On May 29, the Russian Second Army began to collapse like an avalanche, with an irreversible force. These forces included both the left and right flanks, which had previously been broken by German attacks, as well as the three main corps of the 13th, 15th, and 23rd in the center.

Although the Russian army, with its violent genes of a fighting nation, is the most tolerant of suffering in Europe; However, even the most tireless machine cannot function without energy. The vast majority of Russian soldiers have been out of food since the 25th, and they have long been extremely tired after enduring the long journey along the way; The subsequent fierce offensive of the Germans forced them to engage in fierce battles. In such a situation of hunger and exhaustion, how can the Russian officers and soldiers, who are still in the category of human beings, survive?

By the time the sun rose on the 29th, a large number of Russian officers and soldiers were already dizzy with hunger, and they did not even have the strength to struggle to stand up, let alone defend and counterattack. More than 200,000 Russian troops have lost almost all their ability to resist in just a few hours, and only 12 out of 12 troops have been resupplied in the previous few days, and they still maintain basic combat effectiveness, but they are no longer helpful to the development of the war situation. The four German regiments roared with heavy artillery, and their offensive was already unstoppable.

In the center, the 13th and 15th armies of the Russian Second Army, which fought the longest, advanced the farthest, and put the most pressure on the German army, were now completely trapped in the German encirclement because they rushed too deep. The German 1st Reserve Army poured in from the open gap in Allenstein like a spring river, and the German 20th Army in front completely surrounded this force. The two Russian units rushed left and right in the encirclement. Like a badly wounded and dying beast, it desperately pounded the impregnable iron cage around it. Each breakthrough was strewn with corpses by German artillery and machine guns. Rivers of blood. Wanting to hold on to the same place is also an unattainable luxury dream for the Russian army, which lacks water and food, and the encirclement of the German army is getting tighter and tighter. On the causeway in the swampy area, German soldiers with machine guns were closely guarded at every intersection. This group of Russian troops walked nearly 70 kilometers in the last 40 hours, without any military rations, no fodder for horses, and no drinking water.

In other directions, the situation of the other three Russian corps is also a scene of doomsday. The exhausted Russian army is exhausted. The only thought of the officers and men was to get away from the German artillery fire as soon as possible, and a large amount of baggage was discarded indiscriminately, and even rifles were thrown to the ground because they hindered their escape speed. As for the artillery and war horses that are regarded as the top priority by the Russian army, they are also thrown in place at the moment and no one takes care of them; When the horses were desperately tired from the lack of fodder, it was impossible to move with these cannons!

The hungry soldier dragged his exhausted body, as if he could collapse at any moment, and evacuated with difficulty along the road from which he had come. In the rear, the rumbling roar of heavy artillery was getting closer and closer, stimulating the fragile nerves of these tired soldiers like a sea god drum. The resistance of the Russian front-line troops is rapidly crumbling like spring snow in the sun, and the German army is invincible and devastating along the way. On every road, a large number of Russian prisoners were tied together with ropes, and they were being driven to the rear prisoner of war camps under the escort of German soldiers. Although the German officers and soldiers who had been fighting for several days were also very tired. But compared with the situation of the Russian army, there is a difference; Stimulated by the unprecedented victory, the German officers and men all exerted all their strength and mustered up all the courage to pursue until the Russian Second Army, which had collapsed and fled, was wiped out.

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The remnant sun sets in the west, and the brilliance is dim; The night settles, and the clouds gather.

In the muddy and rugged swamp, a group of people struggled through the bushes and leaves. The sky was surrounded by dark clouds, the stars and the moon were hidden, and there was a vast darkness everywhere, like the polar night scene in the northern Tunguska region.

A faint glimmer of light, like the first spark of chaos; In front of the orange-red flames was an unkempt and haggard face with a messy beard. With the faint light of the match, the middle-aged officer finally saw the direction of the compass again. He ran his fingernails against the very bottom of the tiny match, trying to make it burn longer; Dozens of seconds later, however, the burning pain that suddenly came from his fingertips forced him to throw away the most lush of light. Boundless darkness reigned again, encircling them from all sides. A breeze blew, and the shadows of the longing forest leaves and trees swayed, and in the dark night, it seemed that countless demons were silently haunting in the distance.

"Potowski, how far are we from the border?" In the midst of heavy and messy footsteps, an old and weak voice suddenly spoke in a dumb voice.

The leading middle-aged man called Potowski stopped and said softly: "Your Excellency, General, we are only ten kilometers away from the national border. Although the Germans blocked all the crossings on the border to return to their homeland, they still had no control over this inaccessible swampy wasteland; As long as we hold on for another three hours, we will be able to meet with the Cossack cavalry patrolling the border. At that point, we will be completely safe. ”

The old voice did not speak again, and began to walk one foot at a time in the uneven and slippery swamp. As time passed, his wheezing became heavier and heavier, and his gait became staggering, and his feet staggered. Feeling the increasingly messy pace of the man behind him, Potovsky felt bad; He hurriedly beckoned to stop his advance, and then hurriedly groped around, found a stone and slowly helped the person behind him to sit down.

The night breeze blows, and the branches rustle and sway. At a very close distance, several haggard and lost faces looked at each other silently, their eyes flickering, and they looked at each other indescribably.

"In less than four days, our Second Army was completely annihilated. The five elite corps and the 230,000 brave officers and soldiers of the army are now all gone. The old man's voice spoke faintly, and his words were filled with endless pathos and bitterness, "Your Majesty the Tsar trusts me and puts this large army in my hands; But after such a fiasco, what face will I have to go back to see him? Speaking the last sentence, Samsonov was already blocked in his throat, a sour meaning that had not been seen for decades was filled in his chest, and a little moistness quietly gushed out from the corners of his chapped eyes.

Potowski was shocked when he heard this. He had followed the old man for many years, and had never heard him speak in such a desolate and poignant tone; Listening to his words, it seems that he already has a will to die! Potowsky couldn't help but say eagerly: "Your Excellency Samsonov, there are less than 10 kilometers left, we can return to the land of Russia, you must persevere!" As long as we can return to our homeland, we can re-establish an army ten or twenty times more than the Second Army, and we will have to pay for the defeat and humiliation suffered today by the Germans a hundredfold in the future! ”

Samsonov shook his head slightly, his eyes full of endless loneliness and depression. He breathed hard for a moment, and then said abruptly: "The Second Army was completely annihilated, and I, as the commander, have an unshirkable and absolute responsibility for this. Even if His Majesty the Tsar had mercy on me and forgave me for my mistakes, I would never have the face to see the relatives of the fallen warriors. When a large army is destroyed, someone must take responsibility for it. What's more, my body is not enough to support me to continue walking, and throwing myself into the arms of the Virgin Mary is the only option I can make now. ”

Potovsky tried to persuade him again, but a trembling old palm suddenly rested on his shoulder. He was slightly stunned, only to hear Samsonov say softly: "After you return to China, please tell Your Majesty the Tsar that Alexander (Samsonov's name) has dull qualifications and has failed to live up to his trust, so you can only thank him with death." I also have a farm and three properties on the outskirts of Smolensk, which is enough to ensure that my family has no worries about food and clothing, and when you return home, arrange for them to move there. ”

Before the words fell, Potowsky's shoulders sank slightly, and it was Samsonov himself who staggered to his feet. Several officers next to him were shocked when they saw this, and hurriedly wanted Samsonov to dispel this idea, but the commander, who had lost all his troops, was determined and unmoved. Looking at the commander's expectant and resolute eyes looking at him, Potovsky's heart ached, and he stood there for a long time, finally taking a deep breath and putting his head a little heavier.

Samsonov smiled slightly, and there was an indescribable relief on his face. He straightened out his somewhat disheveled cavalry general's uniform, and then walked slowly toward the deeper darkness under a pine tree.

The night breeze was cold, the coolness was getting stronger, and walking in the pitch-black exotic jungle, Samsonov's heart was empty and bright as it had never been. artillery fire in the Balkan plains, knife in the Caucasus Mountains; The forest sea of Siberia, the war song of the Manchurian charge...... Scenes from the past flashed in front of his eyes like a marquee, like a big dream for more than half a century. However, since when did he go from a brave and upright cavalry brigade commander to a utilitarian bottom-class: knowing that he lacked experience in commanding the army, he still had to rely on the capital that showed heroism in the Russo-Japanese War to compete for the position of commander of the second army? And since when did he begin to become so timid towards his superiors that he had to carry out Gilinsky's order to advance at full speed, knowing that there were huge problems with logistics and physical strength of his soldiers?

Gradually, he was the only one left around. The dense woods are like a canopy of shade, completely engulfing all the light. Samsonov stopped, his mind full of mixed feelings; He pulled out the pistol at his waist and slowly pressed it against his temple.

With the crisp sound of gunfire, a night bird was startled and flew high into the air. (To be continued......)

PS: Thank you to the book friend zhouyu1976, February 30 precept book, this product is not a zombie's reward and depressed nothing, I don't want to die Xiaobai, sdkfz182 and PT cat's monthly pass support ~~~