Chapter 73: Fierce Battle between Two Cities

On the night of the 20th, the 3rd Infantry Division of the E Army began to withdraw from Novoshakhtinsky and rushed to Shuangchengzi by car. The withdrawal was strictly confidential. Patrols and duties at the front were carried out as usual by the rearguard troops. The main force detoured from the road outside the city.

The train station did not alarm the residents. It was forbidden to whistle when the train left. The troop carriages were painted with red crosses to disguise themselves as wounded carriages. The artillery carriages were surrounded by wood piled around the artillery to disguise themselves as freight carriages.

Three cavalry regiments and a large number of road protection patrols. Throughout the night, the Chinese army was not aware of the movement of the third division. The small cavalry reconnaissance team sent to scout the railway line was either repulsed or destroyed. The reconnaissance team failed to obtain any actual results.

Valuable intelligence. Until the early morning of the next day, the 3 brigades of the 13th Infantry Division and the 33rd Brigade of the 11th Division were still gathered around Novoshakhtinsky. They were also supported by two cavalry regiments, with a total strength of 4

8,000 people, the assembled army and division artillery included 36 150mm heavy howitzers, 72 105mm cannons and 48 90mm howitzers, and the brigade's artillery included 72 75mm field guns and 24 100mm mortars.

.At this time, in the circular position of Novoshakhtinsky's E Corps, there were only less than two thousand horse-mounted infantry on the front line who could quickly withdraw from the position. The original artillery position was equipped with wooden and iron columns.

In order to avoid exposing the fake cannons, tarpaulins and branches were placed above the fake cannons as cover, and the tents in each regiment's camp, which can accommodate a total of about 20,000 people, were also left in place to deceive the Chinese army's air force.

Scouting team.

At 9 a.m. on the 21st, Lieutenant General Chen Xingyun, commander of the Third Field Army, received a report from a reconnaissance aircraft: "...the enemy positions are relatively quiet, and some positions seem to be camouflaged for air defense. Most of the artillery discovered yesterday are no longer in place..."

Chen Xingyun didn't care about this report and ordered without hesitation that the 32nd Brigade was going to carry out the feint attack on Shuangchengzi Fortress as planned, and the 33rd Brigade was going to carry out the planned crossing between Novoshakhtinsky and Shuangchengzi.

In the 'insertion' operation, the 13th Infantry Division is preparing to flank the enemy forces in Novoshakhtinsky as planned, and the aviation floating group of the field army should also attack in batches as planned to support ground operations.

The order was passed to the front line, and all units of the Third Field Army began to take action at the same time at 9:30. The 32nd Infantry Brigade and the 13th and 14th Regiments of the 5th Cavalry Brigade launched from 5 kilometers south of Novoshakhtinsky to disperse a small number of E Corps.

The cavalry and road protection patrols launched a fierce attack on the two e-force stronghold groups along the railway, quickly captured these two strongholds, and deployed two back-to-back defense lines in the north and south, cutting off the gap between Novoshakhtinsky and Shuangchengzi.

railway connections.

The 13th Division concentrated more than 200 artillery pieces to violently bombard the defense line in the northwest of Novoshakhtinsky. Of course, the E Corps was unable to fight back. The forward defenders withdrew their positions one after another, mounted their horses and retreated to the swamps and forests in the east.

The 31st Brigade, under the watchful eye of Zhao Minhe, Chief of Staff of the Third Field Army, launched a feint attack on Shuangchengzi Fortress. In order to attract the attention of the e-force, the artillery force providing fire support for the 31st Brigade was also considerable, with a total of 18 150

mm heavy artillery, 54 105 mm cannons and 18 90 mm howitzers, and 24 brigade-affiliated 75 mm field guns. Three 305 mm heavy siege guns from the 20th Special Heavy Artillery Regiment of the Independent Fourth Artillery Brigade were assembled last night

It arrived, was assembled overnight, and joined the bombardment early in the morning. First, there was a row of heart-shaking noises, and the 350-kilogram giant bomb flew along a low-stretch trajectory toward the solid cement fortress of the E Army, exploding out

Several splendid balls of fire. Then large and small artillery opened up at the same time, and the front of the e-force position suddenly turned into a sea of ​​fire. Some forts and forts were also surrounded by a hail of bullets. The fire balls flashed and extinguished, and the smoke dispersed and rose up and down, just like the prelude to a large-scale attack.

The offensive troops of the E Army had not yet entered the starting position at this time, so they did not suffer a serious blow. However, the fierce bombardment surprised Lieutenant General Stessel, thinking that his intelligence had made a mistake and that the real direction of the Chinese army's attack was here.

He sent people to various positions to inquire about the situation. Soon, news came from Novoshakhtinsky that the Chinese army was storming the position with heavy troops. Stessel was relieved. Unexpectedly, news soon came that the Chinese infantry was covering the position with artillery fire.

Next, jump out of the trench from the west of the fortress and approach the forward position of the fortress.

"No way. Did we make a mistake in judgment? Has the enemy already put all the reserve divisions into the battle?"

Strssel became confused.

"It's useless to worry now. Just order the heavy artillery of the fortress to fire on the enemy infantry."

Major General Kontrachenko said next to him, and Stessel couldn't make up his mind for the time being, so he had to do it.

After a while, someone came to report that the enemy infantry had retreated as soon as the fortress's heavy artillery fired.

"That's all."

Stessel became proud, but Kontrachenko next to him said disapprovingly: "If the opponent really wants to attack the fortress, the artillery preparation time should be much longer, and the infantry's attack should be much more determined, and they will not attack so easily.

Give up. I think the enemy is just moving around. The intention is probably to contain our army and prevent our army from rescuing the 3rd Division. They probably don't know yet that the 3rd Division has withdrawn. Now we can use at least ten

The infantry regiment and five cavalry regiments are used to attack the enemy in front of them. The available field artillery has also been increased to 300. The more than ten heavy artillery of the fortress can also bombard the enemy positions in that direction. In this way, the west of the fortress can be annihilated or severely damaged.

The combat goal of facing the enemy is more promising. Now we should use all 300 cannons on hand to bombard the enemy's infantry and artillery positions with all our strength. The infantry will launch assaults in three waves according to the revised plan this morning, and the cavalry will attack on both sides of the infantry.

Cover and outflank the enemy's flanks and resolutely carry out annihilation operations."

"Well, the annihilation operation, so it's time to start."

Stesel geared up and issued a long list of orders one after another. The combat machine of the E Army started running quickly. Soon, the 260 artillery pieces arranged by the E Army began to violently bombard the Chinese army positions. Three Chinese 75s deployed at the front

The millimeter field artillery battery was suppressed within a few minutes. The hastily built trenches and firing bunkers of the Chinese army were destroyed section by section. The 94 and 95 regiments of the 32nd brigade of the Chinese army that had just returned to the starting position were subjected to such rapid and intensive artillery fire.

The bombardment caused heavy losses, some companies disintegrated, and the troops fled to the rear.

The Chinese airships and aircraft that were patrolling in the air immediately reported the location of the E Army's artillery group to the ground. The Chinese army's heavy artillery was fired by the air colonel and counterattacked at the E Army's artillery positions. However, because the E Army's artillery was mostly placed in strongholds and bunkers,

Couldn't suppress it effectively.

After more than an hour of artillery preparations, 10 e-country infantry regiments belonging to 3 divisions began to launch waves of assaults on the Chinese army positions. A total of 5 regiments formed the first wave, 3 regiments formed the second wave, and 2 regiments formed the second wave.

It is the third wave and reserve team.

The combat front of E Corps is about 10 kilometers, and the main assault front is about 5 kilometers. Two regiments of the 3rd Division are arranged in the northern section of the front, four regiments of the 4th Division are arranged in the middle section of the front, and four regiments of the 5th Division are arranged in the front.

In the southern section, the 4th and 5th Divisions were responsible for the main attack, while the 3rd Division was responsible for cover and containment.

The starting position of the E Army is only 1,000 yards (914 meters) away from the Chinese Army's most forward bunker and about 2 kilometers away from the Chinese Army's main defense line. There are grasslands, fields, fences, small slopes and sparse trees between the positions of the two sides.

The 'shooting' boundary is not very wide, and there are many coverts available for the E Army. Moreover, the E Army has an absolute numerical advantage. The first wave of attacks launched five fully-equipped infantry regiments of about 20,000 people. Although the E Army had

The five regiments of the second and third waves were not fully staffed, but they still had about 17,000 people. In addition, the E Army also deployed 5 cavalry regiments on the flanks and rear of the infantry force with about 4,000 cavalry to perform cover.

and rapid support tasks. After more than 10 days of fighting, the 32nd Brigade of the Chinese Army facing the E Army had only 8,000 available troops, and the two regiments deployed at the front were heavily bombarded by E Army artillery fire from the beginning, and their combat effectiveness was severely reduced.

Seeing the sudden change in the situation, Lieutenant General Zhao Minhe, chief of staff of the field army who had been staying at the front to watch the 32nd Brigade's feint attack, immediately rushed to the 11th Division headquarters 2 kilometers behind the main position line and found the division commander Major General Zheng Hong.

He immediately said: "Send out the reserve team quickly, the enemy is attacking heavily."

Zheng Hong pointed to a panting staff officer next to him: "My subordinate already knows. I'm just going to go ahead and see it with my own eyes before I make a decision..."

"I have understood it. Now let's go to the front together, but we must immediately order the 31st Brigade to move, and we must also send a telegram to the headquarters to ask them to dispatch reinforcements."

"Yes, I'll do it right away."

When Zhao Minhe and Zheng Hong came to a small slope a few hundred yards away from the main front line position, they clearly saw a stream of people pouring out from the front line of the fortress and spreading out into skirmishing lines on the field.

, little by little, piece by piece, piece by piece, approaching the place where the two people are.

With a "boom", a shell hit a dozen yards in front of Zhao Minhe, and dust fell all over the heads and faces of Zhao Minhe and others. An accompanying staff officer was hit in the calf by shrapnel, and was ordered by Zheng Hong to rush back to the headquarters for bandage.

Three or four more artillery shells hit the area one after another, and Zheng Hong became nervous: "Chief of Staff, it's too dangerous here. It's better to go back to the division headquarters."

Zhao Minhe looked at the distance ahead, then turned to look at the woods behind him. Behind the woods was the headquarters.

He nodded: "If it's dangerous here, move to another place, but don't go back to the division headquarters yet. Let's check somewhere else. The enemy has just started to take action, and the situation is not yet clear. Only after we see clearly can we organize a counterattack.

By the way, did you send a telegram to request air support?"

"It has been sent, I don't know when it will come."

Zhao Minhe patted the horse's head, raised his whip and pointed towards a low slope closer to the position: "I hope they will hurry up. Okay, let's go over there and see. I don't know how long the 32nd Brigade can hold on."

"I'm sure the 32nd Brigade can withstand it," Zheng Hong said.

"Let's see and then talk."

Zhao Minhe clamped his horse's belly between his legs, whipped his riding whip, and rushed down the slope. Zheng Hong and others followed behind and slid down. A minute later, a cannonball hit Zhao Minhe's horse, and he accidentally looked back.

At this scene, Zheng Hong couldn't help but take a breath of air.

At this time, the Chinese army's regiment and battalion light artillery placed in hidden bunkers began to bombard the E Army infantry. Chinese snipers equipped with precision sights used precise firepower to massacre the leading officers of the E Army. Light and heavy machine guns also began to speak intermittently.

, the first few battalions of the E Army suffered serious casualties, but the fierce artillery fire of the E Army gradually suppressed the resistance of the Chinese infantry. The infantry of the E Army approached step by step, captured several outposts, and then advanced towards the main position of the Chinese Army.

The line pressed past, and the Russian soldiers were getting closer and closer. The people in the front were about to step onto the edge of the trench of the main position line. Suddenly, several rows of bullets were fired quickly, mowing down a group of Russian soldiers. It turned out to be the 96th Regiment serving as the reserve team of the 32nd Brigade.

Having already arrived, battalions and companies were used as units to reinforce the front line, temporarily curbing the forward momentum of the E Army.

Of course, the E Army refused to give up. Relying on its strong strength, it stepped up its attacks. Artillery fire violently washed the Chinese Army's front. The bullets flew like locusts. Major General Na Yingjie, the commander of the 6th Far East Division, personally led three regiments of his headquarters to attack the southern section of the front and paid great sacrifices.

After a huge cost, the position of the 94th Regiment of the Chinese Army was breached. Major General Misenko, commander of the 6th Siberian Cavalry Division, immediately led 3,200 cavalrymen from 4 regiments of his headquarters to quickly pass through the breach and attack the artillery positions, logistics warehouses and headquarters in the rear area of ​​the Chinese Army.

swept away.

Zhao Minhe really saw this scene, and knowing that something was not going well, he was so anxious that he led the guards around him to stop the E army. Of course, the guards refused, and Zheng Hong next to him even tried to persuade them, and joined the crowd in holding them hostage.

Zhao Minhe retreated towards the division headquarters. Halfway through, dozens of cavalrymen from the Kingdom of E came out of the diagonal thrusts. They rushed towards them with their sabers waving above their heads. The guards raised their guns to stop and shoot, knocking down several cavalrymen, and the rest swarmed in.

Nearby, Zhao Minhe and Zheng Hong also pulled out their revolvers and pulled the triggers, shooting down several enemy soldiers. However, the enemy soldiers were numerous and roaring towards them. In the blink of an eye, the battle turned into a close-quarters fight, with swords flying and blood flying.

, Horse Hissing Man, after a while, only three or four of the dozen guards were still on horseback. All the accompanying staff officers fell off their horses. Zhao Minhe and Zheng Hong also had to draw their command swords to fight the enemy. However, several times

After slashing and killing, there were still twenty or thirty enemy soldiers, but almost all of our own soldiers were wiped out. Zhao Minhe couldn't help shouting: "Heaven wants to bury me here!"

The Russian soldiers did not know what his name was, so they whipped up their horses and gathered around to kill him. Commander Zheng Hong and Zheng over there, seeing the critical situation, rushed over and whipped Zhao Min hard behind Hema, only blocking himself from the enemy soldiers.

In front of him, Zhao Minhe's war horse neighed, jumped out of the enemy formation, and ran north. Zhao Minhe turned around and saw Zheng Hong being surrounded and killed by enemy soldiers. He turned the horse's head, swung his sword to help the battle, and chopped him down.

Two enemy soldiers unexpectedly fired a bullet, hitting Lieutenant General Zhao on the left shoulder. His hands softened, he let go of the reins and fell off the horse. Seeing this, Zheng Hong rushed over to rescue, but was distracted and was struck by an enemy soldier.

On his right arm, the saber fell from his hand. Seeing that he was unarmed, he was about to be captured. Suddenly there was a burst of bullets, knocking down more than ten Russian soldiers. The remaining Russian soldiers were greatly panicked and turned around to escape, but they were blocked by a large group of Chinese cavalry. All of them were killed.

kill.

Zheng Hong looked carefully and saw that it was the division's cavalry reconnaissance battalion that came to the rescue in time. The battalion commander Wang Tao put away his revolver and rode over to salute. Zheng Hong praised him twice and asked him to send someone to be shot.

Zhao Minhe fell to the ground and bandaged his injuries. Wang Tao called two health workers to bandage the wounds of Zhao Minhe and Zheng Hong respectively, and reported: "The 91st Regiment of the 31st Brigade has set up defenses at the division headquarters, and the 92nd Regiment has rushed to protect the artillery positions.

The 93rd Regiment is on its way, division commander, don’t worry, please follow us back to the division headquarters first.”

Zheng Hong nodded and said: "As you said, we must take good care of Chief of Staff Zhao."

Zhao Minhe heard it over there and said back to him: "Mr. Zheng, I'm fine. Get on the horse now."
To be continued...