Apanashchenko's face was very ugly, originally he thought that retaking Zhanggu Peak and Shacao Peak was just an easy matter, but as a result, they fought for two days in a row, and every day was thunder and rain, and there was nothing but a lot of casualties. Such a result is too slap in the face, you must know that he swore to Stalin that he would recover Zhanggu Peak and Shacao Peak within three days. Now that two days have passed, Zhang Gufeng and Shacaofeng are still in the hands of the Japanese, how can this be explained?

Apanashchenko knew that time was running out for him, and that if he could not complete the task assigned to him by Stalin tomorrow, his future would be in jeopardy. So this time he decided to go all out.

"The 2nd Air Army must send more bombers, more bombs must be dropped, and my demand is to at least double the number of bombs on today's basis. There are no conditions to speak of! Apanashchenko glared at Rychagov, who wanted to speak, and said loudly: "Not only the Air Force, but also the artillery must go all out, and be sure to bury the enemy in the flames!" ”

It seems that Apanashchenko is out of the way, ready to use the advantage of firepower to drown the Japanese army with shells and bombs, anyway, he keeps coming out of his mouth with words such as absolute, must, and resolute, and he looks like he is in a state of ruin.

This state of affairs made the air in the command somewhat stagnant, and almost no one dared to say a word to Apanashchenko, which made Apanashchenko very satisfied, and he felt that his authority was once again secured.

But it's almost just almost, the generals of the Far Eastern Red Banner Front did not dare to say no to Apanashchenko, but Li Xiaofeng dared.

Just when Apanashchenko was a little smug, he spoke: "That's all your plans?" ”

Li Xiaofeng spoke. Apanashchenko felt cold air running down his spine. To this like to look for the director of the General Political Department. He couldn't bear it anymore, and suddenly the thing glared at Li Xiaofeng and said, "What, you have a different opinion?!" ”

Li Xiaofeng snorted coldly, glared back, blew his beard and glared at him, even Stalin didn't dare to stare at him like this, but the commander of the Far Eastern Red Front dared, he didn't know whether to say that Apanashchenko was stupid and bold or didn't know whether he was dead or alive.

"I don't disagree. I am firmly opposed! Li Xiaofeng said loudly: "Our front-line troops are confronting the Japanese army, the front line is staggered, according to your requirements, are you going to deal with our soldiers together?" ”

In fact, this is what Rychagov wanted to say just now, today's large-scale bombardment of Zhang Gufeng accidentally injured the border guards at the summit. If the scale of the bombing doubles tomorrow, and the battle lines of the two sides are still entangled, there is really no guarantee of who will fall on the head of the bomb that is dropped.

Apanashchenko's face changed, it wasn't that he didn't expect the risk of a misfire, in fact he knew it very well, but he didn't take it seriously. The experience of the civil war told him. Any price is worth it for the sake of victory, isn't it just a few more deaths? What's the big deal? Besides, the Red Army did not always emphasize that it was not afraid of bloodshed and sacrifice. And isn't it a great honor to sacrifice for the sake of the Motherland?

"Comrade Andrey, this is war, war is inevitable casualties, our Red Army soldiers are not afraid of sacrifice, at this critical time, the first thing you should pay attention to is ......"

"Shut up!" Li Xiaofeng shouted angrily at Mehris, "What should I pay attention to, I don't need you to point fingers." Now you only need to tell me who is responsible for the casualties caused by the accidental hit, whether you Comrade Apanashchenko is responsible, or you Comrade Mehris are responsible, and if something goes wrong, I will only look for the person in charge! ”

Mehris stopped talking, he had never thought about responsibility, and what he was best at was shirking responsibility, and now that someone was going to clarify responsibility, he naturally didn't dare to answer.

Apanashchenko was more kind of than Mekhlis, and he replied stubbornly: "I am the commander of the front, and naturally I am in charge!" ”

Why is Apanashchenko so kind? Because he, like Mehris, doesn't think that the casualties caused by accidental attacks are a big deal, as long as he can take Zhang Gufeng and Shacao Peak tomorrow, even if there are a large number of casualties caused by accidental attacks, Stalin can still say good things for him, as long as he can give Stalin an explanation, he is not afraid of someone finding fault.

It can only be said that Apanashchenko doesn't know Li Xiaofeng too much, a certain immortal does things, or he doesn't do it, once he does it, he must do it. And this time, Apanashchenko and Mekhlis's manipulation has made him extremely angry, and he is already determined to kill these two guys.

Yes, this time Li Xiaofeng is ready to break out, no longer caring about the overall situation, no matter whether the alliance between Stalin and Sverdlov will break down, he can no longer bear the two cold-blooded people in front of him who disregard the lives of grassroots commanders and fighters.

After the meeting ended, Li Xiaofeng called Yakov and asked, "Has the secret investigation team been charged?" ”

Yakov was taken aback, he immediately realized what Li Xiaofeng wanted to do, and quickly persuaded: "This may exacerbate the conflict......

Li Xiaofeng replied coldly: "Sooner or later, the contradictions will intensify. ”

"But Comrade Sverdlov confessed before......"

Li Xiaofeng frowned, if it weren't for Sverdlov's explanation, he would have turned his face with Apanashchenko a long time ago, and he really thought that he, a member of the Military Commission, the director of the General Political Department, and the chairman of the KGB, was made of mud. Again and again the stabbing can still get out of the whole body, do you really think that he can't clean up a front commander?

Sverdlov has always asked Li Xiaofeng to exercise restraint and patience, hoping that he will focus on the overall situation and not touch Apanashchenko for the time being. It was precisely because he had to give Xiao Si face that Li Xiaofeng endured it again and again, and now he couldn't help it.

"Send a telegram to Comrade Yakov and tell him that according to the KGB's reconnaissance and my knowledge on the ground, there is a spy group infiltrated by foreign spies in the Far Eastern Red Banner Front, and the leader of this group is Apanashchenko, and there is sufficient evidence that this person is a Japanese spy, and he must be brought to justice as much as possible."

Yakov's eyes widened, he really didn't expect Li Xiaofeng to label Apanashchenko as a Japanese spy in the blink of an eye. Truth be told, he knew very well that Apanashchenko was definitely not a spy. He smiled wryly, "This is too much, right?" We have no evidence ......"

Li Xiaofeng ordered categorically: "We have." The undercover investigation team is the best evidence of this. Now I need you to prove it! ”

Yakov shook his head, and then followed Li Xiaofeng's request to confirm the evidence, and when passing by Apanashchenko's headquarters, he sighed, only he knew that no matter what the battle turned out tomorrow, Apanashchenko would not be able to continue to command the battle the day after tomorrow.

Apanashchenko did not know that his fate had already been determined, at this time. He was engrossed in the battle map in front of him. According to his request, the focus of tomorrow's attack will be changed, first concentrate forces to destroy the enemy at the 52nd Heights and Zhanggufeng Nanbo, and then recapture Zhanggufeng in one fell swoop with the help of the defenders at the top of Zhanggu Peak.

The specific deployment was as follows: the 119th Regiment of the 40th Infantry Division, supported by the 40th Independent Tank Battalion, stormed the 52nd Heights, and the 120th Infantry Regiment sent two companies to attack the southern slope of Zhanggufeng with the support of the 2nd Tank Battalion of the 2nd Mechanized Brigade. At the same time, the Red Army will continue to carry out diversionary attacks on Shacao Peak and the Montenegrin Heights.

In fact, there is nothing new in this kind of deployment, and if you only rely on ground forces, it is still just a dream to take Zhang Gufeng. Apanashchenko really relied on artillery and air force, and he hoped to use bombing and artillery to deplete the Japanese army's vital strength and morale. Then the ground forces follow up and occupy the positions.

The Soviet army was busy deploying, and the devils were not idle. After the fierce fighting on the second day, Sato Kotoku also understood that the south was the key target of the Russians, so he adjusted his deployment overnight, withdrew the troops that had been severely injured before to rest, and ordered the main force of the 3rd Brigade of the 75th Wing to be responsible for defending the 52nd Heights, and the 9th Squadron of the Brigade was responsible for defending the southeast slope of Zhanggufeng, so as to ensure the connection between Zhanggufeng and the 52nd Heights. Secondly, the 75th Squadron of the 1st Brigade of the 2nd Brigade was used to defend the main position of Zhanggufeng, and ordered it to pay close attention to the movements of the remnants of the Soviet troops on Mount Everest.

On July 12, the bombers and shelling of the Red Army did not stop from the morning, and the intensity of fire was raised to a new limit compared to the previous day. Moreover, the artillery bombardment and bombardment of the Red Army were very concentrated, that is, hitting the 52 heights and the southern slope of Zhanggu Peak.

After three hours of fire preparation, the 119th and 120th regiments were again engaged in battle, and drawing on the experience of the previous two days, the Red Army was much more cautious in this offensive, and finally avoided the tragedy of the troops pouring into the narrow and rough road. Tanks, under the cover of infantry, crushed the Japanese firing points and fortifications one by one.

Shizuo Hirahara, who was responsible for defending the 52nd Heights at that time, saw that the Red Army's tanks were too threatening, so he used only two 37mm rapid-fire guns to shoot at close range at the rampaging Red Army tanks in the position, and at the same time constantly organized death squads to carry explosives packs and die with the Red Army tanks.

However, compared with the Red Army's swarming tanks and infantry, Shizuo Hirahara's measures were nothing more than a drop in the bucket, the 37-mm rapid-fire gun was quickly exposed by the fire, and was soon eliminated by the Red Army tankers, and the "death squads" fell in front of the tank's machine guns one after another, and the Japanese counterattack was like kicking to the iron plate.

Even Shizuo Hihara himself was wounded, and his squadron leaders were killed or wounded, and most of the 52 heights changed hands. Sato had to send out reserves again, and when the 1st Brigade of the 73rd Wing hurried to the 52nd Heights, it was discovered that the defensive positions were almost completely destroyed, and the Red Army's tanks and infantry were clearing out the small number of Japanese troops who were stubbornly resisting. After another hard battle, the Japanese reinforcements barely gained a foothold on the 52nd Heights and retained a foothold.

Compared with the battle on the 52nd Heights, the 120th Regiment attacking the southern slope of Zhanggu Peak progressed more smoothly. The 9th Squadron of the 75th Wing of the Japanese Army had already suffered heavy losses in the previous day's battle, its positions were destroyed in many places, and the terrain was not as favorable as that of the 52nd Heights, and it was almost powerless to fight back against the Red Army's 10 tanks and two companies of infantry. After a fierce battle, the squadron lost more than 40 killed, 31 wounded, and the squadron leader was also seriously wounded, almost losing its combat effectiveness. After being surrounded, the squadron chose to break through in order to avoid the annihilation of the whole army, so that the Red Army could finally directly attack the main Japanese position at Zhanggufeng after three days of hard fighting.

"Progress is going well" made Apanashchenko breathe a sigh of relief, and he was really worried that he would not gain anything as he had achieved in the previous two days. In his opinion, the Japanese army has reached the point where the oil lamp is exhausted, and as long as he adds more force, the opponent can completely collapse.

"Sue sù air force and artillery, continue the shelling. Don't stop! ”

This order made the corners of the mouth of the Chief of Staff of the Front Army, Shitern, twitch. Because according to the statistical reports he received. Although today's artillery bombardment dealt a heavy blow to the Japanese troops, the incidental accidental injuries and accidental hits also occurred one after another. Especially with the bombing of the Air Force, almost half of the bombs fell on the heads of the Japanese troops, while the other half fell on the heads of the Red Army. The vast majority of today's casualties are self-inflicted.

And now, Apanashchenko is going to continue to do this, which makes him a little unbearable: "Comrade commander, I have to remind you that the bombing and shelling have already caused dozens of accidents of accidental hits. casualties ......"

Apanashchenko didn't even look at Šteln, and said coldly: "I don't need a casualty report!" If you want to report a casualty, go to the comrade commissioner! ”

Steln choked, he could feel that Apanashchenko today was different from last night, when he was questioned by someone last night, although he was tough, but definitely not so imposing, today he seemed to be full of blood again. Šteln also knew why Apanashchenko was resurrected with full blood, wasn't it because the battle went more smoothly?

Indeed, Apanashchenko believed that as long as Zhang Gufeng was taken in the afternoon, there would be no problem even if the casualties were large and the number of accidental hits was no problem. Stalin believed in the theory of the impunity of the victors, and he won the victory. The natural way to win doesn't matter.

Even Apanashchenko was a little regretful, how much he hoped that Li Xiaofeng would be in his command at this time, so that he could taunt the comrade commissioner and let out a bad breath. It's a pity that someone didn't come. Apanashchenko couldn't help but guess maliciously: "I'm afraid someone is coming without face, right?" ”

Li Xiaofeng naturally didn't have no face to go, but he was not interested in going, in his eyes, Apanashchenko was already a dead man, and he had no interest in dead people. And he knew that the Japanese did not collapse so easily, and that a moment of smooth progress did not mean that they would be able to win a big victory today.

Li Xiaofeng's prediction was very accurate, the devil was really difficult to deal with, and when Apanashchenko made persistent efforts to throw troops into preparation to take Zhang Gufeng in one go, he encountered big trouble. It is true that the bombardment and shelling have weakened the combat effectiveness of the Japanese army, but they have also caused these bloody brutes to enter a state of madness, killing the red-eyed devil soldiers to the death, and the Red Army has to pay the price of blood for every step forward.

After six battles, the 118th Regiment only broke through the forward position of the Japanese troops on the edge of the hillside and was still far from the peak. And with the arrival of Japanese reinforcements one after another, it undoubtedly injected a dose of strength into the devil.

It has to be said here that Apanashchenko and the mid-ranking officers of the Red Army units were very rigid and mechanical, lacking communication and cooperation. Obviously, it had an absolute superiority on the battlefield and had air supremacy firmly in its hands, but it had allowed the Japanese reinforcements to enter the battlefield, and if the Red Army had been able to send out a part of its artillery and air force to monitor the battlefield and strike at the Japanese reinforcements, the battle would never have been so repetitive and difficult.

Among them, Apanashchenko is the most responsible, even after three days of fierce fighting with the devil, he still underestimates the devil's battle, always thinking that he doesn't need any tactics, as long as he swings his iron fist, he can crush the opponent. He was always indifferent to the details on the battlefield, and once the attack did not go well, the first thing that came to his mind was not self-examination, but to complain that the soldiers on the front line were not hard enough and fearless. Undoubtedly, this caused a lot of unnecessary casualties.

After an afternoon of fierce fighting, even if Apanashchenko once again invested the 32nd Infantry Division to support the 40th Infantry Division, it was useless, and the Red Army was still suppressed by the Japanese at the foot of Zhanggufeng. And as the sky gets dark, the best means of the Japanese army can be played.

Night attack, night attack again!

As the old saying goes, it is impossible for a person to fall into the same pit twice, but this does not apply to Apanashchenko, who has already suffered two losses from the Japanese night attack in a row, and the day before, he directly directed him to do useless work. And this time, Apanashchenko still did not learn his lesson, and in the evening, he gave the order to the front-line troops to prepare for another attack at night, striving to attack and occupy Zhanggufeng overnight, but he did not remind the front line at all to pay attention to the counterattack of the Japanese army!

In fact, the Japanese counterattack was not traceless, from the evening, the Japanese army has been constantly starting to counterattack, once the 118th Regiment was in a hurry, if it was not for the 118th Regiment commander to come to the front line to sit on the front line to stabilize the army's heart, the regiment would have been driven down Zhang Gufeng at that time.

At 10 o'clock in the evening, the Japanese troops on the summit suddenly counterattacked again, this time not only suddenly (just when the Red Army was making a military deployment for night battles), but also on a large scale, according to the recollection of the border guards at the peak: "Except for a very small number of Japanese troops who monitored us, the rest of the Japanese troops were all engaged in counterattacks. ”

At that time, the border guards at the summit urgently reported the movement of the Japanese army to the higher authorities, but unfortunately, Apanashchenko and Mehris were summoning cadres at and above the division level to give lectures and deploy night combat missions, and this extremely important news did not attract attention at the first time. Outcome...... As a result, the 118th Regiment was dispersed like a sheep by the devil soldiers who rushed down from the peak, and even the 52 Heights that had been occupied with it changed hands again.

When Apanashchenko learned of this after the end of the military meeting of the night battle, he sat down in his position and did not say a word for ten minutes. Shiteln later recalled: "Apanashchenko almost collapsed, and in his distracted eyes I saw the ...... despair" (to be continued......)

PS: Bow and thank hzwangdd, Prince Chu, Kamen Angel 555, agz00025, Spike Potato and Comrade Juventus!