Speaking of this, Chida Sadao looked at Kanji Nishihara who was sinking after hearing his words, hesitated for a moment, and then said: "Your Excellency, the division commander, is the one who keeps the entire division hungry and well-equipped.
It’s up to you to decide whether to fight against the enemy or take the almost non-existent risk of returning to the empire-controlled area through Mongolia.”
"But I tell you clearly that the Kwantung Army Headquarters has not asked us to defend the Aershan area, and there is no need for us to defend the Aershan area. Let the 23rd Division continue to stay at the risk of destroying the whole body.
In the Aershan area. Or is it necessary to break through more than 200 kilometers and retreat to the front line of Wangye Temple when the enemy troops have arrived with the entire army on an empty stomach?"
"As the Acting Chief of Staff of the 23rd Division, I think I need to remind you. According to the experience of last year's battle, in the face of a powerful enemy, even if the current food reserves in the Aershan region are combined with the supply of labor
All the food supplies have been collected, and all the supplies for our soldiers will never be able to sustain our entire division to successfully break through to the location designated by the Kwantung Army headquarters."
"Instead of risking the entire army's destruction and forcing a breakout south in the absence of effective supplies, it is better to go west and take advantage of the opportunity when the main force of the Mongolian army is attracted to the northern front, and replenish some supplies through Mongolia, and then
Going south in a roundabout way, Aershan is more than 200 kilometers away from Wangye Temple, but less than 40 kilometers away from the Manchu-Mongolia border."
"As for the Mongolian border guards west of the Halaha River, which are mainly cavalry, they can basically be ignored based on the combat effectiveness of the imperial army. These Mongolians have long lost the bloody spirit of Genghis Khan. They are just
They're just a bunch of rabble. If it weren't for the support of Soviet Russia, they wouldn't be able to cause any trouble to the empire."
"And after long-term and arduous training, the imperial soldiers' ability to march long distances is definitely one of the best in the world. As long as there is no interference from enemy planes on the route, there is no point in re-entering Manchuria before the Mongols and Soviets react.
problematic.
To be honest, Chida Sadao's suggestion made Nishihara Kanji very excited. For him, entering Mongolia was not only a way to avoid the pursuit of the Anti-Japanese Alliance, but also used the Soviet-Mongolian army to attack Hara after the Battle of Nomonhan.
Various strategic supply points built west of the Ha River replenish supplies that are currently extremely valuable to the 23rd Division.
The most important thing is that the Anti-Japanese Alliance probably never expected that in the desperate situation, instead of breaking out to the south and moving closer to the main force of the Kwantung Army, they went west and took a circuitous route south through Mongolia. In the Anti-Japanese Alliance
Under the premise that they did not dare to enter Mongolia, as long as they fought quickly and acted quickly, they could even evacuate through Mongolia to a safe area before the Soviets could react.
But after all, Nishihara Kanji is not one of those impulsive staff officers, and there are some things that he cannot help but consider. Major General Chida Sadao was only the temporary acting chief of staff after Kawagore Yusa was killed in battle. And his Eighth Border Guard Corps, although nominally under the Second
He is in command of the Thirteenth Division, but after all, he is not within the organization of the Twenty-third Division, and he does not need to bear any responsibility.
Once this roundabout action triggers an all-out war between Japan and the Soviet Union, the blame will fall on Lieutenant General Kanji Nishihara. This is what Kanji Nishihara does not want to see. Last year, the 12th Division took advantage of the time difference to detour to the Soviet Union.
Although the retreat to a safe zone within the territory did not cause a full-scale war between Japan and the Soviet Union, it did make the base camp nervous for a long time. If you followed the same pattern, there was no guarantee that the base camp would impose heavier penalties on itself in order to avoid similar examples in the future.
Although Nishihara Kanji was hesitant, he also knew that if he really lost the 23rd Division, even if he could survive, the base camp would never spare him. And based on last year's combat experience, alone
Depending on the current state of the 23rd Division, it is impossible to tear open the encirclement that the Anti-Japanese Alliance has probably begun to build from the front and safely break through to the front line of Wangye Temple with its own strength.
Once it enters a war of attrition, I am afraid that the 23rd Division will not be able to last much longer with the supplies it currently has on hand. By detouring westward into Mongolia, there is still a glimmer of hope for the 23rd Division. But if it stands still and waits for reinforcements,
, or retreat in two directions: east or south. For the 23rd Division, it is almost impossible to survive.
After a quick analysis of the possible consequences of Chida Sadao's suggestion, in order to preserve the main force of the 23rd Division, Nishihara Kanji, who did not hesitate for too long this time, gritted his teeth and said: "Chida-kun,
I will do as you wish. Let each regiment rest for half a day and have a good meal before heading west at a forced march speed at 7 o'clock tonight. Within three hours, we must reach the Manchu-Mongolia border and forcefully cross Kazakhstan.
The Laha River enters Mongolia.”
"Order the existing troops of the 71st Regiment, the division's engineer wing, and all officers and soldiers of the Aershan garrison to withdraw to the Aershan border fortification area. The senior adjutant of the division, Lieutenant Colonel Tachibana Keiichi, will serve as
It is the responsibility of covering the general retreat of the entire division. No one is allowed to retreat even half a step before receiving the order from the division headquarters."
"Hasn't Lieutenant Colonel Tachibana Keiichi always regarded himself as the most authentic samurai in the Japanese Empire? Now I will give him a chance to be loyal to the emperor. The two staff officers will also stay to assist Lieutenant Colonel Tachibana Keiichi in commanding the remaining troops.
Since they are full of ideas of making achievements, as their division commander, I must support them, right? Lest they always say that I don't give them a chance."
Speaking of this, Nishihara Kanji thought for a while and then said: "Order each regiment to kill all the horses except for the mounts above the regimental captain to replenish the physical strength of the soldiers. Including all the horses of the Aershan garrison.
All the horses were slaughtered. All the heavy machine gun teams, rapid-fire artillery teams and infantry artillery teams of the Aershan garrison were also taken away."
"The Mongols have built a lot of fortifications along the Manchu-Mongolia border. Without direct fire support, the warriors of the empire will pay a heavy price. Anyway, the Aershan garrison has permanent fortifications to rely on, and they don't need these artillery.
Yes, it’s okay for us to borrow them and use them to reduce casualties. We can just pay them back in the future.”
The last words of Nishihara Kanji made Major General Chida Sadao roll his eyes. Once again, he felt the shamelessness of the lieutenant general and division commander. Now there are only a few hundred people in the Aershan garrison left.
Come down to fight against the Anti-Japanese Alliance, which may be overwhelming. Is there any hope of survival?
Even if you add in the 71st Regiment, which currently has less than a brigade of troops, and your engineer regiment that can only manage more than a hundred people after the mine clearance failed. I'm afraid this number of people is not enough to resist the joint force.
.Also, when the time comes when the righteous master has gone to the west to see Amaterasu, who are you going to go to? Why don’t you just say that you won’t be able to use it anyway, and we might as well use it.
It's just these words that Chida Sadao will not say out loud. It is not easy to make this division commander, who can be startled when leaves fall on his head, nod and agree to go through Outer Mongolia. Some words, I
It's better not to say it too bluntly, so as not to irritate this guy later.
As for the few people he left behind, Chida Sadao, who was still clear about the cause and effect of the incident, could only shake his head. These guys were so unlucky to meet such a petty division commander. Lieutenant General Nishihara Kanji, at this time
Keeping them here is obviously to retaliate against them for acting without authorization and posing such a great threat to the division. It almost made the division commander impotent.
The few people who escaped on the hundreds of kilometers from Hailar to here should have a hard time escaping this time. If the Sichuan hero Wu Zuo had not died, I am afraid he would have been left behind. The lieutenant general’s
He's too broad-minded. Thinking of this, the way Chida Sadao looked at Kanji Nishihara was a bit too broad.
Knowing that the situation waits for no one, these two guys simply started to deploy immediately. In order to keep it secret, they did not even notify the troops who were left behind. The man thought that these two generals could take him and the remaining troops
The captain who was taken away together did not realize that he had been abandoned until the main force of the 23rd Division disappeared.
The trick played by Kanji Nishihara and Sadao Chida exceeded almost everyone's expectations. After the 1st Division captured the White Wolf front line and encircled the Japanese fortification area in Arshan, they found that the main force of the 23rd Division had disappeared.
Disappeared. It was not until dawn when we arrived at the Manchuria-Mongolia border that we discovered that the 23rd Division had entered Mongolia.
The commander of the 1st Division did not dare to make the decision without authorization and asked Yang Zhen for instructions as quickly as possible. After receiving a telegram from the 23rd Division, Yang Zhen, who was commanding the battle against the Northern Mongolian Army entering Xing'an, was stunned for a moment.
He shook his head and smiled bitterly and said to Wang Guangyu beside him: "What does it mean to shoot yourself in the foot?"
"This time the Mongols concentrated almost all their forces in the eastern region and entered North Xing'an, occupying the line north of Hailar to Yakeshi, and even went north to Mohe. They thought they had taken advantage of us. But they did not expect that their rear was empty, but the Japanese
Taking advantage of it."
After Wang Guangyu took the telegram and read it carefully, he thought about it carefully and said: "No. 1, what do you think we should do next? Once we cross the border now, this matter will really make a big fuss. Can we let them
I’m really not willing to run away like this in vain.”
In response to Wang Guangyu's words, Yang Zhen waved his hand and said: "I can't catch up, and I've wasted too much time. Fighting close to the border, the commander of the First Division was too cautious. Only now did I find out that the 23rd Division entered Mongolia.
I'm afraid they ran away last night. The 23rd Division is estimated to have penetrated dozens of kilometers now."
"Let the First Division ignore the Japs in the Aershan fortification area and let them go south from the Aershan line and launch a pincer-shaped offensive toward the Wangye Temple line. Remember, we don't want them to really fight. We are now
The entire unit is in a state of refitting and running-in, and it will take at least two months before it can enter actual combat."
"As for now, we are not yet able to carry out large-scale operations. The troops are expanding too fast. Before they are fully adjusted, it is better to be more cautious. However, this scene must be done well. The posture is as big as it is.
Posture. That is, the posture is open on the surface, but it must be stable underneath."