"Hey, listen!" he said sternly to the commander of the 3rd Battalion: "Don't worry about the affairs of heights 632, 633 and 634! Your current task is to recover heights 629 and 630, and you must not let the Soviets occupy them. They have become a foothold for the counterattack towards the No. 1 Ridge! Let me clarify your mission again. From now until tomorrow morning, you must not let the Soviet troops from the direction of Xilian Mountain and Vulture Ridge rush up from you. Ridge No. 1!¡±
"Understood!" the commander of the 3rd Battalion replied. , .com For some reason, Peng Tao heard some kind of relief in his words.
From then on, Peng Tao devoted himself wholeheartedly to the battle against the Soviet counterattack. He did not realize that he was unwilling to believe the commander's foresight just ten minutes ago. The defensive battle on Ridge No. 1 had begun. After asking Xu Yanglin to call artillery fire to the division artillery group to suppress the Soviet artillery, he also gained a new sense of calm because his defensive deployment on Ridge No. 1 was basically completed. Now there are only two excitement points left in his heart. One is the counterattack against No. 1 Ridge that may occur at any time in the direction of Xilian Mountain and Vulture Ridge. The other is what the 3rd Battalion Commander just pointed out to him, that they do not have the strength to go there. Occupied 632, 633, 634, high ground. The Soviet counterattack on Ridge No. 1 had not yet begun, so his attention naturally turned to these three small highlands. In order to allow himself to concentrate on thinking, he returned to the "bedroom" and stood in front of the huge military map again.
Now he understands why the commander of the 3rd Battalion is unwilling to occupy these three small highlands!
It is these three seemingly inconspicuous small highlands that may become troublesome in the offensive and defensive battle of No. 1 Ridge today!
He regained his perspective of looking at Mount Kibifu and Mount Hilian together, not just because Highlands 632, 633, and 634 were located between the Vulture Ridge and the Soviet defense depth of Mount Hilian. It is also because the Soviet army's defensive structure, which has gradually emerged, lacks a kind of tactical symmetry and completeness: the Soviet army did not abandon Ridge No. 1 and did not defend it, but knew that it could not be defended, so it retreated and deployed its main force in Xilian. Along the mountain line, at the same time, focus on defense on high ground No. 001. If he were the commander of the Soviet army, he would use Xilian Mountain as the axis of the pincer, and use Highland 001 and another highland at the east end of Ridge No. 1 as the left and right teeth to form a pincer attack on Ridge No. 1. Without the "clamps" on the east side, the construction of this defense system would have obvious flaws. And if there is such a piece of "clamp teeth" that has not yet been exposed, it is probably one of the three small highlands in the 632 Highlands area!
He did not dare to be completely sure of his judgment, because there was another possibility: the other "clamp teeth" were the East 1, East 2, and East 3 highlands in the Vulture Ridge area of ??the Soviet Army. However, in this way of thinking, one must also expand one's view of observing the actual defensive posture of the Soviet army, not only to include Mount Kibif and Mount Shilian, but also to combine the Vulture Ridge.
The latter defensive concept obviously has serious disadvantages in academic terms, while the former is a tactical masterpiece!
If his judgment is true, no matter which branch is sent to regain Highlands 632, 633, and 634 today, they may stoke a hornet's nest!
Once a unit appears in the 632 Highland area, it will immediately become a serious problem for the Soviet army! No matter which of the two defense concepts he guessed the Soviet army deploys its troops, this force will be like a sharp knife, inserted into the depth of the Soviet army's entire defense system, which is also its weakest part! Just to get rid of this serious enemy, the Soviet army will also invest a large number of troops in the area. In this case, the pressure on the front of Ridge No. 1 will be greatly reduced. This is called "attack as defense" in tactics!
It is impossible to allocate the troops on Ridge No. 1 to fight this battle: the 2nd Battalion is on the front of Ridge No. 1, with many points and long lines, and it is easiest for the Soviet army to break through, so the strength there cannot be weakened; the 3rd Battalion is suffering from the Soviet Union. In addition to the frontal pressure of the army, there is also the pressure of the enemy situation in the direction of Vulture Ridge. It is too busy to take care of itself, and there are no extra troops. The 1st Battalion can spare some troops, but Zhang Yongquan is under great pressure on Highland 164. He Always be alert to possible sudden attacks from the Soviet army on him from the front and from the direction of Highland 001. If the 4th Regiment is defeated and the main force of the regiment is attacked from both sides under Hill 001, it is not impossible for them to be completely destroyed. The Soviet forces will naturally turn to Hill 164. Peng Tao also had another concern: even if the above situation did not happen, he must retain some troops with Zhang Yongquan, just in case. Today, he can no longer guarantee that the worst situation will not occur in the defensive battle of No. 1 Ridge. Looking at the overall situation, holding No. 1 Ridge is of course much more important than occupying Highlands 632, 633, and 634. He has to seize some troops that can be used to rescue people from danger as a last resort! This leaves only the battalion led by Liu Zongsheng!
After meeting Liu Zongsheng yesterday, he never forgot this person again. Until the Soviet artillery bombardment of Ridge No. 1, he still had no intention of using this force, but now he had to use it!
The reserve team given to him by the division was originally intended to deal with various unexpected and complex situations!
Before putting this determination into action, Peng Tao stayed in the "bedroom" for another two minutes. He asked himself whether this was done out of a motive that he was unwilling to admit: after the defensive battle of No. 1 Ridge started, he might There are no more troops to deal with Highlands 632, 633, and 634. The above three small Highlands are likely to have a bloody battle today, and the outcome is unpredictable. The 3rd Battalion of the 5th Regiment fought well, and as the commander, he also has a share. Glory, if the battle fails, he will have something to tell the army commander ("After all, isn't Jing a member of my 3rd regiment!" etc.).
"No!"
He immediately and sternly denied such an idea, "No matter what, Highlands 632, 633, and 634 must be recovered before midnight today, otherwise I will not have completed all combat missions. The reason why I went down I am determined to send Liu Zongsheng to lead his battalion to perform this task not only because I have no other troops available. The real reason is: although I don't like this person, when the critical moment comes, I firmly believe that only he can complete the task! In terms of leading troops to fight hard and vicious battles, there may not be anyone under my command who can compare with him!"
After all, he did not personally issue this order to Liu Zongsheng. In front of the huge combat map, he studied in detail the time required for the 3rd Battalion of the 5th Regiment to travel from the mountain stream to the 632 Highland area. Peng Tao called Xu Yanglin into the "bedroom" and said without looking at him: "Chief of Staff, you Call Deputy Commander Liu of the 5th Regiment to convey my order and ask him to lead the 3rd Battalion of the 5th Regiment to set off immediately and arrive at the 632, 633 and 634 highlands at the east end of Ridge No. 1 before 12 noon. We must arrive before 14:00 Take these three small highlands!¡±
Xu Yanglin quickly wrote down his order in a small notebook. Just as he was about to leave, Peng Tao suddenly turned around. At this moment, the chief of staff of the 3rd regiment noticed that the regiment leader's expression was particularly impulsive. Peng Tao looked him directly in the eyes and said: "Yang Lin, from now on, you will be personally responsible for maintaining the closest contact with the 3rd Battalion of the 5th Regiment! In addition to troop strength, all other requirements must be met in a timely and full manner. Them! Do you understand?!"
"Understood, leader!" Xu Yanglin stood up and replied, quickly walking out of Peng Tao's "bedroom". In fact, he didn't understand anything. What he didn't understand the most was why the leader looked so impulsive just now. Xu Yanglin carefully studied the map before conveying Peng Tao's order to the 3rd Battalion of the 5th Regiment. Suddenly, he understood everything.
"Company 7 sets out immediately!Each company follows up in the original marching order!"
Less than five minutes after Xiao Qiang conveyed the combat order issued by the 3rd Regiment Command Post, Liu Zongsheng closed the map and said to the company commanders who came to the shelter of the battalion headquarters for an emergency meeting.
The company commanders and trainers all shouted "yes" in unison, quickly packed up their operational map bags, filed out of the shelter, and ran towards their company's campsite.
"The battalion headquarters is also ready to go!" Liu Zongsheng said to Xiao Qiang, and followed the commanders of each company out of the hiding place, walked through the woods, and climbed to the hillock where he had stood when looking at Highland 342 at dawn. Here, he could have a commanding view of the troops already in action on both sides of the valley.
The Soviet shelling has not completely stopped. In the vast area from No. 1 Ridge to the mountain stream, artillery shells were still flying down from time to time. At the bottom of the stream and in the woods in front of and behind him, groups of fireworks were rising into the sky. But he no longer cared to pay attention to them. At this moment, there was only one thing left in his mind: the whole battalion must move to the 632 Highland area as quickly as possible, the faster, the better!
When Xiao Qiang accepted the combat mission from Xu Yanglin, chief of staff of the 3rd Regiment, the first person in the cover department whose expression changed was the training officer Cui Shian. Liu Zongsheng understood why: during the march last night, the white-faced scholar reminded him to pay attention to the three small highlands located in the southeast corner of the war zone, but he did not pay due attention. Now Cui Shi'an's guess was proved to be reasonable: Liu Zongsheng understood the danger hidden in the mission given to them by Peng Tao without putting much effort on the map, and the gloomy thoughts before the war immediately came to his mind. Once a complicated situation arises on the battlefield, Peng Tao will not hesitate to use their small force!
The 632 Highland area is currently an area that neither the enemy nor we have touched. But if the Chinese army wants to occupy it, it will immediately become the most sensitive place on the entire battlefield and prone to fierce competition! What Peng Tao asked them to step on was a minefield that he himself probably didn't want to step on!
Bunny!
He cursed secretly in his heart. At the same time, it is also very clear that Peng Tao is currently his direct superior, and combat orders are combat orders after all, and it will not work if they are not implemented!
"Chief of Staff Xu," he asked for the phone receiver from Xiao Qiang and spoke directly to the Chief of Staff of the 3rd Regiment, "I am Liu Zongsheng! Please tell me in detail, what is the situation on Highlands 632, 633, and 634 right now?!"
"Deputy Commander Liu," Xu Yanglin said, "according to our regiment's 3rd Battalion's observation on Highland 631 all morning, there are currently no Soviet troops on Highlands 632, 633, and 634!"
"Is the situation reliable?!"
¡°Absolutely reliable!¡±
"Okay!" He put down the phone without saying anything more to Xu Yanglin. A thought clearly came to mind: the troops must set off immediately, the sooner the better!
Peng Tao didn¡¯t give him much time. It is now 8:30, only 3 and a half hours away from the time Peng Tao set for them to arrive at the 632 Highland area, and only 5 and a half hours away from the time he set for them to end the offensive battle. The most important thing is: just because there are currently no Soviet troops in the above three small highlands, they should also act quickly to complete control of them as soon as possible. The fact that there are currently no Soviet troops on highlands 632, 633, and 634 does not mean that there will still be no Soviet troops in a while. Once the Soviet troops take control of them before they do, this is very easy for the other side to do. If their small force wants to complete its mission, it will inevitably be attacked on three sides. Under such circumstances, they launched a strong attack on the highlands one by one. The situation was unimaginably dangerous! But if they can occupy them before the Soviet army, the situation there will change from the enemy defending and us attacking to the enemy defending and attacking. Today, a fierce battle with the Soviet army in the 632 Highland area is inevitable. What we can win is our defense and the enemy's attack. According to the general rules of offensive and defensive operations, it would be difficult for the Soviet army to win without having to have four times the strength of the Chinese army, that is, a reinforced infantry regiment. Today, the Soviet army is tight on all fronts, and it is difficult to dedicate a regiment to compete with them for those three small highlands!
This is a fighter plane! This fighter must be captured! Only in this way can he more or less realize his original intention when he led the troops to the battlefield: not only to complete the combat tasks given by Peng Tao, but also to minimize the loss of lives of officers and soldiers! When the chief officers of each company came to the battalion headquarters, he had carefully studied the route to Highland 632 on the map. There are only two routes from the current location to the 632 Highland area: one is to leave the mountain stream in the north and move eastward along the canyon between No. 1 Ridge and Snow Ridge to the mountain pass between the eastern end of No. 1 Ridge and the eastern highland of Vulture Ridge , and then diagonally inserts southwestward to the northern foot of 632 Highland. Taking this road can avoid No. 1 Ridge and eliminate the need to climb the mountain. However, one of the situations that Xu Yanglin, Chief of Staff of the 3rd Regiment, just informed Xiao Qiang is that the east end of No. 1 Ridge and the pass of Vulture Ridge Mountain are at the crossroads between the enemy and ourselves. It is difficult to pass through here during the fire blockade; the second route is from the mountain stream to the south, follow the safe passage opened by the 2nd Battalion of the 3rd Regiment at night, climb the large ridge of No. 1 Ridge, and then follow the south slope of the ridge to the southeast. Head towards the big mountain leg directly in front of 631-Highland, and its east side is 632 Highland. The danger of this route is that the Soviet army has not stopped firing artillery on the northern slope of Hill 342. The troops must first climb the mountain under enemy artillery fire, and then perform long-distance exposure movements under the frontal firepower of the Soviet army in Xilian Mountain. Liu Zongsheng thought for a moment and then The latter path was chosen: Although it would take an hour longer for the troops to climb the mountain ridge of No. 1 Ridge, and the exposure movement would also cause casualties under the double blow of Soviet artillery fire and the Soviet army in Xilian Mountain, it was better than being blocked in the whole battalion. It is much better that the mountain pass between No. 1 Ridge and Vulture Ridge is inaccessible to combat targets.
As a field commander, the second thing he has to consider now is how to complete the combat mission!
There is another estimate: No. 1 Ridge is a steep mountain. When the troops climb up from the north slope, the Soviet troops on Xilian Mountain will not be discovered. As long as they reach the mountain ridge line, they will only be able to reach the southern leg of 631 Highland. There is only a large downward slope left, and the troops can reach it in half an hour if they move faster. If the information provided by Xu Yanglin is true, it will take another half hour to an hour to occupy the three hills with a low altitude. The total time required is not much. Even if the Soviet army in Xilian Mountain discovered them when they crossed the No. 1 mountain ridge and went south, they would always have time to think and judge the intentions of the Chinese army. He could use this time to lead the troops to complete the movement to the 632 Highland area. and the occupation of three small highlands. By the time the Soviet army realized this, it was already too late to react. But if they take another route and are blocked at the mountain pass between No. 1 Ridge and Vulture Ridge, it¡¯s hard to say when they can occupy Highlands 632, 633, and 634!
Now that he is standing on the hillock, compared with when he first received the combat order; except for the heaviness and crisis brought by the combat mission that cannot be eliminated, his heart is much calmer. He and his troops were walking into deep water, or in other words, into the deep water of war, but he could no longer think about it. All he had to pay attention to was what was happening in front of him; in the woods on the west side of Jianpo, Deputy Battalion Commander Chu Maolin and Commander Hong Dazhi of the 7th Company were leading the 7th Company in a column out of the forest, running toward the path under the hillock where he was standing that stretched toward the big ridge of No. 1 Ridge; in other places , he saw that the 8th Company, 9th Company and the migrant stretcher teams in charge of the deputy training officer were also lined up at the edge of the woods at their respective campsites, waiting for the order to follow; and behind him, Xiao Qiang and Cui Shi'an also led the battalion team. The gang came up and were ready to set off with him. Another cannonball hit the bottom of the stream. He didn't hear the explosion, but at a glance he noticed a silver-white fish's scales flashing lively in the thick water column raised high. All these scenes made him feel some of the excitement of war again in his heart. There was a "boom" in the woods on the right rear side, and a black and red firework rose up. Xiao Qiang and guard Wei Changgui, who were standing behind him, instinctively fell down. He was startled, but??1ri stood up straight, maintaining a resolute, stern, and calm expression on his face. It suddenly became clear what he should do now and in the future.
Two or three more shells exploded in the woods in front, back, left and right. Before the explosion smoke cleared, Chu Maolin had already set foot on the path to the big mountain ridge of No. 1 Ridge with the 7th company of sharp knife platoons from the mound at his feet.
Liu Zongsheng felt from the excited eyes cast towards him from the ranks that his image had a good influence on the psychology of the soldiers. Those talkative soldiers had already greeted him: "Deputy commander. Let's go, don't get shot here!"
¡°Deputy commander, don¡¯t be too calm, be careful and ask Ijia to put a piece of cannonball skin on you!¡±