Chapter 541: The Open Card

At 2330 hours on October 30, the headquarters of the 30th Army in Plosen.

The commander of the 30th Army was reprimanding his subordinates when suddenly the sound of submachine gunfire rang out in front of the military department. The army commander was indeed a veteran. He immediately fell to the ground and shouted: "Find out the situation, quickly!"

Then there was the sound of machine gun fire and explosions outside.

After a flurry of excitement, the nearby gunfire finally subsided, and the head of the guard regiment came in personally to report: "It's Ant's broken troops who wandered nearby! They have all been killed."

The military commander stood up, dusted himself off and asked: "Will the defeated troops attack the military headquarters with an entire guard regiment? This is their combat group! What are the casualties of the guard regiment?"

The regiment leader reported truthfully: "Five people were killed and five were injured."

Commander: "They are a three-person team, right? Then they have made a profit. A simple mathematical game, they have no intention of leaving this city alive, they only care about how many of us they can exchange for their lives. This combat team does not know that they have already How many of our people have been killed?”

Everyone in the headquarters had tense faces, and the chief of staff cursed on behalf of everyone: "What a disgusting tactics! There is no honor at all!"

"How come there is no honor? A soldier who regards death as his own is worthy of admiration at all times." The commander put his hands on the table. "When I accepted the mission from General Frederick, I didn't expect such a bad battle to be waiting for me."

He stared at the city map on the table for a few seconds and asked: "Do we have enough poison gas? Faced with this kind of resistance that breaks into pieces and fires everywhere, only poison gas can deal with it."

The military chief of staff shook his head: "No."

"Is it possible to poison the water source?" the military commander asked again.

The chief of staff reminded with some embarrassment: "The Valdaichu River is a freshwater river, General."

"Sorry, I shouldn't ask this question." The commander stared at the map of the city and was silent for a long time before sighing, "It's over, unless we have much more troops than the Ant people, we won't be able to defeat this city. "

Everyone in the headquarters looked at each other.

Everyone knows that it is impossible to have more troops than Ante. The enemy is getting stronger every day. They have railway lines on the east coast and ships on the river to transport troops.

After the silence lasted for a full five minutes, the commander spoke again: "Unless we can defeat the enemy's will to fight. Where is Rokossov's headquarters? Is it on the other side?"

The Army Chief of Staff replied: "We did not capture any complete city defense plans, and most of the prisoners regarded death as home. So we don't know where Rokossov's headquarters is."

"This is impossible." The army commander shook his head. "If he is here, on the west bank, he will definitely let his soldiers know that he is here, so as to boost morale. You just happened to capture a braver prisoner, so you must Some coward will reveal the location of Rokossov’s headquarters.”

At this time, the corps commander's adjutant said: "In fact, it is not necessary to attack Rokossov's headquarters. The artillery fire of the group army has been blocking the ferry on the other side.

"The Ant people can continue to receive supplies and reinforcements because there are tunnels under the river. We can attack the entrance of the tunnel and seal this supply artery, and the enemy will be completely restricted.

"Our spies have already collected relevant information about this river tunnel and even took photos of the blueprint. Its west bank exit is at this location."

The adjutant pointed to the points on the map with his finger: "Look, there are also marks on the city defense map."

The military commander nodded: "Make a plan immediately, form a battle group, and launch an attack with the tunnel entrance as the target. Ignore the enemy's stragglers and casualties, and rush directly to the target."

As he said that, he looked up and looked at the time: "Complete the formation tonight and set off early tomorrow morning!"

————

At the same time, Wang Zhong was also looking at the map.

Popov's voice was full of joy: "The enemy's attack speed is much slower than we thought. It seems that the tactic of breaking up into parts is very effective."

Wang Zhong: "No, it is the credit of the soldiers uniting as one. They do not have such a strong will to fight and cannot support this kind of tactics.

"If they had the fighting will of the Moravian troops attacking Beach No. 1, the soldiers would have run away the moment the leading noncommissioned officer died."

Pavlov: "Yes, there is no such method of warfare in Ant's military textbooks, probably because we have not had an army in the past where the soldiers would continue to fight even if all non-commissioned officers and officers were killed. "

Wang Zhong stood up, slapped the map on the map, and looked back at everyone: "This war is tempering our army into steel. One day this army will crush the evil Prosen Empire. "

As soon as he finished speaking, two senior officers and a chaplain were brought into the headquarters.

They saw Wang Zhong at a glance and saluted in unison: "General Rokossov! We are the commander, chief of staff and army bishop of the 62nd Army."

Wang Zhong responded: "Hello everyone, if you want to understand the current situation, you can look at this map. If you don't understand, you can ask Chief of Staff Pavlov."

"There is nothing we don't understand. We studied the situation before coming here. Commander Rokossov, please give the order."

Wang Zhong: "How is the morale of your troops? Can it support each soldier to deal with the enemy alone in the city?"

The commander and chief of staff of the 62nd Army looked at each other, and then looked at the accompanying bishop together.

The bishop replied: "I think so. They are all staunch warriors. Many of them have relatives who died in the war. They will fight with the Plosans until the end."

Wang Zhong: "Very good, I order you to split the entire army into combat groups. Each company is responsible for one block. The only goal is to kill as many Prossens as possible before you sacrifice yourself."

The senior officers of the group army exchanged glances again, and then the commander replied: "Yes, I promise to complete the mission."

Wang Zhong turned to Yakov and asked: "Can the kitchen still make hot meals now?"

"No, didn't you just eat canned food yesterday?"

Wang Zhong: "Then bring the vodka, and I'll have a drink with some of the commanders."

"Yes." Yakov turned around and started running.

————

After sending away sixty-two senior officers, Wang Zhong sat down and said, "How many more outstanding commanders do I have to send away? Has Panfilov's headquarters been contacted?"

The headquarters of the Sixteenth Group Army has lost contact since yesterday. No matter how many communication troops Wang Zhong sent to check the line, telephone contact has not been restored.

They also did not respond to radio calls from front headquarters, and the radio went completely silent.

In fact, Wang Zhong vaguely realized that at least the headquarters had been destroyed in episode 16. However, aerial reconnaissance showed that the train dispatching yard was still under fire, and the enemy did not control the support point of this first line of defense.

Therefore, Wang Zhong still holds a little hope in his heart.

But this flower of hope is gradually withering.

Pavlov: "We have not contacted them. But the train dispatch yard is still fighting."

Wang Zhong nodded.

Pavlov continued: "Looking at the enemy's advancing speed, I think we can stop filling the city with troops. The enemy can't push it anymore. It's time for us to gather strength for counterattack. In fact, I have ordered that the troops not suitable for the city be strangled." The heavy tank troops and cavalry troops stayed on the other side of the river to prepare for the subsequent counterattack."

Wang Zhong: "You are right. There is no point in filling more tanks into the urban area. What is the attrition situation of the 41st Armored Corps that the enemy is besieging Beachhead No. 1?"

Pavlov: "Using the most conservative calculation, we believe they lost 70% of their tanks and armored vehicles and 80% of their troops."

Wang Zhong: "Can they block our attack?"

"If you have enough artillery, you can't stop it," Pavlov said.

Wang Zhong crossed his arms and stared at the war zone map for a while, then asked: "How many troops do you estimate will be needed to completely surround the Sixth Army in front of us?"

"At least 600,000." Pavlov replied instantly, obviously he had already considered it.

Wang Zhong: "How long will it take to gather one million troops on the other side?"

Pavlov: "It can be completed in ten days by just gathering the troops, but I think it is safer to set the counterattack date on November 20. At this time, the enemy will be more exhausted, the supply situation will be worse, and there may be General Winter to help. .

"And we will be better prepared, with more artillery and more ammunition."

Wang Zhong maintained a meditative posture, and after a long time he sighed and said: "Set it as November 20th, and formulate a battle plan based on this. We are going to take a big bite and let out a bad breath."

Pavlov turned to his staff and said, "You all heard it, take action!"

Popov patted Wang Zhong on the shoulder: "Although I don't think the headquarters will block our troops, but should we make a call? To your god-sister?"

Wang Zhong thought for a while, then walked directly to the phone and picked up the receiver: "Talk to the Summer Palace, His Majesty the Tsar's office."

"Okay." The operator replied immediately.

What followed was a series of transfers, and finally Olga's voice appeared on the other end - Her Majesty the Queen actually answered the phone in person.

Wang Zhong: "Olga..."

"Alyosha? What happened? The front line was defeated? What do you need me to do?" Olga's voice was a little panicked.

Wang Zhong: "No, the front line seems to be stable now. I am going to plan a counterattack. Listen carefully, I need about one million troops."

"Okay!" Olga replied immediately, "Is one million enough? I have just approved reinforcements for four armies to General Gorky of the Western Front. Do I want to come back?"

"No, no, they are attacking over there and they also need troops. If the reserve army still has troops, just send them over."

"Can the cavalry be used?" Olga asked again.

Wang Zhong: "Okay, the situation here is really suitable for the cavalry."

"Oh, by the way," Olga suddenly remembered something, "You were not on the committee, and they couldn't find anyone to review the new equipment, so I went to have a look. They made the kind of things you wanted for urban warfare and destruction. Come out, can I drop it off for you? It’s just a matter of a few carriages anyway.”

Wang Zhong was stunned for a moment: "Uh, okay."