At the military headquarters of the 5th Army in Kyakhta, the chief of staff of the army faced the combat sand table and said: "The castle of Limbato is very strong, in the era of cold weapons, this castle is almost impossible to attack, and we have never had the experience of attacking the castle. The Russian army deployed a fortress artillery group in the castle, and our artillery suppression had little effect. The Russians dug three blockade ditches in front of the castle and connected them with trenches. These blockade ditches serve both as blockades and as forward positions. ”

The chief of staff faced the three division commanders and said: "The enemy's forces are strong and ready to attack and fight at any time. The Russian army has a fortress artillery group, which can carry out strikes from a high position, and mortars at close points to support operations, and the firepower deployment is very complete. Therefore, the difficulty of conquering this fortress castle can be imagined, and I have finished my briefing, do you have any questions? The commander of the 13th division asked: "Do we weishenme not go back to the flanks to attack?" The chief of staff shook his head and said: "The Russian army's communication trenches extend in all directions, and there are heavy troops guarding the depth, so we can only launch a strong attack head-on, the key is that our support artillery fire cannot be detoured to the side, do you know?" ”

The three division commanders nodded to show that they understood, and their expressions became solemn. Army Commander Fang Zhenyu said: "Don't be angry, there is no fortress on Shijie that cannot be attacked, you must build confidence." Limbato Castle was our first hard bone, and there are more hard bones to follow. Whether or not Limbaatar Castle can be captured will affect the entire battle situation. We have no experience, we have to gain experience. The cluster headquarters asked to take the Limbato Citazar by May 20, and today is May 5th, and there is still half a month to go, how can you be confident? "Guaranteed to complete the mission!" The three teachers replied aloud.

76-mm heavy artillery began to roar, forward command post. The commander of the 13th Division saw through the telescope that the bombing effect was not ideal, but there was no way, which was expected before the attack. Artillery fire extended. The infantry attacked, with the assault team in front, the covering echelon behind, and the soldiers carrying ladders and gangplanks behind. The artillery groups of the Russian fortresses began to return fire. Under the heavy artillery fire of the Russian army, an artillery blockade zone was formed in front.

The artillery fire of the Russian army was aimed not at the assault team in front, but at the troops carrying ladders on the Zuihou side. The Russians are not fools, they know that it is the troops carrying the ladder that are the most dangerous. With the violent explosion, many ladders were blown up in scattered places, and people overturned on their backs. The offensive that morning was thus dismantled. Unable to suppress the artillery fire of the Russian army, the fortress artillery group of the Russian army played a role.

In the afternoon, an artillery division was added to support the fire, and the situation improved. The covering group suppressed the fire of the Russian troops. Accurate shooting worked. The ladder was erected on the castle, and suddenly a dense number of grenades flew out of the castle, and before the commandos could climb the ladder, they were blown up. 5 days in a row. I tried all kinds of ways. None of them were able to climb the castle. In five days, the four regiments of the 13th and 14th divisions were almost disabled, and they suffered heavy casualties.

On the 6th day, the two division commanders gave the order to stop the offensive. After a brief study of the two division commanders, they decided to form a joint command center, and on the same day they convened a military meeting of generals and officers at and above the regimental level. Seeing everyone's depressed faces, the commander of the 13th Division said: "There are still ten days left in the deadline given to us by the headquarters, and everyone can use their brains to come up with ideas, whatever they can do." As long as it's right, we'll take it! The commander of the 14th division added: "Brainstorming, it doesn't matter if you are wrong. As the saying goes, three stinkers beat Zhuge Liang. Let's be bold. ”

Everyone gossiped and offered suggestions one after another, and none of them were reliable for a long time. The voice gradually deepened, and everyone fell into a state of helplessness. In the corner of the wall, there was a man in his 40s who looked very old and obscene, knocked the cigarette pouch pot on his shoes, and then stuck it in his waist and slowly stood up and said: "I have a way, I don't know if it works!" The words were shocked, and everyone couldn't help but check.

The commander of the 13th Division asked happily: "Inform me of your rank and name!" "Report, the subordinate is called Zheng Laofu, and he is the head of the 10th Logistics Regiment of the Military Department!" "Tell me what you can do?" Zheng Lao Fu snorted: "I estimate that the castle of the Russian army is very strong, can we dig a hole under the castle and then use explosives to blow him up." An operational staff officer objected: "The soil here is not suitable for digging a hole at all, and this road is impassable!" "I thought about this, we can dig a trench and put a wooden plank on it, and cover the wooden plank with earth, as long as the Russian army doesn't find out!"

When everyone heard this, they thought that this method was feasible, and they were not afraid that they would not think of it if they couldn't do it. If the idea is right, the problem will be solved. The plan was quickly finalized, and the 13th and 14th divisions attacked the area, digging a trench 1?5 meters deep and 1 meter wide, and then covering it with wooden planks, and filling it with soil to camouflage. The starting point of the trench is the first trench outside the Russian army, the length of which is 320 meters. In order to prevent the Russians from discovering it, trenching was carried out at night and feins were launched during the day.

In order to ensure the smooth excavation, the 13th and 14th divisions each dispatched a regiment and all of them were engaged in excavation operations. In order to paralyze the defending Russian troops, a feint was launched as usual during the day. Needless to say, the attack was unfavorable, and the illusion that the Chinese army had been successfully intercepted under the castle was manifested, and it seemed that the battle was in a state of scorching. It should be said that the excavation of the cave was successful, and the open land in front of the castle was repeatedly ploughed by artillery fire, and even if there was fresh soil, it would not attract attention.

The offensive of the Chinese army was sharply reduced, and the commander of the Russian army defending the castle of Limbato, General Kryutsky, was overjoyed, immediately reported to the command, and swore that the Chinese army would be crushed under the castle. Kalinin heard that he praised Kryutsky's stubbornness and reported to the Russian high command for commendation. Kryusky was tall with curly blond hair, and the most obvious sign of his face was a rosacea nose. This guy is about 50 years old, with a sparse beard on his lips and a very large mouth.

Khryusky swept away the decadence of the past, and a rare smile appeared on his face. At this moment, the guy held up vodka and excitedly said: "My children, you are good, you have proved with bravery and sacrifice that the great Russian nation is unyielding." The mighty Chinese army has been stopped under the castle, come! Cheers to our brave soldiers! "Cheers!" The subordinates raised their wine glasses and drank wildly, and many generals took advantage of the situation to throw their wine glasses on the ground.

The jubilation of the Russian army is not unreasonable, because successive defeats have demoralized the Russian army. Now being able to block the powerful attack of the Chinese army is already a remarkable achievement. When night falls, the castle is lit with torches. The Russian soldiers were furious under the stimulation of alcohol. The military discipline of the Russian army has always been lenient and indulgent in terms of soldiers' sexual desires. From officers to soldiers, playing with women has become a trend. Tomorrow may be killed in battle, so the Russian officers and soldiers will seize every opportunity to have fun in time.

As night fell, the sporadic artillery fire of the Chinese army also stopped, which further fueled the lustful pleasure of the Russian officers and soldiers. Wolves have more meat and less meat, and the women in the castle become the objects of their hunting. Almost a woman is being raped by dozens or more people, and the scene is unbearable to witness. Russian soldiers do this kind of thing regardless of the occasion, sometimes in full view. There were long queues to rape. It goes without saying that the European community generally regarded Russia as a barbaric country, and it was justified not to accept them for a long time.

Under the cover of night, the two underground holes were excavated meter by meter. The soldiers sweated profusely. A group of people can be replaced in an hour, and the tunneling speed is always high. Time passed quickly, and the hole was finally dug under the castle. On the evening of May 17, in the joint headquarters of the 13th and 14th Divisions, an officer reported with joy on his face: "Report, the two holes are excavated under the castle at an interval of one hour, and the two generals are invited to decide!" ”

The two division commanders were overjoyed when they heard this. Immediately ordered to transport explosives. After deduction, the combat staff decided that at least 300 kilograms of explosives were needed. in order to achieve the desired effect. After studying, the two division commanders decided to increase the amount of explosives to 500 kg. While transporting explosives to the cave, the two division commanders attacked Liliang from the new organization, and wanted to take advantage of the explosion to rush into the castle and capture the castle in one go.

At 3 a.m. on May 18, the eastern sky was exposed to the white of the fish's belly. Suddenly the heavy artillery brigade launched a bombardment, and a dense rain of bullets flew towards the castle. In the cave, a second lieutenant officer waited anxiously with a torch in one hand and a pocket watch in the other. After 10 minutes of shelling, the second lieutenant officer gave the order to light the fuse. In the division joint headquarters, the two division commanders were anxiously waiting with pocket watches in their hands. At the forward departure position, an officer shouted: "Open your mouth wide and cover your ears for me!" ”

After 20 minutes of shelling, I saw a section of the castle on the right side flashing with fire, an earth-shattering explosion, and a mushroom cloud rising into the sky, followed by a loud noise of the ground shaking mountains on the left, and gunsmoke and dust quickly enveloped the field of vision ahead. Such a violent explosion is the first time in everyone's life that everyone has seen it, especially the power of this 500 kilograms of high explosives, the scene is simply indescribable.

The smoke of gunpowder has not dissipated, the dust is still flying, and the two explosion points have blown up the castle 20 meters wide, and the Russian officers and men who defended at the explosion point have been crushed to pieces, and the soldiers within 50 meters of the explosion point have bled to death, and many Russian officers and soldiers who have been stunned by the explosion are countless. The trumpet sounded, the assault team attacked, and by the time the Russian army reacted, the assault force had already rushed into the castle through the gap after the explosion.

The shelling stopped, the fighting began to break out inside the castle, and the follow-up troops continued to pour in, and it was only a matter of time before the castle was captured. Even if the castle was breached, the awakened Russian army still resisted stubbornly by relying on the strong terrain inside the castle. Before the explosion, the commander of the Russian army, Kryyusky, was understanding the situation, when suddenly there was an earth-shattering explosion, he was knocked to the ground, and his head happened to hit the corner of the table and fainted. When he was awakened by his subordinates, the Chinese army had already stormed the castle.

Kryusky ordered not to retreat and to take advantage of the favorable terrain to continue resistance. After a day's fighting, half of the castle was captured. The fierce battle lasted until midnight, Kryyusky was killed, and the remnants of the Russian army Liliang were still resisting, but they were already strong. Kyakhta is about 50 kilometers from the Limbaatar Castle, and they can hear two huge explosions clearly. Army Commander Fang Zhenwu saw the mushroom cloud rising into the sky in the telescope, and a smile appeared on his face.

He put down his binoculars and said: "Report to the headquarters immediately, the capture of the Limbaatar Ci Castle is just around the corner, and the capture task will be completed by the evening of the 19th at the latest." "Army Commander Fang Zhenyu reported to the headquarters with room for improvement. On the morning of the 19th, the gunfire stopped at the Limbato Castle, and after more than 20 hours of fierce fighting, 10,000 Russian troops fled north, and 20,000 were eliminated. The capture of the Limbato Castle kicked off the Northern Campaign. (To be continued......)

PS: There is no fortress on shijie that cannot be attacked, let alone an invincible army.