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Although the battle of the First Mechanized Infantry Army was difficult, the results were solid. As the defense line of the 64th Regiment of the Japanese Army was penetrated, the 1st Division of Tanjiro could finally develop in depth. With the cooperation of the 2nd Division of Tanji and the 1st Division, the 23rd Division of the Japanese Army was divided and surrounded. The division commander Dao Taro Komatsuhara was anxious and kept shooting help telegrams to the Kanto Army Command, which caught Nanjiro off guard. n∈

Nanjiro was not only caught off guard, but even extremely angry, because not only the 23rd Division lost its chain and was defeated by the former defeated general Lucia, but even the old 7th Division also embarrassed the Imperial Army. The division commander Miyotaro Sugihara was also constantly asking for reinforcements, which made him, the commander of the Kanto Army, really lose his face.

"When will the 14th Brigade arrive at the battlefield?" Minamiro asked angrily.

It must be noted that this 14th Brigade is not an independent force, but a brigade under the 7th Division. As the first seven veteran divisions of the Japanese army, the 7th Division is not very organized from other divisions of the Japanese army.

Unlike the 23rd Division, the division is not under the jurisdiction of three infantry corpses and one search team, but under the jurisdiction of two brigades (13th Brigade and 14th Brigade) and a cavalry corps (Seventh Cavalry corps). From the book, the division has one more infantry corps and one cavalry corps than units like the 23rd Division.

In other words, at the beginning of the battle, the 7th Division was actually only the 13th Brigade and the 7th Cavalry Regiment on the battlefield, and the 14th Brigade was actually still in Hailar. It was not built. It was equivalent to riding the 1, 2, and 4th Divisions to bully a lame 7th Division. As the first Japanese chariot corps arrived on the battlefield, the 7th Division actually made up for its strength.

Of course, this kind of replenishment is just relative. After all, the Red Army has an absolute advantage on the battlefield. If the 7th Division continues to fight with the power at hand, it will only be a matter of time before it is destroyed.

Naturally, after receiving the call for help from Miyotaro Sugihara, Minamijiro immediately prepared to return the 14th Brigade.

Nishiojisaya replied: "The vanguard of the 14th Brigade has arrived in Alsan and will start fighting as soon as tomorrow."

Nanjiro nodded and asked again: "Where is the 8th Division and the 19th Division?"

"The Eighth Division has also begun, and the 19th Division is still gathering."

The 8th Division and the 19th Division of the Japanese Army were both Class A divisions retained after Ugaki's disarmament in 1925. They are commonly known as the 44th Division. They are organized by the Second Brigade and the Fourth Infantry Regiment, and are directly under the division-level units' artillery, cavalry, engineers, and baggage troops (these units are organized by the regiment), and are connected with communications, sanitation, field hospitals, machinery repair units, etc.

Based on the Japanese infantry regiment's full 4,400 troops, the actual combat force of a Class A division will be between 15,000 and 20,000 people, plus the full 25,000 logistics personnel (almost equivalent to the size of the infantry army that was not satisfied with during peacetime in the Soviet Red Army). Compared with the 33rd system division of the 23rd system division, its combat power is naturally in heaven and earth (to put it in a word, the 23rd Division in history was established in 1938, but it was only because it commemorated the Battle of Nomenkan in history. It was allowed to appear early).

Nanjiro added two fully-packed A-type divisions to the battlefield in one breath, which shows how eager he is to win this battle. But at the same time, it must be seen that even if he joined the 8th Division and the 19th Division, the Japanese army on the battlefield was still at a disadvantage and it was impossible to turn defeat into victory.

Five days later, when the 23rd Division was surrounded and was being eaten up little by little by little by little by little by little by little by the First Mechanized Infantry Army, the 8th Division and the 19th Division were late. After conducting a fire reconnaissance, Otaka Katsura and Shizumizuki (the commanders of the 8th and 19th Divisions respectively) found that the enemy they were facing was not the same thing at all, and the number of them was extremely large and the firepower was completely unexpected!

In this case, even the arrogant Japanese had to consider it. The two jointly sent a telegram to Nanjiro, pointing out that the situation on the battlefield was a bit beyond expectations and requesting to join the battle more cautiously.

However, the requests of these two people were completely impossible to pass, because Nanjiro was probably wrong about the situation on the battlefield at this time. He still thought that this was just a small-scale armed conflict, and believed that the Soviets did not invest too much troops. He also believed that it would be no problem to eliminate Lucia's ghost animals with the four divisions of the Imperial Army, with the support of the puppet Manchu Imperial Army.

The timid Tachiko Tsubasa and Shimoto-Yashimi were actually stuck in such an "advantage", which was definitely a shame for the Imperial Army. Suddenly, Nanjiro scolded the two of them in the re-signation and ordered them to launch an attack immediately.

The superiors had some choice, so Taigao Turtle and Shizuo Yuan Xiong were naturally irresistible. In desperation, these two could only rush forward with the help of the two. However, these two were also cautious and did not give up their efforts to fight, but only sent some troops to test the attack.

The Eighth Infantry Cavalry Regiment, which belongs to the Eighth Division and the 73rd Infantry Regiment, which belongs to the 19th Division formed a vanguard assault force, which was commanded by Colonel Shisanro Nakamura and began to launch a tentative attack on Zhukov's 4th Cavalry Division defense zone.

Walking in the drizzle, under the instructions of the two division commanders repeatedly emphasized the need to be cautious, Shisanro Nakamura embarked on the journey impatiently. However, what surprised Otaka Katsura and Shimoto Kumaya was that Nakamura's tentative attack was unusually smooth, and he was not disturbed all the way, as if he was conducting an armed parade.

Of course, this is just the beginning, because the 4th Knight Division was focused on the 23rd Division in the encirclement at this time, and was always guarding against the 23rd Division to break through. Unexpectedly, the 8th Division and the 19th Division came so quickly, so it was normal that it was not enough to react.

But when the 4th Cavalry Division realized it, Nakamura's troops were not having a good time. At noon that day, Nakamura Shinsamro found that his way forward was already full of minefields and snipers that had just been arranged. However, the most troublesome road conditions were the bad road conditions. The roads baptized by rain were covered with mud. If you step on them, you can cover your calves. The infantry complained, and as for the cavalry and artillery, it was even more painful.

Especially the artillery of the Japanese. Compared with the artillery of mainstream countries, the Japanese artillery mostly uses steel wheels instead of more advanced rubber tires. The stupid and heavy steel wheels were stuck in the mud and could not be lifted. Throughout the morning, the artillery almost worked hard like a silly camel. After the war started in the afternoon, they really didn't have much energy to support their cavalry and infantry fighting.

After struggling in the mud for a while, Nakamura finally encountered a large army of the Red Army.

"Colonel, Lucia's ghost beast has urgently built three diagonal trenches based on the small hills ahead, and has several artillery support..."

Before the scouts could finish reporting, a loud roar followed. Looking around, the one that was the only car in Nakamura was surrounded by a raging fire.

"Baga, what's going on? Is it a landmine or an enemy's artillery?" Shisanro Nakamura asked sternly.

"No...I don't know..."

Shinsanro Nakamura snorted coldly and roared: "Hurry, let the infantry wings cover. Propel on foot!"

The combat experience told Nakamura that the damn Lucia ghost beast must be nearby. Of course, this was just a small scene for him. He used a small number of cavalry to stay in place to attract the enemy's attention, and then ordered the infantry to surround the two wings. It should be said that this kind of tactic is really nothing new, or too old-fashioned.

But what was surprising was that this tactic was effective. When the Red Army was attracted by a small number of cavalry, the Japanese infantry had already been raided from behind. After being caught off guard, the Red Army gave up its position.

Why is this unexpected situation? Let us find the answer from Nakamura's memories: "In my two attempts to rescue the 23rd Division, in addition to the bad roads, the Russians' blockades will cause me a lot of trouble. We must admit that these Lucian ghost animals are brave and not afraid of sacrifice. But at the same time, we must see that these Lucian ghost animals are extremely lacking in the necessary combat qualities and are not worth mentioning except for their bravery..."

Indeed, the Red Army, whether it is a commander or a grassroots soldier, was brave, but they always liked to act recklessly. Moreover, the Red Army emphasized attacks one-sidedly and ignored defense. They were always ready to defeat the enemy with offensive and contenders. But is this really reasonable? Especially when the enemy is strong and we are weak, ignoring the hard rush is equivalent to sending meat to the door and losing their lives in vain.

After having a comfortable lunch in the Red Army's trenches, Nakamura's battle group started again. The light rain in the morning had made the battlefield more muddy, but what was really worrying was the defense line that the Red Army had built along the way. Nakamura's troops were more intense every time they took a step forward. At that time, Nakamura cursed fiercely: "Damn Lucia ghost beast, blocking my way endlessly. The most hateful thing is that I have to let me travel all the way in the mud... (A loud bang), Damn, it's Lucia ghost beast's infantry cannon, don't let me catch these messes!"

On the Red Army, every move of the enemy reinforcements also touched Zhukov's heart. This marshal with outstanding achievements in the future certainly did not want his defense to be broken through. As soon as he discovered the movement of the Nakamura battle group, he ordered a force to move eastward quickly and attack Nakamura's flank.

In the afternoon, Nakamura felt the pressure from the flanks. The air force's reconnaissance report showed that Lucia's ghost beast in the west was ready to move, and he was at risk of being caught at any time. At the same time, his two superiors, Tou Takagi and Shimoto Kazuya, also continued to generate electricity to warn him to be careful and be cautious, and never bring the troops into the enemy's encirclement.

The threat from reality and the pressure from superiors forced Nakamura to start thinking about the way out, especially when more and more Red Army cavalry began to move around him, he himself did not have much confidence to break a bloody road.

However, it was impossible to let him retreat in shame. Later he recalled: "Lucia's ghostly plane continued to attack from our heads, forcing me to lie down in the mud and swim. Since entering the Halaha River Basin, I have never seen the Royal Army plane again... The air threat is too serious, and our army has to pay a price for every step forward. In this unfavorable situation, I can only place the safety of the entire army as the most priority..."

Let's put it this way. In fact, these are shameful excuses. Although there are air threats, they are definitely not as big as Nakamura said. What really makes him feel that the thorns on his back was the attack of the Red Army cavalry on the flanks. After the evening, Nakamura, who was worried about the enemy's attack at night, quickly left.

Why did Nakamura's rescue operation seem to be a bit terrible? You should know that when he started, Nakamura was a little proud and looked down on his opponent. However, after only one morning, his ambition was consumed. Although it was due to the pressure from his superiors, the deeper reason was probably the blockade of the 4th Knight Division.

Although we can't see what Nakamura encountered along the way, and it is difficult to find out how much he suffered (destroyed by the Kanto Army), from a logical point of view, he may have suffered a lot of losses along the way. The brave Red Army may have used his bravery to make him pay a heavy price.

From the telegram sent to his superiors when he returned, we can also spy on one thing: "The enemy's resistance was tenacious and the progress was not going well. By 3:00 p.m., a large number of cavalry appeared on the flanks, and it seemed inappropriate to fight for Gu Wanquan in a hasty way..."

However, what Nakamura did not expect was that it was not so easy to leave. The journey back was no less relaxed than when it came. First, at dusk, an I-15 fighter jet roared towards his command post. After the violent explosion, the heroic Red Army pilot pulled a corps captain of Nakamura, three brigade captains and several staff members to take charge. To be honest, this result was enough to award the Lenin Medal.

What was even more troublesome was that the Red Army's forward investigators, snipers and anti-infantry mines spread from the air were constantly falling down with wailing, and cars kept catching fire. Even the supplies and arms carried by Nakamura were burned by the special forces that infiltrated in Gruwu in a panic. It was not until 2 a.m. the next day that Nakamura brought the remnants back to the division headquarters.

In the encirclement, Komatsuhara Dotaro was once inspired by the roar of guns and cannons from outside the encirclement, and even organized a breakthrough operation. However, under the strict defense of Tan 2nd Division and the superior firepower, the Japanese army could only leave hundreds of bodies and flee in a panic. At night, as the sound of guns and cannons outside the encirclement gradually stopped, Komatsuhara Dotaro also realized that the operation of understanding the encirclement had failed. He opened his battlefield diary and wrote quickly: "... The sound of guns and cannons from far away told me that the hope of rescue has turned into a bubble... Our army has been surrounded for five days, and every day has to deal with Lucia's dozens of attacks on the attacks of the Imperial Army. The soldiers of the Imperial Army were exhausted... The ammunition was extremely tense, and the food was bottomed out. The situation was extremely difficult at this time, but I firmly believe that as long as the breath was still alive, the Imperial Army warriors who were still fighting would fight to the end..."

Nakamura's failure to rescue means that Komatsuhara Dotaro can only count on himself for the next period of time. Although he does not believe that he will be abandoned, a new round of rescue operations will also take time. From now on, Komatsuhara Dotaro and his 23rd Division must buy time for their survival. Unfortunately, the shrewd Rokosovsky and Zhukov will not give him a chance to breathe. Compared with the latter two world-class generals, Komatsuhara Dotaro is not a dish.

It was also on that night that the 1st Motorcycle Division, which was in charge of the attack, began to tighten the noose around the neck of the 23rd Division. The 1st Motorcycle Infantry Regiment began to attack the Japanese defense line in a dense formation under the cover of a small number of tanks and artillery that night. German Army Colonel Smith, as a battlefield observer, visited the front line and witnessed the madness of the Slavs:

"Compared with the stereotyped and unchanged Russian team (Russian army in World War I), they are now much smarter. While holding rifles and shouting "Ula" to charge, they learned to find concealment in advance, and tanks have become the ideal target for Ivans... The Japanese anti-tank firepower is too thin, and they are extremely lacking in tanks. Although the Type 92 infantry cannon is light, its armor-piercing power is seriously insufficient, and the anti-tank capability is almost minimal... Of course, what left the deepest impression on me was that the Russians knew how to adapt to changes, and they were indeed much stronger than they were twenty years ago... If there is anything that can comfort me, it is that they are still a mess in details..."

The fierce battle lasted until dawn, and the defense line of the Japanese 23rd Division was torn apart by the Red Army twice. Fortunately, Komatsuhara Daotaro quickly mobilized the reserve team to launch a meat bullet offensive, and used a cruel and fierce counterattack to jointly repel the Red Army's immature Bu Tan.

However, for the 23rd Division, this was just a dying struggle. When the reserve team, ammunition and food were consumed, it was only a matter of time before they were wiped out. At this time, Buluhell, who was in charge of the battlefield command, had already shifted his attention from the 23rd Division, and he began to consider how to deal with the two Japanese divisions that had recently arrived on the battlefield.

He wrote in his report to the Military Commission that night: "Considering that the Japanese reinforcements have arrived, how will our army's next phase of combat operations be carried out, I hope to instruct... The previous battles show that our enemy's combat is very tenacious and not so easy to deal with... Especially when our army's new equipment and new tactics have not been fully completed, if we want to achieve the predetermined combat goal, we must invest more troops..."

For the Military Commission, the pressure is huge, because the 20-day battle result is not as easy as imagined, and the scale of the battle is still possible to further expand. Is it really appropriate to continue to invest strength into the "bottomless pit" of the Far East?

Around this issue, the new Military Commission and the Politburo broke out in fierce debate... (My novel "The Heavenly Soldiers in 1917" will have more fresh content on the official WeChat platform, and there is also a 100% lottery gift for everyone! Open WeChat now, click the "+" sign in the upper right to "Add Friends", search for the official account "qdread" and follow it, hurry up!) (To be continued, please search for Astronomy, the novel is better, updated and faster!

ps: Bow thanks llkkjjllkkjj, holding Polunzi, hzwangdd, instantly killing Potato and comrade Juventus!
Chapter completed!