Beiyang 1917

Semyon Mikhainovich Budyonny took the lead. The black Cossack cloak and leather cap still showed his pride as the commander of the red Cossack cavalry division. Of course, he was beaten by the opponent's cannon while trying to cross the Domashika River. His nose was bruised, his face was swollen, and the pain of heavy casualties had not dissipated from the hearts of the more than 3000 cavalry soldiers of the First Cavalry Brigade behind him.

"Master, I didn't expect the enemy in Buzuluk Town to be so cunning. We can be seen by the other side when we cross the river from such a distance. The artillery is far away and accurate. Our brigade suffered a lot this time. Already!" Timoshenko, the commander of the first brigade, and his division commander rode forward side by side, muttering.

Budyonny snorted and was also full of anger, but casualties and losses never made Budyonny back down. In Tsaritsin, his cavalry regiment once resisted a cavalry division of Denikin, and his cavalry brigade even defeated Passed two infantry divisions of the White Guards. At this moment, although the first brigade suffered one-third of the casualties, the rest were still good guys, and they still had a chance to get behind the enemy and beat him up.

"Master, let's go around so far... It takes a lot of time. Let me tell you, even if we run south along the river, the opponent's shells may not catch up with us! We are far away from the river bank at this moment A full six kilometers away, do you think that Inza and Kikweize and his gang will think that we will retreat alone and leave them alone?" Brother Timoshen saw that the teacher had been sullen and silent, and couldn't help but road.

"Brother Timoshen, why are you talking so much nonsense, hurry up and find a suitable river bank for crossing the river, I, Budyonny, must go back to Buzuluk Town and get rid of the coalition forces in the town!" Budyonny bit Grinding his teeth, he choked out a sentence.

"Hey, Comrade Commander, have you handed over the pathfinder to Tyurenev? You can rest assured that this guy is good at sailing. He will surely find a suitable place to cross the river with the first battalion of the first regiment. Speaking of Comrade Budyonny, why is Commander Yegorov unwilling to act with us?" Timoshenko asked the question in his heart.

Budyonny sighed softly at first, then glared and said, "How could I, as a division commander, know what the commander of the group army thinks! You little brigade commander should not make wild guesses, fight the next battle well, Taking Buzuluk down and allowing the infantry to pass through is what you should consider, and when you charge, hit me harder, I don't believe that the opponent's cavalry brigade can't run out of ammunition!"

"Come on, Comrade Budyonny, don't look at my young age, I can see it all. You are afraid... the infantry divisions of our group army are trapped in the north of Buzuluk town, and the entire army is in danger of being wiped out, so I want to take Comrade Yegorov out while the cavalry jumps to the side of the river to make a detour, so that we can advance and retreat freely, that is, if something happens, we cross the river and run southward, and the coalition forces will definitely not be able to catch up. !"

Timoshenko obviously saw some subtleties from the faces of Budyonny and Yegorov at that time, but now seeing that Budyonny refused to speak, he understood in his heart, and said it out of the mouth!

"You're smart?! Don't worry about Cao Cao. Comrade Yegorov is unwilling to act with our cavalry division. Naturally, he has the idea of ​​​​stabilizing the morale of the army. If there is an extreme situation and the entire Ninth Army is wiped out, the commander How can I explain to the Front Command and Comrade Joseph when I go back?" Budyonny flicked his whip on Timoshenko's head, but his mouth confirmed his potential intention to invite Yegorov to personally command the cavalry division to make a detour.

"Master, I am dissatisfied with you. The brigade commander and regiment commander below are also watching the affairs above. If you want me to say, as long as our cavalry division can fight back to the left bank of the Volga River, Commander Yegorov will not be so big." If our division is on the right bank of the Volga River, the other infantry divisions of the Ninth Army will break out and return to the left bank of the Volga River, and Comrade Yegorov will not be able to get rid of it!" Timoshenko said mysteriously .

"Huh? How do you say this? Don't be suspicious! Be careful! Be careful of your identity!" Budyonny squinted and roared.

"Don't you understand, Commander? You and our special cavalry division are the only ace mobile units of the Southern Front Army, and the darlings of Comrade Joseph, the Military Commissar of the Front Army. Comrade Voroshilov's Tenth Army, you also know that Comrade Voroshilov is Comrade Joseph's most trusted commander... Then what... Okay... Let's not say more." Timoshen Seeing that Budyonny's face was gloomy, his voice became softer as he spoke, and finally he stopped silently.

Budyonny glanced at Timoshenko, and looked back at the other Red Army cavalry who were still riding behind them more than ten miles away. The head of the first regiment in front, Tyurenev, led the first battalion to open the road 500 meters away. In addition, this fellow tapped Timoshenko's head lightly with a horsewhip, and said in a low voice,

"Semyon Konstantinovich, don't you, the brigade commander, don't want to do it anymore? You are not allowed to mention this in front of anyone in the future, let alone in front of people other than the cavalry division. I am Budyonny himself. Don't even think about it, do you need to worry about me? Knowing that Comrade Joseph is taking care of our cavalry division, you should lead the team well and fight the battle well! Understand?! Next time I hear you being silly, I dismissed you!"

Brother Timoshen blushed when he heard this, saluted immediately, and said loudly, "I fully understand, Comrade Budyonny, lead the team well and fight the battle well. The rest is up to you, Commander, to lead the brothers." What did you do! My brother Timoshen, no matter when or what the situation is, will resolutely follow the teacher to the end!"

Hearing this, Budyonny's face softened a little, he clamped the horse with his legs, and rushed forward, Timoshenko and the first brigade of cavalry behind him hurriedly followed.

The First Brigade of the Special Cavalry Division of the Ninth Army of the Southern Front of the Soviet Red Army, led by Budyonny, ran south along the river for 25 kilometers. They passed through several villages along the way and asked many fellow villagers, saying The banks of the Domashika River are so fast that the best crossing to cross the river is in the town of Buzuluk. If you go upstream, you have to go at least [-] kilometers away to find a river bank with a gentler flow.

With great difficulty, the Red Army Cavalry Brigade of more than 3000 people finally found a ferry 24 kilometers away from the upper reaches of the Domashika River on the west side of Buzuluk Town. At this time, the team ran for more than an hour and was exhausted. They were too soft, so they ordered to rest for 15 minutes before preparing to wade across the river.

"Master, it's almost noon, and we haven't heard the gunfire from the direction of Buzuluk. Shouldn't we attack the infantry division if we don't turn around? The commander of the coalition army guarding the town is really calm. , isn’t he afraid that we will outflank his rear?” Tyurenev, the head of the first regiment, came back from the bank of the river, wiping his sweat.

The section of the Domashika River here is as wide as 150 meters, and the flow rate of the river is obviously much gentler than that of the previous section of more than 20 kilometers. It is estimated that the cavalry can swim across the water.

Budyonny sighed. He didn't expect to have to travel more than 20 kilometers to find a suitable place to cross the river. At this moment, the radio station is gone, so he can only do his best, and hurry back to Buzuluk Town after crossing the river. go,

"The commander and I originally planned to attack the town of Buzuluk from north to south in an hour and a half. I'm afraid we will be late for at least half an hour. Yegorov will order the infantry division to launch an attack on Buzu in 10 minutes. For the attack in Luke Town, we can only hope that the second brigade led by the political commissar can get back in place on time!"

Hearing this, Timoshenko and Tyurenev looked at each other, "If we can't catch up with this battle, why are we still crossing the river? Comrade Commander, if I say that a political commissar leads the second brigade back to its position, it is enough to cooperate with the infantry division of the Army Group in the north." The main force knocked out the cavalry brigade of the coalition army in Buzuluk Town, it seems that we don't need to cross the river again and suffer a second time!" Tyurenev said with a grin.

"That's right, Commander, the opponent is defending Buzuluk with only one brigade. If we attack with the infantry division of the group army from north to south, one brigade is more than enough to get back to the position. I just don't know if the political commissar and the others arrived at the designated position on time!" Tie Mu Xin Ge continued from the side.

Budyonny frowned and didn't speak yet. A messenger from the first cavalry brigade dragged north to the second regiment at the rear of the team galloped on horseback and rushed to Budyonny, Timoshenko, and Tyurenev. Rolling off the saddle, he reported nervously and out of breath:

"Comrade Commander, the head of the Second Regiment, Rebarco, sent me to report that an unidentified cavalry brigade was found two kilometers behind the second regiment. Commander, lead the main force of the brigade and turn back as soon as possible to support!"

Before the words fell, there were fierce gunshots and artillery sounds three kilometers to the north. Budyonny, Timoshenko, and Tyurenev were all taken aback!