Changing Generals

Author: Jiangsu Daozi

Zuo Zhong did not immediately introduce the information about Feiklenko, commander of the 57th Red Russian Army. Instead, he asked Chief Zhang an irrelevant question.

"Sir Zhang, how do you think the Red Russian side performed in the Battle of Nomenkan?"

"Not so good. According to the intelligence provided by your military commander, the Red Russians have an absolute advantage in this battle, both in terms of numbers and equipment. It should be a great victory."

Chief Zhang frowned and said, and then showed an incomprehensible expression: "But the result is that although the Red Russian and Mongolian troops did a good job of keeping secrets, the specific number of casualties is unknown.

However, two important personnel including the Commander of the 6th Mongolian Cavalry Division and the Director of the Operations Department of the 9th Red Russian Armored Brigade were killed in action. Presumably Russia and Mongolia suffered huge losses, or at least a tragic victory.

What is even more incomprehensible is that after defeating the 64th Regiment of the 23rd Division, the Red Russians actually withdrew to the west bank of the Halaha River, which is simply inexplicable."

Zuo Zhong nodded when he heard the words. What the other party said was the latest intelligence received by the military commander. The Japanese were victorious and the Red Russians were defeated without defeat. This result surprised everyone.

And according to a certain viscount who did not want to be named, after the war, the commander of the 23rd Division reported to the Kwantung Army and Tokyo that the battle was won.

This person claimed that the 64th Regiment not only killed the commander of the Mongolian Cavalry Division, but also annihilated the 15th Cavalry Regiment of the 6th Mongolian Cavalry Division, and at the same time ordered the reorganization of the division's cavalry regiment.

The Japanese Army General Staff Headquarters in Tokyo also joined in the fun and sent a telegram to the Kwantung Army to congratulate the 23rd Division on its "brilliant victory."

Fabricating military exploits is nothing new in the Japanese army, and the east bank of the Harha River is indeed in the hands of the Japanese, so the division commander is not bragging.

After reviewing this piece of information in his mind, Zuo Zhong asked Chief Zhang and Guo Yizhi to sit down in the corner of the air-raid shelter and asked another question.

"So, Commander Zhang, what do you think about Feiklenko setting up his headquarters in Tamtsagbulagak, one hundred and twenty-five kilometers away from Nomenkan?"

Tamtsagbulak is located in the eastern border area of ​​Mongolia. There is a frontline airport of the Red Russian Air Force in the area. It is an important strategic support point of the Red Russia in Mongolia.

As the former education director of Huangpu, Chief Zhang naturally knew the strategic locations around the Republic of China, and he immediately answered this question.

"It is difficult for Zhang to understand. According to our army's regulations, the division-level headquarters should be 3-5 kilometers away from the front-line positions, the corps-level headquarters should be 10-11 kilometers away, and the group corps-level headquarters should be 12-20 kilometers away.

There may be slight differences between the regulations of the Red Russian Army and the Russian Army, but they are not six or seven times as many. Commander Feiklenko must be a little scared.

As a soldier and a military-level officer, it is really shameful to be greedy for life and afraid of death. If the other party is under my command, he will be dealt with according to military regulations."

Zuo Zhong and Guo Yizhi nodded slightly in agreement. The general did not need to go to the front line to fight, otherwise the command center would be knocked out and the troops would lose command and the consequences would be disastrous.

Although 10 to 11 kilometers does not seem close, if the Japanese cavalry and tanks attacked with all their strength, they would be able to reach this distance in less than half an hour. This is still a conservative estimate.

If you encounter an extreme enemy and use paratroopers and large-caliber cannons, such a small distance will have no effect, so it is normal for the headquarters to move back.

But moving back 120 kilometers is too exaggerated. The situation on the battlefield is changing rapidly. At such a long distance, the commander cannot command operations in time according to the changes in the battlefield.

well?

Did he accidentally insinuate a certain micro-manipulation master? Zuo Zhong couldn't help but think of a joke, the machine gun of xx company xx company of xx division xx moved ten centimeters to the right.

Besides, after Commander Zhang evaluated the location of Feklenko's headquarters, he suddenly realized something, looked at Zuo Zhong with some uncertainty, and asked.

"Shenzhi, are you saying that the Red Russian side is likely to change their generals?"

"right!"

Zuo Zhong nodded without hesitation, and at the same time he breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the topic had finally been brought to this matter, otherwise he really wouldn't know what to say next.

In later generations, as long as those who have received nine-year compulsory education basically know about the Battle of Nomenkan, they should also know who the commander of this battle was.

The man who commanded the Red Russian army to fight the Kwantung Army was the Red Russian general who was somewhat famous in World War II, Georgi Konstantinovich Zhukov.

But others are not clear about this matter. Zuo Zhong cannot directly tell Commander Zhang that he is a visitor from later generations. Red Russia will definitely replace the commander of the 57th Army.

He had to find a suitable reason and let the personnel involved in the operation come to the conclusion that the probability of changing generals on the spot was very low. You must know that this is a taboo for military strategists.

There are numerous examples in history of defeats caused by substitutions before the battle. Under normal circumstances, no country's top leaders would make such an unwise move.

However, now that the result is known, it will be much easier to look for relevant clues and evidence. Coupled with verbal inducement, this matter will not be difficult to achieve.

Sure enough, Chief Zhang, an experienced veteran, did not disappoint him. He immediately analyzed one thing from the two questions just now - Feiklenko is about to be replaced.

When Chief Zhang and Guo Yizhi heard Zuo Zhong's answer, their expressions suddenly changed. If they didn't know who the commander of Red Russia was, how would the Mirage Plan be implemented?

Red Russia is not a small country, and there are countless senior officers qualified to command the 57th Army. They cannot imitate all the military-level officers of the other party.

After pondering for a moment, Commander Zhang slowly said: "Shen Zhong, according to your analysis, which general is most likely to be sent by Mosk to command the Nomenkan battle?"

There are specialties in the art industry, and professional matters should be left to professionals. Intelligence analysis is the specialty of intelligence personnel. Instead of making random guesses, it is better to listen to the opinions of military commanders.

Faced with Chief Zhang's question, Zuo Zhong did not answer immediately. He first took out a piece of information and handed it to the officer, and then asked the third question.

"Sir Zhang, have you seen this person?"

Chief Zhang took the information and looked at the photo above. After recalling it for a while, his pupils suddenly shrank, he raised his head and nodded solemnly towards Zuo Zhong.

"I have seen him. Last summer, this person visited the government with a delegation from the Red Russia. At that time, I attended the welcome dinner and was introduced by others that his name was Zhukov.

His job was to be the commander of the 6th Cossack Cavalry Corps. He was a man of few words. Judging from the few words he spoke, he was a man with a troubled heart and lofty ambitions.

But he did not stay in the Republic of China for a few days before leaving. It is said that he was urgently recalled by the Red Russian military and returned to the country to serve as deputy commander of the Belarusian Special Military District."

Telling the impression of Zhukov in his memory, Chief Zhang put down the information and asked Zuo Zhong: "What, Shen Zhong, do you think Zhukov will become Fekelenko's successor?"

"yes."

"reason?"

Chief Zhang was a little confused as to why Zuo Zhong was so sure. Could it be because Zhukov would come to the Republic of China in the future? However, there were many Red Russian generals who had come to the Republic of China, and he was not ranked at all.

After the baptism of the founding war of the Red Russia and the anti-intervention war, there are many famous generals in the Russian army who are older, more meritorious, and more experienced than Zhukov, but this person will not get his turn.

Determining the candidate for the new commander of Red Russia is related to the success or failure of the Mirage Plan, and must be handled carefully. If the wrong person is guessed, it will be useless no matter how much other work is done.

Zuo Zhong said calmly: "There are three main reasons. First, the reuse of Zhukov is not an accident, but inevitable. This is directly related to the political ecology of Red Russia.

Zhukov's superior is Marshal Budyonny of Red Russia. Budyonny is one of the only two remaining marshals of Red Russia. He is deeply trusted by Mosk and can be said to be his subordinate.

Zhukov is Budyonny’s right-hand assistant and subordinate, a rising star in his faction, and has been promoted by Budyonny many times. Nomenkan is a good opportunity for gold plating.”

Chief Zhang smiled when he heard the word "gilded". No matter where he was or what his occupation was, relationships and connections were factors that must be considered. Zhukov did have an advantage in this regard.

In fact, Zuo Zhong had some things that were hard to say directly. Zhukov served as the regimental commander of the First Cavalry Army formed by a certain beard himself. He belonged to the direct lineage, and in the Republic of China, he was from the First Army.

The commander of this unit was Budyonny, the political commissar was another Marshal Voroshilov, and the division commanders were Timoshenko and Gorokossovsky. Its members were basically unaffected by the Great Purge.

Having worked as a subordinate under so many talented people, how can one have such a small background? No one can compete with Zhukov when it comes to gold plating. To put it bluntly, he can be called a red Russian little Zuo Zhong.

Zuo Zhong secretly put a piece of gold on his face, poured a glass of water for Commander Zhang and Guo Yizhi, and then continued to explain why Zhukov could succeed Feiklenko as the army commander.

"Secondly, the opponent has been promoted step by step from an ordinary soldier to a cavalry commander, and has also studied in military academies at all levels. He lacks neither actual combat experience nor new tactical concepts.

At the same time, according to public information, Zhukov also has experience in planning military region-level exercises, which gives him the ability to mobilize and organize large-scale mobile operations.

Finally, Zhukov came to the Republic of China as a military adviser to aid China. Even though the time was short, he had a certain understanding of the Japanese army's combat style and troop organization.

Although he is not a "Japan expert", he understands the Japanese army better than the generals in Red Russia. In summary, he is the best candidate to lead the army to fight the Kwantung Army in Nomenkan.

Chief Zhang, Chief Guo, this is the conclusion of the analysis of humble positions. I think the commander of the Red Russian side should be based on Zhukov. I wonder if the two officers have different opinions."

After stating the three reasons, Zuo Zhong looked at Zhang and Guo with confidence. After such a "careful analysis" and so much "evidence", he believed that they would not object.

This is also true. Chief Zhang and Guo Yizhi discussed in low voices for a long time, but no logical loopholes were found. Zhukov is indeed very likely to become the commander of the 57th Army.

In the end, Commander Zhang accepted Zuo Zhong's conjecture. He took Zhukov's basic information and combat examples and silently looked at them in the corner of the air-raid shelter, closing his eyes from time to time.
Chapter completed!