It's terrible, it's terrible. From the moment he hung up Frunze's phone, Trotsky was complaining.

His anger was obvious, he never expected that Voroshilov would have the audacity to disobey the law, and to have the audacity to withhold vital information. This self-righteous stupid donkey almost killed him.

Especially when Trotsky knew that the enemy he was facing was not an army that he had originally estimated, but that there had been an additional division, and that they were constantly pouring in from Pskov and Veliky Novgorod, he really wanted to shoot Voroshilov on the spot at once.

The problem was that he couldn't do that, and that's what annoyed him the most, Frunze just removed Voroshilov from all his posts and sent him to the Commission for Discipline Inspection, but it was clear that Frunze didn't intend to investigate the responsibility of the stupid big man. punishing him in person is just for the people below, and this bastard is finally estimated to be punished with a serious warning from the party.

Trotsky was quite dissatisfied with this, but there was no way, just like his mentor, he had to pay careful attention to the struggle within the party, and make careful choices, it was easy to deal with a Voroshilov, but that could attract Stalin's resentment.

Although Trotsky was not afraid and never took Stalin seriously, that guy was a member of the Politburo after all, and he was also a man of Lenin. With a trigger and a move all over his body, Trotsky could only swallow this bad breath.

While Trotsky was sulking, the dusty Grigory. Ivanovic walked in with his head held high.

"Comrade Trotsky," he said with a stiff military salute to Trotsky, suppressing the anger in his heart, "I have transferred my troops back from the town of Tolkovich by your orders. ”

As the enemies of Veliky Novgorod swarmed in, it was suicide to divide forces to defend the town of Tolkovich. In fact, after urgent consultations with Frunze, Trotsky immediately changed his plan, and the defenders of Luga would no longer retreat without fighting, but would do everything possible to hold back the enemy, while the troops near the railway bridge would hurry up to repair or strengthen the fortifications. Prepare for a tough battle. And the 1st machine-gun regiment after destroying the bridges and ships in the town of Torkovich. Leaving only a small number of troops to watch, the main force immediately returned to assist in the defense of the railway bridge.

Grigory, who doesn't know what to do. Ivanovich was very dissatisfied with this order. His troops had not rested for two days, and had just arrived at their destination before they could catch their breath and had to return the way they came, and the soldiers were quite resistant to this order.

Grigory. Ivanovich believed that his superiors had made a serious mistake, and that Trotsky should not have ordered him to lead his troops to Tolkovich in the first place, but should have sent a small number of troops directly to destroy the bridges and ships in Tolkovich's town. He should not then be ordered to abandon his mission and return to where he was. Anyone who is constantly tossed in this way will feel uncomfortable, not to mention that his soldiers are already physically and mentally exhausted.

Of course Grigory. Ivanovich himself was the same, in fact, if it weren't for the fact that he was still a high-ranking officer, he would have found a random place to lie down like an ordinary soldier. He would never still stand straight like a stake in front of Trotsky, he felt tired and tired.

"Comrade Trotsky, I would like you to give me an explanation."

"Sit down, Grigory. Comrade Ivanovich. Trotsky sighed. He knows Grigory perfectly. Ivanovich was furious about something, but despite this, he had to call his troops back to his side. Grigory. Ivanovich is not aware that the situation has changed, and it is understandable to have resentment.

His serious expression made Grigory. Ivanovich was confused, he looked at the other comrades in the office. It was also found that their expressions looked strange. It was something he had never seen before. So he put away his anger for a moment and waited for Trotsky to tell him the answer.

No more nonsense. Trotsky went straight to the point: "Grigory. Comrade Ivanovich, I must first ask you, have Tolkovich's bridges been blown up and all the boats that can be used to cross the river have been destroyed? ”

"Yes, Comrade Trotsky."

"Good." Trotsky breathed a sigh of relief, he was really, really worried about Grigory. Ivanovich, like Voroshilov, also acted in a disobedient manner, and immediately he relayed the new situation aside.

"What?" Grigory. Ivanovich bounced up like an electric shock. "It's not ...... How is this possible! He almost shouted, "This can't be." Grigory. Ivanovich knew very well that they were already quite nervous about their forces, and it was very difficult to deal with the enemy in the Pskov direction, and they had only made one table of dishes, but as a result, two groups of enemies came, how could this be good.

Grigory. Ivanovich tensed up and completely forgot the slightest dissatisfaction in the lead: "What do you need from our 1st Machine Gun Regiment, just give orders, Comrade Trotsky." ”

"Sit down, Grigory. Comrade Ivanovich. Trotsky sat him down before he said: "The situation before us is quite serious. And your 1st Machine Gun Regiment, as our most combat-ready team, I ask you to immediately take over the defense of the front of the railway bridge, immediately seize the time to strengthen the fortifications, Comrade Frunze will try his best to buy you a little time in Luga! ”

Of course, this was not all Trotsky was trying to say, and he was serious about Grigory. Ivanovich said: "I have contacted Comrade Lenin, and he told me that Kornilov is already a turtle in an urn in Petrograd, and that this rebellion can be quelled as soon as tomorrow night and the morning after tomorrow at the latest...... So we must do everything possible to hold back the enemy...... At least we must insist on tomorrow noon, and only by surviving tomorrow noon can we blow up the railway bridge! ”

Grigory. Ivanovich understood why he should at least insist on tomorrow noon, as long as he held out until tomorrow noon and consumed these more than ten hours of time, then even if the railway bridge was blown up and the two enemy forces combined and turned to Veliky Novgorod again, it would be impossible to arrive in Petrograd on time, and naturally it would not have any impact on the situation.

However, this task is not simple, after all, the first machine gun regiment is only a regiment, and it is quite difficult to besiege several divisions for more than ten hours. At least Grigory. Ivanovic is not entirely sure.

"The three thousand Workers' Red Guards who were originally stationed at the railway bridge will be under your command, and this is the only force I can come up with to support you, and there will be no more reserves behind you, only Petrograd! The Central Committee and I have only one demand - to hold back the enemy at all costs and within the specified time, and if you fail, then our revolution will be in jeopardy. ”

Grigory. Branislav Ivanovic really felt the pressure. But in the face of this pressure. He was not timid, but straightened his heels together and saluted solemnly, "I must complete the task!" ”

Trotsky nodded with satisfaction and motioned to his secretary to open the map: "Now let's discuss the present situation. Comrades, look at the map. He pointed to the map and said to the others. Our line of defense is ...... here"

In Luga, the fierce fighting continued, but the commander of the battle had been replaced by Frunze, and after more than a dozen hours of fierce fighting, his troops suffered heavy losses, with a reduction rate of up to 60%. But no matter how hard it is. He also wanted to buy a little more time for the 1st Machine Gun Regiment.

"Comrade Frunze, the town hall has been lost again, are we organizing a counteroffensive ......"

"No need!" Frunze said lightly.

This was the third time in two hours that the town hall had been lost, and the first two times, they had immediately dispatched death squads to recapture their positions, but now, Frunze really couldn't pull out manpower.

"Tell the comrades, no matter what. Gotta hold on for another hour! Frunze commanded resolutely: "Not even a second less!" ”

The fighting on the streets is already heating up. Both sides were red-eyed, gritting their teeth and fighting over every street repeatedly. Every house, every wall. Of course, the White Army had an absolute superiority in numbers, while the Workers' Red Guards had an advantage in the terrain.

"Soldiers, the regimental commander has given the order!"

A White battalion commander was mobilizing his men in front of the station, and in another building across the street from him, Kozhemiyaka cautiously poked his head out to watch their every move.

"We must take over this damn building in front of us, kill all the dog mongrels inside, and avenge our dead brother!" The commander of the White Army shouted sensationally, and his every word fell into Kozhemyaka's ears.

"Company commander, the enemy is going to attack again!" Kozhemiyaka woke up the company commander who was napping in a daze.

"What?"

Kozhemiyaka repeated aloud: "The enemy is attacking!" ”

The company commander did not hesitate to pick up the Uzi submachine gun in his hand, and said with teeth and claws: "All of them, ready for battle!" ”

On the other side, the pre-war mobilization continued, and the battalion commander of the White Army asked: "How much ammunition do we have left?" ”

"Not a lot, less than five rounds per person on average, Major."

"And how many brothers do we have?" The battalion commander of the White Army asked again.

"Less than half!"

The commander of the White Army smiled bitterly: "Now, I finally don't have to worry about the lack of weapons." ”

"What did you say, Major?"

"Didn't say anything!"

The commander of the White Army laughed self-deprecatingly, it is common in the Russian army that there are more people than guns, for example, in his battalion, when the war started, only half of the brothers had burning sticks in their hands, while the other half could only stab soy sauce with guns. This is also why the Russian commanders like to use the crowd tactic, because it can greatly alleviate the embarrassment of not having enough weapons.

"Attack, charge!"

When three green flares were raised in the sky, the commander of the White Army battalion did not hesitate to give the order, "Forward!" Keep moving forward, don't go backward, kill all the Bolsheviks! ”

With his shout, a hundred and ten swaying men raised their rifles and charged in unison towards the opposite street. However, there was no point in this, at least in Kozhemiyaka's opinion, such a charge was no different from sending to death.

"Fire!" At the same moment, the commander of the second company did not hesitate to give the order, and the submachine gun and machine gun opened fire at the same time, allowing the bullets to rain down on the charging white army.

In less than half a minute, the white army that had entered the battle collapsed. Having lost half of their comrades, the remaining White soldiers began to turn around and run towards their starting positions, stumbling and in a mess, in a hurry to get out of this terrible hell.

But they have no way back.

"Go on the offensive! Nations and nations are calling you, warriors, to attack, to move forward bravely and destroy our enemies! Don't back down, Russia doesn't need cowards! ”

The commander of the White battalion shouted, but in the end. When he realized that words had become impossible to stop the rout. He began to turn the warnings into reality.

"Fire!" The commander of the White Army battalion also ordered without hesitation.

With the baptism of double firepower, the attacking white army quickly disappeared from the street, except for a few lucky poor worms lying in a pool of blood wailing and struggling, the others were completely relieved.

"Do you need a replacement?" Kozhemiyaka asked in a whisper.

Looking at the poor worms who were dying and struggling, the company commander shook his head, although he sympathized with their plight, but war is war. There is no mercy to speak of.

The company commander whispered: "We need to save ammunition!" ”

For the same reason, the commander of the White Army also turned a blind eye to his subordinates who were struggling in a pool of blood, and the same thing had happened more than once this afternoon, and he was equally powerless to change reality.

"Do you want to get them back?" A warrant officer asked in a whisper.

The commander of the White Army sneered: "If you want to die at the guns of the Bolsheviks, you can do it!" ”

When three red flares rose into the sky, the White Army's repeated death assaults finally came to a halt once again. The two sides temporarily rested to replenish their physical strength and spirit for the next battle. It was also at this time that the officers of the two armies had time to count their losses.

There is no doubt that the White Army suffered an unimaginable price. The price was so great that Major General Ananiyevich felt that it was too much for him to bear, and the officer who reported to him did not even dare to glance at the statistics in his hand, but simply recited mechanically: "Most of the 1,000 officers and soldiers who participated in the attack were killed in battle......"

In fact, it is not that most of them died in battle, but that they are basically all over. Those who didn't die for the time being were just struggling on the streets. When their blood runs dry, they will naturally die.

A thousand soldiers. That's two whole battalions! This number is a headache for Ananiyevic. The losses were too great, and he knew that in fact most of the fallen soldiers did not die from Bolshevik bullets, but fell at the guns of the Overseers.

However, this is his order, and Ananiyevich does not see anything wrong with this order itself, but only ......

"General, I must say," said the officer, boldly, "that every one of our officers and soldiers is very precious, and if we continue to enforce battlefield discipline, I am afraid that it will be ......"

"If our troops start running back without being attacked by the enemy, I will not use the Warlords." Ananiyevich snorted, "If our soldiers are really willing to die for Russia, they should keep moving forward." ”

"General......

"How many soldiers do we have? I want real numbers. ”

Ananiyevich interrupted him, and the major general did not want to continue the discussion at all, not because he liked to use the Warlords, but because Shangfeng had already given the order to die, so he could only use strong means.

"Less than five thousand." The officer thought for a moment, "Including a large part of the light and serious wounded. ”

Ananiyevich was stunned for a while, he vaguely remembered that when he first arrived in Luga in the afternoon, his division had more than 8,000 strong young men, and after only a dozen hours, it had shrunk by more than half, when did the fighting power of the mob reach this point?

If it had been in the past, he would have complained to his superiors and immediately led his troops to withdraw, but not today, Lieutenant General Gramovich had already given a dead order to break through the Bolshevik line today, and they must rush to Petrograd before ten o'clock tomorrow morning. There are no conditions for this.

Ananiyevich sighed and asked, "How many more people are still capable of fighting?" ”

"Counting the lightly wounded, there are about three thousand."

"Pick the best half of the soldiers who can fight, and get them ready." Ananiyevich ordered, "I'm going to launch a surprise attack." ”

"Raid?" The officer's eyes widened because he was too surprised, and he had heard the same words several times today, and every time Ananiyevich said that he was going to launch a surprise attack, but one surprise attack would turn into a strong attack, and then ...... There is no then.

"But our soldiers are quite tired......"

Ananiyevich commanded loudly in an unquestionable tone: "Let them be ready!" ”

After a moment's hesitation, realizing that he had no other choice at all, the officer had to salute. Go and carry out this order.

And to the north of Luga City, Frunze, whose position has been seriously compressed, is also counting casualties, and when he retreated to Luga, he still had more than 7,000 workers' Red Guards at hand, and after removing the more than 3,000 people guarding the railway bridge, there were more than 4,000 people in Luga City, after a tragic battle, more than 1,000 people were killed, and more than 1,000 people were wounded and withdrew from the battle.

However, he was well aware that the casualties were worth it, and he held out longer than expected, buying more time for the 1st Machine Gun Regiment behind. Thinking of the 1st Machine Gun Regiment, Frunze was very curious, in the afternoon battle, a company of the 1st Machine Gun Regiment had been playing the role of firefighters, where the battle was the hardest, they could be seen.

Frunze originally thought that this company would soon be wiped out by the enemy, but the casualty list just reported, this company was only reduced by 20%, to be honest, he didn't believe this data at all at first, until his correspondent personally went to check it, not only affirmed the authenticity of this figure, but also brought back a rather shocking result!

This second company alone wiped out more than 1,000 white troops, and the wounded were even more incalculating, it can be said that they almost covered nearly one-third of the record, how powerful this is, how against the sky! Even Frunze was desperate to know how they did it...... (To be continued.) )