On the night of October 14, 1912, an autumn night, the sky was full of stars, and although it was not pitch black under the sky, the visibility was not very high. The Rio Grande is still flowing quietly, and on both sides of the river are the armies of China and the United States, which have long been in battle. As the Chinese Air Force launched more and more intensive attacks on the US military, and after the US Army Air Force was almost exhausted of fighters, everyone knew that a large-scale battle was about to begin. Admiral Pershing had already given the order three days earlier to raise the combat readiness of the troops to the maximum. He was experienced on the battlefield and already knew that the battle was about to break out, perhaps tomorrow.

South of Nuevo Laredo, along the Rio Grande, about ten kilometers away. After the Rio Grande slipped past here, it made a slight turn, and then the river became much gentler. In the center of the river, there is a sandbar with sediment accumulation, about 500 meters long, about 100 meters at the widest point, and about 230 meters at the narrowest point. In the summer, when the river swells, the entire sandbar is hidden under the water, and only a small part emerges from the water. But in autumn, the water level of the river drops considerably, and most of the sandbar is visible.

On the other side of the sandbar is the line of defense of the American army. American troops built a strong defensive line along the Rio Grande. Less than 200 meters from the river bank was an anti-tank trench dug by the American army. Anti-tank trenches, more than two meters wide, stretched along the banks of the river to both sides, as if there was no end in sight. Behind the anti-tank trenches were American trenches and solid anti-tank fire points made of reinforced concrete, as well as other fortifications. Barbed wire, trenches, anti-tank fire points, machine gun fire points, and communication trenches connected the U.S. defense lines. Four or five kilometers from the river bank were the heavy artillery positions of the American army. It's just that before the battle began, these heavy artillery of the US army were hidden to avoid being hit by the Chinese Air Force.

On the south bank of the sandbar, the riverside is dense with aquatic plants. These aquatic plants are as deep as a person. If the soldiers were hiding inside, they would not have been discovered by the people on the other side.

"Marshal. This is the place we have chosen to initiate the forced crossing. After the battle began, the artillery brigade of the Army Group would launch a fierce artillery attack on the positions of the American troops on the other side of the river. Wait until after destroying the American fortifications and suppressing the American firepower. The 23rd Infantry Division will begin to cross the river. The first step is to seize the sandbar in the middle of the river. Although the sandbar was not large, it was only a few dozen meters away from the opposite bank, and mortars on the sandbar could inflict a severe blow on the American troops on the other side of the river. Wait until we have established ourselves on the sandbar before attacking the other side of the river. Strive to establish a beachhead on the other side of the river. At this time, we will deploy some heavy mortars on the sandbar to provide direct fire support to the troops crossing the river. Once a solid position has been established and the American line has broken through, the sappers will begin to build pontoon bridges. With the sandbar in the center of the river as support, the sappers could build two pontoon bridges in an hour. These pontoons are enough for light tanks and armored vehicles equipped with our current armored forces to cross the river. As for medium tanks, further reinforcement of the pontoon bridge was required. It's just that it takes more time. Wait until we break through the American defenses to have enough time to do that! General Du Qizheng, commander of the 7th Army, said. The 7th Army will be the first Army unit to launch an attack on the continental United States. And the direction of their main attack is the direction of Laredo. The staff officers of the 7th Army inspected the 100-kilometre stretch of land in the vicinity of Laredo and finally selected this place as the site for the forced crossing.

"There is a sandbar in the middle of the river, which is a lot more convenient. However, Americans will certainly not fail to think of this. They're definitely going to focus on this section of the area. The sandbar is only more than 200 meters away from the US army's defense line, and it is even within the effective range of the US army's rifles. Marshal Zhao Bowen said with a frown. He had already thought that the first batch of troops to land on the sandbar would definitely face the powerful firepower of the US army, and this was simply a life-and-death mission.

"Marshal, there is no way to do it. As long as we can control the sandbank, it will be easier to build a pontoon bridge with the help of the sandbank, and our heavy equipment will be able to cross the river lightly. As for the fire strikes of the Americans, this was only with the help of artillery and the Air Force. If our artillery and air force could suppress the fire of the American troops, then our casualties would be much smaller! Admiral Du Qizheng said. Fighting inevitably kills people, although he knew that this time the battle to force the crossing of the Rio Grande would be very tragic, he decided to do so. After all, this is what must be experienced to invade the United States

"Alright! As for the Air Force, I will contact General Feng. The Americans' army aviation has been almost wiped out by them, and the air force will provide you with fire support as much as possible! This! This time our task is very heavy, we must spend the shortest time Grande breaking through the defense line of the American army and entering the United States! Marshal Zhao Bowen said. There has been news from the Navy that the Panama Canal will be repaired next month. At that time, the main force of the Navy will enter the Atlantic Ocean and fight a decisive battle with the US Navy. The Army, of course, cannot afford to fall behind the Navy.

"Yes, Marshal! The 7th Army will definitely be able to break through the American defenses! Admiral Du Qizheng assured.

When the squadron was preparing for battle, the US military was also in full swing. However, the fiasco of the US Army Air Force has cast a shadow in the hearts of many US officers and men. The strong combat effectiveness of the Chinese Air Force made them have some doubts about the next battle. Although, Admiral Pershing has repeatedly insisted that with the natural line of defense of the Rio Grande and the fortifications they have painstakingly constructed, the entire line of defense is impregnable. If the Chinese wanted to attack the Rio Grande line, their blood would stain the waters of the Rio Grande red. However, many people were skeptical of General Pershing's words. It's just that no one has ever come out.

The U.S. Army deployed more than two million troops on the Rio Grande Line. These armies were organized into thirty-five infantry corps. Among them, the 20th Infantry Corps was deployed to the front line, and the other 15 infantry corps belonged to the second line of troops. Once the squadron starts to attack, there is a problem with that section of the defense, they will rush to where to help. In addition, the U.S. military deployed a large number of artillery and anti-tank units along the Rio Grande line. On the battlefield in Mexico, the U.S. military suffered a big loss in front of the armored forces of the Chinese Army, which made the U.S. military take warning. During these months, the development of anti-tank units was intensified. Although the new anti-tank guns were not yet finalized, a large number of 37-mm anti-tank guns were produced and sent to the Rio Grande front. According to the statistics of the US military, on the Rio Grande line, the number of 37-mm anti-tank guns deployed by them has already exceeded a thousand. If the Chinese Army's armored forces attacked, they would certainly be able to turn the tanks and armored vehicles of the Chinese Army's armored forces into piles of scrap metal. This is also the reason why even though the US Army Aviation is lost, Admiral Pershing still has a lot of confidence in this line of defense!

On the morning of the 5th, from 6 a.m., the positions of the squadron were busy. The infantry had already entered the position, and a door of heavy artillery was also towed by trucks into the artillery position. The thick muzzle of the cannon, pointing hideously to the north. The artillerymen were already busy, transporting shells to the side of the cannons. Before the 7th Army launched a forced crossing, the squadron put in more than 1,000 howitzers and cannons with a caliber of more than 105 mm, as well as more than 2,000 infantry guns and medium and heavy mortars on the 100-kilometer-long defensive line.

At the same time, the ground crews at the airfield of the Chinese Air Force south of the Rio Grande were also busy. One fighter and another began to refuel, replenish ammunition, and hang bombs. To cover the actions of the Army, the Air Force will provide fire cover for the Army. This time, the Air Force will send 80 HB' Hongyan bombers and 80 FH5' Falcon dive bombers at once. They will clear the way for the landing of the Army. To protect these bombers were a hundred 'Hai Dongqing, fighter jets. It's just that under the wings of these fighters, two 25-kilogram aerial bombs were also mounted. After the loss of fighters in the US Army Air Force, in fact, the threat to the bombers of the Chinese Air Force came mainly from the US Army air defense units on the ground.

At 7 a.m., thousands of heavy guns and more than 2,000 light guns began shelling American positions north of the Rio Grande Line. Dense shells exploded on the American lines, bursting into clusters of orange-red fireballs. The smoke of gunpowder almost enveloped the U.S. defense line in an instant. The fortifications built by the American army were destroyed in the heavy shelling.

"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! "Under the action of huge kinetic energy, the shells flew from the positions of the Chinese artillery south of the Rio Grande and smashed into the positions of the American troops. One by one, the firing points of civil structures were blown into the sky, and large sections of trenches were blown up. And the barbed wire fence pulled up in front of the dense defense line was even more bombed. At the same time, the intensive shelling also shocked the US military. However, they all know that the battle has officially begun!