On the afternoon of October 10, 1932.

Looking south from the city of Gancharal, Khapaev saw a column of smoke rising from the middle of the Aleresa River, as if dozens of volcanoes were erupting at the same time. The sound of guns and motors came like raging waves on the seashore. The commanders and staff officers of the Eastern Road Cluster Command of the Central Asian Front of the Soviet Army, which was sitting in the city of Gancharal, were all anxious. Now the battlefield to the south has become a meat grinder that constantly devours human lives. From 5:30 a.m. yesterday to now, the armored troops of the Chinese army have launched 7 armored assaults in a row! The Soviet defense line had long been broken, almost all tanks and heavy anti-aircraft artillery had been destroyed, and there were also massive losses in artillery. We can only rely on the bravery and fearlessness of the officers and men of the Red Army, and constantly fill it with human lives!

One after another, well-trained and well-equipped infantry battalions, infantry regiments that were supposed to be created in the world revolution fell in formation under the fire and tracks of the enemy's armored forces, and soon suffered heavy losses, lost their combat capability, and had to withdraw from the battlefield. Khapaev now feels like a red-eyed gambler, constantly putting his chips on the table, regardless of the fact that his pocket is running out of money. The only thing that made him feel relieved was that the number of enemy annihilations reported below also looked quite a lot. In the past 36 hours, his forces have annihilated 100,000 Chinese reactionary troops, destroyed thousands of tanks and armored vehicles, shot down more than 100 planes, and captured more than 1,000 prisoners...... There seemed to be a little less prisoners, and the captures were insignificant. Any commander who has jīngyàn knows that there must be some catticity or special circumstance behind the extremely disparity in the number of captured (captured) and enemy annihilated.

But now, no one cares about these details. As long as the troops below can hold out on to the line a little longer. Even if they exaggerate the results by 10 times. However, Khapayev felt that the combat strength and morale of his troops were running out, and it was likely that there would be no way to hold out for a few more days. The report for help has been sent, but in exchange for a joint rebuke from Frunze and Bubnov. It doesn't matter if you can't get reinforcements, but what makes Khapayev even more depressed is that the logistics supply of the army has problems because of the indiscriminate bombardment of the Chinese Air Force! The ammunition delivery on the 9th was only 50 per cent of the planned, and today it is only 55 per cent, and the request for the redeployed 76.2mm anti-aircraft artillery unit was not granted. The reason was that the Chinese HE111 medium bombers attacked Karaganda, Bishkek, Tashkent, and Dushanbe on the night of the 9th, and the Central Asian Front had to send a small number of antiaircraft artillery units to defend the airspace of those large Central Asian cities.

By the time it was getting dark, the Central Asian Front Command in Karaganda seemed to be aware of the plight facing the Eastern Route Cluster. Frunze and Bubnov agreed that the eastern road cluster could not hold out. The order to abandon the positions along the Alaresa River and shrink the transfer towards Akdouka.

But how easy is it to carry out such an order? The line of the Alaresa River was a battle for millions of people. And the entire defense line of the Soviet army's eastern road cluster is about to be cut off from the middle by the Chinese armored forces! After seven assaults, the Chinese armored corps had advanced 25 kilometers to the north bank of the Aleresa River, like a huge guillotine falling from the sky. More than 400,000 Soviet troops are about to be cut in two! If there is no significant number of elite troops left behind, plugging the gun holes. The retreat of more than 400,000 troops will definitely turn into a complete rout under the attack of Chinese armored forces! As for what kind of troops can block the armored clusters of the Chinese, Khapaev really can't imagine. Therefore, he thought that instead of being defeated in the retreat, it would be better to shrink the troops into two clusters, east and west, and let the Chinese divide and encircle...... At least until the supplies of the two clusters are exhausted, it is impossible for the more than 400,000 troops to be defeated by the opponent, and they can still contain a similar number of Chinese troops.

After Khapayev reported his opinion to the command of the Central Asian Front, Frunze and Bubnov were in a dilemma. On the one hand, they all knew how difficult it was for hundreds of thousands of infantry to retreat under the pursuit of enemy armored clusters; On the other hand, they were not sure that they could do so before the besieged East Road cluster was wiped out. Use the Budyonny cavalry cluster, the western route, and the southern route cluster to achieve a decisive victory in the Battle of Central Asia. Even Frunze did not know what exactly the decisive victory in the battle for Central Asia was? Is it really occupied Dihua and Almaty? As long as Bai Chongxi's more than 400,000 main forces and the materials of the Communist Youth League City are still there, why is it difficult to recapture Almaty? As for Budyonny's hundreds of thousands of cavalry, really dare to spend the winter in Dihua? The Chinese only need to place an armored cavalry division and an infantry corps on the line of Tacheng and Jaisangbo. Will Budyonny's hundreds of thousands of red cavalry be able to come back?

And just when the command of the Central Asian Front in Karaganda fell into a long period of hesitation and debate, the 8th armored assault organized by Bai Chongxi began again!

Due to the considerable losses suffered in the first seven assaults, in the eighth armored assault, the 2nd Panzer Cavalry Corps took out less than 400 tanks and assault artillery (including 75 pursuers), but still invested more than 60,000 troops.

The armored battalion commanded by Su Zhiyu still had 42 capable pursuers, so it was arranged to take the lead again. The formation of this round of assault is also different from the previous 7 times, because the Soviet tank and anti-tank firepower has been exhausted, the Chinese army has not put the firepower strong, but the weakly armored C-type self-propelled guns are placed in the rear of the armored assault formation, but mixed with the pursuers at the forefront. The shells fired by the 150mm self-propelled infantry guns, the 105mm self-propelled howitzers, the 75mm cannons of the Stalkers, and the Type 31 45mm cannons fell on the heads of the Soviet infantry like eyed raindrops. Large and small explosion points are like churning magma, gushing out one after another.

The fate of the Soviet officers and soldiers who held the line seemed to have reached the final moment, but these GCIST fighters still had no intention of giving up. Red Army soldiers, holding red flags and shouting revolutionary slogans, were still desperately resisting. The few 37mm anti-tank guns had been completely destroyed, and the hastily dug anti-tank trenches could not hold back the tracks of the pursuers at all. The Soviet positions were full of commandos who had been killed with anti-tank grenade launchers and anti-tank grenades. However, the fighters in front fell in a pool of blood, and the Soviet officers and soldiers who had just joined the party and regiment rushed up like a tide.

However, there are no new reserves in Khapaev's hands, and now the troops that are filling the battlefield. Either improvised cobbled together logistics units and personnel of headquarters at all levels, or exhausted divisions drawn from the battlefields on both flanks. Such troops were able to block the assault of the armored forces of the Chinese army with heavy casualties, and they really fulfilled their responsibilities as GC fighters! But the time of exhaustion will eventually come. When they retreated to the last trench, they could not see any new troops building a new line, and even the sound of artillery bombardment in support of them gradually became quieter. Everyone thought about this key point to maintain the contact of hundreds of thousands of troops. Is it really going to be lost in your own hands?

Krylov, a senior staff officer of the 39th Soviet Army, received a red flag from the newly fallen chief of staff of the army, waved it vigorously in a rain of bullets, and sang the Internationale. Inspired by him. The Red Army fighters, who were on the verge of collapse, raised their bayonet-mounted rifles and anti-tank grenade launchers and began their final charge. In front of them, dozens of tanks and assault artillery stopped their advance, using their main guns and machine guns of different calibers. Hit a rain of bullets that was enough to flood the entire trench! Countless GCIST fighters have turned into wounded soldiers who are dying and screaming. Shouting "Mommy" or the name of a loved one awaits death. Krylov was also one of them, but even at the last moment of his life, this strong GCD man was still not weak, he shouted the slogan of long live the world revolution and pulled the grenade on his body, and died with several Chinese infantry who rushed into the trenches!

Krylov's heroic actions seemed to infect many dying Soviet officers and soldiers, the roar of grenade explosions came and went, and the Chinese infantry, seeing that the situation was not right, also stopped the assault, but under the cover of tanks. Rows and rows of grenades were thrown into Soviet trenches.

"Report to the Divisional Commander! My 102 Panzer Battalion has broken through the Soviet positions! No new Soviet defensive positions were found ahead! The Soviet defense line has been cut off by our army! ”

Su Zhiyu's excited shouts finally sounded in the communicator of the armored command vehicle in which Liao Lei, Zheng Zhongyuan, Luo Zhuoying and others were riding. These armored generals, who had been commanding the troops for more than 40 hours, were not happy, and they issued orders one after another. Infantry riding on tracked armored personnel carriers. Wave after wave were sent to the front line to consolidate their positions, and trucks loaded with bullets and fuel also ventured to the front line to replenish tanks and armored vehicles that had just experienced a bitter battle. Tracked tank repair vehicles were also driven, and the mechanics of the armored units were busy repairing every damaged vehicle. Tanks and artillery refueled with fuel and ammunition soon rumbled again, this time targeting the rear assembly area of the Soviet troops. The Soviet armies of the 6 armies north of the Alaresa River have been split in two by the Chinese armored corps, and it is time to divide them and encircle them!

Bai Chongxi, who got the news, didn't look too excited, and such a result seemed to be a matter of course. With 750 tanks, assault artillery, more than 3,000 artillery pieces, hundreds of aircraft, and the strength of nine armies, it took almost 48 hours to divide the 500,000 Soviet troops with far inferior weapons and equipment into two parts, which was really not a great victory.

He just asked in a deep voice: "Is there any sign of retreat of the Soviet army?" Are there any signs of panic? And where is that Soviet cavalry cluster? ”

Liu Mingzhao, chief of staff of the Northwest Front, looked gloomy for a while: "The Soviet army seems to have no intention of retreating, let alone signs of panic, their two wings are still holding on, and the artillery positions have also been transferred in advance, it seems that they plan to form two ring defense systems to continue to hold on." That Soviet cavalry cluster may have passed through the county town of Tory by now, and is approaching Karamay......"

"Advance 100 kilometers in less than 30 hours!" Hearing the marching speed of the Soviet cavalry cluster, Bai Chongxi couldn't help but frown.

"They should be one man and two horses, and they will not hesitate to march at all costs." Liu Mingzhao reminded. "But please rest assured, Commander-in-Chief Zhu has already concentrated an infantry division and two national guard divisions in Dihua City, with almost 40,000 people, and it should be no problem to hold on for ten days and half a month. Moreover, the line of the Alaresa River is in an emergency, and these Soviet cavalry may not have the heart to fight Dihua. ”

"Is there any news from Wu Yushuai?" Bai Chongxi jumped out of the armored command vehicle. Several staff officers of his command had already rolled out a military map on the hood of a wheeled armored car.

"The troops under the command of Yu Shuai have been disengaged from the Soviet army, they do not have many cavalry, and they have a lot of heavy equipment. So the people who can't catch up with us. Liu Mingzhao hastily finished talking about the situation at Wu Peifu's end, then stretched out his finger and pointed at Tacheng on the map and said, "Jian Shuai, are we going to send a cavalry army to Tacheng?" ”

"Go to Tacheng...... Bo Cheng, are you worried about the Soviet cavalry cluster? ”

Liu Mingzhao nodded and said with a wry smile: "Jian Shuai, don't you think we eat a little bit in this bite?" Surrounded 6 Soviet armies at once, there are always more than 400,000 people, right? The bite is the bite. I'm afraid it's hard to swallow...... Now the Soviet cavalry cluster is only more than 300 kilometers away from us, and if you are not afraid of running a dead horse, you can get there in four days. There are still six Soviet army groups on the southern front, and it is estimated that they will soon get rid of Wu Yushuai's entanglement and come north to attack the Komsomol City, but fortunately, they are infantry and the marching speed is slow. It always takes 8 to 10 days to get it in place. At that time, if we can't defeat the 6 Soviet army groups that are surrounded. I'm afraid I'll ......."

"It's 1.2 million to more than 400,000!" Bai Chongxi smiled faintly and walked out of the temporary headquarters, Liu Mingzhao also followed behind him, and the two walked up to the high place one after the other. It's so close to the front line that you don't need a telescope to see the raging war ahead. In the center of the Soviet defensive line, the sound of gunfire and fire had gradually subsided, and everywhere there were Chinese infantry and cavalry rushing towards the enemy's flank with torches. On the east and west flanks of the Soviet defensive line, there was still dense gunfire coming. The flames of the shell explosion reddened most of the night sky.

Obviously, the trapped Soviet troops are still resisting stubbornly. The final winner of this battle has not yet been decided!

Bai Chongxi turned around and gave an order to Liu Mingzhao, the chief of staff beside him: "The 7th Cavalry Corps under the 2nd Armored Army immediately rushed to the front line of Tacheng Alahu, and together with the 1st National People's Militia Garrison, blocked the Soviet cavalry cluster that came to the rescue. The main force of the 2nd Panzer Army and the 3rd Army were under the unified command of Commander Liao of the 2nd Panzer Army, and the eastern flank cluster of the besieged Soviet army was annihilated within 7 days. The 4th Army encircled the western flank cluster of the besieged Soviet army by encircling three and one, and if the enemy broke through to the north, it could follow and pursue with one unit......"

Liu Mingzhao stood there, carefully recording Bai Chongxi's orders, and sighed slightly when he heard that Bai Chongxi was going to let go of half of the besieged Soviet army. This slight change in expression was seen by Bai Chongxi, and Bai Chongxi smiled bitterly: "It's a pity, isn't it?" ”

Liu Mingzhao shook his head: "It's a pity, we only have this bit of strength, and we don't have this tooth to eat 6 Soviet army group armies." He paused, but then said: "It would be nice if the Northwest Front had one more army group, no, two more infantry armies, so that Frunze's six army groups would have to stay on the north bank of the Alaresa River!" With that, he saluted Bai Chongxi, turned around and walked towards the forward headquarters under the hill.

On the long lines of positions around the city of Lepser, sparse shells fell from time to time, and countless Soviet infantry were braving artillery fire to build fortifications. Khapaev's temporary command post had been moved from Gancharal to the small city with the Balkhatian Lake at its back, facing the Aleresa River, and nearly 200,000 troops belonging to the Soviet 29th, 31st and 33rd armies had been assembled around the city of Lepse. None of these troops suffered much loss during the two days of fierce fighting, and the terrain around Repser was easy to defend. In addition, Lake Balkhatians was the boundary lake between China and the Soviet Union, and there was a small Soviet Red Navy river fleet, which could deliver small supplies and ammunition to the trapped Soviet troops. Therefore, after Khapayev learned that the Soviet defense line was about to be cut off by the opponent, he immediately moved the headquarters here, and even rushed some of the supplies piled up in Akdouka to Lepsser, preparing to hold out here to the end.

As for the 34th, 36th and 39th armies, which were besieged more than 30 kilometers to the east, Khapayev was really powerless. In the past two days, the focus of the Chinese army's armored group assault was the defensive positions of the 39th Group Army, the four divisions of the group army have almost been exhausted, and there are less than 20,000 people left in total, and the artillery group of the group army has also been crushed by the broken through Chinese armored forces. Fortunately, the losses of the other two armies were slightly smaller, and the artillery clusters were saved due to the timely transfer (which was also related to the slower pace of the Chinese armored clusters). However, there was not much ammunition and supplies left, and there was no favorable terrain to take advantage of, and under the all-out onslaught of the Chinese army, it was only a matter of time before the whole army was annihilated, and even Khapayev and Frunze in Karaganda had no hope, but only asked them to delay as long as possible and contribute a little more to the final victory of the world revolution. Of course, don't forget to sacrifice heroically after making contributions! Being captured in the Soviet Union was basically equivalent to treason and surrendering to the enemy, and even if you survive until the day of the victory of the world revolution, you will not be able to escape severe sanctions......