On the battlefield of Outer Mongolia, the troops of the independent division and the Soviet army were inseparable, and in this case, the Soviet ambassador to China, Simba Pumiyan, actually sent a telegram, no wonder Colonel Chen Feng, director of the Communications Division, looked strange.

Tang Qiuli was not surprised, he knew that the time was almost over, Stalin should have the will to negotiate, although it was a last resort, he had to talk, this is also his own in the Far East, in the strategic layout, an extremely important link, forcing the Soviets to sit at the negotiating table, of course, the premise is that Stalin must come up with enough weight of bargaining chips.

Tang Qiuli took the telegram, "Your Excellency, Distinguished Vice Chairman Tang, I am Simba Pumiyan, the Soviet ambassador to China, and I have received instructions from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of our country to consult with Your Excellency on matters concerning negotiations, and Comrade Molotov, People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Government, will hold negotiations with Your Excellency as Comrade Stalin's special envoy, and the time and place of the negotiations will be determined by Your Excellency!" That's what telegram is all about.

"Molotov, an old acquaintance, I have dealt with him many times," Tang Qiuli couldn't help but think quite interestingly, with a mocking smile on the corner of his mouth, Stalin sent such a heavyweight, it can be seen that the mood of the negotiation is quite urgent, and he feels a little sick and rushed to the doctor.

Chief of Staff Zhao Yuhe and Chief of Communications Chen Feng couldn't help but glance at each other when they saw the division commander's very contented smile, and thought to themselves: "I'm afraid, the actions of the Soviets have long been expected by the division commander!" ”

"Division commander, how do we reply to the telegrams of the Soviets?" Chen Feng asked.

Tang Qiuli said without thinking: "Call back to the Soviet ambassador to China, just say that our side agrees to negotiate, and the place of negotiation is set in Kulun, time, two days later!" ”

And then. Tang Qiuli looked at Zhao Yuhe and said with a smile: "Yuhe, Stalin's envoy Molotov is an old and cunning guy, he will preside over the negotiations, and he will have to bargain with his tongue, so when Molotov arrives in Kulen, you can contact him first, and it is best to squeeze his water first." Directly take out the hole cards. ”

Zhao Yuhe's eyes rolled and replied: "Okay division commander, let me deal with this guy first, you mean, hang him for a few days." Let the Soviets rush to the fire, and then start formal negotiations? ”

Tang Qiuli laughed. Pointing at Zhao Yuhe, he said, "Yuhe." Sure enough, it's not simple, I know how to use a strategy, Director Chen, in the reply to the Soviet ambassador to China, add a clause, our negotiator with full powers. It will be held by General Zhao Yuhe, chief of staff of the independent division, and Molotov will be given a dismount first, and then Stalin's sincerity will be tested! ”

Zhao Yuhe rubbed his hands, "Division Commander." I've been with you for so long, I've almost learned all the strategies, and the Soviets took the initiative to ask for negotiations, and it's a dish that was delivered to the door, and we can't eat it, division commander, just look at it! He said excitedly.

After Chen Feng left, Zhao Yuhe said: "Division commander, the matter that the Soviets asked for negotiations has been decided, how can the division commander call back to Deputy Division Commander Liu, and whether he will order our troops in the Far East to stand still?"

Tang Qiuli smiled slyly and said: "Yuhe, negotiations and our military action, before the Soviets have not come up with enough bargaining chips to impress me, are two different things, call back to Deputy Division Commander Liu, your department will immediately follow up, and keep an appropriate distance from the Soviet army's reinforcements, that is, to put a certain pressure on the Soviet army, and not exchange fire with it, the specific measures, Brother Tie Han can be dealt with at his discretion, in addition, inform Deputy Division Commander Liu of what Stalin wants to negotiate, he will know it in his heart!" ”

After Zhao Yuhe left, Tang Qiuli touched his chin and thought, "This time, what chips will Stalin come up with?" ”

After receiving the reply from the independent division, the Soviet ambassador to China, Simba Pumiyan, did not dare to slacken, hurriedly sent the telegram to Moscow intact, took the telegram, Molotov, who was ready to leave, gritted his teeth with hatred, in diplomatic circles, for many years, he understood what it meant, that hateful Chinese, he was not afraid of dragging, he did not show his face first, sent his chief of staff, just to get the greatest benefits, and finally the clapper was aware that it was Tang Qiuli.

This is his usual method, of course, he knows this well, but it still makes Molotov extremely uncomfortable when it falls on his head, but what can he do, the Soviet Union took the initiative to ask for negotiations, which was originally passive, even if he knew the other party's intentions, he had to bite the bullet, "Shaped shì forced!" Molotov lamented in his heart.

In late May, after several days of rapid marching, the Japanese Far East Dispatch Army and the troops of the Korean garrison finally arrived at the Far East battlefield.

At dawn on 23 May, the Japanese troops in the Far East launched an attack on the Soviet Far Eastern Front from four directions at the same time.

However, because of the news that Comrade Stalin personally commanded the reinforcements, the morale of the Soviet soldiers was unprecedentedly high, and they even launched a counter-assault against the Japanese army in a local direction.

On the evening of 23 May, the Japanese troops, who had been attacking all day, failed to break through the Soviet defensive positions, and the attack was blocked on all fronts.

Major General Yamada, head of the General Staff Headquarters of the Japanese Far East Campaign, was reporting to Prince Zaihito on the situation on the first day of the offensive, "Commander-in-Chief, the offensive on the first day did not achieve the expected results, the resistance of the Soviet troops exceeded our expectations, and even, in the local direction, it was also counterattacked by the Soviet troops, and the troops suffered heavy casualties. ”

Prince Zairen was silent, indeed, the first day of the battle began, it was not very smooth, this was not expected by himself, he was tired from fighting for a long time, there was the Soviet Far Eastern Front surrounded on all sides, and there was such combat effectiveness and the will to resist, then it can only explain one problem, what he was most worried about still happened, the troops of the two Soviet fronts stranded on the line from Chita to Irkutsk have begun to return to help, otherwise, it is impossible to explain the reason why the first day of the offensive did not achieve the expected results.

However, Prince Jaehion did not have any good way to solve such a problem, except for a strong attack, there was no more clever trick, because a considerable part of the troops were divided to prepare to block the return of the Soviet army, and the strength of the attacking troops was only slightly superior to the Soviet army, and it was impossible to form an absolute superiority.

Prince Zairen was silent, Major General Yamada was also silent, the atmosphere in the office seemed very depressing, in fact, at this moment, Major General Yamada, countless ideas were turning in his mind, it can be said that he racked his brains and boiled his hard work, if in such a situation, he can come up with a clever plan to change the situation of the battlefield, then his own value will rise to a higher height, and it is not impossible to immediately take over the position of chief of staff of the headquarters!

It is a pity that in this regard, Major General Yamada obviously lacks talent and experience, and he is an expert in tempting his eyes and making small movements, commanding millions of troops to fight, which is to catch ducks on the shelves, but he must come up with a way, don't you see, His Royal Highness the Prince's eyes began to be on himself.

Major General Yamada was so anxious that he was sweating white, but his head was like a pot of paste, Prince Zaihito's face was heavy, and he said: "Yamada-kun, in the face of such a situation, I would like to hear your advice, do you have any strategy to change the current situation?" ”

"Your Excellency Commander-in-Chief, that-what, I-actually!" Major General Yamada was stumped, and fine beads of sweat could not stop popping up on his head.

Prince Zairen frowned slightly, "Yamada-kun, if there is anything embarrassing, just say it, I won't mind!" ”

Major General Yamada almost fainted, and secretly complained in his heart, "What a fucking embarrassing thing, I have nothing to say!" "But His Royal Highness the Prince has said so, if you don't take out something real, it seems that you can't pass the test, but in your stomach, what kind of real thing, isn't it fatal!

There is no endless road, and at this moment, "Bang bang bang!" The door of the office was knocked heavily, and before Prince Zaihito could speak, Major General Yamada hurriedly shouted, "Come in!" "Hey, at this moment, Major General Yamada is extremely grateful to the person who knocked on the door, just like a relative.

A staff officer of Zhongzuo, with a nervous face, pushed the door in, "Smack!" "One of the stands," reported to His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief, who received an urgent telegram from Lieutenant General Haruhiko, commander of the campaign rearguard group, that about a hundred kilometers from the line of resistance of the Imperial Army, the forward troops of the Soviet Outer Khinganling Front had been discovered! ”

Prince Jaehito was taken aback, although the return of the Soviet army to Zhukov was a matter that could be basically determined, but once it became a reality, it was still difficult for him to accept, not only the frustration of strategic judgment, but also the concern about the current situation of the Far Eastern campaign.

Major General Yamada had a sense of relief, he could have other urgent matters, diverted the attention of His Royal Highness the Prince, and he did not have to be embarrassed for the time being, took the telegram, read it roughly, and his heart trembled, although the combat commander was a layman, but it did not prevent him from seeing what kind of huge impact the Soviet army's return of reinforcements would have on the Far East campaign, and he was shocked and rejoiced.

I didn't expect that it was really verified, and the Soviet army really came back to help, it seems that this is the right bet, no matter what the final result of the Far East campaign is, he is the winner, of course, from his own point of view, he definitely hopes that the Imperial Army of the Japanese Empire can achieve a complete victory.

Major General Yamada looked at Prince Zaihito, who was frowning, and felt that he should still say something in this situation.

(To be continued)(To be continued......