January 23, 9th year of Guangxing, Vladivostok front, Artem Mountain.

At the top of the hill, in an observation post dug into the ground with a multi-layered roof of earth and stone, several Chinese and Japanese generals gathered around the only current marshal of the Chinese Empire, discussing issues related to Mount Kimir, four kilometers south of the observatory.

“…… The enemy's fortifications were very well arranged, relying on the mountainside, with clear bunkers on the mountainside, concrete fort breastwalls on the top of the hill, and natural cliffs in front of the forts, or artificially cut out almost vertical parapets...... The fort batteries were covered by infantry trenches, connected by communication trenches with electric mines, and dense barbed wire, deer grates, deep ditches, and stepping mines were arranged in front of important positions...... From 13 to 16 July, our 11th Division attacked the mountain defense line with seven regiments in turn, suffering more than 2,700 casualties in four days, seizing only a few strongholds from the foot of the mountain to the mountainside......

The middle-aged man who was giving a report had a handsome, rather feminine face, revealing a delicate sense of intellectuality and jumping vitality, and a straight tweed military uniform with a black and shiny fur coat, which set off his well-proportioned and slightly slender beautiful figure. He is the supreme commander of the theater of more than 200,000 Sino-Japanese allied troops on the Vladivostok front -- commander of the Eastern Front, military and political chief of the Coastal Military Administrative Region, viscount of the Chinese Empire, honorary baron of the Japanese Empire, and army general Liu Bailiang, who is now Chinese New Year's Eve nine years old.

Among the people who listened to the report was a middle-aged and elderly man of about fifty years old, wearing a boat-shaped marshal's hat decorated with ornate feathers, a slightly bloated black leather coat, and a golden dragon ornament inlaid with red and blue gemstones flashing on the vertical collar of the exposed navy blue uniform. His name is Liu Yun, Minister of Defense of the Chinese Empire, Duke of Wuwei, Generalissimo of the Empire, and his exact age is fifty-one years old.

Liu Bailiang's report ended, Liu Yun held up the telescope, and Mount Kimir showed two self-ostentatious scenes in his field of vision: cobweb-like trenches and dense craters on the surface of the moon.

"You think the casualties were too great, so you stopped the attack on the Sixteenth, right?"

Liu Yun asked, in a very kind tone—at least on the surface.

"Yes, not only was the 11th Division defeated, but the 13th Division also suffered heavy losses in the attack on Fortress E, east of Kimir, suffering more than 2,100 casualties in four days, and failing to capture it. The Japanese suffered even heavier losses, and General Nozu Michikan's First Army, with nine wings of the 1st Division and the 10th Reserve Division, stormed the area around the Ural Mountains west of Mount Kimir, suffering nearly 6,000 casualties in two days, and was forced to stop the offensive on the 15th and occupy some of the enemy's forward strongholds. General Obaogong's Second Army organized five wings of the Guards Division and three wings of the reserve 11th Division to attack the area of Heights 143 (St. John's Heights) to the east, losing more than 5,000 men in three days and capturing several strongholds west of the heights......"

Liu Bailiang said, glancing around the four Japanese generals around him: General Kuroki Weizhen, commander of the First Group Army, Lieutenant General Seita Tsugae, chief of staff of the Group Army, Lieutenant General Michikan Nozu, commander of the First Army, and Lieutenant General Okubaogong, commander of the Second Army; the more than 100,000 Japanese troops under the command of these four people account for more than 60 percent of the total strength of the Eastern Front Army, and if the Chinese troops responsible for public security in the rear are removed, this proportion will be further increased. In Liu Bailiang's view, the ruthlessness and courage of Japanese soldiers is indeed admirable, but sometimes it is not a good thing to be too brave. More than a month ago, during the attack on Artem Mountain, Liu Bailiang saw with his own eyes that a Japanese brigade (equivalent to a battalion) formed a dense column to attack the well-fortified Russian multi-sided fort on the hill, and was swept down by the opponent's machine guns like wheat, and suffered all casualties within a few minutes. Although after this battle, Liu Bailiang had found these four Japanese generals and asked them to train their subordinates to ban this suicidal tactic, Kiyota Congjiang, who had been the liaison officer of the Japanese Dispatch Army Headquarters of the rebel army stationed in the Qing Army during the First Sino-Japanese War, said that it was okay, and the other three people cocked their thighs and talked about the Japanese spirit of bushido, and pulled out strange theories such as what kind of decisive charge can deter the opponent's nerves, Liu Bailiang had to shake his head and retreat.

"In this way, a total of sixteen thousand people have been lost, and I ask you, how many available troops does the front army have now?"

Liu Yun's eyes already showed a slight hint of reproach.

Liu Bailiang subconsciously avoided that disturbing look, and his gaze wandered between Liu Yun and Wang Zhi, chief of staff of the Front Army: "There are a total of eight infantry divisions, three artillery brigades, and two cavalry brigades, which should have 290,000 people according to the establishment, and the actual strength is 260,000. Among them, 46,000 people from the 34th Division and the 5th Cavalry Brigade of our army and the 1st Mixed Cavalry Brigade of the Japanese Army were sent to areas outside the front line to maintain law and order, and 64,000 independent artillery and artillery and baggage troops of various divisions and brigades, and about 150,000 troops could be put into the front line. ”

After the end of the Battle of Boli, Xiao Lieri's Second Army, which was originally part of the Eastern Front, was transferred to the Western Front, so there was only one Chinese army and two Japanese armies left in the Eastern Front sequence.

"In other words, I really can't understand that after only losing about a tenth of the troops, I started to retreat."

Hearing Liu Yun's sigh, Lieutenant General Chen Xingyun, commander of the First Field Army, took the opportunity to jump out and shout: "Actually, I think the same way, but Chief Liu gave the order to stop the attack, and I have to obey my fate." ”

Liu Yun glared at Chen Xingyun: "Then why didn't you learn from your former chief of staff, Zhao Minhe, and send a telegram to the base camp alone to state your thoughts?" The so-called unity of knowledge and action, knowing but not doing, is really unknown, what is the meaning of being an afterthought now? It seems that you haven't reflected enough, it's better to hand over your army to Liu Bailiang for the time being, you can go back to Beijing now, maybe you can still catch the Spring Festival, hold your wife and think about it, and come to me again when you figure it out. ”

Chen Xingyun's face suddenly turned like ashes, his knees bent, and he almost knelt down: "Duke Wuwei...... I'm not that ...... I just ...... that meaning Just ......"

"Go out, I'll call someone to help you with the formalities later, you don't have to worry about being treated as a deserter."

Liu Yun said categorically, turned his head away, and didn't look at him.

In front of everyone's eyes, Chen Xingyun left dejectedly, this high-spirited hero in the First Sino-Japanese War, the hero who made a decisive attack when suppressing Ding Jieyun's coup, and the commander of the field army who was full of ambition at the beginning of the war against Russia, was instantly driven into the trough of life by Liu Yun's words, fortunately, it is not the bottom of the valley, let alone the deep pool of the valley.

"It's really hateful for people who don't do good deeds and just sell good things."

Liu Yun snorted from his nose.

Liu Bailiang swallowed, Wang Zhi blinked his sniper's eagle eye, and the four Japanese generals looked at each other, at a loss.

Liu Yun bowed his head and smiled at them: "Don't worry about that person, I have long wanted to recall him to the base camp for training, and I happened to see another side of him today, so I made up my mind temporarily, don't take it to heart...... Liu Bailiang, his army is in charge of you, no problem, right? ”

Liu Bailiang nodded hurriedly like a chicken pecking rice: "No problem, of course no problem." ”

"That's good, I'll leave it to you."

Liu Yun smiled and patted Liu Bailiang on the shoulder, then raised his hand, looked around at the generals, and raised his voice: "Ladies and gentlemen, I have detailed information on hand to prove that the Russian Second Pacific Fleet will set sail in March and sail to the Far East, which is an unusually large fleet that will pose a very serious threat to us. Although our combined fleet is strong, since the beginning of the war, the naval brethren have been adrift at sea for several months in order to blockade the enemy fleet in Vladivostok, and not only are the personnel exhausted, but the wear and tear of the warships and equipment is not small, and I am afraid that if we do not rest for three or four months, we will not be able to resist the enemy's large fleet. As everyone knows, there are many important large cities in all the countries of our alliance located along the sea, and once the Russians gain sea supremacy, they are likely to unscrupulously shell our coastal cities and block our sea trade routes, which will be particularly harmful to the Japanese archipelago...... In order to free the naval brethren from the burden of blockade operations as soon as possible, and to prepare for the operation against the enemy's Second Pacific Fleet with all their might, the army should launch a fierce attack at all costs, and the primary purpose of the operation is to destroy the Russian fleet in the harbor, so it is not necessary to completely destroy the fortress, but only need to break through the enemy's first few lines of defense on the peninsula and occupy a safe area where heavy artillery can bombard the enemy's warships in the harbor. As long as the Russian fleet in the harbor is destroyed, the strategic operation of the fortress can be temporarily relaxed, and it does not matter if it is slowly besieged and forced to surrender. You can see what I mean, right? Instead of postponing the attack without worrying about casualties, instead of making up your mind, attacking continuously at any cost, breaking down two or three lines of defense in front, and finding a place to set up heavy artillery to destroy the Russian fleet, not only did you complete the mission, but also saved more lives, didn't you? ”

Nozu Michikan, who was lean and had a thin mustache, was the first to respond: "What Your Excellency said is true, we should do our best to supervise our subordinates to advance forward, no matter how strong the fortress in front of us is, how tight the artillery fire is, as long as we can break through the enemy position, even if I myself die in battle." ”

Obao Gong patted his fat chest and then shouted: "In any case, we are fighting to defend Japan from being invaded again by the Yangyi, for Japan, for His Majesty the Emperor, and we will not give up!" ”

Kiyota Seoe, who has always been steady, had no choice but to speak: "Now it seems that we can only fight to the death with the Russians, no matter what the cost, in the final analysis, we are protecting His Majesty the Emperor, if the combined fleet of the three countries is defeated, the Russian warships will sail into Tokyo Bay, and the Imperial Palace will also be exposed to the guns of Yoyi." ”

Qingtian is very fluent in Chinese, and Liu Yun showed an expression of appreciation.

Kuroki, who had a thick long beard, shook his whiskers for Zhen, nodded to Liu Yun and said, "Your Excellency, this is our idea, we must defend Japan and His Majesty the Emperor, so we must attack the fortress at any cost." ”

Liu Yun nodded with satisfaction, stepped forward and held Heimu's hand: "Now, our two countries are close comrades-in-arms who live and die together against Yangyi, and we will be slaughtered by the West or be self-reliant and self-reliant from now on. ”

At this time, Liu Bailiang naturally had no way to retreat, he hurriedly "snapped" the black shiny riding boots on his legs, straightened his chest and saluted: "Please rest assured that Duke Wuwei, I will do my best to destroy the Russian fleet in Vladivostok at all costs for the future of my Chinese empire and the East Asian Alliance." ”

Wang Zhi had no choice but to parrot and say: "My determination is the same as that of Commander Liu, we will convene the commanders of all units to specially convey the precepts of Wu Weigong, I believe that it can further boost the morale of the army." ”

Liu Yun looked around at everyone, smiled and nodded: "It's up to you." ”

Three days later, Liu Yun boarded the train to Boli, the locomotive and carriages were captured from the Russian army before and after the Battle of Shuangchengzi, because the gauge of the Russian railway is narrower than that of the Chinese railway, and there is no direct railway line between the two countries, after the outbreak of the war, although the paving and changing of the track was carried out rapidly, until now it is still impossible to make the domestic train directly to the occupied areas and the front line.

Over the past few days, Liu Yun has visited some division-level rotational bases and battalion and regimental quarters, inspected artillery positions, and learned about the situation in front-line observation posts. It is true that this war is extremely cruel, but this cruelty has a dual character, that is, there is a difference between oneself and the enemy. Only seeing one's own losses, without considering the losses of the other party, can only extinguish one's own prestige and grow the ambition of others - there are really many people in China who blindly think like this.

Outside the window, the battle flags fluttered, the military music was loud, and tens of thousands of Chinese and Japanese officers and soldiers came to see them off, and the dragon and sun flags marked with the number of the troops competed on the platform of Razdolinoye.

The officers and men on the platform were talking a lot.

"Wu Weigong really has a heart, the war has been fought for so long, and I haven't seen a single congressman come to the front line to take a look, but many congressmen have stabbed us in the back and engaged in anti-war demonstrations......"

"When Duke Wu Wei gave me this White Tiger Medal, my whole body trembled......

"I think he is very similar to Tang Taizong Li Shimin, what do you think?"

"Eun, I think your Excellency is very similar to Tokugawa Ieyasu, who ruled the world during the Warring States period of Japan......"

"Cut, don't think I don't know the way, I've seen the portrait of Tokugawa Ieyasu in the history books, fat and fat, like a big gelding pig, how can I compare with our Wuwei Gong!"

"Words cannot be said like this, and people must not be ...... by appearance"

"I think he's a bit like Cao Cao...... Or maybe it's Sima Zhao again......"

"Zhao Kuangyin is almost the same!"

"Li Shimin or something, aren't they all usurpers?"

"Wouldn't it be great to let Wu Weigong sit in the world? What qualifications did the masters of the Manchu Qing Dynasty have to sit in the world of China? That rotten emperor is useless at all, isn't the empire all developed by virtue of martial arts? ”

"That's what I said......"

"Hey, the train is leaving, salute......"

Spraying soot, the five-car train slowly pulled off the platform and headed north along the restored Primorsky section of the Trans-Siberian Railway.

Liu Yun lit a cigarette and leaned against the car window, the Suifenhe Plain unfolded softly outside the glass window, covered with speckled snow, calm, uninhabited, and it seemed that there was no life. Trees flickered by, and the distant scenery slowly receded, and from time to time a small piece of ruins could be seen—a village that had been destroyed by the war.

Adjutant Su Mengxin came over, and there was a very respectful smile on his popular face: "Your Excellency, it has been arranged, I dare to guarantee that no matter what happens, the Tiger and Par Battalion will be able to suppress it." ”

"You've worked hard."

Liu Yun flicked the cigarette ash, looked at the green smoke rising up, hesitated for a moment, and extinguished the half-smoked Kinhard Gate cigarette in the celadon ashtray. After leaving Beijing, he would often subconsciously light a cigarette, take two puffs, and either set it aside and let it burn out, or simply extinguish it. Su Mengxin has his own understanding of Liu Yun's obvious wasteful behavior, he feels that Liu Yun is swimming in a complex state of mind, but he doesn't know what kind of state of mind it is, and he doesn't know what kind of elements it contains, he is just an adjutant, although he is also the commander of the Haw Par Battalion, but a slave is a slave, and there should be no thoughts.

Outside the opposite window, a dense forest that undulates along the mountain, exudes a gloomy atmosphere under the gloomy sky, reminiscent of some black-related conspiracy brewing in it.

Boom, boom

"Perhaps, it's me who should change."

Liu Yun muttered to himself, glancing at Su Mengxin, the adjutant's face was decorated with a fixed expression.

"You go down, I want to rest for a while, and call me when I get to Shuangchengzi."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

On the afternoon of 1 February, the special train arrived in Boli.

The main building of Boli Station had long been bombarded into rubble by artillery fire, and a small open space had been cleared in front of the platform, and more than a dozen officers under Lieutenant General Xiao Lieri, commander of the Second Field Army, were standing to greet the Minister of National Defense.

Liu Yun stepped off the train, shook hands with everyone one by one, and after a few words of greeting, he got into a specially prepared carriage and went to Xiao Lieri's headquarters in the city.

Along the way, you can see the devastated urban area, the broken eaves and broken walls everywhere, the bomb craters and bomb holes everywhere, and the ghosts of some Russians with dull eyes and indifferent expressions wander around the streets.

A dozen officers and men dressed in the black uniforms of the Praetorian Guards rode around the carriage, but they did not have any insignia of the army on their shoulders, they did not belong to any national army, they were members of Liu Yun's personal secret unit, the Haw Par Battalion, and they were all skilled and reliable, and they were equipped with special equipment that other troops had never heard of......

Xiao Lieri's headquarters is where the former Boli Fortress Defense Area Headquarters is located, and it is a three-story large western-style house with a magnificent gate decorated with exquisite reliefs.

Liu Yun got out of the carriage and saw at a glance that behind Xiao Lieri, who was riding a high-headed war horse, a guard was holding a long-handled thing with a cloth cover in one hand, and couldn't help but ask Xiao Lieri: "That long thing behind you is the legendary Qinglong Yanyue Knife." ”

Xiao Lieri touched his head and grinned: "Wu Weigong is really good eyesight, forget about other things outside the body, this long knife can't leave my side an inch, it is my good partner, Da Fuxing, with it by my side, I have nothing to do with commanding the battle for three days and three nights, haha ”

"It's nothing, people will have things they can't give up, I know it very well."

"I know what the Wuwei Guild said, ha

Everyone entered the front hall, each handed over his coat to the orderly, and the long dining table in the middle of the hall was already full of all kinds of delicacies and wines, accompanied by Xiao Liesun's bold noise, everyone sat down one after another.

After three rounds of drinking, Liu Yun immediately turned to the topic: "You should have received a new order from the base camp." ”

Xiao Lieri touched his shiny chin and grinned: "What Wu Weigong said is to transfer our army to the Western Front Army and join the Second Group Army, we have already made a plan, starting tomorrow, the troops will move westward according to the plan, and at the same time transfer the security and defense of the Boli Military Region to the 19th Division of the Second Reserve Army and the 1st Marine Division, please rest assured that our army can definitely complete the redeployment at the designated position before March." ”

Liu Yun was not satisfied: "To speed up, the faster the better, as far as I know, this general attack Boli lost almost fifteen thousand people, how has it been done in the past month?" ”

Xiao Lieri's thin eight-character beard tilted to the right, and turned to Chief of Staff Hu Horror: "This matter is specifically handled by our 'Cannon King', Chief of Staff, you can talk about it." ”

Hu was frightened and hurriedly responded: "Report to Wu Weigong, the process of rectification and replenishment is very smooth, after a month of rectification, all divisions and brigades of this field army have basically reached a full state, and the supplementary artillery and other large equipment are directly transported to the predetermined assembly area on the Western Front, and can be directly used at that time." ”

"Rectification is one thing, but also attention should be paid to training new recruits."

"Yes, most of the additional soldiers obtained this time are the second reserve army, and they are all young people who have gone into battle for the first time, so special attention is paid to their training, specifically, after they are incorporated into the company, veterans who have been in battle for a long time are selected to carry out intensive training for them one by one, and now it seems that the effect is very good......

"I'll check it out tomorrow."

"Yes, I'll arrange it."

"No need to arrange, give me a list of troops who don't have a task tomorrow, and I'll pick one at random."

"Yes, yes, I'll call someone to get the list right away......"

Liu Yun didn't need to watch the show, and he knew how to avoid being arranged to see the show, at least in the military affairs he was familiar with.