Hamilton, commander-in-chief of the coalition forces, sent a telegram to Shihou at the headquarters of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, and the first line of the Dychloran was beaten into a pot of porridge. Gunfire crackled like fried beans, and from time to time there was the roar of mortars and light mountain artillery. At the southern foot of the Zagros Mountains, after daylight on October 15, the Soviet-Polish forces defending Dehloran turned from defense to attack, dispatching a large number of infantry and cavalry units, divided into company sizes, and the power search curtain of the 4th Cavalry Division, the vanguard of the Chinese army. And the Chinese Expeditionary Force also holds the belief that the first battle will be won, where is it willing to show weakness? Small units on both sides are fighting on the front lines before their main forces are deployed!

And General Wang Junhao, the commander of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, who felt that the battle situation would be very unfavorable, also went to the front-line position to observe the face-to-face situation on the 15th, despite the obstruction of his staff. In any case, he had to really grasp the situation on the front line, judge whether the Soviet-Polish coalition forces on the front line of Dehloran were the main forces of the other side, and then report to the coalition headquarters in time.

Looking into the distance from the telescope in Wang Junhao's hand, this bare and desolate mountain area located at the southern foot of the Zagros Mountains. The Soviet-Polish coalition army built fortifications in the small city of Zhouwéi, and the deer, barbed wire, and trench defense systems were all set up, judging from the size of the Soviet-Polish coalition position, the opponent's strength must have been more than one division.

On the side of the Chinese army, an infantry division and a cavalry division have also completed their deployment, occupying more than a dozen high and low hills west of Dehloran as support points, and are building fortifications with all their might. In the middle of the two armies. Small forces on both sides are exchanging fire in Jiliè. Columns of blue-black smoke continued to rise, which was the artillery of both sides bombarding each other. Occasionally, sabre-brandished cavalry galloped across the battlefield, bringing up puffs of dust. A Chinese infantry company was retreating towards Ziji with wounded soldiers. Behind them, the Red Army cavalry shouting "Ula" pursued, and a group of Chinese cavalry counterattacked under the cover of several civilian 13-year-old armored vehicles to meet the retreat of their own infantry companies. The neighing of war horses, the roar of motors, the shouts of gunfire and the screams of the wounded resounded through the sky.

Zhou Wéi's staff also included Major General Li Hanxun, commander of the 32nd Division, and Major General Zhao Zongyang, commander of the Fourth Cavalry Division, all of whom had heavy faces, holding binoculars in their hands and staring intently at the battlefield.

Wang Junhao was the first to put down the binoculars: "What do you think?" The senior officers of Zhouwéi all looked at each other. The troops of Zhao Zongyang, commander of the 4th Cavalry Division, were the vanguard of the army. The first to arrive in Dehloran and the most knowledgeable. He frowned and said, "Not very optimistic, Provincial Princess." We very kěnéng encountered the main forces of the Soviet Volunteer Army! Our army has invested two divisions, but it still has the upper hand, and it is still fighting with the other side for control of the battlefield. From the captured prisoners of war of the Soviet Volunteers, it became known that they belonged to the 55th Infantry Division of the 14th Army of the Red Army. The army group had four infantry divisions and one cavalry division. It seems that the information is not very much in the hands of British intelligence......"

He paused, and the Chinese officers present all furrowed their brows. Due to the Iron Curtain of GC Doctrine, it is difficult for the outside world to detect the reality of the Soviet Union, and even the most basic units of the Soviet Red Army are not well understood and organized. Previously, the British side provided intelligence that the Soviet Volunteer Army had three corps, and now it has found out the number of an army group with 5 divisions!

Wang Junhao smiled bitterly: "Since the Chinese and G international delegations to the GC were expelled back by Trotsky, we have not been able to get much information about the Soviet Union, let alone the British?" In the Soviet Union, catching spies and defense spies is a top priority! To fight a war with such a country, such a country, you have to get used to being blinded. ”

These words suddenly provoked a gasping sound in the improvised shelter. Although these officers of the Chinese National Defense Forces are young, they can be regarded as having experienced major battles over the years. Knowing the importance of intelligence work, it is now impossible to even grasp the most basic troop numbers and establishments of the other side, and it is unrealistic to want to fight a "clever battle", and the only choice can only be to fight steadily and steadily, and also ask the Italians and Ziji to fight a tough battle and a dumb battle together.

Thinking of this, Wang Junhao took a deep breath and ordered with a frown: "Bohao (Li Hansoul), the 32nd Division and the 4th Cavalry Division are under your unified command, temporarily turn to the defensive, strengthen the defense, and wait for the main force to gather before launching an offensive." He paused for a moment, and then said to Major General Sun Zhen, the chief of staff of Ziji: "Decao, call back to the headquarters of the coalition forces, and say that our army has encountered the main force of the Soviet Volunteer Army on the front line of Dehloran, and the size of the opponent's strength is at least two divisions!" ”

……

Tehran, Command of the People's Volunteers of the USSR.

"Comrade commander, the headquarters of the 14th Group Army called, the 55th Infantry Division and the 14th Cavalry Division of the Red Army repelled the offensive of the Chinese army, killing and wounding more than 1,000 enemy officers and soldiers, and capturing 106 people. Pavlov, chief of staff of the Soviet People's Volunteers, stood in front of Tukhachevsky and Borodin, looking a little excited. The soldiers are all zhidào, how much the victory in the first battle has boosted the morale of the troops!

Tukhachevsky was lying on the map table, studying Shime, a 50,000th map of his own ear that covered the huge map table. In Andy Meszke Zhouwéi, the symbols yijing are densely marked, with not only the red symbol representing the Soviet-Polish army, but also the black symbol symbolizing the invading army of China, Britain and Italy. Moreover, the number of the three ** teams of China, Britain and Italy and the specific wèizhi they are in are completely consistent with the actual situation! This was the case because the internationalist fighters lurking in the British and Italian armies provided Soviet intelligence with the full set of communication codes used by the Triple Alliance!

Listening to Pavlov's report, Tukhachevsky straightened up and said to himself: "1,000 killed and wounded and 100 captured...... It's not a win, it's a draw. ”

"It was a victory, and Yijing went on the defensive after the Chinese army was defeated."

"Nonsense! The Chinese army was waiting for the follow-up troops to arrive, and the other side was very cautious. Tukhachevsky glared at the chief of staff of Ziji, a young Bolshevik soldier who was his protégé with one hand. In the Civil War and the Polish Liberation War, he excelled, but fought a lot of battles with the wind. It's a bit of a blind optimism.

"The Italians have a shime reaction?" Tukhachevsky looked at Pavlov and asked.

Pavlov said: "According to the intercepted telegram from the enemy's General Headquarters and the Italian Expeditionary Force Command, Hamilton ordered the Italians to approach Andymisk with the main force, and it seems that they want to engage our army in a battle at Andymisk. ”

Tukhachevsky snorted. He said to Borodin, who was frowning and thinking on the side: "Comrade Borodin, what do you think? ”

Borodin put his hands on his waist and slowly muttered: "Hamilton wants to fight us in Andy Meshk, but Badogglio will definitely go against the grain, they Italians have always been like this, they are a jackal who picks up cheap after the tiger, and will never fight a tough battle with the strength of ziji." I think we can concentrate our main forces and first defeat the Chinese invading army on the line of Dehloran. And then turn around and clean up the Italians! ”

"Concentrate your forces to fight the strong first?" Tukhachevsky's tone was lukewarm, not zhidào whether he was for or against. He walked twice around the war room with his hands behind his back, and the eyes of Borodin and Pavlov followed him closely.

"Comrade Pavlov. How many supplies were left in the warehouses of the General Logistics Department of the Red Army? Unexpectedly, Tukhachevsky suddenly asked such a question.

Pavlov was stunned, he did not know the specific number of reserves in the hands of the General Logistics Department of the Red Army, but the general situation was still zhidàoyidiǎn.

"How many supplies are there for Méiyou." He shook his head and said: "For this dispatch to Persia, the People's Commissariat of Labor and Defense Yijing transferred a large amount of ammunition from the reserve warehouses of the Western Front. ”

"And how many supplies are left in the enemy's warehouse?" Tukhachevsky asked again.

Pavlov sighed: "I'm afraid it's as much as it takes." Even if it is the arsenal of China, Britain and Italy

Too late to produce. And the French and German arsenals! ”

"Will Chinese revisionism be distressed by the deaths and injuries of tens of thousands of people?"

Pavlov and Borodin shook their heads at the same time: "I'm afraid not, they have a population of 50,000 and will increase by more than 10 million every year!" ”

Tukhachevsky shrugged his shoulders and spread his hands out: "Then it makes sense for us to kill tens of thousands of Chinese?" Chinese revisionism will soon send more troops, and Germany and France will produce weapons for them at full speed, as long as they can kill our people! Therefore, the defeat of the Chinese expeditionary force will not win the war for the Soviet Union, but will only allow the war to drag on endlessly. This is quite detrimental to us!

And the result of the defeat of the Italian expeditionary force is not at all yiyàng, Mussolini's power is often consolidated, and the Italians cannot bear casualties compared with the Chinese! The Ruguo Italians withdrew from the war because they could not afford the losses. The British would have negotiated with the Soviet Union because they were not worried about making the Chinese the only main force in the war. ”

After saying that. He was silent for a moment, and then said loudly: "We are going to cut the Italians, we are going to beat them, so that they will no longer dare to be enemies of the Soviet state!" ”

Both Borodin and Pavlov gave a thumbs up in their hearts, no wonder Trotsky believed in Tukhachevsky, who really didn't look at the problem. But the Italians are still cowering in Ahvaz, and with the character of these old Italian foxes, how can Kěnéng be reckless and drill into the trap of the Soviet volunteers? You can't leave Dai Heloran and the Chinese army alone and go south with the main force, right? It would be bad if the Chinese army broke through to Andy Meshk and copied his own back.

Pavlov pondered: "Do you use one army group to block the Chinese Expeditionary Force, and then use two army groups and one tank army to go south?" ”

Tukhachevsky waved his hand and said with a smile: "It is not the best way to attack the enemy's well-fortified positions, let the Italians drill into our trap!" ”

Pavlov was stunned for a moment before he spoke: "Do you want to trick the Italians into coming to Andy Meshk?" This is not a big deal, and although Hamilton Yijing gave orders, the Italians will always find a reason not to carry it out. Unless...... Unless they feel that there is a big victory that is very rongyi to win waiting for them in Andy Meshke! ”

Tukhachevsky laughed and winked at Pavlov and Borodin: "I think the Italians will find that there is a big bargain beckoning to them in Andymyszk. ”

……

After determining that the Italian Expeditionary Force was listed as the primary target of the Battle of Andymisk, the 14th Army of the Soviet People's Volunteers on the front line of Dehloran launched a fierce attack on the Chinese army in front of it on the afternoon of October 15!

The artillery fire of the Red Army swept over the hills and hills of the southern foothills of the Zagros Mountains like a cold Siberian wind. In an instant, large and small columns of smoke rose on the Chinese army front at the same time. The scale of the shelling was beyond the expectations of the Chinese Expeditionary Force. The Soviet Volunteer Army not only used five divisional artillery regiments and one corps (group army) artillery regiment under the 14th Army. Artillery units directly under the command of the Volunteer Army were also invested. In total, more than 430 artillery pieces of 12 artillery regiments took part in the shelling, and each cannon was fully equipped with three bases of ammunition. Suddenly the position of the Chinese Expeditionary Force turned into a sea of fire!

The focus of the artillery shelling of the Red Army was on the positions of the 32nd Infantry Division of the Chinese Army, since here e first had to break through here. So in just 30 minutes, tens of thousands of Soviet-made high-explosive shells plowed the division's positions over and over again!

Of course, the response of the Chinese expeditionary force was also timely. The artillery group, consisting of two corps artillery regiments and seven divisional artillery regiments, reacted at the first shijiān and began a rumbling counterattack. At the same time, observation balloons were raised above the positions of the Chinese army, and observers guided the artillery fire to cover them alternately, and a group of British Royal Air Force planes appeared in the air. Braving anti-aircraft fire, they strafed and threw bombs at the exposed Soviet artillery positions, which immediately caused the Soviet artillery to pay a lot of losses. However, with the advantage in numbers and the level of artillery use. Soviet artillery still firmly held the preponderance in artillery battles.

In between the artillery battles between the two sides, the Soviet ground forces launched a series of battalion-sized offensives. At present, the Soviet Red Army arrived as a strong force after a great war, and fought a "sit-down war" with the Franco-German forces on the Western Front for several years, although the fighting was not high. However, it also allowed the Soviet Red Army to explore a positional warfare tactic of increasing artillery by assault teams in actual combat. So their current infantry offensive mode is not the "crowd tactics" of four years ago. Rather, it is the elite commandos who infiltrate the weak links of the enemy's defenses and direct their own artillery Jinháng to shoot accurately.

The scale of the infantry attack was not large, but the power of the attack was extremely great, and after several waves of offensives, it was difficult for the 33rd Division of the Chinese Army, which participated in the Sino-Japanese war last year, to parry.

"This Li Han soul, I really don't know how his 33rd Division fought, he couldn't parry it so quickly, and the face of our national defense force was all lost to him!" Wang Junhao threw the 33rd Division's telegram for help on the map table, and his tone was full of fènnu.

Hear this. Li Hansoul's immediate boss, Lieutenant General Tang Shengzhi, commander of the Eleventh Army, had a red cheek. This army is his old unit, since the Northern Expedition in 1918, he has been leading troops in the 11th Army, and now Yijing has been for seven years! To say that the troops of the 11th Army are incompetent is to slap him in the face of Tang Shengzhi.

"Provincial Gong, the 33rd Division Yijing did his best, but Lao Maozi's attack power is very strong, and the level of artillery and infantry coordination is very high, far exceeding all the opponents we have encountered before!" Xu Haoyu, the deputy chief of staff on the side, spoke for the 33rd Division, he had just returned from a front-line inspection, and he smelled of gunpowder, but he had also seen the power of the Red Army's offensive tactics with his own eyes.

"It turns out that Lao Maozi is too strong?" Wang Junhao asked in a strange tone. "Isn't it the assault tactics that the Germans used to use in positional warfare in World War I? Could it be that our Wehrmacht infantry have received similar training? ”

After the conclusion of the anti-Soviet treaty with France, Germany and Italy last year, France and Germany sent a large number of military advisers to China, and after the end of the Sino-Japanese war, these advisers also returned home, but stayed to continue to train the Chinese defense forces, and of course also taught their Chinese students "assault tactics". But similar training had only just begun, and the Wehrmacht officers and men had only learned a little, how could they compare with the Red Army veterans who had fought the Germans for several years in the Polish trenches?

Xu Haoyu was stunned for a moment, and then immediately said: "Provincial Princess, now that the main force of the Soviet Volunteer Army is pressing on us, Andy Meshke's southern front must be empty, and the Italian army should be urged to quickly go north to attack the Soviet army with us." ”

"Urging?" Wang Junhao smiled coldly: "Let's urge Guan Shime to use?" We are not Mussolini! These Italians have a good plan! I'm afraid that the more we push, the more they will delay...... Only if we have fought well here and almost consumed the Soviet volunteers, they will come north to pick peaches! ”

Wang Junhao's analysis made Xu Haoyu stammer, and he didn't want to say something shime. Sun Zhenturán, who had been lying in front of the map table to study the military situation, straightened his waist and said to Wang Junhao with a frown: "Brother introspection, we should fight and retreat to Iraq." ”

"Retreat?" Everyone in the war room looked at each other in surprise, "For Shime to retreat?" ”

Sun Zhen said: "Judging from our experience along the southern foothills of the Zagros Mountains into Shihou, the Persian tribes in this area are indeed supporting Reza. Khan's. In other words, it is not difficult for a small group of elite units of the Soviet army, with their cooperation, to cross the southern foot of the Zagros Mountains and infiltrate behind the back of our army, destroy roads, and attack the logistics line of our army. The Italian army can cooperate with us, and we will be able to defeat the enemy in front of us and capture Andymiske before the logistics line fails, otherwise we should prioritize self-preservation. (To be continued.) )