The two main groups will focus on securing the rear lines of communication of the assault group and will serve as a force for attacking the enemy fortresses encircled and cut off by the assault group.

At the same time, the 1st and 2nd armies of the Northeast Front must select elite assault troops to advance smoothly from the east side of the battle line, coordinate with the 3rd Army, and complete the encirclement of the enemy forces on the Chita side.

"Where have the 1st and 2nd armies advanced, and has there been any notice from the base camp these days?" Wang Zhi took off his gloves and sat down by the fire with boiling water in the corner of the house.

"Yesterday's latest announcement said that the assault force of the 1st Army captured Mogocha, 160 kilometers from the national border, on January 8, and the assault force of the 2nd Army captured Sherlovayagora, 120 kilometers outside the country, on January 9.

Wang Zhi nodded: "They don't have motor vehicles, they all rely on manpower and horsepower, and the weather is so cold, it's already good to be able to do this step - Your Highness, what are your plans for the next battle?" ”

Xiang Lan raised his whip and tapped his shoulder: "Commander Wang came from the base camp, he must be well aware of the great plan of domination, and I ask Commander Wang for more advice." ”

Wang Zhi arched his hand and smiled: "You're polite, you're polite, in order not to pay the emperor's trust with the people, we should cooperate sincerely, complement each other, Wang is new to the world, and please ask His Royal Highness to advise first." ”

Xiang Lan replied: "Don't dare to advise, just do your duty as chief of staff, commander, please see-"

"The enemy in the current Ulan-Ude encirclement has been identified as the remnants of the 5th Siberian Army and the 1st Division of the 4th Siberian Army. The former twice blocked our assault group in Kyakhta and Novoseleginsk, and suffered heavy losses repeatedly, and its remnants should be less than a division. The latter rushed to reinforce from Irkutsk after the start of the battle, one of which was annihilated by our right assault group in the battle of Onokhyi, the other part of which was routed to the west of Ulan-Ude after being violently attacked by our left assault group, and the remaining strength of about one brigade was enclosed in the encirclement. Together with a garrison regiment of the Ulan-Ude fortress itself, there were 6-7 infantry regiments and a significant number of artillery units. ”

"The Ulan-Ude fortress was not directly attacked in the last war, after the war, as one of the three major strategic hubs of Russia in the Far East, it was comprehensively expanded and reinforced, according to the intelligence collected before the war, the fortress area was set up with a total of 6 fortresses, 10 batteries, equipped with more than 300 large and small artillery and mortars, hundreds of machine guns, some artillery and machine guns were installed in armored turrets, with reinforced concrete as the base, ordinary heavy artillery could not be destroyed. In view of this, the two assault groups, which lacked heavy artillery, should hand over the encirclement task to the subsequent main group as soon as possible, and the main group carrying heavy artillery should carry out the fortress assault battle. ”

"On the Chita side east of Ulan-Ude, it has now been confirmed that only the Siberian 6th Army is stationed, and since the reconstruction of the Chita fortress has been put on hold for a long time, it is expected that the army is unlikely to remain in Chita to resist stubbornly, but it is very likely to abandon Chita on its own initiative and move closer to the Ulan-Ude side in order to relieve the siege of Ulan-Ude and open its retreat to the west of Lake Baikal. In this direction, our army has three tasks, one is to prevent the Western 6th Army from lifting the siege of Ulan-Ude; The second is to quickly seize Chita and its surrounding railway system, so as to connect the railway line east of Ulan-Ude with the domestic Haiye railway as soon as possible, fundamentally solve the problem of supply on the northern front, and prepare for the spring-summer offensive in a few months; The third is to annihilate the 6th Army in the West and directly destroy the enemy's combat strength. ”

"As for the Irkutsk side west of Ulan-Ude, there is intelligence that a heavy group of two or three armies is rapidly unfolding, showing a strong offensive intention, and it is expected that in the next week or two an offensive will be launched on all fronts in an attempt to relieve the trapped troops east of Baikal. Since Lake Baikal has already frozen, the enemy army will have a wider space to maneuver, and accordingly, our army will have to make more comprehensive defensive preparations. ”

"The specific plan was as follows: the main group of the 4th Army should reach Ulan-Ude before the 15th, and the three infantry corps of the group would completely take over the encirclement of the fortress and launch the attack. The main group of the 3rd Army was to reach the Tarbagatai-Onohoi line by the 16th, and then advance eastward with the basic forces to encircle and capture Chita with the 1st and 2nd Armies. ”

"The assault group of the 4th Army, having handed over the Ulan-Ude fortress to the main group, should quickly move westward and establish mobile defensive positions on the line of Tankhoy-Babushkin-Selentinsk-Oymor on the eastern shore of Lake Baikal in order to cope with a possible large-scale offensive from the Irkutsk side. The assault group of the 3rd Army was to support the advance of the main group towards Chita with the strength of one part, that is, one armored brigade, and its basic forces were to advance along the valley of the Uda River towards the upper reaches of the Uda River, with a view to closing several major mountain passes in the Yablonov Mountains northwest of Chita before the Siberian 6th Army escaped, creating favorable conditions for the capture and annihilation of the Western 6th Army by other forces of the Northeast Front. ”

After listening to Xiang Lanxing's flowing explanation, Wang Zhi clapped his fist and said: "Beautiful, with such a chief of staff, I have no problem sleeping every day." ”

"The commander said with a smile, although the plan is so, the situation on the battlefield is changing rapidly, in the sudden change of the battle situation, or make a quick decision, break the enemy to win, or persevere, solve the crisis and go to the difficulty, it is necessary for a commander like Wu Yuhou to take on the responsibility."

Wang Zhi nodded and smiled: "I have served in the center for many years, I don't feel like a commander, but I seem to be more suitable to be the chief of staff, since His Royal Highness said so, I will try to pretend to be the commander who is decisive and persevering." ”

After speaking, he got up and put on his gloves: "When I was in the base camp, I heard that the vehicles of the two assault groups were badly damaged, and the enemy's attack on my line of communication was also very troublesome - what is the actual situation?" ”

"The excessive wear and tear of the vehicles is due on the one hand to bad weather conditions, and on the other hand precisely due to the harassment of enemy troops. According to the report compiled yesterday, 25 of the 700 armoured vehicles have been scrapped, another 176 are under repair, 106 out of the total 6,000 cars and tractors are scrapped, and another 1,021 are under repair. ”

"Is there a problem with the process of making a vehicle? No, this is already much better than the performance of tanks, automobiles in the European theater of the same period. When Wang Zhi thought about it, he lost his temper.

"As for the enemy's attack on our lines of communication—"

"It's up to me to go to the front line and experience it myself." Wang Zhi's eagle's eyes flashed, declaring an unstoppable and powerful will.