In the Russo-Japanese War, the Russian Army suffered a crushing defeat. However, the experience gained from this came in handy when the Russian Army was building defensive positions. The Russo-Japanese War can even be called a rehearsal of trench warfare in World War I.

After the Russian government declared war on the government in the north, the Russian army was actively preparing for war. The Russian Governor-General of the Far East, Aleksayev, ordered a state of emergency for all Russian armies throughout the Far East. The Sino-Russian border has become a key defense place for the Russian army. Because of the connection of the railway, Suifenhe is the key offensive place of the Northern Army, which the Russian army has long expected. Thus, the Russian army deployed a full 50,000 men in Pogranich, on the opposite side of the Suifen River, and 80,000 in the direction of Boli. The other 100,000 were deployed elsewhere and as reserves.

When the Northern Army launched an artillery bombardment, the Russian army was dizzy. They did not expect at all that the Northern Army would attack at this time. After all, it has been five full days since the two sides declared war.

Just after the declaration of war, the alert level of the Russian army was raised to the maximum. But the Northern Army did not launch an attack for three consecutive days, and the Russian army gradually relaxed. Those grassroots officers of the Russian army even thought that the Northern Army, like them, was gathering troops. Until the army is assembled, there will be no offensive at all. So much so that in the face of the attack of the Northern Army, they were completely defenseless.

Garrisoned in Pogranichny was Russian Lieutenant General Vasily, who is now the commander of the Far Eastern Military District of the Russian Army. Of course, the Governor-General of the Far East, Aleksayev, was the highest military and political governor of the entire Far East. Governor Aleksayev sat in Vladivostok, and Vasily himself went to the front.

In view of the fact that the Far Eastern Military District will not be able to replenish its forces in a short period of time, Lieutenant General Vasily believes that once the Northern Army attacks the Far East, the Russian army will be in an extremely disadvantageous position. Therefore, Lieutenant General Vasily believed that the Northern Army should be blocked at the border.

"Our strong fortifications. It's going to make those yellow-skinned monkeys bleed when they hit their heads. This was proven in the Russo-Japanese War. A defensive force consisting of machine guns, trenches and barbed wire is very difficult to break through. This has been proven long ago in the Russo-Japanese War. "Vasily had assured Governor Aleksayev.

Although the Russian army suffered a crushing defeat in the Russo-Japanese War, it allowed them to gain more experience. Defensive positions deployed on the front line in Pogranichny. It is the fortifications that the Russian army painstakingly built.

It's just that these old hairy people are obviously lazy when they are building fortifications. Under the heavy shelling of the Northern Army, these fortifications were destroyed one after another. Even if a handful of fortifications survive, it is estimated that they will not be of much use.

On the morning of May 23, Lieutenant General Vasily, who was in an irritable mood, got up early. However, while he was still washing, his lieutenant hurried in.

"General, the Chinese have attacked. Our defensive positions and barracks at the front. It was heavily shelled by hundreds of artillery pieces of the Chinese. Our troops suffered heavy losses, and the defensive positions of the front were destroyed. It is expected that the offensive of the Chinese will soon begin. The adjutant said with a panicked expression. Pogranichny is not far from the front line, and once the defensive positions of the front line are breached, the Chinese* army will definitely kill them.

"What? Why are our troops not prepared at all? Lieutenant General Vasily was dumbfounded. He hurriedly wiped off the foam from the corners of his mouth with a towel, put on his clothes and went straight to the war room.

However, I just arrived in the war room. The bad news came again. The Russian army's defense line on the Ussuri River to the north was also heavily shelled by the Northern Army. The Russian army was caught off guard. Heavy losses. The entire line of defense is in danger of being breached.

"Hell! How could those yellow-skinned monkeys have such a strong attack power? "Lieutenant General Vasily was a little incredulous. The battle had just begun, and the Russian troops on the front line had suffered heavy losses. It can be seen that if Russia wants to fight this war, it will not be ordinarily difficult.

"Send a telegram to His Excellency the Governor, asking him to send us reinforcements as soon as possible. Otherwise, our defenses are on the verge of collapse. Once the line of defense collapses. The entire Far East is in danger of falling. Lieutenant General Vasily ordered.

"Yes, General." The adjutant nodded, and immediately went to send a telegram.

The heavy shelling of the Northern Army lasted only half an hour before it ended. After the end of the shelling, the infantry, which had already entered the offensive position. An attack was immediately launched on the positions of the Russian troops.

Along the safe passage opened by the artillery, the infantry could pass through the minefield unscathed and directly attack the Russian positions.

"Quick, get into position. Those yellow-skinned monkeys are about to attack. "The Russian officers, who were lucky enough to survive the heavy shelling, began to urge those Russian troops to enter the position. They drove the ordinary soldiers like cattle. In fact, the officers never regarded the ordinary soldiers of the Russian Army as human beings, they were nothing more than gray animals.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! ”

Gunfire rang out, and the Russian infantry lay in the bombed-out trench and opened fire. It's just that now the infantry of the Northern Army is still some distance from the trenches, and the marksmanship of the Russian infantry is really not flattering. It seems that they have only completed their task by firing the bullets, and as for where the bullets fly and whether they can hit the officers and soldiers of the Northern Army, it is only up to God to bless.

"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! ”

The shooting of the Russian army attracted the mortar fire of the Northern Army. Less than a kilometer from the positions of the Russian troops, mortars were erected and fired directly at the Russian troops hiding in the trenches. The curved trajectory of the mortar can ensure that the shells fall directly into the trench and kill the target inside.

The shell exploded in the trench, tearing the Russian officers and soldiers inside directly to pieces. In a narrow trench, if a shell explodes inside, it means that the soldiers inside cannot survive.

"Da Da Da!" The heavy machine guns of the Northern Army also began to roar, shooting directly at the Russian soldiers who emerged from the trenches. Under the cover of heavy machine guns, the infantry of the Northern Army charged.

"We need artillery support! The attack of the Chinese is so fierce that we are about to be unable to resist it! One of the regiments of the Russian army shouted loudly into the phone. One of his regiments, more than 2,000 men, had lost nearly half of its previous shelling. After the rest of the people were thrown into the battlefield, they were crushed in less than half an hour.

It's just that the Russian army at this moment is simply impossible to provide artillery support to the front line. The artillery positions of the Russian army were discovered by the scouts of the Northern Army before the war began. After the shelling began, it became the target of the artillery of the Northern Army. So much so that the artillery of the Russian army suffered heavy losses at the beginning of the war, and the artillery was almost destroyed.

In just an hour, the Northern Army broke through the Russian defenses. After that, they began to attack Pogranich in one go.

At the same time, the offensive of the Northern Army in the direction of Boli was well underway. The Ussuri River is not very wide, and the surface of the river at this time is only two or three hundred meters. In particular, the position chosen by the Northern Army to attack is a place with Jiangxin Island. Kiselevsky Island, which belongs to Russia, and the Nevelsky Islands stretch in the middle of the river, and the Northern Army can use these islands to erect pontoon bridges, which greatly simplifies the difficulty of building bridges.

At the very beginning, the Northern Army used hundreds of artillery pieces to carry out heavy shelling of the positions of the Russian army, and the Russian army, which was still asleep, suffered heavy losses in the shelling. Subsequently, the infantrymen, who had already been prepared, began to land on the beach in small boats. At 7 a.m., an infantry battalion made its way to the east bank of the Ussuri River. Although the resistance of the Russian army was fierce, under the strong firepower of the Northern Army, they suffered heavy losses. So much so that it was simply impossible to stop the breakthrough of the Northern Army.

As the number of Northern troops crossing the Ussuri River increased, the Russian defensive positions on the east bank of the Ussuri River were finally lost. After establishing a solid beachhead, the sappers of the Northern Army began to build pontoon bridges. Anchored to the river with a small boat, then pounced on the planks. The improvised pontoon bridge was built. Such a pontoon bridge, although it is not able to pass heavy artillery, there is no problem in passing people.

After the pontoon bridge was erected, the soldiers of the Northern Army quickly arrived at the east bank of the Ussuri River through the pontoon bridge and began to attack the deep positions of the Russian army. And the sappers are also starting to work on building more pontoon bridges. After all, three infantry divisions and two heavy artillery brigades that hit in this direction amounted to more than seventy thousand people. Several pontoon bridges had to be erected before the river could be crossed in the shortest possible time.

In addition, it was necessary to build reinforced pontoon bridges so that the heavy artillery of the Northern Army could pass through. In the attack on Boli, these large-caliber heavy artillery will definitely come in handy.

The Russian army was slow to react, and it was only after the Northern Army broke through the Russian defense line on the east bank of the Ussuri River that they sent reinforcements from the direction of Boli. It's just that the pontoon bridges of the Northern Army have already been erected at that time. It also built a strong beachhead on the east bank of the Ussuri River, and it was almost impossible for the Russian army to drive the Northern Army down the river again. I could only watch as more and more Northern troops crossed the river, and they were finally defeated.

In the battle on the morning of May 23, the Northern Army showed its fierce fortifications, easily broke through the defensive positions deployed by the Russian army on the border, and began to attack in depth. The Russian army suffered heavy losses in the battle, and it will definitely be extremely unfavorable for their subsequent defense. (To be continued......)

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