Years of the Republic of China 1913

Time flies, and March 3th is the day of Waking of Insects in 6. From the perspective of China's 1922 solar terms, since this day, the weather has gradually warmed up, spring thunder has gradually come, and the time for everything to recover has come.

The land of China is gradually coming from the south to the north, and most areas have entered the spring plowing season. Even the white snow and ice in the north have begun to melt, and the land is gradually becoming green.

From March 3rd to March 3th, the wartime headquarters composed of the Ministry of National Defense and the General Staff, China's highest military institution, held military meetings for several days. On Sunday, this time was decided by Fang Zida himself after the general staff's battle plan was established.In the past few days, the three major military regions have also made full preparations, and all units have been in place under extremely confidential conditions, especially the equipment of the 3st Armored Division and the 9rd Armored Division were fully equipped on March 3. , like a tiger pouncing on its prey, recharge its batteries and wait for the fatal blow to its prey.

In this battle, the Chinese army used 35 troops in the country for the attack, including 15 troops in the Mongolian Military Region and 20 troops in the Northwest Military Region. This does not include a group army already in Siberia, that is, the 39th Division and 45 divisions.

These troops add up to more than 40 people. If you count the logistics, air force, and other armies in the northeast just in case, the total strength is as high as 73.It can be said that the Chinese government almost sent nearly half of the National Defense Forces to this battle. This is the first time in modern China that it has used more troops than the European expeditionary forces to fight such a foreign war, whether it is the State Council or the military. , the pressure can be imagined.

"The three armies of the Northwest Military Region are ready to launch an attack from the Kazakh region of the Soviet Union at 12 am on the 4th. According to the combat plan, the fourth and fifth aviation divisions will attack the enemy's ground forces first. The three armies are composed The combat unit of the army attacked at the same time with the 19rd Armored Division as the vanguard. They should take down the important towns of Astana, Cherkar, and Kokshetau at the latest on the [-]th, and then go straight to the northwest to capture Samara. Point to the enemy's capital—Moscow!"

At the military meeting, Colonel Gunter Hans von Kluge, a senior staff member of the Strategic Staff Office of the General Staff Department, opened the curtain on the wall in front of the senior generals.Holding a baton in his hand, he talked in proficient Chinese on the densely marked and huge map of Russia.As he pointed the baton in his hand, everyone could clearly see the marching route and ultimate goal of the combat units of the Northwest Military Region.

"Isn't it too short to win Astana, Cherkar, Kokshetau and other regions on the 19th?"

Several generals looked at the map and couldn't help frowning. You must know that to attack the Kazakh region from northern Xinjiang, you must go through the Alashan Pass, or go around Mongolia and march from east to west.Colonel Kluger's plan chose the former, so that the 20 troops would never be able to conceal their whereabouts through the Alashan Pass.Not to mention taking Astana, Cherkar, Kokshetau and other areas in a week, if not done, it will bring great casualties to the troops.You must know that there are mountains on the left and right of Alashankou. First, it is not suitable for armored troops to fight, and second, it also brings great problems to infantry attacks.

However, neither Fang Zida nor Wu Peifu, nor Minister of National Defense Duan Zhigui asked any questions. These generals could only hide this question in their stomachs for the time being, and patiently listened to Colonel Kluger's continuation.

"The two army groups and cavalry divisions of the Mongolian Military Region will launch an attack from Darkhan. Like the Northwest Military Region, the entire military operation will start at 12 am on the 4th. The main target of the combat units of the Mongolian Military Region is Irkutsk-Tomsk - Omsk-Tyumen-Serov line. The main task is to cut off the Soviet-Siberian railway line and completely cut off the retreat of Frunze's troops. According to the combat plan, the occupation of Serov must be completed by the end of March. As long as Frunze's troops are annihilated, This battle is half won."

"When will the troops of the Far East government launch a coordinated attack?" Duan Zhigui, who had been silent all this time, asked, and turned his gaze to Wu Peifu who was sitting opposite him.

Wu Peifu smiled and nodded to Colonel Kluge.Colonel Kluge explained: "In order to keep confidentiality, we will not report to the Far East government before the war, but after the 12th, I believe that the Far East government will make a correct judgment and cooperate with us to launch an appropriate attack."

"What if they cringe?"

"No, the relevant departments have already made arrangements, not to mention that we still have a group army in Siberia. The front-line commander of the Russian Imperial Government Army is not a fool. He should know how to choose such a good opportunity." Wu Peifu replied on behalf of the colonel , Duan Zhigui subconsciously glanced at Fang Zida who was sitting upright, and seeing that Fang Zida's face was as calm as water, he stopped asking questions.

"Everyone! The most important feature of this war is speed! According to the plan, we will occupy Moscow in the summer of 1922 and completely solve the Soviet government at the end of that year. If this cannot be done, the war will become extremely difficult. So this is a quick battle, and in order to reflect the characteristics of this war, the General Staff gave this military plan a code name - 'Lightning'!"

After finishing speaking, Colonel Kluge put down the baton in his hand, stood at attention and saluted everyone, and then walked to Wu Peifu's lower head and sat down.

"lightning?!"

Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay. Some generals felt that this military plan was a bit exaggerated. You must know that Russia is a big country, and its territory is no less than that of China. What's more, since the door of China was opened in 1840, the Russians have repeatedly invaded Chinese territory. won once.

Although China's national strength has developed rapidly in recent years, and it has experienced the European War, the Chinese government has regained some confidence, but it is impossible for some generals to completely defeat a Western power in just over half a year. talk.What's more, some people were not optimistic about the attack on the combat units of the Northwest Military Region before, thinking that it was a risk.Once the Alashan Pass is blocked, not to mention occupying the expected target for a while, even the entire campaign will have problems. Are these people in the General Staff Headquarters overheated and confused?Is the Red Army of the Soviet government so easy to fight?

"Do you have any opinions or opinions? Please speak freely." Seeing some people whispering, Fang Zida cleared his throat and asked.The conference room fell silent all of a sudden, everyone looked at each other, hesitated for a long time, and finally stood up alone.

This person is Lu Xiangting, Major General of the National Defense Forces, Director of the Military Supplies Department of the Ministry of the Army.This person is young and energetic, and he is a talented student who graduated from the Japanese army. He previously served as the regiment commander and brigade commander in the National Defense Forces, and he can be called a brave and good general.Last year, he was transferred to the Ministry of National Defense and was reused by Duan Zhigui. He was assigned to be the director of the Military Supplies Department of the Ministry of the Army, mainly responsible for the Army's military supplies.This war is of great importance, so Lu Xiangting, the director of the Military Supplies Department, also participated in the meeting.

In front of Fang Zida, Lu Xiangting unceremoniously pointed out a few problems, that is, the problems revealed in the attack route of the combat units of the Northwest Military Region and the entire military plan. In his opinion, this plan is completely on paper and not accurate at all. In fact, once the northwest direction is blocked, even if the troops of the Mongolian Military Region can complete the task on time, they will not be able to cut off the connection between Frunze and Moscow.Not to mention the occupation of Moscow in the summer of 1922, and the settlement of the Soviets at the end of the year, it might be a complete failure.

"Who has any questions?" After listening to Lu Xiangting's words, Fang Zida didn't answer him first, but looked at other people.When everyone shook their heads again and again, it seemed that Lu Xiangting had finished speaking for them, only then did Fang Zida smile slightly.

"Your name is Lu Xiangting?"

"Return to Prime Minister, yes!" Lu Xiangting responded loudly without fear.

"Hehe, it's good for young people to have vigor, and judging from your analysis just now, they do have skills in infantry combat. You graduated from the Central Military Academy?"

"Returning to the Prime Minister, I studied in the Military Academy before my humble post, and then went to Japan to study abroad." Lu Xiangting replied with some embarrassment. There is an opportunity to study abroad in Japan.

"Oh..." Fang Zida nodded, not caring about Lu Xiangting's experience in Wubeitang, but said with a smile: "Actually, the best army in the world is in Germany, and the Japanese army is not top-notch at all. That's all. What's more, you are still a Lu Shi, and the Japanese Lu Shi mainly trains junior officers, not high-level officers, so it is still a bit lacking in strategy and tactics."

"Prime Minister...!" Lu Xiangting's face turned red all of a sudden. He has always been proud of his graduate status as a Japanese Lu Shi, but today he was dismissed as worthless by Fang Zida, and his expression was embarrassed and tinged with anger.

As if he knew the other party's mood, Fang Zida said kindly, "I said this not to look down on the graduates of the Japanese Lu Shi. You must know that Mr. Jiang, the principal of the Central Military Academy, also graduated from the Japanese Lu Shi. Even Minister Duan was only a graduate of the Tianjin Armed Forces Academy. .”

As soon as Fang Zida said this, Duan Zhigui laughed immediately, and Lu Xiangting was slightly stunned and scratched his head in embarrassment, and the atmosphere became more harmonious for a while.

"But having said that, Japan's military concept is still far behind. Nowadays, the world's military is changing rapidly, and its tactics are also very different from before. On the surface, there seems to be some problems with the military plan of the General Staff, but we must know that we still have enemies. The new services that do not exist are the Air Force and the Armored Forces. These two new services will change the previous way of warfare, from ground warfare to three-dimensional warfare, which will fundamentally change warfare. This is also the basis for the General Staff The main reason for making such a plan. If General Zixin wants to understand the use of the air force and armored forces and their role in war, I suggest that you discuss it with Chief of the General Staff Ziyu, or go to the front line to see for yourself.”

After saying this, Fang Zida stopped explaining further, and then asked about the logistics arrangement, and the meeting continued.After Lu Xiangting sat back to his seat, his expression became a little complicated. He frowned slightly and looked at Wu Peifu and others, as if he had made a decision in his heart. (To be continued..)