The purpose of Zhukov's visit to China was of course to establish closer relations with the Chinese side, hoping to contain the Japanese forces in Central China when Japan launched an attack on the Soviet Far East and, if possible, to launch a direct attack on the Japanese Kwantung Army.

In addition, Zhukov shouldered another important mission, that is, to conduct a comprehensive investigation of Chen Feng's subordinates, to see if this Chinese warlord was really as powerful as Major General Ivan said, whether he was qualified to talk directly with him on an equal footing, and whether that warlord army could become a friendly force to assist the great Soviet Red Army in resisting evil Japan.

As soon as he got off the plane, Zhukov felt that the two poor border provinces of Chahar and Suiyuan in northern China seemed to be very different from those places in southern China, and this difference was not only reflected in the military aspect, but also in the humanistic spirit of the entire region. In southern China, both generals and soldiers are confused about the prospects of the war of resistance, especially in Wuhan, where there is a strong smell of panic throughout the city.

But there is no such feeling here, the soldiers and civilians here do not seem to worry about the strong Japanese army affecting their lives, the fortitude and strength of the soldiers' faces are touching, and the generals are very confident, as if they can destroy the arrogant enemy with a single hand. And this self-confidence did not make Zhukov feel that they were proud and arrogant, but felt that it seemed normal.

Accompanied by Yang Yi and Kang Xiaowei, Zhukov visited the Baotou Heavy Industry Zone and the Bayannur Light Industry Zone, and then visited the three group armies of the Eighth Theater and some units directly under the theater.

Chen Feng's strong lineup shocked Zhukov. This Chinese warlord is far more powerful than Major General Ivan said, and the Chinese army is far more powerful than they imagined. In particular, during the tour, Zhukov saw a large number of new equipment, including a tank that was more advanced and massive than all the armor that the Soviets were equipped with now.

Especially during the visit to Xinghe, Zhukov was suddenly attacked by Japanese agents, who had less than 30 Chinese guards around him, but the enemy had more than 40 people, and they were well-equipped and well-trained, and these Japanese agents had already taken control of the food factory to which Zhukov was going and planted bombs in the factory.

In this unfavorable situation, the thirty or so guards quickly counterattacked when they were suddenly attacked. A detachment urgently escorted Zhukov from the battlefield. The other pair quickly formulated a counterattack plan, and quickly and effectively annihilated more than 40 Japanese agents in the food factory, and the most incredible thing for Zhukov was that in less than a minute after the attack, these Chinese guards actually dismantled the bombs planted by the Japanese. Not only does it protect the safety of the entourage. At the same time, it also cleanly eliminated the enemy. Such an excellent combat squad Zhukov was seen only in Comrade Stalin's Guards.

At the end of the 10-day visit, Zhukov and the others returned to Guisui again and offered to meet with Chen Feng as soon as possible. However, he was rejected by Chen Feng on the grounds that he was busy with official business. It is not that Chen Feng does not want to form an alliance with the Soviet Union, but he wants to find an opportunity that is favorable to him, and then put himself in a favorable position in the negotiation process. He knew that now that the Northeast region had already made a fuss, it would not be long before this place would become the focus of attention of all countries in the world, and it would be very beneficial for him to negotiate at that time.

Although Chen Feng politely refused Zhukov's request to meet, the reason was very good, and at the same time, Yang Yi told Zhukov that he would be busy in a few days, and it would not be too late to talk about it then.

Zhukov also had a certain understanding of Chen Feng during this time, and knew that the Chinese general was indeed very busy, although Zhukov didn't believe that Chen Feng couldn't even spare time to talk with him for a while, but after understanding the strength of the Eighth Theater of Operations, Zhukov felt that if he could form an alliance with Chen Feng's subordinates, it would definitely be a big help to the great Soviet Union, and it would be worth waiting for this powerful ally.

On 20 April, the headquarters of the 23rd Division of the Kwantung Army stationed in Hailar was holding a joint meeting to convey to all units the "Outline for the Settlement of Manchu-Soviet Border Disputes." At this time, the battle report of the clash between the Manchu and Mongolian armies of Nomenkan reached the headquarters of the 23rd Division, and the commander of the division, Lieutenant General Michitaro Komatsubara, was determined to fight the Outer Mongolian troops. Immediately issued an order in the name of the commander of the defense of the Nomenkan side, ordering the Kwantung Army and the puppet Manchurian army in the Nomenkan area to dispatch.

On the afternoon of 22 April, Lieutenant General Michitaro Komatsubara sent a telegram to the Kwantung Army Headquarters: "On the morning of 22 April, about 700 Outer Mongolian soldiers crossed the Haraha River in the Nomenkan area and invaded the Manchurian border, exchanging fire with a unit of the Manchurian Army. As reinforcements appeared to be in the rear, a division and a Manchu army had been ordered to annihilate it. ”

On April 24, with the cooperation of a squadron of light bombers, the Japanese troops were dispatched by the Japanese army to drive the Outer Mongolian troops directly to the west bank of the Haraha River. After that, they returned to Hailar on April 25.

The actions of the Japanese army immediately angered the Soviet troops, and the 23rd Division thought that the incident was over and would not expand. However, when the 23rd Division dispatched troops to withdraw, the Outer Mongolian Border Guard again entered the east bank of the Haraha River. Aircraft with Soviet insignia also began to fly over the disputed area. Contrary to the above estimates of the 23rd Division, Soviet units intervened in the dispute.

On 27 April, the 23rd Division re-ordered troops to be dispatched under the command of the infantry company commander. The number of people is about 2,000. The force launched an offensive on the eastern bank of the Haraha River in the early hours of 28 April, but was subjected to heavy artillery shelling and heavy casualties, so that the attack did not make progress. The division commander had no choice but to order this unit to retreat from the battlefield.

With the gradual expansion of the situation, the military conflict continued to escalate. Stalin, who was far away in Moscow, was not satisfied with the progress of the negotiations between Zhukov and Chen Feng's subordinates, and urged Zhukov to reach an agreement with Chen Feng's subordinates as soon as possible, and the great Soviet Union now needed a strong ally.

On the 28th, Zhukov again proposed talks with Chen Feng, and this time Chen Feng readily agreed, and then the Soviet Union and Chen Feng's headquarters began negotiations.

The negotiations went well, according to the agreement, the Soviet Union and Chen Feng's troops became strategic allies, and when the Japanese army launched an attack on the Soviet Union and Outer Mongolia, Chen Feng's troops were to perform their duties as allies, contain the Japanese troops in North China, and threaten the security of the Kwantung Army's flank. In return, the Soviet Union will provide Chen Feng's department with 50,000 tons of oil and two tractor production lines free of charge, and in the military industry, the Soviet Union will build two Yi-16 fighter parts production plants for Chen Feng's department in a short period of time. In addition, in the shortest possible time, an oil exploration brigade was formed with the team of Chen Feng's department to go to Siberia to explore the oil and gas resources in this area.

In order to protect its own interests, the Soviet Union refused to get involved in the Sino-Japanese war, but agreed to give Chen Feng's troops great help in terms of war resources. In addition to the help of war resources, this kind of help also includes the support of the industrial base and technology. After all, compared to the entire Chasui region and even the whole of China, Chen Feng's strength alone is too insignificant.

Moreover, there are many things that do not have to be exchanged for points to get, the Soviet Union, the second largest industrial country in the world and the first in Europe, has too many things that Chen Feng urgently needs, compared to the long distance of the United States and the expensive points of the system, the Soviet Union is the best help for Chen Feng to achieve the industrialization of the jurisdiction.

The day after the two sides reached an agreement, Zhukov and others returned to Moscow by special plane, while Chen Feng was ready to wrestle with the North China Front again.

Hulunbuir grassland. The Nomenkan front.

The conflict between the Soviet Union and Japan escalated again, and the real fighting broke out after May 10. On 13 May, the war resumed as a result of an offensive by the Japanese. On the Japanese side, the Shan Shan Detachment composed of a cavalry wing, two infantry brigades, and an artillery squadron led by the East 800 Tibetan Nakazo was the mainstay, and with the cooperation of one regiment of the puppet Manchukuo and a large number of air forces, it confronted the Outer Mongolian Army and the newly sent Soviet Army, which was mainly mechanized troops.

The Soviet-Mongolian army was also strengthened at this time, and in addition to the original troops, there were also the 11th Tank Brigade, the 36th Motorized Infantry Division, the 6th Mongolian Cavalry Division, and the 57th Special Army Headquarters moved from Ulaanbaatar to Tamchag Prague, 125 kilometers away from the Haraha River.

On the 14th, the Japanese side deployed the main force centered on the infantry on the side of the Soviet-Mongolian army, and sent the Eastern Cavalry Wing to attack the enemy's flank in a detour to cut off its retreat. However, the Soviet tanks and artillery attacked extremely fiercely, which put the main Japanese army in a predicament, especially the Eastern Cavalry Wing sent to attack the flank of the Soviet army, which was cut off from retreat and surrounded and annihilated by tanks. The soldiers of the Eastern Cavalry Wing either crashed into each other and fell to one place, or lay on their stomachs on the burned car and were burned alive, the tragic situation is truly unbearable. Lieutenant General Michitaro Komatsubara sent three more artillery squadrons up to confront the Soviet army, but it was a drop in the bucket and to no avail, and it was finally difficult to save the defeat.

On the 17th, the Japanese army withdrew from the battlefield. In this battle, the Soviet Red Army and the Kwantung Army were "evenly divided", but apart from the victory of the Air Force, the Japanese side had no victory at all. On the army side, the 64th Wing under the command of Yama Wuguang Dazuo, the search team of about 200 people in the East 800 Tibet, and the 1st, 2nd, and 8th Regiments of the puppet Manchurian Xing'an Cavalry were defeated by the Soviet and Mongolian troops, and the Japanese search team lost 115 people and 81 missing, almost all of the troops were annihilated, and the East 800 Zang himself was also killed; The Japanese army killed 151 people in the battle and 92 people whose fate is unknown, with a casualty rate of 20%. (To be continued......)