After listening to Jiang Baili's report, Zhang Xinghan nodded: "Well, don't forget to tell Gao Zhihang that after the first round of conventional bombing, the bombers will all be equipped with poison gas bombs and napalm bombs. I will turn the Lushun Fortress into a sea of ​​flames and turn it into a sea of ​​fire."

The little devils who were hiding inside were forced out like rats."

"Yes!" Jiang Baili agreed loudly.

……………………

After nightfall, the Northeast New Army's bombardment of the Lushun Fortress finally came to an end.

The Japanese soldiers, who had been hiding like mice for a long time, began to come out to clean up the mess. The entire fortress was full of huge craters, blown-up air defense positions and fortification bunkers.

Okamura Nejiya, Hishikari Takashi and others walked out of the underground bunker one after another, and began to inspect various units accompanied by a group of guards.

"Okamura-kun, how are we? Are our casualties heavy?" Hishikari Takashi asked as he walked.

"Fortunately, it's not too big, but today our battle losses are basically from the air defense force, which means that if this continues, our air defense force will become weaker and weaker.

By then, the China Air Force fighter planes will be able to bomb us unscrupulously, and our number of casualties may surge." Okamura Neiji said with a slight frown.

"We must find ways to reduce the losses of the air defense forces and maintain the deterrence and containment of the China Air Force." Hishikari Takashi immediately instructed.

"Hai, please rest assured General, I will definitely come up with a countermeasure as soon as possible." Okamura Neji nodded happily.

……………………

While the main force of the Northeastern New Army was preparing to attack Dalian with all its strength, it was on the battlefield of the North Manchuria border defense line.

On the Eastern Front battlefield, due to the close cooperation between the independent 67th Division and local armed forces, such as the police and military police, Green Forest Volunteer Bandits and local people.

Temporarily guarding the key strategic points of Heilongjiang, blocking Lao Maozi's eastern offensive troops in Heilongjiang.

The situation in Manzhouli is much more serious. The Northeast New Army Air Force's air attack on the Dalian Port Arthur Fortress has just ended.

Lao Maozi has just ended his attack on Manchuria.

In the position of the Independent 8th Division in Manzhouli, deputy division commander Li Dajun was carrying an MP18 submachine gun and leading two guards to inspect the front trenches.

A fierce and fierce battle had just occurred here, and the bodies of soldiers from both sides could be seen everywhere. In the trenches, the injured soldiers were wailing in pain.

The thick smell of blood mixed with gunpowder smoke was very pungent and nauseating.

"Sir." A second lieutenant officer whose arms and head were covered with gauze and some places were stained red with blood quickly stood up when he saw Li Dajun and saluted with his other hand.

Li Dajun stopped, looked at the subordinate in front of him, patted his shoulder gently, helped him straighten his collar, and gave him a silent military salute.

This was a silent exchange and encouragement among fellow soldiers. The second lieutenant was so excited that he almost shed tears.

Li Dajun walked a little further and saw a soldier strangling the neck of an old man's corpse before he died.

The cloth shoe on one foot fell off, probably due to the struggle during the fight.

Li Dajun looked around, found the cloth shoe that the soldier had dropped, and stepped forward to separate the dead soldiers from the Soviet corpses.

But the soldier's hands were surprisingly tight, and Li Dajun couldn't break him open even though he used a lot of strength.

Li Dajun sat down on the ground and said solemnly: "That's it. Brothers, put on the shoes given to us by the elders in my hometown and hit the road smoothly."

After saying this, he personally put on the cloth shoes for the fallen soldiers.

"I died for my country today. My heroic name will go down in history. Brothers, your blood will not be shed in vain. Have a safe journey!" Li Dajun stood up and looked up at the sky as if to say goodbye to all his fallen comrades.

The town of Jinjian, about 80 kilometers away from Hailar, has become a battlefield between the Northeastern Army and the Soviet Army.

Wu Chengfeng, deputy commander of the 5th Independent Division, rushed to Hailar (in today's Hulunbuir City area) through a forced march to join the 3rd Tank Division stationed in Hailar and advance at full speed along the railway line towards Manzhouli.

Encountered a Soviet army unit in the town of Jianjin, and a fierce battle broke out between the two sides.

The Soviet army also dispatched a large number of tanks and armored vehicles this time. Although the quality is far inferior to the No. 4 tank group of the Northeast New Army.

But in addition to tanks, they also had aircraft, so the two sides fought equally, and the war situation entered a stalemate stage.

Inside the temporary headquarters of the Northeastern New Army.

Wu Chengfeng is holding an emergency military meeting with the Third Tank Division and its military chiefs.

Wu Chengfeng, who was standing at the top, raised a piece of telegram and said to everyone: "Everyone, this is the urgent telegram that the communications corps has just received from the commander-in-chief. The commander-in-chief's telegram instructs us that the enemy is outnumbered and we cannot remain ignorant.

Hold on tight and confront Lao Maozi head-on.

Instead, we need to get as far out of the way as possible to allow the Soviet troops to penetrate deeper, trade space for time, disperse the Soviet troops, and ultimately block the enemy's attack in the Qiqihar and Jiamusi areas.

Stand firm and wait for reinforcements, the Commander-in-Chief has agreed, reinforcements will surely arrive within half a month."

"Moreover, the opponent in front of us is very strong right now, and the outcome of both the enemy and ourselves is unpredictable.

I think that since the commander-in-chief has issued such an order, there is no need for Manchuria to hold on and waste precious troops.

Therefore, I decided to personally lead a tank battalion to bypass the enemy in front of me, make a circuitous route to Manchuria, and support the independent 8th Division in breaking out.

Presumably, the 8th Independent Division should also receive instructions from the commander at this time."

………………

Li Dajun inspected the battlefield, and just as he was about to go back, a communications soldier came up to him along the trench with a hurried look.

"What's going on?" Li Dajun asked immediately when he saw the messenger's hurried expression.

"Deputy division seat, the commander-in-chief sent an urgent telegram, and reinforcements from the 5th Independent Division have also just called." The communications soldier stood up and saluted, and handed the two telegrams to Li Dajun.

Li Dajun took it and took a quick look, his expression suddenly changed, he pondered for a while, then waved his hand and said: "Let's go back to the division headquarters."

Outside Manzhouli, inside a Soviet headquarters.

About four or five old Maozi officers were gathering together to discuss the offensive plan for Manchuria.

One of them is worth mentioning. He was just sent to Moscow. His name is Zhukov. He is a top student who has just graduated from the Frunze Military Academy.

Now the commander of the 4th Soviet Cavalry Division, Zhukov had experienced hundreds of battles before entering Frunze for further studies. He joined the army as an ordinary soldier and has accumulated military exploits and has been promoted to this day. He has extremely rich combat experience.

Zhukov pointed to the map and said to several military officers responsible for the attack on Manchuria and Qiqihar: "Generals, the reinforcements of the Northeast New Army have now been discovered by our army's outflank attack force, and an encounter has occurred between the two sides.

It is impossible to reach Manchuria for reinforcements in a short period of time, so the Northeastern New Army encircled by us can be said to be unable to escape.

However, one thing is that when there is no hope of backup, we cannot rule out that the Chinese will give up this place and make a breakout. I would like to ask all generals to take strict precautions against this."

ps: I spent a whole day at the driving school in the county today. I was soaked in the rain all day and was yelled at by the instructor countless times. I still achieved some success. I didn’t get home until eight in the evening. It was almost ten o’clock after I had dinner and took a shower.
Chapter completed!