Chapter 725: The Great Encirclement (24th Update)
Rostov-on-Don is an important city in southern Russia. It's just a pity that the city is now being captured by the Imperial Army without blood. The Russians in the city looked at the yellow-skinned and black-haired Chinese* soldiers in horror. Although, these Chinese* soldiers have an amiable face. However, in the eyes of the Russians, they were like the devil.
The commander of the 7th Army, General Duan Tianwei, set foot on Rostov-on-Don in a small boat.
"****, Lao Tzu successively rushed from Central Asia through the Kingdom of Iran to the South Caucasus, and then arrived here by boat from the South Caucasus, and finally set foot on the land of Soviet Russia. There are so many group armies in the Imperial Army, Lao Tzu seems to be the first general to set foot on Soviet Russian soil. Admiral Duan Tianwei thought secretly. When he thought of this, he couldn't help but be a little overjoyed.
"Order the troops, hurry up and disembark. The capture of Rostov-on-Don was only the first step. We need to capture Tsaritsyn before the Hongmaozi react, and deploy along the Don and Volga rivers to completely cut off the retreat of the Hongmaozi Caucasian Front. Admiral Duan Tianwei ordered. There is no doubt that this is not that easy. From Rostov-on-Don to Tsaritsyn, a full distance of several hundred kilometers, if you rely on the legs of the infantry, it will take at least two weeks. And then from Tsarizin to defend the lower reaches of the Volga, another few hundred kilometers.
"Commander, a distance of hundreds of kilometers, if the brothers use their feet, I'm afraid it will be difficult to complete! I have checked the information on the Don River, and we can take a boat directly from the mouth of the Don River into the river, and then go up the Don River all the way to a place less than 20 kilometers from Tsaritsyn and disembark. In this way, you can undoubtedly save a lot of time. A staff officer said.
"Is it really possible to sail on the Don River, or is it the kind of transport and merchant ship of the navy?" Duan Tianwei immediately asked.
"Commander, there are no problems in the middle and lower reaches of the Don." The staff officer assured.
"Good. Lao Tzu immediately contacted the navy and asked them to support us. As for the 13th Army, it was only necessary to let them wait a few more days. Admiral Duan Tianwei immediately took action. On the one hand, a telegram was sent to the General Staff to change the battle plan this time. On the other hand, they contacted the navy in the hope that the navy would escort them to Tsaritsyn.
After Marshal Shi Tianhan, chief of the General Staff, received General Duan Tianwei's order, he immediately agreed to General Duan Tianwei's suggestion. Since it was possible to go to Tsaritsyn by water transport. Naturally, there was no need for the soldiers to rush on their legs. This not only saves time, but also allows the soldiers to maintain their physical strength. Once you get off the ship, you can go straight into battle.
If you walk, it takes about two weeks to get from Rostov-on-Don to Tsaritsyn. If you take a boat, even if it is muddy water, it will take up to two days. That's a saving of 12 days. I believe that by then, the Russian Red Army will definitely not react, and Tsaritsyn will have already fallen. And the Don. Also in the hands of the Imperial Army.
The 7th Army of the Imperial Army immediately stopped disembarking, leaving only one infantry division in Rostov-on-Don to defend the area, while the rest of the officers and men, under the transport of merchant ships, sailed into the Don River, and then went upstream, directly to Tsaritsyn.
The command of the Caucasian Front of the Russian Red Army received the news of the landing of the Chinese Army in Rostov-on-Don at the first time. After Tukhachevsky received the relevant news. The whole person couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
"Despicable and shameless Chinese, they actually use such tactics. It's just outrageous. Command the 19th Army. Immediately march north, ready to intercept the Chinese and protect our rear road. Tukhachevsky ordered.
If the rear road is cut off, then the entire Caucasian Front will become a turtle in an urn, at the mercy of the Chinese * army. Once the Caucasian Front is finished. Even if he escaped back to Moscow, it is estimated that he will not escape death. Even if Ulyanov appreciated him, however, having lost hundreds of thousands of troops at one time, he would not have been sent to the gallows. I'm afraid I won't be able to convince the public.
Tukhachevsky knew that with the strength of the 19th Army alone, it would be impossible to withstand the attack of the Chinese * army. Therefore, after the 19th Army went north, he ordered the remaining units of the 1st Army to also go north. Only the 5th Army and the 16th Army were left north of the Caucasus Mountains. In addition, Tukhachevsky sent a telegram to the Military Council, stating the current difficulties faced by the Caucasian Front and requesting the Military Council to approve the retreat of the Caucasian Front to the north.
The news of the landing of Chinese* troops in Rostov-on-Don also shocked the Russian government and the Bolshevik leadership. You must know that the Don River valley was the most important grain-producing area in Soviet Russia. If it falls here, it will be a heavy blow to Soviet Russia. There will once again be a huge shortage of food. At that time, it will be impossible for them to fill the stomachs of the common people, let alone develop industry and the like, which is even more delusional.
Therefore, the top leaders of Soviet Russia, headed by Ulyanov, gave Tukhachevsky an order to do everything possible to defeat the Chinese * army and guarantee the security of the Don region. And this order was almost impossible for Tukhachevsky to complete. Those armies under his command are not opponents of China's * army at all!
However, according to this order, Tukhachevsky was finally able to leave the Caucasus and go north, and in order to stop the Chinese* army from moving north, he left the 5th Army in the northern Caucasus Mountains, hoping that this army group would buy them enough time. But unfortunately, not long after Tukhachevsky left with the main forces, the 9th Army of the Imperial Army, under the cover of the Caspian Flotilla, launched an attack. With a landing operation, an infantry division was sent behind the 5th Army, tearing through the defense line of the Russian Red Army in one fell swoop, allowing the main forces of the 9th Army to cross the Caucasus Mountains and enter the North Caucasus.
Of course, that's all for later. Until Tukhachevsky left with the main forces of the Caucasian Front, the 9th Army of the Imperial Army would not have ventured an offensive.
Tukhachevsky ordered the main forces of the Caucasian Front to go north, hoping to hold their rear before the Chinese* army. However, in the end, it was too late. From the northern Caucasus Mountains to Tsaritsyn, it is more than 600 kilometers. If you are close to your legs, it will be difficult to get there even if it takes more than half a month. And the main forces of the 7th Army of the Imperial Army went directly to Tsaritsyn by boat.
On the morning of May 13 in the Yellow Emperor Era, the troops directly under the 7th Army of the Imperial Army and the 7th Infantry Division, the 22nd Infantry Division and the 37th Infantry Division arrived in Tsaritsyn. At this moment, defending Tsaritsyn was an infantry division of the Russian Red Army. These are infantry divisions that have just been formed not long ago, and they have not even finished training for recruits. The Russian Red Army also had no other way to use such an infantry division to make up the numbers. Who called this infantry division the only one near Tsaritsyn?
The heavy artillery brigade of the 7th Army launched an artillery bombardment of Tsaritsyn for half an hour. Subsequently, the 7th Infantry Division attacked. A single charge tore through the defenses of the Russian Red Army on the outskirts of Tsaritsyn and entered the city. Street fighting began between the two sides.
It stands to reason that the street fighting was undoubtedly extremely tragic. Especially for the attacking side. The defending side can take advantage of familiarity with the terrain to defend. The attacking side will have to compete with the defensive side for these positions. The casualties of street fighting are also often enormous.
However, the capture of Tsaritsyn by the 7th Infantry Division of the Imperial Army was very easy. This infantry division of the Russian Red Army did not have much combat experience at all and was not an opponent of the Imperial Army at all. Even in the street fighting, he was pressed by the Imperial Army and couldn't hold his head up. In just one day, the 7th Infantry Division of the Imperial Army captured Tsaritsyn.
Subsequently, the 22nd Infantry Division and the 37th Infantry Division of the Imperial Army began to move downstream along the Volga River, intending to build a defensive line along the Volga River. Because of the lack of troops, they were only able to capture some major cities and defend them.
However, the gunboats and patrol boats of the Caspian Flotilla of the Imperial Navy were able to enter the Volga and cut off traffic on the Volga. If the Russian Red Army had intended to cross the Volga, it would have been unlikely.
When the Imperial Army captured Tsaritsyn and deployed along the Don and Volga rivers, it undoubtedly formed a huge encirclement of the Caucasian Front of the Russian Red Army. Hundreds of thousands of Soviet Russian Red Army troops were all encircled in this encirclement. If you want to break out of this encirclement, there is almost no possibility.
In particular, the 13th Army of the Imperial Army was also transported to the northern Caucasus, which further increased the strength of the Imperial Army in the northern Caucasus.
When Tukhachevsky learned that Tsaritsyn had been occupied, and that the Don and Volga rivers had been built into a defensive line by the Chinese* army, the whole person was completely stunned. The fact that the Chinese* army would move so quickly was completely beyond his expectations.
"Damn the Chinese, could it be that they flew over?" Tukhachevsky cursed.
The Chinese Army held the Don and Volga rivers with two army groups, while the Black Sea and the Don were patrolled by warships of the Imperial Navy, and on the Caspian Sea and the Volga, by the ships of the Caspian Flotilla of the Imperial Navy. To the south, the 9th Army of the Imperial Army. It can be said that the Caucasian Front of the Soviet Russian Red Army is difficult to fly this time. (To be continued.) )
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