Age of Rebirth

According to the judgment of the battle situation, Prince Zairen believes that the time has come to close the net. Originally, it could have been more secure, allowing the Kwantung Army troops and the surprise soldiers on both wings to organize several strong offensives to further consume and exhaust the Soviet Far East. The strength of the front army, the fish in the net, and the strength to jump, after all, it takes more effort, and when it is exhausted, it will be much easier to catch. (The update speed is the fastest, remember this site to find this site)

However, the troops deployed by Tang Qiuli in the Soviet Outer Xing'an Mountains Front Army and Lake Baikal Front Army blocked the line from Chita to Irkutsk, causing unexpected changes in Prince Zairen's perfect plan. , and this kind of change made Prince Zairen feel uneasy, so he decided to close the net in advance, at least, more than a week earlier than expected.

After issuing combat orders to the Far East Front Army and the North Korean Garrison, Prince Zairen wrote a telegram by himself, and sent it to the Commander of the Far East Dispatch Army not through the radio station of the Far East Campaign Headquarters, but through the radio station carried by the prince's entourage. Lieutenant General Norigoro Ono and General Tanaka Shin, Commander of the North Korean Garrison, respectively sent a top-secret telegram about how to deal with the Soviet prisoners of war.

The total strength of the Far East Dispatched Army and the North Korean Garrison troops is far greater than that of the three Soviet armies, and they also adopted a surprise attack method. There must be many Soviet soldiers captured. Prince Zairen said in the telegram, There are only a few words, "The final stage of the Far East Campaign is about to be implemented. In order not to affect the general attack on the main force of the Soviet Far East Front Army, all Soviet prisoners of war captured during this campaign will be disposed of on the spot!"

The content of the telegram did not contain any bloody words literally, but it decided the life of the Soviet soldier who was about to be captured.Prince Zairen took it for granted that if there were too many captured Soviet soldiers, a large part of the energy of the two troops would be involved in guarding these Soviet prisoners of war. There were not enough manpower, and it would be a big trouble to keep these Soviet prisoners of war However, if there are too many people left, it is obviously not in line with the original intention of His Royal Highness to do his best to wipe out the Soviet Far East Front Army.

From the comparison of troops.The combined strength of the three troops of the Imperial Japanese Army did not exceed that of the Soviet Far East Front Army by much. That is to say, the strength of the Imperial Army did not occupy a decisive advantage, so why bother for some prisoners of war.And what about scattered forces?

On the other hand, Prince Zairen thinks.If there are too many Soviet prisoners of war.The supply of materials is also a big problem. The Japanese Empire has no surplus food to supply the Soviet prisoners of war. Then there is a once-and-for-all solution, which saves both manpower and food, which is the best of both worlds.Of course Prince Zairen will adopt it. As for the nonsense "Geneva Convention", go to hell, in the heart of His Royal Highness.Only own code of conduct.

After the order of Prince Zain was issued, the Japanese Far East Expeditionary Army and the North Korean Garrison, with more than one million troops, divided into three groups and pressed on the Soviet Far East Front Army No. However, these three Soviet Army Group Army units did not know anything about the upcoming battle, and they still carried out defensive battles in accordance with the orders of the Front Army Command.

On the evening of May 15th, the wind blowing from the direction of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk already had a slight hint of spring, and the weather was not as cold as the previous few days. With a faint smell of grass, the First Army Vanguard Division of the No.[-] Army of the Soviet Far East Front is rushing to the east bank of the Aldan River to build a position in accordance with the order of the Army Headquarters. [

On the undulating mountain grassland filled with the afterglow of the setting sun, the marching column of Soviet soldiers, like a thin black line, meanders towards the direction of the Aldan River, behind the front guard division of the First Army, about 15 kilometers away , is the main force of the First Army, and further on, it is the main force of the No.12 Army, about [-] troops.

The wind, there is a hint of warmth in the air, the fire burning clouds in the western sky, burning like flames, and as bright red as blood, leaving the battlefield in the Far East, which was full of gunfire, undoubtedly made the Soviet soldiers feel more relaxed. Blowing sharp whistles to the walking comrades, provoking the soldiers who were struggling on the road with two feet, a burst of vicious curses, from time to time, artillery carts dragging artillery, rumbling past, bringing smoke and dust all the way , shrouded the tired-looking Soviet soldiers in a choking dust!

Neither Zhukov nor General Asilov, the commander of the No.15 Army, knew exactly which direction the encircled Japanese troops were heading. Therefore, the No.15 Army’s defensive posture in battle could only be roughly based on Aldan’s The river is the boundary, and it unfolds along the east bank of the river.

On the east bank of the Aldan River, the four divisions of the Third Army of the Japanese Far East Expedition Army have more than [-] troops. They are already here, and they are waiting. The Japanese army occupied the position on the east bank of the river more than a day earlier than the Soviet army. On the shallow hills and the plain between the two mountains, there are very ingenious fortifications, firepower points, communication trenches, shelters and artillery positions dug and hidden by Japanese soldiers everywhere.

The four division commanders under the Third Army are full of opinions about such an arrangement of troops and the establishment of positions on the back of the river. The widest part of the Aldan River is only more than a hundred meters. However, the river is quite deep. Only in this way, the troops should be deployed on the west bank. All the equipment of the imperial army can cover the east bank of the river. Within fire range.

It is possible to make dangerous moves, but it is not necessary to give up the favorable terrain conditions that can be attacked and retreated. In case the Soviet army comes with more than two group armies and it is difficult to resist, can it be that the third army has 10,000 troops? +Soldier, are you going to jump into the Aldan River?

In the previous combat meeting, the heads of the four divisions put forward their opinions to the commander of the army, Lieutenant General Haruhiko Taiichi, and expressed their clear opposition, "Your Excellency, Commander, we oppose your arrangement of troops in this way. We must consider that if The strength of the Soviet Army far exceeds ours. What should we do? Have you considered that more than 80.00% of the soldiers in our Third Army are new recruits on the battlefield for the first time. The line of defense, what if we can’t hold it?”

"Also, according to your order, only two divisions are left to meet the Soviet army in the front, and the other two divisions are to turn around on the left and right wings. This is even more dangerous. Can you ensure that only two divisions Can the strength of a division be able to stop a group army of the Soviet Army with a strength of 10,000+ people? An Aldan River can make the imperial army stand in an invincible position that can be attacked and defended. We are very happy I don't understand, the real intention of your Excellency Commander's deployment?"

It is no wonder that these four veteran division heads questioned Lieutenant General Haruhiko Taichi, the commander of the Third Army, in such an aggressive manner. They are all new recruits on the battlefield for the first time. Lieutenant General Haruhiko Taichi, the commander of the Third Army, has no experience in direct command of troops before. He was parachuted from the General Staff Headquarters. The field troops were transferred over and had very rich combat experience.

In their view, Commander Haruhiko, who is almost like a recruit, treats such a deployment of troops as a child's play, and does not take the lives of 10,000+ soldiers of the Third Army seriously. For the veteran divisions in the battle formation, such a problem does not exist at all. Even, they will move their positions forward tens of kilometers, or even do not need to build fortifications. Settle the fight.

However, the soldiers in their hands are nothing to worry about, so the commanders of several divisions have nothing to do with it. It is better to be on the safe side. The commanders of the four divisions do not want to slobber face-to-face with their superiors in the first battle of the third army. Although I look down on this rookie army commander, there is still a sense of superiority and inferiority. However, when it comes to the safety of the 10,000+ soldiers of the third army, it is necessary to argue with the commander.

The task of the Third Army is to enter the line of the Aldan River according to the order of the dispatched army headquarters, and block the troops of a group army of the Soviet Army coming in this direction. As long as the Soviet Army does not cross the Aldan River, the task will be considered complete. As for The encirclement and annihilation of the Soviet army will be carried out by another army of the dispatched army. Probably, the headquarters of the dispatched army also considered that the third army is purely a newly formed army, with many recruits, and its combat effectiveness ranks last among the dispatched troops in the Far East.

Therefore, the opinions of the four division heads should be correct. Building a position on the west bank of the river is enough to prevent the Soviet army from taking a step forward, and it can also ensure that the position will not be attacked by the Soviet army. Breakthrough, a river with a width of more than [-] meters is a natural barrier, but the commander wants to make a moth, isn't this self-sufficient and looking for trouble?

The four veteran division commanders spoke one after another, their attitudes became more and more excited, and the reasoning was listed one by one, well-founded, and combined with the reality of their own command operations, they demonstrated the danger of such a deployment. In the final analysis, one sentence, Your Excellency the Commander's deployment of troops on the east bank of the Aldan River is an extreme risk. Of course, there are some subtexts, probably to save some face for Your Excellency the Commander, and not to embarrass Your Excellency the Lieutenant General too much, so he did not say it.

However, the contempt in words and expressions could be seen by all the military officers attending the meeting, and they couldn't help but secretly glanced at Lieutenant General Haruhiko Taichi. The Lieutenant General was wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and his face was thin. Fair and fair, if it weren't for the straight collar badge of the general's uniform, the two gold stars shone brightly, almost making people mistakenly believe that Lieutenant General Haruyan, who commanded more than [-] troops, was a university professor. [

When the heads of the four divisions under him expressed their opinions impassionedly, His Excellency the Commander remained calm and could not see any emotional changes. However, the officers closest to him seemed to see that His Excellency the Commander A few traces of coldness flickered in the eyes.

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