At a time when the Politburo is arguing over the Kiev issue, what kind of state is the fighting there in the far east?

Conglutination. Yes, Blyukhel commanded the Red Front Army of the Far East and the Kwantung Army of the devils, you come and go, and I am fighting so lively. In October and November, when the German army was at its most arrogant, the devils were also quite domineering, and about 500,000 people of the Kwantung Army were engaged in the onslaught of Khabarovsk and Vladivostok, and even after entering December, the devils once increased their troops to 700,000, so to speak, half of the troops in the Far East were invested in dealing with the Soviet Union.

So how many troops did the Far Eastern Red Front have at that time? About 400,000 troops, including five armies (the 1st Army of the Red Banner of the Far East, the Primorsky Army of the Far East, the 25th Army of the Red Front of the Far East, the 15th Army of the Red Front of the Far East and the Army of Transbaikal).

Among them, the strongest were the First Army of the Red Banner of the Far East and the Primorsky Army of the Far East. One of the two army groups was stationed in Khabarovsk, and the other was responsible for the garrison of Vladivostok. Among them, the only mechanized army in the Far East belonged to the First Red Banner Army (30th Mechanized Army).

In direct confrontation with the Japanese, the mechanized 30th Army played a killer role, with two tank divisions (the 58th and 60th divisions) and the 239th mechanized division with a combined 1,000 tanks, and under the command of Lieutenant General Pogovposky, they almost crushed the Japanese attack.

The powerful impact of the mechanized army left a deep impression on the devils: "The tanks scattered all over the mountains are too dense to count, and they are constantly firing at our troops while rumbling forward. Machine gun bullets and shells were scattered like scoops. This torrent of ironclad is unstoppable. Any attempt to block them. They all belong to the mantis arm to stop the car, and they will be crushed into powder! ”

Even the always arrogant devils were deeply jealous of the flood of armor of the Red Army, and one can imagine how frightened they were. However, for Blyukher, commander of the Far Eastern Military District and commander of the Red Front Army of the Far East, although the combat effectiveness of the mechanized troops is very good and powerful, it is far from being invincible, and it is even far from being useful.

Why? Look what the marshal said: "Although there are a lot of tanks in the 30th Army, the quality is not good, and the vast majority of them are old T-26 and BT-5. Even the BT-7 is an advanced model, not to mention the T-34, T-35, and as for the T-54, it is even more unheard of...... Most of the tanks equipped by the 30th Army are old goods from the Belarusian Front, and a considerable part of them are on the verge of life after long-term mechanical wear and tear, and mechanical failures are frequent......"

In fact, less than 50% of the tanks of the 30th Army can go into battle, and the rest of the tanks are either used as "spare parts" or are just a pile of scrap metal. All in all, the state of affairs is not satisfactory, especially as the battle progresses and the consumption increases. It's hard to say how many tanks will be able to go into battle.

Therefore, Blyukherr had to use armored forces with great restraint, and it was not possible to do what Tukhachevsky's theory of large-depth operations required. Let the armored troops go deep into the enemy's depth to surround and destroy the enemy. Rather, it is only used as a battlefield firefighter and a local counterattack force.

This was the reason why the consumption was so great that Blyukhel had to send telegrams to the Military Commission again and again: "The equipment integrity rate of the 30th Army has fallen below the warning line, the troops lack spare parts, and a considerable part of the tanks and vehicles can only be parked in bunkers or garages to become moldy...... The troops are in dire need of spare parts, and of course, it would be perfect if they could replace those tanks and vehicles that are already unusable with more advanced models......"

However, Blyukhel did not expect the Military Commission to give him better tanks, after all, the situation on the Western Front was not optimistic, and according to the strategic deployment of the Military Commission first in the west and then in the east, the Red Banner Front in the Far East really did not have the priority to change its equipment. For Blyukhel, the military commission was thankful that it could give more spare parts.

In fact, the Military Commission also did the same, on the one hand, recovering the scrapped T-26 and BT series tanks from the battlefield, and then dismantling them as parts and sending them to the Far Eastern Military District for use, and on the other hand, a part of the replaced T-26 was directly packaged and sent to the Far East. All in all, how does the Red Front of the Far East look like a tattered.

Blyukhel didn't mind being in tatters, anyway, his enemy had fewer tanks and worse quality, and what was most lacking for him was not tanks and spare parts, but troops. Yes, with the increase of the Kwantung Army to 700,000 troops, the pressure on the Far Eastern Red Banner Front will be great, after all, the difference is almost 300,000 people, even if the Japanese army's equipment is slightly worse, but the numerical advantage can be completely compensated.

It is also thanks to the two comrades-in-arms of the Outer Mongolian Army and the Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Army, otherwise, it is really possible that it will not be able to support it. Therefore, he sent telegrams to the Military Commission and Kulikov again and again, asking the Military Commission to increase military assistance to the Turkish Communist Party, and asking Kulikov to exert greater pressure on the Japanese army in North China, so as to share the pressure on the Red Banner Front in the Far East.

Objectively speaking, it is unrealistic for the Military Commission to increase its assistance to the Turkish Communist Party in a short period of time, because for the time being, the land supply line has not yet been opened, and the air transport must first guarantee Kiev. Moreover, Tukhachevsky had previously played a blitzkrieg and took away a large number of transport planes, so in December Soviet aid to China declined.

As for letting the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army exert more pressure on the Japanese army, I am afraid it is not realistic in a short period of time. First of all, the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army were still mainly guerrillas, and they were better at raiding and sabotaging, but they were not good at frontal combat, and the heavy weapons were not completely in place, and the soldiers also needed to be trained.

On the other hand, the Japanese army was determined to open up the situation in the northeast, and invested it at any cost. And North China, to be honest, has almost no industry, it is a purely agricultural area, no matter how fierce the trouble is, it can't make the Japanese army hurt their muscles and bones, at most it is just to worry about food.

If you want to fundamentally hit the arrogance of the Japanese army, you must make a fuss in the northeast, and I have to say that Zhang Shaoshuai is really a sinner, and he will give up the little family business that Zhang Zuolin has accumulated so easily. At that time, the most developed industry in China was the Northeast. What Yan Xishan, what golden ten years are not worthy of the heavy industry in the Northeast at all.

After the devil concocted the puppet Manchukuo. It also intensified its colonization of the Northeast. In addition to the pioneer regiments, a number of military industrial enterprises were also established, and a considerable part of the arms consumed by the Kwantung Army and the Japanese army in the Kannai came from the northeast. Even generally speaking, the puppet army in the Northeast is much better equipped than the puppet army in Guannai (which is one of the reasons why the Northeast Anti-Japanese Federation was so difficult back then).

In fact, the importance of the Northeast can also be seen from the later Liberation War, it was with the support of heavy industry in the Harbin area that the Turkish Communist Party armed the powerful Siye, and pushed the bald head back.

So to beat the devil, the Northeast is the top priority. Unfortunately, for the time being, neither the Soviet Union nor the Turkish Communist Party could do it. The Soviet Union was stumped by the German army, and the reasons on the side of the Turkish Communist Party were more complicated.

Of course, to put it bluntly, there are two reasons: the fundamental reason is that the strength is limited, and the guerrillas still struggle to deal with the regular army of devils; And the second reason is that someone is dragging its feet.

Who's dragging its feet? Naturally, it's bald and scraping. After entering 1941, the Kuomintang began to passively resist the war and actively oppose the Communists, especially after the Soviet Union strengthened its assistance to the Turkish Communist Party, the anti-communist actions of the Scraping Kuomintang became more and more direct and explicit. For example, the bald Tianzi No. 1 protégé Hu Zongnan and his first army began in 1939. Its focus is on the blockade of Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningbo.

Looking at Hu Zongnan's performance in the Anti-Japanese War, there is really not much worth mentioning. has not fought many big battles, which is completely inconsistent with his identity as a bald confidant. Why, isn't it just hiding in the northwest and actively opposing the communists.

After looking at the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the king of the northwest suddenly resurrected himself with full blood on the spot and became the vanguard of the civil war. It's just that what makes the bald head embarrassed is that during the Anti-Japanese War, Hu Zongnan not only failed to achieve the purpose of enhancing combat effectiveness in the northwest, but instead abandoned his subordinates. was played like a dog walking by General Peng's weak Yiye, and was driven all the way from the northwest to the southwest, and finally retreated to Yunnan, Burma and Taiwan in embarrassment.

Of course, in 1941, Hu Zongnan's headquarters was still very strong, like a vicious wolf staring at the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo border region, and in order to defend the border area, the Turkish Communist Party could only maintain a considerable number of troops in Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia.

After entering 1942, the activities of Hu Zongnan's department became more and more frequent, and its main target also moved north from the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo border region, focusing on the passage of the Soviet Union from Outer Mongolia and Inner Mongolia to Shanxi. In January 1942, he secretly ordered Hu Zongnan to order his 34th Army to completely strangle this passage by May 1942 and completely block Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningbo.

In fact, not only the Kuomintang has its eye on this channel, but even the devils and the puppet army have a headache about it, for them, the national army fighting soy sauce on the frontal battlefield is easy to deal with, and the elusive Turkish Communist Party on the battlefield behind the enemy line is really a headache. Especially after the rebirth of these damn "mole" weapons and equipment, their destructive power is becoming more and more amazing. It is conceivable that once the Soviet Union's passage to the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo border region is completed, when the Turkish Communist Party receives more military aid, its destructive power may be incalculable.

In order to completely eliminate this hidden danger, the devil has also formulated a set of plans, the core of which is to concentrate superior forces to take Yan'an directly!

In other words, at the beginning of 1942, the Kuomintang and the devils coincidentally launched a military operation against the Turkish Communist Party, and the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo border area was in danger for a while!

The only good news was that the underground work of the Turkish Communist Party was carried out so well, that there was Duan Boyu (senior general of the old Chiang attendant office), Xiong Xianghui (Hu Zongnan's confidential secretary) by Hu Zongnan's side, and Wang Jinyuan (Wang Jingwei's entourage secretary) on Wang Jingwei's side. Let's put it this way, whether it is Lao Jiang's side or the puppet army's side that has some big moves, it will definitely not be able to escape the eyes of these people.

This time is the same, the bald head and the devil's self-conscious top-secret battle plan is not a secret to the Turkish Communist Party at all. It's not that simple, and it's good to have information, but it's even more important to know how to respond.

So for the "joint attack" of Hu Zongnan and the devil, is there a way for the Turks to do so? Let's put it this way, there are a lot of ways to deal with devils, but there is no way to deal with Hu Zongnan.

Why? Let's listen to me slowly, let's talk about the devil first. After Yan Xishan lost most of Shanxi, the devil did not think of crossing the Yellow River to invade Shaanxi in one fell swoop, but he never succeeded. The reason is simple. One is the issue of resupply. As everyone knows. The supply capacity of the devils is quite poor, and the so-called battlefield support ability is nothing more than robbery. The treacherous terrain of Shaanxi and Shanxi further magnified the shortcomings of the devils, and it was difficult for the devils to maintain the offensive for a long time, so they could only give up halfway.

The second is the problem of terrain, the depth of the ravines on the Loess Plateau is originally suitable for guerrilla activities, and there is the danger of the Yellow River, and it is quite difficult for devils to cross the river. It can be said that the devil's firepower advantage cannot be brought into play in such a geographical environment. Every time I was on the edge of the Yellow River, I rushed back.

In fact, after making full use of the geographical advantages, whether it is the Turkish Communist Party, Yan Xishan, or Hu Zongnan, the pressure in the great northwest is still very small. So don't look at the menacing devils, but this wave comes and goes quickly.

What's more, in the past few months, the strength of the Turkish Communist Party's garrison in Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningbo has also been greatly enhanced.

However, this is facing the devils in the east, but against Hu Zongnan in the west and south, there are not many ways for the Turkish Communist Party. First of all, Hu Zongnan's department is very strong and belongs to the Huangpu system in the Huangpu system. For example, the First Army originated from the Whampoa Military Academy Teaching Corps. This is a bald army. Belongs to the Imperial Forest Army (of course, the first army brand is loud but the record is very average).

Secondly, this time Hu Zongnan's goal was not the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo border area, but the passage to the northern part of Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia. If Hu Zongnan rushed to the border areas, the local communist method would be nothing more than to slowly use guerrilla warfare and movement warfare to maneuver around the opponent.

Moreover, the Turkish Communist Party can also launch a public opinion offensive, and when the time comes, the Kuomintang will have to be full of bags. Anyway, the poor northern Shaanxi is not the food of the first army's masters, and if they have suffered enough, they will naturally get out.

But this time, Hu Zongnan did not come to the border area, but planned to block the northern passage of the border area, which was not easy to do. After all, the Kuomintang is the ruling party, and if he wants to attack Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia, the Turkish Communist Party can naturally protest and protest, but it is reasonable and legal for him to occupy the northern part of Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningbo.

It is only a big name, this matter is not easy to handle, and the northern part of Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningbo is a barren land, which is not suitable for guerrilla activities, and fighting Hu Zongnan in this area will not be able to bring into play the best tactics of the Turkish Communist Party.

Anyway, if Hu Zongnan really moved to the northern part of Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningbo, the Turkish Communist Party would not have many methods, and if it was not done well, all-out friction would break out, and then the anti-Japanese national united front would exist in name only, and Lao Chiang and the Kuomintang would be able to carry out anti-communist activities freely.

The predicament of the Turkish Communist Party even attracted the attention of the Soviet Political Bureau, because after all, the Turkish Communist Party had a bearing on the war situation in the northeast and even the international situation of the Soviet Union in the future. It is the duty of the big brother to help this little brother tide over the difficulties.

"On the one hand, we should warn the People's Party and dispel their misconceptions. However, this is not necessarily useful, judging from the actions of the Kuomintang in the past two years, it has been passively resisting Japan and actively opposing the Communists, and since we have chosen to support the Turkish Communist Party, the relations between the two countries have fallen into a low ebb, and it is very likely that the Kuomintang will not take our warnings seriously. ”

Trotsky paused for a moment and said very solemnly: "Therefore, I think it is necessary to show the attitude of the Soviet government by force." Only by knocking on the Scratching People's Party can they know the real position of the Soviet government on this issue. I suggest that Comrade Blyukher organize the Outer Mongolian army and part of the Red Army of Transbergar to conduct an exercise in this area, and if it can scare off the Kuomintang, it would be better, if not, then fight a small battle and fight the Kuomintang! ”

It has to be said that, apart from the situation on the Western Front, Trotsky was as wise as ever in other respects, and it is estimated that Tukhachevsky lowered his average IQ. However, Trotsky's strategy was not entirely without problems.

For example, Dzerzhinsky proposed: "I have no objection to beating the Kuomintang, but how to grasp this measure." What if the force is too strong and it retreats to the side of Japan? ”

Trotsky replied: "I don't think this is a problem, judging from the present international situation, it is not very likely that Chiang will betray himself and commit treason, this person still wants to preserve his strength in case of a civil war in the future, and he cannot completely surrender to Japan." And as long as we can control the scale of the battle, we can only beat the KMT army and drive them away. ”

Trotsky said it very easily, but it was more difficult to do it well, first of all, the Red Army in the Far East was relatively tight, and counting the friendly forces in Outer Mongolia, in this battle there were at most two armies. Secondly, it is necessary to fight a quick battle, and if Hu Zongnan is hurt, these troops must be re-engaged in the front line against the Japanese army.

In other words, in this battle, the Red Army must win more with less (Hu Zongnan has to invest about 150,000 men, while the Red Army has only two armies, less than 80,000), and it must also be quickly decided. So who is the right person to command?

The Military Commission drew up a list that included a number of veterans of the Red Army, such as Timoshenko, Tyulenev, Lewandovsky, Dubovoy, Feziko, Velikanov. The most vocal of these was Timoshenko, but he was also the quickest to be ruled out, because Shaposhnikov needed Timoshenko in the upcoming battle to relieve the siege of Kiev.

And the rest of the group, to be honest, is qualified to go anywhere, but none of them are suitable. In Li Xiaofeng's words: "What use can these old antiques be? We need to train young people, and we should give young people more opportunities! ”

So who is Li Xiaofeng's so-called young man? In fact, there are three candidates: Zhukov, Konev and Vasilevsky...... (To be continued......)

PS: Bow and thank you to 89 Thirty, the long journey into the night, os, old students and comrade dogs playing with frogs!