"What! The Baikal Front could not withstand it just four days ago?! Did Comrade Halepsky forget how to fight?"

As soon as he heard the request of Khalepsky, the former Russian Army colonel, who had always been hot-tempered, was now the Red Army general Kamenev. This great retreat was not to leave and never come back. Instead, it was to lure the enemy into depth. Since we wanted to lure the enemy, we could not dodge the faster, the better, but to retreat. Therefore, the original plan was to give up the Far East for half a month, give up the Baikal area in one month, and transfer the army to the Yenisei River Basin within two months, and carry out defense with Krasnoyarsk as the core... But how long has it been? In just four days, the Baikal Front would soon be unable to withstand it? At this speed, at most twenty days, the Far East and Baikal areas would be lost! Can the Chinese not be suspicious?

Meletskov, chief of staff of the Far Eastern Front, was transferred from the Baikal Front and knew very well about the situation facing the Baikal Front. He picked up the baton and walked to the map platform helplessly, pointing to Mongolia south of the Baikal region and said to Kaminev: "Comrade Commander, the enemy situation faced by the Baikal Front has always been very serious. The Chinese have deployed a large number of mechanized troops in Mongolia, and there are 6 armored troops/armored cavalry troops who have found the number. Moreover, these armored troops were strengthened in 1933, and each army has at least 700 tanks and powerful artillery!

However, the Baikal Front now has no tank, and its total strength is only 7 armies with more than 500,000 troops. Three of them have secretly retreated to Krasnoyarsk. One cavalry army is deployed in the Tanu Ulianghai area, and one army defends Irkutsk and Ulan Ude. There are only two armies that can be used to guard the area of ​​the Massachusetts. And there are two infantry divisions trapped in Darkhan, and they have lost contact. It is estimated that the entire army will be wiped out.

Judging from the current combat situation, the combat effectiveness of the Chinese army is stronger than expected. If it weren't for the commander's plan to lure the enemy into depth, we and the Baikal Front would most likely be wiped out in the spring of this year! Faced with such a brutal enemy, the first thing we need to ensure is the safety of the main force. Even if the retreat is faster, it doesn't matter."

Kamenev nodded. It is indeed the most important thing to preserve strength, otherwise the troops will be exhausted. What will happen if the enemy goes deeper into the Red Army? But Tomsky, the first secretary of the Far East Bureau of the United Nations G, said with a serious expression: "Comrade Kamenev, the retreat of the Far Eastern Republic and the future struggle behind enemy lines will take time to deploy. This time the order was too urgent, and all the comrades in the local area were caught off guard! If..."

Kamenev glanced at Tomsky in embarrassment. The latter was a veteran Soviet revolutionary. He joined the Russian Social Revolutionary Party in 1904. He participated in the 1905 revolution and worked in trade union for a long time after the victory of the October Revolution. He had served as an alternate member of the Political Bureau of the United Central G. Originally, he had a good relationship with the revolutionary prophet, but later he had differences with Trotsky on whether the trade union represents the interests of workers or the interests of the party, so he was released to the Far East to be the first secretary. However, the status of the Central Committee is still there, which shows that Trotsky could recall him to Moscow at any time and reuse it again.

So Kamenev was not too embarrassed, so he had to explain patiently: "Comrade Tomsky. I also know the difficulties of local comrades in the Far East, but this time the Command has a big plan to reverse the passive situation on the Eastern Front. It can be said that it is foolproof and the probability of success is extremely high, but you must pay attention to confidentiality. If the enemy knows that we deliberately brought them into the trap, the entire battle will fail. Therefore, we cannot arrange for local comrades to transfer in advance... You are more clear to the special situation in the Far East than us. As for the Command and Comrade Trotsky, I will definitely try my best to explain it for you. I believe Comrade Trotsky will also understand your difficulties."

Speaking of this, what else can Tomsky do? He could only sigh and stand up and say goodbye. According to the plan, he, the first secretary of the Far East Bureau, would stay in the Far East and insist on the struggle. The People's Committee of the Far East Soviet Socialist Republic and the Supreme Soviet cannot leave the Far East. They all had to move in packages to Yakutsk on the banks of the Lena River, which was more than a thousand kilometers away from the Siberian Railway, and there were also blocking the outer Xing'an Mountains and large areas of primeval forests. I believe that the Chinese army would not be able to fight so quickly.

In addition, the Far Eastern Front will not evacuate in name, and the 55th Army Command will be upgraded to the new Far Eastern Front Command, and the former commander of the 55th Army Qiulenev will serve as the new Far Eastern Front Command. As for Kamenev, he will lead the main force of the Far Eastern Front and the main force of the Baikal Front, and then the two sides will merge into the Eastern Front. Kamenev will serve as commander, and Khalepsky will be appointed as political commissar. At the same time, the Soviet Command will also mobilize at least 10 armies and 10 tank troops from the Central Asian Front, the Western Siberian Front and the western Soviet Union to transfer it to the Eastern Front for the Krasnoyarsk Battle, which is said to be able to turn the world around in the future.

...

On March 16, 1934, in Central Asia, the northern foot of the Kyrgyz Mountains, heavy rainstorms poured down. The wet and cold air from the south finally collided with the cold air that was residing around the Kyrgyz Mountains, which refused to retreat northward, and also announced the early arrival of the rainy season in Central Asia. At the same time, the temperature gradually rose. The melting ice and snow of the Kyrgyz Mountains and the Tianshan Mountains merged into the Chu River, the Yili River and other large and small rivers, causing the originally calm water level to suddenly surge, spreading out of the river, turning into floods, and shaking down many roads and bridges, almost paralyzing the traffic in the southern part of the northern border. On a muddy road west of the Chu River,

A large group of Chinese soldiers were shouting labor horns, helping the Yili horse, which was not very suitable for pulling carts, pulling 105mm/155mm heavy artillery forward. On a high ground not far away, Wu Peifu and Zhu D, wearing tape raincoats, stood side by side, holding a telescope to observe the Soviet position in front of them. In front and around them, tens of thousands of Chinese officers and soldiers were sweating profusely digging fortifications and building a starting position. In the open space on the north side of the highland, hundreds of cannons wrapped in cannon suits were arranged neatly. There were also carriages outside the side transporting carts of cannonballs, and a tough battle seemed to be about to happen!

"Ship Yu, President Zhu and Chief Bai are here."

As the staff reminded him, Wu Peifu and Zhu D turned their heads and looked at each other, and saw Bai Chongxi climbing up from the foot of the mountain on the muddy road. After meeting, they asked straight to the point without any greetings: "Ship Yu, Brother Yujie, what's the situation? Are the enemies on the west bank of the Taras River the main force?"

The Northwest Front Army commanded by Bai Chongxi and the Northern Front Army launched an attack on the same day, and the offensive was divided into two routes. The North Road was the main attack, with the 2nd Armored Army as the main force, plus the 3rd Army and the 4th Army, the 11th Army and the 15th Army. The Northwest Front Army was commanded by Hawei, deputy commander-in-chief of the Northwest Front Army, attacking from east of the Ayaguz River, divided into two routes, and attacking Karaganda, the capital of Kazakhstan; and rushed to the Ertzis River. Cut off the liaison between the Soviet Western Siberian Front and the Kazakhstan Front.

Originally, Bai Chongxi and Hawei believed that this attack would encounter tenacious resistance from the Soviet Red Army, and were also ready to fight the Soviet tank troops in the Kazakhstan grassland. For this reason, the Air Force also specifically required that the Attack 2 light dive bombers belonging to the 1st Air Force, which belonged to the Northwest Front, be replaced with ju.87 Stuka type to enhance the power of the air strike. However, the attack began unexpectedly. The hundreds of thousands of troops commanded by Hawei did not encounter decent resistance at all. The only difficulty was that the roads, bridges, and villages along the way were all destroyed by the Soviet army, resulting in the lack of good marching and resting conditions for the army...

However, Bai Chongxi, who received this news, was not happy at all. He could not believe that Trotsky really didn't want the land of Central Asia. Now the Soviet army in Central Asia seemed to have evaporated from the world. It must be a trap of the Soviet army! Either it was luring the enemy into depth and was ready to attack the deep Chinese army under the city of Karaganda or the Ertits River. Or it was secretly transferred the main force of the Central Asia Soviet army to the southern line and was preparing to fight the Chinese army at the foot of the Kyrgyz Mountains. What Bai Chongxi was most worried about was the latter possibility, because the five armies on the northern line were all elite main forces, and there were more than 300 Ju.87 Stukas to provide air support. Even if the Soviet army took out 20 tank troops, Hawei and Liao Lei (the commander of the 2nd Armored Army) had an 80% chance of winning.

However, the troops commanded by Wu Peifu and Zhu D on the southern front were a little unsuccessful. In addition to Zhu D's 18th Army, who served as the commander, there were four reserve troops that made up the numbers. Although there were a large number, the real combat power was not even one-fifth of the northern army. If they encountered the main force of the Central Asian Soviet Army, there would be no good results. Wu Peifu and Zhu D obviously had the same idea. Mr. Zhu looked solemn and shook his head and said, "Reconnaissance shows that the Soviet army on the west bank of the Taras River has no more than one division guarding Taras City. However... the reason for this is even more worrying."

Wu Peifu, who was standing by, also expressed his grave expression and agreed: "The situation was wrong when the troops crossed Chuhe. There was obviously half of the Soviet army defending, but when we passed, even a ghost disappeared! Jianshuo, I think this battle is not easy to fight, and no matter how you look at it, it seems like there is a trap waiting for us to get into it."

Unlike most ordinary Chinese military officers who are optimistic about the battle situation, the three Chinese military generals here are all those with seventeen or eight thoughts in their belly. This kind of person has a characteristic. The bolder the officer, the smaller the one. Now the battle situation between 2.4 million people and the entire northwest is pressing on their shoulders. The battle situation is a bit too smooth, so I think it is the trap of the Soviets.

After meeting a "heartfelt soulmate", Marshal Bai said more and nodded, "What you said is, I also think the battle in the Northwest is not easy to fight. Moreover, the situation in Europe is also confusing. The Spanish crisis is escalating. Maybe there will be a conflict between France and Germany. At that time, the Soviet army may concentrate its main force against us."

Wu Peifu and Zhu D were surprised and looked at each other. They didn't know the entire content of the "Max Hoffmann Plan", especially the part of the war between France and Germany. Although they also knew that the Spanish left and right parties were in opposition, and the two groups went to Paris and Rome to find the backstage to hug each other. But they never thought that France and Germany would fight because of this. If the Germans were trapped in France, it would mean that the Soviet Union could mobilize millions of elite troops from Europe to Central Asia and the Far East. It's okay to say that Central Asia was a situation of equal strength, and the opponent would suddenly have to have more than one or two hundred and eight hundred thousand. This battle could not be fought.

"I'm here to discuss this matter with you." Bai Chongxi waved to a staff officer who followed him and asked him to spread the map. The three of them found a corner of leewards on the hillside to study it. "According to the latest battle report of the Northern Front Army, their progress was also very smooth. The city of Trade can be taken down at most 3 days, and Chita will definitely be able to be captured in 5 days. Moreover, the Soviet troops they encountered during the attack were surprisingly few. The troops guarding Oloviyannaya Fortress had only one guard 220th Division, and the troops guarding Darhan Fortress had only two divisions... This force was clearly not about defending, but about delaying our offensive and winning time for the retreat of the main force.

All signs indicate that the Soviet Red Army is ready to give up the Far East and Northern Gal and may retreat to the Yenisei River Basin. But where did their main forces in the Far East Baikal region go? Last year, the Soviet army deployed about 1.5 million troops in those two theaters. If they shrink the defense line to the Yenisei River, they can save at least 500,000 to 800,000 troops. The most likely way for these troops to go out is Central Asia. If something happens to the Western Front, the Soviet army can send millions to Central Asia, so that the total strength of the Central Asian Soviet army will exceed 2.5 million! And they are all regular troops tested by the war! This is a huge crisis for us.

Therefore, the original plan must be changed. We cannot attack westward anymore. I plan to let the Northern Route Army retreat back to the original defense and wait for the main force of the Soviet army to come and fight. At the same time, one infantry army will be drawn and two reserve army will be assigned to the South Road. However, the Southern Route Army will also change its goal. We cannot go to the Aral Sea. Instead, we will attack south after seizing Taras City, and cooperate with the 36th Army to seize control of the entire Kyrgyz Mountains, the Alay Mountains and the Sipamir Plateau, and at the same time seize the Fergana Basin. It is the richest area in Central Asia. Not only is the land fertile, but there are also a series of oil fields such as the Chimiweng Oilfield, Nevteabad Oilfield, Anjiyan Oilfield, and Joel Oilfield. There are also several oil processing plants that can produce and process hundreds of thousands of tons of oil every year. With the oil there, our tanks will not worry about no fuel, and the logistics pressure will be greatly reduced."

Bai Chongxi drew a circle around the Fergana Basin on the southern foot of the Kyrgyz Mountains, and then patted it hard, saying: "As long as the Fergana Basin is captured, the Northwest Front Army can be equipped with two armored armies, so that we will not be afraid of anything!"

Wu Peifu and Zhu D also felt his eyes lit up. According to Bai Chongxi's idea, the South Road cluster, which was originally a restrained attack, would become the main attack. And it would also have to invest 7 reserve armies and 3 armies at a time with a huge force of more than 1 million troops. This was a rare opportunity for them to make achievements. So they immediately pulled Bai Chongxi back to the command center to continue discussing. After studying the data of the Soviet Tianshan Front and the Fergana Basin in the command center, Wu Peifu and Zhu D both believed that it would be quite certain to use more than 1 million troops to capture the Fergana Basin. The only thing they were worried about was that the main force of the Central Asian Soviet army was very likely to reinforce the Fergana Basin. After all, that land was also very important to the Soviet Union.

But Bai Chongxi was not worried about a decisive battle with the Soviet army around the Fergana Basin. He said: "Ship Yu, brother Yujie, are worried that it is not the main force of the Central Asian Soviet army, but that they are hidden and not provoked. Only if they dare to emerge, we have a way to defeat them, whether in the Kyrgyz Mountains or in the Central Asian prairie."

However, the decisive battle in the Fergana Basin surrounded by mountains and ridges and the decisive battle in the Central Asian prairie where the mountains are flat are completely different. Now the Chinese National Defense Forces’ best tactics is the cooperation between the intra-tank and the air-ground coordination. Although the quality of the officers and soldiers is not very high, this tactical cooperation is still a bit rough, but it is more than enough to deal with the Soviet army, which does not have many armored troops. In order to fight the Soviet armored troops, with the sharp attack power of the Chaser Tank Destroyer and the strong combat power of the National Defense Air Force, the Second Panzer Army is confident of winning even if it encounters an opponent with more than twice its tank number.

But tanks are not powerful tools for mountain warfare after all. If the main attack direction is turned to the Kyrgyz Mountains, the Second Armored Army will not be useful, and even the air force has little room for play, so they can only win by relying on infantry. Moreover, according to intelligence, the Soviet army has always been worried that the Chinese army will capture the Fergana Basin, so heavy troops are deployed in the northern and eastern entrances of the basin, and the terrain is dangerous and difficult to break.

Wu Peifu has been leading troops in foreign countries for many years and is very familiar with the situation in Central Asia. He heard this and pondered for a while, and immediately proposed a solution: "The best route to fight Fergana is to go to Kuzhan in the west, which is the gate of the entire basin. The terrain is relatively open, at least it is easier than to attack from the Kyrgyz Mountains. So I suggest that the Southern Army take Taras and continue to advance, and advance all the way to Tashkent and Sildaria, so that the gate of the Fergana Basin is closed. In addition, at least one armored army must be assigned to the Southern Army to prevent the main Soviet troops that may appear at any time." (To be continued...)
Chapter completed!