the main force of the western expedition prioritized the construction of defensive fortifications.
After their respective troops had completed their defenses, the western expeditionary army began a probing attack at the end of April.
That morning, artillery regiments from five infantry divisions, with a total of over a hundred cannons, aimed at Yizhou City.
At nine o'clock in the morning, Zhao Chun, Lin Shaozhang and others stood in the command post, holding binoculars and looking at the situation on the battlefield in the distance.
"Time's up, Commander Zhao!"
An advisor spoke up to offer a reminder.
"good!"
Zhao Chun nodded and said, "Fire!"
Immediately, the staff officer ordered the flag bearer to wave the huge red flag.
The waving of red flags also conveyed the message of firing to all units.
Upon receiving the news, the five artillery regiments also waved their flags.
Immediately, the main gunners lowered the breechblocks.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
In an instant, a cluster of pale yellow light flashed at the muzzle, and shells shot out of the breech and flew into the sky.
The dense barrage of shells, like meteors falling from the sky, flew towards Yizhou City with a piercing shriek.
The sharp whistling sound instantly attracted the attention of the city of Yizhou.
"Beware of artillery fire! Beware of artillery fire!"
Upon hearing the voice, Karhana Beile roared loudly.
Immediately, within the trench defense system of Yizhou City and its surrounding areas, bandits from the grasslands and Saman soldiers hid in the anti-artillery holes of the trenches.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In an instant, the shells fell from the sky, and a deafening explosion rang out.
The violent shockwave from the explosion swept across the battlefield, churning up the soil from the trenches, which fell in a flurry, instantly filling in some of the shallower trenches.
Fortunately, the Saman soldiers hiding in the gun emplacements did not suffer much damage.
Other shells landed and exploded in the trenches.
The explosion sent countless steel fragments flying everywhere, and the rapidly spinning shrapnel burst forth, instantly piercing the flesh and blood of the Saman soldiers.
Instantly, several Saman soldiers in the gun emplacement were struck by shrapnel. Blood flowed freely, and severed limbs lay scattered on the ground.
The entire gun-proof ear hole was a bloody mess, like a scene from hell!
In a very short time, all the Saman soldiers in the gun emplacements were dead!
Slightly different from the trench system of the main army is the anti-artillery ear holes in the trenches!
The trench system of the Da Gan Army was designed with high standards and strict requirements from the very beginning. Each anti-artillery ear hole was dug by a single soldier and could only accommodate one person.
However, these Saman soldiers did not grasp the essence of it.
They simply dug a huge hole in the side wall of the trench to avoid damage from exploding shells.
However, some of these holes were dug quite large.
It can even accommodate five or six people.
With such a large anti-artillery ear hole and its wide-opening, even steel fragments from exploding shells could still penetrate into the hole.
The Samanid soldiers inside naturally suffered heavy casualties.
Even so, the trench defense system and anti-artillery ear holes still played a role.
Protected by the trench defense system, the Saman soldiers outside the city of Illinois suffered little damage despite being attacked by hundreds of large artillery pieces.
Squinting at the situation in the trenches outside the city, a smile appeared on Karhana Beile's face.
"The situation is alright!"
Karhana Beile spoke up, "Back on the grasslands, our warriors suffered heavy casualties from just one round of artillery fire. Now, look at us, with the trenches blocking the way, the power of the shells is greatly reduced. Moreover, our warriors are more dispersed in the trenches, so the shells won't explode and cause huge damage. As long as we hold on, we can defend Yizhou City!"
"Uh-huh!"
General Tuli nodded as well.
Suddenly, he recalled the power of the massive artillery fire during the Battle of Suzhou. Compared to the situation outside Yizhou City now, it was truly a vast improvement!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Another round of shells exploded in the trenches, sending dirt flying and falling in a flurry.
Some of the earthen mounds surrounding the trenches were also completely flattened by the intense artillery fire.
The soil fell, filling most of the trench.
However, the Saman soldiers hiding in the trenches suffered few casualties.
The Samanid soldiers shook off the dirt and continued to press themselves firmly into the trenches.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
After continuous bombing, the entire trench was left in a mess and in ruins.
However, a trench is still a trench!
It can withstand a barrage of bombardments!
Meanwhile, in the frontline command post, Zhao Chun and Lin Shaozhang held binoculars, staring intently at the area outside Yizhou City.
Seeing that the trench defense system was shattered under the fierce artillery bombardment, but still few Saman soldiers showed up, Zhao Chun frowned.
"These Saman soldiers have really learned their lesson!"
Zhao Chun shook his head with a cold laugh and said, "Back in Suzhou, these Saman soldiers were like headless flies. Just a few rounds of artillery fire were enough to leave them disoriented. Look at us now, we've bombarded them so many times, and we haven't seen many Saman casualties!"
"Yes, Lao Zhao!"
Lin Shaozhang nodded with a wry smile. He put down his binoculars and said, "Judging from the current situation, Yizhou City is clearly a very fortified city that we have encountered in our westward expedition! But no matter how fortified Yizhou City is, we must take it! This is related to the morale of our westward expeditionary army!"
"right!"
Zhao Chun nodded and said, "Continue the bombing!"
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