The sun never sets

The waiting time became so long that Guo Songling looked at the watch on his left wrist several times. In the dim light, the pointer on the watch was vaguely visible. After looking at the watch, he touched the matches and Panda cigarettes in his pocket. He did not smoke, and the matches and cigarettes were all distributed by the higher-ups. As a native of Shenyang, Guo Songling always doubted whether there were really two kinds of black and white.

But many comrades said that there really was one in Sichuan, so Guo Songling believed it. But he still had a question: if it was a bear, why was it called a panda instead of a panda?

Guo Songling looked at the watch on his left wrist again. The time was 5:59:27, with only a few dozen seconds left. At this time, Guo Songling did not pretend to be calm. He stared at the second hand on the dial, watching it move towards the end, or the starting point, one by one.

Influenced by him, the soldiers became nervous, all of them tightly clenched their lips and gripped their weapons tightly.

"Click", "click", "click", "click", time is up!

Guo Songling looked up at the dark sky. In the distance, he heard the roar of artillery fire. Several points of light rose into the sky and then exploded, releasing bright light. "Ding da ding da da..." The sound of the charge horn cut through the darkness, sounding unusually loud in the dull sound of artillery fire.

"attack!"

Guo Songling roared with all his might, then jumped out of the trench, grabbed the whistle hanging on his chest and blew it. The soldiers followed suit and jumped out of the trench, holding their bayoneted rifles and rushed towards Lijiazhuang not far away.

What moved faster than them were the shells fired from the artillery positions. In order to inflict the greatest blow to the Russian army at the moment of attack, the People's Army spent a long time stockpiling shells. Long-range artillery would first bombard the Russian army's headquarters at all levels, artillery positions, ammunition depots, bridges, roads, etc., and finally the Russian infantry.

As for the Russian army's heavy machine guns and infantry, they need to rely on infantry guns and mortars delegated to the company to solve the problem.

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"

Explosions were heard in the distance and in the vicinity, and in many places, with orange flames flickering in the darkness before dawn. The dull and deafening sounds of artillery intertwined, as if only the sounds of explosions remained between heaven and earth. Lijia Village was not the first target of the long-range artillery, so no shells landed in the village.

Stationed in the village was a regiment of the 32nd Division of the Second Siberian Army of Russia. After the artillery fire rang out, the village remained silent for a while, and then became noisy and chaotic.

The higher-ups had long said that the Chinese would launch a large-scale attack. At first, the Russian army was very nervous, but after a month, the Chinese had not come, so they gradually relaxed. When they went out to grab food, they were likely to run into the People's Army, but as long as they stayed in the camp, they would be safe.

The Russians used to think so, but now they probably don't think so anymore, mainly because the sound of the cannons was so dense and loud that even the ground was shaking. When did the Chinese have so many cannons? Many people woke up from their sleep, rushed out of the house, and looked at the bright and uncertain sky in the distance in horror.

There is a saying in the Russian army: "Bullets are stupid, bayonets are heroes, and cannons give courage." But what if the cannon belongs to the enemy?

Chapter 272 Battle

"what happened?"

"My God, how many cannons do the Chinese have?"

“The Chinese are attacking!”

"Hurry up and get on the battlefield!"

Northeast China was not very cold in May, and most of the Russian soldiers ran out of the room without wearing coats. After hearing the charge from outside the village, it didn't take them long to recover from the shock, and then they went to get their rifles under the scolding and whipping of the officers, and some went to move heavy machine guns and operate cannons.

But before they could react from the chaos, shells from infantry guns and mortars fell into the village, knocking down more than a dozen Russian soldiers who were running around in a mess. Long-range artillery and heavy howitzers did not take care of Lijia Village, but the People's Army had delegated mortars and infantry guns to the battalion and company level. There was a machine gun company in the battalion's direct troops, equipped with 2 heavy machine guns, 2 infantry guns and 2 82mm mortars.

When Guo Songling led the infantry to charge, the battalion's machine gun company opened fire on Lijiazhuang. For heavy machine guns and infantry artillery, the 500-meter distance is enough to hit whatever you point at. Mortars may have some errors, but they can definitely hit the village.

"Da da da, da da da", several heavy machine gunners were veterans, they did not use up all their bullets in one burst, but controlled the rhythm, using long and short bursts to suppress the Russian army. The artillery was different, whether it was infantry guns or mortars, they were firing shells at the fastest speed, they were to provide fire support to the charging troops, they did not need to shoot so accurately, just aim at crowded places, the Russian army's firepower points were dealt with by the company's mortars and heavy machine guns.

It was not just Guo Songling's battalion that launched the attack on Lijiazhuang. There was another battalion in the south that launched the attack at the same time. The two battalions formed a semi-encirclement of Lijiazhuang, leaving only a gap in the northeast. This was a classic "surround three and kill one" tactic. Guo Songling knew that the cavalry company directly under the regiment was waiting for the Russian army to escape from the northern route.

The attack went smoothly because the People's Army had an advantage in the field battle, and the Russian army mostly huddled in various strongholds, cities and positions, and did not know much about the Chinese army's troop deployment. Nicholas learned from Chekov that the People's Army was about to launch an attack, but a month later, the People's Army still did not make any major moves. After a period of tension, the Russian army gradually relaxed.

Now the Russian army was caught by surprise and immediately fell into panic.

They kept falling on the barracks, stables, granaries and other places, and there were flames and blasts everywhere, as well as the screams of Russian soldiers. Some Russian soldiers hid in the barracks, but the wooden walls could not stop the heavy machine gun bullets or the mortar bombardment, so jumping into the trenches was the best option.

In panic, many Russian soldiers had no time to react and subconsciously hid in houses and other sheltered places. Only a small number of Russian soldiers rushed into the trenches with weapons at the reprimand of the officers, but before they could open fire, Guo Songling had already rushed into the trenches with his soldiers.

Lijiazhuang was an outer stronghold of the Liaoyang defense circle. Trenches were dug, but there were no barbed wire or mines. When the People's Army rushed in, the Russian army did not have time to use up all the bullets in the magazine, and was defeated and entered the stage of hand-to-hand combat. The Russian army threw grenades from inside the trenches to the outside, and grenades were also thrown in from outside the trenches. This thing has become standard equipment on the battlefield in Northeast China.

Cheap, easy to use, and easy to carry, whether it is the People's Army, the Russian Army, or the Japanese Army, they are all equipped with a lot of grenades. War is a catalyst for promoting scientific and technological progress, and both the Japanese and the Russians learn very quickly.

"Boom!" "Boom!"

Grenades exploded in the houses opposite each other, causing some casualties on both sides. Guo Songling jumped into the trench with a rifle in hand. A cold light flashed in front of him, and he quickly dodged to the side, with his bayonet inserted into the soil of the trench. The enemy had already approached him. At such a close distance, it was difficult for Guo Songling to exert the power of his bayonet, and it would take time to pull out his pistol. In a hurry, he hit the enemy in the face with a headbutt.

There was a "crack" sound, and it seemed that the Russian soldier's nose was broken. Guo Songling had no time to check the effect of the headbutt. He pulled out his revolver in a daze and fired several shots at the screaming enemy. The pistol bullet hit the Russian soldier's body, and blood immediately gushed out.

Guo Songling pulled the trigger repeatedly, killing one enemy and injuring another. He had no time to reload his pistol, so he could only switch to a rifle and fight with bayonets with the Russian troops who kept appearing.

Modern warfare is fought in the hell of firepower. Rifles and artillery are firing faster and faster, and heavy machine guns are being equipped more and more. However, hand-to-hand combat is still a common form of combat. In the training of the People's Army, "bayonet skills" account for a large part. The Russian army has always had a tradition of hand-to-hand combat. The two sides fought fiercely around sections of trenches.

Guo Songling and other soldiers worked in groups of three and quickly defeated the Russian troops in front of them. The Russians were good at bayonet fighting, but their morale was not as high as that of the People's Army. Because they were "surprise-attacked", there were not many combatants who could be deployed to the trenches, so they only fought for three to five minutes before losing the trenches outside Lijiazhuang.

The People's Army soldiers chased the retreating Russian soldiers into the village. Suddenly, a burst of heavy machine gun bullets came over, knocking down several soldiers in the front. Guo Songling immediately fell to the ground, shouting: "Scatter! Get down!"

Inside the granary next to the rice field, a heavy machine gun was firing continuously at this side. Guo Songling saw that his charge was interrupted and shouted loudly: "Where is the mortar! Knock out that firing point for me!"

The mortar groups that followed the infantry were either bombarding other places or had not caught up yet. Guo Songling's side was suppressed for a long time. They used grenades and rifles to attack, but with little effect. They were still suppressed and unable to move. Night attack group: Lu Jiusi ⑨, ③ Lu Yi ③ Wu.

After waiting for a long time until the heavy machine gun had used up all its ammunition, Guo Songling jumped up from the ground while the other side was changing its ammunition belt and shouted, "Follow me!"

The Russian soldiers in the granary were busy changing their ammunition belts. When they saw the Chinese rushing up, their movements became more and more flustered. The gleaming bayonets were getting closer and closer. The assistant gunner couldn't stand the pressure and rushed out with a shovel. The heavy machine gunner cursed, but there was no other way, so he could only pick up his weapon and go forward to fight.

The battle in the granary was over soon. The People's Army injured three people and killed a Russian heavy machine gun group here. When he was suppressed and unable to move, Guo Songling loaded the revolver with bullets and played an important role. The revolver is a good thing, but it is too troublesome to load the ammunition.

Chapter 273 Continue the Attack

After a long period of preparation, the People's Army made exceptionally smooth progress in the initial stage of the offensive. Within six days, it cleared the outer perimeter of the Liaoyang defense line, defeated four Russian divisions and one brigade, killed and captured more than 20,000 people, and repelled two Russian infantry divisions and one Cossack cavalry division in a field battle. It was a brilliant achievement.

The People's Army took the route of "infantry infiltration and assault", but because Marshal Lin had the "full map" effect and made a lot of targeted preparations before launching the attack, he also had the advantage of the "decisive battle plan doctrine". With the two major army doctrines at his disposal, the Russians were naturally confused and defeated.

The battalion where Guo Songling was located cooperated with other brother units and successively captured Russian strongholds such as Lijiazhuang, Wangjiatun, and Hougou. Then, without waiting for repairs and replenishment, they advanced quickly on the mountain road and reached the foot of Gongchangling.

After reaching the foot of the mountain, Guo Songling wanted to continue the attack, but the troops were already very tired. Deputy Battalion Commander Yang Yuting suggested that they rest for a night and wait until the next morning to launch the attack.

Even though Ling was unwilling, he could only want to give the troops a break, "Rest here! Scouts!"

"Have!"

"Take two people to check the mountain. Be careful. It is better not to get the enemy's firepower than to be discovered."

"Yes! The mission must be completed!"

The scout, like the rest of the battalion, was a young man, and after a military salute, he quickly disappeared into the darkness. The soldiers either leaned against the rocks or lay on the side of the road to rest, and soon a snoring sound was heard nearby.

Guo Songling was also very tired, but he was the battalion commander and could not lie down at this time. The instructor went to check on the soldiers, while he checked the map with a flashlight. There was a battalion of Russian troops on Gongchangling, which was not difficult to deal with, but there was also an artillery battalion on top, which was a bit of a headache. If the Russian artillery battalion was allowed to fully utilize its firepower advantage, the casualties of the People's Army would be heavy when attacking.

Yang Yuting came up, stared at the map and said, "Gongchangling is a hilly area, high in the south and low in the north. Leave one company to contain the enemy in the south, and the main force will attack from the north!"

He was also from Northeast China, born in Sheshangou. He passed the examination at the age of 16, and then went to study at the Japanese Army Academy. After returning, he joined the People's Army. Because of his experience in military school, he quickly stood out in the army. Before the People's Army launched the attack, Yang Yuting was temporarily promoted to deputy battalion commander, and then added to Guo Songling's battalion.

Guo Songling's eyes were still on the map, and he said, "Yeah, I think so too. But it depends on what Xiao Yang and the others can do in their investigation."

At the beginning of the battle, the information about the distribution of Russian troops was accurate, but after the battle, everything changed. The Russian army was constantly mobilizing, disintegrating, increasing troops, or relocating. The more time went by, the less accurate the information became. Four days had passed since the battle began, and it was hard to say what was going on on Gongchangling.

Regardless of the situation on the mountain, Guo Songling decided to take a nap after inspecting the troops. Although he was a strong young man of 20, he couldn't stand such a continuous rotation. The soldiers fell asleep when they lay down, and he would definitely fall asleep if he lay on the ground. He put away the map, gathered his energy and prepared to check the situation of the troops. The instructor came over and said, "You go and rest first, I'll watch. I'll take a nap when the fighting starts."

Guo Songling was so tired that he didn't bother to be polite with the instructor. He nodded and found a place to lie down. As soon as he lay down, he felt tired and sleepy. He yawned, put his hands in his sleeves, and fell asleep immediately.

After an unknown amount of time, Guo Songling vaguely heard the sound of a bee flapping its wings. He was startled. If it was a bee, it would be fine. But if it was a wasp, it would be terrible. He suddenly opened his eyes. Where were the bees and wasps? Someone was talking in a low voice. The two people who were talking heard the noise and turned to look over. One of them said, "The battalion commander is awake. Go and talk to him."

Scout Xiao Yang walked over quickly and said, "The Russian troops above the battalion commander have a regiment and an artillery battalion!"

"Why are there so many?" Guo Songling blurted out, "Is there something wrong?"

But then he added: "The Russians have increased their troops, and we are a step too slow!"

The instructor and deputy battalion commander Yang Yuting came over together. Yang Yuting said, "There are too many enemies. I think it's better not to launch an attack for now and wait for reinforcements to arrive."

Guo Songling looked up at Gongchangling in the dark and gritted his teeth and said, "We have reinforcements, but the Russians don't? Xiao Yang, have the Russians discovered you?"

The scout was only eighteen years old, and was worthy of being called Xiao Yang. He straightened his chest proudly, "No! We got close to the Russian regiment headquarters and went to see their artillery without being discovered by anyone!"

They were transferred from the [Guards] and were better than the average elite soldiers. Guo Songling finally got three people from the regiment commander Jiang Dengxuan, but he was reluctant to let them participate in the battle and only let them do reconnaissance.

"Then fight!"

Guo Songling punched his left hand and said, "Yang Yuting, you take one company and stay here. I will take the others to the north. We will attack together at five in the morning!"

The instructor said with some concern: "We have too few people, and they have artillery, I'm afraid..."

"There's nothing to be afraid of! The Russians are very brave in battle, but they don't have resilience. I agree with the battalion commander's approach."

Since Guo Songling and Yang Yuting both agreed to the attack, the instructor did not object. "Okay, then this attack is something that all three of us agree on. After the battle, I will write the battle report."

The plan was set. Guo Songling used the light of the flashlight to check the watch on his left wrist. "Let's check the time. It's 2:13 now."

"Two eleven."

"Two thirteen and a half."

"Everything is adjusted to 2:14. I will lead the second and third companies to the north. Xiao Yang, you guys should go ahead."

"Yes!"

"Keep your voice down! Are you trying to wake the Russians up?" Guo Songling glared at Xiao Yang and ordered again: "Try to get as close to the enemy as possible, but don't get discovered. At five o'clock, launch the attack at the same time!"

"Launch the attack at five o'clock." Yang Yuting repeated the order.

Guo Songling glanced at him. Yang Yuting was usually quite arrogant, but he seemed to like being clever. Unexpectedly, he was quite courageous at the critical moment.

His impression of Yang Yuting was a little better, but how good it would be depended on how the fight went.

Chapter 274 March and Battle

Guo Songling first ate the dry food with the soldiers, and then carried the heavy machine gun and mortar to make a detour. If there were no heavy machine guns, mortars, and shells, the march would be much easier. But if there were really no such things, the offensive and defensive capabilities of the infantry would be greatly reduced.

This is an irreconcilable contradiction: do you want flexibility or firepower?

Perhaps there will never be a correct answer to this question. The People's Army does not really need to consider this issue now, because the People's Army's firepower configuration is still somewhat weak, but it is stronger than the Russian and Japanese armies. The mobility has been reduced a lot, but it is still within the tolerable range.

Lin Yongchang was going to replace some of the heavy machine guns with light machine guns in a few years. Now, Guo Songling could only travel with the soldiers, carrying heavy machine guns, a weapon that people both loved and hated. It was still a little chilly in the Northeast at night in early June. If you lie on the ground in the wild, you might feel cold, but for the soldiers on the road, it was not cold at all. On the contrary, they were all very hot.

In addition to his own weapons, Guo Songling also carried a box of shells. He had changed shoulders twice and was in great pain all over his body, but he could do nothing but grit his teeth and continue to persevere. If he could, he really wanted to throw away the dozens of kilograms of things on his shoulders.

But no, without shells there is no supporting firepower. In war, having artillery and not having artillery are two completely different concepts. If there are no shells, the soldiers can only rely on their flesh and blood to attack the enemy's firepower points after the battle.

His right shoulder was getting more and more sore, his uniform was worn out, and blood was oozing out from where the box touched his shoulder. Guo Songling could only bear it. The communicator next to him saw him "grunting" and whispered, "Battalion Commander, let me carry it!"

Guo Songling snorted and gritted his teeth and said, "Do you look down on me or what? I can still do it!"

"but......"

"No buts! Don't talk, save your energy!"

Led by the scouts, the troops followed the path around to the north. After more than an hour's journey, they finally arrived. Guo Songling's feet softened, and the box slipped from his shoulder and fell to the ground. He felt the pain of the flesh being torn on his shoulder, and he couldn't help but gasp, "Hiss!"

"Captain, are you okay?"

"It's okay, I'm okay!"

Guo Songling rested his hands on his legs, took a few quick breaths, and said to the instructor who came over: "Let's go check on the troops and count the number of people and weapons."

The instructor advised: "I'll go, you should take a rest. You will have to command the battle when the fighting starts."

Guo Songling stood up and waved his hand, "What else is there to command? At five o'clock, just charge up together!"

After an inventory, we found that the troops were in good condition. Most of them had caught up, and the heavy weapons were carried over on their shoulders and hands. Only one squad fell behind, and another three soldiers fell behind for some reason. We could only hope that they could find the troops after the fighting broke out.

It was very dangerous to be alone in the old forests of the Northeast. Wild animals, such as tigers and bears, were very dangerous. What was even more dangerous was encountering the Russian army. Guo Songling could not send anyone to look for the lone man. He had few troops and every soldier was precious.

After counting the soldiers, Guo Songling finally had a break. He handed his watch and flashlight to the messenger next to him and said, "Look at the watch. It's 4:55. Call me. You can read a watch, right?"

“I understand!”

"Then tell me what time is it?"

The communicator pressed the flashlight to the ground, then tilted it up a little, letting a little light leak out and shine on the watch, "It's two minutes past four."

"Okay, remember to call me!"

"Well, Captain, you can sleep well!"

Guo Songling wanted to give him a few more instructions, but he didn't have the strength or energy. He curled up, and the pain couldn't stop him from falling asleep. It was as if he had just closed his eyes and fell asleep, and the next moment he felt his body being shaken. He struggled to stand up, "What are you doing? I just fell asleep, and you pushed me?"

The communicator whispered, "Battalion Commander, time's up!"

The instructor confirmed, "It's almost five o'clock."

Guo Songling looked at the watch handed to him by the communicator in the moonlight and starlight. It was only four minutes to five o'clock. He immediately woke up and said, "What are we waiting for? Order the soldiers to prepare for battle!"

The instructor said, "I've asked them to prepare."

Guo Songling covered his mouth and yawned. He checked his pistol first. There were only four bullets in it, but he couldn't reload it because he only had these four pistol bullets. Guo Songling's battalion used Mosin-Nagant rifles and Maxim machine guns. Rifle bullets and machine gun bullets could be seized from the Russian army, but pistol bullets could not be seized because the Russians did not use revolvers. Perhaps there were officers who used them, but no one in Guo Songling's battalion had encountered them.

"Give me my gun!"

Next, let's check the rifle. Is the Mosin-Nagant a good rifle? Definitely. The Mosin-Nagant has a simple structure, is easy to produce and maintain, and is also very simple to operate. It does not require a high level of cultural literacy from soldiers, and even illiterate people can use it.