The cannon roared, the earth shook, and the battle for the north began in Kyakhta. The 5th Army, which was tasked with attacking the Citadel of Limbato, took the lead in launching a strong attack with two divisions, and the longitudinal width of the front was 5 kilometers. Limbatoar is at the forefront of the Russian defense line, about 20 kilometers from Kyakhta. Relying on the Limbaatto Castle, the Russian army formed peripheral fortifications and core fortifications, and the defensive strength of the Russian army was 30,000 people.

The northern part of Kyakhta is a meadow and hilly area, and the Russian army has dug criss-cross trenches in the outer fortifications and formed a large-depth defensive system. There was a faint sound of artillery in front of him, and the commander of the 5th Army Headquarters in Kyakhta, Fang Zhenyu, looked at the sand table in front of him with a solemn expression, and frowned. Fang Zhenyu was the commander of the 6th Division of the Middle Route Corps of the Northern Expeditionary Army during the bloody battle of Tongbai. Once trapped in the canyon and almost wiped out, he is now the commander of the 5th Army.

"Army commander, the 13th and 14th divisions have launched an attack, and the deputy commander has gone to the front to supervise the battle. The cluster headquarters is right, the Russian army's large-depth defense system is indeed a difficult bone to gnaw. Fang Zhenyu looked up at the wolf skin hanging on the wall and said: "The commander asked us to fight like wolves, and told the front-line soldiers that no matter how difficult the bones are, we must be willing, and I want the military flag to fly on the enemy's position, this is what I want to see." ”

The battlefield was filled with gunsmoke, artillery fire began to extend, the trumpet of the charge sounded, and the soldiers launched a tidal attack. The Russian artillery fire began to counterattack, and then their own artillery fire began to suppress. The soldiers continued to attack in the face of a hail of bullets, and the standard-bearers rushed forward with their flags in their hands. One of the standard-bearers fell, and the soldiers behind took the flag and continued to move forward. Suddenly. There was a dull sound in the trenches of the Russian army, countless shells were overwhelming, and a cloud of smoke appeared in front of it.

The commander of the 13th Division angrily lowered his binoculars. Smash your fist on the map. "It's unimaginable that the Russian army actually has mortars." The chief of staff was taken aback. The division commander Tie Qing said with a blue face: "Organize a new assault team and immediately launch the second round of offensive." Order light artillery to suppress the mortars of the Russian army! "Fierce fighting began again, and the soldiers once again launched a tidal attack. The sound of cannons, gunfires, and the shouts of soldiers fused together to form a music movement of weeping heaven and earth and frightening ghosts and gods.

"The assault team has gone up, and behold, a military flag is flying!" The chief of staff of the 14th Division shouted. A commando team enters the trenches of the Russian army. The hand-to-hand battle began instantly, and soon the stabbing combat of your own soldiers came into play, and the defending Russian troops were eliminated. Suddenly, a large number of Russian soldiers poured out of the trenches in the back. Launch a counterattack. The commandos were outnumbered and counterattacked. "Damn, the Russian army has a counterattack force, what should I do?" The division chief of staff is in a hurry. "Order to stop the attack!" The commander of the 14th Division reluctantly gave an order.

The two divisions launched three attacks that day, but to no avail, and stopped the attack in the evening. The commanders of the 13th and 14th divisions stood in front of the army commander with their heads bowed. Fang Zhenyu blushed and said nothing. "Commander, the Russian army is well prepared. Combat power seems to have become stronger! "Commander! The Russian army has equipped mortars and formed counterattack units. The system of large-depth defense of the Russian army played a role, and we were not mentally prepared for these situations. The two division commanders argued.

"Bastard, the Russian army has mortars, counterattack troops, and so-called complete fortifications, you are helpless. Don't talk to me about any objective reasons, it's hard for me to go to the front and teach you how to attack. Remember that I want the enemy's position, and the flag cannot be flown on the enemy's position tomorrow evening. You two came to me with your heads on your hands. Fang Zhenyu roared loudly, and the two division commanders raised their hands and saluted and left in embarrassment.

The chief of staff chased after him and shouted to the two of them: "The battle of the large corps cannot be ambiguous. The army commander has already issued a military order to the cluster headquarters to take the outlying fortifications of the Russian army in three days. You know how powerful it is, and the more critical it is, the more you have to learn to use your brains to fight. "Chief of Staff, is it possible to launch a night attack?" "No, the Russian army is a defense system in depth, and after deduction, it has been concluded that the Russian army is in the dark and we are in the light, and the Russian army must set up a large number of dark bunkers, and if the attack is launched at night, the loss will be too great."

The chief of staff's voice softened and said: "Losses in offensive battles are inevitable, don't look ahead and be indecisive, believe in our soldiers, I wait for the news of your victory." When the two division commanders returned to the division headquarters, they naturally had to roar at the brigade commander, but the roar was roaring, and it was the top priority to draw up a new attack plan. In view of the defensive situation of the Russian army, a new offensive plan was soon introduced.

The next day, the attack was divided into three echelons, each echelon was spaced 100 meters apart, with the intention that the assault team in front would rush up, and if the Russian army wanted to counterattack, the echelons behind would come one after another. The offensive on the whole front has been launched again, and the Russian commander has tasted the sweetness and is still continuing yesterday's tactical defense. The soldiers stormed the trenches, and the hand-to-hand battle began. The Russian army dispatched counterattack troops, and the white-hot fight began.

In a trench, a soldier killed three Russian soldiers in a row, and suddenly a Russian soldier hugged him from behind, and a Russian soldier on the opposite side took the opportunity to send a bayonet into his abdomen. The soldier pulled the grenade on his body at the Zuihou moment, the smoke cleared, and the Russian army fell. A group of soldiers rushed inside along the longitudinal trench, and suddenly the bunker emitted a machine gun sound, and one of the soldiers who rushed in front was shot several times, only to see him pounce on the gun hole with Zuihou's strength, blocking the deadly rain of bullets.

A soldier planted his flag high on a high spot, and soon the soldier was shot several times. While Ni was staying, the soldier was smiling and still standing tall with the military flag. At this moment, the soldiers have long put life and death on the line, and there is only one belief that is to destroy the enemy. A point was broken through, a section of the position was captured, and the captured position not only expanded, but the Russian army did not retreat and was still stubbornly counterattacking.

In the military headquarters, the chief of staff reported: "Army commander, the 13th and 14th divisions have captured two-thirds of the surface positions, and the two divisions have each gone up to one brigade and are advancing in depth. "They are doing well, order them to keep up their efforts, I estimate that the Russian army will retreat to the second line of defense." Fang Zhenyu calmly analyzed. The Russian counterattack paid a heavy price, and in the evening the Russians retreated to the 2nd line of defense. The sunset swayed in the afterglow, and the golden light was ten thousand ways, reflecting a military flag fluttering in the wind on the battlefield.

The flag was in tatters, and it was unrecognizable by gunsmoke and a single hole. Such a tragic military flag was awe-inspiring, and the flagpole turned black, which the soldiers soaked in blood. The battlefield was silent for the time being, the soldiers rested silently in the trenches, maybe their nerves had not yet recovered, maybe they were still silent in the fighting, the smoke of gunpowder was smeared on their faces, and the military uniforms were tattered, but when they saw the military flag flying high, they had a happy smile on their faces.

In a trench, the corpses of Russian soldiers were piled up, and an officer waved a shovel in his hand and said with a majestic expression: "In front of you are the corpses of the enemy, but they are also warriors, all listen to my command and salute!" The surrounding soldiers raised their hands in salute. At the end of the ceremony, the officers took the lead in burying the corpses, and such scenes can be seen everywhere on the battlefield. The next day, a military flag began to move forward rapidly in the face of a hail of bullets, and he would once again plant himself in the enemy's position.

Three days later, the attacking troops descended on the castle of Limbatose. At the headquarters of the Russian army in Ulan-Ude, a Russian officer walked into the report with a panicked look: "Report to the commander, the Chinese army has broken through the outer defense line of the Limbaatar Castle in three days, and is now under the Limbaatar Castle!" Kalinin's face grim and nodded to indicate that he understood. After the officer who reported on the battle situation left, the chief of staff said in a low voice: "Your Excellency, Your Excellency, General Khryutsky stubbornly defended, organized troops to counterattack, paid a heavy price, and still did not stop the offensive of the Chinese army, and I have to admit that the attack power of the Chinese army is strong. ”

Kalinin said: "General Kryyusky's troops paid the price, and the enemy paid the price. I believe that General Kryusky will be able to stop the enemy's attack under the next castle in Limbato, and that it will be time for our strong fortress to do its job. The chief of staff said: "This morning, the Chinese army launched an offensive in the Gree, Bangu, and Tuva directions, and according to reports from the front, the Chinese army has put at least 4 armies into the offensive. ”

Kalinin sneered: "This is a war of attrition, and when the Chinese army becomes a tired division, and we advance side by side, maybe a miracle will happen." Please tell the front-line soldiers to repeatedly fight for positions with the enemy at any cost, because we are a steel defense line. Kalinin knew that even if the Chinese army broke through the forward line of defense, there would still be a second and third line of defense behind it, and Zuihou was the Ulan-Ude line, and there would be strong reinforcements from the east and west, so he was very confident that he would hold on.

At the Kulen Cluster Command, Deputy Commander Li Tianxiang went to the front line to supervise the battle, and Chief of Staff Khalid said a little depressed: "Commander, as expected, just as we estimated before the war, the Russian army broke out with strong combat effectiveness. In particular, the commanders of the Russian army seem to have studied the characteristics of our offensive and have taken-for-tat measures. At present, except for the 5th Army, which has taken the limbato secondary outer defensive line, the other divisions are making slow progress. The Russian army learned the lesson of the loss of the Limbatoar sub-perimeter defense line and used the night to launch a counteroffensive, repeatedly fighting for surface positions. The tactics of the Russian army seem to be fighting with us for attrition, aimed at delaying time! ”

"The Russian army is just stalling for time, and the Russian commander is very smart, and if we can't capture Ulan-Ude before the severe cold comes, we have to be forced to withdraw our troops. The Russian army has a strong army, and it is desperate to launch a counterattack, can it make a fuss in this regard? Leng Yifei said. Khaled's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he said, "I have a way, come on!" A combat staff officer quickly came to the front. Ordered Gree, Bangu, and Tuva to attack the troops. The Russian army organized powerful firepower during the night counterattack, which consumed the living liliang of the Russian army, and the originally planned operation Jihua could be postponed for 5 days. Khalid decisively issued the order.

"Wait! Ordered the heavy artillery brigade to be attached to the 5th Army, and ordered Fang Zhenyu to take Limbato, so as to boost the morale of the front-line soldiers! "Leng Yifei added the order, and the combat staff officer had to give the order to go." Is there too much pressure on the 5th Army? Khalid worried. Leng Yifei shook his head and said: "At the critical moment, pressure must be exerted, now is the time to fight for will and courage, you and I can't have a benevolent mentality." If we take Limbatose Castle, we will be able to gain experience in attacking the fortifications, which is crucial. ”

Leng Yifei's meaning is obvious, there is more than one fortress fortress behind, and a stronger fortress is still behind. (To be continued......)

PS: The military flag is a symbol of honor and a symbol of victory.