Age of Rebirth

At dawn on May [-]st, the Kwantung Army began to attack suddenly, and it continued to fight until after nine o'clock in the morning. At the beginning, the troops of the Soviet Far East Front Army were busy withdrawing. After increasing their strength, the Soviet soldiers took out a new weapon-engineer shovel, which caused the Kwantung Army soldiers to complain endlessly, and finally repelled the Kwantung Army's attack across the board.

The reports of the frontier troops were reported to the headquarters of the Soviet Far Eastern Front Army. The commander, General Zhukov, never believed it, and it is not to blame for his disbelief. Under such circumstances, the Japanese will never give up. This is a conspiracy. He made his own judgment, but the subsequent report overturned his judgment.

Lieutenant General Gedayav, Chief of Staff of the Front Army, rushed over to ask for instructions, "Comrade Commander, I have personally called to verify that the situation reported by the troops is true. At the same time, the commanders of the counterattack troops asked for instructions. Retire, do you want to pursue the whole line?"

"Pursuit?" General Zhukov asked back, "Why do you want to pursue, Comrade Chief of Staff, don't forget what our main task is? Ask the commanders on the front line immediately whether the Kwantung Army troops have withdrawn far away, or temporarily disengaged?" He Consider the problem from another angle.

"You mean that the repulsion of the Kwantung Army troops is just an illusion, and the Japanese will still attack?" Goda Yafu asked suspiciously.

General Zhukov said affirmatively: "Yes, the commander of the Kwantung Army will not give up the opportunity. After confirming the situation, report it to me immediately!"

After a while, Lieutenant General Godayav came back with an ugly face, "Comrade Commander. I personally checked all the commanders of the frontline troops. As you judged, the Kwantung Army did not really retreat, but retreated to our firepower." Out of shooting range!"

Zhukov sighed silently. The Kwantung Army is preparing to use up troops in the Far East. It is obviously a magnetic tactic. It is really a headache to follow, "Comrade Chief of Staff, the two army units that will be put into the battlefield after ordering. Alternate Cover, evacuate the position, don't get entangled in the Kwantung Army's attack again, their defense should be handed over to the troops in charge of the cover. We can't delay!" Zhukov said a little lonely.

Chief of Staff Godayav was just about to convey the order, when Zhukov asked again: "The reconnaissance unit of the Intelligence Department of the Front Army. Is there any news?"

"No. Comrade Commander, based on the departure time of the reconnaissance troops, they should be more than [-] kilometers away from the battlefield. So far, nothing has been found!" Godaev replied.

Zhukov waved his hand wordlessly, signaling his chief of staff to leave. "Why do I feel more and more uneasy in my heart, where is that invisible hand?" He thought worriedly.

"It was repulsed. It was all the attacking troops!" After listening to the report of Chief of Staff Matsuda Kenjiro, General Nanjiro asked calmly, "How about the casualties of our troops?" His face was calm. Like a bowl of water, people can't figure it out.

Chief of Staff Matsuda thought about it and replied: "Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, the specific casualties of the attacking troops have not yet been calculated. I called and asked several commanders of the troops. The casualties are not too big, and they are less than expected. The casualties of the Soviet army are roughly the same as those of the imperial army, maybe a little more!"

"After our troops withdrew, did the Soviet army have the deepest pursuit?" General Nanjiro asked again.

Chief of Staff Matsuda's answer this time was very straightforward, "Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, no, none of the troops was pursued by the Soviet army!"

"Zhukov is a smart guy!" General Nanjiro sighed, for this old opponent he had fought with for two or three years, General Nanjiro was still full of awe and vigilance, his command art and battlefield strategy should not be underestimated, "Command All the troops are ready to attack again, if Zhukov doesn't want to entangle us, then we will do the opposite and entangle the Soviet army firmly!"

Chief of Staff Matsuda's expression was obviously dull for a moment. Hundreds of thousands of troops were fighting and retreating. What kind of tricks is the commander-in-chief playing? The attack just now took advantage of surprise. According to his own calculations, the troops The casualties were at least 8 to [-], and the attack again was not the result of being repelled. After several times of tossing, the Kwantung Army's last bit of wealth is really going to defeat Huo Guang?

"Commander-in-Chief, the Ministry has a suggestion, whether to change the entire line of attack to assault in key directions, concentrate all forces, first hit the Soviet army in front of our position, and ignore other directions, the Soviet army that is about to withdraw, according to the headquarters According to the telegram, the vanguard troops of the Far East Dispatched Army and the North Korean Garrison have arrived near the battlefield, and it is not impossible for them to deal with the evacuated Soviet troops!"

"After all, our Kwantung Army has done its best and succeeded in slowing down the withdrawal of the Soviet Far East Front Army in the first place. Of course, this is only my personal idea. The specific command of the campaign is up to you, Commander-in-Chief! Chief of Staff Matsuda said tactfully but firmly.

"Huh—?" General Nanjiro's eyes flashed coldly, staring at his chief of staff, his face was calm, but his tone was cold and chilly, "What? Is Matsuda-kun questioning my command method? "

Chief of Staff Matsuda was terrified, bowed hastily and said: "Commander-in-Chief is serious, the staff department dare not, I will deliver your order immediately!" Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he left in a hurry.

Seeing the back of Chief of Staff Matsuda leaving, General Nanjiro suddenly felt a sense of loneliness as a master, "When will someone smart enough appear among my subordinates?" He beckoned and called over The staff officer ordered: "Immediately report the situation of the offensive that started at dawn today, the reaction of the Soviet army, and the measures that the Kwantung Army is about to take to the campaign headquarters!"

Khabarovsk in the Far East, the General Command of the Japanese Far East Campaign, Prince Zaijin looked at the telegram sent by General Nanjiro with joy, relish, and joy. Shuttle on Prince Zairen's face, trying to figure out what his boss is thinking.

"Nanji-kun is worthy of being a general of the Imperial Army. Just after the Soviet army counterattacked the entire attack, he immediately ordered the entire army to retreat, and he did not break contact with the Soviet army. Among the current army generals, there is no How many people can do it!" Putting down the telegram, Prince Zairen said with great emotion, "This command is enough to be included in the teaching materials of the Imperial Army University, so that those young officers who only rely on blood and courage can experience it well. , What is the art of conducting!" He deepened his evaluation.

Major General Yamada was shocked. With Prince Zairen's current status and power, it is rare to give such a high praise to a theater commander. Especially, the other party is an important leader of a hostile faction. Could it be that His Royal Highness meant that. . . . . . ?

"Commander-in-Chief, the Ministry considers that this is the highest praise for General Nanjiro himself and all the officers and men of the Kwantung Army. It should be included in the call back, adding what you just said, and whether the headquarters is paying attention to the Kwantung Army. Give appropriate guidance for the next move?" Major General Yamada keenly grasped the key points, His Royal Highness is embarrassed to say these words, and if they want to reach the ears of General Nanjiro, he has to do it himself!

Prince Zairen raised his eyebrows, and in his eyes, he couldn't hide his appreciation, "He is indeed a considerate guy. With him by his side, many things are much easier for me!" He secretly admired and thought, "No , Mr. Yamada, there is no need for our headquarters to interfere with the specific campaign command of the Kwantung Army, General Nanjiro handled it better than we expected!" But he also rejected Major General Yamada's other proposal.

Chief of Staff Zhao Yu and Major General Zhao Yu and the Major General of Delun in the southern part of Outer Mongolia handed over a piece of information to Tang Qiuli, saying, "Master, the information from the Intelligence Office is that at dawn today, the Kwantung Army is heading towards the Far East of the Soviet Union. The front army launched a full-line offensive and the battle was very fierce. It is said that the two sides fought hand-to-hand for a long time!"

Tang Qiuli took the telegram, glanced at it briefly, and said, "Last time, according to the information provided by the intelligence office, the person commanding all the Japanese troops in the Far East is Prince Zairen, the chief of the general staff of the Japanese army headquarters!"

Zhao Yuhe nodded, and replied, "Yes, division commander. His latest title is Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Army's Far East Campaign, unified command of the Kwantung Army, Japan's Far East Dispatched Force, and the North Korean Garrison!"

Tang Qiuli was thoughtful, "Zairen is a very strategic senior general of the Japanese army. For example, this time, the big trap he designed for Zhukov's troops was perfect. Didn't we all get used by him? , since the Kwantung Army dared to launch a full-line attack, it means that Zairen is going to close the net, and tell the intelligence office to pay more attention to this person, he will be a strong opponent for us to regain the Northeast!"

After a pause, Tang Qiuli suddenly asked, "Yuhe, do you have any other information?" he asked.

"Yes, the East Finger reconnaissance team discovered that the Japanese Far East Front Army and the North Korean Garrison troops dispatched light infantry units at the same time to take shortcuts to the Far East battlefield, with a strength of about 50 troops. , all within 150 kilometers of the Far East battlefield!" Zhao Yuhe replied precisely.

Tang Qiuli sighed, "In this way, Zairen's big net is seamless. Zhukov is in trouble. Later, the Guandong Army will be entangled endlessly, and the front will be blocked by light troops. It only needs to block the retreating Soviet army for a day or so. The main force of the Japanese army's outflanking troops will arrive soon, Zai Ren's move is very subtle, isn't it?"

However, apart from admiring Tang Qiuli, he still asked himself in doubt: "Could it be that, with Zhukov's rich command experience, he didn't realize this huge danger?"

(to be continued) (to be continued..)