On the morning of the 23rd, Ge Zhennan sent a telegram of good news to the Metropolitan Governor Xiao Xuguang and asked for instructions to occupy Chita. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

Xiao Xuguang considered that the officers and soldiers of Shuangchengzi and Vladivostok had been besieged, Xia Yuzheng was leading the troops to advance towards Boli, and only the Russian army in Chita was still at large, so he agreed to his application, and asked him to annihilate the surrounding Russian army, leaving the garrison and a brigade of mercenaries, responsible for maintaining the situation around Hailanpao, and capturing and guarding the captured civilians, and the rest of the army to eliminate the Chita defenders; and sent the 3rd Army and 1 newly formed mercenary brigade to Manchuria by train, under the unified command of Ge Zhennan.

After receiving a telegram from Governor Xiao Xuguang, General Ge Zhennan led the headquarters and Ji Jinchun Division to cross the Heilongjiang River to the north bank to join the large army, and immediately held a combat meeting, and Wu Junsheng was also taken to the west bank.

Hailan Pao was burned by fire, and the troops could only camp in the open space outside the city, all living in tents, but fortunately, the climate was not cold in this season.

Ge Zhennan looked at the report and said happily: "Everyone performed very well in this battle, whether it was the coordination of infantry and artillery or the cooperation with the airship, the war was very smooth, and the battle damage was very low, I am very happy, so that everyone does not have to wait for additional soldiers, and can go directly to the new battlefield." “

As soon as they heard that there was going to be a war, everyone was happier than being praised, and they all looked at Ge Zhennan eagerly, looking at everyone's anxious expressions, he continued: "I applied to the Governor of the Metropolitan for the task of occupying Chita, and then we will march to Chita. “

Feng Linge asked: "Chief of Staff, we are more than 3,000 miles away from Chita, how can we get there?" “

Ge Zhennan said with a smile: "I haven't finished talking yet, what are you anxious about?" “

"I can't help but be in a hurry, the Hailan Pao Railway Station and the locomotives and carriages that stop are all destroyed, if you go to Chita on foot, it will take at least 1 month, and when the troops arrive there, the enemy will be ready." Feng Linge said.

Ge Zhennan said: "Commander Feng, it's a pity that your army doesn't have to go on a long journey, according to the opinion of the Grand Duke, your army is stationed in Hailan Pao, and arrests the surrounding Russians, young unmarried women as the daughters-in-law of officers and soldiers, and others as free labor, immediately repair railways, houses, etc., otherwise you will spend the winter in tents." ”

Feng Linge said disappointedly: "Yes, Chief of Staff!" ”

"Haha, you can't blame me for this, this is the opinion of the Grand Duke."

"I understand, Chief of Staff! I'll take care of Hailan Bubbles! ”

"Not only to protect Hailan Bubble, but also to organize the Russians to rebuild this place, the ammunition and other baggage needed for the Chita front line will not be sent by train until you repair the railway, your task is very arduous."

"Yes, Chief of Staff, guarantee to complete the mission!"

The railway system of the Lelang Peninsula was already connected with the railways of the three eastern provinces of the Chinese Empire and the Russian Far Eastern Railway, and the gauge was chosen to the same standard as that of Russia in consideration of strategic needs.

Ge Zhennan pointed to the map and continued: "The military headquarters and the Jijin Chun division are stationed in Hailanpao, Sun Liechen's cavalry division is temporarily under the jurisdiction of the 2nd garrison army after returning, Wu Junsheng's division is stationed in Birobidzhan, and Du Li's 3rd division is stationed in Magdagachi, your army must ensure that the railway line within this range is unimpeded." ”

"Yes, Chief of Staff!"

"According to the order of the Grand Governor, I will lead 5 brigades of mercenaries west to occupy Chita, rest for the night, and set off tomorrow morning."

"Yes, Chief of Staff!" The five brigade commanders replied happily.

Okamura Ninji asked in a cautious tone: "Chief of Staff, the Russian army from the west of Hailan Pao must know that this place is occupied, they will definitely destroy the railway along the way and retreat in the direction of Chita, the garrison of Chita will use this time to gather troops outside the city or recruit troops, I estimate that the defenders of Chita will definitely be more than 1 times more than Hailan Pao by then, and they have plenty of time to build fortifications and fortresses, is the strength of our 5 brigades a little too small?" “

Ge Zhennan explained: "The Metropolitan Governor has been arranged, he has sent the mercenaries of the 3rd Army and a brigade in the theater to the north by train, directly to Manchuria, we will join them in Chita, and then we will have 160,000 troops, and the Russian army will not gather more than 200,000 troops." We marched slowly, but there were cavalry in front of us to clear the way, and I believe that the damage to the railway will not be very large, and if it does, it will be repaired by the Russians captured by the officers and men of the 2nd garrison. Do you still have any questions? “

The commander of the Muraoka Chotaro Brigade asked: "Chief of Staff, it will take us more than one month in Chita, and by the time we arrive, it should be a cold winter with heavy snowfall, and before that, how will we supply our cotton clothes and so on?" How to guarantee logistics materials such as cotton tents? “

Major General Muraoka Chotaro served as a staff officer of the Second Division during the Russo-Japanese War, and served as an instructor at the Japanese Army University after the war.

Ge Zhennan was quite satisfied with the question raised by Muraoka Chotaro, which showed that he was indeed an excellent staff officer, and after glancing at him approvingly, he said: "Commander of the Muraoka Brigade, there are three plans in the theater, the first plan is to use the railway to transport supplies after the occupation of the Trans-Siberian Railway; If the first option cannot be achieved, the Dongqing Railway will be used to transport supplies to the station between Chita and Manchuria; If none of the above two items can be satisfied, you can only use airships to deliver supplies; Please rest assured, the empire will not joke with the lives of officers and soldiers, and if even the most basic material support cannot be achieved, then how can the troops be required to have sufficient combat effectiveness? “

Muraoka Chotaro was satisfied with Chief of Staff Katsura's explanation, smiled and did not continue to ask. The Xia Empire is indeed as he said, it has always been very protective of mercenary officers and soldiers, and the material replenishment is very timely, and the battle damage is controlled as much as possible in the war, so as to avoid unnecessary sacrifices by officers and soldiers, and they are not treated as cannon fodder.

Seeing that everyone didn't ask any questions, Feng Linge asked: "Chief of Staff, in order to reduce battle losses and avoid the Russian army's desperate resistance, so I accepted the surrender of the Russian army, among which the injured have been used by mercenary recruits to practice fighting bayonets, and those who are in good health are now being held in a centralized manner, what should I do next?" “

"I have seen from your reports that you are doing a good job; Now that they have surrendered, let's use it as free labor, and it will take a lot of labor to rebuild Hailan Bubble. “

Feng Linge said: "Yes, Chief of Staff, in addition, whether to send a telegram to Sun Liechen and ask him to chase you, I am worried that your cavalry strength is insufficient, our army is stationed in Hailanpao, and it is enough to have a cavalry regiment." “

Ge Zhennan thought about it for a while and said, "Okay, I'll send them a telegram in a while!" “