On the afternoon of May 23, the 4th Infantry Division, the 10th Infantry Division, the 16th Infantry Division and the 20th Infantry Division, as well as the 1st Heavy Artillery Brigade and the 2nd Heavy Artillery Brigade under the command of the Eastern Front of the Northern Army, broke through the defense line of the Russian army on the border and began to advance in depth.

Pogranichny, the commander of the Russian army, Lieutenant General Vasily, had a gloomy and somewhat frightening face, and in just half a day, their line of defense was broken through, which was completely unexpected by him. Although, the defense of Pogranich is quite solid. But whether he could withstand the strong firepower of the Northern Army, he was not sure at all.

He only had 50,000 men at his disposal, and the infantry division deployed on the border had been crushed and suffered heavy losses. In the next battle, it will definitely not come in handy.

"General, telegram from Your Excellency the Governor." A staff officer sent a telegram to Lieutenant General Vasily.

After reading the telegram, Lieutenant General Vasily's face looked much better. In the telegram, Governor Aleksayev informed him that reinforcements from two infantry divisions had already departed from Vladivostok. But because the railway was sabotaged by the reconnaissance units of the Northern Army, it took three to four days to arrive. Lieutenant General Vasily believes that even if the combat effectiveness of the Northern Army is strong, it should still be fine to hold out for three to four days.

"Order the troops, shrink to Bogranich, and prepare to meet those yellow-skinned monkeys here!" Lieutenant General Vasily gave the order.

At 4 p.m., the vanguard of the 4th Infantry Division of the Northern Army had already appeared west of Pogranichny. More than 30,000 Russian troops gathered around the small city, relying on the fortifications they had built to try to resist.

"Let the 1st and 2nd Heavy Artillery Brigades speed up, and then it's time for them to play." Major General Shi Tianchuan, commander of the 4th Infantry Division of the Northern Army, said.

In the previous battles, the heavy artillery of the 2nd Heavy Artillery Brigade had not opened fire in order to save valuable heavy artillery shells. But the Russian fortifications in Pogranich are significantly stronger than those in the border areas. So. The use of heavy artillery at this time will undoubtedly inflict a heavier blow on the Russian army.

In the evening of the same day, the artillery of the 2nd Heavy Artillery Brigade arrived in Pogranichny. These large-caliber heavy artillery, heavy artillery is too heavy. Fortunately, it was possible to rely on the railway for maneuvering. If you change to another place, there is no way to use it.

On the morning of May 24, the Northern Army had the 2nd Heavy Artillery Brigade and the 1st Heavy Artillery Brigade as the main forces. Heavy shelling was launched at Pogranichny. The 144 155mm heavy howitzers of the 1st Heavy Artillery Brigade, the 36 210mm rapid-fire cannons, 18 240mm heavy cannons, and 6 280mm heavy howitzers of the 2nd Heavy Artillery Brigade began to roar.

Although the artillery of the 2nd Heavy Artillery Brigade had only sixty pieces. However, each time these large-caliber heavy guns fired, the earth shook with a roar. Heavy shells whistled towards the positions of the Russian troops, making a sharp whistling sound, as if they were about to puncture a person's eardrums.

"Heavy artillery! Damn, this is definitely a heavy artillery of more than two hundred millimeter caliber. Those damn yellow-skinned monkeys. How did they have such a large caliber heavy artillery? Lieutenant General Vasily's face turned pale.

"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! ”

One shell after another fell from the sky and landed on the positions of the Russian troops. The shell exploded, leaving a large crater directly on the ground with great force. The shockwave spread in all directions, destroying everything. The fortifications of the civil structures of the Russian army, under the blow of these heavy artillery, will be destroyed one after another.

"General, the enemy's artillery fire is very fierce, and it is no longer safe here. We have to go to the underground bunker. A staff officer said.

Lieutenant General Vasily nodded, along with the staff officers. Retreat to the underground bunker that had already been constructed. But even if you are hiding in an underground bunker, you can feel the earth shaking. It can be seen how fierce the artillery fire of the Northern Army was. As for the Russian troops who are defending on the ground, the situation is even more dangerous.

"It seems a bit overkill to use these large-caliber heavy artillery against the Russian fortifications! What a waste. Major General Shi Tianchuan said a little speechlessly.

"Once Pogranichny is defeated, the next target will be the Twin Cities. There were strong fortresses built by the Russians. When the time comes, these heavy guns will be just right for use. Ji Jinchun, commander of the 10th Infantry Division, said with a smile.

Shi Tianchuan nodded: "Shuangchengzi is just an appetizer. Vladivostok is the main dish. Lao Maozi painstakingly managed the fortress for decades. It's not that easy to capture. However, the 6th Heavy Artillery Brigade will also participate in the battle at that time. The number of our large-caliber heavy guns will increase to 120 units. It may not have the power to smash the tortoise shell of the Russians. ”

The shelling of the Northern Army lasted less than half an hour before it ended. And the fortifications built by the Russian army outside the inner city of Pogranich have long been leveled. The Russian officers and soldiers stationed in those fortifications had already been blown to pieces. Even the Russian troops hiding in the anti-artillery holes. Didn't survive either. Heavy artillery of caliber 210 mm or more, even if it did not directly hit the anti-artillery hole. However, the shock wave generated by the explosion was enough to shock the officers and soldiers inside to death. If it hits directly, it can destroy the anti-artillery hole in one fell swoop and bury all the people inside alive.

After the artillery bombardment, the infantrymen, who had already been prepared, attacked. Under heavy shelling, the Russian army suffered heavy losses, and at the same time, the will to fight was on the verge of collapse. Under such circumstances, the offensive of the Northern Army did not meet with decent resistance at all. On the contrary, many Russian troops raised their hands and surrendered to the Northern Army. Most of these Russian soldiers participated in the Russo-Japanese War. They know that if they refuse to surrender, the price will be even greater.

At noon on the 24th, the Northern Army had cleared the Russian positions on the periphery of Pogranich and began to attack the city. Major General Shi Tianchuan even claimed that he would be able to take the whole of Pogranich before sunset.

"General, the outer line of defense has all fallen, and our army has suffered heavy losses. The Chinese have an absolute superiority in firepower, and if we hold on to Pogranichny any longer, we will only be completely destroyed. A staff officer suggested to Lieutenant General Vasily.

Lieutenant General Vasily looked at the map and was silent for a long time.

"General, we must not hesitate, we must abandon Pogranichny and retreat to Ussuriysk. We have strong fortifications there, with which we can fight the Chinese. In addition, we are much larger in Ussuriysk than in Pogranichny, and we have more room for maneuver. The staff officer continued.

Pogranichny is nothing more than a small city that can be completely destroyed by artillery fire from the northern army. If you want to fight in the streets here, it's no different from looking for death. On the contrary, Ussuriysk is a relatively large city in the Far East, second only to Vladivostok and Khabarovsk. Even if the Northern Army destroys the outlying fortifications, it can still fight street battles with the Northern Army.

"Well, order the whole army to retreat. Order the defenders of Ussuriysk, ready to meet us! Lieutenant General Vasily finally made up his mind.

More than 20,000 remnants of the Russian army, abandoning Pogranichny, retreated south. The Russian army abandoned its position so decisively and retreated quickly, which was somewhat unexpected by the Northern Army. Originally, they thought that these old hairs would hold on for a while.

Major General Shi Tianchuan had no choice but to send the cavalry battalions of four infantry divisions to pursue the Russian army and eliminate the Russian army's living forces as much as possible. The Russians had too many fortresses and fortresses in the Far East, and if these Russians were allowed to flee back, it would not be so easy for the Northern Army to pull out those fortresses and fortresses one by one. The more Russian troops are eliminated now, the easier it will be to fight in the future.

Four cavalry battalions, more than 4,000 cavalry launched a pursuit. For a time, the sound of horses' hooves was like thunder, and the sabers were like snow. In order to evade the pursuit of the Northern Army, Vasily had to leave his troops behind. However, these broken soldiers were often attacked by the cavalry of the Northern Army and immediately dispersed. As a result, Vasily had to keep leaving behind the troops along the way. So much so that when he led the remnants of the army to retreat to Shuangchengzi, there were less than 5,000 of the original 20,000 people left. Moreover, most of these 5,000 people were no longer armed, and they were in tatters, as if they were beggars. What's more, their fear was evident in their frightened eyes. These soldiers can no longer be regarded as qualified soldiers. Even if it is sent to the battlefield, it will not be able to exert its combat effectiveness.

The Northern Army followed the Russian army all the way and advanced directly to Shuangchengzi. A big war is about to start in Shuangchengzi. This was also the first time that the Northern Army attacked a key city heavily garrisoned by the Russian army. Even if the defense of the twin cities is far from comparable to Vladivostok. However, the capture of Twin Cities will also allow for a future attack on Vladivostok.

Vladivostok, the Far Eastern Governor's Palace, Governor Aleksayev took the telegram sent back by Lieutenant General Vasily, and roared angrily: "Vasily, that idiot, what the hell is he doing? The army of 50,000 was completely lost in just a few days. In the entire Far East, there are only 240,000 people in total. How does this allow us to fight the Northern Army? ”

Although, Governor Aleksayev knew that it would be very difficult to resist the attack of the Northern Army with the forces in their hands. However, he just wanted to be able to delay a little longer as much as possible. But Lieutenant General Vasily's defeat was far faster than he expected.

Even so, Governor Alekseev had to continue to send reinforcements to the twin cities. Once Shuangchengzi is captured by the Northern Army, the Northern Army can directly go south to threaten Vladivostok. (To be continued......)

PS: The third update is here, asking for subscriptions, monthly passes and recommended tickets! Thank you book friends Ren Xiaojiu and Qiao Xiaojian for their tips! Thank you to book friend moung, Terminator Skull, and MWEB for the monthly pass!