About 100 Sirius rockets landed in the area where the Soviet reserves were massed, killing 37,000 Soviet troops and wounding 42,000 on the same day. It was the first time that many people in the Soviet army had seen the power of this terrible weapon, and they were terrified for a while, and the morale of the Soviet army had once again suffered a heavy blow and was on the verge of collapse.

And at this moment, the general offensive of the Chinese army began.

After a full day of fierce fighting, the gunfire became more and more intense. Soviet commissar Yegor wiped a handful of cigarette ash and sweat from his head and face, sat on the ground, took out a pen and paper from his pocket, and wrote to his wife Horta:

"My dear, today we have once again defeated the enemy's offensive on our line. Our lads fought really well, and, of course, the troops under the command of General Hort, Germany, also performed brilliantly. The troops in the south holding the line along the river had completely collapsed, and the enemy troops poured into the gap like a tidal wave, and countless shells poured down on our flanks at once. Some front-line troops only knew that they had successfully withstood the Chinese forces facing them, but they had no way of knowing what was going on on their flanks and rear. They were confused by the sudden flanking blow...... What a story! We were scheduled to retreat at 10:30 p.m., and as we were retreating, we were hit by heavy artillery fire. …… In addition to being shocked, I was okay. ”

The Soviet troops began to retreat on all fronts, and more and more shells of the Chinese army fell on the heads of the Soviet troops, due to the poor communication system, Hoth initially only learned that the Chinese army had crossed the river, and he did not know anything about the subsequent disaster, until the Soviet 9th Army was routed, endangering the right flank of the German volunteers, and Hot realized the seriousness of the situation.

He was really annoyed by the practices of the Soviet High Command. From the very beginning of the war, they refused to use radio communication on the grounds that anyone could intercept radio signals and that telephones were safe. That means building countless miles of cables and often relying on overloaded civilian lines — but at least not for the Chinese.

Throughout the campaign, the issue of "communications security" was put to the test of actual combat. Some telephone lines were quickly crushed by Chinese tanks; Some telephone lines were carelessly cut by Soviet troops who were being transferred around; There were also telephone lines that were damaged as a result of the movement of various headquarters. Holt's command post alone was moved seven times in 10 days. The exhausted communications corps did not have time to hang up the line, and as a result, the German volunteers in the Soviet army fought "alone" like deaf people.

The flank of the Soviet army had been broken through by the Chinese army, but they did not receive any instructions from their superiors, and the Soviet front-line commander was as anxious as ants on a hot pot, not knowing what to do. Hoth, on the other hand, was calm and unfazed, and turned in good order to protect his exposed flanks and move his army back.

After June 27, Hort no longer had any direct contact with the Soviet General Headquarters on his left, the Soviet 17th Army on his right, and his immediate superiors Rokossovsky and Pavlov in the rear. Even most of the commanders under him could not deliver orders over the phone. The only reliable means of communication is to inspect in person or to use a communicator on a motorcycle. Annoyed, Hult came up with an easy way to communicate. As he drove through the countryside, he shoved a telegram into the end of his cane and stuck it out of the window. His correspondent would then drive a motorcycle to pick up the message and go to the recipient.

But driving along unfamiliar roads in search of constantly moving troops is tricky. Like the German correspondent Walter walked up to the three soldiers sitting on the side of the road, trying to ask for directions. As the locals approached, one of the soldiers put on a helmet, and Walter realized that they were Chinese soldiers.

Hult is well aware of the problems that arise from these poor communications. The troops are going to suffer because of this. At present, the Soviet army is still increasing its forces to the front line, and the order was issued just two days ago. As a "deaf" commander, Hort certainly did not expect the situation to turn so quickly and the troops were likely to experience a certain degree of confusion. Still, despite this, Hult has faith in his soldiers. Because he was under the command of a highly trained professional army in the German Army, it was believed that they would rely on their good military qualities to survive this difficult time.

However, it was such an army, and it was not expected that Hoult would be in the current embarrassing situation. Hodt had always believed that his Expeditionary Army was destined to do great things in the Soviet Union. He constantly admonished the unit commanders: "We must stay healthy for the coming battle." "But now...... Even the two-hour walking exercise he insisted on every day seemed to be preparing for the current "escape", which is a big joke. Run away? Holt's brain rested on the word that was disdainful of soldiers. Yes, I can't ignore this possible surname. Since the beginning of the war, Hoth has felt more and more deeply the weakness of the Soviet high command. General Pavlov was at first blindly optimistic, and later pessimistic and disappointed, and it is said that Zhukov had long wanted to remove him, and the commander-in-chief was clearly an abandoned and insignificant man. Pavlov, on the other hand, always seemed to be in a trance, and according to the staff of the command, the information he provided was neither good nor bad, but his practice of remaining silent for a long time aroused more and more suspicion. The general was now supposed to play a coordinating role between the Soviet-German armies, but he did not. Since the start of the war, Hort has never received his written instructions. Under such a command system, what awaits the German volunteers? Hott gasped, this is the essence of the German [***] team! 30,000 people, a lot of numbers! If they were all buried on the battlefields of the Soviet Union, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Hult walked slowly to the table, looked at the huge topographical map, and pondered for a long time. Finally, he picked up a red pen and circled the map in a large red circle.

Novosibirsk Front, Sirius rocket launch site.

The "Sirius" mobile rocket unit has an "artillery battery" as the basic unit. Each company consists of a company headquarters and a launch unit (consisting of three launch groups each carrying two rockets), a radio unit, a technical unit and a propellant unit. Sometimes it is also supported by army anti-aircraft artillery units. Due to the complex surname of the launch environment, all personnel of the rocket forces were equipped with light weapons and were required to "be able to fight like infantry" if necessary.

The target point of this launch was decided by the Chinese High Command. Sirius rockets cannot be launched randomly. After the target is determined, the radio detachment under the rocket company measures the optimal position of the launch pad and calculates the rocket's firing elements based on the measurement results. Of course, the radio detachment is also responsible for the communications of the troops in peacetime and wartime, and they are also equipped with mobile radar equipment that can monitor the flight status of rockets.

After the launch position is determined, the unloaded rocket truck arrives at the launch point, and the technicians load the rocket with the warhead and carry out the necessary checks, while at the same time, at the station where the oxidizer car stops, the propellant detachment uses oil pumps to inject liquid oxygen from the tanker into the liquid oxygen tanker towed by the tractor. The alcohol fuel and the hydrogen peroxide solution required for the operation of the turbopump are transported by ordinary tankers. The production and storage of these two propellants is relatively simple, so they are generally stored in nearby warehouses. The detachment is also equipped with a special pressurized pump truck.

The launch control vehicle of the rocket company was based on a half-track transporter, and the personnel seats at the rear of the hull were converted into a fully enclosed armored control room for 3 people; There is often a mobile rocket launch pad towed in the back. Once the launch pad is fixed in the designated position, technicians can erect the rocket and place it vertically on the launch pad in less than 12 minutes using the built-in hydraulics. Then, an artillery theodolite is used to measure whether the platform is level. If there is a deviation, it can be adjusted using a recessed jack on the launch pad support frame. When this work is completed, two folding tables on the erector arm are deployed.

First, the launch team climbed to the top bench through a ladder on the vertical arm, opened the hatch of the control system, inserted a cable connected to the power cart, and then charged the bud battery that powers navigation equipment such as gyroscopes. After that, they used built-in pressurized nitrogen to perform a "dry decontamination" test on the various propellant containers inside the missile body to ensure that there were no damage during transportation. Fragile graphite gas rudders were also mounted to the projectile body.

After the installation of the pipes and pumps, the propellant detachment began to fill the rocket with alcohol. At the same time, tankers converted from heavy-duty trucks transporting hydrogen peroxide began to use their own oil pumps to inject auxiliary propellant into cylindrical containers mounted on the upper part of the erection arms. From here, it uses gravity through a line to flow directly into a pressure tank inside the rocket. The calcium permanganate solution is manually injected by the production staff.

At the same time of refueling, the launch personnel located on the top workbench will connect the input signal cable connected to the fire control vehicle to the control interface of the rocket, and the crew in the fire control vehicle will input the pre-programmed launch metadata, and then the control cabin door will be closed, and the personnel will evacuate the workbench. Then the workbench is retracted, and the fixed pliers on the lifting arm are released and the vertical arm is lowered. At this point, all vehicles at the launch site were evacuated to a safe area between 100 and 150 meters from the launch pad. After that, the launcher installed the ignition to the bottom of the main combustion chamber.

After the above preparations were in place, the launch commander in the control vehicle issued a "1-minute countdown" command. In order to increase the safety factor, the rocket engine must first be "commissioned" with a thrust of 18.7 kN to 26.5 kN, in which case the rocket's turbine fan is not running, and liquid oxygen and alcohol are burned through gravity into the main combustion chamber. The commander checked the operation of the rocket engine by controlling the viewing slit in the rear of the vehicle. After he decided that everything was in order, he gave the order for the official launch. If the rocket arrives at the launch site, the entire launch process takes 1 to 2 hours; But if you start from fixing the launch pad at the designated launch position, the whole process will only take half an hour.

Nevertheless, the selection of mobile launch positions and launch points for the "Sirius" was based on a strict principle, that is, there was a railway station near the launch point for the unloading of rockets and propellants, and there was a road leading to the launch point that could meet the needs of large vehicles, so as to facilitate the rapid deployment, launch, and evacuation of the launch troops. Launch positions should reduce the chance of being detected from the air. The tall and dense mountain woodlands and coniferous forests of the Siberian region provided a good shelter for the rocket troops, and the road junctions through the forests served as launch points. In order to further avoid the occurrence of leakage of secrets, before launching, the missile unit will set up a warning ring within a radius of 400 to 800 meters from the launch point (the warning ring in China can be smaller, and vice versa), and strictly prohibit any unrelated personnel from entering the warning area. On the premise of satisfying the range, the firing point should be as close to the target as possible, because this can reduce the error of the habitual guidance system. However, this is a final factor to be taken into account.

Watching the rockets take off one after another, Yang Shuoming, who was standing on the observation platform, showed a look of satisfaction on his face.

"Where is Dongfang Bai now?" Yang Shuoming asked.

Hearing Yang Shuoming's sudden question, several generals around him quickly exchanged glances.

"The telegram I received just now should be with General Hu Lian of the 1st Armored Brigade of the instructor, and he is launching an attack on the Soviet army." Lieutenant General Yu Chengwan, commander of the 11th Mechanized Infantry Corps, replied.

"He himself took part in the battle?" Yang Shuoming suddenly guessed the hidden meaning in Yu Chengwan's words and asked.

"He might want to live the addiction of fighting in a tank." Yu Chengwan realized that he had spoken out of his mouth, and immediately changed his statement.

"Give me a tank, and I'll go and see it too." Yang Shuoming said.

Listening to Yang Shuoming's request, the surrounding generals were all taken aback.

"This ...... Too risky, right? ”

"I can fly here in a fighter jet, and of course I can fly over in a tank," Yang Shuoming looked at everyone and said calmly, "What, don't you have tanks?" ”

"For the sake of safety, the president should go there in a heavy tank." Cold sweat oozed from Yu Chengwan's head, "I just got 20 'White Tiger' heavy tanks there. ”

"If I'm not mistaken, this tank should be a transitional model of the 'Xuanwu' super-heavy tank," Yang Shuoming said, and the "supercomputer eye" quickly showed the relevant data about the "White Tiger" tank, "Very good, this is it." ”

In the "Xuanwu Project", the Chinese Army obtained the ideal heavy armored assault force, but the result of the "Xuanwu" super heavy tank was high regardless of the cost. But in the face of a world war that may be unimaginably larger in scale in the future, the Chinese army urgently needs a moderately expensive heavy armored fighting vehicle. To this end, the technicians modified and strengthened the chassis of the "Gray Wolf" tank, which has the highest usage rate, and named it the "White Tiger" VK7401 (S) heavy tank test vehicle.

As the ultimate enhanced version of the "Gray Wolf" series of tanks, the "White Tiger" is indeed a heavy tank that combines "high mobility, heavy firepower and heavy armor" and has the three capabilities of "running, attacking and defending". Moreover, a large number of mature technologies are used, and the expensive manufacturing costs are also well controlled. The prototype of the "White Tiger" artillery is the main gun of light cruisers and destroyers from the Chinese Navy, and a good surname can make it have strong combat effectiveness, a large number of mature products and technologies, and also control the cost of research and development.

"The president set off with the support troops, and at present, the Soviet troops in front of our army have been basically cleared, but it is also possible to encounter the enemy, and the president is requested to put the country first and be careful."

When he saw Yang Shuoming, who was wearing a tank cap, standing in the turret of a "White Tiger" tank, Yu Chengwan's palms were sweating.

He now somewhat understands who Dongfang Bai was influenced by when he was young.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Yang Shuoming smiled and nodded at Yu Chengwan. And then, like an ordinary tankman, waiting for the order to go.

Soon, a red flare rose in the sky, the commander gave the battle order, and hundreds of tanks were launched together, making an earth-shattering roar.

The neatly lined up tanks began to move forward, and Yang Shuoming stood in the turret, only half of his body exposed, looking into the distance.

In the sky, the Chinese Air Force fighters of the brigade roared past, and the sound of artillery was faintly heard in the distance, and a huge column of smoke rose into the air, like a thick cloud, obscuring the sky, indicating that a fierce battle was going on there.

The tank drove up a high slope and then drove down, Yang Shuoming stared into the distance, because he had a "supercomputer eye", so he didn't need a telescope to see the situation ahead.

It may be that Yang Shuoming is equipped with the best tanker, the "White Tiger" under his feet is fast and steady when moving, Yang Shuoming can feel the skill of the members of this tank and the excellent ability of the tank, for the upcoming battle, he is like an ordinary soldier, full of confidence in victory.

As the tanks moved forward for a short time, the smell of gunpowder smoke in the air became thicker and the visibility decreased, indicating that the battlefield was getting closer.

"There are enemy tanks." Yang Shuoming's "super computer eye" instantly captured the figure of the enemy in the distance.

"Huh? Where is it? Sergeant Zhu Guiming, the commander, asked a little nervously.

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a bang, and about 200 meters in front of the tank group, there was a sudden explosion.

"There are enemies! They are firing at us! Gunner Wang Kai shouted.

"Damn smoke! Where are they? Sergeant Zhu Guiming looked a little anxious, Yang Shuoming knew that he might not usually be like this, and the reason why he behaved like this was because he was in the car.

"At 10 o'clock." Yang Shuoming said.

"Oh?" Zhu Guiming stared at the periscope, but he didn't see anything.

(To be continued)