In a headquarters in the internal tunnel of the mountain fortifications, Yu Lichen explained Lin Daxin's plan to encircle and annihilate the Russian Second Siberian Front Army to the three division commanders of the second division of the mountain fortifications, Liu Genbao, Sun Xingwen and Wang Guizhong, who were guarding the mountain fortification group, Yu Lichen continued: "The first thing we have to do is to take the 13 mountain fortifications on both sides of the middle road of the mountain fortification group without a trace, and let the Russian army capture them reasonably, so that the Russian army can safely pass through our mountain fortification group and launch an attack on the inner city of Svobod." ”

Liu Genbao patted his bright head and said with a wry smile: "To be honest, according to the tunnel fortifications that the principal told us back then, this group of mountain fortifications that we have built can really be called a turtle shell, no worse than those Russian mountain fortifications on the periphery of Vladivostok, our troops are relatively sufficient, and we can get artillery support at any time, it is very difficult for the Russians to lay down any mountain fortifications, and now let us throw the 13 mountain fortifications on both sides of the road to the Russian army without a trace, it is not easy!" ”

Sun Xingwen then sighed and said, "Come on! Let's study how the Russian army can occupy the 13 mountain fortifications on both sides of the road! ”

The four division commanders looked at each other and couldn't help laughing, they didn't expect that they would have such a day when they had to find a way to let the Russian army occupy their fortifications reasonably.

On February 22, 1899, at 9:30 a.m., the Russian army dispatched more than 600 artillery pieces with a caliber of more than 75 mm and launched a fierce artillery bombardment on the two frontmost hills on both sides of the road, namely Heights 137 and 138. The mountain fortifications of the two Dingbei Army were completely shrouded in the dense artillery fire of the Russian army.

Although yesterday the Russian army lost a lot of artillery, there are still more than 1,600 guns with a caliber of more than 75 mm. The reason why the Russian army only dispatched more than 600 artillery pieces was to save shells. Second, the Russian army only set the target of the artillery bombardment on 2 mountains, and on average, 1 hill will be shelled by more than 300 artillery pieces, which is enough power.

The Russian army's shelling this time was not long, and the shelling stopped after about 10 minutes, and then the Russian 63rd Army and the Russian 64th Army, which had moved forward, launched a fierce attack on 2 mountain fortifications respectively, and the 2 Russian regiments invested 1 brigade each in the first attack.

When the Russian infantry attacked, the artillery that had been destined to disappear from the Northern Army began to wield. Let the charging Russian infantry suffer heavy losses, although the other hundreds of artillery of the Russian army quickly suppressed, but the effect is still not ideal, the artillery of the Dingbei Army has been in accordance with the order of the Russian infantry after a few shots, most of them are hidden in the cave at the foot of the mountain, only a small part of the artillery that retreated in time was blown up by the Russian shells, given that the artillery hidden between the mountain fortifications of the Northern Army brought some slight losses.

The Russian army didn't know that the artillery of the Dingbei Army was hiding again, thinking that its artillery bombardment had worked. Therefore, the Russian artillerymen, who were responsible for suppressing the artillery of the Dingbei Army, continued to fire fiercely in the direction of the artillery positions of the Dingbei Army that they had observed, without sparing shells.

The attacking Russian soldiers saw that the artillery of the Dingbei Army was dumb, and their morale was immediately high. Shouting Ulla, rifle with bayonet in hand, rushed to heights 137 and 138.

These two heights were each guarded by one battalion of the 31st Division of the Dingbei Army. Because of their location, the two battalions were also strengthened. Some people were transferred from the brigade headquarters and the regimental headquarters to strengthen the two mountain fortifications, so that the defenders of each mountain fortifications reached more than 800 people.

Cai Xiangyu, the battalion commander of the 1st Battalion of the 3111th Regiment on the 138th Heights, said calmly to the communication soldiers beside him: "Let the departments implement the predetermined plan." After the Russian army fully occupies the 138th height, all units should be extremely careful in the tunnels and wait patiently for my attack orders. ”

The first attack launched by the Russian 63rd Army and the Russian 64th Army today was easily repelled by the Dingbei Army on the high ground with many hidden bunkers exposed by the firepower points, as well as the Dingbei officers and soldiers in the pillboxes on the surface of the two highlands.

However, several fortifications of the Dingbei Army destroyed by the Russian army include not only the pillboxes on the surface of the mountain, but also the hidden forts inside the mountain, and the reason why the Russian army was able to destroy the bunkers and bunkers built by the Dingbei Army with reinforced concrete is because the Russian army is equipped with explosive packs and grenades imitating the Dingbei Army.

Of course, the Russian army can get close to the fortifications of the Dingbei Army so easily, and there is also the element of the Dingbei Army releasing water in it, and a considerable part of these Dingbei military fortifications blown up by the Russian army, the officers and soldiers of Dingbei have already evacuated when they see the Russian soldiers approaching, and the Russian army has only blown up the fortifications that no one has built.

The commander of the 63rd Army, Trifonovich, and the commander of the 64th Army, Agnechka, both felt very normal about the failure of the first offensive, but they were very excited about the fact that they could blow up some of the fortifications of the Dingbei Army, at least according to such an offensive, they could see the dawn of occupying the entire mountain fortifications, so the two armies immediately dispatched another brigade to launch a second attack on the 137th and 138th heights.

The artillery of the Dingbei Army still only put a few shots on the Russian infantry that charged this time and then hid in the cave at the foot of the mountain, allowing the Russian army to suppress the artillery of the Dingbei Army and continue to carry out fierce suppressive artillery bombardment that had little effect.

The infantry of the two brigades of the Russian army, after being beaten by the artillery fire of the Dingbei Army, still attacked two high ground under the bombardment of their own artillery fire, and used the advantage of numbers and the explosives and grenades equipped by the Russian army to constantly impact the Dingbei military fortifications that the Russian army could find on the mountain, and almost filled in the mountain fortifications of the Dingbei Army little by little with human lives.

In addition, the officers and soldiers of Dingbei guarding the mountain fortifications received an order, and the resistance was not very fierce, so they abandoned the pillboxes on the surface of the mountain and the hidden bunkers inside the mountain little by little in a planned way, and retreated into deeper tunnels, so that although the casualties of the Russian attack troops were not small, there were more and more fortifications to overcome.

On the evening of the 22nd, Oleglev, commander of the Second Siberian Front, was overjoyed and sent the 63rd Army and the 64th Army to attack the two top two hills on both sides of the middle road of the Dingbei Army's mountain fortification group, and achieved an exciting victory.

At present, the two mountain fortifications in front have been in the hands of their own troops, and the pillboxes on the surface of the mountain and the hidden forts inside the mountain have either been blown up or occupied by their own troops, becoming a barrier for their own troops to guard these two hills.

And the better news is that the artillery hidden between the mountain fortifications of the Dingbei Army has been completely suppressed by the artillery of its own Siberian Second Front, which will reduce a lot of losses for its troops to attack other mountain fortifications in the future.

In the evening of the same day, in the Oleg Lev headquarters of the Russian army battalion, Oleg Lev hosted a banquet to entertain two heroes, the commander of the 63rd Army, Trifonovich, the commander of the 64th Army, Agnechka, and 18 other army commanders were also invited to participate in this celebration banquet. The extra 1 army commander is because today 1 more army of the 2nd Siberian Front has come here and entered the camp of the Russian army.

The other 9 division commanders of the heavy artillery division, as well as the division commanders of the tank armored division, also participated in the celebration banquet, and the extra 1 division commander of the heavy artillery division was also because there was another heavy artillery division today.

Oleg Leviv raised the steel wine glass in his hand and said to dozens of senior officers of the Russian army in the command: "For today's victory, and for the two army commanders Trifonovich and Agnechka, cheers!" ”

Dozens of people happily clamed glasses with each other and drank the liquor from the glasses, after which the senior Russian officers began to eat and drink and talk about various topics, but most of them were inseparable from the current war.

Commander Oleg asked the two commanders of the two army commanders who had made great achievements today and captured the two mountain fortifications of the Dingbei Army: "How are the casualties of the troops?" How did the 2 captured fortifications go for defense? Beware of the Qing Dynasty's counterattack on 2 mountain fortifications! ”

Trifonovich said: "Our army has lost more than 4,000 people killed and more than 1,000 wounded today, and I have sent a full brigade to guard the mountain fortifications we have captured, and there are still many fortifications of the Dingbei Army that can be used, and the Qing Dynasty will definitely not let the Qing Dynasty recapture the mountain fortifications we occupied." ”

Agnechka also said: "The casualties of our army are similar, I also sent a full brigade into the captured mountain fortifications, the Qing Dynasty people want to recapture the mountain fortifications in a short period of time, and if the Dingbei Army launches a counteroffensive, our support will be up immediately." ”

Commander Oleg nodded with satisfaction and said: "Very good, your two armies are very perfect today, I will also note the merits of your two army commanders, and after the capture of the inner city of Svobod, I will report your combat exploits to the commander of the theater of operations, and even to His Majesty the Tsar of St. Petersburg!" ”

The two commanders of the Russian 63rd Army and the 64th Army said in unison with joy: "Thank you, Your Excellency Commander, for your cultivation!" ”

Towards the end of the celebration banquet, Commander Oleg Lev ordered the Russian 31st Army to take over the two mountain fortifications that had been captured, so that the two armies responsible for the attack today could rest and recuperate, which could be regarded as a reward for the meritorious troops.

In addition, Commander Oleg ordered the offensive to continue tomorrow on other mountain fortifications on both sides of the road, and the task of attacking was entrusted to the 65th and 66th armies. (To be continued......) R1292