While the Chinese and Japanese troops were fighting fiercely on the front line of Xing'an Mountain, a wave of panicked escapes was spreading in the area east of Ulan-Ude.
Under the bright moon and stars, there were disorganized soldiers everywhere on the railways, roads, fields, and hillsides. They were in small groups, arranged in irregular queues, and retreated toward the east.
This is a team that is defeated at first glance.
There was no formation, no life, and the head drooped on the chest was so heavy that it seemed impossible to lift it up. The majestic, high-spirited and invincible posture of the past had long since disappeared.
The long Type 38 rifle seemed to be a huge burden in the hands of these Japanese soldiers. They carried it on their backs, carried it on their shoulders, and carried it on their shoulders in various postures. The ragged yellow military uniforms of all of them were covered with dirt.
The blood stains made the dullness even more exhausting.
Among the marching troops, there were a large number of vehicles and even many old carriages. From time to time, officers loudly scolded the broken troops to give way.
The troops staying in Ulan-Ude in the rear have been called several times and are almost at the end of their rope, and there is not much time left to buy evacuation.
Now, both Petrovsk and Chita are being attacked by the Anjia Army at the same time. If the team cannot withdraw to the Far East as soon as possible, to the Khabarovsk area designated by the Kwantung Army Headquarters, then once the return route is cut off, the generals waiting for them will
It is the fate of being surrounded and then annihilated.
In the area to the west of Ulan-Ude, there were originally eight ** garrison teams and 12 ** mixed brigades. However, they suffered heavy losses under the fierce and thunderous attacks of the Anjia Army, especially the terrifying air-burning bomb attacks.
.
Now in this defeated army, many have lost their organizational structure. Many people don’t know which part of the people around them are from, and they don’t even know if they are from the same regiment or a brigade. They have completely lost the enthusiasm for victory that they had in the past.
Fanaticism, and no belief that the "holy war" will be won.
Due to the overall backwardness of equipment, the entire retreating team was filled with a depressing and heavy air of death. Where they passed, billowing black smoke rose from scattered villages. People could be seen everywhere around the villages.
The villagers who were killed, regardless of age or sex, the full moon in the sky at this time, against the backdrop of the red flares that were constantly rising to illuminate the road, seemed to be dyed red by the blood flowing in each village.
An extended train with its roof covered with camouflage cloth was driving slowly on the railway line. In one of the luxury carriages, Lieutenant General Seki Kameji, commander of the Japanese 20th Army, sat upright, with his head turned towards the window, staring blankly.
The defeated soldiers rolling like a tide outside the carriage filled their hearts with bitterness.
Since the North American War depleted all the main divisions in the Twentieth Army, the Twentieth Army is actually now composed of third-rate troops. However, no matter how bad it is, it is still an army of nearly 200,000 people. It actually failed to persist even though it occupies a favorable geographical location.
The defeat in two days was really beyond his expectation.
At present, there are still three ** mixed brigades and four ** garrison units in Ulan-Ude City, launching a street-by-street attack and defense against the attacking Anjia Army. However, against the Anjia Army who has rich siege experience, the rear guard is responsible for
The time the troops can buy is really limited.
The headquarters of the Kwantung Army required all units to arrive in Khabarovsk as soon as possible to assemble, defend the Far East, and ensure the safety of the Pacific Ring Railway. Therefore, the troops retreated in a hurry. Many regiments set out on the road without bringing supplies. Now they can only survive by continuous plundering.
.
In the villages where black smoke was rising outside the train window, there were many corpses of Japanese immigrants. They did not fall under the guns of the Anjia army, but died in the massacre caused by the Japanese army themselves.
Guan Guiji let out a long sigh. This kind of cannibalism was purely out of necessity. His troops could not waste too much time. Moreover, if these Japanese immigrants moved with the troops, they would slow down the march, so they were killed.
It is the best solution to prevent them from being enslaved by the Chinese!
However, killing the villages cleanly is the best and fastest way to implement the policy of clearing the country. Moreover, these villages are not all Japanese immigrants, but more Slavs and Tatars! Although in the past, they followed the rules and followed the rules.
The colonial government established by the Kwantung Army paid taxes, but if they were left behind now, they would inevitably run the risk of endangering the enemy.
"Da da——"
In the moonlight, the rapid sound of horse hooves sounded, and a village near the railway was quickly surrounded by Japanese troops.
This is a village where Russian descendants and Japanese immigrants live together. The Japanese army rushed into the village. No matter which ethnic group they were, even the many Japanese children who shouted "Yeah, buy the CD" in front of the sabers, they still chopped down, blood mixed with their eyes open in anger.
Eyes were opened, and disbelieving heads were scattered everywhere. The Japanese villagers who had been happy to welcome Master Wang suddenly lost their minds and fled in a hurry. The sound of gunshots, cries, and curses instantly resounded throughout the village.
Not long after, hundreds of villagers fell in a pool of blood. As the sound of hooves disappeared, the Japanese army left with food, cattle and sheep.
It took four or five hours, waiting for the army to cross the border, before those villagers who managed to escape from the gate of hell stumbled back to the village. Some people came from their home cellars, wells, under the manger, or from the roof beams.
He ran out with a dull look on his face. The village was in a hell-like situation, causing heart-rending screams.
Soon, the Japanese immigrants and the Russian villagers were fighting together. In the end, they probably lost their strength and hugged each other and cried loudly. The scene was extremely miserable.
...
At three o'clock in the morning, the town of Malhan, more than 60 kilometers southwest of Petrovsk.
The town had been reduced to ruins by artillery fire during the day. A "Big Leopard" off-road vehicle passed through the devastated ruins and stopped in front of a temporary headquarters composed of several communication command vehicles and tents.
Li Fuqiang, who was wearing an ordinary camouflage military uniform, got out of the car door and walked into the tent with a guard. When he saw Dong Jinming standing in front of the map, who was studying the war situation with the staff, he frowned and asked:
"Xiao Dong, why did you stop the attack? Jin Hongmo and Pei Yannian have already moved to the front, and now your troops are lagging behind!"
Dong Jinming had a tired look on his face. He steeled himself to salute a military salute, and then reported: "Commander, the enemy in front of us withdrew from their positions overnight and retreated to the Malhan Pass area to redefine their defenses. Our 91st Division has advanced to the enemy's front line.
, are waiting for the artillery to follow up. At the same time, it is night, and the air force cannot cooperate with the operation!"
Li Fuqiang shook his head: "No! We can't slack off at this time. We must fight closely and we can't give the Japanese a chance to breathe!"
Dong Jinming smiled bitterly and said: "Commander, without artillery support, our army will suffer heavy casualties!"
"This cannot be a reason to slack off! Jin Hongmo on the left and Pei Yannian on the right have already rushed ahead. If your side falls behind, their flanks will be exposed to the Japanese army, and the entire offensive may collapse. Have you ever thought about the serious consequences?
"?" Li Fuqiang asked seriously.
Dong Jinming said:
"Commander, I was your student when I was studying in the non-commissioned officer school. You should know that I am not a person who is afraid of death! However, my middle route is the most rugged. Because it is a mountainous terrain, tanks, armored vehicles and bicycles
Artillery was not used, and the cannons could only be towed by manpower and animal power.
"The enemy's fortifications are built on mountains and are easy to defend and difficult to attack. If we attack forcefully, unnecessary casualties will definitely occur! According to the pre-war deployment, our front army used a combination of real attacks and fake attacks to contain the Japanese troops and provide support for the Northeast.
The offensive is to gain time, there is no need to waste more troops here!"
"Then we just watch the Japanese escape from under our noses?"
Li Fuqiang said unhappily: "The battle to attack the Chita Barrier in the eastern mountains has begun. Hu Jiyang's army is also besieging Ulan-Ude at this moment... The main force of the Japanese army is accelerating its escape eastward. The task of our front army is
It is to capture Petrovsk as soon as possible and cut off the Japanese army's retreat!
"If we put this enemy in Chita, wouldn't it be in vain to benefit Jiao Guangxu and the others? How will the military region and headquarters view us?"
Dong Jinming said firmly:
"Commander, there are still two days left before the deadline designated by Commander Yin Jinan to capture Petrovsk. The artillery will be redeployed tonight, and I will attack the Japanese positions in front with all my strength tomorrow morning."
Li Fuqiang was silent for a moment, looked straight at the red Dong Jinming for a while, and then said:
"Okay, just do what you said and fight well! Let the soldiers take a rest tonight, and you should also pay attention to your health. Based on various situation analysis, our current Japanese army has been ordered to take charge of the rear, and their morale is low. We must defeat us in tomorrow's battle.
The majesty is coming!"
"Yes, thank you, Commander!" Dong Jinming happily saluted with a military salute.
Li Fuqiang smiled and shook his head:
"I will contact the Air Force after I get back. There is no guarantee that cloud bombs will be used tomorrow! There are also three Army Aviation Groups assigned to us, and they will also cooperate with each other tomorrow! Don't let me down!"
After speaking, Li Fuqiang walked out of the tent with his hands behind his back. Dong Jinming hurriedly followed and came to the outside of the tent. He and the seven or eight staff officers who followed him neatly saluted Li Fuqiang until Li Fuqiang's "big leopard" disappeared in the distance.
, before returning to the tent.
...
In Petrovsk, the commander of the Japanese Third Army was in chaos, old papers were everywhere, and the staff were packing up and preparing to evacuate.
Lieutenant General Yama Eitaro held the telegram in his hand, shook his head and said: "It's too early to give up on Malhan Town. If we hold on for one more day, we can leave one day later and wait to retreat with the 20th Army!"
Major General Gao Jiuchi, Chief of Staff, said:
"Yesterday evening, the Anjia Army surrounded Malhan Town on three sides. If they continue to hold on, the regiment may be surrounded and annihilated at midnight. It is a wise move to retreat!"
"yes!"
Yama Eitaro said helplessly: "Our opponent is too powerful. Not only are they well-equipped with weapons and equipment, but they also have sufficient soldiers. We are now facing the attack of at least a dozen Anjia Army regular divisions armed to the teeth! In addition, the enemy has air superiority, and
That kind of deadly bomb that can even burn the air, this battle is too difficult to fight!"
A group of generals in the headquarters shook their heads. Originally, they were still confident that relying on the strong defenses here, they could hold on for at least a month or even half a year. However, they did not expect that less than forty-eight hours after the war started, not only the fortresses along the border
All fell, and now even the outer defensive positions of Petrovsk are under threat and have to retreat early. The situation is so bad that no one expected it beforehand.
"How long can the outer Malhan Pass position be maintained?"
Yama Eitaro looked at the staff taking down the map, turned around and asked again.
Gaojiu Tatsuhiko reluctantly replied:
"It may fall in two days at most, or at least noon tomorrow! Commander, you'd better call General Guan Guizhi and ask them to march faster, otherwise the retreat is very likely to be blocked by the Anjia Army."
Yama Eitaro sighed:
"Okay! Call the 20th Army and tell them that the main force of the Anjia Army has been found in the southwest, south and southeast of Petrovsk. We are ordered by the Kwantung Army Headquarters to evacuate in advance and let them speed up and move closer to us!"
The communications staff recorded Eitaro Yama's telegram, then used the last radio station that had not yet been cleaned up to send out radio waves, and then carried out the final cleaning work.
Half an hour later, the staff finally finished packing, left the Russian-style building that had served as the headquarters for more than a year, and boarded the eastbound train with Yama Eitaro.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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