Longdong, the temporary headquarters of the Japanese 18th Division.
Amidst the rapid footsteps, Lieutenant General Mutaguchi Renye, commander of the Japanese 18th Division, walked into the war room with a livid face.
Behind Mutaguchi Renya were the commander of the 23rd Infantry Brigade, Major General Tomiho, and the commander of the 35th Infantry Brigade, Major General Kiyotake Kawaguchi, and other senior officers.
The expressions on the faces of Tuo Mihao, Kawaguchi Kiyoshi and others were also solemn.
The sudden defeat of the 33rd Division on the left immediately put the 18th Division into a dilemma!
According to the original battle plan, the 18th Division and the 33rd Division were like a pair of iron pincers, bypassing Meng Gong's side and behind, hoping to form an encirclement against the enemy in front of Meng Gong, and the 33rd Division collapsed.
Finally, the Japanese pincer offensive suddenly went bankrupt. What's worse is that the Japanese tank group has detoured back to the rear of the 18th Division!
"Baga, Baga Yalu!" Mutaguchi Lianye threw his general's hat heavily on the table, and then roared angrily, "The most elite field division, more than 20,000 elite veterans who are good at fighting, and a large number of
Heavy equipment, but the China Army was defeated in less than 20 hours. What is this idiot Shozo Sakurai doing?"
"Your Excellency, Division Commander." Colonel Hisashi Takeda, Chief of Staff of the 18th Division, hurriedly walked into the war room, immediately stood upright, and said to Mutaguchi Renya, "The aviation reconnaissance team reported that the China Army's tank group has rounded up to
Meng Yang, our division's retreat along the railway to Mandalay has been cut off by the China Army!"
Meng Gong, 200th Division Headquarters.
A major staff officer walked into the war room excitedly, and immediately stood at attention and said: "Report to the main station, the tank regiment and the 600th regiment have attacked Mengyang and are now advancing along the highway in the direction of Meiza!"
As soon as the major finished speaking, the war room burst into cheers.
Several American consultants present couldn't help high-fiving each other, and Yue Weihan and Stilwell even gave an American-style hug.
Even Luo Zhuoying, a talented person, was infected by the atmosphere at the scene. He couldn't help but point to the map and said: "After the main seat, Meng Yang was captured by our army, the Japanese 18th Division suddenly became a turtle in the urn!"
Yue Weihan took a picture of the map and said proudly: "What Brother You Qing said is absolutely true. Now, as long as Liao Yaoxiang's new 22nd Division can hold Jiamai and firmly hold the scalp of Mutaguchi Lianye, the 'tiger of the jungle'
, then the designation of the 18th Division can basically be erased from the Japanese Army’s organizational list.”
"What if Mutaguchi Lianya turns around and runs away?" Dai Anlan couldn't help but frown.
Perhaps because of the old officer Du Yuming, Dai Anlan had always had a thorn in his heart, and he had never been too cold towards Yue Weihan. At this time, seeing Yue Weihan's proud face, he couldn't help but refute again.
However, Dai Anlan's worry is not unreasonable. If the Japanese 18th Division really abandons all its heavy equipment and flees south, the tank regiment that relies heavily on road mobility will really be unable to catch up. Although the 600th Regiment can catch up, it can't catch up.
They are at an absolute disadvantage in terms of military strength, and it is absolutely impossible to intercept the 18th Division.
"Turn around and run away?" Yue Weihan shook his head and said suddenly, "Mr. Dai, you underestimate the devil Mutaguchi. The devil is not a British guy. They will never abandon their equipment and escape. To say the least, even if
The devil Mutaguchi wants to escape, but the two old devils Shojiro Iida and Juichi Terauchi will never agree!"
Luo Zhuoying also advised with some worry: "Chief Commander, are you going to transfer the three divisions of the Sixth Army to Gaimai?"
Luo Zhuoying was worried that the New 22nd Division could not withstand the pressure, because in the entire combat plan, Jiamai's position was crucial. If the New 22nd Division could not hold Jiamai and allowed the Japanese 18th Division to break through the defense line, then Yue Weihan would
The idea of encircling and annihilating the Japanese 18th Division in the Longdong-Gamai area will be completely ruined.
Yue Weihan waved his hand and said calmly: "There is no need to bother."
After saying this, Yue Weihan said in a very rude tone: "The predecessor of the Sixth Army is He Jian's Hunan Army. To put it bluntly, it is just a miscellaneous army, a ragtag army! Whether it is equipment or training, the Sixth Army has
It is far from being comparable to the Fifth Army. If we send the Sixth Army up, I won’t say whether it can help. Otherwise, it might upset the morale of the New 22nd Division.”
The expression on Luo Zhuoying's face suddenly became a little strange. She wondered what the three division commanders of the Sixth Army and more than 20,000 officers and soldiers would think if they heard this.
Longdong, Japanese Army Headquarters.
"Your Excellency, Division Commander!" His Majesty Takeda said to Mutaguchi Renya with a solemn expression, "Our division is facing an unprecedented severe situation. If we are not careful, the whole team will be shattered. In my opinion, we should not decisively give up the march northward.
Plan to turn around and go south to retake Mengyang in order to re-open the connection with Mandalay."
"Bagagaru!" Mutaguchi Renya was furious. He slapped Takeda Hisashi twice with his bow, and then said angrily, "To give up on going north is to admit defeat, and to turn around and run away is even more cowardly. As a proud imperial
Samurai, aren't you ashamed to say such things?"
"Hai!" Takeda Shou suddenly straightened his head.
"Order!" Mutaguchi Lian suddenly pulled out his saber and raised it high above his head, then said with murderous intent, "The 55th Infantry Regiment stayed in Longdong and stopped the China Army's tank cluster at all costs. The main force of the division accelerated northward. It must be
Capture Jamai and Lewa in the shortest time, and then attack Myitkyina with the 56th Division!"
"Hai!" Takeda Shou suddenly lowered his head, then walked away with his saber in hand.
Jiamai, headquarters of the new 22nd Division.
Liao Yaoxiang is convening a military meeting with the heads of the three main regiments and the chief officers of all directly affiliated battalion-level units.
Just after Shi Linxian, chief of staff of the new 22nd Division, introduced the battlefield situation between the enemy and ours, Liu Jianzhang, the commander of the new 64th Regiment, worriedly said to Liao Yaoxiang: "Divisional seat, the tank regiment and the 200th Division have cut off the Japanese retreat. The 18th Division
This time the regiment can be said to be a trapped beast still fighting, its ferocity and madness are bound to be far beyond normal, and Jiamai may not be able to defend it?"
Deng Junlin, commander of the New 65th Regiment, also said: "Although the 18th Division is not one of the seventeen permanent divisions, it is still a second-class division with a four-unit system, with more than 30,000 people. Its combat effectiveness is by no means that of the 33rd.
A third-class division like this division is comparable! And our new 22nd Division only has more than 9,000 non-combatants, so the difference in strength is huge!"
The other commanders of the New 66th Regiment, the Guard Battalion Commander, and the Artillery Battalion Commander also nodded in agreement.
The battle in Jiamai was indeed extremely dangerous for the New 22nd Division. The Japanese 18th Division was well-equipped and had almost four times the strength of the New 22nd Division. Moreover, the 18th Division had also received advanced training in jungle warfare in the Taihang Mountains.
Intense training, among the 60 or 70 Japanese field divisions, the 18th Division is known as the "Tiger of the Jungle".
All in all, it is impossible for the New 22nd Division to defeat the Japanese 18th Division in any case. It will be a matter of time before Gaimai falls. The only suspense is, how long can the New 22nd Division hold on in Gaimai?
Five days? Ten days? Or a month? Or longer?
The bottom line that Yue Weihan gave to Liao Yaoxiang was half a month, but the bottom line in Liao Yaoxiang's heart was one month!
In the Longdong-Gamai battle, the Chinese and Japanese armies competed for endurance. The key to victory or defeat was who could not hold on first.
If the New 22nd Division cannot hold on at first, then the Japanese 18th Division can open a gap from the direction of Kaimai and successfully retreat to Myitkyina. After arriving at Myitkyina, the 18th Division can join the 56th Division.
The 38th Division's strength has not yet recovered, and it still has to protect the Myitkyina Airport. At that time, it can only watch the two major Japanese field divisions safely evacuate to Lashio.
If the Japanese 18th Division is allowed to slip away, the effectiveness of this counterattack in northern Myanmar will be greatly reduced.
On the other hand, if the new 22nd Division is strong enough and the tank regiment and the 200th Division can capture Longdong before the fall of Gamai, then the Japanese 18th Division will be in a desperate situation of being attacked from both sides. In addition, the Japanese army's logistics supply line has been cut off.
With no way to replenish food and ammunition, the 18th Division would not be able to escape the fate of the entire army being destroyed!
After weighing it repeatedly in his mind, Liao Yaoxiang immediately opened his slightly narrowed eyes, and then glanced coldly at all the officers present, and said in a deep voice: "What? The battle hasn't even started yet, but everyone is scared? Are you timid? Are you?
Do you still have the backbone of a soldier? If you are afraid of death, don’t become a soldier, go home and take your wife as soon as possible!”
"Teacher, do you have to speak with your conscience? Brothers, when have you ever been afraid of death?" Liu Jianzhang, the leader of the New 64th Regiment, suddenly blushed and argued, "During the Hengyang battle, I led the suicide squad to the front.
I was hit by nine bullets. If the old commander hadn’t carried me off the battlefield, my name, Liu Jianzhang, would have been engraved on the monument of heroes!"
Liao Yaoxiang's expression softened slightly when he heard this, and he groaned: "Huh, what else do you have to say?"
After saying this, Liao Yaoxiang tugged on the white gloves on his hands again, and continued: "The ancients said that military orders fall like a mountain. Since the commander-in-chief has issued the order, our new 22nd Division must execute it and nail it like nails.
In Jiamai, even if all the more than 9,000 men in the division are exhausted, we can never let a little Japs pass through the defense zone!"
"But we are not convinced!" Liu Jianzhang continued to argue, "Why can't the three divisions from the Hukang River Valley, the Mengong Valley and the Kuman Mountains be transferred up? But our new 22nd Division is allowed to fight alone in Jiamai? The Sixth Army's
Although the three divisions are no-name and their combat effectiveness is not worth mentioning, they can still give our new 22nd Division some momentum, right?"
Liao Yaoxiang frowned and said angrily: "The seat manager has his own considerations. How can you be so careless?"
After saying that, Liao Yaoxiang suddenly pulled out the Browning pistol and slammed it on the conference table, and said murderously: "I'll start with the ugly talk first. If you still admit that you are a traitor, you will be nailed to your death by me."
Jiamai, if anyone dares to make a mistake at a critical moment, don't blame me, Mr. Liao, for not remembering the old love of Paoze!"
The three main regiment commanders and several direct battalion commanders looked at each other with awe. The commanders had already spoken. What else did they have to say? If they didn't say anything, just fight with the little devil!
Chongqing, Military Commission Building.
In the war room, the gloomy-looking Chairman Chiang was standing in front of a huge map posted on the wall. Behind him stood General He, General Chen, General Bai and other senior generals of the party and state. However, General He
There was not much seriousness on the faces of the others, and when they exchanged opinions in low voices, their tone was quite relaxed.
Posted on the wall is a map of northern Myanmar.
Admiral He held the command pole and explained to the map: "Commissioner, the assault group consisting of the tank regiment, the automobile regiment and the 200th Division has completely defeated the Japanese 33rd Division on Meng Gong's right wing. Now, the assault group is coming from
Meng Yang and Meizha detoured behind the Japanese 18th Division on the left. If the 18th Division was encircled and annihilated, the war situation in Myanmar would immediately reverse."
Chairman Chiang remained silent. Of course he was happy that the Chinese Expeditionary Force could win the war in Burma.
However, what made Chairman Chiang very angry was that Yue Weihan only allowed the Fifth Army to merge with the Japanese army, but the three divisions of the Sixth Army were always locked up in the Hukang River Valley, the Mengong River Valley and the Kuman Mountains.
Yue Weihan would rather let the New 22nd Division face the 18th Division alone, but he still refused to mobilize the three divisions of the Sixth Army. What did he want to do?
Admiral Chen was very good at observing people's words. He knew Chairman Chiang's thoughts in an instant, and immediately retorted: "The situation of the war has turned around? Brother Jing, I'm afraid you said this too early? Yes, the new 22nd Division can fight.
But do you think it is possible for Liao Yaoxiang to block the fierce attack of more than 30,000 people from the Japanese 18th Division with one division of troops?"
"This..." General He was at a loss for words. He also didn't understand Yue Weihan's intention of always refusing to mobilize three divisions of the Sixth Army to strengthen the defense of Jiamai.
General Chen snorted softly, and then said: "What's confusing is that there are clearly three divisions of the Sixth Army as reserve forces in the Hukang River Valley, Mengong River Valley and Kuman Mountains, but why didn't Yue Weihan refuse?
How about deploying these three divisions to strengthen the defense of Jiamai? Is it possible that Yue Weihan deliberately manipulated the enemy and wanted to let the Japanese 18th Division escape?"
"Be careful with your rhetoric." General He frowned and said, "Yue Weihan would never have such an idea."
"Then he has ulterior motives!" General Chen retorted, "Everyone knows that the Fifth Army is a direct descendant of Huangpu and is completely loyal to the commission. Yue Weihan did this just to take the opportunity to weaken the Fifth Army.
Weaken the influence of the Commission on the Expeditionary Force and clear the way for him to fully control the Expeditionary Force!"
"You have ulterior motives?" Admiral Bai curled his lips and said, "How can a short-sighted person be qualified to talk about military affairs?"
"Bai Jiansheng, what do you mean by this?" Admiral Chen suddenly changed his expression, "Who is this short-sighted person?"
General Bai did not waste much time arguing with General Chen, but turned to Chairman Chiang and General He and said: "Commissioner, my dear brother, the reason why Yue Weihan hid the Sixth Army in the rear and left the New 22nd Division
Facing the Japanese 18th Division alone was well-intentioned! Yue Weihan is so awesome. The war in northern Myanmar has not yet ended, but his eyes have already turned to the next stage!"
Chairman Chiang suddenly moved slightly, and General He also asked with confusion: "Next stage? What do you mean?"
"Although the Sixth Army is an old part of the Hunan Army, it is by no means a rabble! Yue Weihan is raising tigers!" Admiral Bai said with emotion, "The ancients said that raising tigers will cause trouble, but Yue Weihan raised this fierce tiger.
But it was the Sixth Army. In the end, the only ones who suffered were the Japanese. How awesome..."
Hukang Valley, where the 49th Division is stationed.
A large stage has been set up at the gate of the division headquarters, and the stage is already full of officers and soldiers of the 49th Division.
In this foreign country thousands of miles away, officers and soldiers have to build fortifications and dig trenches during the day. At night, the time is quite difficult. Apart from gambling, there seems to be nothing left to do. If they are at home, they can also cheat on the cellar for fun, but in the
Hukang River Valley is a wild and barren land where even the blood-sucking leeches are male. Where did Sister Jiao come from?
However, the officers and soldiers of the 49th Division had one more way to relieve their punishment - listening to Peking Opera.
Peng Bisheng, the commander of the 49th Division, is a die-hard Peking Opera fan. His division headquarters may not have a communications team or a field hospital, but it must not have a military band and theater troupe! This time when he went abroad for an expedition to Myanmar, Commander Peng put his theater troupe and military band
I also brought them here. Not to mention, in the barren land of the Hukang River Valley, this troupe really came in handy.
Halfway through the play, two uninvited guests suddenly arrived at the 49th Division's station. These two people were Lu Guoshuan, commander of the 93rd Division, and Chen Mianyue, temporary commander of the 55th Division. Both of them smelled of alcohol, which made Peng Bisheng frown.
"Brother Guoshuan, Brother Mianyue, why are you here?" Peng Bisheng said with his fists clasped.
"If we don't come here, where else can we go?" Lu Guoshuan said angrily, "This is such a hellish place, even if you want to find someone to talk to, you can't find anyone to talk to. Damn it."
"That's right." Chen Mianyue also said, "As my life goes by, I almost fade away."
Peng Bisheng frowned even more and said in a deep voice: "You two, are you exaggerating? The defense of Mengong Valley and Kuman Mountain must not be careless!"
"Defense?" Lu Guoshuan said suddenly, "Brother Bisheng, don't be stupid. Do you really think that this barren land like the Hukang River Valley is a strategically important place? Yue Weihan didn't ask your division to set up defense here.
Fighting the Japanese is not to protect the Sino-Indian highway where there is not even a shadow of a ghost, it is to find something for you to do."
Chen Mianyue was also extremely depressed and said: "Yue Weihan has made it clear that our Sixth Army is just a miscellaneous army, a ragtag army. Transferring it to the front line will only disrupt the morale of the Fifth Army. The Fifth Army is a direct descendant of Huangpu and a genuine imperial army. Our Sixth Army is a ragtag army."
But the Sixth Army is from the Hunan Army. You have to throw away goods when comparing goods, and you will die when comparing people with others..."
"Where did you hear this rumor?" Peng Bisheng frowned in disbelief.
"Rumors?" Chen Mianyue said suddenly, "I have a fellow countryman who works as a staff officer at the 200th Division Headquarters. These words just now were said by Yue Weihan himself, and they are word for word!"
Peng Bisheng was silent when he heard the words, but Chen Mianyue's words were conclusive, and they were probably true.
Lu Guoshuan raised the bottle of wine in his hand and took two big sips. He immediately opened his clothes and strode onto the stage. After getting on the stage, he kicked Wu Sheng away, and then shouted at the top of his lungs at the officers and soldiers of the 49th Division: "49th Division"
Brothers and sons of Xiangchu, tell me, are you the ones who lead the way?"
The officers and soldiers in the audience were obviously confused and didn't know what had happened.
Only a battalion commander borrowed from Xiangxi shouted loudly: "Master Lu, don't you know if we are the ones who asked you to let the female fighters of the 93rd Division come and try it out? I can tell you responsibly,
If the female pilots of your 93rd Division have tried the skills of our 49th Division, they will never want to return to the 93rd Division again." The officers and soldiers in the audience burst into laughter.
However, Lu Guoshuan on the stage was not angry. He still raised the bottle and shouted: "Okay, brothers are all men and have eggs! I, Lu Guoshuan, believe in you, but some people don't believe you! Someone said that our Sixth Army It’s just a bunch of miscellaneous troops, it’s just a ragtag bunch. Sending us to the battlefield will only embarrass the Chinese people!"
"Mother, who said this?" The battalion commander from Xiangxi suddenly became angry, "I'll wring his neck!"
The officers and soldiers near the stage suddenly became commotion. Hunan people are aggressive by nature. Since ancient times, there has been a saying that no army can be formed without Hunan.
During the Zeng Guofan period, the Hunan Army reached its peak. If Lao Zeng hadn't been deeply poisoned by feudal Neo-Confucianism and full of loyalty to the emperor, he would have easily overthrown the Qing Dynasty and restored the orthodoxy of the Han family. If that were the case, the subsequent humiliation would have been There would be no more century-old history, and the entire world history would probably be changed beyond recognition.
"Who said it? Yue Weihan said it!" Lu Guoshuan said loudly, "Commander-in-Chief Yue said it!"
There was a dead silence under the stage at first, and then it exploded. Some of the impatient ones directly rolled up their sleeves and raised their big iron fists. If Yue Weihan were in front of them right now, they would definitely use their old fists, no matter what. Regardless of his status, whether he is the commander-in-chief or a bullshit hero, it is not okay to insult the children of Hunan!
Looking at the angry officers and soldiers of the 49th Division, Peng Bisheng also had a gloomy face.
What Yue Weihan said is indeed a bit excessive. The Sixth Army is a miscellaneous army, but it is by no means a mob. From the Battle of Songhu to the Battle of Nanjing, to the Battle of Xuzhou and the Battle of Wuhan, how many young people died in the battles in Sanxiang? Children? How many sisters are widowed at a young age? How many young children are still in their infancy and have lost their father's love forever?
However, have the children of Sanxiang ever complained? Have they ever flinched? When Chairman Chiang gave an order, didn’t the more than 20,000 officers and soldiers of the Sixth Army abandon their wives and children and step out of the country? They went to foreign lands and fought bloody battles for the sake of this. What? Or for the dignity of the Chinese people, or for the compatriots across the country not to be slaves to the subjugation of the country?
"Master, we are by no means a rabble!"
"Master, please send a telegram to the headquarters immediately to transfer us to the front line!"
"Yes, although our Sixth Army is not a direct descendant of Huangpu, it will never be worse than the Fifth Army!"
"How dare Yue Weihan underestimate us so much. When we win the battle, let him swallow his words!"
When Peng Bisheng was not angry in his heart, the commanders of several main regiments and the battalion commanders of the direct battalions had already rushed to his side, and they all uttered harsh words. Lu Guoshuan, the commander of the 93rd Division, and Chen Mianyue, the temporary commander of the 55th Division, were also there. Adding fuel to the flames, Peng Bisheng has become the spiritual leader of the "Hunan Army" since the Sixth Army Commander Gan Lichu was dismissed.