Not far from the riverbank, dozens of artillery pieces had been arranged at staggered intervals. Trained soldiers hauled shells back and forth, firing them one after another.
The soldiers by the river fearlessly launched a river-crossing, beachhead assault.
Caught in the sudden barrage, the Qing troops on the opposite bank had already been blasted into disarray. They ran about like headless flies while their officers shouted continuously, trying to organize a counterattack.
But the bombardment never stopped. The men they managed to gather simply could not prevent the river-crossing troops from closing in.
The soldiers storming the beachhead swiftly seized advantageous terrain as well. Even though the land had been thoroughly stripped bare, a slight slope could still offer them some advantage and serve as cover.
They worked together seamlessly, advancing the front line layer by layer. Before long, they had captured the riverside area. Reinforcements crossed the river slowly aboard larger vessels and began advancing in force.
By that point, the Qing troops had already lost all will to resist. The artillery fire was too fierce, pinning them down so thoroughly they could not lift their heads. The assault was too savage for them to withstand, and so they naturally collapsed and scattered.
This was merely one battle taking place before Wang Yan's eyes. It was part of the campaign centered on Wuchang and its surrounding regions. The objective was to cross the river southward, seize the Yangtze River banks, and erase the Qing army's advantage of natural defenses. The main fighting had erupted in Wuchang, Nine Rivers, and Yueyang.
After taking those three places, the next step would be to attack the regions around Nanchang and Changsha, contain Jiangxi and Hunan, and sever Hunan-Hubei.
Meanwhile, to the west, Shi Dakai was attacking the Jing Province region. This day's