Age of Conquest Reborn

At the position on the south bank of the Selenge River, countless artillery shells and bombs exploded like a boiling pot. The rising dust and smoke obscured the rising sun, making people almost think it was a haze.

morning.

Liu Hongzhang held up his binoculars, his face covered with dark clouds, and carefully observed the Soviet infantry, which was attacking the south bank in a rubber assault boat under the cover of open-ground firepower. Normally, it would take another ten minutes for the Soviet army to arrive.

When the middle of the river is slightly close to Weizhi on the south bank, it is the best time to fight back. Whether it is mortars or light and heavy machine guns, it is safe to say that the Soviet army of seven or eight regiments can be beaten like dumplings.

But it didn't work now. The bombs and artillery shells above the head rained down, and the surface position was almost turned upside down. No matter how many troops were placed on it, they would be blown to pieces immediately. I made a surprise move and organized the anti-air firepower to suddenly take action.

They still took advantage and killed dozens of Soviet bombers, but what followed was a violent retaliation from Soviet artillery fire and bomber groups.

When Liu Hongzhang saw that the situation was not good and ordered all the troops to withdraw from the artillery holes and shelters, only less than half of the hundreds of anti-aircraft firepower points returned. In less than half an hour, two brigades directly under the corps were lost.

More than 400 people were killed, more than 2,000 people were injured, and hundreds of light and heavy machine guns and dozens of anti-tank guns were lost. Liu Hongzhang was so angry that he gritted his teeth, but he was helpless.

Deputy Commander Ouyang Yishan stood aside and said worriedly: "Commander Liu, I'm afraid the casualties of this air strike and artillery fire will not be small!"

Liu Hongzhang knew what Ouyang Yishan was referring to. The shell-proof caves and shelters built by Sun Zhenbang during his time were basically damaged to varying degrees by fierce battles, shells and grenades. However, they could withstand the bombardment of the shells.

If it cannot withstand the bombing of heavy aerial bombs, it is expected that it will be blown up.

Hiding in artillery holes and shelters and being bombed, this battle was fought in vain from the beginning, but it could only be fought like this. Liu Hongzhang, as brave as he was, did not dare to brave the flying artillery shells and bombs and order the troops to enter the surface positions.

That's almost like asking soldiers to die.

Liu Hongzhang gritted his teeth and said to Ouyang Yishan without looking back: "Brother, there is no way. If you don't hide, the casualties will be greater. There is no good way to fight now. Tell the troops to move the Soviet army closer."

Beat and mix together, no matter it is artillery shells or aircraft, they are useless. Use grenades and submachine guns, wait for the old Maozi soldiers to get close, and fight in close combat. The soldiers directly under our corps have not been afraid of anyone. How are the little devils?

.I also fought with bayonets!”

Ouyang Yishan nodded. Liu Hongzhang's words made sense. Without the threat of artillery fire and aerial bombing, it was a face-to-face battle. The two brigades directly under the corps were mostly equipped with automatic weapons, which could ensure the intensity of firepower. They were the only options available at the moment.

Like Liu Hongzhang, Ouyang Yishan also believed that the soldiers of the 1st and 2nd brigades who rolled over from the bloody battlefield had never lost face when fighting the Japanese and British troops, and they could not give in when facing the Soviet army.

!

General Kulykin brought out the largest offensive lineup. Seven or eight regiments of Soviet troops successfully approached the south bank without any obstruction. The Soviet soldiers shouted "Ula!" in Russian and waded through the waist-deep river.

The water splashed all the way and rushed towards the positions of the independent division troops from the four main directions.

At this time, the Soviet artillery fire began to extend. After dropping the bombs, the bomber group was ready to return. The Soviet fighter group, which was responsible for the escort mission, was still hovering over the position, preparing to strike from underground shelters and anti-gun holes.

Soldiers from the independent division came out.

Liu Hongzhang's hand had already picked up the phone and was about to give the order to counterattack. In the sky, the sound of machine gunfire of fighter jets was heard. Meng Qingpeng commanded all the fighter jets of the Northern Flying Group and rushed to the sky above the Selenge River battlefield.

Liu Hongzhang put down his hand again and said to himself: "It's finally here. It's not too late. I don't ask you guys with wings to do anything. Just kill those bombers of Lao Maozi. I, Lao Liu, will do the rest."

Do it yourself!”

Meng Qingpeng's fleet appeared over the battlefield, and the escorting Soviet fighter jets immediately began to adjust their formation and fight immediately. Judging from the number of fighter jets, the reinforced Soviet fighter jets plus the remaining fighter jets of the Transcaucasus Military Region Air Force would be

There were more fighter jets from the Northern Flying Group. When they saw their opponent, they immediately pounced on them aggressively and took on the posture of fighting.

But Meng Qingpeng's fighting style was different from yesterday's. He was determined to inflict heavy losses on the Soviet bombers that threatened the ground positions the most. At least, he would minimize the losses before the reinforcements of the Southern Flying Group arrived.

Intercepting pressure from ground forces.

Therefore, at the beginning of the air battle, it was divided into two battlefields. A small number of the Northern Flying Group's fighter groups faced the Soviet fighter group, and most of them shook off their opponents and went straight to the Soviet bomber group. Over the smoke-filled battlefield, the fighters of both sides,

They immediately started to fight each other.

Meng Qingpeng piloted the fighter plane, rolled over, and dodged a bullet fired from behind. He took advantage of the situation and glanced at the situation on the ground. On the beachhead on the south bank of the Selenge River, Soviet soldiers were swarming in darkness and were wading into the water to attack. Meng Qingpeng

Gritting his teeth fiercely, although he was at a disadvantage in terms of the number of fighter jets, and he was unable to deal with Soviet fighter jets and attack Soviet bombers, he was not incapable of providing aerial fire support to ground troops.

"The third regiment and the fourth regiment, attack the Soviet troops on the ground immediately!" Meng Qingpeng gave the order.

More than eighty fighter jets immediately abandoned the Soviet bombers that were about to succeed. They pushed the control stick, pressed down the nose of the plane, quickly lowered their altitude, and pounced straight toward the ground.

, spitting out tongues of fire, like fire whips, lashing hard at the Soviet troops who had landed.

The attack from the air was tantamount to a disaster for the Soviet offensive troops. Strings of bullets swept over, causing the river to foam, and immediately there was a mass of blood and flesh flying everywhere. Rows of Soviet soldiers

He fell down in the river and the muddy beach.

General Kulykin, who was observing the battlefield situation on the high ground, put down his telescope and angrily shouted to the Chief of Staff Zernenko beside him: "Ask the Air Force, what are they doing? With such a superior number of fighter jets, they actually let the independent

Division’s fighters, attack my offensive echelon?”

No need to blame, the commander of the Soviet air fleet in charge immediately realized this problem. More than a hundred Soviet fighter jets broke away from the battle group and pounced on the third and fourth regiments. At this time, the two Northern Flying Group

A regiment of fighter jets had completed the first round of strafing, completely disrupting the Soviet offensive rhythm.

Meng Qingpeng smiled happily, that's it, he could only do so much for the ground troops. Under his order, the fighters of the third and fourth regiments immediately climbed to altitude, moved closer to the large group of aircraft, and joined the Soviet fighter group.

Kill in a group.

Liu Hongzhang, who witnessed all this, shouted excitedly: "Well done! All we need is this moment. Cheng Lin ordered the troops to enter the surface fortifications immediately, while the old Mao Zibing was stunned by our planes."

, start a counterattack, and we won’t allow the fight to end until we drive these guys back to the other side of the river!”

The soldiers of the 1st and 2nd brigades directly under the corps emerged from the bomb holes and shelters. They had no time to shake off the mud and dust on their bodies, and they had no time to repair the fortifications that had been blown beyond recognition. They relied on the bomb craters and started firing fiercely.

Light and heavy machine guns and submachine guns roared and rained dense bullets, covering the Soviet soldiers on the beach. The sound of guns and artillery in the sky and on the ground reflected each other, and the line of the Selenge River was like boiling boiling water.

It was like a pot, glowing with blood and smoke.

Meng Qingpeng's tactics were very effective. A Soviet bomber division was surrounded by more than twice the independent division fighter group and beat them hard. The Soviet fighter group on the periphery rushed in desperately, although the independent division fighter planes continued to attack.

The aircraft fell to the ground with black smoke, and more Soviet fighter jets and bombers exploded in the air. This was an unprecedented melee. The scale may not be comparable to that of an air battle involving thousands of aircraft, but the intensity was greater.

And nothing less.

The smoke rising from all over the ground mixed with the smoke in the air, forming a thick layer of three-dimensional smoke clouds, shrouding the sky and the ground in chaos. It was impossible to distinguish the gunshots in the sky from the gunshots and bullets on the ground.

The screams, the explosions of grenades, and the roar of fighter jets turned the sunny morning into a hellish slaughterhouse. The fighter pilots and soldiers on the ground on both sides were all red-eyed.

Flesh and blood flew everywhere, shrapnel roared, and the ground defense battle was particularly fierce. At the closest distance, the Soviet ground offensive troops were only a few dozen meters away from the independent division position. They seemed to be within reach. Even this section could usually be crossed in a few steps.

The distance has become a barrier of death. Bullets from light and heavy machine guns and submachine guns roar like tearing through the air, filling the morning air of the Outer Mongolian grasslands with a burning smell.

From time to time, soldiers of the Independent Division were beaten with blood holes all over their bodies by Soviet machine guns, or were blown to pieces by grenades thrown by Soviet soldiers. However, their comrades around them continued to shoot without changing their expressions.

Scenes abound.

The veterans of the First and Second Brigades were accustomed to this. Liu Hongzhang and Ouyang Yishan had not stayed at the headquarters for a long time, and had joined the fight with their respective security forces.

After the attacking Soviet army landed on the beach, they encountered a hard nail and could no longer attack. General Kulykin, who was observing the situation on the battlefield from behind, received a report, "Comrade Commander, the first echelon has suffered heavy casualties. At present,

, failed to break through the defensive position of the independent division, the front-line commander requested instructions!"

General Kulykin looked at the sky full of fireworks. His own fighter group clearly had the upper hand. The casualties were as expected. He said coldly: "Order, the first echelon continues to attack, and the six regiments of the second echelon,

Get into the fight now!

(To be continued)(To be continued...)