After the reorganization was completed, the Soviet Army assembled the 1st Army (more than 60,000 people, under the jurisdiction of 3 infantry divisions, namely the 57th, 82nd, and 152nd Divisions) and the 36th Motorized Division, the 5th Mechanized Brigade, the 7th, 8th, and 9th Armored Brigades, the 6th, 7th, and 11th Tank Brigades, the 212th Airborne Brigade, the 5th Machine Gun Brigade, the 185th Artillery Regiment, the 37th and 85th Anti-Tank Gun Battalions, the 63rd, 66th, and 150th Air Defense Battalions and other units (the 6th Outer Mongolian Cavalry Division, the 8th Cavalry Division and other units were attached). With a total of more than 100,000 mechanized troops, it was decided to launch a general offensive.

The General Staff of the Soviet Army decided on the time of the general offensive on Sunday, August 20, because according to custom, half of the officers of the Japanese forward units were to take turns to go to Hailar for leave. The order to attack was conveyed to the first-line companies at 2:45 a.m. on the 20th, and the Japanese positions on the opposite side were silent, and the Soviet counteroffensive achieved the greatest suddenness.

In the early morning of October 20, the Soviet-Mongolian army launched a general offensive campaign. With 3 infantry divisions, 2 cavalry divisions, 5 armored brigades, 1 machine gun brigade, 1 airborne brigade, and a large number of aircraft and artillery, the Soviet-Mongolian army began a large-scale counteroffensive.

Although the Japanese army did not have a single tank, it was heavily bombarded by thousands of tons of Soviet artillery shells, and it was also surrounded by Soviet armored units, but the Japanese army was not afraid and bravely fought fiercely with the Soviet army on the position.

The civil fortifications they had built in the Mongolian wilderness were flattened by Soviet artillery, and they relied on simple individual bunkers dug by individual sappers and shovels.

On October 24, the Japanese army even launched a counterattack, 3,000 Japanese infantry without artillery cover were stopped in front of barbed wire, field fortifications and artillery, and then the Soviet tanks began to attack, and the Japanese army fought against the torrent of steel obtained by the Soviet army with flesh and blood, and was quickly defeated.

By October 26, the Japanese 23rd Division had been completely encircled, and the Japanese suffered heavy losses under the heavy bombardment of Soviet heavy artillery, tank groups, and aerial bombs.

In this battle, the Soviet army inflicted heavy losses on the 23rd Division of the Japanese Army, the 1st Brigade of the 26th Wing of the 7th Division, the 64th Wing of the Japanese Army and the 13th Artillery Wing were annihilated by most of the Soviet Army, the commander of the 64th Wing, Takemitsu Yamayama and the commander of the 13th Artillery Wing, Ise Takahide Osa, were both killed, and the commander of the 71st Wing of the 23rd Division was also killed, and all the only 22 cannons of the Japanese army were lost.

On October 31, 11 days after being bombarded by tens of thousands of tons of shells, the Japanese 23rd Division, which had run out of ammunition and food, decided to break through. More than 2,000 soldiers of the 23rd Division used grenades to fight their way out of the encirclement, and the Japanese units also broke through.

On October 29, in view of the unfavorable situation of the Japanese army in the Nomenkan area, the Japanese base camp decided to mobilize from the Kannai battlefield: the 5th Division, the 14th Division, the 9th and 10th Wings of the Field Heavy Artillery, 9 squadrons of rapid-fire artillery, 16 field anti-aircraft artillery squadrons, 1 flying squadron, and 22 automobile squadrons arrived at the border to prepare to strengthen the Nomenkhan area.

At the same time, the Kwantung Army Headquarters mobilized 10,000 men of the 2nd Division, 9,800 men of the 4th Division, 8,000 men of the 7th Division, anti-aircraft artillery units and the main force of the border garrison to advance to Nomenhan in an attempt to defeat the Soviet army, but was stopped by the base camp on September 3 before the offensive was launched.

On November 9, the Japanese ambassador to the Soviet Union made a request to the Soviet Union for an armistice at Nomenkan.

On 16 November, Japan sent a delegation led by War Minister Hashimoto to Moscow to sign an armistice.

Perhaps the Soviet Union did not want to entangle with Japan too much, and as the victorious power in the stopover agreement, they unexpectedly did not put forward any harsh conditions to embarrass Japan, but only put forward the normal demands of border demarcation and the exchange of prisoners of war.

This heavy blow really frightened the Japanese top brass, and they hurriedly adjusted their strategic direction, changed the "northward expansion plan" to the "southward expansion plan," set their sights on Southeast Asia, and started the idea of British and American colonies.

Although the Japanese base camp adjusted its strategic direction and planned not to provoke the Soviet Union again, they thought about it again, if I don't provoke the Soviet Union, it is difficult to ensure that the Soviet Union will not provoke me, and what if the Soviet Union takes advantage of our southward expansion to engage in Southeast Asia, it also makes a "southward expansion plan" and angrily stabs us chrysanthemums?

After thinking about it, the base camp felt that its Kwantung Army was unreliable, so it had to set its sights on the international community, intending to seek support in the international arena.

Looking left and right, they fell in love with Germany, which was just as bad as the Soviet Union, and Germany had a precedent for cooperating with them.

So, on Christmas Day 1938, a month after Japan finished adjusting its strategy, they planned to send their new ambassador to Germany, Hiroshi Oshima, to visit Lyon's home and test Lyon's attitude towards an alliance with Japan.

Christmas Day, December 25, 1938, Berlin, Germany, Führer Manor.

Christmas is one of the few holidays that Lyon has to rest, and he is currently basking in the sun with Sofia, who is pregnant for October.

Yes, Sophia is pregnant, and Leon is about to have a child of her own.

"Honey." Leon looked at Sophia's bulging belly, his face full of excitement that couldn't be concealed, "You say, what should you name the child after he is born?" ”

"Hehe, you are the father of the child, of course you will pick the name." Sophia replied with a smile.

Leon blushed and thought hard, when suddenly, he had a flash of inspiration: "It's better to call ......"

Before he could speak, however, he was interrupted by a voice from under the villa.

"My Führer! Japanese Ambassador Hiroshi Oshima asks to see him outside the manor! ”

"God!" Leon slapped his face when he heard this.

"Call God? I'm afraid that's not good. Sophia quipped, "Okay, you go get busy, I'll take the baby to bask in the sun by myself." ”

"Let him in." Leon stood up with a pained face on his face and said to the officer downstairs.

"I hate the Japanese, they have to come and bother me on my rare vacation." Leon looked at the officer who had taken the order, kissed Sophia on the forehead, and then muttered as he walked towards the living room.

It didn't take long for Hiroshi Oshima, the Japanese ambassador to Germany, to walk into the villa in Lyon with two boxes of things.

"Mr. Leon, I beg your pardon for taking the liberty of inferring." Hiroshi Oshima nodded and walked towards Leon as he spoke to Leon in fluent German.

"Don't bother." Leon shook hands with Hiroshi Oshima and said playfully, "I wonder why Mr. Hiroshi Oshima suddenly came to visit today?" ”

Hiroshi Oshima picked up the two boxes that had just been placed on the ground because of his handshake with Leon, handed them to Leon with a flattering expression, and said, "I heard that Madame is pregnant, so I specially brought a little gift to congratulate me. Here, I would like to congratulate Mr. Lyon in advance on the success of your son! ”

The so-called stretching out his hand and not hitting the smiling face, although Leon doesn't like the Japanese from the bottom of his heart, but since people came to the door to express their congratulations, then he can't help but give people a good face.

Leon pointed to the inside of the room and replied with a smile, "Thank you, Mr. Hiroshi Oshima, for your kindness, let's go in and talk!" ”