Corporal Lu Xingming, who was sitting on the steps in front of the house basking in the sun, watched enviously as the squad leader, Sergeant Zhang Gouwa, wiped his body with cold water. Squad Leader Zhang, who was wearing only a pair of grass-green shorts, stood in the open space and asked Private Zhou Qinyi, his deputy shooter, to pour water on his head, and poured half a bucket of water on it, and Squad Leader Zhang let out a loud roar that shook the roof tiles, and then wiped his naked body in the cold wind with a towel desperately, "Another bucket." ”

Lu Xingming didn't have the courage to take a cold shower with the squad leader. This is not in the Jiading barracks, but in a foreign land where dripping water turns into ice! Even at noon, the temperature outside the house was below zero, and if he took an ice bath like a blacksmith-turned-squad leader, he would probably have to go to the health team.

Turning his head, Lu Xingming saw a few people in gray-brown military coats walking towards him from the corner of the street, his eyesight was excellent, and he recognized at a glance that Regiment Commander Jiang was also among them, "Squad leader, come on, the regiment commander is here." Lu Xingming had already stood up.

The officers watched through the wooden fence as Zhang Gouwa, who was almost naked, taking a bath, "Dog's day, aren't you afraid of catching a cold?" Head Jiang scolded. The leading officer had already pushed open the dilapidated courtyard gate that was almost falling and approached the courtyard.

"What's your name?"

"Report Chief! Sergeant Zhang Gouwa of the 3rd Battalion Machine Gun Company 9th Class! ”

"Good body! Put it on, don't catch a cold. The big man with two five-pointed gold stars on the collar badge slapped his hands on Zhang Gouwa's bronze strong chest, and actually took off his coat and draped it on Zhang Gouwa.

"Commander, he's a great machine gunner. Born as a blacksmith, he took a cold shower every day and never got sick. Head Jiang whispered.

Lu Xingming, who was standing behind Zhang Gouwa, clearly heard the words of the regiment leader. "Commander?" He was startled. Peeking in, the two pentagram gold stars on the officer's collar badge shone dazzlingly in the midday sun. It's really a major general, the general is a five-pointed star, the colonel is a four-pointed star, and the rank recognition star of the lieutenant is three corners...... Lu Xingming, who especially likes to study military uniforms and accessories, couldn't help but stick out his tongue.

"What about you? Corporal? The square-faced major general asked Lu Xingming kindly.

"Report, report to the general, my name is Lu Xingming, and I am the deputy squad leader......

"Oh, it's from Shandong. Where is your hometown? The general asked in Shanxi.

"Fei County, Yizhou."

"Haha, it's from the old base of the Mengshan Army. Oh. What about you? The general turned his gaze to the last soldier, Zhou Qinyi, who was standing stupidly with a bucket.

"Me. I'm from Zhenjiang......"

"Zhenjiang is a good place. Young man, come to Russia, can you stand the cold here? ”

"It's okay at noon......"

"But the war is not only at noon. Isn't it? And, that's just the beginning. In a few more days. The temperature is going to drop. Do you dare to take a cold shower like your squad leader? ”

"Dare."

"Haha. Don't be pushy. I don't advocate this, but training for the cold zone needs to be done. By the way, have you had dinner? ”

"Report to the commander. We've already had dinner. It was Zhang Gouwa who answered.

"What did you eat?"

"Flatbread, and horse broth."

"Why do you eat horse meat?"

"A pack horse died in the company." Zhang Gouwa said with a smile.

"Go get dressed." The commander ordered Zhang Gouwa. Pushing away the coat that Commander Jiang had taken off, he squinted at the house behind him, and asked Lu Xingming, "Where do you live?" ”

"We stayed here all of our time. The house was empty before I arrived. Lu Xingming spoke sharply.

"Yes, it's much more generous than living in a tent. How does it feel better than at home? ”

"We don't stay here at night." Of course, it is more domestic than many countries, but Lu Xingming did not dare to say this.

"Oh, camping in the wilderness. Right? Questions? ”

"Report to the general, there is no problem."

"Let's go and see where you live. Come in. The Major General walked towards the door.

Major General Yan Shulin, commander of the 3rd Army, accompanied by Brigadier General Guan Xingshun, commander of the 8th Division, Colonel Jiang Hongshan, commander of the 24th Regiment, and Major Wang Gui, commander of the Military Health Department, inspected the four companies of the 24th Regiment for one day and learned in detail about the training and living conditions of the troops. The 8th Company was the last company he had seen, and the overall situation was satisfactory to Yan Shulin, and Guan Xingshun's adaptive training for camping in the wilderness should be promoted, and if he entered the battlefield, there would be no shelter from the wind and snow.

After chatting with the soldiers of the 3rd platoon of the 8th Company for more than an hour, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, Yan Shulin returned to the regimental headquarters of the 24th Regiment and convened a meeting of the main officers of the 8th Division.

Yan Shulin was very worried about the adaptation of the troops to the climate, and since the troops arrived at the planned assembly site in Zhytomyr, the health department reported a surge in patients, mostly due to frostbite on the hands and feet caused by the severe cold. This cannot but arouse the great attention of Commander Yan.

The inspection situation was not very good, but the rate of frostbite was not as high as Wang Gui had predicted.

In the humble regimental headquarters of the 24th Regiment, Yan Shulin arranged cold protection work.

"It's a must-pass. When I fought for the task in vain, the General Staff suspected that we, the southern soldiers, could not adapt to the Russian winter. It can't be said that the 3rd Army doesn't go to the cold area to fight, right? I looked at the outfit of the Russian troops in Vinnicha, and it is no better than ours, and the joint logistics headquarters has enough winter clothes for the troops, but the key is to adapt. Your division's approach is right, it is necessary to strengthen the training of the troops, and the training of the open camp is very correct, and it must be persistent! In addition, attention should be paid to learning some of the practices of the 1st set of troops, especially the experience of food. Yan Shulin began by affirming Guan Xingshun's practice of driving the troops out of the town and camping in the wilderness.

"That's it. Our army was one of the president's starting troops, but after the founding of the People's Republic of China, we squatted in Jiangnan and did not fight any battles worth mentioning, which made our status even inferior to that of the 2nd Army. Guan Xingshun grinned.

The predecessor of the 3rd Army was the 3rd Division formed by Wang Mingyuan, and its source was the Guangdong Patrol Battalion formed by Wang Mingyuan. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, although it was assigned to the First Division, it did not fight any battles worth mentioning. It's just that they suppressed bandits in Fujian and Jiangxi. Compared with the intensity of the suppression of bandits in the southwest and northwest, it is several levels worse. At the time of the Shandong Campaign, the General Staff was originally preparing to transfer the 3rd Army to participate in the battle, but in order to prepare for a possible Japanese landing in the direction of Shanghai and Hangzhou. As the main force of the Southeast Military Region, the 3rd Army was "detained" by Ye Yanbing in the Southeast Military Region, losing an opportunity to shine and achieving the reputation of the 18th Division, a "second-class" unit in the Southeast Theater. This time to form the 2nd Group Army of the Expeditionary Force, Yan Shulin went through the back door of his old boss Wang Mingyuan, included the 3rd Army in the 2nd Group Army sequence, and entered the Russian theater after Zhang Zuoxiang's 21st Army.

"That's the truth. Commander Ye's troops are considered to have made a big deal, this time they have to correct the name of the 3rd Army no matter what, if they can't adapt to the Russian winter, they can't fight the battle! Yan Shulin said coldly.

"yes, yes, or I'm sorry for the sleeping bag." Guan Xingshun said with a smile.

As a matter of fact, the equipment provided by the Joint Logistics Headquarters for the expeditionary force in cold areas is absolutely first-class. They got the treatment that the units of the 1st Army did not enjoy. Take the latest equipment such as the eiderdown sleeping bag. The 9th Army and other troops still have military blankets to protect against the cold, but the 3rd Army and the 21st Army have been equipped with eiderdown sleeping bags, which have proved to be a good thing, and soldiers can leave the field tent and rely on it to resist the cold of minus 15 degrees in the field. To the envy of the 1st Army. Limited to capacity. The four armies of the 2nd Army were not yet fully equipped. The 15th Army, which was the last to set off, was not yet equipped with this kind of bedding that was loved by the soldiers, but still arrived at the front line with military blankets.

The common problem encountered by armies on expeditions is not combat, but logistics. Experienced generals think more about logistics than about operations. There is no adequate and perfect logistics. The combat effectiveness of the troops will be reduced, which will affect the operation. Most of the soldiers of the 3rd Army came from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and they were not only afraid of the cold, but also did not adapt to the diet in the war zone, and the daily baking of bread and sausages made the officers and soldiers feel miserable. However, the Russian side could not even supply flour sufficiently, and after the 2nd Army arrived at the front, there was a problem with the food supply promised by the Russian army, and the expeditionary force misappropriated the grain that had been aided to Russia under the "Boston Agreement". Russia, which has a severe food crisis, is in dire need of food aid from China, and the latest batch of 12,000 tons of food aid to Russia was ordered by Wang Mingyuan to be intercepted and transported to the expeditionary force, causing conflicts between the two armies due to supply problems.

"Instant food is being developed in China, I know this. Difficulties must be overcome, and we are here to fight, not to enjoy. "Regarding the food problem raised by Guan Xingshun, Yan Shulin did not consider it, at least the troops were not hungry. And according to the internal report of the Expeditionary Force Command, the situation of the front-line troops of the Russian army is becoming more and more serious.

"Commander, Commander Ye ordered you to go to the headquarters for a meeting immediately." The chief of the communications section of the 8th Division rushed to the 24th Regiment and conveyed Ye Yanbing's order.

"Did you send a plane?"

"Nope. Say that the plane is not safe at night. ”

"Okay." Yan Shulin stood up, "It is estimated that there is a new situation, stay vigilant and ensure that you can pull at any time." He told Guan Xingshun and left the 24th regiment headquarters.

Yan Shulin and his chief of staff, escorted by a squad of soldiers, drove in two cars to Vinnytsia, 110 kilometers away, in the middle of the night, a famous Ukrainian city now crowded with Chinese, where the headquarters of the expeditionary force and a huge logistics organization are located. Units of the 1st Army and the 7th Army were also stationed in Vinnytsia.

Because General Wang Mingyuan went to Petersburg, the commander of the expeditionary force was the deputy commander Ye Yanbing, and when he heard that Yan Shulin had arrived, Ye Yanbing immediately took him into his headquarters, and after asking about the situation of the 3rd Army, Ye Yanbing, who was obviously sleep-deprived, said to Yan Shulin, "There are still three army commanders who have not arrived." The formal meeting will be held tomorrow morning at nine o'clock, and I will tell you a little bit about it, Brusilov's Bulgarian offensive is not going well, his offensive has been stopped, he has suffered great losses, and we are asked to transfer two corps to him. ”

"My army is ready to move at any time." Yan Shulin replied immediately.

"No, even if you dial it to him, it won't be your turn. The 9th and 5th armies were in Chernivtsi. But Commander Wang telegraphed that the Germans might be in Poland and asked me to be vigilant about the situation in the west. The point is that we cannot divide the troops. So I decided to ignore him. Brusilov hated me so much that he reportedly complained to Commander Wang about me. Ye Yanbing rubbed his face, "I summoned you here to study the layout of the troops, and now there is a problem with the deployment of the two group armies and it needs to be adjusted." ”

Ye Yanbing walked to the map, "You see, the 9th Army and the 5th Army of the 1st Army are in Chernivtsi, the 16th Army is in Bodolsky, and Vinnitsa has two armies and a heavy artillery division in 1 set. And the 2nd and 21st armies of the 3rd army are near Zhytomyr, and the 10th and 15th armies are still in Uman, how can this work? Ye Yanbing tapped his finger on the map, "Do your best to determine the direction of the battle!" If it is used in the Polish direction, the composition of the troops will have to be adjusted. So be it. Sleep with me and discuss it again tomorrow." As he spoke, he called out to the staff officer on duty and ordered him to arrange accommodation for Yan Shulin.

Yan Shulin was not sleepy, he really wanted to talk to Ye Yanbing about military affairs, especially the lack of means of transportation, the 3rd Army was not equipped with enough trucks, which was half of the wartime establishment, if the troops relied on their own strength to move west, the headquarters needed to allocate more trucks, and the drivers were also insufficient. But seeing Commander Ye's face. Yan Shulin saluted Ye Yanbing. Went out with the staff officer.

On the morning of the next day, except for the commanders of the 16th, 9th, and 5th armies, who were far away, the commanders of the other six corps gathered in the conference room of the headquarters. General Shi Dashou of the 2nd Group Army and Lieutenant General Sun Wu, Chief of Staff, were also present.

"Everyone. Today's meeting was convened with the consent of Commander Wang. Three agendas. The first is to give a brief report on the situation of the subordinate department. The second is to report on the enemy's situation, and the last is to adjust the command sequence. "Ye Yanbing got straight to the point," the 21st Army said first. ”

Major General Zhang Zuoxiang stood up. Began to report on the situation of the 21st Army.

This was followed by the 3rd Army, and each of the six corps commanders spent about ten minutes reporting on the build-up of troops.

Ye Yanbing didn't comment, "Next, please ask Director Zhong of the Intelligence Department to report on the enemy situation." ”

Lieutenant Colonel Zhong Shi carried a stick to the large wall chart hanging on the wall, "Let's talk about Romania first. The Russian 8th Army's offensive against Bulgaria failed, they had already been driven back to Ruse, and it is difficult to say whether they could gain a foothold on the south bank of the Danube. To the east, the offensive of the Russian 9th Army also did not go well, with heavy casualties. According to the Russian army, the Germans transferred at least five full-strength divisions to Romania. Brusilov, the commander of the Russian Southwestern Front, ordered the 9th and 7th armies under the command of Lieutenant General Xiong Xun to return to Romania and be incorporated into the 8th Army...... "Lieutenant Colonel Zhongshi's stick left Romania and pointed to Poland," something new was discovered in the Polish direction, and the Germans had increased their forces on this side. There were signs that the Germans would launch a large-scale offensive once the ground was completely frozen. Due to the transfer of units of the Southwestern Front of the Russian Army to one army group, the 8th Army, which entered Bulgaria, the forces of the Southwestern Front in this direction were weakened. General Brusilov ordered our troops, which had completed the build-up in the Zhytomyr direction, to move to the southwest to prevent a possible German offensive. The German army in this direction was its 11th Army, which consisted of 13 divisions. Whether it has been strengthened now, there is no reliable intelligence ......"

"Didn't you say that our army would not be divided and used?" Ding Xiaofu, the commander of the 15th Army, who was sitting in the front row, interjected.

Lieutenant Colonel Zhongshi did not answer.

"Didn't the Russians have two more armies in that direction?" Yan Shulin asked.

"One, the 7th Army, which had five corps. Another army group, facing the Austrians, could not take care of this direction. The position of the 7th Army was crucial, they connected the Southwestern Theater and the Western Theater, and were the junction of the two front armies. Commander Ye was worried that the Germans would do something there......"

"Didn't you say give us at least 20 days to train?" It was Yan Shulin who asked, "As far as I know, the Russian army has a larger establishment than the German army, and some of their divisions have 16 infantry battalions, while the German army only has 9. The German army of 13 divisions was not a particularly formidable force......"

"Commander Yan," Zhong Shi owed, "although the summer offensive of the Southwest Front was victorious, the troops suffered heavy losses and have not been fully replenished. According to what we know, each infantry company of the Russian army generally has only about 80 people, and the weapons are very poor, each cannon is equipped with less than 10 shells......"

Ye Yanbing stood up, "Now I announce the order of the Expeditionary Force Command: The 7th Army and the 12th Army will be incorporated into the 2nd Army. The 15th Army was incorporated into the 1st Army. The order takes effect immediately. He walked over to the map, and Lieutenant Colonel Zhong Shi left, "Generals, the significance of this does not need to be explained by me. Now we are faced with two problems, the first is Romania, and I have decided that the Xiong Xun group will not enter Romania, let alone accept the command of the Russians. Their butts must be wiped by themselves. The second is the question of the actions of the 2nd Army, there is no doubt that the five corps under the command of Commander Shi will be used in the western direction, which is in line with the president's intentions, and we must meet the Germans head-on and defeat them. However, our army will not be mobilized for the time being, let alone the two armies that will be handed over to the Russians as their campaign reserves. Both offensive and defensive, the 2nd Army had to be a whole, and there was only one superior, and that was the Expeditionary Force Command. However," Ye Yanbing's gaze fell on Zhang Zuoxiang's face, and then turned to Yan Shulin, "Zhytomyr's two armies must end their training, straighten out their logistics, and be ready to move at any time." Got a question? ”

Zhang Zuoxiang and Yan Shulin stood up at the same time, "No problem. ”

"Commander Shi, the headquarters of your army group shall immediately move to Zhytomyr and collect a large number of mules, horses and wagons, and I have made this request to Brusilov in an official letter, asking him to provide at least a thousand wagons and to have enough pack horses. You can't rely on cars, you can't rely on them! ”

"Yes." Shi Dashou stood up.

Ye Yanbing waved his hand at Shi Dashou and motioned for him to sit down, "In addition, the British used tanks in the Battle of the Somme, which is a powerful new weapon. Germany has a strong industrial base, and perhaps they have already begun to equip tanks. The relevant anti-tank tactical manuals have been distributed and should be studied in an organized manner. According to the instructions of the Artillery Department of the General Staff, the 75 assault guns of our army are equipped with absolutely capable of destroying tanks, so there is no need to panic even if the Germans use such things on the Eastern Front. The 21st Army should send reconnaissance troops in advance to survey the roads and terrain and make preparations for advancing westward. The liaison group I sent to the 7th Army has been formed, led by Zhong Shi. You should pay attention to the radio contact with the liaison group, keep abreast of the latest enemy situation and friendly forces, and be ready to dispatch at any time. The 2nd Heavy Artillery Division immediately went out and marched towards Zhytomyr. ”

"Yes!" Zhang Zuoxiang stood and saluted.

"Commander Wang has already left Petersburg and is on his way back to Vinnitsa. He called to instruct that the army should go abroad to fight, and the military order must be tightened! Any violation of military discipline must be severely punished! Please strict military discipline and maintain the honor of the Mengshan Army! Zhang Zuoxiang! ”

"In!"

"How was the matter of the 62nd Division handled?"

"The officers were dismissed, and the soldiers were locked up for three days."

"Kill the company commander who ruined the honor of our army, and shoot him publicly in front of the people! Soldiers are assigned to the punishment camp and are waiting for the guilty to make meritorious contributions! ”

A company commander of the 185th Infantry Regiment of the 62nd Division and two soldiers gang-raped a widow in the station, and according to the report of the military police company of the division, it was a slut who did not refuse to come, so it was not punished for rape. Zhang Zuoxiang agreed with the 62nd Division's handling opinion, but he didn't expect that General Ye Yanbing, who was far away in Vinnitsa, still learned about the incident.

"Sub-seat ......"

"Don't say it! I don't believe that women can rape men! It seems that you don't understand the tradition of the Mengshan Army deeply, and the 21st Army has to make up for this lesson! Do as I command! ”

"Yes."

Ye Yanbing tapped his fingers on the table, "According to the analysis of the General Staff, the German army will inevitably have a plot on the Eastern Front after the defeat on the Western Front, and the best battlefield is undoubtedly in Poland, where there are millions of Russian troops gathered. The command completely agreed with the opinion of the General Staff that the next battle would take place in that direction nine times out of ten. The victory of the 1st Army in Romania was just an appetizer and nothing. If the Germans launched an offensive from the junction of the two Russian fronts, our army would play the role of a mainstay. That's why I didn't accede to the bastard Brusilov's request. The following time is reserved for you to analyze the situation of the battle based on the information from the Intelligence Service. At two o'clock in the afternoon, a sand table deduction was carried out here, and everyone spoke freely, gave me enough difficulties, and considered a few more ways to deal with them. Commander Shi? Seeing that Shi Dashou waved his hand and was not ready to speak, Ye Yanbing announced the dismissal of the meeting. (To be continued......)