Black Flag Army

Chapter 156 Battle of Suwu City

Due to the loss of a large number of aircraft in the battle to retake Beiling Province, many bombers did not crash, but malfunctioned due to frequent use and needed repairs. Defending coastal provinces like Beiling Province also requires a large number of bombers. Therefore, there are only two squadrons of bombers in Suwu City at present, and Jiang Hongyu dare not use them easily.

After the Cossack cavalry retreated, the White Army commander Molewan ordered the infantry division to charge. The White Army rushed forward in rows. The two brigade commanders Cui Yuxiang and Zhang Lingyun commanded the army to use the trenches and buildings in the city to carry out sniping. The Black Flag Army used rifles, machine guns, and mortars to repel the White Army's attacks again and again. However, the White Army did not give up. They adjusted their tactics, mobilized more artillery, and fiercely bombarded the defenders' positions. The trenches and buildings in the city were blown down in many places, and the soldiers suffered heavy casualties.

Cui Yuxiang knew that he could not sit still and wait for death, so he decided to organize a counterattack. After consulting Jiang Hongyu, he led a death squad, quietly left the city at night, and launched an attack behind the enemy.

This surprise attack disrupted the White Guards' deployment, and the defenders took the opportunity to launch a counterattack, killing nearly 2,000 White Guards and forcing the enemy back several miles. But both sides knew that the battle was far from over...

In Beihai Hospital in Beitang City, Lan Jinchun gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. Di Xiong was very happy and named the boy Di Jincao and the girl Di Xiangyun. Lan Jinchun named the girl because she believed it was a mother's right. Di Xiong originally wanted to name his daughter Di Yishuo, a famous female physician in the Han Dynasty. Di Xiong hoped that his daughter would become a doctor in the future.

Lan Jinchun said to Di Xiong, "Now that you're back, you won't be going to the front line again, right?"

Di Xiong sighed, "I also want to stay with you in Beitang City, but the fighting over at Beihai Lake is very intense, with more than thousands of casualties every day. Chief of the General Staff Jiang is leading an army of 100,000 to fight against more than 300,000 Russian troops. It is too dangerous. I have to go!"

Lan Jinchun asked: "When are we leaving?"

Di Xiong said: "Let's go tomorrow!"

Lan Jinchun looked at him reluctantly, her eyes reddened and tears fell. Di Xiong quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears and advised: "You are the principal of Zhengqing School. They all say that you are an education expert and understand more than me. You won't fail to understand me, right?"

Lan Jinchun said seriously, "Of course I know. This is a national war that determines the ownership of more than one million square kilometers of Beiling Province. If you win, you will gain a firm foothold from now on, and if you lose, everything will be gone. I won't keep you, you go! But you are not allowed to take my sister with me this time. I am in my current condition and I cannot live without a relative to take care of me."

Di Xiong smiled apologetically and said, "Don't worry, this is just a defensive battle. I will leave your sister behind to take care of you."

At noon on January 5, the sun was so bright that it was a little blinding. Di Xiong was anxiously flying over Suwu City. Looking down, his heart sank - the once bustling and bustling Suwu City had now become a battlefield filled with smoke!

It turned out that all this was a conspiracy set up by Kolchak. He bluffed in Weiqing City to attract the attention of the Black Flag Army, but secretly assembled hundreds of thousands of troops and launched a fierce attack on Suwu City. The city wall had collapsed in more than a dozen places under the bombardment of heavy artillery. The White Guards launched a desperate charge without fear of death, regardless of the dozens of sturdy bunkers outside the city that had not yet been cleared. However, they suffered tragic casualties in the face of the dense fire network formed by bunkers, moats and city walls. After more than a dozen of the retreating soldiers were ruthlessly executed by the supervision team, they rushed forward again like crazy, and some of the White Guards rushed into the city.

The battle in the city was extremely fierce. The commander of the First Army, Wu Chunlei, the deputy commander, Liu Zhendong, and the chief of staff, Zhang Shusheng, all led the way and personally commanded the battle on the front line. Every corner was filled with blood and killing, and the soldiers defended the dignity of the city with their lives.

In this thrilling battle, the division commander Gu Mingliang performed particularly bravely. When he was fighting with the enemy with bayonets, he was unfortunately pierced in the abdomen by a sharp blade, and his intestines flowed out. Although the military doctors tried their best to rescue him, he died heroically due to his severe injuries and excessive blood loss. In addition, the number of casualties of brigade commanders, regiment commanders and other junior officers was too numerous to count. The entire battlefield was like a living hell.

Di Xiong asked Jiang Hongyu: "Didn't they say Kolchak was short of food and ammunition? Why was the artillery so fierce? Even the city gate tower was blown up."

Jiang Hongyu said: "I just came from Weiqing City as well. Ask Commander Wu for the details."

Wu Chunlei said: "The World War is over. The weapons, ammunition and dry food stored by the British in West Asia are no longer useful, so they were airlifted to Kolchak through the Afghan airport. Now Kolchak has enough shells and ammunition, and is not short of food, so his offensive is extremely fierce. This is the news from the intelligence agent who infiltrated the enemy."

Di Xiong said, "These British guys are the troublemakers in Europe. They always try their best to mess with us. Why don't we send bombers to blow up their heavy artillery positions?"

Wu Chunlei said with a worried look on his face: "We dispatched planes when the battle just started, but the enemy had a large number of anti-aircraft guns. Although we successfully destroyed some of their heavy guns, we also paid a heavy price - more than a dozen bombers were shot down! The remaining few planes must be kept for the most dangerous time. It would be great if the rear could send another bomber brigade to support us!"

Di Xiong frowned and responded, "Since the aircraft manufacturer has been working hard to speed up the production, a squadron of aircraft can indeed be provided. But the problem is that we no longer have enough pilots. The battle to retake Outer Northeast was extremely brutal, and we lost too many brave and fearless pilots. It takes at least half a year to train a qualified pilot. If we rush them into battle, it would be extremely irresponsible to the precious lives of the pilots!"

Jiang Hongyu said: "Tomorrow, transfer the Second Army from Li Guangcheng and Li Jingcheng, and transfer the Third Army from Dou Xiancheng. We will rely on the First Army to fight, and they will be wiped out soon. Those small cities are lost, and we can take them back later. Su Wucheng is the focus of the battlefield."

Chief of Staff Zhang Shusheng said angrily: "The Bu Party troops had been chasing the White Guards. Now that they see us fighting with the White Guards, they don't even fire a single shot. It's clear that they are just sitting on the mountain and watching the fight."

Di Xiong said: "This is normal. If I were the leader of the Bu Party Army, I would do the same. In the Wei-Zhao War more than 2,000 years ago, Sun Bin waited until the two countries of Wei and Zhao were seriously injured before sending out the Qi army."

Liu Zhendong sighed and said, "Today, more than half of the large bunkers outside the city were blown up. Many snipers who were shooting from the bunkers were killed, and the commander of the First Division, Zhu Anbang, was also seriously injured. I don't know if these bunkers can be defended tomorrow."

Di Xiong asked, "What are the current casualties?"

Wu Chunlei said: "The casualties of each division have just been counted. After two days and two nights of fierce fighting, more than 15,000 people were killed, including one division commander, three brigade commanders, and six regiment commanders. More than 8,000 people were seriously injured, including two division commanders, four brigade commanders, and seven regiment commanders. This means that three divisions have lost their combat effectiveness. The First Army only had five divisions in total, and they were crippled. Of course, the White Guards suffered even greater losses, with at least 50,000 bodies on the battlefield."

Liu Zhendong stood up and said seriously: "Commander-in-Chief! At present, the enemy's heavy artillery has caused great damage to our positions. If it continues like this, the consequences will be disastrous. Therefore, tonight I request to lead the special forces regiment directly under the group army to launch a surprise attack on the enemy's heavy artillery brigade position and completely destroy their heavy artillery equipment! I know this will be a difficult and dangerous battle, but only in this way can we protect the lives of our soldiers and the fruits of victory. They are fully prepared and remain in a state of combat at any time to ensure the smooth completion of the operation. Usually, the special forces regiment's salary and food are twice that of ordinary troops, and they are kept at a high price. Now it's time for them to fight for the country and the nation!"

Di Xiong looked at Jiang Hongyu and Wu Chunlei, and seeing them nodding, he agreed, "Okay! We will act at twelve o'clock tonight, and I will have the frontline troops cooperate with you."

At midnight, the ground was pitch black, and you couldn't see your hand in front of you. Near the artillery position of the White Guards, a mysterious force was quietly lurking - the Special Forces Regiment. This force had more than 1,500 people, and they were like ghosts, quietly waiting for the opportunity to attack.

Liu Zhendong stood at the front of the team, observing the surrounding environment vigilantly. Suddenly, he was pleasantly surprised to find that the enemy had not laid mines outside the artillery array, but only a shallow trench. This was undoubtedly a great opportunity! Liu Zhendong was secretly delighted and immediately signaled the snipers to take action.

The well-trained snipers, armed with silenced sniper rifles, quickly and accurately shot down the enemies on the sentry posts like ghosts. The whole process was silent, like a carefully planned assassination.

Then, the soldiers of the special forces regiment raised their sharp bayonets and rushed into the enemy camp like a tiger descending from the mountain. They were agile and swift, and the enemies in their sleep had no time to react before they were killed. For a while, the enemy camp was filled with blood and screams. However, at this moment, an alert White Guard officer noticed something was wrong. He suddenly pulled out the pistol from his waist and fired a shot. The gunshot broke the silence of the night and awakened other sleeping enemies. However, it was too late to resist at this time. The soldiers of the special forces regiment eliminated the enemies one by one with a thunderous force.

At the same time, Liu Zhendong calmly directed the battle. On the one hand, he sent personnel to blow up the cannons, and on the other hand, he ordered soldiers to throw black pocket mines on three sides to prevent the enemy from reinforcing. These pocket mines were like deadly traps, and once triggered, they would cause great harm to the enemy.

Finally, Liu Zhendong deliberately left the retreat route to the east unsprinkled with mines. He knew the strategy of war very well, and sometimes leaving a way out could help him better control the situation. With his ingenious layout, victory in this battle seemed inevitable.

As explosions sounded, the White Guards' heavy artillery brigade fell into a sea of ​​fire. The special forces regiment successfully completed its mission and destroyed the enemy's heavy artillery equipment.

However, their actions alerted the White Guards, and the surrounding enemy troops rushed to the artillery position. Liu Zhendong made a prompt decision and ordered the troops to retreat quickly. The first batch of pursuers stepped on the pocket mines and were blown to pieces, but the fearless White Guards' follow-up troops caught up with them.

In the darkness, the special forces regiment launched a fierce chase and fight with the enemy. The soldiers fought bravely, fighting back while retreating.

Finally, after a fierce battle and tenacious resistance, the special forces regiment finally succeeded in breaking through the enemy's encirclement and successfully joined forces with the friendly forces that came to support them. At this moment, all the fatigue, pain and sacrifice were overshadowed by the joy of victory, and the faces of the soldiers were filled with pride and pride.

With the joy of victory, the special forces group took firm and powerful steps and set out on the journey back to Suwu City. The soldiers and civilians in the city lined the streets to welcome them, cheers rose one after another, and people expressed their respect and gratitude to the heroes in the warmest way.

Commander-in-Chief Di Xiong even personally came to the city gate to welcome the return of these brave and fearless warriors. When he saw the scene before him, he couldn't help but feel an indescribable grief and emotion. Originally, there were more than 1,500 soldiers who went to the battle, but now less than 800 have returned, and most of them have varying degrees of injuries.

Di Xiong walked up slowly, shook hands with each soldier, hugged him, his eyes full of heartache and admiration. He knew the cruelty of this battle, and understood the huge price these soldiers paid for today's victory. However, it was precisely because of such a group of brave and resolute soldiers that Suwu City could be firmly nailed here.

The next morning, the exasperated Kolchak ordered another attack on Suwu City, but without the heavy artillery support and the disastrous defeat last night, the morale of the White Guards was low, and the offensive was far less aggressive than yesterday, and was quickly defeated. Di Xiong sent another telegram to the garrison in Nerchinsk, asking them to transfer a squadron of bombers from there to join the battle, which further hit the morale of the White Guards.

Kolchak called a meeting of his army commanders and chiefs of staff to discuss what to do next.

Army Commander Molewand said: "This enemy is too well-equipped. Not to mention the planes and heavy artillery, each of their squads is equipped with two machine guns and two sniper rifles. Each platoon is equipped with four mortars and four rocket launchers. At the company level, they have infantry artillery, and it seems that they have endless bullets and shells. How can we fight this battle? There is no way to fight. I suggest bypassing them, otherwise hundreds of thousands of troops will have to be deployed."

Another army commander named Ivanka said: "Commander-in-Chief! We can't be fooled by the British. Although the British provided food, weapons and ammunition, they asked us to fight Irkutsk, which is so difficult. It is our brothers who died! There are still hundreds of thousands of Bolshevik troops waiting behind us! When we are weak, they will pounce on us like wolves. I support brother Molewan. Let's go quickly. If the Bolshevik troops and the black bandit army attack at the same time, we will be caught in a patty."

Chief of Staff Yekhdov said: "We have fought for three days and two nights and lost nearly 100,000 men. We have done our duty to the British. It is time to leave."