The artillery roared to life, beginning with a rapid ten-round volley, and once the cannons started firing, they barely stopped. However, the intensity of the shelling wasn't very high, just volleys by batteries, with sporadic bursts.
The artillery took some losses from enemy airstrikes, losing a 122mm gun and a 152mm gun, with a few casualties, all inflicted by a Su-25 from above. Still, these losses weren't too significant; lacking air superiority and relying solely on man-portable air-defense systems, managing to keep enemy helicopters at bay was quite an achievement.
What surprised Gao Yang the most was that the government forces showed no intention of retreating. From yesterday until now, their casualties must have been nearly half, if not more. It's rare these days to find units that can continue fighting after losing half their strength. In fact, there are hardly any.
The enemy wasn't retreating, so Gao Yang didn't send infantry to attack. He couldn't afford heavy losses.
