Less than 2 kilometers away from the city of Zwutoust, in an anti-artillery hole dug in the hill, the commander-in-chief of the allied forces attacking the city of Zwutoust, the French Lieutenant General Carl Manster, as well as the commanders of the German Army and the Russian Army, German Lieutenant General Hamannheide and Russian General Pimenovich, saw that the attack troops of the three armies could not break through the fortifications of the Chinese Imperial Army around the city of Zwutoust from the second half of the night until the sky was bright, and the attacking troops suffered very heavy losses, and they couldn't help but be very depressed.

The 600,000 army troops led by the three of them, because they were walking through the forest, could not carry more baggage at all, so the artillery did not dare to unscrupulously shell the Chinese Imperial army in the city of Zwutoust, otherwise the shells they carried might be wiped out in three strokes and five divided by two.

German Lieutenant General Harmanheide said to the other two generals in a deep voice: "I don't think it's better to concentrate all the shells on one side, and then shoot all the shells out in a desperate way, and at the same time let the attacking troops attack the fortifications of the Chinese Imperial Army at all costs, and I really have no good way to do anything else." ”

Russian General Pimenovich shook his head and said: "In addition to conquering the city of Zwutoust, we also have to block the main army of the Chinese Empire retreating here in Ufa City, if we run out of shells, when the main army of the Chinese Empire arrives in the city of Zwutoust, we don't even have cannonballs, how can we hold the city of Zwutoust and stop the main army of the Chinese Empire west of the Ural Mountains." ”

German Lieutenant General Harmanheide frowned and said: "That can't use the lives of the officers and soldiers of our three armies to consume the ammunition of the Chinese Imperial Army in Ziwutuoust City, without artillery support." We are attacking so hard, and we simply cannot afford to lose money. ”

French Lieutenant General Carl Manster sighed at this time and said, "So be it." Let the artillery concentrate the remaining half of the shells into the ...... Concentrate to the north, and then use this half of the shells. to cover the attacking forces and try to open a gap from the north of the city of Zwutoust. ”

German Lieutenant General Hamannheide and Russian General Pimenovich looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

Wang Chenglong led a temporary mixed company of less than 100 people to guard a church on the west side of the city of Zwutoust, and used the second floor of the church and the bell tower above the second floor to provide fire support for the fortifications on the west side.

To Wang Chenglong's relief, after fighting for half a night, their company gave a very large amount of damage to the coalition forces attacking the west. However, the losses of their mixed company were very small, only 3 soldiers were killed by stray bullets, and several fighters were wounded, and the injuries were not serious.

Fortunately, Wang Chenglong's 3rd Company, among the remaining 18 soldiers, there is 1 hygienist, who can provide emergency ambulance to the wounded soldiers.

The Russians built this church very strongly. The coalition forces attacking the west side of the city of Zeutoust also found that the church was a very heavy point of fire, so they fired more than a dozen shells at the church with artillery, but the coalition forces only had 75 mm field guns. Even if four or five shells hit the church, it did not cause any serious damage to the church, and even two shells only blew two gaps in the top of the church. None of the other shells that hit the stone walls of the church blew through the thick stone walls.

"These foreign devils finally stopped. In the second half of the night, they never stopped attacking, and after fighting, they came up again. It's endless, hey—I'm trapped for half a night! Zou Dalei, deputy commander of the regimental artillery company, leaned against the wall of the second floor of the church and yawned and said to Wang Chenglong.

Wang Chenglong asked at this time: "Company Commander Zou, how many shells are there for the 4 anti-aircraft guns?" ”

"Company Commander Wang, our 4 anti-aircraft guns have less than 50 shells left on average each, and I still control the firing frequency of the anti-aircraft guns, otherwise our 4 anti-aircraft guns would have been dumb a long time ago!" Zou Dalei said helplessly.

Wang Chenglong sighed, Wang Chenglong was very satisfied with the topography of this church and the solidity of the church, but the offensive of the coalition forces came and went, and the ammunition they carried was consumed very quickly, "I hope Platoon Commander Song can get us back some more ammunition." ”

It turned out that Wang Chenglong saw that the speed of ammunition consumption was too fast, so he asked Song Guibo, the platoon commander of the logistics support platoon, to lead more than a dozen soldiers in charge of that platoon to the regiment headquarters to ask for some ammunition.

Zou Dalei yawned again and said: "The shells of our regimental anti-aircraft artillery have already been pulled to the church yesterday, even if Platoon Commander Song gets back more ammunition, there will be no shells for the anti-aircraft artillery." ”

At this moment, Song Guibo walked up to the second floor of the church with more than a dozen soldiers carrying ammunition boxes, and said after seeing Wang Chenglong: "Company Commander Wang, the regiment commander said that the ammunition of all troops is now consumed very quickly, and we can only replenish these ammunition, a total of 20,000 rounds of ammunition and 200 grenades, so that we can save some use, and the shells of anti-aircraft guns and gun grenades are no longer available at the regiment headquarters." ”

Wang Chenglong frowned, didn't say anything but nodded, and asked Song Guibo to take the soldiers to divide the bullets and grenades.

When the bullets and grenades were being distributed, a continuous explosion suddenly came from the north of the city of Zwutoust, Wang Chenglong hurried to a window on the second floor of the church near the side of the city, no need for a telescope, only with his eyes can see that the north side of the city of Zwutoust is shrouded in smoke from an explosion, while the other three directions of the city are still calm.

It seems that the coalition forces have changed their tactics after a siege of Bansu, and no longer attack from the four directions of Zwutoust City at the same time, but choose the north of Zwutoust City to launch a key attack, hoping that the brother troops in the north can hold on, Wang Chenglong secretly prayed in his heart.

It's a pity that Wang Chenglong received the bad news that the coalition forces had broken through the fortifications north of Zwutoust City at about 10 o'clock in the morning, and the city fortifications in front of the church began to send personnel to support the northern city of Zwutoust City, and even the troops of the west city fortifications sent 4 heavy machine guns to the church.

Wang Chenglong was puzzled and asked the lieutenant company commander who sent the heavy machine guns: "Company Commander Zhang, why did you send us 4 heavy machine guns?" Aren't you going to support the North City? You need more heavy firepower there. Why don't you take it with you! ”

The company commander Zhang said: "This is the order of the brigade commander, and the brigade commander said that this church is conducive to holding on. Let our 2nd Regiment give you 4 heavy machine guns and 10,000 rounds of ammunition, as well as 800 rounds of 57 mm anti-aircraft shells. Our regimental commander also asked 12 machine gunners to be left behind for you, under the command of the company commander Wang, and the brigade commander ordered you to guard this church. ”

After saying that, the company commander Zhang left with the people, and went straight to the north of the city of Zwutoust, leaving Wang Chenglong with 4 heavy machine guns, 12 soldiers, a few boxes of bullets and shells for more than a dozen boxes of anti-aircraft guns, and then Wang Chenglong also arranged 4 heavy machine guns on the 2nd floor of the church, under his direct command.

The coalition forces took advantage of a massive artillery bombardment. In addition, a German full-fledged infantry division was dispatched to launch a fierce attack on the fortifications north of the city of Zwutoust, and finally broke through a gap in the north fortifications, and then the German army officers and soldiers continued to storm at both ends of the fortifications in an attempt to widen the gap.

The troops of the 2nd Division of the Andong Provincial Garrison of the Chinese Empire immediately launched a counterattack against the gap in the northern city fortifications, but the coalition forces moved quickly, and seeing the gap in the northern city fortifications, they immediately sent 2 infantry divisions of the Russian Army to support the German Army in front of 1 division, so that the counterattack force of the 2nd Division of the Andong Provincial Garrison Army was made. There was no way to close the gap, and the swarming coalition troops rushed through the gap into the city of Zwutoust and the troops of the 2nd Division of the Andong Provincial Garrison. Fierce street fighting ensued in the city.

The troops of the 2nd Division of the Andong Provincial Garrison, using the buildings in the city, desperately resisted the attack of the coalition forces. However, the coalition forces continued to pour troops into the city of Zwutoust, which caused the 2nd Division of the Andong Provincial Garrison in the city to fall into a bitter battle. And in order to disperse the forces of the Chinese Imperial Army, the coalition forces relaunched the attack on the fortifications of the other three directions.

If it weren't for the tanks and armored vehicles of the tank regiment to help the officers and soldiers of the 2nd Division of the Andong Provincial Garrison. Resisting the attack of the coalition forces in street battles, the situation could have been even worse.

Gao Yuanpeng, chief of staff of the 2nd Division of the Andong Provincial Garrison, hurriedly walked into an ordinary house in the center of Ziwutuoust City, and then anxiously shouted to the division commander Xu Yong and the deputy division commander Ding Hui: "The coalition forces are about to fight here, and our division headquarters must be transferred immediately." ”

Division commander Xu Yong asked: "How is the artillery of our division?" ”

Gao Yuanpeng, chief of staff, replied: "The last reserve of shells has been fired, and I have already ordered the artillery to explode." ”

At this moment, there was an explosion from the artillery position not far away, and the division commander Xu Yong, the deputy division commander Ding Hui, and the chief of staff Gao Yuanpeng couldn't help but show a gloomy look on their faces, and this burst of explosions meant that all the guns of the 2nd Division with a caliber of more than 75 mm were blown up by the 2nd Division itself.

Division Commander Xu Yong looked around at the temporary division headquarters of the 2nd Division, and then shouted to the others: "Bring weapons and food, and retreat immediately!" ”

Ding Hui, deputy division commander, said to several telegraph operators: "The radio station must be well protected, and if the situation is urgent, the radio station must not fall into the hands of the enemy." ”

With the transfer of the headquarters of the 2nd Division of the Andong Provincial Garrison, the Allied forces that had entered the city of Zwutoust reached the center of the city at 2 p.m. on January 3, 1909.

After another two and a half hours, the city fortifications in the other three directions of the city of Zwutoust were divided into street battles with the troops of the coalition army in the city because of the large number of personnel transferred, which weakened the fortifications in the other three directions, and was also broken through by the coalition forces one after another, and the battle in the entire city of Zwutoust became more and more unfavorable for the 2nd Division of the garrison army of Andong Province of the defending army.

"Hit! Hit hard! Wang Chenglong stood on the second floor of the church and shouted at the officers and soldiers on the second floor, while he held a submachine gun in his hand, leaned out of the window and shot at the coalition soldiers who climbed over the church wall.

At this time, the entire vicinity of the church wall has been filled with the corpses of coalition officers and soldiers, layer after layer, the coalition forces that broke through from the fortifications west of the city of Zwutoust have been attacking the church for a long time, but it seems that the effect is not ideal, the coalition forces have hit a hard nail here in the church, and the losses are very large.

After the fortifications on the west side of the city of Zwutoust were breached, many officers and soldiers of the 2nd Division retreated into the church, including 2 Black Wolf light tanks and 3 Z1 armored vehicles, and now these 5 tanks entered the church wall, lined up at the main entrance of the church, and opened heavy fire on the coalition officers and soldiers who charged through the main entrance of the wall.

There were also many officers and soldiers of the 2nd Division who retreated to the church, adding up to nearly 100 people, including 1 battalion commander who was seriously wounded, and these officers and soldiers who retreated into the church from the city fortifications brought not only 2 Black Wolf light tanks and 3 Z1 armored vehicles, but also 5 heavy machine guns and 6 light machine guns, as well as 3 mortars with a caliber of 60 mm, and a large amount of ammunition.

This has greatly improved the firepower of the church, the coalition forces have besieged the church for a long time, and even used explosives bags to blow up a few gaps in the church wall, and could not rush to the bottom of the church, and was suppressed by the numerous machine guns on the second floor of the church, plus the church is made of stone, very strong, even 75 mm shells can not blow up the stone wall of the church, which makes the coalition officers and soldiers who attacked the church very headache.

The church guarded by Wang Chenglong made the attacking coalition forces somewhat helpless, but in other areas of the city of Zwutoust, the officers and soldiers of the 2nd Division were caught in the siege of the coalition forces, and the losses in the street fighting were very large.

Two Type 96 heavy machine guns and two Type 96 light machine guns on top of the armored vehicles killed pieces of officers and soldiers of the coalition forces, but the officers and men of the coalition forces did not care about the casualties at all, and they died one after another, and finally the four light and heavy machine guns on the Z1 armored car were all silent, and the ammunition carried by the entire armored vehicle was exhausted.

But the armored car did not flinch in the slightest, and directly collided with the charging coalition officers and soldiers, and after killing and crushing a number of coalition officers and soldiers, the coalition soldiers blew up the armored car with grenades and couldn't move, but then the door of the armored car opened, and six soldiers of the 2nd Division rushed out from inside, holding rifles with bayonets, and fearlessly rushed towards the enemy dozens of times larger...... (To be continued.) )

PS: It's almost the New Year, so I wish my brothers a prosperous Year of the Monkey! Make a fortune in the Year of the Monkey!