Age of Rebirth

Lieutenant General Magsilotti, the commander of the Third Army of the Italian Asia Expeditionary Force, reacted quickly enough on the battlefield. When he realized that the trap he had set was not a weak prey, but a huge beast, he made a decisive decision. Abandoning the No.20 Ninth Division and the 31st Division, which were in fierce battle, and took the No.30 Fifth Division, an artillery brigade, and a tank brigade, and retreated towards Salem at the fastest speed.

In the Salem area, there are more than [-] main forces of the Fifth Army. As long as they enter Salem, they can avoid the fate of being besieged by the squadron. To be on the safe side, on the way to retreat, he sent an urgent telegram , Requesting Lieutenant General Pisberg, commander of the Fifth Army, to send troops to respond.

From Yakima to Salem, there is a distance of more than [-] kilometers, separated by a Columbia River that originates in southern Canada, draws a large arc, and finally flows into the Pacific Ocean. The back end of the arc of the river happens to be in Asia Between Keema and Salem, at the northern foot of the Custer Mountains, as long as you cross the Columbia River and cross the Custer Mountains, everything will be fine, and all dangers will be left behind.

Lieutenant General Magsilotti thought exactly this way, urging the troops to run non-stop, with a distance of more than 200 kilometers, at the speed of the mechanized march of the No. on the north bank of the Columbia River.

In Lieutenant General Magisilotti's telescopic lens, he could already see the Columbia River in the sun, like a streamer. The afternoon sun in the western United States splashed on the quietly flowing river, emitting layers of golden light, but he Seen at the same time.And in the bright sunshine, quietly lined up in rows.Metallic tanks and trenches.The binoculars in his hand fell down.

The 30th and [-]th Brigades of the Eastern Finger and the [-]th Tank Brigade arrived at the north bank of the Columbia River only one hour earlier than the Italian army, but it was this hour that allowed the Eastern Finger to attack the left wing of the No. [-] Fifth Division of the Italian Army. The troops arrived ahead of time and quickly built field fortifications, blocking the Italian army like an iron wall.

"Mr. Commander, there is a Chinese squadron in front of us, what should we do?" Major General Salbert, the chief of staff, asked fearfully. He knew that the danger did not only come from the front, but also from hundreds of thousands of soldiers behind. The soldiers of the ** squadron are chasing after them. If they can't break through the blocking line of the squadron, everyone will be finished.

Lieutenant General Magsilotti was sweating profusely.How could he have imagined that the squadron would move so quickly that they would rush ahead of him to block the escape route, if he didn't want to be a prisoner of the Chinese.Only by calling, it can't be delayed for too long, otherwise.The overwhelming number of Chinese soldiers behind them caught up, with their own strength.Will be submerged in no time.

But he was hesitant about whether to fight.I have seen the powerful and ferocious fighting power of the squadron soldiers, and the sophistication of their weapons and equipment. They are not, as the Prime Minister said, a group of troops fighting with rifles from the last century. They are almost as good as the German squadron. Gotta fight.

The more anxious he was, the more hopeless he felt. Lieutenant General Magisilotti was in a hurry, but he couldn't decide whether to fight or give up resistance. Time waits for no one. The longer you delay on the north bank of the Columbia River, the more dangerous it will be. The pursuing squadron was getting closer and closer, and they seemed to be able to hear the trembling sound of tanks crushing the ground.

The chief of staff, Major General Salbert, was even more anxious, and couldn't help urging: "Mr. Commander, you should make a decision immediately, otherwise, our entire army will be wiped out!"

"What's the rush?" Lieutenant General Magsilotti wiped the sweat from his forehead and got angry, "I'm thinking about it!"

At this time, a communications staff officer ran over and reported: "Reporting to the commander and chief of staff, he received a telegram from Lieutenant General Pisberg, the commander of the Fifth Army, and he has sent an armored brigade to meet us. The brigade has now reached the northern foot of the Custer Mountains, the south bank of the Columbia River, less than [-] kilometers away from us, and has contacted us!"

At the moment when it was difficult to make a decision, this situation prompted Lieutenant General Magsilotti to make a decision. His eyes lit up, and he decided to break through the blocking of the squadron, and issued an order: "Chief of Staff, order the tank brigade and No.30 All the soldiers of the fifth division, get ready for the assault, the artillery brigade immediately hit the position of the ** team, we must resolutely fight there, and we must not be captured by the Chinese!"

At the blocking position on the north bank of the Columbia River, Major General Wan Fulin, the commander of the [-]th Brigade, was also the commander of the left-wing assault force. , Judging by the posture of the Italian soldiers, they want to fight, and they don’t intend to surrender. I’m going to launch an attack first and disrupt the Italian army. What’s your opinion?”

General Chang En, commander of the Eighth Brigade of East Pointing, was a warrior on the battlefield. When he heard Wan Fulin's loud voice, he smiled and replied, "Then let's fight, anyway, just don't let these bastards cross the river. Wait for about three hours, and the main force commanded by the deputy division commander will be able to rush over!"

"But Lao Wan, there is another situation. My scouts reported that an armored brigade of the Italian army came from the direction of Salem. It seemed that it was here to meet the Italian army in front. It was only 20 meters away from our blocking position. It’s been more than a kilometer, we are now fighting with our backs, and the Italians want to attack back and forth, it’s a good idea to take the initiative to attack, I agree, you can order it!”

Wan Fulin was happy, and then said: "Okay, but the Italian armored brigade coming from behind, don't let him spoil our good deeds, I plan to mobilize the heavy artillery of our two brigades, and send them by surprise across the Columbia River He ate the shells and relieved his worries!"

"Old Wan, it's sinister enough, but I like it!" Chang Endo said with a smile.

Wan Fulin immediately contacted Major General Li Zihao, the commander of the Seventh Tank Brigade, and after briefing the situation, he said: "Brigade Commander Li, I have discussed it with Commander Chang, and decided to give up the position of blocking and take the initiative to attack. We need your cooperation. The attack was launched in 10 minutes, no problem?"

"Commander Chang, please give the order. The Seventh Brigade has no problem!" Major General Li Zihao, commander of the Seventh Tank Brigade, replied bluntly.

Li Zihao turned on the communication channel of the whole brigade, and issued an order: "All regiments are ready to fight, launch an assault in 10 minutes, divide into three offensive formations, and disrupt the Italian army's position!"

Under the order of Lieutenant General Magsilotti, a tank brigade of the Italian army began to prepare for the attack, and an artillery brigade began to set up artillery positions. According to the normal speed, the attack could be launched in an hour.

Twenty-ten minutes later, when the Italian army was preparing to attack in a hurry, Lieutenant General Magcilotti was shocked to see a series of red flares flying in the sky. He saw through the telescope that the squadron More than 10 tanks were divided into three-way assault groups, and rushed over from the north bank of the Columbia River at high speed. Plumes of smoke.

At this time, his own artillery and tanks had not yet adjusted their offensive rhythm. Lieutenant General Magsilotti's lips were burnt and his face was yellow. Offensive, "Damn Chinese!" He cursed dejectedly, knowing that the situation was over.

Wan Fulin's preemptive attack disrupted the position of the No.30 Fifth Division of the Italian Army. The three-way assault of the tank group cut the formation of the Italian Army to pieces, pointing eastward to more than 3 soldiers. , Followed behind the tank, rushed into the Italian position, the battlefield suddenly became chaotic like a boil, but it was the soldiers of the No.30 Fifth Division of the Italian Army who were in chaos.

And the armored brigade sent by Lieutenant General Pisberg, the commander of the Fifth Army of the Italian Army, to support the Third Army, had just arrived at the south bank of the Columbia River, and was hit by a shell that blew up people's backs and destroyed their cars. Death, the remaining tanks and armored vehicles, where there is no time to respond, hurriedly ran south, trying to get out of the squadron's artillery range as soon as possible.

The Italian soldiers completely lost their will to resist. The troops commanded by Wan Fulin easily forced the Italian soldiers to surrender. When Liu Tiehan led the headquarters and rushed to the north bank of the Columbia River, he saw groups of captives. Following the order of the soldiers, they gathered at the designated place. Weapons, ammunition and various equipment were thrown all over the place, but there were not many traces of fierce fighting, which showed that the battle was fought very easily.

"Wan Fulin, you played well!" Liu Tiehan jumped off the armored command vehicle and praised the three generals who rushed over.

Wan Fulin laughed foolishly, and said honestly: "It's not my own credit, it's the credit of the brigade commanders Chang and Li!"

"Come on, don't be modest!" Liu Tiehan raised his hand to stop what Chang Enduo and Li Zihao were about to say, and said, "My headquarters will move forward immediately. I don't care what to do with the prisoners. If you see it or not, Semler is ahead." , there are still big fish to catch, if you go late, there will be nothing for you!"

The armored brigade sent to respond to the Third Army was beaten back in a panic. At the same time, it also brought news that the Third Army was annihilated by the squadron and on the north bank of the Columbia River. The commander, Lieutenant General Magsilotti, was captured Lieutenant General Pisberg, commander of the Fifth Army of the Italian Asia Expeditionary Force, who had his headquarters in Semler, suddenly panicked.

Lieutenant General Pisberg knew it all too well, but within three days, the 5-plus troops of the Third Army were swallowed up by the squadron. The Columbia River and the Custer Mountains couldn't stop the squadron from attacking. Footsteps, my own strength of more than [-] troops, is not the opponent of the squadron, and the goal that the squadron must seize from Salem to the squadron, I am in a very dangerous situation.

After weighing the situation on the battlefield, Lieutenant General Pisberg came to the very correct conclusion that this place cannot be defended, nor can it be defended. The Fifth Army can only avoid the collapse of the Third Army by withdrawing to the front line of San Francisco and joining the Sixth Army. fate.

(to be continued) (to be continued...)