Chapter 431 Forcing the little devil to walk to Savage Mountain
Nanjing, Japanese Army Headquarters.
Commander of the Fifth Corps of the Central China Front, Lieutenant General Higashino Nurihiko, walked into Okamura Neiji's office with a solemn expression. He immediately put his feet back and stood at attention and said: "Okamura-kun, Yangon Airport... has been lost."
Okamura Neiji was suffocated when he heard this, and immediately put down the wolf hair in his hand and sighed: "Oh, what is supposed to come will come after all."
Higashikata Nurihiko also sighed and said with regret: "Tojo-kun and Terauchi-kun are too stubborn. Okamura-kun has clearly called them to remind them, but they turned a deaf ear, which led to today's disaster.
, As a result, the prospect of the Battle of Mandalay suddenly became confusing."
"Pu Shuo is confused?" Neji Okamura shook his head and said, "Your Highness, you are too optimistic."
"What?" Dongjiurgong Nianyan said solemnly, "Is it possible that the situation in the Battle of Mandalay will take a turn for the worse because of this?"
"Not only will the situation in the Battle of Mandalay take a turn for the worse!" Okamura Neiji said quietly, "The entire Fifteenth Army Corps on the Burma battlefield is already in danger."
"Okamura-kun." Tojiur Palace Nianyan frowned and said, "It seems that the situation in Mandalay has not reached this point yet, right?"
Having said that, Nian Yan of Donggyur Palace strode to the north wall and opened the curtain. Then he picked up the command pole and pointed at the map of Myanmar posted on the wall and said: "Okamura-san, please see, although Yangon Airport is
Although it was lost, it would take at least half a month for the Allied forces to airlift enough troops to completely occupy Yangon, Bago and Mawlamyine."
"With this half month as a buffer, the main force of Mandalay's 15th Army will be able to retreat to the vicinity of Yangon, and the other three divisions from Java, Luzon and Indochina can almost reach Siam.
On the Myanmar border, even if these three divisions cannot recapture Rangoon, there will always be no problem in bringing the 15th Army Corps back to Siam, right?"
"No problem!?" Okamura Neji's eyes suddenly flashed with two gleams, and he said in a deep voice, "This is a big problem!"
Nian Yan of Tojiur Palace was awe-struck when he heard this, and immediately lowered his head suddenly and said: "I am stupid, please give me some advice from Mr. Okamura."
Neji Okamura strode to the map, clicked on the railway line from Mandalay to Yangon, and said solemnly: "Your Highness, don't forget that the U.S. Air Force has completely seized air supremacy over the Myanmar battlefield, and their bombers will easily be able to
The ground will blow up the railways, roads and bridges between Mandalay and Yangon, which will cause great difficulties for the imperial army."
"What's worse is that most of the area from Mandalay to Yangon is open plain terrain. In such open terrain, it is impossible to march during the day. Even if you only march at night, it is difficult to hide during the day.
, don’t forget, there has been a rift in Burma’s relationship with the empire, which may be exploited by the Allies.”
"If the Fifteenth Army retreats south to Yangon, the Allies will not even need to dispatch ground troops. The air force alone will be able to completely destroy all the heavy equipment and kill a large number of combatants of the Fifteenth Army until they withdraw to the vicinity of Yangon.
At that time, the Allies even only needed to dispatch one infantry division, which was enough to deal with them."
Higashikata Nurihiko was awestruck when he heard this, but when he thought about it carefully, Okamura Neji's speculation was quite reasonable.
"What's more..." Okamura Neiji took a breath and continued, "The main force of the Chinese Expeditionary Force on the Mandalay battlefield will never stand still. If the 15th Army retreats, they will definitely pursue and kill them.
At that time, with interceptions in front, pursuers behind, and indiscriminate bombing from planes in the sky, how could the 15th Army be so lucky?"
Dongjiuer Palace Nianyan pondered for a moment and then said: "Then, how about staying in place?"
Okamura Ningji said: "After the fall of Yangon, the logistics supply line of the 15th Army has been cut off. In this case, holding on to the same place can only be a dead end."
"It's not okay to defend, and it's not okay to retreat. Is it possible that the 15th Legion will be collectively shattered?"
"Your Highness, this is an issue that the Southern Army and Terauchi-kun should consider, so we don't need to worry too much."
"Your Excellency, General, maybe you should really think about how to command the 15th Army Corps out of danger." Okamura Neiji had just finished speaking. Lieutenant General Tomo Tomo Tetsuda, Chief of Staff of the Central China Front, suddenly strode in, and then suddenly stopped.
Stand with your feet at attention and bow your head in greeting to Okamura Neiji and Higashomiya Nurihiko respectively.
"Tengtian-kun, what do you mean by this?" Dongjiu Ergong Nianyan asked.
Tomo Tetsuda suddenly handed the telegram in his hand to Okamura Neiji and said: "Your Excellency, General, this is an urgent telegram just issued by the Temple Cabinet. He requests that you give emergency tactical guidance to the 15th Army to resolve the unfavorable situation on the Myanmar battlefield."
Mandalay, Chinese Expeditionary Force Headquarters.
As expected by Yue Weihan, when the news of the fall of Yangon Airport reached Mandalay, the Japanese Guards, 31st, 55th and 56th Divisions indeed stepped up their offensive. However, the Chinese expedition had already been mentally prepared for this.
The army also provided the most tenacious resistance. The two sides fought fiercely for a whole day, but the situation remained stalemate.
In the war room, Yue Weihan was convening the chief officers of each division to discuss the war situation.
Dai Anlan said: "After the airborne regiment captured Yangon Airport, the momentum of the Mandalay battlefield has been completely reversed. Now the morale of our officers and soldiers is high, but the little devils are inevitably a little discouraged. As one goes, the little devils will continue to
If you want to win a quick battle and annihilate the main force of our Fifth Army and Sixth Army in a short period of time, don’t even think about it.”
Luo Youlun looked at Yue Weihan and said with a smile: "With the current situation in Mandalay, it is indeed impossible for the Japs to make a quick victory. Standing still and waiting for help will only lead to a dead end. If we retreat south decisively now,
Maybe there is still a way to survive. What do you think the two old devils Terauchi and Iida will choose?"
"Who knows what those two old devils will choose?" Chen Mianyue said angrily.
Lu Guoshuan curled his lips and joked: "If I were an old Japanese soldier in the temple, I would just order all the Japanese soldiers in the Southern Army to lay down their weapons and surrender, and there would be no need to fight this battle."
Everyone burst out laughing, and the atmosphere seemed relaxed and lively.
Yue Weihan sat quietly in the corner, with no intention of joining the discussion. In fact, he liked the current atmosphere very much. It reminded him of the former Baoshan Division. Unknowingly, the senior officers of the Chinese Expeditionary Force
I have accepted him as the Commander-in-Chief from my heart, and I have also accepted Li Yulong as the "outsider".
"I guess... the little devil will definitely go to the Shan plateau and withdraw to Siam!" Liao Yaoxiang said suddenly.
When Yue Weihan heard this, his heart suddenly moved. Liao Yaoxiang's views coincided with his. Yue Weihan also believed that the Japanese army would use the Shan State Plateau to withdraw to Siam. Moreover, even if the Japanese army did not leave the Shan State Plateau, Yue Weihan would try every means to force them to leave.
, because there is essentially no difference between the dense jungles of the Shan State Plateau and the jungles of the Savage Mountains in northern Myanmar.
In history, the Chinese Expeditionary Force paid a heavy price in Yeren Mountain. More than 40,000 people entered the jungle, but in the end only less than 6,000 people came out alive. The deep jungle of the Hukang River Valley was full of Chinese expeditionary forces.
How can the words "tragic" describe the feelings and scenes of the numerous bones of the officers and soldiers?
Of course Yue Weihan would not allow such a tragedy to happen again!
Not only did Yue Weihan not allow such a tragedy to happen to the Chinese Expeditionary Force again, he also tried his best to pass such a tragedy onto the little devils. Yes, Yue Weihan wanted to force the little devils to go to Savage Mountain, and he just wanted to use Shan Shan
The primitive jungle of Bang Plateau came to devour the 100,000 elites of the Japanese Fifteenth Army Corps!
If the Fifteenth Army of the Japanese Army really embarks on this road of no return, then if 100,000 people enter the mountain, 20,000 people will eventually come out alive. Moreover, Yue Weihan has already planned it.
In one step, even if 20,000 people really walked out of the Shan State Plateau alive, Yue Weihan would never let them return to Japan alive.
Nanjing, Japanese Army Headquarters.
After receiving the telegram from Juichi Terauchi, Okamura Neji quickly stepped into the role.
Although Okamura Neiji has a lot of dissatisfaction with senior generals with noble backgrounds like Juichi Terauchi, he will never be careless when it comes to the interests of the empire and the life and death of the imperial army. Okamura Neiji has never been careless.
A person who doesn't care about the overall situation. For him, the interests of the empire are above all else.
"Evacuating Yangon south or standing still and waiting for reinforcements are both dead ends." Okamura Neiji stared at the map for a long time, suddenly raised his command pole and drew a straight line on the map, and then said in a deep voice, "The Fifteenth Army Corps is going to
If you want to break out, there is only one way to go, go east to the Shan Plateau, cross Taunggyi, the Salween River, and retreat from Chiang Mai into Siam!"
"Go to the Shan State Plateau?" Dongjiurgong Nianyan said solemnly, "Okamura-kun, the Shan State Plateau is full of dense virgin jungles, and there is no way to go in many places, let alone crossing Sarman.
Jiang, if we really want to take this route, all the heavy equipment of the 15th Army, including all the heavy artillery of the Guards Division, must be thrown away."
"If the heavy equipment is thrown away, the military supply department can still think of ways to replenish it, or even seize it from the Allies. But if the 100,000 veterans of the 15th Army are collectively shattered, it will be difficult for the empire to replenish it." Okamura
Ningji said solemnly, "Especially the more than 40,000 officers and soldiers of the Guards Division, they are irreplaceable elites in all battles."
Teng Tianzhi nodded and agreed: "The primitive jungle of the Shan State Plateau is indeed a big test for the imperial army, but thinking about it conversely, the dense jungle can also cause great obstacles to the Allied bombing and pursuit.
With the cover of the primitive jungle on the Shan State Plateau, the 15th Army Corps will be able to march calmly."
Okamura Neji nodded and said: "Moreover, the two infantry divisions of the Kingdom of Siam are also stationed near Chiang Mai. At that time, they can be ordered to go west into the Shan State Plateau to join the 15th Army. The King of Siam*
The ** are far more familiar with the virgin forests of Southeast Asia than the imperial army. With them leading the way, it shouldn’t be a problem to get out of the jungle.”
Okamura Neiji obviously underestimated the threat of the Burmese jungle, but this is normal. Although this old devil has excellent strategic vision, he has never been to Burma after all, and he has not traveled from later generations. In this regard, he and Yue Weihan have nothing to do
For example, Yue Weihan is a time traveler, and he has a clear understanding of the lethality of the Burmese jungle.
"There is one more thing that needs attention." Okamura Neiji said, "Bangkok's air defense must be strengthened to prevent Yue Weihan from repeating his old tricks and sending airborne troops to surprise Bangkok Airport again!" After saying this, Okamura Neiji added, "If
During the retreat of the Fifteenth Army, the Chinese airborne troops captured Bangkok Airport, and then sent follow-up troops to quickly seize major cities in the Kingdom of Siam. Then, even if Amaterasu came to the world, I am afraid that he would not be able to save the Fifteenth Army.
Legion."
Tomo Tsumita took it seriously and said: "General, I admire you for your foresight."
"Soldiers need to be quick, but late will lead to change." Neji Okamura waved his hand and said to Tomo Tetsuda, "Tetsuda-kun, quickly telegraph our suggestions to the Southern Army Headquarters."
"Hai." Teng Tianzhi suddenly lowered his head, then walked away with the saber in his arm.
Saigon, Southern Army Headquarters.
This morning, the Yangon Garrison Division launched six attacks on Yangon Airport, but all ended in failure. Just after noon, allied transport planes landed at Yangon Airport in a steady stream. In addition to a large amount of ammunition supplies,
A regiment of Chinese troops was also airlifted over. At this point, the countdown to the complete fall of Yangon had begun.
Shojiro Iida had committed seppuku, and Juichi Terauchi had just taken over the command of the 15th Army Corps.
Amidst the sound of hurried footsteps, Lieutenant General Luota Gong, Chief of Staff of the Southern Army, walked quickly into Juichi Terauchi's office. He immediately put his feet back and stood at attention and said: "Your Excellency, General, Okamura-dono, there is an urgent call!"
Terauchi stood up suddenly, snatched the telegram from the Luotian attacker, and read it in a hurry. Without thinking, Terauchi attacked Luotian and said: "Order, the 15th Army Corps will immediately withdraw eastward to the Shan State Plateau! Please ask for diplomacy.
The province urgently called Siamese Prime Minister Man Phibun and ordered the two Siamese divisions in Chiang Mai to quickly advance westward to the Shan State Plateau to meet the 15th Army Corps."
"Hai." Luotian Gong lowered his head suddenly and immediately took the order and left.
Amarapura, the Japanese frontline headquarters.
Amarapura is located less than ten kilometers south of Mandalay. In order to command the Battle of Mandalay nearby, the Japanese army set up a front-line headquarters in Amarapura, headed by Lieutenant General Nishimura Takuma, commander of the Guards Division.
As the commander-in-chief of the front line, Nishimura Takuma is now convening three other division commanders to hold an emergency military meeting.
There was only one topic at the meeting: where should the Japanese troops in Mandalay go?
At this moment, how can Nishimura's mood be described as depressed? Seeing that Mandalay was about to be captured, and seeing that the Chinese and Japanese troops who were stubbornly resisting were about to be wiped out. However, who would have thought that, looking up,
The airport was suddenly lost, and in an instant, the entire war situation in Myanmar took a 180-degree turn.
Although Nishimura and his ilk have no strategic vision, they still have basic tactical analysis skills.
With the fall of Yangon Airport, the Japanese troops near Mandalay were undoubtedly in trouble.
Now, it is impossible for the Japanese army to win the Battle of Mandalay. How can a lone army without logistical support win a large-scale strategic decisive battle? Even standing still and waiting for reinforcements has become a luxury, without logistical support.
, and there is no air support, how can we hold on and wait for reinforcements? Just half a month's ammunition reserves and rations?
At the meeting, Nishimura Takuma discussed with the other three division commanders for a long time, but failed to reach an agreement. At this moment, the order from the Southern Army Headquarters arrived. Nishimura Takuma immediately ordered that the 55th and 56th divisions each leave one.
The coalition blocked the attack, then blew up all the artillery and tanks, then burned all the tanks, and the entire army withdrew lightly to the Shan State Plateau.