Chita has fallen! The squadron, which had guaranteed to hold out for three days, abandoned its positions and cities less than 12 hours after the main force of the Japanese army retreated, and the backs of more than 200,000 Japanese troops fled eastward!

This news fell like a thunderbolt out of thin air and smashed into the headquarters of the Japanese Simberian Dispatch Army, which had retreated to Zabaikalsk, and almost all the commanders and staff officers of the headquarters were stunned. Some staff officers just sat there in a daze, not even knowing how to answer the phone when it rang. The Japanese Young Zhuang officers, who had never looked at people with a straight eye, were now all like deflated balls, staring at them and not believing what had happened in this short period of time.

Victory in the war seemed to slip away from the Japanese at once, no, not only victory. Instead, the entire 286th Great Encirclement Nine looks like a victory, and the dispatch army has fallen into a crisis of being wiped out! Now more than 200,000 Japanese troops are on the railway line from Chita to Manchuria. Most of the baggage and heavy weapons had already been transported by train to Manchuria, while the infantry had retreated on foot, and they were probably only less than half a day's lead in the Russian Red Army, and if they ran a little slower, they could be overtaken! And in front of them, beyond Manchuria, was the area controlled by the Soviet-Mongolian coalition forces. According to intelligence, the railway line there is estimated to have been completely destroyed, and at least 50,000 enemy troops are digging trenches and building fortifications in the steppe east of Manchuria, cutting off the eastward retreat of the Japanese army. Although it may not be too difficult to repel them and open the way to Hailar with the strength of the army sent by Simberia, it will take several days, during this time. The main forces of the Red Army, which were pressing from the direction of Chita, would catch up with the Japanese and constantly strike at their rearguard units, and possibly even encircle them in Manchuria!

What's even more troublesome is that the supplies in the hands of the dispatched army that have been cut off from the back route are strictly insufficient! Originally, the supplies brought out from Chita allowed more than 200,000 Japanese troops to sustain the battle for five days at most, and then Baikalsk and the 286th Siege of Manchukuo looked like two more small military stations in Shengli Island. The supplies stored there would be at most for the Japanese army to last for another four to five days. In other words, in ten to twelve days, the more than 200,000 main forces of the Simberian Dispatch Army will be in a predicament of running out of ammunition and food, and all that awaits them is the annihilation of the entire army

If they want to escape the bad luck of annihilation, there are only two ways: one is to make a bloody way to break through the Soviet-Mongolian army blocking line east of Manchuria and flee to Hailar before the Red Army pursuers surround them. The second is to hold on to Manchuria and wait for help, and hand over their fate to their Chinese allies!

Now 300,000 Chinese defense troops are moving along the railway line in Manchuria towards the western front of Heilongjiang. Manchuria originally had 120,000 Northeast Army, and the total strength of the two combined was as high as more than 400,000! Moreover, Chang Ruiqing, chairman of China's Military Commission, had already proposed to the Japanese side a plan for the battle of Manchuria. The plan required the Japanese army to send the main force of the army to retreat to Manchuria and hold out for ten to twelve days. The squadron guaranteed to open the line from Hailar to Manchuria during this period of time, and put at least five armies of the national defense army into the Manchuria battlefield. With the superior strength of 500,000 Sino-Japanese allied troops, the maximum of 300,000 Soviet Russian Red Army was defeated. Thus turning the tide of the war in one fell swoop.

There is no doubt about the merits of these two proposals, and the former is at most to preserve some of the vitality of the Japanese Army. The latter, on the other hand, was able to turn defeat into victory, forcing Russia to sign an unfavorable peace treaty, even if it could not recapture the entire Cimbellian Republic, allowing Japan to occupy as much Russian territory in the Far East as possible. However, this solution is not without some risks. The main risk of this plan is the reliability of China as an ally. This time the Japanese army fell into this field, it seems that it was all due to the mistakes of the Chinese! And now, can the Japanese empire trust their Chinese friends again?

So in a corner of the headquarters, there was a fierce quarrel.

"The Imperial Army can't pin its hopes on the Shina people! The defeat suffered by the imperial army was due to the belief in the Shina people. Now the only thing that can save the sending army is the fearlessness and bravery of the officers and men of the Imperial Army. It was supposed to hold Trans-Baikalsk with one section to stop the Red Army from pursuing, and with the main force to storm the Soviet-Mongolian line east of Manchuria. Kill a bloody road"

The speaker was Major General Muto Nobuyoshi, chief of staff of the Xianbeilian Dispatch Army, who was the head of the Young Zhuang faction officers in the dispatch army. Of course, it is also a fierce main battle faction. However, now it seems that he has completely lost confidence in winning this war, and his mind is full of thoughts of preserving a little more vitality for Japan and the Imperial Army.

"Then the empire will lose the war!" Several voices thought at the same time, and the people who spoke were all staff officers of the Shaozhuang faction of the Dispatch Army Headquarters, and they originally regarded Muto Nobuyoshi as the leader, but now they spoke in a very fierce tone and their attitude was unceremoniously.

"Now the main force of the dispatch army is still there, and the supplies are enough to last ten to twelve days of fierce fighting. After more than a month of offensive operations, the Russian Red Army has suffered extremely heavy losses and its combat effectiveness has been greatly weakened. Moreover, the western front of Soviet Russia was also very tight, and they would definitely be in a hurry to end the war on the eastern front. If we concentrate our main forces on the defensive near Manchuria, the Red Army will definitely attack regardless of losses, they will shed blood in the offensive and exhaust their combat strength, as long as we can hold out to the Chinese army, we will definitely be able to win, and then the empire will win a qiē! ”

"What if the people don't come? Or maybe they can't win even when they come? ”

"The Chinese will definitely come, because Manchuria is already Chinese land, and if they don't defeat Soviet Russia here, then Soviet Russia will soon invade Manchuria!"

"But the main force of the Chinese defense forces has only just departed from the Beijing-Tianjin area, and it will be difficult for them to reach Hailar in ten days, and even if they do, it will take time for the army to spread out and advance into Manchuria. Moreover, there are still 100,000 Soviet-Mongolian troops on the steppe east of Manchuria, and without three or five days of fierce fighting, it is impossible for the Chinese to defeat them! In this way, the dispatched army must hold out in Manchuria for more than fifteen days, or even twenty days, and we don't have so many supplies! It is impossible to fight without enough supplies, and if the main force of the sending army is lost, then we will really lose a qiē! ”

"This is just the most pessimistic estimate! If we had used this idea to estimate the Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War, we would not have the empire we are today! At present, the dispatch army has only supplies to last ten days and at most twelve days of fierce fighting. And the supplies in the hands of the Soviet Russian Red Army are unlimited? Their country is in ruins, and the west is facing a Polish invasion, and even the logistics line is several times longer than ours! Maybe the supplies in their hands are not enough to sustain the needs of ten days of battle! ”

"That's gambling! It's gambling with the national fortunes of the empire! If the bet is lost, the empire will not be able to keep even the Far Eastern states! ”

"Every step of the rise of empires is a gamble! The Sino-Japanese War was gambling. The Russo-Japanese War is also a gamble, and this time it must be gambled to the end! And at most, the loss of this gamble is the lives of more than 200,000 soldiers of the dispatched army, and it will not be the Kanto Prefecture and the empire. Because our sacrifice will not be worthless, at least 300,000 Soviet Russian Red Army will be buried with it, and then the remaining Red Army will decide that it will not be the opponent of the Chinese, they will avenge us! As long as they defeat the Red Army, the empire will be able to continue to have the Kwantung state! ”

Prince Zaihito sat there, staring at the skinny and slender man who was arguing loudly with Muto Nobuyoshi. Wearing a pair of small round glasses, the eyes behind the lenses are constantly shining with fine light. He remembered that the man's name was Nagata Tetsuyama, and he was recognized as one of the geniuses in the Japanese Army, and he was very prestigious among the officers of the Young Zhuang faction. However, his previous views were against Japan's control of the Republic of Zì and the war with Soviet Russia. He is a rare "anti-war person" in the Japanese Army. I didn't expect that now he is fiercely advocating fighting with Soviet Russia, and the net is broken!

Kanyuan Gong coughed lightly, and finally interrupted the debate: "Nagata-kun, right? You seem to trust the Shina man, huh? ”

"Your Highness, the lower officials have never trusted the Chinese, and they do not approve of the empire allowing the Chinese National Government to unify the country!"

"Then why do you advocate sacrificing the army to win victory for China? Aren't you worried that after the victory, China will reach into the Far East? ”

Nagata Tetsuyama took two steps forward and stood in front of Prince Zaihito of the Kanin Palace. Rong Se said calmly: "Xiaguan is not worried. Because the Far Eastern State is the biggest obstacle for the empire and Soviet Russia to become friends, as long as the Far Eastern state is in the hands of the empire, the Chinese do not have to worry about Soviet Russia and the empire joining forces to pinch them! Moreover, after this war, which inflicted heavy losses on the Imperial Army, the Empire's continental policy would inevitably turn to the defensive, as the routes to the north and west were completely blocked. The only way the empire expanded was to the south. In this way, China will have more common interests with the United States. And the capital and technology of the latter are exactly what China needs to rise to become a world power! Based on the above reasons, Xia Guan believes. China will not take the Far Eastern states for itself, at least not until they become the world's leading powers!

Therefore, Xia Guan strongly proposed to send troops to defend Manchuria and start a decisive battle with the Soviet Russian Red Army! ”

Prince Zaihito of the Imperial Palace was silent for a long time, and finally nodded: "Send a telegram to the base camp and state the different opinions of Chief of Staff Muto and Staff Officer Nagata, and ask Tokyo to adjudicate!" However, before that, the dispatch army will take the decisive battle of Manchuria as the first option. At least 48 hours after the construction of the 3rd Division, Baikalsk will be accelerated, and the rest of the troops will speed up their southward movement, and the General Staff Office will also begin to prepare a plan for the decisive battle in Manchuria. Oh, and the Eastern Railway west of Manchuria must be destroyed as much as possible! ”

"This group of shameless Shina people, they have deceived the empire again and again, and the empire can no longer trust them, and Xiaguan Jian Yì adopted Major General Muto's plan and ordered Xianbeilian to send troops to break through the siege with all their strength and save the troops as much as possible!"

"The best way to save the troops now is to hold on to Manchuria! The 15 divisions of the Xianbeilian Dispatch Army are still roughly complete, with a total strength of more than 250,000 people, and there are still 10,000 squadrons in Manchuria, as well as fortifications built by the Chinese to rely on. It's okay to hold on for 10 to 15 days, it's much safer than running away! Moreover, the Chinese will certainly not miss this opportunity to reverse the defeat, and the empire can also transfer troops from the Far Eastern states to the Manchurian front through the Guò Eastern Railway. So that the final victory must belong to the Empire! ”

Prime Minister Hara worked hard to keep himself in good spirits so that he looked more like a wartime prime minister who could lead the Empire of Japan to victory in the war. However, his two military aides, War Minister Yoshiichi Tanaka and Chief of the Army Staff Headquarters Yusaku Uehara, did not look at him at all, but quarreled at the cabinet meeting on their own.

The Japanese Prime Minister snorted softly. The two army generals finally remembered that they were attending a cabinet meeting. Only then did he temporarily stop arguing and set his eyes on Yuan Kei, as if waiting for his verdict.

"Uchida-kun, have you made any progress on the diplomatic front?" Hara's first question was addressed to Japanese Foreign Minister Yasuya Uchida.

"Your Excellency the Prime Minister. Our ambassador to Germany has already been in contact with the Russian ambassador to Germany, Nikolayevich. The Russians were to recover all the Far Eastern states, but they could cease their support for the Korean rebellion and recognize the Empire's privileges in Manchuria."

Hara Kei turned his gaze to Tanaka and Uehara, and the two Japanese army generals finally reached an agreement this time, opposing in unison: "The Far Eastern State must not be handed over!" The army and the people will never agree! ”

"The Navy won't say yes either!" Admiral Minister Yuzaburo Kato also chimed in: "There are abundant oil resources on the island of Kata (Sakhalin) in the Far Eastern State, which is urgently needed by the Imperial Navy!" Moreover, the Far Eastern State is also very rich in coal and non-ferrous metal resources, which are necessary for the development of heavy industry in the empire, and must not be abandoned! ”

Yuan Jing frowned bitterly. It seems that it is unrealistic to make peace with Soviet Russia, otherwise the army and navy will jump out to oppose it, and their own government will have to fall immediately! He sighed and said with a wry smile: "Since you can't give up the Far East. Then we'll have to grit our teeth and fight it! Now that Simberia has sent troops to send two options, Tanaka-kun and Uehara-kun, which one do you think will bring victory to the empire? ”

"Of course it's Nagata's plan!" The two Japanese army generals did not disagree on this. However, Yusaku Uehara continued: "But this plan has a huge hidden danger, and it pins the hope of the victory of the imperial army on the Shina army!" It was very dangerous once China betrayed the empire again. If the main force of the Xianbeilian army in Manchuria is not saved, the essence of the imperial army will be completely cut off in Manchuria, and the empire will really lose the capital to gain a foothold on the East Asian continent! ”

Tanaka Yoshiichi retorted: "Once the army is exhausted, it can be rebuilt, and the loss of two or three hundred thousand people is nothing to the empire!" Better than losing the war, the result of losing good diplomatic contacts in the Far Eastern states is already clear. Soviet Russia would not allow the empire to occupy the Far Eastern states, so the empire had no possibility of peaceful coexistence with Soviet Russia! The Reich must defeat Soviet Russia. No matter what it takes! Even if it is played by the Chinese again! ”

After saying this, Tanaka Yoshiichi sat down in his chair in a daze. It seems that all of my energy has been exhausted all at once. Obviously, it was very difficult to make the decision to let the Japanese Army be cannon fodder to win the war for China, but the current shape has forced Japan to this part.

He had already calculated the Muto plan in his heart. It is impossible for the essence of the 200,000 Japanese troops who are fleeing in panic to return to the Far East in one piece! If they abandon Manchuria and do not defend it, under the interception and pursuit of the Soviet Russian Red Army, it will be considered lucky that a third of the troops can retreat across the Great Khing'an Mountains, and they will definitely lose all their heavy weapons and run back to the Far East almost empty-handed. However, the biggest loss is that these elites of the imperial army will lose their military soul forever! Even if they replenished their personnel and equipment, it would not be the invincible Imperial Japanese Army of the original, but an army suffering from Russophobia from top to bottom. With such an army, you will not be able to hold the Far Eastern State!

As for the decisive battle between China and Soviet Russia along the Middle East Road, Japan's wishful thinking of guarding the Far East and watching the tiger fight is not much likely to be realized in Tanaka's view.

Because there were not many serious conflicts between Soviet Russia and China, China had no territorial ambitions for Soviet Russia, and Soviet Russia also recognized China's sovereignty over Mongolia. The differences between the two countries are nothing more than the different views of China and Russia on what revisionism, how could Soviet Russia fight to the death with China for such an inconsequential matter, and finally cheapen Poland and Japan? After all, China's defense of Manchuria will certainly be fully supported by the British, American, and French powers, some of which have weapons and ammunition, and China has more cannon fodder! Therefore, the Soviet Russian attack on Manchuria was tentative at best, and if it could not win lightly, it would definitely choose to make peace with China. Then they transferred their main forces on the Eastern Front to fight the Japanese in the direction of the Far Eastern states.

(Note: A Japanese militarist would certainly not understand the tremendous destructive power of revisionism on the international communist movement.) ）

Prime Minister Hara Kei had already understood what the two Japanese army generals meant, and he turned his gaze to Uchida: "Uchida-kun, what do you think?" Can Chang Ruiqing be trusted? ”

Yasuya Uchida nodded slowly, and said thoughtfully, "You can believe it!" Because of the political situation in China, Chang Ruiqing needed a great victory to establish his prestige and consolidate his rule in China. Speaking of this, he sighed again: "But Xiaguan also believes that he will try his best to let the empire shed a little more blood, if we choose the battle of Manchuria, then the final outcome is likely to be the defeat of Japan and Russia, and China will win!" ”

"Two defeats?" Yuan Jing's eyebrows tightened: "Will the empire lose the Far Eastern State?" ”

Uchida shook his head affirmatively: "No! Chang Ruiqing would even support the expansion of the Empire's rights and interests in the Far East, and he needed the Empire to become the sworn enemy of Soviet Russia! ”

Yuan Jing smiled bitterly: "At least it looks like a victory!" Well, then let's fight! ”！！！