Age of Conquest Reborn

Major General Tong Batu, commander of the 2nd Cavalry Brigade of the Outer Mongolia Border Guard, has extremely accurate calculations of the speed of the cavalry. He can easily control the charge and retreat rhythm of his brigade and each company, making the 2nd Brigade in his

Under command, he can attack and defend freely.

The same was true for the withdrawal from Irkutsk this time. According to Tong Batu's calculations, after the Soviet army completed the final encirclement, the Second Brigade was already at least 20 kilometers away from the Soviet army's encirclement. Even if the Soviet army pursued them, the vast

The steppes of Outer Mongolia are a paradise for cavalry. You can play hide-and-seek with the Soviet army. If you are lucky, you may be able to seize the opportunity, fight a counterattack, and vent your anger.

However, Tong Batu underestimated the Soviet artillery. Most of the troops of the second brigade had successfully passed through the gap. But at this moment, the scream of artillery shells piercing the air came from the sky, and then

, artillery shells as dense as raindrops hit the gap overwhelmingly. It was Major General Sergeyev, commander of the Third Army of the Soviet Transcaucasus Military Region, who ordered the artillery of the 37th and 38th Divisions to block the gap.

when.

On a high hill less than ten kilometers away from the gap, Tong Batu held up his binoculars with a pale face and looked at the area that was turned into a sea of ​​​​fire by the shells. His fists were clenched and his nails almost pierced into his muscles, acting as a defender.

The Second Battalion of the First Regiment was trapped in the encirclement by Soviet artillery fire.

Wherever Tong Batu looked, he could see nothing except the explosive points of the artillery shells, one after another, the smoke and flying dust, the whistling shrapnel and the flashing firelight. Under his feet, there was a constant

Trembling big

On the ground, under such intensive artillery fire from the Soviet army, the second battalion was in danger, and the possibility of breaking out was very slim. Those were more than 500 tough Mongolian men, his old subordinates for many years, and he was closed in pain.

On the eyes.

An hour later, the Soviet artillery fire gradually became sparse, and the remaining men of the Second Battalion appeared in Tong Batu's field of vision. Major Battalion Commander Gao Jirigala, covered in blood, with an empty left arm and a tattered sleeve.

The autumn wind blows in the grasslands of Outer Mongolia, and the people and horses feel as if they have returned from hell.

Gao Jirigala sat unsteadily on his horse, arrived in front of Tong Batu, and shouted in a tearful tone: "Brigadier, I'm sorry for you, there are more than 500 brothers in one battalion, and less than 100 have returned.

Man, please shoot me!"

Tong Batu's eyes turned black and he shook a few times. If it weren't for the guard next to him who had weak hands and held him up, the brigade commander would definitely have fallen under his horse. Tong Batu calmed down and waved feebly.

He said to Gaoji Rigala: "Don't cry. Like a girl, go down and bandage it first, and then look at the list of fallen soldiers."

The military doctor accompanying the team hurriedly helped Gao Jirigala to dismount. Tong Batu couldn't bear to see less than a hundred wounded soldiers from the second battalion riding alone. When they got to the other side, they dismounted weakly. Tong Batu

His heart was filled with heartbreaking pain. More than 400 Mongolian men who followed him from the Chahar Grassland to Outer Mongolia lost their lives on this land.

The Soviet artillery attack was indeed without warning. However, the loss of the second battalion was also closely related to my overconfidence. If my retreat order had been issued thirty minutes earlier, or if I had received it after receiving it,

After receiving the division commander's order, he immediately withdrew from Irkutsk instead of waiting for half an hour. Such heavy losses would not have occurred. As a brigade commander, Tong Batu could not forgive himself.

The night wind in the grasslands of Outer Mongolia was so cold that it made Tong Batu tremble all over. He woke up from his memories and looked up at Irkutsk in the north. The sound of gunfire had completely silenced, and there was boundless darkness.

Covering the earth.

The brigade chief of staff, Colonel Hexi Getu, walked over lightly. He understood the brigade commander's mood at the moment, handed a telegram to Tong Batu, and said: "Brigade Commander, received the Kulun ground air command in the patrol area of ​​Outer Mongolia.

A telegram asking if my brigade has retreated safely?"

Tong Batu did not answer the telegram, but said coldly: "Chief of Staff, call back to Cullen's ground air commander. The second brigade has safely evacuated Irkutsk. Thanks to their air cover, the second brigade lost a few

Hundreds of people, I, Tong Batu, am still dead

No, in addition, send a telegram to the division commander to report our unit's retreat and casualties, and explain that due to brigade commander Tong Batu's command error, the second battalion of the first regiment suffered huge casualties. Brigade commander Tong Batu requested the division commander to give

Punishment!"

The first person to receive Tong Batu's telegram was Colonel Meng Qingpeng, commander of the Outer Mongolia cruise area of ​​the Northern Aviation Group. At the Cullen ground command post, he couldn't help but smile bitterly when he looked at the gunpowder-smelling telegram and said, "Commander Tong is still the same old temper."

"However, we are partly responsible for the casualties suffered by the Second Brigade, which exposed the lack of tacit understanding between the Outer Mongolia Border Guard troops and other troops in the air and ground cooperation."

"If I had not just cared about my own pleasure, but had focused on killing more effective Soviet forces, and sent part of the aircraft fleet to bomb the Soviet artillery positions on both sides of the gap, there would have been no casualties in the second brigade. In other words, I would not have suffered any casualties at that time.

"We know the exact location of the Second Brigade's retreat, but it's still a matter of lack of cooperation. We should let the division commander know the situation." Thinking of this, Meng Qingpeng ordered his staff: "Prepare a vehicle immediately and go to the division commander at the border defense army headquarters!"

Kulun, the headquarters of the Outer Mongolia Border Guard Army, the temporary headquarters of Division Commander Tang Qiuli, and Colonel Wang Jun, Chief of Staff of the Outer Mongolia Border Guard Army, came in and said: "Division Commander, I received a telegram from the 2nd Cavalry Brigade and the 5th Cavalry Brigade.

Ministry has safely evacuated Irkuts

In the Kulun and Ulan-Ude areas, they are retreating towards Kulun. However, the telegram from Brigadier Tong Batu reported that the second brigade suffered casualties during the retreat, with one battalion losing about four-fifths.

With our own strength, Brigadier Tong asks for punishment!"

Tang Qiuli looked away from the map. He was very uncomfortable with the smell of oil smoke emitted by several sheep oil lamps in the room. His head felt a little dizzy. When he heard Wang Jun's words, he was startled and frowned.

Frowning slightly, he asked: "Chief of Staff Wang, what about the fifth brigade? Are there any casualties? Are the current positions of the two brigades safe?"

Wang Jun replied: "Commander Li Changjiang of the 5th Brigade reported that the troops had no casualties and had left the danger area. The troops were resting in a safe area. The same was true for the 2nd Brigade. However, the evacuation speed was faster than that of the 5th Brigade.

Slower."

Tang Qiuli thought for a moment and asked: "How were the casualties of the Second Brigade caused? Did Tong Batu explain the situation?"

Wang Jun replied: "A brief report is that during the evacuation process, it was blocked by Soviet artillery fire. The second brigade rear guard battalion was blocked in the encirclement, and almost the entire army was wiped out."

Tang Qiuli raised his eyebrows, something was wrong. When he gave the order to retreat, there was still a big gap in the Soviet encirclement, which was enough for the Second Brigade to retreat. How could there be troops stuck in the encirclement?

What the hell is Tong Batu doing?

Just as he was about to ask Wang Jun to send a telegram to Tong Batu to inquire about the situation in detail, Colonel Meng Qingpeng, commander of the Outer Mongolia Cruise Area, shouted loudly outside the office: "Report, Commander of the Outer Mongolia Cruise Area of ​​the Aviation Northern Flying Group

Meng Qingpeng, if you have something important to report to the teacher!"

After listening to Meng Qingpeng's explanation, Tang Qiuli finally understood that the specific reason for the casualties in the second brigade was not a command error by Tong Batu, nor was it Meng Qingpeng's disregard for the overall situation. It was indeed a problem with air-ground coordination, and the Soviet commander's

The command ability and the speed of Soviet artillery shelling were the fundamental reasons for the casualties of the 2nd Brigade.

To be precise, Tong Batu underestimated the Soviet mechanized troops' ability to quickly switch between offense and defense, and overestimated the movement speed of the cavalry. It seems that when fighting the Japanese army, the role of the cavalry is undoubtedly

Very huge. However, in the battle with the Soviet army, which was dominated by mechanized troops, the role of cavalry was weakened to a considerable extent. War horses and sabers could not compete with armored troops.

But this does not mean that the cavalry will withdraw from the stage of war and become a doomsday force. At the very least, under the current circumstances, it will still play an extremely important role. However, it requires innovation in tactical guiding ideology and tactics.

, put in more effort.

Tang Qiuli said to Wang Jun: "Chief of Staff Wang, call Tong Batu back. A temporary loss cannot affect your combat effectiveness. A Mongolian man's saber will not lose its sharpness due to a temporary setback, let alone be damaged by it."

Blinded by hatred, you make unnecessary sacrifices. As for the issue of punishment, we will wait until you safely withdraw to Cullen. I will wait for all the cavalry soldiers to return safely in Cullen!"

This telegram contains a reminder and more of an understanding. Tong Batu took the telegram from the teacher, his heart was filled with blood, and he was more moved, and said to himself: "Sir, don't worry, I am not Tong Batu."

I am an impulsive person, and there are plenty of opportunities for revenge. I just feel so sorry for those brothers who died in battle!"

After reading the telegram from the division commander Tang Qiuli, Tong Batu's painful and heavy heart seemed to relax a little. He picked up the dry food and water bottle and prepared to fill his stomach. The few guards around him who had been paying attention to him silently breathed a sigh of relief.

, Mainly if the brigade commander is willing to eat, his body will not collapse.

Tong Batu took a bite of the dry food, but before he could taste it, in the dark night, there was a rapid sound of horse hooves, coming from far and near. A war horse appeared in front of him quickly. When he arrived, the cavalry on the horse

, jumped off the horse and ran over.

Tong Batu saw it. It was Bai Yinbaoligao, captain of the brigade reconnaissance company. When he arrived in front of the brigade commander, Baiyinbaoligao panted and said: "Report to the brigade commander, behind us, about twenty kilometers away."

, found an armored brigade of the Soviet Army marching, and based on this judgment, they are chasing us!"

Tong Batu stood up suddenly, dropped the kettle, and asked Baiyin Baoligao urgently, "What? There are soldiers chasing after Lao Maozi, please tell me the details!"

(To be continued)(To be continued.)