Heavy artillery fire exploded at the castle of Nilek, and the entire city was shrouded in smoke and dust. In the headquarters of the German 2nd Division, all the personnel were busy nervously, and the German combat staff officers, holding telephones in their hands, were constantly in contact with the city defense troops and gave orders from their commanders. Dust constantly fell from above, and in violent vibrations, sprinkled on military hats, faces, and uniforms. The German fighters, who did not seem to be flustered, were clearly a well-trained army.

At this time, the division commander Kraut held the binoculars and looked forward motionlessly. Kraut's headquarters was located on a mound in the middle of Nilek, the highest point, with an unobstructed view of the defense and attack. Nilek is located on the alluvial plain of the Ili River Valley, surrounded by flat rivers, and the terrain is very unfavorable for the attacking side. "It is no wonder that the Chinese army is invincible, they are already a standardized, regularized army, their artillery fire is very efficient, and the area of artillery distribution is very reasonable. If the fortifications of Nilek Castle were not strong, we would not be able to resist such artillery fire. Kraut muttered as he observed.

"General, the enemy's artillery fire has been extended, and the attacking troops are going to attack!" Adjutant said. "The forward troops were ordered not to panic, and the enemy went into effective range to fire again, and to form a crossfire. Tell the defenders that the enemy should use grenades massively near the city walls and that the enemy must not be allowed to cross the blockade ditch. As soon as Kraut's words fell, the adjutant exclaimed, "General, the enemy has charged. Sure enough, the Chinese army attacked in a skirmish formation.

Kraut, still holding the telescope in his hand, continued: "The enemy has about a brigade of troops, from the northeast. Due north and due east launched an attack at the same time. Sure enough, their skirmishers are very messy, but they are very efficient. This is the opponent of our German warriors. Artillery fire was ordered. In a few moments, the German artillery began to fire, and the shells exploded in front, and soon the smoke of gunpowder once again covered the battlefield ahead.

The task of attacking Nilek was still the 1st Army led by Lin Xiong. The 1st Army first committed a division to launch a strong attack, and the 2nd and 3rd Divisions temporarily served as reserves. The German division commander Kraut was right, the 1st Division did commit a brigade of troops. From the east, northeast, and north of the three defensive directions, an overwhelming offensive was launched, like a sharp steel knife inserted into the enemy.

Army commander Lin Xiong sat at the headquarters of the 1st Division and personally commanded it. Seeing the enemy's counterattack artillery fire exploding in the charging array, Lin Xiong ordered the artillery fire to be suppressed, and the dense artillery shells flew into the city again. "Commander, the enemy's artillery fire is very orderly. It seems that this Russian army unit is well-trained. It's hard to deal with! The commander of the 1st Division was slightly surprised. In order to confuse the Chinese army, Kraut flew the flag in the city with the flag of the Russian army, so Lin Xiong had no idea that the defending force of Nilek was the German army. At present, the allied forces of Western countries have adopted uniform standards and styles in order to reduce the pressure on logistics and supply, so it is difficult to distinguish between the German army and the Russian army on the surface.

The crossfire formed by the Germans was very terrifying, and coupled with the power of mortars, the attacking troops were constantly blocked. "When did the fucking Russians get smart. Order to stop the offensive! Lin Xiong was angry and continued: "Immediately organize a second round of attacks and double the support firepower." Break through a little with all your might. "The 1st Brigade failed in the attack and withdrew in disarray, and then the 2nd Brigade made preparations, intending not to give the enemy a chance to breathe.

Soon the second wave of attacks began, and as the suppressive fire increased, the assault force made an improvement. An eastern assault team approached the city wall with a ladder, and the ladder was erected on the city wall, when suddenly a dense number of grenades fell from the sky, accompanied by a violent explosion, and the ladder was blown off. This round of attacks died again. "Commander, the Russian army has fully understood our tactics and adopted corresponding countermeasures. If you blindly attack the loss, the loss is too great. Lin Xiong had no choice but to order the withdrawal of his troops, and the first day of the attack ended in failure.

In the headquarters of the German army in Nilek, Kraut held the phone in his hand and said proudly: "General Dzerzhinsky, at 8 o'clock this morning, the Chinese army launched a tidal offensive, and by 3 o'clock in the afternoon, we had repelled two frantic attacks of the enemy. haha！ The Chinese are also not three-headed and six-armed, there is nothing remarkable. I am already familiar with the characteristics of the offensive of the Chinese army today. Rest assured, general, I will make Nilek a meat grinder for the Chinese army. ”

"I don't need support for the time being, I have enough reserves! It's good to send cavalry units to fight together! Prevent the Chinese army from sending small groups of troops to harass deeply, and thank the general for his strong support. Kraut put down the phone, and then picked up another phone, he wanted to communicate with von Lautz, inform him in detail of the results of the battle, and let General von Lautz understand the operational characteristics of the Chinese army. This shows the rigor of the Germans, who are ready to sum up their experience in order to fight again.

At the General Headquarters of Yining, Dzerzhinsky put down the phone and said happily: "Everyone, our allies German warriors, victoriously crushed the offensive of the Chinese army. The Chinese army launched two successive rounds of attacks and was repulsed, and our German warriors, worthy of being an elite division, immediately reported to the front headquarters to report the detailed battle situation. Seeing everyone's smiles, Dzerzhinsky continued: "Order the 32nd Cavalry Division to dispatch patrol troops to closely monitor the security of the west and south sides of Nilek and prevent the infiltration of Chinese troops." The 52 Infantry Division was ordered, to be on standby around the clock and to send reinforcements to Nilek at any time. ”

Dzerzhinsky was in a particularly comfortable mood and continued: "Ladies and gentlemen, today has been the happiest day for me in the past month, and it is the German warriors who have brought us good luck. Please raise your glass and toast to our warriors! Perhaps it was a joy to be overjoyed, but on the same day, two more cavalry divisions entered the Ili River Valley to assist in the defense, and when he heard such good news, Dzerzhinsky was a little fluttering, and there was no doubt that the Ili Valley defense operation would achieve the most brilliant results of his military career.

At the Kuitun Front Army Headquarters, He Meng frowned as he held the battle materials in his hand. Chief of Staff Lei Zhensheng said: "Lin Xiong's troops have been attacking for five days in a row, and the 1st Brigade has suffered heavy casualties, and it has not even climbed the city wall. According to the analysis of the battle situation summarized above, the defense, formation and fighting style of the Russian army are different from the combat characteristics of the Russian army in the past, and this Russian army is very strong. ”

He Meng was walking back and forth on the ground, and suddenly he stopped and asked, "Chief of Staff, is there a German army stationed in Almaty?" "Yes, but we don't know anything about the number and number of the German army, so you doubt ??????。" "The Russian troops defending Nilek are very different from the previous Russian units, and I suspect that the troops defending Nilek are most likely German troops. Come! Prepare your horses and rush to the front line of Nilek now! ”

After a long journey of one day and one night, He Meng and his guards arrived at the headquarters of the 1st Division at 5 a.m. the next day. "??????, fuck, I don't believe that the Russian army is impregnable. Today's attack is to advance slowly, according to what we have studied, and to build fortifications under the nose of the enemy, and to use the tactics of short assaults to climb the city walls. Lin Xiong suddenly stopped and said in surprise: "Commander, why did you come to the front line!" ”

He Meng said with a serious expression: "Cancel the attack, stop the attack!" Then He Meng picked up the binoculars to watch the enemy's formation, Lin Xiong and the other generals didn't know what was going on, and looked at He Meng worriedly. After a long time, He Meng turned his head to Lin Xiong and said, "It's been 5 days since you launched the attack, and you don't see that the opposing defending force is different?" "Commander! I also feel weird, the tactics and fighting methods of the Russian army on the opposite side, including the arrangement of troops, are different from the previous Russian troops, could it be that the Russian army has sent a brand new unit? ”

He Meng wanted to reprimand Lin Xiong a few words, but after thinking about it, he was also responsible. Then He Meng's tone softened and said: "Before the war, we learned that a German army was stationed in Almaty, and Nilek's defense was so strong, it was very likely that it was a German army. "The crowd was amazed." Immediately order the reconnaissance troops, give me a tongue, I want to learn more about the situation of the Russian army. Knowing that the other side can survive a hundred battles, it seems that I am a little proud, and the responsibility lies with me. ”

That night, a fast horse stopped in front of the command office, and an officer quickly dismounted and galloped in. "Report to the commander, the reconnaissance unit is northwest of Nilek, captured a communications officer of the Russian army, and after interrogation, the judgment of the command was confirmed. This is the interrogation material, please take a look at it. He Meng took the interrogation materials and read them quickly, handed them to Lei Zhensheng and said: "The 1st and 2nd divisions of the German Royal Army have been transferred to the Ili River Valley. The German unit in front of us was the 2nd Division, and the German commander was named Kraut. The German 1st Division defended the county town of Yining, and the commander's name was von Lautz. Lin Xiong, you may not know, but after 5 days of fighting with the best and strongest troops in Europe, you should be content. ”

He Meng stopped and looked at the map, and the generals and officials were discussing. Seeing that the commander frowned and did not speak for a long time, everyone felt that the problem was serious. "Commander, the interrogation materials say that two more cavalry divisions have been added to the Ili River Valley, and it seems that it is impossible to quickly take the Ili River Valley!" Lei Zhensheng said. He Meng glanced at the chief of staff, seemed to have made up some kind of determination, and then picked up the pen and wrote a draft of the telegram: "Chief of staff, you immediately send someone to send this telegram to Urumqi, and then send it to the headquarters in the capital, the battlefield situation has changed, and we must also change the strategic deployment." ”

At the headquarters of the National Defense Forces in Beijing, Deng Zixuan sent a telegram from He Meng in his hand and said: "I didn't expect that two divisions of the German army entered the Ili River Valley, and it seems that the Russian army command intends to hold the Ili River Valley. The tide of the war has changed, and our strategy has to be significantly adjusted. "President, are you going to take He Meng's advice?" Chen Jintang asked. "I can destroy a large number of Russian troops, why don't I agree. Immediately sent a report to He Meng that the original strategic deployment of Jihua to occupy the whole of Xinjiang was canceled, and agreed to He Meng's suggestion to fight a war of annihilation in the Ili River Valley. (To be continued......)

PS: In the face of tough opponents, brutal fights are inevitable.