Hearing my order, the machine-gun shooters decisively stopped firing, after all, I was a superior commander familiar to them. When the shooting stopped, they seemed to remember that it was the commander with a higher rank than me who gave the order to shoot, and they couldn't help but be a little overwhelmed, and their eyes kept moving quickly between me and Lieutenant Colonel Harpy.

"Comrade Oshanina, who gave you the right to order the machine-gun shooters to stop firing." Lieutenant Colonel Harpy rushed to my side, his eyes like they were about to breathe fire, and he yelled at me in anger.

I pointed to the troops who were retreating to their positions and said, "That's our soldiers, you can't shoot at them, you'll kill them all." ”

"They are all cowards," said Lieutenant Colonel Harpy, pointing to the fighters, "don't you see that they all fled from the German positions?" ”

"It doesn't matter if the attack is frustrated, we can organize the attack again. Beat them all to death, who went to war with the Germans? "I was not intimidated by Lieutenant Colonel Harpy's tone, but argued with him.

"Can you get them to stop retreating and start the offensive again?"

"Yes!" I replied very crisply.

"Okay, I'll let you take command and see how to get them to attack again."

In the short time that I was arguing with Lieutenant Colonel Harpy, the group of fighters was only about two hundred meters away from the trench. I gave the decisive order to the two dazed machine-gun shooters: "Aim at their feet and make them stop." ”

The two shooters immediately understood my order, lowered their guns, and pulled the trigger in the open space between us and the soldiers. When the local noise rang out, the splatters of bullet casings tumbled and fell to my feet.

Dense bullets hit the ground, stirring up clouds of dirt. The retreating fighters stopped and jumped into craters or anti-tank trenches to escape German mortar fire.

Seeing that the offensive of our troops had stopped, the Germans had also stopped shelling, and silence was restored on the battlefield.

"What are you going to do next?" Lieutenant Colonel Harpy asked coldly from the side.

"Give them refill their ammunition and let them go on the offensive again." After answering the lieutenant colonel, I turned my head to Yemeryanov, who had been standing next to me, and ordered: "Comrade Tusge, you take the soldiers of the guard squad and carry a few boxes of bullets for them. After thinking about it, he added: "Give them two more boxes of grenades." ”

With little effort, Yemelyanov took six fighters of the guard squad, carried their rifles behind their backs, carried two ammunition boxes in one person, jumped out of the trench, bent down and ran quickly towards the anti-tank trench.

"If we can equip them with more bayonets, even if it is only a hundred, they can still improve their chances of victory in hand-to-hand combat." I looked at the fighters who were hiding under the position, and I couldn't help but say to myself.

"Second Lieutenant Miducci," Lieutenant Colonel Harpy's voice was suddenly heard, "there are bayonets on the truck down the hillside, you take someone down and get it, and then send it to those in front of the position." ”

I couldn't help but glance at Harpy gratefully when I saw Second Lieutenant Miducci walking down the hill along the traffic trench with the group of commanders who had just come with Harpy, and just as I was about to speak, there was a rumbling sound of cannon in the distance.

"Where did the cannon sound come from?" Harpy asked.

"It was the Germans who were shelling the positions of the 131st Regiment again, and it seems that they are preparing to attack again." I have not spent more than a month in vain on the position, and now I can judge the movement of the German army as soon as I hear the direction from which the artillery is coming.

Looking through the binoculars, the positions of the Soviet troops were under heavy German shelling. From time to time, you can see pieces of wood from the smashed wooden firing points, human body stumps, and weapon parts that have been blown up to pieces, which are lifted into the air by the air waves, and then quickly fall down. As the shelling progressed, the columns of smoke rose more and more, and in a short time the entire position was shrouded in black smoke.

"If only we could support them." Harpy said to himself as he watched.

"Comrade Regiment Commander, there is nothing we can do about this." I explained to him, "We are too far from the positions of the 131st Regiment here, and we have no heavy weapons to support them in terms of firepower. In addition, in April, the ice on the lake melted, and we could not reach the other side of the lake without boats, nor could we talk about the support of troops. ”

"I know this well," Lieutenant Colonel Harpy put down his binoculars and turned his attention back to the group of "anti-union" fighters in front of the position, and he pointed with his hand and said, "If we can let them attack again, maybe we can relieve some of the pressure on the 131st Regiment." ”

At this moment, Yemelyanov, panting, ran up to me, raised his hands in salute and reported to me: "Comrade Major, the ammunition has been distributed. Waiting for your next command! ”

"What about bayonets? Did you send it down? I couldn't wait to ask.

Yemelyanov turned around and pointed to the bottom of the bow and said, "It's all sent down." You see, Major Miducci, they're going up. I looked in the direction of his hand, but Miduch and a dozen commanders were striding up the position.

When I heard that the ammunition had been distributed, I felt much more at ease, and immediately instructed Yemeryanov: "Comrade Dashi, please run again, let the fighters below launch another attack, and be sure to tell them that in battle, there is only one way to run, forward, to charge." With that, I nudged him gently, "Go ahead, let them do it immediately." ”

The old man climbed out of the trench again, and ran down the hill alone.

Seeing his re-arrival, many soldiers covered in mud crawled out of the craters and anti-tank trenches. Several fighters, who were supposed to know Russian, ran to his side and, after a brief exchange, nodded their heads one after another.

By the time Tuas turned back to position, the new offensive formation had begun to be organized.

Several fighters shouted something, and the fighters who had been hiding in the craters and anti-tank trenches stood up one after another, and quickly formed several loose offensive formations around several people. Before the charge just now, there were almost 400 of them, and after the battle just now, there were less than 200 people left.

Almost as they walked forward again, a neat song came from the queue. The wind sent the song to the trenches, and I couldn't help but be stunned when I heard the song, this is not a Chinese song, aren't they from the 88th International Brigade? Listening carefully, the melody is very familiar, and according to this melody, the lyrics clearly appeared in my mind: under the morning glow, I can see from afar, with endless ups and downs of mountains and rivers, my elite army is majestic, and all the allies are well-in, full of glorious Kwantung Army.

When I thought of the lyrics, I shuddered, those who were charging were not the anti-United Nations fighters, but the elite Kwantung Army! I grabbed Lieutenant Colonel Harpy's clothes, pointed at the soldiers, and asked incoherently, "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, are those Japanese?" What the hell is this...... How...... What's going on? ”

Lieutenant Colonel Harpy replied lightly: "Of course it's the Japanese army, otherwise you think it's someone!" ”

"Isn't it the 88th International Brigade?"

"Of course not. The 88th International Brigade was composed of Chinese comrades' anti-coalition forces, and these people were enemies on the battlefield. ”

"Huh?! Where did they come from? "The sudden appearance of the Eastern Army on the Soviet-German battlefield, and on the side of the Soviet army, made it impossible for me to accept this reality for a short time.

"These people were all captured in the battles of Zhang Gufeng and Nomenhan."

"All prisoners of war?" I asked tentatively.

"Not prisoners of war, just enemies who have laid down their arms." Lieutenant Colonel Harpy still looked indifferent, "Just let their allies destroy them." ”

Standing on the far left of each queue was probably the commander of the Japanese army, who shouted at his men as they marched, and the commander led the soldiers forward, and the rows of rifles with bayonets moved forward undulatingly.

I had a faint feeling in my heart that it was a risky decision to let the Kwantung Army attack the Germans, and if they were to defect, I would probably have to be court-martialed.

Entering a distance of just over three hundred meters from the forest, the German mortars opened fire again. The shells that fell in the crowd, with every explosion, would raise a mass of flesh and blood, and as soon as someone in the front row fell, someone in the back immediately took a few steps forward to fill the position. The whole team was still moving at a uniform speed under artillery fire.

Entering the two-hundred-meter range, the Germans began to attack. The battle just now made them despise the attacking troops in front of them, thinking that they were vulnerable, and more than a dozen German soldiers rushed out to capture the prisoners.

At this moment, the Kwantung Army opened fire. In one volley, several German soldiers fell. Then the skillful tactical moves shown by the Kwantung Army dazzled me.

After firing their guns, instead of continuing to rush forward, they fell en masse in the crater. Almost at the same time as they lay down, the gunfire suddenly rang out like popping beans, and the German soldiers who were retreating were immediately caught off guard and fell to the ground one after another. Of the dozen or so soldiers who rushed out just now, only one escaped.

Seeing that the enemy coming out of the position was destroyed, they jumped out of the crater and screamed and charged down. Although the morale of these Japanese soldiers was high, the number was too small, and the momentum of the attack was really average.

When they were still fifty or sixty meters from the edge of the forest, the German light and heavy machine-gun fire pressed them back into the crater. Dense bullets whizzed over the crater, and as soon as anyone came up, they couldn't escape the fate of being shot in the head. The Japanese could not rush forward, and the Germans had just suffered a dumb loss, and did not dare to rush out again, and the battle fell into a stalemate.

At this moment, an unfamiliar lieutenant commander walked up to Lieutenant Colonel Harpy and immediately reported: "Comrade regimental commander, the regimental artillery company has been ordered to come and wait for your orders. ”

"Comrade Lieutenant, you came just in time." Habi pointed to the position of the 131st Regiment on the other side of the lake and said, "The Germans are attacking the positions of our troops." The task of your company is to intercept the attacking Germans with artillery fire. Do you understand? ”

"Understood!" The artillery lieutenant saluted, turned around and was about to leave.

"Wait a minute." I stopped the artillery lieutenant, ignored the look of surprise on his face, and pleaded with Lieutenant Colonel Harpy: "Comrade Regiment Commander, I beg you to let the artillery company shell the German positions in the forest to cover the attack of those fighters. ”

"No way!" Harpy said categorically, "The task of the artillery company is to provide artillery cover for the 131st Regiment. ”

"But, Comrade Commander. Look at it," I said, pointing to the Kwantung Army soldiers who were pinned down by fire in the craters on the edge of the forest, unable to raise their heads, "as long as the artillery fire destroys the firing points on the German positions, it is possible for those fighters to rush forward and seize the enemy's positions." ”

Harpy looked at the battlefield across from him and fell into deep thought. The artillery lieutenant raised his binoculars and looked at them for a while, then reported to Harpy: "Comrade regimental commander, with just two salvos, you can destroy the points of fire of the Germans." ”

"Are you sure?!" Lieutenant Colonel Harpy asked tentatively.

"I'm sure. I've just observed the shooting of Zhu Yuan. The artillery lieutenant replied in the affirmative.

"Then get ready!"

The artillery lieutenant received the order, saluted the lieutenant colonel, turned and ran away.

The lieutenant colonel stared at me and said, "I can provide artillery support, but you also have to make sure that you can take the German position." ”

"I'll take people up myself." Forced to this point, it seems that I can only go out myself.

"Comrade Major, I'd better go." It was Lieutenant Ugard who answered me, and without waiting for me to answer, he turned around and ordered: "Second Lieutenant Miducci, take your platoon and come with me." ”

As Ugard approached the middle of the battlefield with the fighters of the Miducci platoon, the regimental artillery company opened fire. A test shot landed seven or eight meters away from the German position and exploded, and before the smoke cleared, the first salvo of shells fell on the German position.

The regimental artillery batteries were equipped with small-caliber artillery and had little lethality, but they were more than enough to deal with the Germans who had only mortars. The flying shrenchnel had just severed the branches, and the ensuing shells had blown off a large tree, and from time to time there were clouds of fire and smoke rising from the German positions. The German firepower became sparse at once.

After only two volleys, the artillery company stopped firing and turned its fire to the other side of the lake to block fire on the German units attacking the 131st Regiment.

As soon as they saw that the Germans were suppressing their firepower, the well-trained soldiers of the Kwantung Army immediately returned fire, and their rifles crackled. Then he jumped up and rushed over. When they were still more than ten meters away from the position, they stopped and threw a round of grenades in unison, and the smoke of the explosion had not yet cleared, and they had already rushed into the trench with rifles.

"Major Oshanina,." Seeing the Kwantung Army soldiers attacking the forest, Lieutenant Colonel Harpy, who had been silent, suddenly said, "You should also go to the front line to have a look." Even if you seize the German position, you don't need to leave anyone to guard it, just retreat. Your battalion has few men and no heavy weapons, so it will not be able to hold it. ”

"Yes!" I promised, called Yemelyanov and prepared to go.

"Remember, you must keep hold of this force, and don't let them run to the Germans."

"Yes! Guaranteed completion of the task. "I saluted Lieutenant Colonel Harpy, rolled out of the trench, and ran towards the forest.

By the time I reached the edge of the forest, the battle was nearing its end. The position was filled with Japanese shouts of killing, gunfire, and grenade explosions. The platoon led by Ugad and Miducci remained outside the forest, crouching in the crater, using their pistols, rifles, and submachine guns to eliminate the German soldiers who crawled out of the trenches and tried to escape.

When the battle was over and the battlefield was being cleaned up, two Kwantung Army soldiers came to me. In broken Russian it was reported to me: "Comrade commander, we have seized positions and destroyed all the enemy. Wait for your next steps. ”

I looked at these two soldiers of medium stature and had mixed feelings. All along, I wondered who would have won the most victorious victory if the Germans and the Japanese met on the battlefield. After today's battle, I have clearly seen that the German army is victorious because of its good weapons and equipment, while the Japanese army has a tenacious will to fight, and the German army is by no means an opponent of the Japanese army when the strength and equipment are equal. Although I have always been very disgusted with the Japanese Bandits, they are in the same camp as us at this moment, so we can't be too cold to them. So I tried to keep my composure and asked them, "What's your name?" ”

The bearded soldier on the left replied, "Captain of the Kwantung Army, Tanio Hojo." ”

The handsome soldier on the right said, "My name is Park Joon-jung, and I'm from North Korea." ”

I nodded expressionlessly and said, "You guys did a good job and made a great contribution." Gather your troops, go back to the hillside first, drink some water, eat something, and rest well. ”

After the two of them saluted me, they turned around and gathered their men to carry their guns and walked down the hill. The original team of about 400 people, after a brutal battle, only less than 80 people remained. In order to prevent misunderstandings, I asked Second Lieutenant Miducci to accompany them back.

Lieutenant Ugad, who had finished cleaning the battlefield, came to me and whispered: "Comrade Major, the battlefield has been cleaned up. Eliminated the Germans with an infantry platoon of 48 people, three mortar crews of 9 people. One mortar and five boxes of shells, one light machine gun, three submachine guns and eleven rifles were seized. There were no prisoners. ”

"No captives?" I stared at him and asked strangely, "For what?" ”

Ugad pouted at the backs of those Kwantung Army soldiers and said: "These Japanese are too ruthless, and they have not spared even the wounded of the German army, even if they raise their hands to surrender, they will be replenished with guns and bayonets." ”

I looked at the departing ranks of Kwantung Army soldiers and secretly reminded myself to be more wary of these people. They are a double-sided blade, and if they are used well, they can become their own help; But if you're not careful, they might turn against us in front of the battle and stab us in the back.

"Comrade Major, what are we going to do next?" Ugad interrupted my musings, and he couldn't wait to ask, "Do you need to leave Ensign Meducci's platoon behind to hold this position?" ”

"No need." With a wave of my hand, I repeated what Lieutenant Colonel Harpy had just said, "We have few men and lack heavy weapons, so we can't hold it." Bring the loot and we'll withdraw! ”

"Yes!" Ugad replied loudly.