The Third Army, which was rapidly advancing from the Kemerovo line, concentrated more than a thousand tanks to expand the breakthrough in the southeastern direction of Novosibirsk, and its right flank advanced to the support points of the forward positions of the Soviet troops.

In order to resolve the crisis on the front, the Soviet High Command threw the 22nd Army and the 17th Mechanized Army, which were mobilized from Kuibyshev and Omsk, into battle in an attempt to carry out a counter-assault southwest of Kemerovo in the south of the front in an attempt to crush the offensive of the Chinese Wehrmacht.

The fighting was still moving in favor of the Chinese Defense Forces, and Novokuznetsk was finally fully occupied, and the remnants of the Soviet 62nd Army in Abakan fled to Barnaul, where a new line of defense was formed together with the original Soviet 21st Army.

On April 26, the Soviet 6th Tank Group, the 11th Tank Group, and the 38th Army were forced to begin to retreat to the defensive areas on the outskirts of the Novosibirsk city. The entire Tomsk, Kemerovo, Abakan, and Novokuznetsk were completely occupied by the Chinese Defense Forces.

The Soviets concentrated five armies (four of which had already suffered heavy losses, including the 16th Army, which had escaped death from Tomsk) and established the last line of defense of the Siberian Military District on the Novosibirsk-Barnaul line.

The 3rd and 10th armies of the Chinese National Defense Forces, having a strong force of 8 corps, finally surrounded Novosibirsk from the east and north.

At the same time, the Ninth Army of the Chinese Defense Forces on the Northern Front, having occupied the Surgutikha and Norilsk regions, captured Nova Urengoy one after another on April 26, annihilating one Soviet army.

The 93rd Army of the Ninth Army occupied Nadem. Now the troops of the Ural Military District of the Soviet Army were under the command of Commander Chuikov. Three armies were deployed along the Ob River from the line of Nyagan, Surgut and Nizhnevartovsk, and two more armies were deployed in Tyumen, Kurgan, Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk.

For more than half a month, the Tenth Army made the greatest advance on the southern front, with the 101st Army and the Chinese Defense Force's original garrison in Iran occupying Ashgabat, and the 82nd Army and the 91st Army having already occupied Zhezkazgan and advanced north of the Caspian Sea.

The 22nd Reserve Army had already occupied Karaganda and Astana and was preparing to attack Pavlodar, and the Turkmen Military District of the Soviet Army, after losing 4 corps (all infantry corps that were not fully formed), concentrated the last troops and the reinforcements in the rear, a total of 2 armies, to defend Pavlodar and provide defensive support for Novosibirsk.

By the end of April, with the success of Chen Gengpeng's mid-line breakthrough plan. The Chinese National Defense Forces broke the deadlock on all fronts. There was a situation of rapid offensive, and now the first line of defense deployed by the Soviet army along the border had the last nail left - Novosibirsk.

May 2nd. Novosibirsk. Command of the Siberian Military District of the Soviet Army.

In the days before. Both the Soviet Army and the Chinese National Defense Forces ceased large-scale military operations, recuperating in order to prepare for the next round of more brutal killings.

At this time, Konev, the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Front of the Soviet Army, had been promoted to marshal because of his timely adjustment of deployment. As a result, the Chinese National Defense Forces did not take a significant advantage in the previous stage of a month and a half of fighting.

"The base camp has sent new military ranks and shiny military medals, but they haven't sent what we need most!" Although Konev is now the newly promoted marshal, he does not seem to be happy in the slightest. A month ago, he was the commander of the Steppe Army of the General Reserve, but now he was transferred to the Eastern Front as commander-in-chief, and the weight on his shoulders made him feel out of breath, "What we need now are tanks...... A large number of tanks, but the factories in the Urals are not able to provide us with sufficient, advanced tank ......"

"I said Brother Sergei, what's wrong with you?" Vatujing also didn't have much of a good mood at this time, but he understood that this was not the time to complain, and he should do everything possible to drag down the tank army that seemed to be forever wiped out, "It's better not to say this, have you forgotten them, now is not the time to say these things." ”

"Hmph...... Thinking of boosting morale at this time? If only I could...... If I could......" Konev still didn't finish the rest of his words, "the day before yesterday in Moscow, I saw Timoshenko and Meretskov, and the situation on their side was not very good. Germany has massively increased its troops in Moscow again, which is not optimistic......"

"Oh?" Vatutin has been inspecting the front line for the past two days, so he has only time to speak to this marshal comrade who has just received a promotion from Moscow, "I heard that Pavlov has been arrested, and Germany has been fighting Moscow for two years, and it is not that it has not been defeated, and this war of attrition will not end so quickly. Hold Moscow ......"

"Meretskov is having a hard time, huh...... Rokossovsky, who took over the north-west, was also under tremendous pressure, and the situation was much worse for him. Konev picked up a cup of coffee, and although it was already cold, he raised it and took a sip, "The boss has offered to stay the course on the Moscow issue, but I don't think Timoshenko seems to have the ability." Because we don't have too many superior forces to support a two-sided war now. In order to keep Moscow as much as possible, it is necessary to form at least three strong lines of defense in Moscow again......, alas! Forget it, we are still worried about the battlefields on the Western Front. ”

"Any thoughts?" Vatutin asked.

"Send troops to occupy Kolpassevo, force their way across the upper reaches of the Ob River from there, and once again strike north of Tomsk, disrupt the enemy's disposition, so that they can once again mobilize more troops to pass, and we will take this opportunity to strengthen the frontal defenses."

"It's okay......" Vatutin, knowing that this time it was all a risky move, and the sword was off-line, "but Sergei, which force should we send?" Or in this case, which of our 5 armies in Novosibirsk meets our requirements and is capable of accomplishing such a task? ”

"Those main forces must not move, especially the 10th Guards Assault Army, which has been staying in Novosibirsk and is now unscathed, that is our most combat-ready unit. I kept it for the counterattack ......" Konev closed his eyes painfully again, he knew that this was definitely a mission with no return, the troops sent over would hold out for at least a week, and how many would be able to come back after a week, "Let the 16th Army go,"

"There was only one division left when that army was withdrawn from Tomsk," Vatutin had already guessed, "of course, all those are good soldiers who have been trained in battle, and they are all excellent troops who have fought defensive battles interspersed with ......"

"Call their commander to me." Konev said. "I'm going to give the order myself...... Is their commander still alive? ”

"I think I should call them the real commander." "Tovatsev, a lieutenant general, thought that an enemy attack was imminent before the outbreak of war. Privately ordered the troops to be put into combat readiness. But it was denounced to Moscow by the military commissar of the army group. Then he was arrested, and now he is still in confinement! ”

"Okay, call him. I think we should let him out. Konev said thoughtfully, "such a person is definitely not a fool, in a dangerous situation, the fighters need such a commander!" ”

Half an hour later, Tovatsev arrived, but at this time he was dressed in the clothes of a brigade commander (equivalent to a colonel): "Comrade Marshal, Comrade Commander, Tovatsev has come to report for duty...... "This is a very capable commander, and his full beard makes him look much older than his actual age at 39 years old, and at this time he has a resolute look on his face.

"Comrade Tovatsev, I now appoint you as Lieutenant General Commander of the 16th Army of the Siberian Army," Konev patted Tovatsev on the shoulder, "I want you to lead your troops to accomplish a task, of course, an incomparably difficult one......"

Tovatsev quietly listened to Konev's introduction to the overall situation of the battlefield, and at the same time focused on the tasks of his troops, which undoubtedly would have made his troops almost never return, but he still did not show a timid expression: "Comrade Marshal, I accept this task, but I have two requests. ”

He spoke very crisply, without the slightest bit of mud.

"Very good, you can talk about it!" Konev and Vatutin glanced at each other and said cheerfully.

"First, when crossing the river, I need artillery fire and air support. Second, my troops are too small, less than fifteen thousand, and I would like reinforcements, at least thirty thousand. Tovatsev said in an upright position.

"Yes, I will transfer two reinforced regiments to you from the 10th Army and the 38th Group Army, and at the same time, all the cadets of the military academy of the military region will be handed over to you, and the guard troops and reconnaissance units of the military region will also be handed over to you." Seeing that the commander in front of him was looking at death as home, what else did Konev have to say?

In the early morning of May 5, after a mound only a few hundred meters away from the Ob River, Tovatsev borrowed a telescope in his hand to carefully inspect the beachhead of the Chinese National Defense Forces on the other side of the river. The Chinese National Defense Forces on the other side of the river were clearly aware of the tension, and in the binoculars they could see helmets flashing from time to time in the criss-crossing trenches. In the farther distance, the defensive ramparts that the enemy had built were like scattered stars, and they could be seen everywhere. Further down, although not visible to the eye, there will certainly be a large number of artillery positions.

"Comrade Tovatsev, we should start." The army chief of staff Dayanchuk was originally only a deputy division commander, but due to the death of too many commanders, he has been promoted to three levels in a row. He put down the binoculars in his hand, looked at his pocket watch, turned to Tovatsev and said.

"Oh?" Tovatsev took out his pocket watch and glanced at it, which showed that it was exactly 3 o'clock in the morning, "Well, you give the order, Comrade Dayanchuk." ”

"Let's go." Dayanchuk didn't shirk, he waved his hand behind him and said lightly.

"Offensive begins!"

"Offensive begins!"

In the center of the bunker, the two telegraphers behind them shouted into the microphone in unison, and the staff officers began to fiddle with the map.

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"

The earth-shattering sound of artillery sounded in the rear of the crowd, and this was the group army that organized a powerful artillery unit to cover them. Tovatsev clearly felt that at the moment when the cannon sounded, the ground under his feet trembled violently, and the cannonballs were fired one after another, and the effect was naturally amazing. With the telescope in his hand, Tovatsev looked across the river again, at this time. What he saw was a tragic picture.

On the other side of the river, a ball of fire suddenly rose on the position of the Chinese National Defense Forces, and dense and sharp shrapnel scattered all around, especially in the trenches of the Chinese National Defense Forces near the river bank, one after another figures were thrown out by the shock wave of artillery bombardment, wrapped in flames, and fell on the empty river beach in a disorderly manner.

"Comrade commander, a call from the command of the group army." The communications soldier panted and ran closer, reporting. "Air support has arrived. Order us to cross the river immediately! ”

"Comrade Dayanchuk," Tovatsev stretched out his hand and patted the stocky general on the shoulder, "the order was to take the 47th Division as the lead, and the remaining two divisions that had been organized followed closely behind. Cross the river immediately. Seize the beachhead! ”

"Yes! Resolutely guarantee the implementation of "Da saw himself the commander full of new eyes. Yanchuk said resolutely.

Until the end of the shelling at 3:20 a.m., the Soviet artillery fire did not completely destroy the will to fight of the Chinese Wehrmacht as expected, and the Soviet troops crossed the river and grabbed the beach in the following battle. It was met with unusually stubborn resistance from the defending forces of the Chinese National Defense Forces.

The 16th Army was a fully organized force, and the 47th Infantry Division launched three large-scale attacks on the beachhead of the Ob River on the east bank in two hours. In the third offensive, the vanguard of the 47th Division had even rushed to the beachhead of the Chinese Defense Forces, but after a life-and-death battle, they were finally beaten back by the heroic soldiers of the Chinese Defense Forces, and at the same time, the artillery fire of the Chinese Defense Forces began to sound.

In the sky, the Chinese Air Force, which had come to support, also arrived on the battlefield one after another. However, in this battle, the Chinese side does not seem to have much resistance. The air force, which came in a hurry, just went through the motions and left quickly. In the rear, there were no reinforcements coming.

"Don't tell me that there are a lot of casualties!" Tovatsev's roaring voice sounded, "I don't care how many people died, I want the main forces of the whole army to cross the river before 6 o'clock...... How many people died, I'll go back and find a way to add ......"

"Comrade Tovatsev, I think it's time to commit more troops," said Staffing Officer Dayanchuk resolutely, "I have decided to transfer the 48th Infantry Division on standby in the north, they are transferred from the 10th Army and the 38th Army, and their combat effectiveness is also very strong. ”

"So far, the offensive operations of the 47th Division have clearly become more difficult, and the enemy forces on the other side of the river have significantly strengthened the artillery blockade of the Ob River." Tovatsev immediately said categorically, "Immediately put the 48th Infantry Division into it, and it can't be delayed any longer......"

By the time the battle had progressed, both the offensive and defensive sides had turned red.

"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" Three flares were raised from behind the Soviet positions on the west bank of the river, and the ships of the Soviet 48th Infantry Division were again ready to go -- this was the fourth wave of the offensive in the early hours of this morning.

Less than half an hour later, "Comrade Tovatsev," Dayanchuk hurriedly came from behind, and before he could get to Tovatsev's side, he excitedly cried out, "the 48th Division has news, and their division commander has personally called. ”

"Oh, looking at your expression, I guess that should be good news, right?" Tovatsev turned around and laughed, smiling for the first time in days.

For the Soviets, this was indeed good news, and the commander of the 48th Division, Gretchkov (formerly the deputy head of the Operations Department of the Army Group), reported to the military headquarters that the troops of the 48th Division had broken through and routed the Chinese Wehrmacht on the first line of defense on the east bank, and that his vanguard was now advancing to the southwest, ready to help the 47th Division settle the battle.

When it was close to 6 o'clock, the sky had already dawned, and the Soviet planes also flew to the scene of the battle of crossing the river at this time, and they frantically poured bombs in the second direction of the Chinese Wehrmacht, and there was no suspense in this battle, and the Soviets finally broke through the defense line of the Chinese Wehrmacht in Kolpassevo at 6:20 a.m., and a Soviet army of nearly 30,000 people suddenly rushed to the north of Tomsk, threatening the security of the Chinese Wehrmacht from the flank.

The battle to attack Novosibirsk has been going on for a whole week and a half, and in the past ten days, the Chinese National Defense Forces have not made much progress on other fronts, but this kind of offensive battle tests the willpower of both sides, and whoever seizes the fighter first may put the other side to death, but during this time, for the two warring sides, at most, they can only count each other's offensive and defensive gains and losses.

More than 400 kilometers away on the Novosibirsk front, in the forward command post of the 53rd Army. A young man's face was grim. Dai Anlan felt very bad at this time, he fought well in Tomsk, both sides could be said to be exhausted, and as soon as his troops appeared, the balance of war was completely reversed.

"Uncomfortable? I don't think you slept well or haven't eaten enough? Zhang Zhongkui, chief of staff of the 53rd Army, saw his commander, Lieutenant General Dai Anlan, wearing a woolly collar tweed army coat, curled up in a chair, and said casually.

"Fart, don't tell me that, it's not because of this battle......" Dai Anlan said angrily.

Zhang Zhongkui immediately did what he was: "Didn't you send a telegram just now?" If you want to transfer two army aviation regiments from the Northeast Theater to support us, what else are you afraid of? ”

Dai Anlan sneered. Disapprovingly, he said, "I don't have two words in my dictionary that I am afraid?" It's just that now the countdown to the offense is getting closer. The build-up of troops has not yet been completed, and there is only a bit of a hurry. ”

"Boom ......" A low loud sound came, the ground in the command post trembled slightly, and Zhang Zhongkui and Dai Anlan glanced at each other. They all got up and walked towards the gate of the command post bunker. A couple of young staff officers ran outside the door. Noisily in the direction of the train gun emplacements on the eastern railway line of Novosibirsk.

"That sound...... It must be the 650 mm giant train siege gun that was erected just yesterday. Want to check it out? When Zhang Zhongkui asked Dai Anlan, his feet had already taken a big step forward, and Dai Anlan was naturally sure to go. Each of them, with a personal guard, trotted towards the heavy artillery position on the railroad.

The two of them walked quickly around the two small hills in front of the headquarters, in a small valley through which the railway passed, there were several makeshift railway double lines, six steel behemoths were raising their heads to the sky, next to these carriages loaded with huge cannons, surrounded by shells nearly two meters high, and the small hill next to them was crowded with people watching the excitement, most of them young recruits, or lieutenants who had just been separated from the military academy, they were talking nonsense.

"Oh my God, how heavy this is! ……”

"I almost ruined my ears just now......"

"I didn't expect us to have such a powerful thing......"

"The shell casing is so heavy, the whole shell is no taller than me......"

"I don't believe that the shell weighs less than a ton, I'm afraid that the crane won't be able to carry it......"

"What kind of crater does that shell have to go down......"

As soon as Dai Anlan and Zhang Zhongkui, a lieutenant general and a major general, walked up to the high ground, the soldiers and middle- and lower-ranking officers hurriedly jumped up and saluted when they saw the two of them carrying the rank of general with Venus on their shoulders: "Hello, sir!" ”

Dai Anlan saw that the soldiers were all standing up, so he waved his hand to everyone: "Okay, brothers, don't be restrained...... Let's sit down and have a fresh look. ”

The warriors sat down all at once, and immediately crossed their legs, their hands on their knees, and their waists straight. The two looked at each other and smiled, it seemed that their arrival had disturbed the interest of the warriors.

At this time on the railway line, the commander of the artillery position also noticed the commotion of the crowd, and an artillery colonel saw Ouyang Zhiyun and Zhang Zhongkui, two generals wearing pear-yellow wool uniforms and wool overcoats, and hurriedly ordered to shoot, and then ordered all the soldiers to stand upright, while he ran to the high ground and saluted Zhang Zhongkui and Dai Anlan: "The special artillery unit of the Northwest Theater of the Chinese National Defense Forces, the first train artillery regiment is ordered to shoot at the enemy, please instruct the chief!" Colonel Jiang Ming, commander of the 1st Train Artillery Regiment. ”

"Hmm...... Okay, keep shooting. Dai Anlan felt a little amused.

"Yes!" The colonel roared loudly, then ran down excitedly, and ordered the soldiers and cadres of the artillery regiment: "The commander is here, don't embarrass me, hurry up, hurry up, hurry up, give me a hard beat!" ”

The artillerymen were encouraged, and at this time they were also excited, and they all went to work in full swing.

Seeing that the two generals had done it to the ground, the cadres and soldiers began to talk nonsense again. It was a voice that said, "Stop arguing, look, we're going to fight again." ”

Hearing this, the soldiers invariably covered their ears tightly, and of course Dai Anlan and Zhang Zhongkui did the same, in order to protect their ears.

The muzzle of a giant cannon flashed, "Boom! The shock wave immediately spread, and the ground around the cannon shook, raising a cloud of smoke and dust, and then the five guns behind it also fired in turn, and the earth suddenly trembled.

650 mm railway siege artillery, also known as train siege artillery. It adopts an 18 times diameter medium barrel and is mounted on a fixed gun carriage with a range of 20 degrees on the left and right firing ranges. In order to ensure accuracy, the gun was equipped with a large hydraulic anti-recoil device and a semi-automatic loading system, the whole gun weighed one hundred and twenty-five tons, the fired shells weighed more than a ton, and the maximum firing range was 25 kilometers.

Although the giant train ran quickly became obsolete after the war, as it would have relied more on aerial firepower. But they are still needed, especially against the Soviet fortresses in Siberia, and such siege artillery is even more indispensable.

May 10 in the forest north of Tomsk.

"Comrade Commander." A pilot sent a letter to the commander of the Soviet 16th Army, Tovatsev. "Comrade Marshal said. Your heroic battles have allowed us to concentrate a large number of reinforcements, and even Comrade Stalin knows that he will honor you in Chelyabinsk, so get on the plane with me! ”

"Nope. My dear comrade. "Tovatsev knows the situation with his troops. More than 30,000 troops fought for more than ten days. Now there are less than 2,000 people left, and they are already breaking through to the Ob River, hoping to return. But it seems that the situation is very bad.

And at this moment, he seemed to understand that the defense of the Chinese army was not as tenacious as expected. Although he was attacking, he seemed to be led by the nose by the Chinese army.

It was also under these circumstances that Konev hoped to send an aircraft to bring back this "criminal" who had been honored for his military exploits (his charge of inciting the morale of the army had not yet been withdrawn), "The letter made it very clear that we have now assembled a new army, and I am glad that Comrade Stalin is going to award me a medal, which is the honor of my life." However, I cannot leave them, my warriors need me, please go back and explain to Comrade Marshal that if I can go back, it will be to cross the Ob again with my warriors. ”

Hearing the words of his commander, the surrounding Soviet cadres and soldiers all gathered around, wearing dirty clothes, coupled with the daze in their eyes caused by not having a good rest for more than ten days, these two thousand soldiers were no different from beggars at this time.

"Comrades, assemble!" Tovatsev shouted, his good comrade-in-arms, Comrade Dayanchuk, had died three days ago, and hearing the order, two thousand fighters quickly gathered in a whole line and stood in front in a rectangle.

"Comrades!" Tovatsev raised his right hand, "We have successfully completed the task of pinning down the enemy, our main forces have formed a new line of defense in Novosibirsk at this time, and Comrade Stalin already knows about our heroic battle!" ”

Perhaps the more he knew, the heavier his mood became, and now, he didn't want the heavy news to be passed on to the soldiers. It was impossible for them to return, because just as he had successfully crossed the river, the Chinese army had begun to march northward. As if joking with him, the predetermined defense line had not yet had time to be constructed, and China's large-scale armored clusters, with the cooperation of a large number of air forces and army aviation helicopters, had already attacked Novosibirsk.

The last 2,000 of them, no matter which direction they were in, were the place where the Chinese heavy troops were gathered. Even Novosibirsk is in jeopardy.

"Ulla!" "Ulla!" "Ulla!"

A low cheer rang out, and if it weren't for being behind enemy lines, it would have been countless times louder. The soldiers could not comprehend the thoughts of their commander, and under Tovatsev's calm face, there was boundless bitterness.

"Now we are going to retreat, we are going to return to Novosibirsk and take part in new battles." Tovatsev looked at the resolute gaze of the fighters, "Let's welcome the new military flag." ”

The three soldiers came over with a brand-new bright red flag, and just now, the pilot brought the new flag with him. The new designation of this unit was indicated, "Order of Lenin, Order of the Red Banner, Order of Suvorov, Tomsk, 16th Guards of Novosibirsk, Proletarian Army", and the portrait of Comrade Lenin, the great teacher of the proletariat, was embroidered on it.

"Let's take an oath to the banner of Lenin!" Tovatsev kissed the flag, then turned his head and raised his right hand, which he clenched into a fist.

"Take the oath!" One by one, fearless eyes met the bright and dazzling red flag, and countless voices rang out......

That night, Tovatsev and his men advanced to the banks of the Ob River, attempting to cross the river again, but they all died. Tovatsev's body was found by fighters of the 51st Army of the Chinese Defense Forces by a pond.

After nearly a month of waiting, the real time for China has arrived. The Northeast Theater, which had cleared all threats from Eastern Siberia, had already made a big westward advance, and a large number of the main forces of the Northeast Theater had already arrived on this battlefield by taking advantage of the Far Eastern Railway built by the Tsar in those years.

With the participation of the Northeast Theater, the most elite of the Chinese Army, with the launch of a new round of China's offensive, this war has become no suspense.

The Soviet Union amassed one or two million troops on the Siberian Plain, which collapsed in an instant under the joint attack of the Northwest Theater and the Northeast Theater. If they want to use the old methods of dealing with the Chinese army to deal with the Northeast Theater, which has a higher content of weapons and technology, the outcome will inevitably be tragic.

It was only when the Apocalypse tanks, together with a large number of Rhino tanks and army helicopter units, once again acted as the vanguard of the large corps, that the Soviet Union really realized the real gap between the two armies.

At the beginning, with the numbers, maybe you could counterattack from time to time, but in the face of the current Chinese army, not only is the Soviet Union not superior in numbers, but even in terms of combat effectiveness, it is enough.

Stalin, who led the top in Chelyabinsk, once again, left, and in the face of the Sino-German attack, they completely left the Soviet Union.

When the attacking troops saw the sea of ice, they looked at the polar bears fleeing with their mouths, and there was not much left of the territory of the Soviet Union. (To be continued......)