Highland 412, located in the middle of the river valley eight kilometers in front of the town of Irgiz, is a mountain plateau less than two kilometers long and wide, and 100 meters above sea level. When Zhao Siyuan arrived here, the attack aircraft group had just left, and his comrades-in-arms were cleaning up the wreckage and remains in the position, and the whole high ground was filled with a pungent smell. Through the smoke and dust, it can be seen that a large number of Soviet troops in the distance are trying to turn back, and the horizontal formation of the black pressure tank cluster has been slowly moving along the flat river valley. Behind the tank, a dense crowd of Soviet soldiers loomed. "Brother! Where is Head Yang? See Captain Yang? "Seeing that the enemy was about to come up, my comrades entered and exited the battle positions from their hiding places. Zhao Siyuan had no choice but to take the communication platoon and ask one by one.

"The regimental commander is wounded, at the health center on the back side of the mountain." finally got the news of the head of the 1633 regiment, but he didn't expect that he was already injured, so Zhao Siyuan had to run to the health center on the back of the mountain. Just about to get into the low health center, with gauze tied on his head and one eye blindfolded, Commander Yang pushed away the health guards and ran out of it. "Commander, your injuries."

"It's okay, I'll come back when this wave is over." Commander Yang is also a tough man, and when he learned that the Soviet army had begun to attack again, he drove away the sanitary soldiers who were blocking the road, and he was about to rush forward. "Head Yang, what's wrong with your eyes?" Zhao Siyuan knew Commander Yang, so he hurriedly stopped him and asked about his injuries. "Xiao Zhao, why did you get to the front? My eyes are fine, but my forehead is scratched with a little skin. Hearing that his eyes were fine, Zhao Siyuan breathed a sigh of relief and repeated Du Zishan's words.

"The shelling just now was so fierce that it blew up the wires, so I'll send someone to fix it. The casualties of the troops were not large, but a few anti-tank guns were damaged by Lao Maozi, and the others rumbled. Head Yang said as he walked with him. As soon as they reached the front position, the dense shells fell like hail again. "Be careful!" Commander Yang pushed hard, and even Zhao Siyuan forgot that Zhao Siyuan was the liaison sent by the headquarters, and forced him into the position: "Made! Enter the location. Fast! Don't be stunned. If you can fight, give it to me! Anti-tank guns get ready! Then shouting all the way to the nearest anti-tank gun position.

Zhao Siyuan couldn't cry or laugh, so he had to ask the communications squad to contact the headquarters first to inform him of the situation here. Then follow him to the side of the anti-tank gun. Heights 412 was saline sandy and not well fortified, so the sappers skillfully dragged the wreckage of two destroyed Soviet tanks and arranged them into an inverted trumpet-shaped gun emplacement. Then it was covered with sand and gravel over the wreckage of the tank. The sides were also reinforced with earth-packed containers, and even the top of the head was covered with planks and earth. There are only two anti-tank guns in the emplacements (anti-tank guns are often scattered to prevent destruction). One was a 105-mm high-speed cannon removed from a damaged half-track assault vehicle. The other was an 85-mm anti-tank gun. Just entered the position. The artillery squad leader shouted: "Six T34s, three T26s, and two Su122s!" Following his voice, about 1,500 meters away, a company of Soviet tanks bypassed the gravel valley and entered the shelling window of the position. In the queue, two armored vehicles like a square box version are particularly eye-catching. This is the experience of the Soviet army based on last year's engagement. Learn about the SU122 assault gun developed by the Chinese hunting tank. As Du Zishan's guard, Zhao Siyuan listened to the introduction of the staff officer. The Su122 is a modification with a full-fledged T34 chassis with the installation of a 122-mm cannon howitzer, which, due to the absence of a turret, weighs only three tons more than the T34/76. The protection was also different, with thin armor on the sides and top, and no armor at all, but the frontal armor was very inclined and surprisingly thick. From the analysis of the wreckage of a captured one, the front inclination has reached 35 degrees, and the thickness has increased to 76 mm, which exceeds the frontal defense capabilities of the Type 31 tank. However, due to the constraints of technology and production capacity, the surface carburizing and hardening technology was not used. But even then, its defenses are quite impressive.

"Phew! Made, learn from us! Do you want to be cheeky?! When the gunner saw the SU122, he spat angrily. Because everyone now knows that the Soviet army's assault tank is actually a replica of the Wehrmacht's concept of hunting and destroying tanks. But there is no way to be angry, this is a war, a world war with all its might! What's more, the Soviet army suffered big losses in tanks last year, especially the 'Manchurian Tiger Panic', which forced them to concentrate their efforts on developing anti-tank weapons and corresponding tank armored vehicles. So recently, not only a large number of Su100/122 assault tanks have been found, but also a small number of T34/85 tanks with 85-mm cannons, and in the direction of Petropavlovsk and the Ishim, a large number of KV152 and KV100 heavy tanks improved from the KV chassis have appeared.

"Armor-piercing shells! 600 meters, wind speed 3, corrective fire! With two crisp sounds, the armor-piercing bullet of the cap slashed over the top of Zhao Siyuan. The screech of the cannonballs rubbing against the air makes people can't help but stand on their hairs. The battle-hardened artillerymen did not miss the target, and a T34/76 was destroyed at the first firing. But the sharp-eyed Zhao Siyuan still found that the shell aimed at the Su122 ricocheted and failed to penetrate the frontal armor. This was almost impossible last year, although the infantry was equipped with ordinary armor-piercing shells, and there were no expensive high-speed tungsten carbide armor-piercing rounds. But at this distance, there has never been an indestructible armored target.

It can be seen from this that the Soviet army has really advanced. At the same time that the thought came to Zhao Siyuan's heart, rows of shells were fired at the position. Fortified positions blocked the shells, and the artillerymen quickly got up and began to fire a second time. At the same time, several anti-tank guns deployed elsewhere also opened fire, constantly turning Soviet tanks into fireballs. Before they could see whether the two SU122s had been destroyed, a large number of Soviet infantry rushed out from behind the tanks and charged towards the high ground. "Infantry! The enemy's infantry is coming! Fire! The clattering machine-gun fire and the explosion of the shells made Zhao Siyuan's blood boil. Completely oblivious to what he asked, he picked up his semi-automatic rifle and joined the fight. But he didn't expect it, Du Zishan didn't expect it, and even the Central Asian Theater Command didn't expect it. He stayed for 27 days of bloody battles, and finally buried his bones in this barren saline-alkali valley with tens of thousands of soldiers.

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Inside the General Staff Headquarters in Beijing, the lights kept on all night. A steady stream of news and battle reports on the eastern and western fronts is summarized here. In response to this large and messy message, officers and staff officers even walked with the wind. In the combat conference room, Chief of Staff Chu Nan personally stood in front of a large-scale high-definition map to explain the battle situation to the president and cabinet members. "This is the latest battle report that I just received. The Central Asian Theater Command has basically judged the main target of the Soviet counteroffensive. The core of it is Petropavlovsk! About 150 divisions, starting from Kurgan and Kostanay at the same time, are attacking here. The second point of attack is here. In the upper reaches of the Turgai River, in the area of Lake Sarecopa in the west of Arkarek, the total strength is about 40 divisions. This is the least trooped of the three main attack points, but the terrain of this generation is open. So the Soviet army purposefully deployed a large number of cavalry and fast light armored units. The last main point of attack was the Irgiz salient north of the Aral Sea, with a total of three armies and a tank corps, as well as a reserve of an army group. The total strength is about 45 divisions. Other than that. Long-range reconnaissance planes penetrating deep into the hinterland also discovered that not only were a large number of troops and baggage coming from the west, but also about 20 divisions were massing in the Tyumen area. Both Mei Sheng and Sun Chuanfang believed that Stalin probably wanted this Khanty-Manxi force from the north to make a detour south, sneak into Omsk or Tomsk, and contain our flank in this round of counterattack. The Soviet army used a lot of new equipment, including Katyusha rocket artillery, the latest SU series assault tanks, ZIS-3 anti-tank guns, KV100 heavy tanks, etc., all of which pose a certain threat to our army. ”

A long list of numbers made Gu Weijun and other cabinet members look a little uneasy. In the past, the mobilization of one or two million troops was already considered a very large-scale war, and even in last year's spring and summer offensive, more than two million troops were invested. Now it's good, the Soviet army alone has more than 3 million. Coupled with the fact that on their own side, five or six million troops are fighting each other in the vast regions of Central Asia and Siberia, what a spectacular and terrifying sight! And this is not counting the Sino-North Korean coalition forces invested in the Northeast, Korea and the Ryukyus, if the Persian Gulf and the South Seas move again, they can no longer imagine! On such a large scale, how long will this kind of two-front battle last? How much budget is needed to meet the budget? The country's manufacturing power has reached its peak! Normal economic activity is close to paralysis! The rations on the people's tables began to shrink! The huge fiscal deficit and the specter of inflation are already visible! There is also the support of the people, and finally the pressure that has been building up in the Diet and from within the country for a long time. These are all time bombs!

Thinking of this, Gu Weijun involuntarily turned his head to look at Yang Qiu beside him. But what shocked him was that Mr. President, who stood next to him, ruled the country for decades, founded the national society, established a modern state system, and took advantage of all kinds of international contradictions to bring a backward country into a world war that could participate in the competition for a world war and mobilize tens of millions of troops, could not see the slightest tension and anxiety on his face at this moment. Isn't he worried? Or is there something else I don't know?

"Shaochuan, what's wrong?" His gaze swept to Gu Weijun, who was a little restless, and Yue Peng was surprised.

Gu Weijun wanted to say what he thought just now, but it was not the right time for many people in the conference room to talk too much, so he hurriedly waved his hand: "It's okay, I just want to know, how are you going to fight this time?" How much investment is required? How big is it and how long does it take? "A few needs in a row are exactly what Bei Zuyi and the others want to know the most, so everyone takes two steps closer to the map." Or a defensive counterattack. Chu Nan picked up the whip again: "Mei Sheng and Sun Chuanfang have transferred all the troops on leave to the front line, and the 50 divisions of the Central Asian Coalition Army and the Polish Army have also set off, and they are expected to be in place within a week." We still have a relatively large air superiority at present, and simply holding on to it will not be a big problem. But in this case, I am afraid that the battle will drag on until next spring. Therefore, Mei Sheng and the others still hope to launch a larger counterattack, encircle and cut the main force of the Soviet army, and complete a large-scale encirclement and annihilation battle against the Soviet army before October. According to their observations, the weakest Soviet army at the moment is here. The whip pointed to Lake Sarekopa: "The line of defense on Lake Sarekopa consisted of only 40 divisions, and behind it was the wide Turkai Plateau. There are many lakes and hills, and from the geographical conditions, it is not very suitable for a quick counterattack. But Zhuo Fan was in North Korea and gave us a new way of thinking. It is to use elite armor clusters to carry out small group breakthroughs, and then quickly converge after crossing the harsh terrain. Then use our superior air force to project infantry in front of it, and eventually form one or more large battle clusters. So they are also ready to use this new tactic, and cooperate with the cavalry divisions of the Central Asian coalition to carry out a rapid attack on Kostanay and Orsk, cutting off the two Soviet supply lines.

The most important thing in this counterattack is to test not only the subsequent air transport capability, but also the defense of the Petropavlovsk and Irgiz salients. We don't have to worry about Petropavlovsk now, there are cities to back it up, and as long as the Soviets hold on to our transport lines, we can be sure that we will stick to it. So the real danger is the Irgiz salient! We have calculated that it is expected to take three weeks from the build-up of troops to the crossing of the plateau, so whether the Duzi Mountains can hold it is the key to deciding whether to launch a counterattack! ”

"Du Zishan." Murong Han chewed on the name and slowly narrowed his eyes: "I remember, he is a special combat hero in the Battle of Rainiwell, right?" ”

"It's an old guy who dares to fight." Yue Peng nodded.

Between Gu Weijun's eyebrows, there was still a hidden worry that could not be resolved: "The plan is good, but you have to be careful, the Soviet army is not the Japanese army." There were plateau barriers, and their combat effectiveness was several times that of the Japanese. What's more, our troops are all piled up on the front line, and at such a close distance, I am afraid that any movement will not be able to hide from the eyes of the Soviets. Once discovered, dozens of divisions were thrown on the plateau. ”

Chu Nan said: "The prime minister hit the key! The president had already considered this problem, so the afternoon before yesterday, he had secretly asked Liu Mingzhao to lead 10 reserve divisions of the Northeast Army to support Central Asia, and also sent three armored divisions and mechanized infantry divisions from Du Yuming's division in Turkmenistan to rush to converge. In order to prevent the Soviets from discovering it, I have ordered Bai Chongxi and Du Yuming to take the opportunity to encircle Tehran and cover for them. As for Stalin, isn't this going to vote? Millions of square kilometers of land can also stimulate him. ”

Everyone's eyes lit up.

Stalin's use of Iraq to contain the Persian army group, and the fact that Chunan in turn used an attack on Tehran to cover the movement of troops, is a very good way. And once the Siberian vote is successful, Stalin and the Slavs will definitely have to fight for their lives with the temper of the land-loving people! However, the action of transferring the Northeast Army made everyone wonder. Gu Weijun shook his head even more: "Didn't you say that you won't be transferred?" In this case, wouldn't North Korea have to delay again? Pei Zuyi, Murong Han and the others also shook their heads. Japan must not delay, and they would rather retreat from the Central Asian defense line than miss the early defeat of Japan, thus completely ending the two-front war.

Facing everyone's suspicious gaze, Yang Qiu and Yue Peng glanced at each other, and both hooked the corners of their mouths. "You have forgotten that we still have an army in our hands that can be mobilized. "Oh, is that one?" Gu Weijun was even more confused, and pointed at Chu Nan with his hand: "Didn't Chu Nan say yesterday that the latest batch of recruits will not be available until July?" ”

"Haha, my Prime Minister Shaochuan, how did you forget. Didn't we spend a special amount of money on training at the beginning of the year? In Yue Peng's laughter, Gu Weijun's eyes lit up: "I know, it's dong dong." Before Bei Zuyi and the others could hear clearly what kind of dumb riddle the three of them were fighting, a rapid knock on the door suddenly interrupted them. Yan Baohang rushed into the conference room with a hurried face: "President! Zhang Zhidan's urgent telegram! Three hours earlier, the Iraqi army had attacked the British Habbania Air Base, and there was intelligence that Soviet soldiers from Kurdish partisans had taken part in the attack. ”

The smile that had just sprung up on Gu Weijun and everyone's faces suddenly disappeared without a trace.