On the morning of May 21, Manturov took the train of the 11th Tank Brigade and came to Bayantumen (in 1941 it was named Choibalshan City: Чойбалсан_хот). Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

The town is not large, with a population of only five figures, even less than the Soviet troops stationed there, but it is the most important economic center in eastern Outer Mongolia, and it is the only town in the entire Mongolian People's Republic with a railway except Ulaanbaatar, and it is the only town with a railway to foreign countries.

Not long ago, the 57th Special Army and its 36th Motorized Rifle Division, under the command of Lieutenant General Fekarenko, had reached Tamchagbulak, 125 kilometers from Nomenkhan, and stationed there, but the headquarters was still not established in the local area, and it would take another day.

At this time, Soviet planes had already begun to assemble in the display area, and reconnaissance planes began to conduct frequent reconnaissance of the Nomenkhamp area.

And according to Manturov's memory, the next battle should not take place until a few days later, May 28. At that time, it was only May 21, and after three days of travel, he decided to rest for a day at Bayantumen, and wait for the headquarters to be established the next day, and then rush to the front line to take up his post.

One by one, the tanks were unloaded from the trains, and one by one the soldiers mounted the trucks and headed for the Nomenheim area as fast as they could.

The next morning, he got into a troop truck and headed for Tamchagbulak.

The truck traveled at a speed of 40-50 kilometers per hour and took 7 hours to reach the location of the command.

During the six-hour drive, Manturov spent most of his time sleeping, looking at the scenery when he couldn't sleep.

But the scenery of the Mongolian steppe is the same no matter how you look at it, everywhere you can only see a large expanse of grassland, and in some places there is not even grass, it is a desert where no grass grows.

When animals come, there may be some things to see, especially on the grassland, the scene of horses galloping is really unforgettable. But when no animals came, the steppe was so bare, there was nothing, and the more I looked at it, the more I wanted to sleep, and even Manturov, who had always had difficulty sleeping, was hypnotized by the same scenery of the steppe.

………………

"Comrade Military Commissar, we have arrived." Manturov was woken up in his sleep by a man in a second lieutenant's uniform.

He rubbed his eyes and said sleepily, "Arrived?" What time is it now? ”

The officer looked at his watch, then at the direction of the sun, and said: "It's five o'clock in the afternoon, and Comrade Fekarenko wants to look for you." ”

Manturov picked up his glasses, patted the dust on his suit, and said, "Okay, take me there." ”

"Yes!"

Manturov got out of the car and scanned his surroundings, only to see that the neighborhood was covered with camps of all sizes, including a few yurts.

Next to some of the camp tents, a T-26 tank was also parked. At that time, although the Soviet army only had a four-digit strength in the Nomenkhand area, these were mechanized troops, and their combat effectiveness was much more powerful than that of the infantry-based devils.

Led by the second lieutenant, Manturov walked into a humble tent, which was the temporary headquarters of the 57th Special Army.

On the "wall" of the camp hangs a large map of the Haraha region. In front of the map stands a man dressed in the uniform of a commander of the Soviet Red Army, the commander of the 57th Special Army, Nikolai Fekarenko.

"Comrade Fekarenko, how is the situation on the battlefield now?" As soon as Manturov came in, he asked the army commander about the situation on the battlefield.

Fikalenko pointed to the map and said: "The Japanese army has already gathered some troops on the east bank of the Haraha River, and it is estimated that the number of troops is not too much, it should be only about 1,000 people." All the troops were in Manchuria, and for the time being there was no sign of attack. ”

"So, what do you think is their strategic intent?" Manturov asked the tentative question. Although he knew the true intention of the Japanese - that is, to occupy the Normenhan region and use it as a springboard for attacking the Soviet Union.

But from the memory of the 21st century, he knew that at the beginning of the war, the officers on the front line of the Soviet army did not understand the intentions of the devils and did not pay enough attention to this border conflict.

"I think it's an ordinary border conflict." "Before the start of the conflict, the comrades of the Mongolian People's Army crossed the Harakha River and entered the border of Manchukuo, so there was fighting," Fekarenko said. The Japanese army will send troops over to guard the border. ”

As Manturov expected, Fekarenko had no idea of the true strategic intentions of the Japanese at all. On that day, May 22, the devils had not yet crossed the "border" they had drawn on their own, had not penetrated deep into the territory of the Mongolian People's Republic, and so far there had been no invasive, offensive moves.

A few days earlier, after the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Army withdrew to the west bank, the Japanese army did not take advantage of the victory to pursue, and on May 17, the day Stalin ordered the Soviet troops to intervene, the Japanese Kwantung Army had withdrawn to Hailar (now ******** City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China).

In this case, it is normal for Fekarenko not to know the intentions of the devils, who not only seriously crossed the border, but also withdrew ********, which doesn't look like an invasion no matter how you look at it.

"Comrade Fekarenko, according to reliable intelligence, the real strategic intention of the Japanese army is to occupy the area of the Kharakha River and use it as a springboard to attack our country.

The Japanese Kwantung Army Command has placed 100 transport vehicles of the 10th Flying Reconnaissance Squadron, the 24th Hailar Flying Squadron, and the Kwantung Army Automobile Corps stationed in Qiqihar under the command and use of the 23rd Division. Tens of thousands of additional troops have been deployed in Inner Mongolia. ”

Fekalenko didn't believe what Manturov said at all, how could this scholar in a suit and glasses understand military affairs?

Moreover, this young boy in a suit, who was only the secretary of the Novosibirsk Oblast Party Committee before becoming political commissar, and had never held a position in the military or the Ministry of Internal Affairs, how could he know so much information about the Japanese army?

He wanted to refute Manturov, and even had the urge to teach others a lesson, but considering his status as a military commissar and his actual power was greater than his own, he could only ask in a polite tone: "Comrade Manturov, where did you get this information?" ”

That's when Manturov was faced with a difficult question. This information is actually extracted from his future memories, and if he tells the truth, not only will he reveal his identity as a time-traveler, but Fekarenko will not believe in these plots that can only be seen in science fiction novels.

There was no other choice but to lie, to make up a lie that was plausible and without any loopholes. As the saying goes, paper can't contain fire, but if that piece of paper is big enough and wrapped well enough to keep oxygen out at all, the fire inside will eventually go out due to lack of oxygen.

It's the same with lying, if the lie is deceitful enough and there is no loophole, it will not be exposed.

Moreover, in a few days, the devils will cross the Haraha River and attack, and then Manturov's lies will come true and convincing.

"I got it from a comrade in the underground party in China. Some of them infiltrated the puppet Manchukuo army and obtained reliable information. ”

Although the source of the intelligence was fabricated by Manturov, it can be confirmed that Stalin and Voroshilov also made a relatively accurate analysis of the situation on the border and found out the aggressive intentions of the Japanese imperialists. "Now Comrade Stalin, who is in Moscow, and Comrade Voroshilov, People's Commissar of Defense, are ready for war with the Japanese army.

The People's Commissar of Defense believes that this area is pregnant with serious military adventures, and in any case, things will not end so quickly. Otherwise, Comrade Stalin and Comrade People's Commissar of Defense would not have sent the 11th Tank Brigade and the 36th Motorized Rifle Division to this side. ”