The Japanese army headquarters in Mukden was still shrouded in tense and suffocating air. It should be said that Commander Okamura Ninji's determination and calmness played a role in stabilizing the morale of the military. "General, I just received a report from the brigade commander Takashima Ariyaki that the attack of the unit was frustrated because the artillery could not be put into operation in time. Due to the timely arrival of enemy reinforcements, especially the arrival of tanks by enemy troops, the Takashima brigade collapsed. The enemy's tanks suddenly plunged into the battlefield, its artillery wing was completely annihilated, and the enemy dared to launch a cross-airspace operation, which means that it has the ability to transport heavy equipment. ”

"It is not surprising that there are Americans as the backing, otherwise the enemy army would not have the capital to take a cross-airspace operation!" "General, Takaji Nakamura reported that the officers of the department were on vacation and could not effectively assemble troops to support the airfield, which caused the enemy to gain a firm foothold. At present, the 211th Division has been fully engaged in combat, but enemy reinforcements continue to arrive, and the attack is difficult to be effective. Nakamura is determined to live and die together in Harbin, fighting until he is a soldier. ”

"The enemy's target is a strategic point in Harbin, and the enemy cannot be allowed to succeed easily. Since it is impossible to recapture the airfield, it is necessary to find a way to paralyze the airfield and prevent the enemy from effectively airlifting reinforcements. Order all bombardment planes at Mudanjiang, Jilin, and Changchun airports to paralyze Majiagou airfields at any cost. "Okamura Ninji said that at any cost, the meaning is very clear: to organize suicide attacks. The chief of staff of the Japanese army knew this well and immediately asked an operational staff officer to issue an operational order.

"General, the 2nd Tank Division will arrive in Harbin at about noon tomorrow, and the 201st Division and the 211st Division will arrive in Harbin at dusk tomorrow at the earliest." "Order Nakamura Koji to hold on until noon tomorrow, and ensure that Harbin does not allow for mistakes. In addition, the northern border garrison troops were quickly concentrated in Jiamusi, and the eastern border garrison troops were concentrated in Mudanjiang, and the Manzhouli border garrison was ordered to concentrate in Qiqihar. "The chief of staff understood that Okamura Ninji's purpose was to completely abandon the border defense, in order to facilitate the entry of Soviet troops.

The Japanese army had a mixed division of the border garrison north of Jiamusi, two divisions of the first division on the Suifenhe line in the east, and two mixed divisions (mainly cavalry, including the 2nd Panzer Division) on the front line of Manchuria and Qiqihar. The total strength of the Japanese army north of Harbin was about 80,000, and Okamura Ninji quickly ordered the border garrison to shrink, with a very clear purpose, one of which was to concentrate superior forces and strive to destroy the enemy forces fighting across the airspace. Second, if the enemy forces cannot be destroyed, the troops on the northern front can retreat safely. Third, the border area was in a vacuum, which made it easy for Soviet troops to enter and muddy the waters.

It can be said that the enemy and the enemy are racing against time, preparing for a more brutal contest. At 2 o'clock in the morning, Mu Shixiong, commander of the special forces of the Eighth Route Army, led a special operations regiment to Majiagou Airport. "Commander Mu, the headquarters telegraphed to let you temporarily serve as the deputy commander-in-chief, this is a telegram, you can take a look!" As soon as they met, Liu Yalou handed over the telegram. At this time, the soldiers of the special operations regiment successively gathered orders on the side of the airport. Mu Shixiong read the telegram report: "The headquarters judged that the Japanese army would attack the airport without success, and a defensive system would soon be formed in the Harbin urban area. ”

"Commander-in-Chief Liu, don't hesitate, the special combat regiment must enter the city as soon as possible!" "I have no opinion! 20 guides are ready, and the main points of the urban area provided by the North Manchurian underground organization are indicated on the map, and the map is ready. "Captain Zhang!" "Here!" "Order the troops to be divided into 20 assault teams, and immediately follow the secret infiltration of the leading city, and the specific combat objectives are determined by yourself. Remember, tomorrow the attacking troops will break into the city so that your troops can launch an attack and cooperate with the attacking troops to quickly take Harbin City. ”

At about 3 o'clock in the morning, the special combat regiment was divided into 20 commando teams, and under the guidance of the guide, they used the cover of night to secretly infiltrate the urban area. After the special operations group set off, Liu Yalou said to Mu Shixiong: "At about 4 o'clock, the fourth batch of reinforcements arrived, which were reinforcements from the first brigade of the First Army, and in addition, 50 fighters came up to support them. Headquarters requires that all transport aircraft leave the airport by 6 o'clock. ”

"Commander-in-Chief Liu, I'm afraid it's a difficult point after dawn, how many tanks are currently being transported?" "There are 32 tanks, which were previously in battle, two tanks broke down, the others are intact." Liu Yalou continued: "At present, the Japanese army on the southern front, including the Japanese 237 brigade, has been cut off by the Japanese army in the urban area, and according to the information we have, there are about three wings of the Japanese army in Daoli and Daowai districts, including the Japanese military police unit in the city, with a strength of about 10,000 troops. The troops that our unit can put into the siege are, the 2nd Airborne Brigade and the 3rd Brigade. ”

"The 1st Brigade was temporarily used as a reserve due to excessive losses in airborne airfield operations and defensive battles. At 4 o'clock, the 1st Brigade of the 1st Army arrived, with a strength of about 4,000 troops, plus the 2nd Airborne Brigade and the Special Operations Regiment, with an offensive strength of about 8,500 people. "Before coming, Mr. Peng repeatedly explained that the Japanese army would definitely dispatch fighters to carry out air strikes after dawn, so air transportation must be temporarily stopped. It is indeed very difficult to use the existing forces to take the city. But we have a big advantage, the Japanese army could not have imagined, and our special operations regiment will play a decisive role! ”

"I estimate that before dawn, it is impossible for the Japanese army to form a perfect defensive system in the urban area, and time is the decisive factor." Mu Shixiong is full of confidence. "Commander Mu, I have considered an offensive plan, let's study it." "Report! Call from Peking! Mu Shixiong took the telegram and saw that it read: Liu, Mu! After dawn, it is necessary to pay close attention to the Japanese air raids. The Japanese army will definitely resort to a massive suicide attack, and the airfield will be devastated. In order to ensure the absolute safety of the airport, it is necessary to order the fighter jets to ensure the absolute safety of the airport at any cost, signature, Ouyang Jian! ”

"Suicide attack! Japanese kamikaze tactics! Liu Yalou lost his voice. Chief of General Staff Ouyang reminded in time that if the Japanese army loaded explosives on the plane and used a suicide attack, the airfield might be greatly damaged. "Commander Mu, I'll go to the fighter brigade to personally command, and I'll leave it to you here!" After Liu Yalou finished speaking, he put on a military coat and a cotton hat and walked out of the military tent. Mu Shixiong knew that it was very necessary for Liu Yalou to personally command the air battle, so he picked up the combat plan drawn up by Liu Yalou and carefully studied it.

At 4 o'clock in the morning, Meng Fei was awakened by the roar. He glanced at his watch and slept for less than two hours. Their heads were a little swollen, and seeing that the guards were still asleep, they were too tired from continuous fighting. Without alerting the guards, Meng Fei quietly walked out of the military tent and looked up at the sky, only to see the transport plane hovering in the air. A plane landed on the runway on the north side, and under the reflection of the bonfire, the small and delicate fuselage was as light as a swallow, and there was no doubt that it was a fighter.

Turning his gaze to the runway on the south side, he saw the heavy body of a transport plane, taxiing to the end of the runway and then turning to a halt. The door at the tail of the cabin slowly raised, and a group of soldiers quickly disembarked. The soldiers were dressed in overcoats and cotton hats, and the weapons in their hands and the steel helmets on their backs quietly shone dimly. The soldiers lined up, but the sound of the command was drowned out by the roar. There is no doubt that this was the last transport plane to arrive, and it was the officers and soldiers of the 1st Brigade who dismounted.

Meng Fei wandered outside the headquarters, very anxious in his heart. Soon, he saw Mu Shixiong and several generals returning from the airport and entering the tent, and he knew that this was Commander Mu and the generals of the 1st Brigade, studying the battle plan. At dawn, he was about to launch an attack on the city, Meng Fei was so anxious that he was unwilling to be a reserve. It took an hour to go back to the tent and scratch his ears and cheeks, and when there was another roar outside, Meng Fei knew that it was the movement of the plane taking off again.

"Report!" "Come in!" "Commander Mu!" Meng Fei raised his hand and saluted. "It's Brigadier Meng!" Mu Shixiong raised his head from the map, stepped forward and shook hands warmly: "You kid is not willing to be lonely, I know your thoughts, go back and wait for the order, I won't let you down." "Commander Xie Mu!" Meng Fei was overjoyed when he heard this. "Let your troops hurry up and rest!" Meng Fei's voice in reply was already outside the tent. Mu Shixiong looked at Meng Fei's back and smiled with satisfaction, and buried his head in the battle plan again.

On the north side of the airport, in a huge military tent, the iron stove in the middle of the open space was burning red, and the pilots were draped and sat on the military carpet. "Comrades!" Liu Yalou looked at everyone with a serious expression and continued: "After dawn, the Japanese army will launch a large-scale air raid on the airport, and our radio teams lurking at Mudanjiang Airport, Changchun Airport, and Jilin Airport have sent information that the Japanese bombers have entered a state of imminent battle. At that time, the radio team will give us a warning time, which everyone can rest assured. ”

"Since the Japanese bombers are all old-fashioned fighters, and the number of Japanese bombers at the airfield is three, it is very difficult to break through our air interception network. But if the Japanese army uses a suicide attack, it will be very difficult for us to guard against it. In order to ensure the absolute security of the airfield, the headquarters asked the fighter unit to prevent the Japanese suicide fighters from approaching the airfield at any cost. Do you understand? "Understood!" All the pilots replied loudly, full of battle pride.

"Comrades! It's 5:30 a.m., and I'm asking for 5:50 a.m., all the pilots to get into the cabin and stand by! Let's get started! Immediately the pilots rushed out of the tent and ran towards the fighters. Liu Yalou walked into another tent, and the operator was waiting in front of the radio station, ready to receive it at any time, and the atmosphere was extremely tense. A glimmer of dawn gradually appeared in the east, heralding a brutal battle.