Black Flag Army

Chapter 169: Battle of Copper Wall City

In the early morning, the sun shines on the earth, covering everything around with a layer of light golden light. About five miles away from Balkhash Castle, a group of figures stand out - they are Wu Chunlei, Li Fei and a dozen guards who are responsible for important tasks.

Wu Chunlei held a telescope in his hand and stared at the slightly green Balkhash Castle in the distance. The castle was towering into the clouds and majestic, like an indestructible fortress standing on the earth. Its walls were thick and solid, like a copper wall and iron wall, exuding a sense of awe. There were more than a hundred bunkers of various sizes guarding the castle.

Looking at the scene in front of him, Wu Chunlei couldn't help but sigh softly: "This is the legendary Balkhash Fortress! It's really as people say, difficult to conquer..." His voice revealed a hint of helplessness and emotion. Obviously, facing such a powerful fortification, it is not easy to break it, but as a brave and fearless soldier, Wu Chunlei will not retreat easily.

At this moment, he felt a strong sense of mission and responsibility. No matter how many difficulties and obstacles awaited them, he was determined to lead his soldiers to move forward bravely and fight for the interests of the country and the nation. Although Balkhash Castle seemed impregnable, Wu Chunlei believed that as long as they were united, had proper strategies and brought into play everyone's potential, they would be able to find a breakthrough point and win. In this battlefield full of challenges and opportunities, only by having firm beliefs and moving forward courageously can we create miracles and achieve our goals.

Li Fei said solemnly: "These bunkers built by the White Guards are so annoying! If we want to capture this city, we must first take down those densely packed bunkers outside the city. Otherwise, once we attack the city, these bunkers will become countless deadly crossfire points, interweaving into a dense fire network, and then our soldiers will suffer a great loss! Maybe they will be riddled with enemy bullets before they even reach the city gate! So, no matter what, we must find a way to get rid of these damn bunkers first!"

Wu Chunlei took a deep breath and said, "Fortunately, we not only have powerful bombers, but also rocket launchers, which are deadly weapons specially used to destroy bunkers!" His voice revealed a hint of relief and confidence. It seemed that with these powerful equipment in hand, he would be invincible on the battlefield.

After returning to the headquarters, Wu Chunlei immediately called a meeting with the army chief of staff and deputy commander. At the meeting, Wu Chunlei said to Feng Yi, deputy commander of the Air Force, "Before your Air Force sends bombers to bomb Balkhash Fort, bomb the bunkers several times repeatedly to destroy as many bunkers as possible and help the army clear some obstacles."

Feng Yi said: "The White Guards also have planes. Before we send out bombers, we must first send out fighters to destroy the enemy's counterattack capability."

Wu Chunlei asked Chief of Staff Zhang Shusheng: "How many planes does the White Guard have?"

Zhang Shusheng said: "The White Guards have more than 30 fighters and more than a dozen bombers. However, the British sold the White Guards old-fashioned Camel aircraft, while our two air force squadrons are all new Feng Ru fifth-generation aircraft. In the battle to recapture Outer Northeast, they have proven to be more powerful than the British Camel aircraft."

Wu Chunlei ordered: "Then act according to the plan. First, send out a squadron of fighter planes to shoot down the White Guards' planes, and then send out a squadron of bombers to bomb the bunkers."

After the meeting, all departments quickly took action. In the air force base, fighter planes roared into the sky and headed towards Balkhash. The pilots were in high spirits and full of confidence.

When the formation of 36 fighter planes first arrived over Balkhash Castle, the White Army indeed had more than 30 fighter planes take off to fight, and the Black Flag Army and the enemy planes of the White Army engaged in a fierce air battle. The two sides fought back and forth, neither giving in. However, the Chinese Air Force gradually gained the upper hand with its advanced fighter performance and skilled driving skills, and shot down many White Army planes. The Camel plane was not as fast or powerful as the Feng Ru Type 5 plane. The Camel plane had only two machine guns, while the Feng Ru Type 5 plane had rocket launchers in addition to machine guns, which had great lethality. When the White Army Air Force Captain Shamnov saw that nearly half of his planes had been damaged, he quickly ordered a retreat, although the White Army commander Volang, who was commanding on the ground, strictly forbade him to retreat.

Ping Zuyi, the captain of the Black Flag Army's fighter squadron, was flying his fighter jet in pursuit of the fleeing Shamnov plane. He accurately hit the target with a rocket, causing the opponent's plane to explode in the air.

Then, the bomber formation appeared. They were fully loaded with bombs and flew towards the bunkers. Bombs hit the target accurately, and the bunkers were suddenly filled with flames and smoke. After rounds of bombing, most of the bunkers were successfully destroyed, paving the way for the army's attack.

The rocketeers of the Black Flag Army entered the battlefield cautiously. They were responsible for destroying the remaining bunkers. Each of them held the rocket launcher tightly in his hand, with a firm and focused look in his eyes.

However, these brave soldiers did not realize that there was a deadly threat hidden in the bunker - the White Guard's snipers. When the rocketeers gradually approached the target and prepared to fire rockets, dull gunshots suddenly rang out. The snipers accurately hit the rocketeers one after another, and they fell defenselessly, and their blood stained the land red.

The commander at the front was extremely worried, and he immediately ordered the machine gunners to provide fire support. Unfortunately, even with the cover of the machine guns, the rocketeers still could not avoid being hit by sniper rifles. The enemy's shooting was too accurate, ruthlessly harvesting the lives of the Black Flag Army soldiers, and the machine gunners were also shot and killed by snipers.

Faced with such a grim situation, Li Fei stepped forward and suggested to Wu Chunlei that the snipers in the special forces regiment be mobilized to fight against the snipers of the White Guard Army. Wu Chunlei knew that this was a life-and-death contest, but he also understood that only in this way could the deadlock be broken.

Therefore, Wu Chunlei decisively issued an order to let the snipers of the special forces regiment quickly take their positions. These elites, each with unique skills, calmly searched for their targets and launched a thrilling duel with the snipers of the White Guards.

Time passed by, and the air was filled with tension. Snipers from both sides held their breath, waiting for the best moment to strike. Every shot could determine the outcome, and every moment was full of variables.

Finally, after a fierce battle, the Black Flag Army snipers successfully killed the White Guard snipers in the bunker. More than half of the Black Flag Army snipers were also killed or wounded. Because the White Guard had the bunker as a barrier, the Black Flag Army snipers were at a disadvantage when shooting at them. Even Li Fei, who was also the regiment commander, was shot in the shoulder. After all the White Guard snipers died, the rocketeers took the opportunity to launch an attack and destroyed the remaining bunkers in one fell swoop.

The battle was extremely fierce, but the Black Flag Army won in the end. They defeated the powerful enemy with their tenacious will and fearless courage. The snipers in the special forces regiment became the key factor in this victory. Their superb skills and courageous actions are engraved in people's hearts.

Following Wu Chunlei's command, the Black Flag Army's heavy artillery positions instantly erupted with powerful firepower. Huge shells whizzed towards the towering walls of Balkhash Castle, falling on them like dense raindrops.

However, surprisingly, this solid fortress built of copper ore withstood three rounds of fierce bombardment and still stood firm. Even the battle-hardened Wu Chunlei could not help but feel anxious at this moment: Do we really have to let the soldiers risk their lives to climb the ladders to attack the city? In this way, the casualties will definitely be extremely heavy!

Recalling the previous fierce battles with Xila and Haohan, the Black Flag Army had already paid a painful price of more than 10,000 soldiers' sacrifice. If more than 10,000 lives were lost in this siege, Wu Chunlei really didn't know how to face Commander-in-Chief Di Xiong, let alone explain to the families who were eagerly waiting.

At this time, the Chief of Staff Zhang Shusheng was holding a telescope and concentrating on observing the condition of the city wall. After a moment, he turned to Wu Chunlei and said, "Commander-in-Chief, please be patient! Through the telescope, I found that tiny cracks have begun to appear on the city wall. As long as we launch two more rounds of attacks, these cracks will inevitably continue to expand and eventually cause the city wall to collapse. After all, this is just a city wall built with copper ore, not a pure copper plate structure."

After hearing Zhang Shusheng's analysis, Wu Chunlei felt a little relieved, but he still kept a close eye on the battlefield situation and did not dare to relax. Time passed by, and the artillerymen of the Black Flag Army continued to load shells and prepare to launch a new round of bombardment... With the end of the last round of bombardment, the cracks on the city wall became larger, and some stones had loosened and fallen. Finally, after a loud bang, a large piece of the west wall collapsed. Then a large piece of the east wall also collapsed. Seeing this, Wu Chunlei knew that the time had come. He picked up the phone and shouted to the commanders of each army group: "Everyone charge!"

Liu Ruming, deputy commander of the Second Army, and Subuda, deputy commander of the Third Army, immediately issued orders to the division commanders, and the soldiers responded by rushing to the city wall like a tide. The rubble had formed a slope under the city wall, and the soldiers bravely climbed up and engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat with the White Guards defending the city.

The deputy commander of the Third Army, Subuda, personally led the cavalry to rush through the breach in the city wall. Although his division commander and guards advised him not to rush to the front line, he did not listen at all. He wanted to let Xian Yuji, whom he pursued, know how brave he was on the battlefield. However, as soon as he rushed into a street, he was hit by dense bullets. Subuda's horse was shot and fell to the ground. The cavalry behind him were also shot and fell off their horses. Subuda lay on the ground and saw that both sides of the street were full of trenches and bunkers. It seemed that the defenders had already prepared for street fighting. Subuda rushed too fast, and the troops behind him were cut off by the White Guards.

Subuda said to the guard battalion commander beside him: "Go back and pass on my order, bring up the infantry artillery and kill all the enemies in the trenches and bunkers."

After hearing the order, the guard battalion commander responded without hesitation, then quickly turned around, bent down, and left the scene with brisk and agile steps. At the same time, Subuda began to urgently organize the remaining dozens of guards to fight against the White Guards.

However, facing the White Guards who had obstacles as cover, Subuda and his men were at a clear disadvantage. The enemy hid behind the bunkers and kept shooting, making it difficult for Subuda's side to hit the enemy when they fought back. As time went on, the number of casualties on Subuda's side gradually climbed, and more and more comrades fell in a pool of blood. In the end, only a few people were left struggling to hold on.

Seeing that the enemy had suffered heavy losses, the commander of the White Guards thought the time had come and immediately issued an order to counterattack. More than a hundred White Guard soldiers, holding rifles with sharp bayonets, rushed in like a tide. At this moment, Subuda, who had already been seriously injured, did not retreat a single step. He gritted his teeth, waved his saber, bravely rushed towards the enemy, and chopped hard.

In the fierce battle, Subuda killed four or five White Guards in succession, but he was outnumbered. At this moment, three cold bayonets pierced his body mercilessly from behind. In an instant, huge pain ran through his body, and Subuda felt his strength disappearing bit by bit.

At the last moment of his life, Subuda's mind flashed with Xian Yuji's beautiful face and gentle and sweet smile... This became the last memory he had left in the world.

At noon on March 28, 1919, Subuda, deputy commander of the Third Army of the Black Flag Army, died heroically at the age of 36.

When Wu Chunlei received the news of Subuda's sacrifice, he was extremely shocked and angry. He ordered the street to be surrounded and completely destroyed with infantry artillery, all the White Guards inside were eliminated, and their surrender would never be accepted.

The White Guards in the city began to flee, and only a few were still fighting desperately, but they were outnumbered. The Black Flag Army was in high spirits, and they attacked the top of the city and opened the city gates. Balkhash Castle was finally captured by the Black Flag Army. After the White Guard headquarters was surrounded, Commander Frank watched in horror as the Black Flag Army set up cannons outside and prepared to bombard, and he quickly ordered surrender. The White Guards in the city laid down their weapons and surrendered.

Standing on the third floor of the White Guards headquarters, Wu Chunlei looked at the battlefield filled with smoke, and felt a lot of emotion in his heart. The victory of this battle was hard-won and was exchanged for the lives of countless soldiers. He silently vowed to restore peace and prosperity to this land.

In Beitang City, Beihai Province, in the Justice Party Building, Di Xiong was reviewing documents when he suddenly saw his secretary Yang Lushuang walk in, wanting to say something but stopping. Di Xiong said, "Just say what you want to say, don't be so hesitant."

Yang Lushuang said, "Director Xian of the Propaganda Department received a letter from the Northwest Army. After reading it, she burst into tears! And she couldn't stop crying. Her secretary and several section chiefs couldn't stop her crying. Her secretary wanted to ask you to persuade her, but she didn't dare to come in. I couldn't help it, so I came in to talk to you."

Di Xiong asked, "What kind of letter would make her so sad? Will my advice be of any use?"

Yang Lushuang smiled and said, "Aren't you her sworn brother? Your advice will surely be helpful. I don't know the contents of the letter either."