Chapter seven hundred and ninety first play must be done
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 under the reality 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. Is it necessary to break through more than 200 kilometers and retreat to the front line of Wangye Temple in the Aershan area, or to risk the entire army on an empty stomach when the enemy has already arrived?"
"As the acting chief of staff of the 23rd Division, I think it is necessary for me to remind you that based on the experience of last year's battle, in the face of an enemy with powerful combat effectiveness, 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 then 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, based on the combat effectiveness of the imperial army, they can basically be ignored. These Mongolians have long lost the bloody spirit of Genghis Khan. They are just They are just a bunch of rabble, if it were not for the support of Soviet Russia, they would not 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 would never have expected that when they were in desperate situation, instead of breaking out to the south and approaching the main force of the Kwantung Army, they would instead go west, taking a detour through Mongolia and go south. 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. There are some things that he cannot help but consider. Major General Chida Sadao was only the temporary acting chief of staff after the death of Colonel Kawagore Hito, and his Eighth Border Guard Corps, although nominally under the He is commanded by the 23rd Division, but after all, he is not within the 23rd Division's organizational structure, 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 something Kanji Nishihara does not want to see. Last year, the 12th Division took advantage of the time difference to bypass the Soviet Union. Although the withdrawal of the territory to a safe zone did not trigger a full-scale war between Japan and the Soviet Union, it did make the base camp nervous for a long time. If he 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 hold on for long with the supplies it currently has on hand. If it detours 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, Just do what you want. Let each regiment rest for half a day. After a good meal, they will march westward at a forced march speed at 7 o'clock tonight. Within three hours, they must reach the Manchuria-Mongolia border and forcefully cross Kazakhstan. The Laha River enters Mongolia.”
"Order the existing troops of the 71st Regiment, merge with the division's engineer regiment, and all officers and soldiers of the Aershan garrison to withdraw to the Aershan border fortification area, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Tachibana Keiichi, senior adjutant of the division, as It is the responsibility of covering the general retreat of the entire division, and 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, and the two staff officers will stay to assist Lieutenant Colonel Tachibana Keiichi in commanding the remaining troops. Since they are full of ideas of making great 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 those 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, and the heavy machine gun team, rapid-fire artillery team, and infantry artillery team of the Aershan garrison were all 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, and 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, the division commander. Now there are only a few hundred people in the Aershan garrison left. Come down and fight against the Anti-Japanese Alliance, which may be overwhelming. There is still a chance of survival there.
Even if you add 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 goes to the west to see Amaterasu, who else are you going to go to? Why don't you just say that you won't be able to use it anyway, so why don't we use it.
It's just these words that Chida Sadao will not say out loud. It is already very difficult to make this division commander, who is frightened even if leaves fall on his head, nod and agree to go through Outer Mongolia. Some words, he himself 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 Kanji Nishihara, 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, and it almost made the division commander impotent.
Several people who had escaped on the hundreds of kilometers from Hailar to here should have had a hard time escaping this time. If the Sichuan Xiongwu Colonel had not died, I am afraid he would have been left behind. The Lieutenant General, Your Excellency He is too broad-minded. Thinking of this, the way Chida Sadao looks at Kanji Nishihara is a little bit like that.
Knowing that the situation waits for no one, these two guys simply started to deploy immediately. In order to keep it secret, they didn't even notify the troops who were left behind. He 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. They disappeared. It was not until dawn when they arrived at the Manchu-Mongolia border that they discovered that the 23rd Division had entered Mongolia.
The commander of the 1st Division did not dare to make the decision without authorization, so he 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, leaving 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, please see what we should do next. Once we cross the border now, this matter will really make a big fuss. Can they 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. I 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, and now the 23rd Division is estimated to have penetrated dozens of kilometers deep."
"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 are not asking 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 able to carry out large-scale operations for the time being. The troops are expanding too quickly. Before they are fully adjusted, it is better to be more cautious. However, this scene must be done well. The posture must be as large as possible. Stance, that is, an open posture on the surface, but it must be stable underneath."