Heilongjiang, Zha Lai Nuoer. This name appears repeatedly in the history of the battle described in the Middle Road, which shows that this was the focus of contention between the two sides in the war.

The three most tragic battles of this battle, which was later advertised as the great victory in Manchuria, were later advertised by official Chinese historical sources, and are known as the first, second, and third offensive and defensive battles of Zhainuoer. Let us now return to April 15, 1927, the ninth day after the first battle of the Zarainor. The 40,000 Soviet Red Army once again crossed the border and surged from the northwest, opening the prelude to the tragic Second Assault and Defense Battle of Zalainor!

How many days can Zalainuoer keep it?

This question haunts the minds of all the senior generals on both sides. If this small city can hold out for a few days, it will most likely determine the outcome of the entire war! Now the [***] squadron on the front line from Manchuria to Hailar is divided into three parts, and the seven divisions of Zhang Xueliang's corps stuck in Manchuria are about 70,000 people. The 24th Division of the CSKA Army, which held on to Zalainor, was about 10,000 men. To the west, Luo Yaoguo's corps, which had reached Hailar, had two divisions plus a Fengjun chariot of about 50,000 people.

It is nearly 170 kilometers from Hailar to Zalainuoer, a distance that can be reached in a day for a motorized army. For the 18th Kuomintang Division and the 3rd Central Division, which were still relying on foot and horse-drawn artillery, it would take at least two days. If the 24th Han Guang Division of Zha Lai Nuoer can survive these two days, on the third day, the hundreds of thousands of troops of Zhang Xueliang's corps and Luo Yaoguo's corps will flank the Soviet Red Army besieging Zha Lai Nuoer. With several times the strength and roughly equal artillery firepower, there will be an unprecedented and tragic Armageddon with Blyukhel's Soviet Red Banner Special Far Eastern Army! If...... If Zalainuoer is captured by the Soviet Red Army within two days, the initiative on the battlefield will return to the hands of Blyukher, whether to attack Luo Yaoguo's corps first, or destroy Zhang Xueliang entrenched in Manchuria first, it will all depend on his old man's will.

Perhaps there is a providence in the dark, in this time and space, it is still Han Guangdi who is guarding in Zha Lai Nuoer, the general of the Northeast Army who died heroically in Zha Lai Nuoer in history, is now standing on the roof of the Zha Lai Nuoer Railway Station, overlooking the entire battlefield.

After nine days and nights of construction, this town on the Middle East Road has now been transformed into a real fortress. Two rings of trenches were dug around the town, connected by dozens of communication trenches, and from a high vantage point they looked like a spider's web full of traps, waiting for the prey to come to the door. Tens of thousands of small Kuomintang-sponsored mines were also planted outside the trenches...... The explosive power of this kind of mine seems to be a little small, and it is estimated that it is difficult to kill people, and at first glance it is the product produced by those unscrupulous destroyers in the south. Fortunately, there were a lot of them, and they were densely buried around the town, forming the first line of defense with the barbed wire fence with the Krupp logo on the packaging.

Within the two trenches were fortifications made from the town's fortified buildings, including the railway station, the coal mining company building, warehouses and a hospital. The four reinforced concrete buildings, the strongest in the town, were now reinforced by the 24th Division sappers with railroad tracks dismantled from the China Eastern Railway, and sandbags were layered on top of the buildings to reduce damage from the shelling. All the windows in the building were knocked out, and sandbags were used to form machine-gun firing points.

Some of the brick and wood buildings in the center of the town have been bulldozed, clearing a large open space for artillery positions, where fifteen 75mm mountain guns have been placed. Behind each mountain gun there are also artillery bunkers made of sandbags and railroad tracks. Unless it is a direct hit by a 152mm grenade, it is difficult to destroy it with scattered fragments, and it is difficult to injure the Fengjun gunners who are protected by bunkers.

A strong defensive position composed of a large number of fortifications such as Shaolin abbots, trenches, machine gun bunkers, anti-artillery shelters, and mortar bunkers was also built in just nine days, and the defense here was the 48th Central Brigade, whose brigade commander was named [***] Yu. Like Han Guangdi, he is a young and promising young Zhuang general in the Feng army, and he is also Zhang Xueliang's confidant.

…… It's already April, and Heilongjiang Province, the northernmost province of China, is also showing a hint of spring. On both sides of the road leading westward from Hailar are large areas of grassland that have just emerged green shoots, and they are all beautiful emerald green from a distance. In the midst of this emerald green grassland, there is a long yellow dragon rolling forward, infantry, cavalry, baggage soldiers, 105mm howitzers pulled by tall horses of strong European origin, eighteen 150mm heavy guns towed by imported Mercedes-Benz trucks, and even sixty Renault FT-17 light tanks and forty armored personnel carriers...... The Fengjun Combat Fleet and the Whampoa Military Academy Teaching Corps Combat Brigades are now mixed together, and they are also attached to an elite infantry regiment to form an "armored brigade." This was naturally Guderian's idea, and he is now happily sitting in an armored car, acting as the commander of this temporary armored brigade! According to Guderian's estimates, there is no infantry division on the planet that can hold back this hastily woven armored brigade. When they arrived at the front line of Zalainor, they used this armored brigade as a sharp knife to pierce the key nodes of the Soviet Red Army defense line...... It should be possible to win big! However, listening to the tone, the father of the blitzkrieg in the future, is not too sure now. After all, it was the first time for him to command a tank group operation, and this kind of thing that could work theoretically could also be greatly defeated.

Luo Yaoguo was now sitting in an open-top wheeled armored car, holding a freshly baked battle plan in his hand, and Rommel, who was sitting next to him, was selling his genius plan with a fluttering eyebrow. This battle plan...... It's basically attacking, attacking, and attacking. Regardless of whether the opponent was 10,000 Soviet Red Army or 40,000 Soviet Red Army, Rommel's tactic was to take the initiative to attack. The armored brigade was used as a sharp knife to pierce the Soviet defense line, and then the main force of the 18th Division and the 3rd Division under the command of Yu Xuezhong followed up to expand the results of the battle.

"General Luo, except for this hill and the town of Zhainuoer, the front line of Zhalainor is a grassland that is difficult to defend...... And I believe that the Soviet Red Army will not build a strong line of defense on the steppe to stop our army. One they don't have that time. Second, in their eyes, the [***] team is probably not worthy of their attention, right? According to intelligence from the front, this time the Soviet Red Army committed about 50,000 troops to attack Zalainoor. I reckon it will be difficult for Zalainore to defend for two days, so the plan of the east-west flank may not work. However, the two-day battle will also fatigue the Soviet army...... In this case, we should not give them time to recuperate, but should immediately attack, using the armored brigades in our hands as the vanguard, with the support of aircraft and heavy artillery, to deliver unexpected and fatal blows to the adversary. ”

Luo Yaoguo looked at the rumbling army on both sides, which included tanks, armored vehicles, heavy artillery, and even forty CR.1 fighters. This fighter is a little newer than the Fokker DR.3 used by the Soviet Air Force, and the Italian craftsmanship is said to be better than that of the Soviets, which is Richthofen's assessment. This army was only somewhat weaker than its opponents in terms of artillery, and the Soviet Red Army estimated that there were five artillery regiments, more than two hundred and forty cannons, of which there should have been another 152mm howitzer regiment. And in his own hands there are only one hundred and twenty-six cannons, of which only eighteen are 150mm caliber heavy guns. Therefore, if you give your opponent a chance to breathe and let them swing out on the grassland to fight a head-on battle with you, your army will not have much chance of winning...... Surprise and use armored forces to make a surprise attack, disrupt the opponent's position, and plunge the opponent into chaos should be the best tactic, right?

"The key now is ...... Zalainor! If the Feng army can hold out there for two days, we can take advantage of the fact that the Soviet army has not adjusted its battle line and launch a sudden attack. I believe that with the forces we have at our disposal we will be able to defeat them. Luo Yaoguo took a deep breath and agreed to Rommel's plan. In fact, just because someone called Rommel, this plan should be an excellent battle plan, right? And most of this is also the wisdom of Guderian.

...... "Brethren! We have no way back! Behind that is the hometown where we live. Stepping back, those savage and cruel Russians will come to kill our families, rape our sisters, plunder our wealth, and swallow our land...... Our Fengjun was raised by 30 million villagers in Northeast China with their blood and sweat, and now is the time for us to repay the kindness of our hometown fathers and elders for raising us. ”

The area around the railway station was now full of officers and men of the 24th Division, and baskets of silver and shining ocean money were also put out. He pointed to the ocean of money in front of him, and said:

"Here...... It was the young marshal who rewarded our division, as well as a little savings from someone in my Han for many years. It's time for everyone! If any of you survive this battle, use the money to buy a house, buy land, and raise children. If you can't survive, then I, Han, can only assure you that I, Han Guangdi, and Zalainuoer will live and die together! Survive and die with the 24th Division! Never take a step back! ”

"The people are in the position! Never take a step back! Defend the Northeast! Defend China! Defend ......"

As the slogans of defending the home and the country sounded one after another, the fighting spirit of all the officers and men of the 24 th Division became more and more vigorous. This battle was the 24th Division, and it was the Feng Army that fought to defend the country. Even if they die in battle, future generations will not forget them, right? Uh, will you forget? China really should have a place like the Yasukuni Shrine...... Enshrine all the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the country! It does not matter whether the war is won or lost, or whether it is "just" or not.

April 15, 16th year of the Republic of China, 11 o'clock in the morning.

With a cry: "Shelling...... Shelling...... Take cover! The cry of the voice. The second offensive and defensive battle of Zalainuoer officially began.

More than 200 cannons of various calibers were lined up on the artillery position about five kilometers northwest of the small town of Zalainuoer. The muzzles of the Black Hole were all pointed at the town in the southwest. With Blyukhel's order, one shell after another was pushed into the chamber of the cannon, and the fire ropes were pulled, and tongues of fire erupted from each muzzle!

Shells with long tails of flame swirled and flew towards the peaceful town opposite, spreading death and hatred in a foreign land! Standing on the high ground behind the artillery position and watching this scene, Blyukhel couldn't help but show a smug smile, as if he saw the glittering golden rank of marshal, the red Order of Lenin, and ...... The throne of a member of the Politburo in Moscow.

"Boom! Rumble! Boom ......"

The ensuing cannonballs began to pound the ground of the town violently, and the whole town seemed to be trembling at this moment, experiencing a torture from purgatory. The exploding cannonball unleashed a furious shockwave, and shrapnel representing the Grim Reaper's scythe swirled at high speed through the Bong army's positions, turning all exposed life to ashes.

The artillery of the Soviet Red Army represented the barbarism and great industrial power of the country, and the intensity of this shelling was simply unimaginable to the officers and soldiers of the Bong from the agrarian country. The officers and men huddled in the trenches, resigned to their fate, were now pale and trembling, praying that the terrible explosions would cease sooner. Although these people are considered national heroes in our later generations (and some people are not), they are also ordinary people, not the kind of superheroes who wear their underwear outside. They...... Will also be afraid of death, and very afraid! In this day and age, there is no one who hides in the trenches and is bombed, except for madmen, who are not afraid. These damn Russian shells will fall into the trenches with a certain probability...... Then a few or dozens of heroes who defended the Motherland turned into heroic spirits.

Theoretically, it is a matter of probability that a shell falls into a trench and takes a life, so the more shells that are fired into the position, the greater the probability of falling into the trench! On the other hand, the advanced industrialized countries are exchanging the output of factories for the appointment of backward agricultural countries! Such is the cruelty of war in this era!

Looking through Blyuhel's telescope, the entire town of Zalainoll was enveloped in columns of smoke and fireballs. Because the density of the Soviet artillery bombardment was too high, these columns of smoke did not rise in rows, but in large patches almost at the same time, and the old columns of smoke had not yet dispersed, and new ones were produced one after another. In the end, the whole town was completely enveloped in black-blue smoke and orange-red firelight, and the people inside, whether they were Chinese white soldiers or Chinese civilians...... Probably all wiped out, right?

Thinking of this, a faint sneer appeared at the corner of Blyukhel's mouth. This war seems to be won too easily, not exciting at all!

Finally...... The shelling stopped abruptly. The town is still shrouded in black smoke, and I don't know if there is any life in it? But with or without it, the routine offensive of the Soviet infantry always had to continue. About two thousand jubilant Soviet Red Army fighters lined up in a charging formation outside the town. Behind them, several political commissars, who were also in high spirits, talked a lot about the liberation of all mankind, and then, for the first time, did not set up machine guns behind the attacking troops to supervise the battle...... In a few years, this will be the crime of General Blyukhel for sabotaging the Soviet army, and send this invader, who was loved by some Chinese in another time and space, to the execution ground! The people who were actually purged by the Soviet Union...... Not all are wronged. They are not killed because they are good people, but because they are not bad enough, they are killed by people who are bad enough!

An assault that looked like a garden walk began, and two thousand lazy Russians, in various loose positions, carried their rifles. Many people were still chatting about the Chinese flower girl while walking, discussing where to go to have a good time after the victory, and did not treat the Chinese soldiers in the opposite position as dishes at all.

Suddenly, there was a thud...... A very small explosion, so small that not even a single person could be killed. A heart-rending scream followed, which was very incongruous with this "garden walk"-style attack! Following the direction of the scream, the attacking Okor saw an unlucky guy lying on the ground, screaming and crying with two hands holding a bloody thigh! It seems that the feet are gone. It turned out that some of the tens of thousands of small mines buried around the town had survived the shelling just now, and now the group of Russians seemed to have walked into a minefield.

"Attack! Go on the offensive! Don't stop......" The political commissar's roar rang out in the distance, accompanied by the sound of machine guns being erected.

Seeing that the real thing was going to be moved later, the Russian soldiers naturally did not dare to slack off. I had to cover my head and start charging, praying in my heart that I wouldn't step on a damn mine. However, the roaring explosions and heart-rending screams still rang out one after another, so that Blyukhel, who was watching the battle in the rear, was not upset.

At this time, he was in the ranks of the attacking Russians. Suddenly, there were clusters of smoke in the air, and then an explosion rang out, knocking out the not-so-loose queues of the Russians, and the Fengshan artillery deployed in the town began to wield. However, the shelling was not intensive and did not last long, only about two minutes of continuous shelling. This was to prevent the need for a counterattack by the opposing artillery. According to the research of Han Guangdi and the artillery commander, each shelling can only last two minutes, and then the cannon must be dragged into the adjacent anti-artillery bunker...... Otherwise, it would have been counterattacked by enemy artillery.

(To be continued)