The sun never sets in America

Chapter 373 Heavy Snow Full of Bows and Swords

In Oregon, even though it’s only the end of October, the weather this year is a bit unusual.

It may be due to the Arctic cold current. The cold current passing through Canada directly turned autumn into winter.

Click! !

A series of footprints appeared on the snow that was not too deep. Han soldiers wearing velvet hats, carrying military flags, walked on the snow. Everyone had happy faces.

They are considered second-line troops and do not need to participate in the current brutal war in Montana. For them, all they have to do every day is cut firewood, live, cook, and keep warm.

Finally, enjoy a game meal, and the day is over.

This is the norm for the entire second line. As long as the war does not end here, they will always be in a leisurely and safe state.

This is hugely different from the four to five hundred, or even thousands of casualties suffered on the Montana front line every day.

"Damn it, chop wood, it will hurt my waist!!"

"Next time one of you must come up, otherwise it will be too much for me alone!!"

As soon as he walked into the steamy wooden house of "Gululu", Zhang Asheng kept complaining about the fact that he had just been asked to go out to cut firewood alone. Leng said that those trees were so thick and strong that he had no choice but to climb up the trees. Cut branches.

As artillery shells plowed the ground over and over again, a winter counterattack was brewing in a mid-mountain command post three kilometers away.

"If such a day comes, I will definitely react upward and mobilize us to fight the main attack instead of the so-called trenches, because that is hell!!"

After all, if they were the US military, they would have to send troops to the south, otherwise if they lose another one, it would not be a so-called trivial matter, but a major matter related to "North and South"! !

"This is where the U.S. Second to Fourth Divisions are located."

The surrounding staff officers and generals nodded a few times, agreeing with what Yuan Qing had just said.

Most of the soldiers inside the house were wearing rush-made winter clothes that didn't fit very well. Originally, it was supposed to be autumn clothes at this time, but no one expected that the weather would be so strange this year. It started snowing at the end of October. I don't know, but I thought this was Alaska. .

"This is the center line where we have the most severe confrontation with the US military!!"

(Because the fall of Oklahoma caused an uproar in the country, defending the South became a hot topic again. Especially for Lincoln's competitors, the loss of Oklahoma could be used as an important reason for attack. )

Captain Wang looked at the restless eyes around him, his face changed slightly, and he cursed in an unsatisfactory tone.

…………

When Little Telegraph heard his nickname, he stood up reflexively, causing laughter around him.

Yuan Qing, the chief of staff of the Left Route Army, pointed with his baton at the locations of various American troops on the map. There was a long line running across it.

Inside the headquarters, the "starry stars" were basically all the big shots of the Left Army. Except for the generals who were still commanding at the front, almost all the staff members were here, which shows the importance of this counterattack.

A few days later, this infantry team received an order to be transferred to the front line. Fortunately, they were assigned to the fifth division responsible for the main attack.

"According to yesterday's discussion, we will take a detour to attack Helena and insert ourselves into the rear of the US military."

"You all think it's better to go to the front line, but do you know what life is like on the front line now? You are either on the offensive or in the trenches all day long."

The baton waved and landed on a city called Helena. This city was just behind the center line. Because it was supported by hundreds of thousands of troops, the US military's defense here was actually not too much. It was mainly based on Mainly elite soldiers.

You know, he is still waiting for meritorious service and promotion so that he can find a wife! !

Others around them also expressed the same "longing". You must know that in such a war that is "famous in history", only they know the torture of being a bystander.

"This is the US Fifteenth Division, the Twelfth Division."

Captain Wang described the war scene as if he had already been in it, and his whole person was full of "awe."

"Captain, tell me, why haven't we been transferred up here yet? The troops next door have been transferred up, but we are still eating grass here!!"

Yuan Qing continued:

"Helena, the capital of Montana, according to the latest intelligence, there are not too many troops currently defending this place, about 20,000, but they are a small number of the elite of the US military, and their combat effectiveness cannot be underestimated!!"

Captain Wang has his own unique understanding of war and even death.

Just like what he once wrote in his diary: "My generation is not afraid of death, let alone war. Since ancient times, heroes have been so sad, and our generation is also afraid of this!!"

This line, also known as the Montana Center Line, was the site of the most severe confrontation between the two armies. A total of more than 400,000 troops were mixed in it, intertwined, and spent every day amidst the sound of gunfire.

Then he said:

Captain Wang, who was smoking a cigarette, looked at Zhang Asheng, who had the rank of sergeant on his shoulder, and said with a smile:

"If you don't cut it, who will cut it? How about letting someone else do it with a small telegram?"

"My comrade-in-arms wrote to me the day before yesterday, good guy, the trench pits are full of rats. Rats crawled on him at night, and he didn't even know it!!"

Boom boom boom! ! !

The artillery fire on the Montana front line is as punctual as an "alarm clock". The hours from nine in the morning to two in the afternoon are the most intensive time of artillery fire, and the time when artillery shells are most wasted.

"The current deployment of the US military is basically clear. They intend to fight us on the left, and then send troops to the south to protect the agricultural states in the south!!"

As the only machine gunner in the team, Hu Dafa was very dissatisfied with his current life of sitting in front of the stove and warming himself. In his opinion, wasn't this a waste of his "whirlwind"? ?

The high-pitched enthusiasm around him has slightly decreased, but they are still eager to go to the front line. If nothing else, at least they are soldiers, so that the war will not be over. When people asked him what battles he had fought, he said no. Be strong! !

Captain Wang sighed, and then continued: "You all think war is good, but have you ever thought about how long this war will last, one year or two years? ?"

Captain Wang turned his attention to the little telegrapher who was still tinkering with the "telegraph book".

The daily casualties on this line are basically more than 500 people. Basically, three infantry teams are lost a day. It is called a "flesh and blood mill".

"Ah, Captain, what's the matter??"

Defending the south is already the first choice of the US military. The so-called central part and Montana are actually just bargaining chips that consume the strength and time of the Han army.

"The most important thing for our army now is how to break the deployment of the US military."

In the wooden house, soon the only sounds left were the "snoring" sound of boiling water and rapid breathing.

"You guys, you are so blessed that you don't know how to be blessed!!"

"Everyone, we soldiers are not afraid of death, let alone fighting. However, we want to die with value, and we cannot die cowardly in the trenches, with our bodies being destroyed by rats!!"

"That's the only thing we can do!!"

Yuan Qing inserted the pole into Helena at the back, using great force, and penetrated most of it.

The people around looked at the steep Rocky Mountains surrounding Helena without saying a word, just considering the risks.

After all, it takes a lot of courage to cross the Rocky Mountains and attack Helena in a roundabout way at such a time when the mountains are covered by heavy snow.

Although everyone agreed to attack Helena yesterday, when it came time to attack, they underestimated it.

After all, if something happens while climbing the mountain in heavy snow, you won't be able to come back.

But Yuan Qing obviously didn’t think so and said bluntly:

"I went to the nearby mountains yesterday afternoon and saw that the snow was not too heavy and not too thick. If we go to the entrance of the valley, we will be able to get around it!!"

His answer was speechless.

Just when Yuan Qing was a little disappointed, Ding Xia, the commander of the Fifth Division, took the initiative to come out and said:

"I am willing to go and I am willing to lead the team!!"

"Shuisha", dozens of eyes focused on Ding Xia, as if they were seeing a "gem".

You must know that the reason why many people hesitate is actually because they are afraid of failure. After all, crossing the snow-capped mountains is too risky.

Yuan Qing and Ding Wei met their eyes, and both of them could see the "eagerness" on both sides.

A few days later, through layers of reporting, a plan called "Snow Knife" was "born" in an increasingly cold weather environment.

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

"Crack!!"

The footprints on the snow are clearly visible and dense, covering the entire mountain road.

Ding Xia, who was riding on a big horse, looked at the relatively flat mountain road ahead, with a victorious smile on his lips.

Just yesterday, at the cost of losing an artillery battalion, he climbed over a snow-capped mountain that he would never forget in his life. The terrain of that snow-capped mountain was so dangerous that it was almost impossible to carry large-caliber artillery. If he hadn't gathered all the war horses in the army, Together, and at the expense of an artillery battalion, otherwise he would not be laughing at this moment, but crying.

"Tell everyone, rest where you are and start eating!!"

When Ding Xia lowered his head and glanced at his watch, the time on it was eleven-thirty, constantly reminding him that it was time to rest.

Boom! !

The sound of the break was like the cry of a roaring cannon, which spread in all directions and caused a great uproar. "Pa", sitting down on the ground, Zhang Asheng's face revealed a trace of "exhaustion". He has walked from eight o'clock in the morning to now without a moment's rest. For a man who has to complain about chopping firewood, this is simply a shame. disaster.

"Pah", he lit the supplied snow mountain smoke and took a puff, with a satisfied smile on his face.

As a "military smoke", Xueshan's taste is acceptable and its strength is strong enough. It is very suitable for tired soldiers in war.

"Brother Zhang, can I sit next to you??"

Looking up at the "cowardly" little telegram, Zhang Asheng held a cigarette in his mouth and nodded. Then he stretched out his sleeve and wiped it on the stone next to him, and then motioned for the other party to sit down.

After sitting down, Xiao Telegraph thought about it, and then asked: "Brother Zhang, tell me, can we survive?"

Zhang Asheng looked at the other party in surprise and replied nonchalantly:

"What if you can survive? What if you can't survive??"

"You're going to die sooner or later anyway, so why not die more gloriously!!"

The little telegram was hesitant and speechless. Zhang Asheng stared at him for a while, then looked down at him shyly and said nothing.

“What’s wrong, you have a sweetheart??”

Little Telegraph's head lowered further and further.

"Ha ha……"

Zhang Asheng burst out laughing, making Xiao Telegraph unable to raise his head.

"You are the one who sent the telegram. This kind of fighting and killing is not your turn. Just remember one thing, that is, the news spreads faster. The more reinforcements there are, the less likely we will die!!"

"I understand, Brother Zhang, I will do my best and I won't let you die!!"

Little Telegram raised his head, his eyes unusually firm.

Zhang Asheng touched the other person's little head, patted it a few times, and then said:

"Remember, after I die, don't forget to take my ashes back. My dad is still waiting for me!!"

"No, Brother Zhang will definitely survive!!"

The little telegram shook his head vigorously, making Zhang Asheng want to cry and laugh at the same time. In the end, he could only curse him as "idiot".

Ding Xia, who was leaning under the big tree, raised the watch on his hand and shouted:

"Organize the army, organize the army!!"

"Set off!!"

Ten minutes later, a team of 20,000 people continued to pull baggage and artillery across this flat and good hill.

…………

Helena, the capital city of Montana, is also the only large city in the area, with a population of 250,000.

This population figure is nothing in the east or even in the south. It doesn't even rank.

But in Montana, in this week closest to the front line, the population of 250,000 is already the largest, and can even be said to be a "big city."

After all, the total local population is less than 800,000. If it hadn't been for the outbreak of the war, most Americans might not be able to pronounce the name Montana.

The whole of Helena, because it is close to the front line but also in the rear, this geographical environment has also caused the local "people to overwhelm things" and "things overflow to the sky".

Although the local garrison is assigned by the US military, the governing power is not in the hands of the military.

Coupled with the current war and the shortage of goods, raising the price is already the lowest price method.

Under such an environment, even the 20,000 garrison troops began to feel a bit sluggish.

But the Americans are not worried at all. After all, for them, Helena is far from war.

In the words of a local congressman from Helena: "The hundreds of thousands of troops on the front line are our most solid pillar!!"

Translated, it actually means someone is holding it up.

In such a peaceful environment, there was no sense of urgency for war in Helena.

The local garrison's exercises were mostly "perfunctory". The main purpose was not for training, but to kill time.

And such a safe environment was finally broken by a gunshot in the early morning.

"Get up, get up quickly!!"

"The Han people are calling!!"

"The Han people are calling..."

This was the reaction of the entire city of Helena after the cannon was fired.

Compared to the panicked Helena people, the local defenders were obviously much "faster".

Although in the eyes of the Han army, it was still considered slow or even "dilly-dallying", but compared with those Helena people who only knew how to spin in circles, they were already considered "calm and composed".

The artillery roar of arrival lasted fifteen minutes, brief but efficient.

The outer defense line of Helena City was almost completely destroyed, and even the concealed forts could hardly escape the attack of Han artillery.

Even after the war, the US military itself concluded that it was strange how the Han personnel found the fort hidden in the triangle area so late, and it seemed that they had discovered it early.

This is what happened after the war. At this moment, artillery and infantry are like a pair of twins, complementing each other. The soldiers cover the artillery moving forward, and the artillery covers the soldiers attacking.

"Da da da!!!"

If the cooperation between artillery and infantry is a drill about infantry and artillery coordination, then the addition of machine guns is the most "dazzling" part of it.

When the 12.9mm bullet passed through the bullet chain and the muzzle, it penetrated the entire front.

When the gunfire stopped and the red-hot gun barrels were quickly replaced, mortars were roaring out on their own battlefield, beating the newly emerged US troops so hard that they could not even lift their heads. .

"Quick, get up quickly!!"

The machine gunner kept urging his deputy who was still loading the barrel, but the barrel was thrown directly to the ground, emitting white smoke.

"Click", the bullet chain was quickly closed, the machine gunner pressed the trigger, tilted the muzzle of the gun, and a "click-click" sound quickly sounded, which was "enchanting".

Da da da! ! !

Dense bullet holes appeared on the wall and on the front of the sandbag. The power of the 12.9 mm bullet directly penetrated the thick sandbag. The American soldier hiding behind the sandbag immediately rushed to the bottom, and a huge bullet hole appeared on his body. .

A major named Tok knows best what it feels like to be shot with dozens of bullets.

As the commander of this block, he became the target of the machine gunners' most attention. From the moment he appeared, the sound of machine gunfire never stopped. It was not until a long time after his death that the machine gunners changed the ammunition. Stop midway.

In the small urban area, Han army machine gunners were lying down or lying down. As long as it complied with combat regulations, they didn't mind putting their machine guns on the top floor.

In fact, after occupying a high-rise building, this was indeed the case, especially since that building was in the center of the entire street. It basically declared the rule of this block and officially handed it over to the hands of the Han army.

Machine guns, a weapon that was originally supposed to be used in large-scale field battles, most of the best results throughout the war came from cities.

I have to say, this is quite a joke.

At nine o'clock the next morning, half of the city of Helena was already in the hands of the fifth division.

The balance of war inevitably tilted towards the Han army.

At 2 p.m., after several hours of resistance, the remaining 9,000 American troops surrendered to the Fifth Division near the square.

When Ding Xia took over the gun from the American major general, he said this:

"War is always the best way to solve problems!!"

The American major general on the other side was obviously unconvinced, and muttered "unfair" in retort.

He even thought that if the opponent hadn't made a sneak attack in the middle of the night and caused them to lose their advantage prematurely, they might have continued to fight.

For someone who wouldn't shed tears without seeing the coffin, Ding Xia didn't even look at it and just held it in custody.

(End of this chapter)