The 4th Mountain Army began to be reequipped, and a large number of 06 Hound tanks were equipped to the troops.

Six tank battalions were stationed at the 4th Mountain Army tank base in Elita, lower Volga: each battalion had three medium tank companies of the Hound type and one reconnaissance tank company equipped with Shepherd dog tanks. Each company has 12 tanks, and a battalion has 52 tanks.

Compared to the Type 02 tank, which weighed 48 tons, these Hound tanks were one size smaller, so tankmen generally called the Hound Tank a wolf, because the defense of this thing was somewhat weak, and they were afraid of being injured like a wolf. It's nice to have tanks, although this guy does look like a hyena on the African savannah compared to the Tiger tank.

Although it looks a little more stunning, when facing a pack of hyenas, even the fierce lion has to retreat.

The tank was first designed for the Marine Corps, and the Marine Corps re-tendered the tank because of its lack of wading ability. Now due to the lack of tank production capacity in domestic factories, the Army Armament Department has taken it out and made it the main battle equipment.

The 4th Mountain Corps, stationed in the Kuban steppe, was reorganized into the 4th Marine Corps, and Lieutenant General Sun Henian was promoted by one rank to become a Marine Corps general, and his rank in the Marine Corps was second only to the Marine Corps Commander, Deputy Commander, and Chief of the General Staff. After the setbacks in the battles of Donets and Kharkov, the East Franks temporarily stopped their offensive. Both sides are mobilizing troops to prepare for a decisive battle in the Eastern European theater.

General Li Huchen, commander of the Eastern European Theater of Operations, did not rush to launch a counteroffensive, but did the same thing as General Shi Guofan, commander of the Middle East Theater - to build roads, it was necessary to first ensure the logistical supply of the attacking troops under them. The general deployed his troops to repair roads and railways, and cursed the bureaucrats of Central Asia and Europe for their dead food, where traffic conditions remained a mess all these years.

Officers and men of the 8th Division of the Central Asian Garrison Corps, newly integrated into the Marine Corps, were transported by boat from the east coast to the port of the mouth of the lower Volga River through the Caspian Sea. A gangway attached to the pier, got down from the ship that transported the people, and got up to the pier. Ivan stood in the crowd, curiously observing the seat of the Governor's Mansion of the Lower Volga Governorship, which was full of endless steppes and very different from the scenery of Central Asia.

The white hired men at work on the docks are also curious, and everything is full of exoticism, which seems to bring an indescribable magical charm.

Several cranes on the wharf were spinning and swinging back and forth, unloading heavy equipment and supplies of the 8th Army Division from the transport ship, and the wharf was full of all kinds of military equipment and all kinds of large and small boxes, as well as iron barrels.

Colonel Musin, who had retired from the army, was re-drafted, got off the cruise ship, and was taken to the headquarters of the Don Army in the former Governor's Palace by a dark blue Dongfeng car. Although only five storeys high, the Doge's Palace is one of the most imposing and luxurious buildings in the city.

Entering the small conference room in the headquarters, several generals were discussing something around the large military map spread out on the table. Looking thin and capable, wearing a blue camouflage combat uniform and wearing three gold stars on the collar badge is General Sun Henian, commander of the newly established Don River Army, the other is tall is Major General Shi Songsheng, commander of the 15th Armored Division, and the other is his old comrade-in-arms, Major General You Yingda, commander of the 129th Division of the Army.

The major general's ancestors were Khorasans, but after more than 200 years of rule, the vast majority of the people of the river are now accustomed to using the Han surname.

"General Sun, Mu Sin, a staff officer of the Army Operations Department, has been ordered to report to you!" Musin gave a military salute to the Marine Corps general.

"Mmmm, you're here just in time, are you still comfortable on the road?" General Sun Henian asked.

"It's okay, I'm used to taking a boat." Musin said.

"Very well, we are working on the counteroffensive of the Donets region." Sun Henian said, "The colonel turned out to be General Zha Zhengliang's subordinate in the Donets garrison, and he was familiar with the environment around the lower reaches of the Dnieper River. He said to General Shi Songsheng, "The High Command orders us to counterattack the Donets region as soon as possible, especially the coal and iron mines in that area, and not allow them to be used by the East Franconians." ”

You Yingda shook hands with Musin, "I used to be mainly active in the northern Bairos area, and Musin is more familiar with the situation in this part of Donets than me, he used to serve in the local garrison here, and he often came here to do coal business after retiring. ”

"The terrain in that area is quite complicated, and the road conditions in the Donets mountains are not very good, so I recommend that you start by sea, preferably along the lower Dnieper." "The roads and bridges leading to the Dnieper are not in good condition, and I expect the movement of the armored forces to be greatly constrained." ”

He set his sights on Major General Shi Songsheng.

"I understand that my troops can only function in the plains." Shi Songsheng said.

"Not necessarily, the hilly terrain in the north is also very suitable for the use of mechanized troops." "It's just that we need to build a few roads along the Dnieper River first." The river here looks easy to cross in normal times, but when it rains, it immediately overflows, and the small river suddenly turns into a large river. ”

Sun Henian turned his gaze to the map and changed the topic again, "It is not impossible to use airborne troops in the operation against Romania, but they do not have heavy weapons in their hands, and if the East Franks come, they will not be able to withstand it." How long will it take for the infantry unit to get there? ”

"The light infantry unit should be better, it will take about half a month to march, but it is difficult to say about the heavy equipment, and it is necessary to build roads and bridges while walking." You Yingda said.

Sun Henian thought for a while, "We can contact the Air Force and throw an airborne regiment over first, and we will send reinforcements here." This is the meaning of the Supreme Command, and it is estimated that they should agree. ”

Sun Henian's words made Mu Xin feel a little strange, when he was sent to Eastern Europe, he always thought that the goal of the Supreme Command was in the northern region, but he didn't expect it to be Romania, and he couldn't figure out what important impact it had on the overall strategy of the empire.

……

Soldiers of the 1st Marine Regiment stood next to a long line of columns, enduring the wet and cold weather of the Kuban steppe.

The central railroad built by the empire many years ago had limited capacity and lacked maintenance in many places, often causing blockages on the railways.

The soldiers were also ordered to arrange their weapons and backpacks neatly in the open space, saying that they were for good looks.

Ling Kaiyue took out a little food from his backpack and chewed it slowly. He has now risen to the rank of sergeant commander, commanding a crew of five and becoming an armored corpsman. Everyone had been waiting in the sun for almost two hours, and the train didn't have any intention of moving. Perhaps something went wrong in front of it, turning the small station into a congested place, with carriages full of various war supplies stretching for several kilometers.

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