The dust and rubble stirred up by the shells rained down on the trenches. Most of the officers and men of the 18th Army were new recruits, and although they had undergone the most rigorous training before, they still felt like the sky was falling when they encountered this continuous and ferocious shelling. All the officers and men were huddled at the bottom of the various anti-artillery fortifications and trenches left by the Soviets, enduring the violent shaking of the ground. Shells kept falling on their front and back, left and right, and from time to time shells fell directly into the trenches, and after a loud bang, there was a scene of flesh and blood, and the terrible screams rang out one after another, almost overshadowing the sound of shelling!

Such a scene is a great test for the soldiers who participated in the battle for the first time, and Yu Chengwan, who has experienced several real bloody battles, knows that only those who survive can grow into real elites. This kind of veteran who crawled out of the pile of dead people is definitely not comparable to a novice who has not been on the battlefield, and every one of them will be the essence of the Chinese Defense Force. But now, these future essences are all pale and trembling with fright, in their eyes, now is probably the end of the world, right?

The results of the infantry night attack in the early hours of this morning were obviously unwilling to be accepted by the commanders of the Soviet Red Army. Therefore, their counterattack also came extremely fast, and the officers and soldiers of the 18th Army did not even have time to reinforce the positions that had just arrived, and the overwhelming artillery fire of the Soviet army came!

Yu Chengwan bent over the dilapidated trenches and kept patrolling, and the Soviet artillery bombardment had gradually thinned out and began to extend backwards. This shows that their offensive will soon begin! The colonel, who was in his early 30s, was already wearing a gas mask. The Soviets used poison gas shells in the shelling, and yellowish smoke was enveloping the position, devastated by the shells and poison gas. More than half of the soldiers of his 155th Regiment were already on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and at this time, only the composure of him, the commander-in-chief, could give his subordinates confidence. The officers and soldiers hiding in the anti-artillery hole had already poured out, squatting against the wall of the trench, and when they saw Yu Chengwan passing by, they all consciously got up to greet them, as long as those who were motionless. Either the martyrs who have already died, or the seriously wounded who are about to die! Ambulance soldiers with red cross armbands wrapped around their arms bandaging and injecting morphine into each of the wounded officers and soldiers to relieve pain. As for further rescue, there was no way to do it in the trenches, so they could only wait for the Soviet artillery to accept the shelling and send them to the field hospital in the rear for treatment.

The casualties of the battalions and companies were also counted, in the early hours of the morning raid. The casualties of the 155th Regiment (including a combat engineer company) were less than 100 men, but after more than an hour of shelling, the casualty rate of more than 3,000 officers and men who were huddled in the Soviet trenches was as high as 10%. There were also more than 100 people whose eyes were numb and trembling all over. It seems that I have a phobia of the battlefield, and I don't know if I can recover? Fortunately, however, the losses of his two artillery batteries were not large, and the reinforced concrete Soviet anti-tank base also withstood the test, the recoilless gun company and an infantry company deployed inside were intact, and several shells fell in the anti-tank trench where the mortar and the mortar platoon company of the three battalions were located, and three mortars were damaged. Now the regiment also has 6 75mm recoilless guns and 18 mortars of various calibers, in addition to 2 76.2mm anti-tank guns, 4 45mm anti-tank guns, 3 37mm anti-tank guns and 1 76.2mm field gun captured from the Soviet army. Moreover, the ammunition is sufficient, which can completely bombard the charging Soviet troops indiscriminately. Step into a half-collapsed civil bunker. Yu Chengwan raised his binoculars and looked out, in front of him there was nothing but gunsmoke or gunsmoke, but it was clear that the Soviet infantry was behind this piece of gunsmoke, but I don't know if there were tanks to follow?

The military radio station of the 155th Regiment had been damaged in the shelling just now, and the telephone line was also interrupted by artillery shells. "Quickly hit the signal flares, tell the brothers in the rear, there are still living people on our position, let them concentrate their firepower to block the offensive line of the Soviet army!"

"Tell me again, brothers, cheer me up, and greet Maozi later, the more we kill now, the easier it will be to attack below!"

The soldiers in the trenches seemed to know this, and under the command of their respective company platoon commanders, they all straightened up from the trenches, stood on the mats, and raised their machine guns, and the Type 31 automatic rifles also protruded from the muzzles of the black holes. As the red signal flares continued to be hit into the sky, the Chinese artillery group in the rear also began to exert its might, turning the front of the 155th regiment position into a wall of fire, and more long-range artillery threw fire on the artillery positions in the rear of the Soviet army, and the artillery battle between the two sides suddenly entered the **.

In the end, the counterattack infantry of the Soviet army was a GC soldier who grew under the red flag, shouting the slogan of Ulla and rushed into the blockade line of the Chinese artillery! Shells blasted their bodies to smithereens, throwing their blood into the sky. The junior officers and political cadres of the Red Army also set an example and took the lead in the charge, not forgetting to carry out political mobilization while rushing, regardless of whether their voices could drown out the sound of shell explosions.

"Trotsky's fighters! The raging fire of the world revolution has been kindled, and now is the time for us to dye white China red with our bayonets and blood! Hundreds of millions of Chinese working people are waiting for us to liberate! The great leader Trotsky is waiting for news of our victory! Comrades, for the sake of the tomorrow of GC doctrine, rush! ”

Chernenko shouted such a slogan with his subordinates, the first to rush into the sea of fire, the experience of losing his position twice and fleeing in panic has made this young GCD man embarrassed, and it seems that only with blood can he wash away his shame! The good fortune of this brave almost stupid Soviet cadre of political work does not seem to have been exhausted (well, the true son of history is of course lucky), and the shrapnel flying in all directions seemed to have eyes that avoided his body at once. In the end, he was the first to rush through the artillery blockade and appear at the front of the Chinese trenches that were almost beaten to the surface of the moon. Chernenko did not mean to commit suicide in a so-so way, but jumped into a crater. Then start observing what's ahead.

The first thing that catches your eye is the reinforced concrete fortress, although the "iron fist" of the Chinese army lightly shattered its frontal protective plate. But the howitzers of the Soviet army can't help this big guy! Machine guns and Type 31 automatic rifles were spewing tongues of fire from one firing hole after another, like a scythe of death cutting down rows of charging Soviet officers and soldiers. The Soviet soldiers in the back saw that something was wrong, and they all looked for bomb craters that could be concealed to hide, and used their rifles and submachine guns to shoot at the Chinese.

Yu Chengwan was sitting in this concrete fortress at the moment, watching the scene of the two armies shooting each other through a shooting port, his face was slightly pale, fortunately his troops took the Soviet army by surprise with a night attack, otherwise his subordinates would have died in front of this fortress now!

The Soviet offensive has been contained. But they didn't retreat either, just a few hundred meters in front of the concrete fortress, dropping ammunition at the fortress with all the guns they could find! Mortar shells and shells from 76.2mm field guns rained down. Smoke was everywhere around the fortress. From time to time, brave Soviet soldiers charged with explosive packs and anti-tank grenade launchers! The result, of course, was killed by machine guns or snipers of the Chinese army.

The battle lasted from early morning until after noon, and there was no sign of stopping. The Soviet army organized 6 shocks before and after, each time it was an overwhelming artillery fire to open the way, and the troops invested were no less than one infantry division! However, it was still suppressed by the strong firepower of the Chinese army. No breakthrough has been made. The two sides are still fighting for the three concrete fortresses. The fort now has its own code name. The Chinese called them "Fort Heroes", "Iron Fort" and "Fort Victory", while the Soviets called them "Fort Traitor", "White Fort" and "Fort Zuomin". In order to seize these three fortresses, the Soviet army also calculated the blood cost, not only dragged the 76.2mm anti-tank gun to the front line, but also pulled a few 152mm howitzers to bombard at close range, but only a few shells were fired, and they were completely bombarded into pieces by the Chinese army's return fire!

The Chinese army continued to use armored personnel carriers to break through the barrier of Soviet artillery fire and send the troops to the front line. At the same time, the Air Force also dispatched more than 1,000 sorties to indiscriminately bomb Soviet positions and artillery groups. The fighting between the two sides was extremely fierce.

Yu Chengwan's immediate boss, Major General Chen Changjie, commander of the 52nd Infantry Division of the National Defense Army, had already moved the temporary headquarters into the anti-tank trench behind the front-line position held by the 155th Regiment at this time, and the divisional artillery of the 52nd Division also rushed to the original starting position of the 155th Regiment. And Chen Changjie himself was lying in a bunker only more than 200 meters away from the "Hero Fort", gritting his teeth and commanding the battle: "How many people are there in the Hero Fort?" ”

Lieutenant Colonel Luo Youlun, the deputy commander of the 155th Regiment, had his head and face blackened with gunsmoke, wiped it indiscriminately, and replied loudly: "There are less than 200 people, and as long as the fortress does not collapse, the loss of personnel will not be too great." Division, the problem now is that the ammunition in the fortress is insufficient, the captured Soviet artillery and machine guns have run out of ammunition, and our own 75mm recoilless gun shells are also running out, if we don't replenish it, I'm afraid it won't last long...... However, the Soviet artillery covered the entire area of the fortress, and it was difficult for our men to get close, let alone transport shells into it. ”

Chen Changjie gritted his teeth and walked around in the bunker: "It must be transported, even if there are many dead brothers!" If the Hero's Fort is lost, our line of defense will be difficult to defend! ”

"Yes, Master!"

Seeing Luo Youlun turn to leave, Chen Changjie called a staff officer of his division headquarters again, and commanded loudly: "Send a telegram to the military headquarters, my 52nd Division fought hard, repelled 6 enemy attacks, and the casualties have exceeded 3,000 people, and the troops are extremely tired, hoping to mobilize armored troops to counterattack and retreat the enemy!" ”

Jiang Dingwen, commander of the Eighth Group Army, also personally went to the military headquarters of the 18th Army in Tacheng City, and when he heard Chen Changjie's construction, he immediately snorted: "No, it is impossible to move the armored forces, Commander-in-Chief Xia has already said that now is the best time to consume the living force of the Soviet army!" If the armored forces move, the Soviet army will definitely switch from offensive to defensive, and the next battle will not be easy to fight! Sue sù Chen Jieshan, he wants infantry reinforcements Although he opened his mouth, the 18th Army was gone, and the 17th Army, the 19th Army, and the 20th Army were gone! He can give as many troops as he wants, and now the Soviets are exchanging three or four lives for one of our lives, what kind of war do you want to fight if you don't fight this kind of war? ”

……

"Apanashchenko wants to use the tank army?"

"Yes, Commander Apanashchenko reported. The 39th Army suffered heavy losses in the counterattack during the day today, with the total number of casualties and missing of the four infantry divisions exceeding 15,000, plus the losses of last night. It's already more than 20,000 people, so it must be ......"

Listening to the report of the chief of staff, Khapaev knocked on the table in silence, as if he had already realized that something was wrong, and he suddenly interrupted in a low voice: "Order Apanashchenko to abandon the offensive and move to the defensive...... The 34th and 36th armies also abandoned the first line of defense at the same time and retracted to the second. ”

"Abandon the first line of defense?" The chief of staff was stunned for a moment, "Comrade Army Commander." After only one day of fighting, you have to give up the first line of defense? Commander Frunze may order us to hold out on to the Jaisampo-Alahu line for at least a month......"

Frunze has an army of more than 1.6 million, and of course has its own plans. After hearing the news of the start of the Zaisangbo-Alahu line, he immediately began to adjust his deployment. The two army groups encircling Almaty were ordered to break the siege and move north to join the Soviet troops on the Ili River. Then they pressed together in the direction of the Komsomolsk City, and at the same time the Soviet army cluster on the north bank of the Alaresa River also crossed the river and headed south, also approaching the Komsomolskaya City. The purpose of putting on a posture of encircling and annihilating the Chinese army cluster in the city of the Komsomol was to force the Chinese army to storm the Soviet defense line of Zaisangpo-Alahu at any cost. Use the strong fortifications there to deplete the living forces of the Chinese army. Create zào conditions for the final big counteroffensive. But now in just one day, Army Group East Turkestan has lost its first line of defense, and it is still in the absence of the armored forces of the Chinese army! If this kind of fighting continues, I am afraid that the defense line of the Soviet army in Jaisangbo-Alahu will not be able to play a role in depleting the armored clusters of the Chinese army.

"We must give up the attack, otherwise it will not be that we use a strong defense line to consume the Chinese army, but that we ourselves will be consumed by the defense of the Chinese army!" Khapayev said categorically: "Comrade Frunze I will personally call and explain that in short, the task of holding the Zaisangpo-Alahu defense line for one month can still be completed by our East Turkestan Army Group!" ”

……

Bai Chongxi held the edge of the map table with both hands. His solemn gaze swept over and over the large military map. He was almost thinner than he had been before the war, and his face was much paler and haggard. Only the eyes are still full of heroism. Liu Mingzhao stood beside him, whispering to the map to report to him the latest changes in the battle situation.

"The 18th Army has repelled 10 counterattacks by the Soviet Army, and the Soviet Army has left more than 10,000 corpses in front of the 18th Army's positions, and has now abandoned the offensive and completely abandoned the first line of defense, turning into a defensive state. Commander Xia has already established the forward headquarters of the army group in Tacheng, ready to personally sit and command the decisive offensive of the Soviet troops on the Zaisangbo-Alahu line......"

“…… Commander Wu reported that the Soviet 45th Army and the 46th Army, which were encircling Almaty, had lifted the encirclement last night and showed signs of moving to the northwest. Commander Wu estimated that the two Soviet army groups probably wanted to go north to join the Soviet army on the Ili River. In addition, the 17th Cavalry Division, which is responsible for monitoring the movements of Soviet troops on the north bank of the Ili River, reported that the first Soviet army has crossed the Ili River this afternoon and is currently building a pontoon bridge. The 18th Cavalry Division, which was on guard duty on the south bank of the Alaresa River, also reported that the Soviet army clusters on the north bank of the Alaresa River also showed signs of crossing the river to the south. It seems that Frunze intends to start a decisive battle with our army group before the Jaisangpo-Alahu defense line is breached! ”

Bai Chongxi sighed softly and said in a low voice: "Bo Cheng, it seems that the critical moment of this battle has arrived. The Soviets are defending the front line between Zaisangbo and Alahu, and at the same time they are concentrating their forces to fight a decisive battle with us, that is, they want to encircle and reinforce ...... Whether our one is pulled out by them, or Xia Xucang's reinforcements meet on the Soviet defense line and break the blood, they can win this battle. ”

Liu Mingzhao smiled coldly, revealing a confident expression: "I'm afraid it's wishful thinking to pull us out, the Communist Youth League City was originally a fortified city that the Northwest Front Army and the Northwest National Militia Garrison Command have painstakingly operated for many years. We have spent several months reinforcing the city defenses, and now it can definitely be called impregnable, even if the Soviet army has millions of people, they will not want to break the city defenses! ”

Bai Chongxi turned his head and glanced at Liu Mingzhao, and said with a light smile: "Bo Cheng, I heard you mean that you are going to shrink into the Communist Youth League City as a turtle?" ”

Liu Mingzhao was slightly stunned, and asked rhetorically: "Jian Shuai, what do you mean...... Shall we take the initiative? But the total number of troops dispatched by the other side this time is really one million! Although the army is divided into two ways, I'm afraid it's not our 400,000 people who can break through one way in a short time, right? ”

"Of course, it is impossible to concentrate forces to break the enemy all the way, but ......" A grim smile slipped on the corner of Bai Chongxi's lips: "It's not the style of our Chinese National Defense Force to just be beaten and not fight back, not to mention that I still have a strong armored force and air force in my hands!" Bo Cheng, these days I have figured out a new method of using armored forces, which is called short assault! We can ...... like this" (to be continued......)