"Hell! How can the shelling of the Chinese be so accurate? Seeing the shells of the Chinese artillery constantly falling on his own artillery positions, Admiral Alexei was so surprised that his jaw almost dropped. In previous battles, his troops had also lost a lot of artillery. At present, there are less than 500 artillery pieces in Chelyabinsk.

"General, do you look at the sky? There are observation balloons of the Chinese there, and as soon as our artillery fires, they will be able to find our position and launch an attack on our artillery positions! A staff officer said, pointing to a small black dot in the sky in the distance.

It's far away, but you can still see what it is with a telescope.

"Damn! If only we could find a way to knock that down! Admiral Alexey said. It's just that the Russian army can't do this at all. The Imperial Army's artillery balloons were far beyond the range of the Russian army, and at an altitude of hundreds of meters, the Russian army had no weapon that could threaten the artillery balloons, so they could only stare at those balloons with hatred, and nothing else.

"General, the artillery commander reported that our artillery losses are not small, and if we continue to fight, I am afraid we will not be able to hold out for long!" A junior officer reported to Admiral Alexei.

"Let the artillery withdraw from the battle!" Admiral Alexei hesitated for a moment and had to give the order. After all, these artillerymen are treasures! It can also be used in the next battle. If all of them are lost today, then it will be impossible for the Russian army to hold out in Chelyabinsk for a longer time.

"Yes, General!"

Soon. In order to preserve strength, the artillery of the Russian army stopped shelling. Artillery positions were evacuated one after another. In less than half an hour of shelling, the Russian army has lost hundreds of artillery pieces. Hundreds more artillery were killed!

After the shelling of the Russian army stopped. The Imperial Army couldn't help but feel a little less pressure, and intensified their attacks one after another.

"Mortars, heavy machine guns fire! Hit me hard! A front-line officer of the Russian army roared loudly.

"Boom! Rumble! Dada! "A couple of mortars and heavy machine guns, starting crazy design.

Dense shells and bullets flew towards the attacking Imperial Army. The shells exploded, and several soldiers were thrown away like autumn leaves. Several soldiers who rushed to the front were also knocked to the ground by the heavy machine gun bullets of the Russian army.

After the Russian army received the technology for the production of mortars and heavy machine guns from Britain and France, the infantry firepower of the Russian army has increased significantly. And this made the Imperial Army want to break through the defense line of the Russian army. It will have to be more costly.

"Dog's day! Mortars, knock out enemy fire points! Heavy machine gun cover! A captain officer spat out the mud and sand from his mouth and ordered loudly.

"Yes, company commander!"

Several mortars of the company were erected and began to fire at the Russian defense line at maximum rate of fire.

"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! "Dense mortar shells fell into the Russian defense line, and the Russian soldiers who were blown up turned on their backs. The performance of the Mortars of the Imperial Army, both in terms of rate of fire and power, is far above that of the Russian army. When several mortars of the Imperial Army opened fire at maximum rate of fire, the fire of the Russian army stopped at once.

"Boom!" An artillery shell landed at a point of heavy machine gun fire of the Russian army, in the midst of an explosion. The entire point of fire was torn apart at once.

"Dada! Dada! "Three heavy machine guns also began to fire, and the dense bullets split into the Russian lines, and the Russian soldiers who exposed their heads in the trenches and opened fire. They were shot and fell to the ground. Their heads, like watermelons, were crushed lightly. The power of bullets from heavy machine guns. It's tougher than a rifle. Once hit, it's almost dead or alive.

While the Russian army is being suppressed. The Imperial Army immediately began to charge.

The Imperial Army and the Russian army, more than 100,000 men, fought fiercely on the outer lines of Chelyabinsk. Although the previous heavy shelling has destroyed most of the Russian fortifications. But. Those fortifications that managed to escape the shelling, especially the fixed fire points, still caused great trouble for the Imperial Army. In order to destroy these points of fire, the Imperial Army had to pay an even greater price.

Overall, though, the Imperial Army still had the upper hand. Even with the help of those fortifications, the Russian army could not withstand the attack of the Imperial Army. Under the heavy fire of the Imperial Army, it is constantly advancing towards the Russian defense line.

"Grenades, throw!" With the order of a second lieutenant platoon commander, more than a dozen grenades flew into the trenches of the Russian army.

"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! "Dense explosions sounded in the trenches of the Russian army, and the Russian soldiers who were hiding in the trenches and opened fire on the Imperial Army were killed one after another. The soldiers of the Imperial Army, who were originally lying on the ground, took the opportunity to violently rush through the last few tens of meters and attack the trenches of the Russian army.

"Da Da Da!" An Imperial soldier, holding a light machine gun, frantically strafed the Russian troops in the trenches. Several Russian troops were knocked to the ground.

More and more Imperial soldiers entered the Russian defense line and began to clear the Russian army from the defense line.

"Kill! Get up for me and get those Chinese out, or we'll all have to die!" "The officers of the Russian army, punching and kicking those ordinary soldiers, drove them to fight the Imperial Army.

"Kill! Kill all these old hairies! "The Imperial Army showed no signs of weakness.

Fierce white-knuckle battles unfolded in the trenches, although the Russian soldiers were tall and tall, much taller than the Imperial Army. However, the Imperial Army's stabbing technology is far superior to that of the Russian army. Soldiers often split into groups of three, with one attacking and two defending. This tactic is used to constantly knock the Russian army to the ground.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! "The crisp sound of a pistol rang out. Each squad leader and deputy squad leader of the Imperial Army, armed with a large-caliber pistol. This pistol, with 9 rounds in the magazine, can shoot continuously. This is very advantageous when entering the enemy's trenches and entering into a white-knuckle battle with the enemy. Many Russian soldiers who were holding rifles and preparing to rush were knocked to the ground.

"Commander, our men have rushed forward. The line of defense of the Russian army was broken through. A staff officer reported to Lieutenant General Zhao Mingfu.

Lieutenant General Zhao Mingfu nodded, but now is not the time to be happy. This has just broken through the defense line of the Russian army, and it is necessary to further seize the opportunity and expand the results of the battle. Otherwise, it is entirely possible that it will be recaptured by the Russian army.

"Order the reserves to be dispatched, and don't give the Russians the slightest chance!" Lieutenant General Zhao Mingfu ordered. With the strength of the Imperial Army, there is no problem at all in breaking through the defense line of the Russian army. Although the firepower of the Russian army has increased a lot, it is far from being comparable to that of the Imperial Army.

"Yes, Commander!"

With the input of reserves, the defense line of the Russian army was constantly broken. The whole line of defense is like being beaten into a sieve.

Under the fierce attack of the Imperial Army, the Russian army was defeated and retreated. Many Russian troops were driven out of their positions, and the wolf retreated.

"Nope! I don't want to fight, I want to go back! A Russian soldier screamed and rushed out of the trench, turned and fled backwards.

"Coward!" A Russian officer scolded coldly, and pointed the pistol in his hand at the fleeing soldier.

"No, sir, he's just a child!" A soldier intercedes.

"Bang!" Shots rang out, and the fleeing soldier fell to the ground.

"This is what happens to deserters! Everyone, get me into position! The officer coldly ordered.

"Boom!" A mortar shell fell into the trench and exploded right next to the officer. His body was torn to pieces by the exploding shell, and the rest of the Russian soldiers also suffered heavy losses.

"General, the attack of the Chinese is too fierce, we can't resist it at all!" A major general officer rushed into the command of Admiral Alexei and reported to him. He was the commander of one of the infantry divisions at the front. Originally, there were less than 8,000 people left in his division. They were responsible for defending a three-thousand-meter stretch of defense. However, as soon as the battle began, his division suffered heavy losses. Now, less than half of the remaining troops remain. The defense line has also lost most of it.

"General, retreat! The offensive of the Chinese is too fierce, we simply cannot resist it! Another general also said.

"Nope! It's only been a morning, and we're going to lose our perimeter defenses? I command you that the lost line of defense must be recaptured for me! Admiral Alexei ordered with a dark face.

"Well, General!" The generals had no choice but to do what they were told.

On the orders of General Alexei, the Russian army launched a counterattack. However, their attack was quickly repulsed, and instead cost more casualties.

The fierce fighting continued until noon, and the Imperial Army had completely taken control of the outer defensive line of Chelyabinsk. More than half of the tens of thousands of Russian troops stationed in the outer defense line were lost, and the rest fled back to the city of Chelyabinsk. It was only by this time that Admiral Alexei had to come to terms with this fact. The outer line of defense, which they had painstakingly managed, fell in just half a day.

"General, we have driven the Russians back to Chelyabinsk." A major general officer reported to Admiral Zhao Mingfu.

"Hmmm! Ordered the troops, temporarily halted the attack. The artillery moves forward, and the next thing is the hard bones! Admiral Zhao Mingfu said.

Breaking through the defense line of the Russian army on the outskirts of Chelyabinsk is only the first step. The next attack on the city, that's the main thing. In addition, according to convention, street fighting is the most tragic and the most casualties. However, even so, Admiral Zhao Mingfu was confident in his troops. (To be continued......)

PS: The first update arrives, asking for subscriptions, monthly passes and recommended tickets! Thank you for the reward of the green and fat cabbage worm of the book friend! Thank you to the book friend PLA Eagle, PLA-1234 for the monthly pass!