The sun never sets in America

Chapter 382 Breakthrough and Encirclement

"Report, call from Helena."

"explain!!"

In the conference room, a group of senior officials from the Left Army were having a meeting focusing on the recent war.

"The Fifth Division is currently at 50% reduced strength and is expected to last for nine days!!"

"Ding Xia, Commander of the Fifth Division, requested partial support."

"The Fifth Division currently lacks..."

Listening to the report in his ears, when Li Zihao reduced his staff by half, his expression changed slightly, and then he opened his mouth: "Tell Ding Xia, I want him to hold on, like a nail, hold on!!"

"Besides, if he wants to hit those things, I will give them to him, as long as he holds on!!"

Li Zihao said "hold" twice in succession, which shows how important holding is to the Han army now.

Recently, the U.S. military has obviously become easier to fight than two months ago. This is a fact reflected by many grassroots troops.

"The war has been going on so far, our army is not feeling well, and so is the U.S. military."

...............

There was a "voice of recognition" around them. They were all commanders of the Left Army, and they were well aware of the changes in the US military.

"Da da da", before those American soldiers could recover from their blindness, the roar of the god of death was even crazier than before.

"Da da da!!"

Two hundred meters, one hundred and fifty meters, one hundred meters, getting closer and closer.

Boom boom! !
The 155mm artillery shells, like raindrops, hit the bunker built by the Fifth Division, and suddenly fell a patch of "earthy gray" spots.

"Hoohoo!!"

The smoke dispersed, covering everything around it in white and gray.

"You must know that these 120,000 are veterans who can fight and be used. Even if the US military later recruits additional troops, I don't think they can match the quality of these 120,000 people!!"

"Attack", soldiers of the Fourth Army, stepping on rubble and rubble, carrying marching backpacks and holding long guns with bayonets in their hands, charged towards the bunker that had just been shelled.

The U.S. military is making rapid progress. Faced with such a combination of bunkers and machine guns, it did not use human lives to fill it as before. Instead, it used smoke bombs, which the Han army liked most in urban warfare.

When Li Zihao mentioned this matter, he obviously felt "slightly inclined" and his expression was a bit unruly. He obviously didn't look down on the Americans' so-called self-promotion.

Li Zihao's expression looked unusually "confident". After all, what the U.S. military in Montana is doing now is something that I couldn't even imagine a month ago. How could it be so stupid to send troops to return reinforcements during the war? Who will fill the vacancies? repair? ?

One hundred meters, fifty meters, thirty meters, getting closer and closer to the bunker. The American soldiers even felt that they could hear the breathing of the Han soldiers inside.

Li Zihao then said:

The American troops who got into the smoke bomb were obviously more calm than before, and even straightened their waists a lot.

"Let me see, the five hundred thousand American troops in Montana are completely over!!"

As soon as Li Zihao finished speaking, Chief of Staff Yuan Qing stood up and echoed, saying "Fighters cannot be let down".

The machine gun sounded again, but this time the effect was obviously not as good as before. After all, the appearance of smoke grenades hindered the machine gunner's sight.

Li Zihao changed his tone and immediately linked the failure to win Montana to the word "shame".

"Li Shuai, if you want me to see it, why not take advantage of this opportunity to have a big fight, concentrate your firepower, and hit the weaknesses of the US military!!"

"According to our intelligence, in the past two months of the war, the casualties of the US military were basically more than 120,000, which means there were 60,000 casualties every month!!"

"Our army has basically recovered to the level of 400,000 people through domestic reinforcements. With 400,000 people, it is enough to defeat a group of new recruits!!"

At this moment, this flag that symbolizes the United States is full of smoke and blood.

The sound of death came as expected, and all the twenty American troops who first stepped into the territory were wiped out.

"The Americans are clamoring that there are 500,000 troops in Montana, which are as solid as a rock, and it is impossible for our troops to break through. I think they are wrong, and they are totally wrong!!"

"Smoke bomb, smoke bomb!!"

"Pa", there were not many living people left in the city of Helena. Starting from the past few days, the Fourth Army began to shell the city indiscriminately.

(Exaggeration, in fact, after the fall of Oklahoma, the U.S. military's defense in the south reached its peak, and it has only captured half of Arkansas.)
"What is this? This is a shame for our soldiers!!"

These were all cements used at that time. If it had not been reinforced some time ago, the 155 shells just fired might have been enough to kill the fifty Han soldiers inside.

"Confirmation" flashed on Li Zihao's face, and then he continued:
"Some time ago, our army originally planned to wait for the U.S. military to come back with reinforcements and encircle it in one fell swoop. Now it seems that the new commander of the U.S. military is just a fool. Until now, he actually dared to divide his troops to fight back against Helena!!"

When the smoke bombs dissipated, more than a hundred corpses were left behind, covered with a Stars and Stripes flag that had just been prepared to be raised on the bunker.

Then he said:

Under the cover of large-caliber artillery, those Helena people seemed to float and sink, and dissipated in this world when the wind blew.

Soon, there were echoes everywhere.

Li Zihao's expression was solemn, and then he spoke:
"Gentlemen, this battle must be completed in one battle and completely break the American arm!!"

"Tear a hole, get in, and make a detour..."

"Everyone, the war has reached this point. Our army is still in Montana. The right army next door is even close to taking over the second state!!"

Before the American commander in the rear could be happy, he heard a "swish" sound, and in the smoke, the light shone brightly, like "daylight".

If we sum up the war just now, it is a duel between smoke bombs and flares.

To use a passage from a later summary of the Fifth Division: "The United States uses smoke bombs, and our army responds with flares. It is obvious that the master is the apprentice."

Looking at the casualty figures in his hands, Lieutenant General Hua Leka seemed to be "asleep".

The "drowsiness" in my mind dissipated, followed by "panic". After fighting for nearly eleven days, I still haven't captured this city with only one division, and I have suffered over 10,000 casualties.

If the fight continues like this, even if we win in the end, we will definitely not be able to escape a "miserable victory".

"Send a telegram to the commander of Cotnia and say that our army needs tactical guidance!!"

After all, Valaika still didn't dare to say the word "support", so he could only use "tactical guidance" that was vague and could save face.

Through the long telegraph line, Valaika's request went round and round, and after several rounds of wire changes, he finally came to the "purchasing general".

Regarding Valaika's request, Cotnia only had one request, and that was to "take" Helena "at all costs."

As for the casualties, Cotnia doesn't care much. Until now, the war has seen casualties of more than one or two thousand people every day. What difference does it make if another ten thousand to twenty thousand people die.

Just like Lincoln’s secret order to Cotnia some time ago:

"American victory must be based on blood, and we must pay everything for it until the day of victory!!"

Lincoln was already prepared to die, so why couldn't he, Cotnia, not afford to die? ?
And when Valaika received the "continue" telegram, a war about "end" was taking place.

…………

In the second half of December, when the 22nd year of Longwu was coming to an end, after two months of "fierce fighting", the Chinese and American armies had basically used all the methods they could.

But victory in war is often not a tactical victory, but "timing."

As Li Zihao wrote in his memoirs:
"When the US military divided its forces and returned to Helena, I had a hunch that they were not far from being finished!!"

On the west side of Montana's central line, more than half of the Han army was assembled, stretching for more than ten kilometers, with a total of more than 200,000 people.

Li Zihao personally visited the front line to inspect. Within the telescope, the muzzle of the gun flashed with "black light", and the young soldier's face was full of "wind and frost".

"Li Shuai, our army has currently assembled 210,000 people, and only 190,000 people are left on the Eastern Front to make excuses with the US military."

"In terms of ammunition, it has also reached the highest level in all previous wars!!"

"Our army is currently..."

As the logistics officer's report rang in his ears, Li Zihao's face, full of "vicissitudes of life", no longer looked as tender as when he immigrated, but only had the "tenacity" and "responsibility" that a man should have.

"Li Shuai, the US military currently has 150,000 people on the Western Front, but the real situation is only over 100,000..." "The US military numbers are 26th, 2nd, 13th, and 14th..." "

The staff officer in charge of military intelligence followed and reported the true situation of the U.S. military on the opposite side.

Li Zihao lit the cigarette with a click, blew out the smoke ring, and then ordered:

"Inform the entire army that the war will begin in four hours!!"

Simple words are more powerful than passionate slogans.

.............................................

"Quick, reload quickly!!"

One shell after another was placed in the somewhat mottled howitzers. Due to the needs of the war, the Han army's artillery has exceeded 10,000, most of which are mortars and howitzers.

"Crack!!"

The sound of artillery shells being loaded continued to echo along this more than ten kilometers long front.

At the same time, there are also the "sliding" and "twisting sounds" of bullets being loaded and bayonets being sheathed.

Looking at the time on his hand, Artillery Colonel Lei Jing silently looked at the artillery around him that had been prepared long ago, as well as the dense ammunition piled on the roadside.

Finally, when the time was fixed at eleven o'clock, the order to fire was given.

When the roar echoed through this small plain area, the U.S. military on the opposite side was still doing so-called "resistance" as usual.

They even felt that this was just another fruitless attack.

But soon they discovered that this group of Han troops was completely different from the perfunctory artillery battles during this period. They were going to do it for real this time.

"I don't care what happens to you, I just want to win now."

"I'm telling you, if you can't take the position, I will hold a machine gun and supervise the battle from behind. Whoever dares to retreat, I will beat him into a hornet's nest!!"

The leader of the 25th Regiment, Zhang Jie, didn't look like a lieutenant colonel at all. He looked like a bandit trying to force a debt, training his battalion commanders like "grandsons".

"The regiment leader said that he will personally supervise whose battle he will supervise, and his battle will be supervised by us!!"

"If I can't defeat the opponent in half an hour, I will lose my position and everyone will lose their lives!!"

The essence of war is "barbarism", or in other words, it is a game of barbarians.

"Right, right!!"

"Grenade, grenade..."

When several wooden-handled grenades were bundled together, the soldier responsible for throwing them crawled on the ground to avoid the fire from the opposite side.

On the ground stained by gunpowder smoke, a soldier was holding a bundled "cluster grenade" and crawling towards the US military position in front that was not easily hit by mortars.

"boom!!"

The stray bullets that penetrated hit the ground, kicked up soil, and hit the soldier's face, staining the young face black, as if he had just fallen into a coal mine.

"Huhu", breathing heavily, the Han soldier named Wang Bao crawled forward in the battlefield full of stray bullets.

Looking at the position that was still about thirty meters away from him, Wang Bao gritted his teeth and worked hard to move forward ten meters. When he reached the position of twenty meters, even if there was a broken tree blocking him, he understood that even two meters further forward. , he has to be exposed.

"Pa", a large bunch of bundled cluster grenades were thrown into the trench by Wang Bao.

With a bang, the bright sparks that had just appeared in the trench disappeared and were replaced by a "miserable scream."

Wang Bao looked at the black smoke opposite, with a smile on his dark face.

But before he could go back, there was a "bang" and a bullet passed through his abdomen, followed by another one that hit his chest.

Wang Bao fell, twenty meters away from the trench.

People like him were not uncommon throughout the war.

After all, "sacrifice" itself is part of war.

As the military song goes:
"With my body, I will defend the great man, and with my blood, I will tell the ancestors!!"

There is no such thing as death in war! !

.........

What is it like for 210,000 people to attack at the same time? For the first time, the U.S. military on the Western Front felt what a sea of ​​people was and what an "overwhelming" wave was.

With more than 200,000 people attacking at the same time, it felt like a tornado passing through, with artillery fire everywhere and the "wailing" of life under the artillery fire.

"Click", the sound of the bolt pulling is so clear. The rifles of the Han army are considered to be the best among bolt-action rifles.

The 7.9mm bullet is so classic that in the Han Dynasty, there was even a unified ammunition caliber. Whether it was the military or civilians, 7.9mm was the first choice.

"Click", soldier Wu Hao inserted the magazine into the magazine, then pulled out the thin metal magazine, threw it out without looking at it, and landed on the black soil.

This kind of magazine is different from the detachable magazines of later generations. It simply wraps the bullet. Its main function is to save the need to load the bolt-action rifle one round at a time. Instead, it is directly inserted into the top. The magazine is like a "card".

The Type 20 rifle is a five-round standard rifle. This type of rifle is also the mainstream of the Han army.

In fact, it’s not that I didn’t consider eight or ten rounds at first, but after many experiments, I came to the conclusion that five rounds is the best.

After all, a bolt-action rifle is not a machine gun. Pulling and firing means that a well-trained soldier will probably not consume more than 200 rounds of bullets in a day, even on the most extreme battlefield.

If the size is deliberately increased in order to meet the so-called ammunition capacity, it will be inconvenient to use and the shooting will be inflexible.

In war, what is most important is "stability". This is true for fighting, and the same is true for the weapons used in fighting.

Just like what Dong Ziqin said when inspecting the Lion II tank:
"Whatever weapon is most useful is the best weapon that can be used at any time!!"

Soldier Wu Hao held his weapon and kept wandering around this dangerous battlefield. If it weren't for the comrades who kept passing by, he would have thought that this was a battlefield where a real person was "eating chicken".

"Bang", it only took Wu Hao less than two seconds from aiming to firing. A hundred meters away, an American soldier who had just appeared to prepare to attack him fell to the ground immediately.

"Bang bang", there were several consecutive shots, but this time it was not very good, and no one was hit.

After all, he was not a professional sniper like Wei Changdong, and Wu Hao was just an ordinary soldier with good marksmanship.

Being able to guarantee a hit rate of more than 60% is among the best in the entire Han army.

After all, war is not target shooting, and it is impossible for you to choose your aiming and holding position comfortably.

War is a sudden test, and no one can remain completely calm under such circumstances.

Of course, "professional players" like Wei Changdong don't count.

"Hoohoo!!"

As the large army advanced, more and more people surrounded Wu Hao. In the end, he didn't even catch an enemy.

Because the American troops on the entire Western Front were retreating.

When hundreds of thousands of troops poured into the battlefield, and when the artillery fire was as dense as raindrops, these new recruits who had become accustomed to the Han army's daily "game" of artillery fire would soon be unable to withstand such a high-intensity war.

As Li Zihao, who has been observing the war, said: "They are like the rising tide of the sea. Now, it is time for the tide to recede!!"

The sound of "ebbing tide" is like a true portrayal of this war.

The Han army had the upper hand from the beginning. Even in the most difficult times, they still maintained a record of zero organizational losses against the US military.

The war has been in a state of huge imbalance from the beginning! !

When the western front completely broke through, Li Zihao did not rush to pursue the American troops on the western front who had become lost dogs. Instead, he ordered the entire army to go east, detour behind the large forces on the eastern front, and make an upward encirclement gesture.

The deployment of hundreds of thousands of troops is bound to be difficult, but under the vertical management system of the Han army, it is like a heavyweight boxer. He not only has the strength, but also has the flexibility of being a lightweight.

The breakthrough and encirclement became the biggest turning point in this Montana war that lasted for more than two months.

Just like the title of the Xijing Daily during the war: "The sky in Montana can only be black and red!!"

(End of this chapter)