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Text Chapter 1,138 The battle officially begins

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    On the night of October 14, 1912, it was an autumn night. There were stars in the sky. Although it was not completely dark, the visibility was not high either.  The Rio Grande River was still flowing quietly, and on both sides of the river were Chinese and American armies that were already well prepared.  As the Chinese Air Force attacks the US military more and more intensively, and after the US Army Air Forces' fighter planes are almost exhausted, everyone knows that a large-scale battle is about to begin.  General Pershing had issued an order three days ago for all units to increase their combat readiness levels to the highest level.  He, who is experienced on the battlefield, has already noticed that the battle is about to break out, maybe tomorrow.

    South of Nuevo Laredo, along the Rio Grande, about ten kilometers away.  After the Rio Grande slipped through here, it turned a slight bend, and then the river became much gentler.  In the center of the river, there is a sandbar with accumulated sediment, about five hundred meters long, about one hundred meters wide at its widest point, and only about twenty or thirty meters at its narrowest point.  In summer, when the river surges, the entire sandbar is hidden under the water, with only a small part emerging from the water.  But after entering autumn, the river water level dropped a lot, and most of the sandbars became visible.

    Across the sandbank is the U.S. military¡¯s defense line.  The U.S. military built a strong defense line along the Rio Grande.  Less than two hundred meters away from the river bank is the anti-tank trench dug by the US military.  Anti-tank trenches more than two meters wide extended along the river bank to both sides, as if there was no end in sight.  Behind the anti-tank trenches are US military trenches, solid anti-tank firepower points built with reinforced concrete, and other defenses.  Barbed wire, trenches, anti-tank fire points, machine gun fire points, and traffic trenches connected the US military's defense lines.  Four or five kilometers away from the river bank is the US heavy artillery position.  However, before the battle started, these heavy artillery of the US military were hidden to avoid being hit by the Chinese Air Force.

    The river bank on the south bank of the sandbar is covered with dense aquatic plants.  These aquatic plants are as high as one person deep.  If the soldiers hide inside, they will not be discovered by people on the other side.

    "Marshal. This is the place we have chosen to launch the forced crossing. After the battle begins, the artillery brigade of the Army Group will launch a fierce artillery bombardment of the US military positions on the other side of the river. After destroying the US military fortifications and suppressing the US military's firepower  .The 23rd Infantry Division will begin to cross the river. The first step is to seize the sandbar in the center of the river. Although the sandbar is not big, it is only a few dozen meters away from the other side. Using mortars on the sandbar can target the people on the other side of the river.  The US military has inflicted a serious blow. After we have established a foothold on the sandbar, we will then launch an attack on the other side of the river. Try to establish a beachhead on the other side of the river. At this time, we will deploy some heavy mortars on the sandbar to directly attack those crossing the river.  The troops provide fire support. After establishing a solid position and breaking through the US defense line, the engineers will begin to build pontoon bridges. With the sandbar in the center of the river as a support, the engineers can build two pontoon bridges within an hour. These pontoon bridges are enough to  Our current armored forces are equipped with light tanks and armored vehicles to cross the river. As for the medium tanks, the pontoon bridge needs to be further reinforced. But that will take more time. Only after we break through the US military's defense line will we have enough  We have time to do that!" said General Du Qizheng, commander of the 7th Group Army.  The 7th Army will be the first army unit to launch an attack on the United States.  The direction of their main attack was towards Laredo.  The staff of the 7th Army inspected hundreds of kilometers near Laredo and finally selected this as the location for the forced crossing.

    "There is a sandbar in the center of the river, which is a lot more convenient. However, the Americans will definitely not think of this. They will definitely focus on this area. The sandbar is only more than two hundred meters and less than three meters away from the US military's defense line.  The distance of a hundred meters is even within the effective range of the US military's rifles. It is not easy to gain a foothold on the sandbank!" Marshal Zhao Bowen said with a frown.  He had already thought that the first batch of troops to land on the sandbank would definitely face the powerful firepower of the US military. This would be a narrow escape mission.

    "Marshal, there is nothing we can do about this. As long as we can control the sandbar, it will be easier to build pontoons with the help of the sandbar so that our heavy equipment can easily cross the river. As for the American firepower, this can only be done with the help of artillery and air force.  . If our artillery and air force can suppress the firepower of the US military, then our casualties will be much smaller!" General Du Qizheng said.  Fighting will inevitably lead to death. Although he knew that this battle to force the Rio Grande to cross would be very tragic, he still decided to do it.  After all, this is what is necessary to invade the United States.

    "Okay! I will contact General Feng in the Air Force. The American Army Air Force has been almost wiped out by them. The Air Force will provide you with fire support as much as possible! This time! Our mission is very important.  , we must use the shortest possible time to break through the US military's defense line and invade the United States!" Marshal Zhao Bowen said.  News has come from the Navy that the Panama Canal will be opened next month.??Repair.  At that time, the main force of the navy will enter the Atlantic Ocean for a decisive battle with the US Navy.  Of course the Army cannot lag behind the Navy.

    "Yes, Marshal! The 7th Army will definitely be able to break through the US military's defense line!" General Du Qizheng assured.

    While the Chinese army is preparing for battle, the US military is also preparing for battle.  However, the tragic defeat of the U.S. Army Air Forces has cast a shadow on many American officers and soldiers.  The strong combat effectiveness displayed by the Chinese Air Force made them have some doubts about the next battle.  Although General Pershing repeatedly insisted that with the natural line of defense of the Rio Grande and the fortifications they painstakingly built, the entire line of defense was impregnable.  If the Chinese wanted to attack the Rio Grande defense line, their blood would dye the water of the Rio Grande red.  However, many people are skeptical about General Pershing's words.  It's just that no one ever showed it.

    The U.S. military deployed more than two million troops on the Rio Grande defense line.  These troops were organized into thirty-five infantry corps.  Among them, 20 infantry corps were deployed to the front line, and the other 15 infantry corps were second-line troops.  Once the Chinese army starts attacking and there is a problem with that section of the defense line, they will rush to support it.  In addition, the US military also deployed a large number of artillery and anti-tank troops on the Rio Grande defense line.  On the Mexican battlefield, the U.S. military suffered heavy losses in front of the Chinese Army's armored forces, which served as a warning to the U.S. military.  During these months, the development of anti-tank troops was intensified.  Although the new anti-tank gun has not yet been finalized, a large number of 37mm anti-tank guns were produced and sent to the Rio Grande front line.  According to U.S. military statistics, the number of 37mm anti-tank guns deployed on the Rio Grande defense line has exceeded one thousand.  If the Chinese Army's armored forces launch an attack, they will certainly be able to turn the Chinese Army's armored forces' tanks and armored vehicles into piles of scrap metal.  This is why General Pershing still has great confidence in this line of defense even though the U.S. Army Aviation has suffered all its losses!

    On the morning of KO on the 5th, starting from 6 a.m., the Chinese army¡¯s positions became busy.  The infantry have already entered the position, and heavy artillery pieces have also entered the artillery position under the tow of trucks.  The thick muzzle pointed ferociously to the north.  The artillerymen were already busy transporting shells one by one to the side of the cannon.  Before the 7th Group Army launched the forced crossing, the Chinese army invested more than a thousand howitzers and cannons with a diameter of more than 105 mm, as well as more than 2,000 infantry guns and medium and heavy mortars on the 100-kilometer-long defense line.  These artillery shells will fire at the US military's defense lines at the same time, making it impossible for the US military to distinguish where the Chinese army's forcible crossing target is.

    At the same time, at the Chinese Air Force airport south of the Rio Grande, ground staff also began to be busy.  Fighters and bombers one after another began to refuel, replenish ammunition, and add bombs.  To cover Army operations, the Air Force will provide covering fire for the Army.  This time, the Air Force will dispatch 80 HB'Hongyan bombers and 80 FH5'Falcon dive bombers at one time.  They would clear the way for the Army to land.  Providing protection for these bombers are one hundred 'Haitongqing' fighter jets.  However, two 25-kilogram aerial bombs were also mounted under the wings of these fighter jets.  After the U.S. Army Air Forces lost all its fighter jets, the threat to the Chinese Air Force's bombers actually came mainly from the U.S. Army's air defense forces on the ground.

    At 7 a.m., thousands of heavy artillery pieces and more than 2,000 light artillery pieces began shelling the U.S. military positions north of the Rio Grande defense line.  The dense artillery shells exploded on the US military's defense lines, erupting into clusters of orange-red fireballs.  Gunsmoke almost enveloped the US military's defense line in an instant.  The fortifications built by the US military were destroyed during the fierce shelling.

    "Boom! Boom! Boom!" Under the influence of huge kinetic energy, the artillery shells flew from the Chinese artillery position south of the Rio Grande and hit the U.S. military position hard.  Fire points of civil structures were blown up to the sky one by one, and large sections of trenches were blown down.  The barbed wire fence stretched in front of the dense defense line was even more torn apart by the bombing.  At the same time, the intensive shelling also shocked the US military.  However, they all know that the battle has officially begun!
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