Here, Wang Kunjun ended the conversation with Zhao Kuangyin, and Qian Yuanshan over there had already asked Wang Feng to make radio contact with Muttel to determine the launch of the attack. Wang Feng returned to the city not long after he went, and signaled to Qian Yuanshan and his cousin that Mutel's side had made all preparations, and he would lead the cavalry troops to cooperate and respond as soon as Guancheng's side launched an attack. At the same time, the units in Guancheng, especially the artillery that took the longest time to set up their positions, had also completed their preparations for battle, and all the soldiers participating in the battle were in high spirits and were just waiting for the order to attack. Moreover, unlike when most of the soldiers were somewhat nervous or afraid when they first set out from the "Feilong Village" and "Xianglong Fort", the troops that had already experienced the Battle of Baoxingzhuang, which originally belonged to the "Southern Route Army", were not nervous and afraid of the upcoming battle, but showed a look of anticipation and excitement -- the results of the first battle of Baoxingzhuang made them full of confidence in their commanders and the weapons in their hands. At this time, there is no need for Wang Kunjun, Qian Yuanshan and others to say any more big things to boost morale, all they need to do is give orders.

Chen Shizheng, Wang Kunjun first nodded to the Zhao brothers, and then nodded to Qian Yuanshan, who was standing next to him, and said, "Let's start." ”

The latter nodded in agreement, then raised his right hand and pointed forward. Almost at the same time as Qian Yuanshan's right hand pointed forward, the herald standing on the high place of the city tower shook the order flag in his hand vigorously. Seeing the command flag in the herald's hand swinging left and right, the artillery commander immediately waved the small red flag in his hand fiercely. With his movements, nearly 100 artillery pieces of various calibers and types that had already been prepared opened fire almost simultaneously, and nearly 100 shells flew over the tall wall with a huge roar and flew towards the Khitan army camp three miles away.

A moment later, nearly a hundred pillars of smoke rose in the Khitan army camp one after another, and there were faint bursts of thunderous roar, following Baoxingzhuang and Youzhou City, the third major battle of the Battle of Youyun began.

Whether it is Wang Kunjun and other crossing people, or the soldiers under the command of the crossing team, they have long been accustomed to the sound, fire and smoke when the artillery is fired, although this is a concentrated bombardment of nearly 100 artillery pieces, for them it is just a little louder, the muzzle flame is a little brighter, and the smoke and dust produced are a little more, and they don't feel that there is anything to make a fuss about. However, for the Zhao brothers, who had only watched the artillery bombardment from a distance during the First World War in Baoxingzhuang and had never experienced artillery shooting at such a close distance, the huge sound, firelight, and smoke and dust of artillery, especially large and medium-caliber guns, were quite terrifying.

As an elder brother, Zhao Kuangyin is better, although he was also shocked by the huge sound and light smoke, but the perennial conquest and the city government and calmness accumulated by the officials in the court for many years made him extremely shocked in his heart, but on the surface, he still maintained the calm and reserved that a general should have, except for the right hand of the twisted beard unconsciously stopped, and his eyes did not blink at the Khitan army camp a few miles away, he did not show any abnormality. And Zhao Kuangyi next to Zhao Kuangyin is completely different. First, Zhao Kuangyi is much younger, and secondly, he is far inferior to his brother in terms of social experience, military experience, and official time. Therefore, in the face of this sudden huge impact of sound and light, his performance was far less calm and powerful than that of his brother. With the continuous sound of artillery fire, he not only looked horrified and pale, but also trembled slightly, and had to stretch out his hands to hold on to the wall in front of him to stabilize his figure.

Regarding Zhao Kuangyi's performance, Wang Kunjun, Qian Yuanshan, Wang Feng, and others, who had seen the movements of the recruits when they were fired by artillery, were so frightened that they peed their pants were not surprised, and they didn't take it seriously, and their attention was always on the Khitan army camp in the distance. But Zhao Kuangyin on the side felt that his face was gloomy, and he was very dissatisfied with his brother's humiliating performance. But in front of outsiders, he was not good at reprimanding, so he had to glare at him fiercely when his brother looked at him with an embarrassed face, to show his dissatisfaction with his cowardly performance. …,

Facing his brother's eyes, Zhao Kuangyi also knew that his performance was not good, and he also wanted to maintain a calm and calm state like his brother - even if it was only on the surface. But the loud bang behind him was like a hammer smashing into his chest, and he couldn't be still. He could only respond to his brother's reproachful eyes with an apologetic expression, but his hands were still firmly holding on to the wall and unwilling to let go.

However, what comforted Zhao Kuangyin a little was that at this time, Wang Kunjun and the others were all holding binoculars that only crossed the armed team to look at the Khitan army camp in the distance, and did not pay attention to, or pretended not to notice Zhao Kuangyi's timid performance next to him, so as not to disgrace themselves. So, after glaring at his brother in Zuihou, he also took out the monocular issued to him by the imperial court from his bosom and began to carefully observe the situation in the Khitan army camp a few miles away.

Compared with the battle of Baoxingzhuang, Xiao Siwen's unit was at a loss for a while after being shelled, and it took a long time to send a small number of soldiers and horses improvised to attack the position of the team's armed forces, the Khitan army outside the Guanwai reacted much faster. Only five minutes after the artillery bombardment began, a Khitan army of more than 20,000 men had already rushed out of the camp and came straight to the Guancheng of Yuguan -- this Khitan army was divided into two parts, the front and the rear, and the front army of more than 10,000 people were cavalry, from the most elite Khitan cavalry army. The more than 10,000 people in the rear army were infantry, composed of Han people and Bohai people who were good at attacking cities and carried a large number of siege equipment.

The reason why the Khitan army was able to react so quickly this time was, on the one hand, because it had learned the details of the battle of Baoxingzhuang from the defeated Khitan soldiers who were lucky enough to escape from Baoxingzhuang, and learned some lessons from the defeat of the main force of the Youyun Khitan army, and had some understanding of how to deal with it when it was attacked by artillery, and also made some preparations. On the other hand, it is also a matter of luck. Because at the same time that the crossing team was preparing for the attack on the Khitan army camp, the Khitan army camp was also making corresponding preparations for continuing to attack Yuguan. When the shelling began, the Khitan siege force was actually ready to go out of the camp. Therefore, although the attack of the cross-group forces came very suddenly, the Khitan army was able to launch a counterattack immediately while being shelled.

Perhaps the leading generals wanted to break the city as soon as possible, so that the comrades who stayed behind in the camp would suffer less losses; Perhaps the soldiers who left the camp wanted to get away from the camp as soon as possible, which was already burning with flames and the screams of their comrades could be heard from time to time. Anyway, no matter what was due to Weishenme, after the Khitan army of more than 20,000 people left their own camp, they rushed all the way, along the route of the siege the previous day, and rushed towards Yuguan Pass.

At first, the two miles were relatively smooth, and the siege force of the Khitan army was neither intercepted by the opponent's men and horses, nor hit by the opponent's firearms, and the speed of the march was very fast. In particular, the 10,000 cavalry who ran in front of them had no time for even half a cup of tea, and they had already entered a place less than two hundred paces away from Guancheng. At this distance, some Khitan cavalry with good arm strength and skilled archery skills could already shoot arrows at the opposite Guancheng. However, this is also the closest position to Guancheng that this 10,000-strong Khitan cavalry can reach. For fifty or sixty paces ahead of them, where the road had been smooth at the time of the attack the day before, suddenly appeared a trench two feet wide and about one and a half feet deep, and the bottom of the ditch was filled with sharp stakes. Not only that, but at the back of the ditch, only seven or eight paces away, there were two fences about seven feet high, less than a foot apart, made of stakes and thin iron wires with spikes. Even though the Khitan Leather Room Palace Guards were the most elite of the Khitan soldiers and horses, and all of them were masters of horse control, they were still not sure that they could control their mounts to leap over the two-zhang wide trench, and in just a few steps to speed up their horses enough to jump over the two iron fences, which were only one foot apart and seven feet high. …,

The Khitan cavalry, whose way was blocked, had to stop the assault and wait for the infantry far behind to come up and fill the trench and clear the iron fence. It's just that the cavalry brigade of more than 10,000 people wants to stop, how can it be so easy. The people in front saw that the trench was holding their mounts, but the people behind were still urging their horses forward for unknown reasons, until they were blocked by their stagnant comrades, they realized that something was wrong and stopped in a hurry. Soon, the more than 10,000 cavalry were crowded, unable to move, and chaotic at a distance of only one hundred and fifty or sixty steps away from Yuguan Pass.

Seeing that the attacking troops of the Khitan Army were forced to stop in front of the obstacles that had been completed overnight last night, and huddled together in a chaotic manner, Qian Yuanshan, who had been following the movements of the attacking troops of the Khitan Army since they broke out of the camp, knew that the time had come. After obtaining Wang Kunjun's permission, he pulled out the matching gun on his waist, pointed at the Khitan cavalry under the pass, and shouted "Fight!" while pulling the trigger! ”。

With Qian Yuanshan's actions and orders, all the officers and men of the first and second battalions of the First Battalion of the "Flying Dragon Army" Corps, which had been suffocating for a long time above the Guancheng, pulled the triggers of their respective weapons almost simultaneously. Immediately, more than 1,000 pistols, rifles, light machine guns, and heavy machine guns sprayed flames from the muzzles of their guns at the same time.