The early morning wind in Hailar is like a blade, and now the weather in October is still high and cool in autumn, but there have been several light snows on the grassland outside the Saiwai, and the water is even more dripping into ice in the morning, and the long winter has actually arrived.

This important town, which flourished because of the Eastern Railway, is now the headquarters of the Fifth Army of the Northeast Frontier Army. At the same time, there is also a large military station managed by the Japanese side, and all the places in Hailar City that can be used to store supplies are piled up with all kinds of supplies, weapons and ammunition, which are said to be enough for the 400,000 troops on the Chita front to use for a week! Hailar Railway Station outside the city is even busier, with seven or eight trains full of supplies or wounded stopping here every day. Tens of thousands of people worked in three shifts to unify the 282nd Great Encirclement of All Kinds of Things, asking for monthly ticket money to move up and down, and they were very busy. The city of Hailar, which was once the residence of a Manchu Mongol prince, has been converted into a large field hospital, where thousands of Japanese doctors and nurses care for nearly 10,000 seriously wounded Japanese, Chinese, or Simberian patients. Of course, the treatment of the wounded in these three countries is completely different.

The troops guarding this military point were the direct subordinate units of the Fifth Army of the Northeast Army (including an artillery battalion, a cavalry battalion, an engineer battalion, a baggage regiment and a guard battalion), the 14th Division of the Northeast Army, hundreds of cavalry loyal to the Mongol king Darhan, and a Japanese garrison of about 800 men. These troops dug a trench defense system outside Hailar City, and deployed a second line of defense based on Hailar City Wall and Railway Station, although it is not impregnable, but without heavy weapons or absolute superiority of troops, no enemy will want to take this place!

There are two supreme military commanders here, one is Lieutenant General Guo Songling, commander of the Fifth Army of the Northeast Army. The other is Japan's military station supervisor, an army lieutenant named Kotaro Nakamura. This Nakamura is the 13th phase of Lushi. A graduate of the 21st phase of Lu University, the 282nd Great Siege of the Five True Unification is a member of the elite of the Japanese Army, and he has also served as a general and the Minister of the Army for eight days in history, so he is naturally a figure with his eyes above the top. Not to mention Guo Songling, the lieutenant general, even Jiang Jshi, commander-in-chief of the Northeast Army, he will not take it seriously. And Guo Songling is also a character with a strong personality, and he is too lazy to make friends with this Japanese Nakazo with eyes on the top of his head. The two of them have worked together in Hailar for almost a month, and they haven't seen each other a few times.

However, early this morning, Kotaro Nakamura, who had never looked at Guo Songling squarely, actually ran to Guo Songling's military headquarters to visit for the first time. However, after the visit, this Japanese Nakazo still did not have a good face for Guo Songling. As soon as we met, there was no greeting, and I directly muttered a lot of urgent and fast Japanese. One of the interpreters accompanying him also imitated Nakamura's tone. He said sharply: "Nakamura Nakasa asked General Guo when he was going to send troops to meet the Soviet-Mongolian army?" Now that they have advanced to the vicinity of the Middle East Road railway line, if they are not expelled in time, they are likely to destroy the railway, and the consequences will probably be unbearable for General Guo! ”

Guo Songling's face was like a layer of frost, and he said coldly: "The Soviet-Mongolian army has an overwhelming superiority in strength. Therefore, the matter of attacking should be carefully considered, and it should not be decided lightly. ”

Nakamura Kotaro looked at Guo Songling's face and knew the general meaning of the other party, and he did not wait for the translator to translate Guo Songling's words into Chinese, so he shouted in stiff Chinese: "Your Jiang Jshi has already given an order, you are a soldier, and a soldier should obey the order!" ”

It's an order to send people to death! Guo Songling thought gloomily. Things have come to this point, the Japanese still refuse to give up the Republic of Xianbeilia, and want to sacrifice the lives of the Chinese to buy time for them. It is estimated that they exerted great pressure on Jiang Jishi to let him give such an order, right? Maybe Jiang J

Shi was also reluctant to give up. Didn't the commander-in-chief of the Northeast Army find out that he no longer had the opportunity to become the first person in China? Even if he sacrificed all the Northeast Army. It is also impossible for the Japanese to win the Republic of Cimbria, because Soviet Russia will not give up a whole 4 million square kilometers of territory! Soviet Russia will definitely fight to the end...... It's just that at that time, will Jiang Jshi, who has lost all his old capital, still be able to get the support of the Japanese? If the Japanese still want victory, they need a really strong ally, and such an ally can only be Chang Ruiqing, the chairman of the Military Commission!

"Nakamura Nakasa, I also know that it is the duty of a soldier to obey orders. But now I have received two very different orders, one from the Command of the Northeast Frontier Army; One was issued by the Military Commission in Beijing. ”

As he spoke, Guo Songling took a telegram from the chief of staff beside him and handed it to Kotaro Nakamura. Although this Japanese devil does not speak much Chinese, he can read Chinese characters, and his face turned blue when he took the telegram and looked at it.

"Commander Guo, this is a betrayal! Yours, do you want to betray the Great Japanese Empire? ”

Nakamura Kotaro Nakasa gritted his fine white teeth and looked at Guo Songling fiercely. Guo Songling shrugged his shoulders slightly, and said with an indifferent expression: "Nakamura Nakasa, the contemptible person is a soldier of the Republic of China, and it is natural to obey the orders of the Military Commission of the Republic of China, and disobedience is betrayal." If you want us to send troops, you should go and discuss it with the Standing Committee Chairman in Beijing. ”

In fact, Guo Songling's reminder is completely superfluous. This is because Okamura Ninji Nakasa, the Japanese representative stationed in Beijing of the Military Commission, and Yoshimura Kenkichi, the Japanese consul general in Beijing, were already sitting in a certain meeting room in Zhongnanhai, anxiously waiting for the meeting of the Standing Committee. Xu Haoyu, who is now the director of the first division of the chairman's chamberlain and the chief of the guard, is drinking tea and chatting with the two of them.

However, Okamura Ningji didn't seem to be in the mood to talk to him, and without a few words of greeting, he saw Okamura say with a stern face: "General Xu." At present, the military situation is like fire, and the slightest mistake will ruin the entire war! Therefore, I must meet the Standing Committee Chairman immediately. ”

Xu Haoyu still had a breezy expression, and just smiled slightly: "Please be patient with Okamura Nakasa for a while, the commission is now dealing with the urgent military affairs of Hulunbuir, and when you are done, you will naturally come over to meet with the two of you." ”

As soon as these words came out, the two Japanese were stunned, the Hulunbuir grassland was Jiang Jshi's territory, and Jiang Jshi's Northeast Army was stationed there. Is there anything that Chang Ruiqing needs to deal with?

Okamura Ninji glanced at Yoshimura Kenkichi, who pondered and said, "General Xu." I wonder how the Standing Committee Chairman is going to deal with the crisis in Hulunbuir? I suppose the Empire of Japan has the right to know about your deployment, right? We're allies. ”

Xu Haoyu nodded and smiled: "Of course, the commission thinks that this war can only be won if you and I work together, and the commission will personally discuss with the two of you about the cooperation between the two sides later." ”

Before he could finish his words, he heard the loud sound of boots on the masonry floor outside the door. Chang Ruiqing, surrounded by several adjutant secretaries, appeared at the door of the living room! At this time, the chairman of the Standing Committee frowned, and his deep eyes seemed to reveal a deep worry about the war situation, as if he was also worried about the current war situation.

Seeing that Okamura and Fangcun were about to stand up and greet him, Chang Ruiqing waved his hand: "Time is tight, the situation is critical." Don't come to all this red tape. Let's discuss our two countermeasures...... The situation in Hulunbuir may be difficult to recover, and the battle of Chita is very likely to fail. Our two countries must prepare for the worst. Now is not the time to think about the defense of the Cimberian Republic. Rather, it is necessary to make every effort to ensure the security of Manchuria and the Far East. ”

As he spoke, he walked over to the empty seat above and sat down, took the coffee from the secretary, and took a sip. At this time, Okamura Ningji stood up and wanted to speak, but Chang Ruiqing opened his mouth first: "The combat effectiveness of the Northeast Army is weak, and the number is very limited. There was no way to repel the Soviet-Mongolian coalition forces that invaded the Hulunbuir steppe. So I have given the order to the Fifth Army of the Northeast Army to hold on and wait for reinforcements, and they will hold out in Manchuria, Hailar and Yakesh until the last man is shot! But before that, the 300,000 troops of our Central Army must have arrived there. Therefore, the safety of Manchuria is not a problem for the time being, and the first thing we have to consider now is to try to save the main force of the 400,000 coalition forces in Chita. If we want to win the war, we can't wipe them out! ”

His tone was heavy, and the atmosphere in the living room became oppressive at once. The ominous word of the annihilation of the whole army crossed the brains of Okamura Ninji and Yoshimura Kenkichi at once, has the situation really reached such a pessimistic point? Or does Chang Ruiqing want to take advantage of the current situation to bring all the four northeastern provinces into his hands? If he wants to do that, is there anything Japan can do to stop it?

It seems that there is really nothing that can be done! Japan is now facing an unprecedented crisis. Not only are the 15 divisions on the Simberia front in danger of being cut off at any time, but even North Korea, which has always been calm, has a large-scale rebellion! Now that Pyongyang, Seoul, Kaesong and other places have fallen, if a large army is not immediately dispatched to suppress it, North Korea may really lose its ...... But it was not only Korea that needed Japan to send a large army, but also the Republic of Simberia, the Far Eastern State, and even Manchuria in China were now in urgent need of reinforcements!

Especially if the 15 divisions of the Chita front were really cut off by the Soviet Russian Red Army...... Now it seems that the probability is by no means 1 in 10,000. It's 1 in 10,000! How long will the replenishment of the stocks on the Chita front last at that time? A week or two weeks? It couldn't be more. But how long will it take to open up the Middle East Road and then deliver supplies to Chita? It seems that the imperial army on the Chita front line will not be able to escape a fate with heavy losses! If these 15 divisions were temporarily incapacitated, would Japan still have enough military strength to maintain its vast empire?

Could it be that the great Japanese Empire has really been reduced to the point where it has to rely on the Chinese army to maintain the empire?

Okamura Ninji's head suddenly popped up with this idea that he also thought was a little strange. However, he still tentatively spoke: "I don't know if the Standing Chairman has any specific methods and requirements?" ”

Hearing this question, Chang Ruiqing's brows furrowed even tighter: "Of course, the way is to mobilize the main force of the National Defense Army near Beijing and Tianjin to go out of the customs to fight a decisive battle with the Soviet Russian Red Army!" Is there any other way to retreat from the enemy? As for the requirements, of course there are. The blood of the Wehrmacht officers and soldiers cannot be shed in vain, and we have the right to demand a corresponding reward given the obligations that China will now incur. Such as the jurisdiction of the South Manchurian Railway and the Kanto Prefecture! ”

"What!" Okamura Ninji and Yoshimura Kenkichi exclaimed at the same time. Okamura said loudly: "Chairman Chang! The empire's rights and interests in Manchu and Kanto Prefecture were not obtained in vain, it was the reward that the empire paid for the lives of 100,000 athletes and 2 billion yen in military expenses for China to regain Manchuria! How can you ......"

Chang Ruiqing interrupted Okamura a little impolitely: "I know the price that Japan paid for the Kanto Prefecture and the Manchurian Railway. However, we in China do not intend to take it back for nothing...... We will send hundreds of thousands of troops to fight in Manchuria and Simberia, they are fighting to save the 15 Japanese divisions in Chita, to defend your Far Eastern states! ”

"Also to defend Mongolia and Manchuria!" Okamura Ninji reminded coldly.

Chang Ruiqing sneered: "Recovering the jurisdiction of the South Manchurian Railway and the Kwantung Prefecture is a condition for us to send troops to save the main force of the Japanese army on the Chita front. As for whether the 15 divisions there are worth this value, it's not up to Okamura-kun to decide, right? I look forward to an answer from the Imperial Government of Japan. ”

Speaking of which. He paused slightly: "Of course, before the Japanese government makes a decision." My army is about to go out to reinforce Manchuria...... I would like to inform the Japanese side here. With that, he stood up, nodded at Okamura Ninji and Yoshimura Kenkichi, and was about to go out the door.

Okamura closed his eyes helplessly. China is actually reunified! Now Japan has no power to stop Chang Ruiqing's army from marching into Manchuria! Even Tokyo pinched its nose to welcome Chang Ruiqing's behavior......

Just when Chang Ruiqing just walked to the door, the Japanese Consul General in Beijing, Kenkichi Yoshimura, seemed to suddenly remember something, and shouted at Chang Ruiqing: "Chairman Chang, there is something else I want to ask for advice...... What is your country's attitude towards the DPRK incident? ”

Chang Ruiqing turned around and smiled slightly at Fangcun Kenkichi: "China's attitude towards the North Korean incident completely depends on the choice of the Japanese side...... If the Japanese side is willing to regard China as an ally of equal cooperation, we will of course support any actions of the Japanese side in Korea! ”

……

Kasumigaseki, Tokyo, the official residence of the Prime Minister of Japan.

The Japanese civil and military officers in the room were all pale. Looking at the stack of situation reports in front of everyone, they were in a daze...... And shivering! Belch. His Majesty the Emperor's samurai actually shivered sometimes! It seems that the news in these reports is very bad!

The Great Japanese Empire, which dominated the East, seemed to have reached the time of stormy weather overnight. Since yesterday afternoon, one bad news after another has followed. First of all, there were mass protests in North Korea! In response, Prime Minister Hara made what he considered to be the most correct decision, and he instructed the North Korean Governor-General's Office to cover up the protests as much as possible and to be as gentle as possible in the crackdown. so as not to cause adverse international repercussions. As a result, in the evening, the Japanese Cabinet Office received the bad news that Seoul and Pyongyang had fallen! It turned out that what happened in North Korea was not a protest, but a war of independence!

However, the Japanese cabinet did not regard the Korean independence uprising as a major event. Although the main force of the Japanese army was still in Cimberia and the Far East, the 20 newly formed divisions in the country were enough to deal with the Korean rebels. So Yuan Jing gave the military department an instruction to "counter the rebellion" at the first time, asking them to immediately come up with a plan to quell the rebellion! But the plan to pacify Korea has not yet been completed, and bad news has come from Manchuria! A Soviet-Mongolian combined cavalry force of about 100,000 people actually crossed more than 1,300 kilometers of grasslands and suddenly appeared on the Hulunbuir grassland in the western part of Manchuria, directly posing a threat to the Eastern Railway, the logistics lifeline of the main force of the Japanese army on the Chita front! At this time, the entire Japanese cabinet was panicked. Prime Minister Hara Kei also urgently convened a cabinet meeting to discuss countermeasures.

However, just halfway through the cabinet meeting, the Japanese Consulate General in Beijing sent an urgent telegram jointly signed by Okamura Ninji and Yoshimura Kenkichi. This time the news is probably mixed, right? The good news was that the central government in China was preparing to send a large army to Manchuria to reinforce the main force of the Japanese army, which was about to fall into crisis. The worry is that China's central government is about to take this opportunity to unify China! Moreover, they also had to ask Japan for the South Manchurian Railway and the Kwantung Prefecture as payment for their troops in Manchuria.

This is really a bit of a robbery. Everyone knows that Manchuria is Japan's sphere of influence! Without the nod of Japan, the central government of China could not enter at all! Now Chang Ruiqing sent troops out of the customs under the pretext of aiding Japan to complete the real reunification of the country, and the Japanese Empire did not care. But how could he dare to hope to take back the Kwantung Prefecture and the South Manchurian Railway? Next. Is it that all the privileges of Japan in Manchuria should be withdrawn? This guy is so shameless, how can China, an ancient civilization of thousands of years, have such a shameless leader?

But what can Japan do with Chang Ruiqing and his Nationalist Government now? Japan still has three or four thousand troops on the Kwantung Prefecture and the South Manchurian Railway, and if we mobilize the expatriates, there will probably be 10,000 people. There are more than 400,000 Chinese Central Army around Beijing and Tianjin, and there are also about the same number of Central Army that can be driven to the North China front at any time. Although Japan can also mobilize troops from within the country to go to Manchuria, China, who will save the 15 divisions on the battlefield of Simberia? Who will defend the fertile and rich Far Eastern states? And who will exterminate the rebels on the Korean Peninsula? Compared with those areas, the small Kanto Prefecture and the South Manchurian Railway are really not worth mentioning!!!