On the night of November 10, Almaty Airport was particularly busy.

At the highest point of the tower, Zhu Kezhen and meteorological experts climbed up the high aviation tower and took advantage of the last glimmer of light to carefully observe the sky and clouds. On the apron below, all the planes had removed the canvas, hundreds of refueling vehicles, ammunition vehicles, oxygen vehicles, and maintenance vehicles.

At the front are four night auxiliary bombers modified from the H-7. The high-power searchlights installed on them can help guide and instruct the ground forces when necessary. Then there are 32 two-seater J-6 fighters equipped with radar, which will be responsible for intercepting possible enemy aircraft. The Y-6, which is in a dense formation, is checking the landing gear. This transport aircraft of the same level as the C47 is actually not suitable for the needs of the Chinese Air Force, which already has strategic transportation thinking and requires large airspace and large loads. Therefore, its production is gradually giving way to following behind. The landing gear single tires have been changed to two wheels, enhancing the field take-off and landing capabilities, and carrying 42 paratroopers at a time.

However, whether it is the Y-6 or Y-10, the body design does not have a large open cabin door that allows vehicles to enter and exit quickly, so the Dapeng heavy glider, which can carry nearly eight tons of cargo at a time, or transport a hound wheeled armored vehicle, was ranked first. This low-cost glider that performed well in the Afghan surprise attack, was put into mass production, and was made of all wood, steel pipes and canvas without engines, has become one of the most important auxiliary means for the airborne troops.

Several braziers were grown in the spacious hangar near the nearby, wearing steel helmets, thick cold-proof clothes, and carrying heavy airborne bags, sitting on the ground like a group of bulky penguins. Some were smoking quietly, some pulled out paratroopers tied to their forearms, some took out submachine magazines and counted bullets, some were staring at the group of aircraft, and more were consultants who cursed the weather and made plans.

"Is that bastard who came up with skydiving in this kind of weather? Last night, I got up and looked at the thermometer, and it was minus 11°. I don't know which miscellaneous staff member thought! The ground is so cold. I don't know what's going on in the sky. I can't wait until I land, and my dick is also frozen."

"That's great, it's a disaster to keep your thing."

"Ha ha"

"What's so funny? Look at it yourself, grenades, explosives, first aid kits, engineer shovels, and double ammunition carrying 18 kilograms of weight and a life jacket, and with a gun, then jumping down from 800 meters in the weather of tens of degrees below zero. Isn't this just tossing people?"

"It's okay to be colder, I'm afraid it will snow again at night. If there is snow on the umbrella, we will all be done."

"I want to tell you that it's better to row a clockwork rubber boat than to jump down."

The commander of the Sixth Company, Ye Zishan, did not have a backpack yet. Instead, he sat near the door, listening to his comrades cursing while checking the inflatable umbrella bag. His movements were not too slow, like a quiet girl. If he were not a familiar person, he would never have thought that he looked like a college student, who looked white and clean, and was already a captain company commander.

The inflatable umbrella bag is the main means for paratroopers to carry additional equipment, and is divided into three layers. The outer layer is nylon, the middle is airbag, and the inner layer is sponge. There is a small umbrella bag at the top. It is used to carry heavy infantry equipment and ammunition, such as 84mm recoilless cannon after improvement based on Afghan experience, hj32 universal machine gun, anti-equipment heavy sniper rifle, magnetic anti-tank grenade, etc. Since these equipment are too heavy, no matter who is hung on the body, it will cause falls, so this special umbrella bag must be used.

"Company Commander, why don't you talk about them?" The second squad leader, who was inspecting together, poked Ye Zishan with his arm and said to the swearing soldier: "If this continues, their morale will be messed up."

Ye Zishan did not answer immediately, but stuffed two 12.7mm anti-equipment rifle bullet bags into the umbrella bag. He slowly raised his head after the air was filled with air and tightened the pocket. Like his overall temperament, his face was very delicate, his sword-browed eyebrows and eyes were a bit like a movie star. He didn't care about his comrades' mouth. He knew that this was a natural reaction before joining the army, so he smiled softly: "Let them vent, after all, this is our first actual skydiving."

"I'll go to the meeting first. You can watch here, don't disturb them. As long as you don't violate military rules, please let them go, do you understand?" Ye Zishan said, looking at the platoon leader who was interrupting the watch and walking towards the command center.

The command center was set up in a smaller hangar. When they arrived, all the company-level officers of the two airborne divisions had already taken their seats. Since its establishment, the Defense Forces have attached the most importance to the battalion-level tactics. In this regard, the army around the world is not as good as that of the army, so before each battle, a battalion-level officer needs to attend such an open meeting, understand the goals in detail, and clarify what they should do.

But today is a little different. After the teacher repeated the memorable tasks that had been memorable by everyone again, a loud standing sound came out, Ye Zishan and everyone's breathing suddenly solidified.

No one expected that the president would come just before boarding!

After inspecting the northwest, Yang Qiu planned to return to Beijing immediately, but after thinking about it, he decided to wait until the crossing was successful before going back. He originally did not want to interfere in the command, for fear of putting more psychological pressure on the commanders and soldiers, but Yue Peng insisted that it was necessary to boost morale before the war.

Yang Qiu hasn't tasted the taste of experiencing war in person for many years, so he looked down at his eyes, as if he had returned to the war years of personally leading his troops across Europe and Asia. After a slight smile, he suddenly walked to the side and carried two ammunition boxes. Everyone was surprised and didn't understand what the president wanted to do, so he just watched him move the boxes, then folded them and stood up.

"This is much better. I can see each of you, and I believe you can see me clearly, right?"

"hehe."

No one expected that the president carried ammunition so that everyone could see clearly. The little humor made Ye Zishan and everyone laugh, and they all raised their heads to listen to the president's instructions. "To be honest, if I could be ten years younger, I would definitely kick out other troops and fight with you. Why do you say that? Because I think you are the real fearless warriors!

Take a plane, face the enemy's dense anti-aircraft artillery deep behind the enemy, and then jump in the dark and unknown land! How courage does this take? Those who have never experienced it can't even think about it! Because no one knows what is hidden in that darkness. Perhaps there are only a few yellow sheep below that will satisfy your cravings, or perhaps countless machine guns and cannons.

I don't know if my words make you nervous, but I still want to say that the airborne troops are born to face the surrounding and counter-encirclement army regularly! The army needs to fight in adversity regularly! Because your mission is to span thousands of miles and then insert the sharp bayonet into the heart of the enemy. So, I hope you will always remember six words."

"Don't give up! Don't give up!"

"Don't give up! Don't give up!"

"Set off!"

The president's passionate speech made the airborne soldiers who were tortured by the weather rekindled their fighting spirit. When Yezishan returned to the hangar, all the doors of the rest hangar were opened at the same time. The two divisions of airborne soldiers came out from three airports around Almaty at the same time and boarded the transport plane with heavy backpacks on their backs.

Two hours later, the signal flare rose.

At the same time, an army of two infantry regiments, one cavalry regiment, 31 armored vehicles and 17 BT7 tanks had quickly crossed Akchatau and entered the East Kowenratsky area.

"General. We have reached the intersection. Should we go east to East Kazakhsakhs or camp first?" The commander of the Cossack Cavalry, wearing a cloak, rushed to the armored vehicle, pointed at the dark mountain bag in front of him with a horse whip to ask for instructions on the actions below.

The five-hour night road made Nietzskov feel sore all over, so he saw the cavalry full of fatigue and didn't want to continue rushing. He picked up the telescope to check if there were camps around him. To be honest, he still didn't think Lujin's intuition was right. Although he also thought it would be a pity that the wide Balkhash Lake would not be used, it was winter now, and although the lake would not freeze, the shore would be. The cold and bone-blooded water temperature would make it difficult for those who want to get close to rowboats and steamboats. However, he was not the kind of confused officer who climbed up by flattering horses, so he still happily accepted the task to take a look. He also directly chose to cross Akchatta and penetrate into the East Kowenratsky area near Balkhash, and changed the original three infantry regiments into two infantry regiments and one cavalry regiment. This was even more flexible. As long as it was not subject to large-scale bombing, small night patrol aircraft could quickly get rid of it.

There are two dirt roads in the telescope, leading to the east to the East Kazakhstan. 70 kilometers south is Balkhash. Camping at the intersection is very dangerous, not to mention that there are no woods or covers here, so we find the cavalry staff sent by the Kazakh Soviet Republic and ask if there are any camps nearby.

"General, this area is just a place where some small tribes live, and there is no place to hide." The Kazakh cavalry staff spoke fluent Russian pointed to the Kima Hills in the southeast and said, "We have two choices, either go directly to Balkhash or the Kima Hills in the southeast. There are hills covering the three sides of the southeast and north, and there is an open and flat water meadow in the middle. There are only 30 kilometers from here, and there is a large area of ​​woods to camp. Moreover, if Chinese aircraft want to find a place to land near Balkhash, only Kima Hills can stop more planes, and no other places can do it."

“Only 30 kilometers?”

"Yes, at our speed, you can get to camp in the woods within an hour."

"Okay, leave a company here to wait for the commander and the main force, and the rest of the people will continue to set out to bomb!" Before Nietzskov finished speaking, a bright ball of fire suddenly rose from the front of the convoy.

When Nietzskov subconsciously lowered his head to avoid it, there was a slight sound of machine guns coming from the front. Turning sideways, he saw that a BT7 tank in the lead had already turned up its stomach and ignited a raging flame. The two trucks next to it were even straggled by unknown machine guns. The infantry sitting in the car, dozing off, had not yet understood what was going on, and the bullets were stirred up the snow fog.

"Enemy attack!"

On the contrary, the commander of the Cossack Cavalry corps around him reacted the fastest and shouted to avoid it with a shout of warning.

How could there be enemies here? Nietzskov was puzzled. He should know that his current location is less than 70 kilometers away from Balkhash. If the enemy plane landed, it would be impossible to hide the three infantry divisions deployed along the coast. Could it be that the small troops behind the National Defense Forces misunderstood that he was a convoy transporting supplies to Balkhash?

Nietzskov's back felt cold. If he was misunderstood that it was a supply convoy, then the small group of enemies on the opposite side would definitely call for planes to help. Thinking of the miserable situation of the transport team sent by Karaganda during this period, he did not dare to stay and shouted to let the tanks attack to block the enemy. The convoy and cavalry continued to advance to the southeast woods... (To be continued...)
Chapter completed!