Age of Rebirth

In the early morning of September 28th, it was no longer calm. The three-way troops of the Independent Division launched a full-line attack on the more than 20 troops of the Soviet Transcaucasus Military Region from the south, east, and west. Le to Baiyinchagan, within a radius of nearly a thousand square kilometers, roaring artillery fire was everywhere, tens of thousands of cannons were fired, raining down on the heads of Soviet soldiers.

The salvo of rockets blasted the formation of the Soviet army into a sea of ​​flames. Zheng Yong's artillery group bombarded from the front, and the artillery groups of the two wing troops poured steel on the Soviet army. Under the roaring guns, there were more than 1000 tanks. In the assault formation, the tracks rolled up the dirt and flew up, and behind the tanks were rows of independent division infantry.

If it is said that Yang Ketian's frontal assault group suddenly counterattacked, General Kurykin would not be too surprised. It is normal for his two elite mechanized troops to attack for seven or eight hours, and it is normal for the independent division to counterattack.

However, the left and right flanks shot out the independent division troops at the same time, so that General Kurykin could no longer calm down. Looking at the cannons flying all over the sky, falling on his troops like fireballs, there was only one terrible thing in his mind. Thought, "Could it be that I was surrounded by Tang Qiuli's main force!"

As soon as this idea flashed into his mind, cold sweat rolled down General Kurykin's forehead. A burst of fear flowed through his body like an electric current, his hands trembled. Everything on the battlefield did not prove his ominous judgment. [

The fierce artillery fire almost turned half of the night sky red, covering the entire battlefield. As a veteran on the battlefield.General Kurykin could tell that they were all heavy artillery.Moreover, the number is not less than 2000. If it is true as the two intelligence departments of the military region and the General Staff have said, there is no main force of Tang Qiuli in Outer Mongolia. Troops, where do you get so many large-caliber heavy artillery?

But he still has a touch of luck, maybe.The independent division troops on the two wings are only to reduce the pressure on their frontal positions, to contain and flank themselves, and there will not be too many troops. In the end, it is still to buy time for Tang Qiuli's main force.According to the intelligence department of the military region, there is no trace of Tang Qiuli's main force in Outer Mongolia so far.

The intelligence of the intelligence department under his own military region alone is not enough to reassure General Kurykin.The enemy's report from the General Intelligence Bureau of the General Staff also proved this point. Moreover, General Kurykin did not believe that the large-scale actions of hundreds of thousands of troops from the Independent Division.From China to Outer Mongolia, the marching route is hundreds of kilometers long.How can it be hidden from the impenetrable eyes of the intelligence department.

He couldn't convince himself that this was not a counterattack by Tang Qiuli's main force. At this moment, Lieutenant General Zirenenko, chief of staff of the military region, ran over with an ugly expression. From his expression, General Kurykin Saw an ominous omen.

Lieutenant General Zirenenko said in a dry voice: "Comrade Commander, the situation is very bad. We have received reports from all the troops that our two wings were attacked by the main force of the Independent Division. The enemy's artillery fire covered all our positions. On the front of the Fifth Army and the Ninth Army, the Independent Division dispatched more than 1000 tanks to carry out an assault. They couldn't stand it anymore and were retreating. Comrade Commander, we must take countermeasures, otherwise, the situation will be very dangerous! "

"Everything shows that we have fallen into the siege of the independent division troops, including the rear guard and the supply troops, have all been attacked. This is a trap, the trap set by the Chinese Tang Qiuli! The depth of more than 60 kilometers encircled us More than [-] troops, God! How many troops have the Chinese dispatched? Where did they come from? Why didn’t there be any signs beforehand?” Chief of Staff Zirenenko’s voice became hoarse, almost moaning Said.

General Kurykin's face became livid and dull, the muscles on his cheeks trembled uncontrollably, his eyes lost their luster in an instant, and with all his strength, he fell heavily on the marching chair, almost crushing the thin canvas chair.

At this moment, General Kurykin's mind was in a mess, like thousands of bees flying in his ears, "buzzing" sound, the deafening sound of cannons seemed to sound from outside the sky, and his thinking was temporarily blank. Only one voice echoed in my heart, "We are surrounded by Chinese!"

"Comrade Commander! Comrade Commander!" Seeing General Kurykin's distraught and pale face, Chief of Staff Zirenenko was shocked. He was really worried that he would have a heart attack and died on the spot, so he hurriedly shouted .

General Kurykin looked at him with dull eyes, and asked sleepwalking: "What's the matter?"

Chief of Staff Zirenenko secretly complained, "It's over, a strong enemy is pressing down on the border, and I was made dumplings, but Comrade Commander is in such a state, how can we support the overall situation!"

It should be time to make an immediate decision. One more minute of delay will be more dangerous. "Comrade Commander, I suggest that while the encirclement of the independent division troops has not yet been completed, order the troops to break through the encirclement and retreat immediately, return the same way, and withdraw to the On the north bank of the Selenge River, avoid being surrounded?" Chief of Staff Zirnenko almost roared.

"Breakthrough? Retreat?" Looking at the anxious chief of staff, General Kurykin repeated his words dreamily.

"Boom!" A cannon exploded nearby, awakening General Kurygin, and his mind returned to reality. Surrounded on three sides, artillery fire attack and tank assault, Tang Qiuli was so cruel that he designed such a big trap and pretended it all at once. More than 20 of my troops came in, and the Selenge River blocked it for six or seven days to realize this conspiracy. Everything was understood, and his heart was in severe pain like a knife.

Not for the fate of hundreds of thousands of soldiers, but for the disastrous defeat and the desperate situation he faced. Suddenly, General Kurykin stood up abruptly, his eyes glistening with iron-grey light like a gambler, and shouted loudly: "No! , must not retreat!" The desperation in the desperate situation, on the contrary, made his mind clear.

Lieutenant General Zirenenko is in a hurry, what time is it, and he is still so stubborn. Could it be that the lives of 10,000+ soldiers in the military region have to be ruined? .

General Kurykin said in a hoarse voice: "Breakout? If we break out, we will be fiercely pursued by the independent division troops, and the retreat will become a rout. Even if we reach the south bank of the Selenge River, how many troops can we have left?" ? Lost troops and lost generals, returned in a big defeat, just go back like this, can Comrade Stalin spare us?"

"Moreover, with Tang Qiuli's insidiousness and cunning, can he leave a gap in the north for us to retreat? He must have set up ambushes on both sides of the Selenge River. When the troops crossed the river, he suddenly launched an attack. Our morale was low and we were in a hurry. Can the troops retreating in panic withstand such an attack? No! Besides, can we break out of the siege?"

Speaking of this, General Kurykin had a desperate and fierce look on his face, and said to Lieutenant General Zirenenko: "Comrade Chief of Staff, convey my order to all troops, turn to defense on the spot, stand firm and wait for reinforcements." , mixed with the infantry of the Independent Division as much as possible, using their artillery fire to lose its effect, it is not so easy to eat my more than 20 troops in one bite!" [

"Send a telegram to Deputy Commander Jonasov of the Air Force of the Don Military Region, ordering his air forces to dispatch all after dawn, at any cost, to gain control of the air, and report the situation to the General Staff, explaining the situation we are facing. Dangerous situation! Ask the General Staff to find a way to mobilize troops and open a gap for us."

Lieutenant General Zirenenko was so angry that his head became dizzy for a while, "Stick to? To put it lightly, hundreds of thousands of troops are distributed in an area of ​​nearly a thousand square kilometers, and they are in an offensive posture. The terrain in this area is flat and open. There are no natural concealments, and the temporarily dug fortifications can withstand a few rounds of artillery. What to hold on to, if they are surrounded for four or five days, the logistics supply line will be cut off, and the supplies and medicines carried by the troops are only enough for three days of."

"What should I do if I run out of food? What if I run out of guns and cannons? At that time, there will be no need for independent divisions to attack. After two days of starvation, the soldiers will not even have the strength to hold their guns. Wouldn't they die faster? Waiting for help? Can that army arrive within two or three days? The most promising four infantry corps of the Far Eastern Front are still running on the road, and there is no way to arrive in less than a week."

"Will Tang Qiuli give us time? When we arrive at the battlefield, what we see may be the corpses of Soviet Red Army soldiers scattered all over the place. At a critical juncture, the supreme commander made such a foolish move, and it seems that hundreds of thousands of soldiers will be buried I can't let him destroy hundreds of thousands of soldiers here!" Chief of Staff Zirenenko's eyes flashed fiercely, he was going to disobey, not only did he disobey, but also took the command of Commander Kurygin .

In the wartime command regulations of the Soviet Army, there is such a clause, "When a member of the headquarters discovers that the supreme commander issues an order that will lead to the failure of the battle, put the troops in a dangerous situation, or surrender to the enemy, the political commissar and chief of staff, obliged to refuse to carry out the order and to strip him of his command,"

Chief of Staff Zirenenko was based on this point. The political commissar of the military region was concurrently served by General Kurykin. Then he, the chief of staff, was the only person who could exercise power. However, the change in his expression fell into the eyes of General Kurykin. inside.

Having been in the military for decades, General Kurykin also knew that there was such a military regulation, so he naturally guessed Lieutenant General Zirnenko's thoughts. He sneered and said, "My comrade chief of staff, don't waste your thoughts." Now, I don’t mind shooting you in the name of disobeying military orders, don’t forget, I’m still the supreme commander, and the guards of the Guard Command are all old subordinates who have followed me for many years and are absolutely loyal!”

General Kurykin's tone was full of sarcasm, and then he shouted: "Guard, Comrade Chief of Staff is not feeling well, take him to rest immediately, without my order, he is not allowed to stay half a step away from my sight!"

(To be continued) (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to the starting point to vote, monthly pass, your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile phone users, please go to read.)