In all fairness, the officers and soldiers of the Russian army do not lack courage. In the field of enduring suffering, they are even more famous in the world because of the blood of their fighting nations. However, with the rapid development of weapons technology, the decisive factor in battle has long since changed from the physique of the beast to the well-trained, well-equipped and tactically sound one. Thanks to the decaying and decaying government of the Romanov dynasty, almost all the Russian officers were engaged in embezzlement, theft, smuggling, and card fighting; As for the procurement of armaments, the training of livestock, and the improvement of their own professionalism, the number of Russian officers who have the responsibility to pay attention to them is simply as few as the morning star!

In a short period of more than a day, the Russian Second Army, which had nearly four corps, was beaten to pieces by the German army, which had the advantage in strength, a large number of brigades and regiments suffered heavy losses, and countless officers and men laid down their arms against the German army. By the night of 14 July, the Russian Second Army was on the verge of collapse, confined to a narrow stretch of no more than five or six kilometres, completely cut off from material contact with the outside world. German artillery roared day and night, pouring a large number of degrading shells on the heads of the Russian troops; From the night sky, it looked as if a meteor shower was crashing into the area.

"General Kolodov, what should we do now?" In a field command post lit by an oil lamp, a Russian chief of staff in a colonel's uniform was eagerly asking the commander next to him about countermeasures, his face full of solemnity and anxiety. From time to time, a loud explosion came from afar, and the orange-red light that suddenly lit up in the darkness in the distance could be faintly seen. What makes the Russian officers and soldiers feel extremely painful is that the vast majority of these explosive clouds of fire are powerful artillery shells made by German military industrial enterprises; And the Russian army's original few artillery. I have already lost seventy-seven or eighty-eight in the previous battle!

"Arshavin. What is the situation with the troops now? Kolodov, commander of the Russian Second Army, stared at the map in front of him with bloodshot eyes. Like a red-eyed gambler, he asked in a hoarse voice.

The chief of staff, who was called Colonel Arshavin, shook his head and said in a deep voice: "Your Excellency, the current battle situation is extremely unfavorable for our army: a total of four infantry corps and eight cavalry divisions of the enemy are storming all the lines of our army, and the Slavic warriors are fighting hard with the German artillery and machine guns with their own flesh and blood!" The 22nd Army suffered more than 40% casualties, the 3rd Siberian Army and the 1st Turkestan Army also suffered more than half of the casualties, and the 6th Army that survived the Battle of Tannenberg had been reduced to less than a division; Those cowards who are more timid than rats in the stinking gutter. Surrendered to the Germans in groups in daylight battles! ”

"What about the reinforcements of the 4th Army, where are they advancing now?" Kolodov asked in a hoarse voice.

"Your Excellency, the communications room has just received a telegram from the 4th Army, which has encountered strong resistance from German machine-gun fire on the line from Bevito to Arlenye, and has suffered heavy casualties, unable to break through the German lines. General Onotovsky hoped that we would hold out until the 18th, and that after the 9th Army on our left flank had completely defeated the Austro-Hungarian 1st Army and joined forces with him, we would then launch a decisive general attack on the current German lines. At this point, Arshavin's face was still a lingering cloud; He frowned and said. "But I feel that our army can no longer resist the German attack for so long."

"Three more days and four nights? Even if the warriors of the empire can eat up the spare military rations. Suffering from more than 72 hours of high-intensity fighting, the little ammunition we have left at the moment will not allow our troops to fight until that day. At most, until noon tomorrow, our army's ammunition will run out! ”

Kolodov slammed his fist on the map and roared loudly in an almost hysterical tone, "These damn idiots have been on the offensive for 5 days in a row, and they haven't even broken through the German encirclement; The 4th Army had the strength of four and a half armies, and the Germans in front of them had only one corps! Damn Onotovsky, did he devote all his energy to the bed-rush-stab-stab with his four stunners-lovers? He and his army group should go to hell! ”

"Boom!" Just as Kolodov was roaring in anger, an unprecedented explosion sounded in the open space not far from the command post, and the earth shook with sand. Kolodov throbbed suddenly, and his bloodless face turned a little pale. Although his command post was undoubtedly included in the range of German artillery long ago under the current siege of the German army, it was the first time since the outbreak of the battle that a German artillery shell fell so close to his command post. If this was not an accidental stray bullet, but a planned extension of German shelling, then it must have meant that there were troops on the front line in danger!

Before he could think about it, an adjutant ran in from outside the command post in a hurry. He took a few hard breaths and said loudly to Kolodov: "Your Excellency, the Granto Line defended by the 24th Division has been broken through by the Germans, and the division has lost more than seventy percent of its strength, and it is no longer able to block the German advance. Brigadier General Rauf wept blood to His Excellency the Commander and asked for immediate troops to be sent to the rescue! ”

"Virgin Mary, I only sent the 24th Division to the battlefield this afternoon!" Kolodov's mouth was wide open, his face was full of shock and disbelief, and a wave of vertigo that bordered on oxygen struck his nerves even harder. Nearly 14,000 regular troops were completely crippled by the Germans in more than five hours, and the strength of the enemy's offensive exceeded the bottom line of his understanding gained in more than 20 years of military service!

The red light flashed, and the cannon rumbled. From time to time, shells crashed into Kolodov's command post, causing a blinding arc of fire. After sending away the adjutant who had come to report the news, Arshavin took a deep breath and said in a deep voice to Kolodov next to him: "Your Excellency, your Excellency, our last reserve was sent to the battlefield two hours ago, and the current army group command no longer has any troops that can be sent to reinforce Brigadier General Rauf. And once the Grunto Line is completely breached by the Germans, our army will be surrounded and divided by the Germans who have been driving straight in less than three hours! Therefore, instead of standing in place and watching the 4th Army, which could never wait, be completely wiped out by the Germans without any suspense, we should concentrate all our efforts to break through the siege in order to find the slightest chance to withdraw to Warsaw. ”

Kolodov shook his head miserably and said astringently: "My chief of staff, haven't you understood the current situation until now?" From the day of the failure of the first breakthrough on July 11, our troops were already in a desperate situation, and the only hope was that the 4th Army would be able to smash the German lines and save us from the German encirclement. A few days ago, our army, with its complete military strength, had not broken through the blockade shackles of the Germans; Now that the attrition of our army has long exceeded half, and there is a shortage of ammunition and the personnel are extremely tired, how can they still break through the encirclement of the Germans? If our troops leave the fortified positions and launch an offensive against the enemy, who has an absolute superiority in strength and weapons, then not only will we not be able to fight a way out, but we will accelerate the exhaustion of our last strength. ”

Hearing Kolodov's words, Arshavin was silent, and there was already a glint of sadness in the corners of his eyes. As chief of staff of the newly formed 2nd Army, Arshavin had vowed to avenge General Samsonov, who had been killed in the Battle of Tannenberg, and to make the evil Germans pay the terrible price they deserved; However, the army he poured his heart and soul into was completely knocked to the ground by the other side after only a face-to-face fight with the German army in the Polish campaign, and he couldn't even see the dawn of a turnaround! Under the blow of such a strong contrast, Rao is Arshavin had lofty ambitions, but he was quickly devastated by the cruel facts.

The sound of cannons shook continuously, and the waves of fire bloomed like fireworks. The shells that fell near the Russian headquarters became more and more dense, and all of a sudden they hit Kolodov like a hammer into Kolodov's heart. After a while, another liaison officer ran in with a panicked look on his face, and said in a trembling voice: "Your Excellency, the 126th Division has surrendered to the Germans, and the Germans have sent us a telegram from the divisional headquarters, urging us to lay down our arms at once, stop this senseless resistance, and declare that they will give us the treatment we deserve as prisoners of war!" ”

"The 2nd Army is finish......ed," Kolodov sat down in his chair in a daze, and there was no trace of blood on his face. He didn't need to look at the map to know that once the 126th Division surrendered to the enemy, the 3rd Siberian Army on its side would also fall into a situation of being attacked on three sides in an instant; The Germans were able to completely separate it from the 2nd Army without much effort. No one can save this legion unless God is there; And the 2nd Army will also be broken because of this, and what awaits them is only the annihilation of the whole army!

"Arthavin, you go and send a telegram to the Germans that our troops are willing to accept their terms of armistice, and that they will fulfill their promise to treat our officers and men as prisoners of war. My officers and soldiers should be allowed to keep their personal belongings, and wounded warriors should be treated with medicine. After a long silence, Kolodov seemed to have exhausted all his strength, and his lips moved and he said with difficulty, "I can't let the boys of the empire die in vain, and when the war is over, Russia will still need their service." ”

The Chief of Staff nodded slowly. Kolodov, who was leaning back in his chair, smiled calmly at him, his fingers gently pinching the black capsule hidden in the cuff. (To be continued......)

PS: The author has returned from a business trip, and will resume normal updates from now on~~~