In the vast Far East, there are only two to three million people living in a land of one to two million square kilometers, but they have to support an army of nearly 700,000 people. You can imagine how difficult it is.

It is naturally unrealistic to rely solely on local people. The Soviet Far East Military Region mainly relies on transportation and supplies from Europe. However, due to planning errors in Soviet Russia's economic construction, there are relatively sufficient arms and weapons, but there is a relatively serious shortage of basic living materials.

If nothing else, the food issue alone is enough to cause a headache. A few years ago, millions of people in Ukraine starved to death, which was just a preview. Since then, the production of agricultural and sideline products and basic living materials, light industry,

Soviet Russia never had enough.

In the past, cheap grain was imported from the United States every year, which could supplement a lot of the share. However, with the outbreak of the Sino-US war and the interruption of shipping, the Soviet Army in the Far East temporarily lost this convenient condition. In the past few years, it has been passing through Mongolia.

Tens of thousands of tons of food, clothing, alcohol and other necessities were smuggled and transported from the Northeast to the North, but they have also been stopped. The Soviet Army in the Far East is actually facing material shortages at any time.

Zhukov's words were of course to the point, but it's hard to say how much the commanders and commanders would listen.

In the past few years, except for the fact that they almost capsized in a conflict with Japan, which completely exposed the weakness of the old foundation, on weekdays, the old Maozi mostly just muddle along, and they have long lost the exciting spiritual temperament of the October Revolution.

, from the bottom of their hearts, these generals wished that the two sides could continue to confront each other so tepidly.

They can calmly obtain large amounts of material subsidies from Europe and Central China. At the same time, they can enjoy the seemingly dangerous but actually peaceful threat of war, and at the same time avoid the center of the storm of the Great Purge, which is extremely comfortable.

War? How alarmist Zhukov said it. In fact, it seems unlikely to happen if you think about it!

In the north where Soviet Russia is located, the winter is so cold that it can freeze the blood. Not to mention cruel weather conditions such as heavy snowstorms. There is no adequate adaptation to the harsh local climate, and the weapons and equipment do not have corresponding design standards. If you want to attack, it is nothing more than

Idiots talk about dreams.

I just want to say that even if the Chinese people have the heart, I'm afraid they don't have the strength. They have lived in the warm south for many years, how can they adapt to fighting in the harsh climate of the north? Even if they want to send troops, I'm afraid

Even before we reach the forward position, everyone will be frozen into popsicles. Whether it's tanks, cannons, or even firearms, I don't know how many are left that can be used. This is already in an invincible position!

The rest of the generals had similar thoughts to him. They just saw General Zhukov's serious expression and were frightened by the ferocious reputation of the Great Purge. No one wanted to make trouble, so they just complained and said weird things.

.

Zhukov, a smart man, could tell by looking at their expressions and attitudes that he was a blind man lighting a lamp in vain. He wanted to impress these veterans and ruffians by shaving his head, but it would not be easy to just rely on his words.

Fortunately, he has Shang Fang's sword in his hand. They don't need to understand it, as long as they can execute it according to the order.

The black snow outside seems to be out of control, and it is unclear how long it will continue to rage. The air force is unable to dispatch due to the extremely bad weather, making it difficult for the army to move. Even if it is delayed until the spring of next year, the soil will melt and become muddy again.

It's unbearable, it seems... the Chinese front army really doesn't have the conditions to launch an attack?

Stalin's order was fully conveyed. Zhukov's mouth was dry as he spoke. In the end, half angry and half tired, he finally mobilized the three divisions of the Mongolian-dominated Seventeenth Army, the Third Army, and the subordinates of the First Army.

One tank division, one cavalry division, and two tank brigades, with a total of nearly 200,000 troops, braved the wind and snow, launched operations in the severe cold, pushed towards the south, and headed out of Cullen to prepare for the attack.

These troops are not small, and they are enough to deal with the front of a battlefield. Zhukov made detailed reference to the various intelligence collected and repeatedly warned that whether the troops are moving in or stationed, they must keep distance and disperse, and they must not be gathered together in a pile.

to avoid being attacked by the Chinese and causing huge casualties.

At this time, the Far Eastern Army had 700,000 troops, a total of nearly 30 divisions, 2,700 tanks, and 3,000 fighter planes. The Pacific Navy had more than 130 submarines. The number of surface ships was not very strong, but it was considered

It’s quite a force.

Zhukov specifically told Lieutenant General Yumashev that although Vladivostok and the Soviet port are currently frozen, do not let the warships park there and move out. They must move out flexibly, even to participate in the Japanese and American disaster relief operations.

It is better to be in the target than to be a fixed target.

Lieutenant General Yumashev seemed to agree more happily, but Zhukov had no confidence at all to hear how much he heard. Seeing that hundreds of thousands of people above and below were all lax and slovenly to an outrageous level, he couldn't help but worry, and even secretly did it.

Worst case scenario!

It seems that the war will be far away from the Far East in a short time.

Since the great earthquake in Japan, in just three days, more than 30 volcanoes have erupted on the Japanese archipelago, and tsunamis of more than 20 meters have erupted no less than 20 times in a row. Under repeated erosion, the three islands of Japan have erupted.

The south side and the east side were basically flattened, and after the continental shelf fault zone running north of Mount Fuji was severely torn apart,

The continent was shattered into tens of millions of pieces. An unprecedented violent orogeny erupted. Some hills suddenly arched, but more often the entire island sank. Within three days, most of the island moved towards the Pacific Ocean by a large amount.

It's more than ten meters, and it keeps accelerating. It seems that it won't stop until it slides into the six thousand meter trench!

The Japanese had little hope, but the troubles caused by the volcanic eruption had just begun. In just three days, the thick dust and mist from some northern volcanoes had already drifted to the northern part of Sakhalin Island with the wind. With the attraction of the southward airflow, from the Arctic Circle

Come over from the edge and spread it to the entire Far East.

Large-scale cooling and snowfall occurred east of Lake Baikal, Amur Continent, and border areas in Soviet Russia, and invaded southward into the Mongolian Plateau. Heilongjiang, parts of Jilin, and the Korean Peninsula in China were all affected. More than half of them were affected.

There was no sunshine at the end of the month, and as an unprecedented snowstorm came, the temperature dropped sharply, and the volcanic ash-laden, misty snowstorm densely covered the land thousands of miles away. Wherever it went, it was a gray and frozen world!

Such harsh climate conditions make it impossible to carry out outdoor activities. Even the old Russians who have lived in the cold areas for generations feel very uncomfortable. Therefore, it is conceivable that the Chinese soldiers, who are much more immature and delicate, are even less likely to do so.

I can bear it.

It’s not that I’m so careless, but it’s really hard to survive in such an environment, fighting? What a joke!

The war mobilization meeting of the Far East Military Region did not achieve the desired results. In Khabarovsk and Primorsky Krai, which were most severely affected by the weather, nearly ten divisions in total were huddled in the barracks, warming themselves by the fire and drinking.

High vodka or burning knives, day by day.

But just as Zhukov feared most, the situation is about to change dramatically in a way that most old-timers think is most impossible!

December 31, the last day of 1940. Just after Christmas. The drunken old men were still awake. Stationed in the Soviet port in the Tartar Strait, the North Central Pacific Fleet, including a cruiser,

Three ships

The destroyers, plus a dozen torpedo boats and other surface ships, were all frozen in the port and unable to move. The commander, Major General Arapov, was too lazy to bother the lazy sailors and only allowed a dozen submarines to sail out. From Hokkaido

Wander around, alert and defensive.

Such a lazy and careless attitude was immediately severely punished. Twelve submarines belonging to the North Sea Fleet sneaked in quietly, crossed the entire Sea of ​​Japan and forced themselves here. With the help of advanced sonar self-guiding and wire-guided torpedoes, they were launched suddenly.

The ruthless hand sank them all in one go, and continued to press forward without fear. At night, it emerged from a place about a hundred kilometers away from the Soviet port.

The Tartar Strait has frozen, and each submarine uses its own thousands of tons of steel to push through the ice cap, revealing the bridge, periscope and radar, forming a front that blocks the strait, sealing the entire strait from a distance.

Among them, there is a submarine with a displacement of more than 3,500 tons that stands out. This is a missile submarine designed and built for the ocean fleet. Its smooth drop-shaped lines and black shell look like a giant deep-sea whale, with a

The tilted bridge rumbled out of the ice, revealing a completely different kind of evil aura!

Under the alert of other submarines, the submarine numbered 305 opened six vertical launch holes on the bow, aimed at the surface ships in the harbor, and fired twelve anti-ship missiles in two consecutive rounds, knocking out the only cruiser.

The destroyers and destroyers were all blown up. The target of the remaining torpedo boats was too small, so they didn't care much about it. The extra missiles unceremoniously brought in an oil tanker parked there!

The sudden explosion in the heavy snow caught Lao Maozi off guard! One by one, the battleships turned into large torches hundreds of meters high, and the steam impact formed by evaporating the black snow flakes caused an explosion-like shock wave that swept around the port.

Even the entire city, the choking smog formed is comparable to poisonous gas!

When Major General Arapov rushed out of the tavern in embarrassment, he was faced with a burning ruins. Thinking of the previous warning and the terrible purge, he sat down on the ground in despair and passed out.

!

At the same time, in the relatively active naval port of Vladivostok, most ships followed the mobilization order, wandered around the Sea of ​​Japan and the northern Pacific, and were attacked by general groups!

Almost uniformly, torpedo attacks from deep water sank the Soviet and Russian submarines that had surfaced for ventilation. Surface ships did not even have time to react, and were attacked and sunk by torpedoes or anti-ship missiles one after another! In one day, one hundred submarines were sunk.

More than eighty ships were sunk, and most of the remaining ones were resting in the port, surviving only less than twenty-four hours longer than the unlucky ones in front!

The Chinese navy's submarine force, which is at least one generation ahead in technology, uses ocean-going submarines as the lead, quietly advancing at an average depth of 200 meters, and using wire-guided and sonar-guided torpedoes to suddenly attack, and almost two of them can kill an enemy ship.

The ship was so efficient that it caught the Soviet army completely off guard!

When Lieutenant General Yumashev finally understood that Zhukov was not being alarmist, he was shocked to find that there were only three or two big cats and kittens left in his Pacific Fleet. Even the ships anchored in the harbor did not escape the killing, and the frozen sea water solidified.

The movement of the battleships turned them into dead targets one by one. The steel was blown away and fire was scattered everywhere!

By the next day, January 1, 1941, the Soviet Pacific Fleet was basically destroyed!

Yumashev panicked and hurriedly mobilized 60,000 army troops to prepare for a beach landing battle that might come at any time. He even reported to the Far East Military District Headquarters, requesting more support for such a terrifying attack.

Who knows whether Li Anji will be able to withstand it next?

Zhukov refused unceremoniously. The reason was simple: "This is the Chinese tactic of seizing the east and attacking the west! They will not foolishly imitate the Japanese to seize the beach and land. Although the Primorsky Krai is of high importance, it does not have a necessary strategic position.

!The real target of the Chinese is still in front of Lake Baikal!"

Amidst Yumashev's angry curses, Zhukov rudely and decisively rejected other opinions. Gan Gang arbitrarily ordered the 200,000 troops to immediately enter the highest alert state, and asked the 17th Army, which was familiar with the environment, to move forward with all its forces.

Push forward. Cross Selenginsk and push towards the border city of Kyaktu!

Lieutenant General ** was so shocked by the sudden turn of events that he almost lost his mind and screamed: "Are all the Chinese crazy? In such weather, do they plan to freeze to death in the sea of ​​ice and snow? Haha, that saves us.

thing!"

Zhukov scolded coldly: "Stop dreaming! Wake up! Our enemies are not unprepared at all. They have stayed in Mongolia for more than a year and have completed all climate and environmental adaptation work. Now there is only fighting. Non-stop

Fighting is the only truth! Put away all your luck and prepare to face the most cruel test!"

Zhukov, who has personally been to China many times, knows best the terrifying potential of this nation. I am afraid that no one in the world is better able to adapt to the environment and survive more tenaciously than the Chinese, even in the Arctic and Antarctic. Under any impossible conditions,

They will survive tenaciously and even create a splendid civilization!

A terrible enemy that must not be underestimated! In order to prevent the people below from being lazy, Zhukov did not hesitate to take risks and personally stepped forward to act as a supervisor, forcing the large troops to rumble towards the border. There was no need to think about any excuses such as provoking disputes.

Let’s wait and see the battle!

He was not mistaken, the Chinese troops on the opposite side were really coming!

Fu Zuoyi's resounding slogan of "wash away the shame of a lifetime and win a reputation both before and after life" was a rare moment for the veterans to work hard. The forwards had two heavy armored divisions as the main force, equipped with a cavalry division and an artillery division, and rumbled from behind.

Kulun headed north boldly, and just when Zhukov mobilized his forces to reach Selenginsko, his forward line had also reached the bank of the Ilo River, less than a hundred kilometers away from the border!

The distance between the two sides was less than 200 kilometers, and the advance reconnaissance troops had already taken over in Kyaktu. Under the harsh weather, the thickness of black snow on the ground was more than two feet deep, and half a person could be buried if he stepped on it on foot.

The wind blows, forming several meters high frozen snow walls between the mountains and fields, which must be smashed by engineering vehicles before they can be driven through!
To be continued...