Chapter 1623 The fierce battle under the rain curtain
Chapter 1623 Fierce battle under the rain curtain
At nine o'clock in the morning on the 14th, amid strong winds and pouring rain, the main force of Hu Jiyang's Corps entered Almaty.
Just like what the forward troops experienced last night, there was no one in the entire city of Almaty, not even cattle, sheep, cats, dogs, rats, cockroaches, ants and other living creatures were missing. All the houses were empty and lifeless.
Hu Jiyang set up his headquarters in the former city government building in the city center and immediately dispatched troops to garrison thermal power plants and major factories and enterprises. As coal was continuously fed into steam turbine boilers, power was restored to the main streets of Almaty.
supply.
At noon, the 1st Division and 1st Brigade of Xiaowu Corps stationed at Shokpal Pass also successfully entered Almaty.
Everyone was baffled by the inexplicable disappearance of so many people. In order to prove his innocence, Hu Jiyang specially appointed a camera team affiliated with the Political Department of the Corps to faithfully record everything that happened after entering the city, proving that all the problems here were caused by the Soviet army.
As for the specific reason why all the residents disappeared, although everyone has the answer in their mind, no one has said it. After all, there is no evidence now, and no one would believe that such a sensational thing would happen.
In view of the fact that the once prosperous Almaty has turned into an empty city, Hu Jiyang and Liu Yu jointly issued a request to the theater headquarters and the Nanhua headquarters to send immigrants from other places to Almaty as soon as possible.
There are natural reasons for Almaty to develop into the largest city in Central Asia with a population of more than two million in later generations. The city is located on the ancient Silk Road. After the Central Asian Railway, Caspian Railway and Near East Railway were all completed in the 1930s,
It has also become a transportation hub. Due to the irrigation of many mountain streams in the Wai Alai Mountains, the land in the area is fertile. In addition to producing grains, the mountains and plains in the southern suburbs of the city are covered with orchards. Coupled with the dense pastures on the nearby mountains, it is uniquely endowed for the development of animal husbandry. Now we arrange a
There is no problem at all for two to three hundred thousand immigrants.
At the Eastern Front Corps headquarters, a military meeting is underway.
"Judging from the current situation, it is certain that the Soviet army will move south. To the south of Almaty, across the Alatau Mountains and Suiye Lake, the Soviet army must head east, detour to the Gilgalan Pass, and follow the
From the coastal plain area of Suiye Lake to Naryn, and then to the Zalal Abad area to join other Soviet troops. The General Staff recommended that our troops continue to go south to squeeze the Soviet troops' living space and force them to speed up their escape southward.
"
Liu Yu held the message and stood in front of the map, with the baton in his hand constantly moving.
"But this weather-"
Hu Jiyang stood up from the chair position, came to the window, opened the window, and suddenly the sound of rain came. Due to the strong wind, several generals sitting at the conference table four or five meters away felt the rain.
Invasion.
Hu Jiyang closed the window and returned to his seat: "Now we can only wait for the rain to stop before we decide on the next step. The plateau area here is a geologically unstable zone with frequent earthquakes and mudslides. We have to think about the safety of our officers and soldiers."
Wang Yu, the commander of the Guard Corps directly under the legion, frowned slightly: "According to the feedback from the scouts, the Gilgaran Pass where the Soviet army is stationed is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Now that the weather is bad, the Soviet army may not expect that we will launch an attack, or
Under the cover of the rain screen, it can be taken down without much effort. If we wait for the weather to improve before attacking, I am worried that we will pay huge casualties."
Hu Jiyang asked in surprise: "Is the terrain of that mountain pass very dangerous?"
Wang Yu nodded: "The Gilgalan Pass is the most important mouth of the Alai Mountains. The Soviet army is condescending. Although the defenses are mostly civil structures and built close to the mountain, the range of fire is extremely wide. Our army is attacking from above.
The situation, if we don’t find another way, will be extremely difficult.”
At this time, Hu Jiyang hesitated. Li Xiao, commander of the Tenth Group Army, stood up and said: "In the past few times, the mechanized troops of the Guard Army took the lead. Now it is our infantry's turn to perform! Let the 30th Division, which has always been the reserve team of the corps, take the lead.
How about going up and jumping in?"
Hu Jiyang and Liu Yu discussed in a low voice and agreed to Li Xiao's request, but required the commander of the 30th Division to pay close attention to changes in the surrounding environment. If a mudslide is found, they should evade it immediately. Officers and soldiers are never allowed to be placed in order to grab credit.
Life happens regardless of circumstances.
...
Faizabad, located in the northwest of Afghanistan to the west of the Panchi River, is the capital of Badakhshan Province.
In fact, it is said to be the political, economic and cultural center of a province, but in reality, this so-called capital city is about the same size as a small county town in China at this time, with two to three hundred Islamic-style earth buildings, plus many wooden buildings.
The shanty towns are surrounded by a circle of adobe bricks, and it becomes a city. But in this barren land, Faizabad can really be regarded as one of the largest cities in northwest Afghanistan, with several Pench rivers
The tributaries flow from the east and north of the city, bringing a touch of greenery and vitality to the city on the barren land.
Because it is located in the west and northwest of India (Pakistan was not separated from India at this time), the intersection of China's Xinjiang and Tibet, and the Soviet Union's Central Asia, it has always been an important trade hub. As long as the mountains are not blocked by heavy snow, in this city
You can see business travelers from India, China, Iran, Soviet Russia and Afghanistan everywhere here trading all kinds of goods, from Chinese tea and silk to Soviet Russian small handicrafts and metal tools, everything is available here.
Although this city has long since changed its owner, from the bustling streets, there is no indication that this small town has experienced the baptism of war. There are still constant business trips, which gives some comfort to Shengshicai, who is like a bereaved dog.
.
After Sheng Shicai led his troops into Afghanistan from Ishqasim and the Wakhan Corridor, he encountered frantic resistance from nearby tribes. The opponent once assembled an army of 50,000 people and constantly harassed Sheng Shicai's march route. However, Sheng Shicai entered Xinjiang with nothing and achieved "
How could the illustrious name of "King of Xinjiang" mean that he is easy to compare with others? He adopted the strategy of dividing and wooing, making friends from far away and attacking closely, and focusing on attacking the stubborn ones. After more than two months of battle, he destroyed five tribes and gained three tribes.
After pledging allegiance, he finally established a firm foothold in this area.
Subsequently, Soviet troops continued to enter Afghanistan, and now the total number of troops from Xinjiang has reached 170,000. The Afghan government was frightened, and while asking for help from the United Kingdom, it also hoarded heavy troops in the Hindu Ku Mountains north of Kabul to prevent Sheng Shicai from leading the army.
His troops moved south. Sheng Shicai sent troops to continuously eliminate the tribes that opposed him in the surrounding areas of Badakhshan Province, preparing to build the area into a solid base.
North of Faizabad city.
In the combat command room of a two-story building built on the site of a middle school requisitioned from the British as the headquarters, Sheng Shicai was reading Chuikov's call. The more he read, the angrier he became, and his face turned red.
Chuikov asked Sheng Shicai to quickly raise the food and grass needed for 400,000 people for one month. After the army moved south to rendezvous, it would head west, follow the area south of the northern border of Afghanistan, enter Iran, and then return to the Soviet Union through the lowlands along the Caspian Sea.
But the current situation is that Afghanistan is barren, and the prime minister cannot even get enough food and grass for his headquarters, let alone store so much food and grass.
Sheng Shicai was accustomed to being the king of Xinjiang. He was reluctant to leave Xinjiang under Chuikov's strong force. Now he is asked to drop everything and follow the Soviet army to the Soviet Union. This is completely unacceptable to him. From his true heart
, and even want to regard Afghanistan as their base, and slowly plan to conquer this landlocked country and achieve great things. Although under the high pressure of the Soviet army, Sheng Shicai cannot return to Xinjiang for the time being, but as long as the Soviet army leaves, the international situation will change drastically.
, saying that there may not be any hope of returning to Xinjiang. Wouldn’t it be nice to have Xinjiang and Afghanistan by then?
Sheng Shicai put down the telegram, shook his head slightly, and the anger on his face quickly disappeared. He knew that now was not the time to fall out with Chuikov. Of his 100,000 Xinjiang troops, he could only control less than 50,000, and most of the rest were in the Central Asian Red Army.
Under the leadership of the dispatched backbone, he is now sending out the uncontrolled troops to fight in an orderly manner. Anyway, the commanders and political cadres of the Red Army often rush to the front during battles, and the death rate is very high. Once there are serious casualties among the troops,
, he sent his confidants to receive it, and quietly increased his strength.
After getting up and looking at the map of Afghanistan for a long time, Sheng Shicai strode to the phone and dialed the number of Soviet commander Ivan stationed in Rustak Town, more than 30 kilometers west of Faizabad.
Chuikov's order was relayed, requiring an all-out attack to the west at all costs, on the one hand to collect food and grass, and on the other hand to clear the way for the troops to move westward.
Sheng Shicai made specific demands, including annihilating any recalcitrant tribes, implementing the policies implemented by the CCP in Jiangxi, cracking down on local tyrants and evil gentry, evenly distributing fields, confiscating the properties of Islamic temples, establishing a Soviet government, and carrying out parades and struggles against reactionaries.
Sheng Shicai specifically pointed out that confiscated food and property must be turned over, and internal affairs personnel and political cadres in the army must strictly enforce military law and deal with those who hide it privately.
After making the call, a cold smile appeared on Sheng Shicai's face.
The wealth of the tribes in Afghanistan is far beyond expectations. Although Afghanistan is a country with poor land and not rich products, due to its long-term position on the east-west transportation route and developed commerce, its wealth has been astonishing over thousands of years. In addition, since Ahmed
After the Shah unified Afghanistan, he invaded India several times and plundered a large amount of wealth. Which of the Afghan tribes who followed Ahmed Shah on the expedition did not return with a full harvest? Later, although the dynasty changed several times and the country gradually declined, the tribes'
The strength has not been lost much.
Take this battle into Badakhshan as an example. From the five tribes that were annihilated, Sheng Shicai obtained a total of more than 3,000 kilograms of gold, more than 6,000 kilograms of silver, plus countless jewelry, jade, and antiques. These properties were all collected by Sheng Shicai
They were secretly collected as military resources for future development after the Soviet army went west.
And so much wealth is only the harvest of one province. It is hard to imagine how much harvest will be gained if all the tribes on the westward journey are wiped out?
Thinking of this, Sheng Shicai made several more phone calls to recruit his confidants for confidential discussions.
...
In Tatarsk, an important city on the Siberian Railway, continuous heavy winds and heavy rains, coupled with frequent thunderstorms, stalled the Japanese offensive.
But when the Soviet intelligence agency received accurate information that factories and enterprises in Western Siberia were urgently moving to Central Asia, and that there were only two Anjia Army groups and eight divisions in Tatarsk, the Japanese base camp did not care about the front line at all.
Based on the actual situation, orders were issued to all armies to continue the attack.
For two consecutive days and nights, the two sides engaged in a fierce offensive and defensive battle. Since the fighter planes of the Anjia Army Air Force could not take off to assist in the battle, the position withstood one round of Japanese attacks after another. By the 14th, the artillery unit's ammunition reserves were less than three.
base, and due to extremely bad weather, the airship was unable to replenish, and the war situation took a turn for the worse.
On the afternoon of the 14th, the Japanese army launched a new round of attack.
First of all, it was still a lackluster artillery fire suppression. The Japanese army concentrated more than 400 artillery pieces for half an hour. Under the ravages of continuous artillery fire, the trees and weeds at the front of the Anjiajun position had long since disappeared from the ground, leaving only
Dark tree trunks stood there. Most of the trenches between the bunkers and the communication trenches leading to the rear were razed to the ground, and the exposed concrete blocks were blasted into craters.
After the artillery fire stopped, the Japanese army dispatched a large number of infantry, and under the cover of the Type 97 medium tanks newly transferred to Siberia, launched a new round of attacks.
Wearing khaki military uniforms and soaked to the skin, like densely packed ants, the Japanese troops launched a full-line assault from a front more than ten kilometers long from north to south, trying to break through the defense line held by the Seventh Army of the Anjia Army in one fell swoop, and then break into the
Inside the city of Tatarsk.
When the Japanese forward advanced to less than a hundred meters away from the Anjia Army's frontline position, there was still no movement on the Anjia Army's position.
The commander of the First Army, Xiangyue Qingji, who was responsible for the task of attacking the northern front, was wearing a raincoat. After seeing the situation of the Anjiajun position through the rain-soaked telescope lens, he felt a shiver in his heart. But he knew that now was not the time to retreat, no matter what
Whether it was to obtain a dry resting place for the troops after the invasion of Tatarsk and avoid non-combat attrition of the troops, or for the purpose that Japan needed to achieve after entering Siberia, he had to bite the bullet and issue the order to charge.
The Type 97 medium tank, which had just been launched last year, roared and accelerated, and the infantry swarmed forward, preparing to break through Anjiajun's defense line in one fell swoop.
At this time, what stood in front of them were steep slopes with an elevation of more than 70 degrees made of concrete. The tanks could not continue to move forward, so they had to reverse and retreat to make way for the infantry. The Japanese soldiers, who had been prepared, quickly attacked from behind.
Ladders were brought up one after another, ready to climb.
At this time, there was loud gunfire on the Anjiajun position, and general-purpose machine guns sprayed tongues of flame from the concrete bunker, intertwining into deadly fire nets, ruthlessly harvesting the lives of the Japanese.
The positions of these bunkers were carefully calculated by engineering experts of the Far Eastern Army. There was almost no blind spot for shooting. The Anjiajun hid in them, manipulating the machine guns, and attacked the Japanese at will. At the same time, countless figures jumped up from the trenches, struggling to
The grenade was thrown down the steep slope, where a large group of Japanese soldiers gathered together, while the Japanese Type 95 medium tanks serving as cover had retreated to the rear.
The grenade exploded in the middle of the Japanese army, raising a cloud of blood mist in the sky. Before the Japanese soldiers who managed to escape the attack had time to rejoice, more grenades fell from the sky, shrouding them in flames. Dozens of Japanese medium tanks behind them tried to save the infantry.
lives, bombarding the defenders' positions with machine guns and tank artillery.
The 88 anti-aircraft guns of the Seventh Army's air defense force and the rocket launchers of the infantry equipment launched a counterattack without showing any signs of weakness, destroying more than a dozen Type 97 medium tanks with an armor thickness of 25mm. The remaining tank crews saw that the situation was not good, and then thought
Rumors spread among the troops about the tragic situation of the tank troops three days ago, so they fled in panic.
Seeing his soldiers being slaughtered, Xiangyue Qingji was shocked and angry. In order to save the frontline troops, he ordered the artillery to carry out suppressive bombardment again, using dense artillery shells to cover the Anjia army's position and cover the retreat of the attacking troops.
The bombardment of the Japanese artillery was extremely accurate. The exposed fire points and bunkers on the Anjiajun position were immediately submerged in the Japanese artillery fire, and the rain of bullets directed at the Japanese stopped for a short time.
The Japanese soldiers who survived hurriedly got up from the ground and ran back desperately, but the Anjiajun did not let them go. During the infantry attack, one cannon after another was fired from the rain-proof bunker.
It was pushed out, quickly locked on the target, and intercepted and bombarded the retreating Japanese troops.
More than forty 120mm and 150mm caliber heavy artillery fired at the same time. With an earth-shattering explosion, a huge plume of smoke rose up in the middle of the positions of both sides. From time to time, explosions of fire flashed in the middle. The flying shrapnel cut into pieces the Japanese troops who tried to escape.
Got fragments.
Of the six infantry regiments that the Japanese army launched into the attack, less than 20% of the soldiers finally returned to their starting positions, and nearly one-third of those killed were not found intact. The losses of the Anjia Army were minimal, with only
Hundreds of soldiers were killed by enemy shelling.
In the early morning of August 15th, in the drizzle that continued to fall, the Japanese attacking troops silently advanced to a place more than a hundred meters away from the Anjia Army's defense line and lurked in the darkest period before dawn.
Waiting for the attack order to be issued.
After careful planning by the commander of the First Army, Kozuki Kiyoshi, and the Commander of the Third Army, Shunroku Hata, in order to concentrate their forces more, they changed the entire offensive to a focused attack. The carefully selected areas either had a small slope at the front of the defenders' position, or were located in the previous day's battle.
The damage was serious.
At six o'clock in the morning, Siberian time, the Japanese commander gave an order, and the Japanese soldiers who had been lurking for a long time jumped up one after another, shouted and rushed towards the Anjia Army's position.
In order to increase the suddenness of the attack, the Japanese army not only omitted the artillery bombardment before the attack, but also did not dispatch tanks for cover. They planned to use the flexibility of the infantry and the high speed of the impact to catch An's army off guard and break through in one fell swoop.
position.
The various measures taken by the Japanese army obviously had good results. Their attacking troops rushed dozens of meters away before encountering resistance from the Anjia army. Only some firepower points responded in time, unable to form a cross-fire network to prevent the Japanese army from attacking.
The pace of progress.
When the Japanese forwards rushed through the last few dozen meters, most of the firepower of the Anjia Army began to fire. The soldiers of the Anjia Army who were taking shelter and resting in the Tibetan Soldier Cave were awakened by the violent gunfire and rushed out one after another.
They advanced towards the traffic ditch in an assault, but it was too late. After the Japanese soldiers in front had already rushed into the trench, they quickly broke through to both ends of the trench under the cover of machine gun fire. When they encountered bunkers, they threw grenades into the shooting holes.
The newly formed firepower network once again had gaps. The Japs' follow-up troops rushed forward one after another, and the situation was precarious!
The soldiers of the 20th Division and the 21st Division of the Seventh Group Army of the Anjia Army did not flinch. They used semi-automatic rifles, automatic rifles, submachine guns and grenades to start a trench battle with the Japanese soldiers. No matter how the enemy attacked, they would never stop.
Don't take a step back.
Relying on their superiority in strength and with the help of light and heavy machine guns and grenade launchers, the Japanese army carried out multiple breakthroughs, quickly separated various parts of the Anjia Army, and then advanced one by one through bunkers and trenches.
After receiving the urgent report from the front line, Kozuki Kiyoshi and Hata Shunroku did not hesitate to join the reserve team and continuously sent fresh troops to the front. Although the An family army took advantage of the advantage of close combat weapons to greatly kill the Japanese army, but in the face of superior troops
Soon it can no longer hold up, and the defense line is crumbling!
After receiving the report, Hu Jialin's expression changed drastically. He without hesitation ordered Dong Jinming's First Group Army, which had arrived on the night of the 12th as the main force of city defense and general reserve force, to send out artillery to assist the Seventh Group Army's artillery unit in intercepting the Japanese follow-up forces.
He Yifei, commander of the Seventh Army, was ordered to quickly dispatch the reserve force to expel the Japanese from the front.
At this time, many sections of the front-line positions had been lost, and some Japanese soldiers who were eager to make meritorious deeds even began to launch attacks in depth.
Fortunately, the Anjia Army's artillery joined the battle in time and fired continuously. Soon, an isolation zone nearly two hundred meters wide was formed in the middle of the battlefield, blocking the follow-up troops of the Japanese army on the other side. As a result, those who arrived later
The Guard Division and the 19th Division of the 7th Group Army in reserve joined with the soldiers of the 20th Division and the 21st Division on the defense line. A total of four divisions launched a war of control with the Japanese army, fighting for every trench.
Every bunker.
Since the Japs' follow-up troops could not come up, facing the gradually increasing number of Chinese troops, the Japanese army had to huddle around the newly occupied bunkers and resist stubbornly, waiting for support from the rear. However, the Anjia Army concentrated the superior firepower of the two armies' heavy artillery for bombardment.
In front of us, reinforcements were delayed, we suffered heavy losses, and our defense circle became smaller and smaller.
Seeing that the victory in hand was about to be lost, Kozuki Seiji and Hata Shunroku went crazy. While ordering artillery to suppress the artillery fire of Anjiajun, they dispatched tanks to cover the troops blocked by artillery fire and quickly passed through the isolation belt to reinforce the front line.
Under the counterattack of the Japanese artillery, the Anjia Army's artillery fire, which began to have problems with ammunition supply, began to weaken, and gaps formed in the barrage formed by the continuous artillery fire. The Japanese follow-up troops rushed over under continuous artillery fire in an attempt to seize the defense line again.
and consolidate the results.
At this moment, if the Chinese army can eliminate the remnants of the enemy before the Japanese follow-up troops come up, it can still ensure that the defense line is not lost. Otherwise, the chance will become slim and they will have to retreat to Tatarsk City and, together with the First Army, fight the advancing Japanese army line by line.
The battle for the streets.
The soldiers of the Anjia Army, who were already red-eyed, raised their weapons and rushed towards the Japanese like a tide. Submachine guns, automatic rifles, and semi-automatic rifles opened fire one after another. The rocket launchers aimed at the Japanese machine gun position and blasted hard. The soldiers in front fell, and those behind
The soldiers immediately followed up and used the most primitive human sea tactics to open a gap in the defense line formed by the remaining Japanese troops. Then they engaged in a hand-to-hand combat with the Japanese. In the face of the absolutely superior force, the Japanese troops who broke into our position were finally completely defeated.
wipe out.
After clearing the defense line, the officers and soldiers of the Anjia Army rushed forward to face the Japanese follow-up troops without stopping. For a moment, the cry of killing resounded in the sky. The Chinese and Japanese officers and soldiers were fighting together, although there were dozens or even hundreds of people fighting each other every second.
They fell, but no one took a step back, and the follow-up troops from both sides continued to join the battle group.
As time went by, the balance of the war gradually tilted towards the Anjia Army, because the Anjia Army not only had the advantage in weapons, but also the troops from the rear could arrive quickly due to the short distance, and finally gradually gained the advantage in strength, and the battle was fierce.
An hour later, the Japanese army finally couldn't hold on any longer and retreated.