Chapter 53 Return to the Team (First Update, Seeking Collection and Votes)

  The Third Army Headquarters. Liu Guangda, Chen Mingliang, Duan Sicheng (Director of the Political Department), Hao Er, Hao Peng (Deputy Commander of the First Division), Wang Dashan (Commander of the Third Division), Zhan Xiao (Commander of the Guard Regiment), Xu Guanghai (Commander of the Special Operations Battalion) and Gu Lan (Director of the Field Hospital) were all attending a meeting at the Army Headquarters.

  The agenda of the meeting was to discuss the problems found in the process of reorganizing the troops. Similar meetings have been held many times, but this time the meeting was very relaxed, with only minor issues being discussed, and the atmosphere of the entire meeting was also very relaxed and harmonious.

  Just as the meeting was about to end, the door of the conference room opened and Liu Guangda and others looked towards the entrance. A figure appeared in everyone's line of sight.

  Liu Guangda exclaimed in surprise: "Commander!"

  The conference room suddenly became lively. Everyone came over to shake hands with Chen Feichen, and the comrades who met for the first time were sizing him up while expressing their warm welcome.

  Chen Feichen shook hands with everyone present, exchanging a few words. After the initial pleasantries, everyone took their seats. Chen Feichen naturally sat in the first position.

  Chen Feichen inquired about the current situation of the Third Army, and he still had his own plan for the reorganization of the Third Army. Unfortunately, time was not enough, and the timing was not right, so some things could only be put off until later. As for the current Third Army's combat effectiveness, Chen Feichen was quite pleased to see that it already had considerable fighting power after just over a fortnight of reorganization, which spoke volumes about the situation.

  Chen Feichen said: "The third army continues to reorganize, now the time is very tight, we must seize every opportunity to use the time, and improve as much as possible!"

  "Yes!" Everyone present responded in unison.

  Chen Fei continued, "This time I'm back, not only as the commander of the Third Army, but also as the newly appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Frontline, with full command over all troops within the Inner Mongolia Military Region, including the 38th and 50th Armies."

  Chen Mingliang's eyes lit up and he said: "Is there going to be another big battle? That's great!"

  Liu Guangda expressed some worry, saying: "The third army was formed too recently, and many of the original independent regiment's soldiers have not yet recovered from their injuries! If it were an ordinary battle, we might be able to cope, but if it were a big and fierce one, I think we'd be in trouble! I'm worried that if our third army can't make a good showing in its first battle, the impact would be too severe."

  Chen Feichen chuckled and said, "Guangda, I understand your concerns, but what I know is that the third army's various branches are all very strong combat units, not new recruits. The only thing to worry about is the coordination issue. With you, Mingliang, and everyone present here, what else can we be worried about? Don't you have confidence?"

  This is the invisible command that will inevitably make everyone present work harder after the meeting. The meeting ended soon, and Chen Fei came to the communication team, personally drafting and contacting the 38th Army, 50th Army and other departments.

  Soon, Chen Feicheng contacted the main officers of each army and issued the first order, which was to come to Hulunbuir for a meeting tomorrow. Their respective troops had also clearly received orders from the Wild Command, and they all knew that Chen Feicheng was now the commander-in-chief, their superior. Whether they were willing or not, they could only put their hearts in their stomachs, as they all shared a common goal: to defeat the Soviet Union.

  Hulunbuir, located on the Hulunbuir Grassland, is one of the few cities in Inner Mongolia. The terrain here is flat, with abundant water sources and fertile grasslands, making it extremely suitable for grazing. It is also an important passage to Northeast China.

  Hulunbuir was under martial law from early morning, with soldiers' shadows visible everywhere on the streets, mobile sentries and guard posts were set up. The headquarters of the Third Army was even more heavily guarded, and without a special pass, it was impossible to get through.

  Today, many officers entered the military department for a meeting, and some officers were entering from time to time. The commanders of the 38th Army, the commander-in-chief of the Zhong army, the commander of the 50th Army Guo Si Zhong, the commanders of the 7th, 8th, and 9th independent divisions of the Northeast, the commanders of the 1st and 2nd independent divisions of Inner Mongolia, and the commander of the Inner Mongolian Independent Cavalry Brigade had all walked into the meeting hall.

  Chen Feichen personally got up to greet them. After the main officers of all branches had arrived, Chen Feichen gave the order: "Begin the meeting!"

  The door of the conference room closed slowly, and the corridor outside the conference room was lined with armed soldiers. Machine guns were set up at the gate of the military department. The military department arranged 6 teams to patrol and guard.

  Chen Feicheng reported the latest appointment of the Wild Service at the meeting and made it clear that he was the highest commander of the front command. Shang Zhong and others all applauded to welcome him. Chen Feicheng knew that his qualifications could not convince everyone, but he could only hope that they would put the overall situation first.

  Chen Feichen said seriously: "What I'm about to say is top secret, everyone here knows the confidentiality rules, so I won't repeat them!" Then Chen Feichen laid out the plan, while Chen Mingliang stood behind him, pointing at the military map on the wall, indicating the attack targets and advance routes of each branch.

  Chen Feichen looked around at everyone in the room after he finished speaking and said, "Does anyone have anything to add? Any opinions can be raised."

  "Commander, the Soviet troop strength is still unclear, this is a hidden danger that we must resolve! Not knowing the enemy's strength is a great taboo! The Soviet Red Army's equipment and weapons are far superior to ours, their troops have been tested on the European battlefield, and their combat effectiveness is extremely strong. If we still don't know the specific number of Soviet troops, then we will be completely passive, and fighting an unknown enemy is the most feared."

  "Hmm, that's right. If we don't know the enemy's troop strength, what are we fighting for? It might be like eggs hitting a rock!" Those present chimed in to say.

  Chen Fei coughed a few times, and after the scene quieted down, Chen Fei said: "General Shang's words are very correct, the key point is intelligence! I have discussed this with Ye Si No. 1, according to intelligence, the Soviet Union plans to deploy three army groups from Europe and three air regiments into Outer Mongolia. They also plan to launch an attack in Outer Mongolia, and the direction of the attack will be Inner Mongolia. They plan to use this to bypass Inner Mongolia, encircle and attack Northeast China from the side, attempting to sandwich our main force in a pincer movement and decide the outcome with one battle!"

  Chen Feichen's words made everyone present feel a shock, they all knew what the three group armies represented in terms of numbers, and how many warplanes the three air divisions accounted for! The pressure was too great! The enemy's strength was also too strong!

  Chen Feichen looked at the expressions and postures of everyone present, saying: "So, according to the order of the Wild General, we must solve Outer Mongolia before the enemy arrives, and then we will have to face this enemy's counterattack. We must hold on for ten days, the longer we drag it out, the more advantageous it is for us. The Soviet Union has too many enemies, and the Soviet Union never thinks that we will be their greatest enemy. Their greatest enemy is the United States, so the Soviet Union cannot use all its strength to fight against us. The Americans will not sit idly by!"

  "What about Old Chiang? They won't just sit around doing nothing, will they?"

  "Haha, Old Chiang? He's already done a great job if he can hold on to North China, let alone they can't even do that! The only one that can hold out for a bit longer is the Yangtze River defense line! Besides, the Americans have already lost all hope in Old Chiang, they won't go all out to save him anymore!"

  "Oh? So that's how it is!" Such voices naturally came out from the venue.

  "Alright, since no one has any objections, I'll adjourn the meeting and have everyone return to their units. Prepare immediately, and everything must be kept strictly confidential. Whoever leaks information will face the consequences! This is not a joke, you all should know that in the military, there's no room for idle chatter!" Chen Feicheng said this with an air of killing intent, making the commanders of each unit reevaluate their impression of him. They naturally nodded to indicate their understanding.

  After the meeting, Chen Feicheng called back Shang Wei Zhong and Guo Si Zhong. Chen Feicheng understood that this attack was still crucial to these two troops, and he had to attract the attention of the Soviet Union while coordinating with his own third army's attack. If one was not good, all previous efforts would be wasted, causing the battle plan to fail and the attack to fail! That would make the whole front passive.

  Chen Feichen and the two military commanders, as well as the two elderly men in the army, whispered to each other for a long time. After they came out, Shang Wei Zhong and Guo Si Zhong had not stayed behind. They all immediately went to their respective troops. Shang Wei Zhong even laughed loudly, saying: "When we win, you must invite me to drink wine! I want to have a good drink with you, haha, see you later!"

  November 17. The 38th and 50th Armies set out to move west, which immediately put the Mongolian border troops and Soviet troops on high alert, paying close attention to these two armies at all times. Then, two of the three independent divisions also left the Manzhouli line, closely following the movements of the 38th and 50th Armies.

  Then, the Inner Mongolian Alxa League Communist army began to move frequently, and a serious conflict broke out with the Outer Mongolian border defense army. At 7 pm that evening, fierce gunfire finally erupted in Alxa League! The Outer Mongolian Command Headquarters immediately ordered the border troops to consciously move towards Alxa, while the Soviet army was still watching the moving 38th Army, 50th Army and two independent divisions.

  Late at night, the Soviet high-level meeting was held overnight. They were all studying the series of frequent movements of the Communist Party in Inner Mongolia and what its meaning was. What kind of purpose do they want to achieve? When it dawned, the Soviet General Staff issued an order, that is, to prevent the 38th Army and other main forces of the Communist Party from launching a sudden attack, and must build fortifications along the line to make up for the weak links in the battle line.

  However, this order was still being implemented by troops such as the 38th Army, and Manzhouli suddenly became a non-key location.

  On the 12th, the third army's first division secretly set out from their garrison, at noon the second division in the suburbs also set out, followed by the third division. These divisions left behind a small number of soldiers to guard their garrisons and did a good job of covering up their departure.

  In the afternoon, the 38th Army and other troops had already left Manzhouli a hundred miles away, and they were still moving westward. However, the 38th Army, 50th Army and other troops had secretly placed their most elite troops in the rear, and consciously began to let these soldiers get enough rest.

  The existence of such a unit is really unsettling, the Soviet Union was highly alert and they couldn't understand where so many people went.