Chapter 57: The Battle of Tonggu (1)
At noon on June 18, the Japanese mixed fleet with an aircraft carrier only carried out a fierce shelling on Chittagong. The British defenders, who thought they had fulfilled their duties to resist, with their families, they withdrew from this beautiful and pleasant natural port. As a result, Chittagong fell quickly to expectations.
In the next few days, tens of thousands of Japanese officers and soldiers unloaded from far-off ships braved the intermittent bombing of the British Royal Air Force. The long-distance sea trip made most of these Japanese officers and soldiers who were tortured by storms and waves pale and exhausted, but the desire for killing and conquest in their eyes remained the same, even more hotter than when they boarded the ship. This is no wonder that India is actually many of them, in order to invade.
The third and fourth countries that the identity of the person was trampled on. Since the outbreak of the Pacific War, Japan has been reverently defeating the British, the United States, the Netherlands and other Western countries, which were originally in awe of Canadian countries, making the Japanese army even more arrogant and cruel. Even the Japanese army suffered a complete failure in Myanmar a month ago, it did not reduce their arrogance. Instead, it made the newly arrived Japanese army full of the idea of fighting to reoccupate Myanmar again in order to save the face lost by the Japanese army.
A total of more than 20,000 Japanese troops transported from sea. Unlike the veterans who were mostly airlifted to Aierzao last time, most of them were drawn from various Japanese field divisions. This time, they came a group A main division, and they were another old acquaintance between Cheng Jiaji and his old subordinates, good friend, the 13th Japanese Division.
With the 13th Division full of troops in hand, Zhongyuan Quyi's confidence suddenly became sufficient. Since the day of occupying Chittagong, the Japanese army has frequently launched attacks outwards in units of corps to expand the living space they urgently needed. However, the British army, whose main force is still on the way south, had no power to fight back. They just passively parry. The British army has been defending the ground everywhere and can only be beaten everywhere.
As a result, within a few days, the Japanese army actually controlled a vast area of tens of thousands of square kilometers. What's more, a single Japanese vanguard unit, under the cover of the vast night, launched a clean and neat long-distance raid in the suburbs of Kumila.
In this battle, the Japanese army not only killed and injured nearly a thousand British troops at the cost of more than 200 casualties, but also used the seized British military vehicles to take away hundreds of prisoners from the noses of tens of thousands of British troops who came to reinforce. The Central Plains Rule 1, who was not aware of this in advance, never expected that a mere major captain would have a major and far-reaching impact on the war situation in India and Myanmar.
On the afternoon of the 21st, that is, the citizens of Kumila who had lived in peace and quiet for hundreds of years. They felt the war was approaching and the grass was full of soldiers and were frightened. On the day when the British commander of the Indian Army, General Wavell, was forced to send a 100,000-urgent telephone call to London. Perhaps because of the serious concern and the efficiency of London, the London side, was always inefficient, was soon called back this time.
But the British Empire's managers' responses to New Delhi were so vague and contradictory. So deep and sophisticated, General Wewell, after careful consideration, they understood the key words of the preface and inconsistency in the telegram: "Every part of the British Empire's interests in India is extremely sacred and cannot be damaged at all. As the general agent of Britain in India, you have the premise of everything for the sake of the UK.
Full right to deal with the opportunity. The wartime cabinet once again emphasized to you that Japan's peeping into the Ganges basin must be curbed." To put it bluntly, London, which knew that there was no negotiation time, had to accept the unreasonable demands made by the Chinese, but would not bear any responsibility for it. This means that once this scandal of losing power and humiliation is exposed to the public, it will only be Wavell.
After cursing the wartime prime minister who wasted his entire middle-aged and young age on opium and mistresses countless times, and smashed all the vessels he could find around him. All Wavell could do was send Lieutenant General Hu Dun, who was waiting for the echo, a telegram of only nine words that he had been ashamed of for the rest of his life and was obsessed with when he was dying: "Tell the Chinese! They won!"
The arrogant racist Weiville completely lowered his noble head. Hu Dun, who received a clear instruction, agreed in a spirit of giving up. Qian Shen, who was used to taking advantage of the situation, added a series of harsh requests that General Weiville vomited blood on the spot when he learned about it in the future. But the problem is that Cheng Jiaji, who had won a great victory, could not raise any interest when facing this fruitful result.
There is only one reason for this situation. Before Hu Dun surrendered, Lieutenant General Luo, far away in Yangon, smashed a bolt from the blue. The 2nd Japanese Division, commanded by Lieutenant General Maruyama Masayoshi, crossed the Thai-Myanmar border without warning. The Japanese army, which was fully motorized, made extremely rapid progress. It advanced nearly a hundred kilometers in less than a day, and its troops were aimed directly at Tonggu.
The Second Japanese Division, also known as the Sendai Corps, is code-named the Brave Force, and has always been known as the elite among the Japanese elite. The Japanese army was willing to use this ace brigade that had participated in almost all the foreign wars in Japan since the founding of the Meiji Army as a pioneer who would definitely lose troops and lose generals even if he won. It is enough to show how much attention the Tokyo Base Camp attaches to this battle aimed at resealing the sea outlet that China has just obtained.
On the other hand, although the Chinese Expeditionary Force had a huge force of more than 20 divisions of seven armies, most of them were scattered in the north and south of Myanmar, and there were not many troops in Myanmar. In the previous stage of the attack, there was only one division. In the previous stage of the battle, the 93rd Division under the jurisdiction of the Sixth Army, which was greatly injured in vitality, was less than 8,000 people. Among them, the 93rd Division, which had only recently added many new recruits from the country, wanted to block the progress of the Second Division, one of the two most attacking units in the Japanese Army (the other one is the Sixth Division of the Beast Corps), and the hope was slim. But the throat of Myanmar and China was the same.
Ancient people are never allowed to lose it. Once they change hands with ancient times, the main force of the Japanese army, who is eyeing them, can split the narrow Myanmar from east to west, from east to west. The Chinese army, which is lonely in southern Myanmar, can only save logistics supplies at sea... But the Japanese Navy currently has an absolute advantage in Southeast Asia. It is not easy to temporarily block several ports. Once the port is blocked, the main force of the expeditionary army has to pour into India in large numbers in order to take a detour back to China. It is actually not safe to take a detour back to China. The Japanese army is generally more than one level higher than the Chinese army, and can completely block the expeditionary army's way.
If you really get to that point, nearly 200,000 Chinese Expeditionary Forces may only stay in India as they happened in history in another time and space, waiting for the arrival of the day of a large counterattack. This is a choice. Of course, although you can keep your time safe, you will always be invulnerable to some cowardice. This is still a trivial matter. The key is that all the efforts you have made before will be wasted. How can you, Cheng Jiaji, who worked hard in the war in Myanmar before the New Year, be willing to be willing?
In view of this, Cheng Jiaji decided to rush back to Yangon immediately. Before leaving, he found Qian Shen and Wen Songyuan.
"After I returned to Myanmar, the commander of the Corps was fully represented by Brother Wei Li. Wen Lao Er Fuzhi. Brother Wei Li, tell me, how should I fight below and what is the goal to achieve?"
"Martial Command, after our troops took over the Idgang defense area, they frequently launched small-scale harassment attacks on Chittagong, and improved the defense systems of Idgang and Alzao areas. There are two purposes for combat. One is to drag the Japanese army to attack Kumila, so as not to enter the Ganges plain, completely shaking Britain's rule in India. The other is that no matter what, the Japanese Central Plains will not be able to counterattack Myanmar. The latter is the most important thing between the two." Qian Shen, who was confident, talked happily.
"Just do as you say. I will add one more thing. At the right time, you can cooperate with the British army to fight a slightly bigger battle, but you should avoid a strait war." Cheng Jiaji turned to Wen Songyuan and warned: "Wen Lao Er, who did you show the widow's face? I just made it clear today. This is you. You should avoid a strait war. I know you want to tear the Central Plains Rules now, but you have to figure out one thing. India is the territory of the British after all. We are just a short-term worker to get some benefits.
It's over if you can live a big shot. If you get angry and you're inexplicably crippled the troops, you're going to go back to Nan'an to be your eldest son!" I knew that Boss Cheng was not scaring him this time. Wen Songyuan, who said he was busy. To be honest, Wen Songyuan, who has regarded the battlefield as an amusement park, is really afraid of being driven back to his hometown. Not to mention that he has been embarrassed, and has been accustomed to his life as an angry person for so many years. He will go back to stalking birds and teasing the big girl and the little wife, and must suffocate him to death.
At 10 a.m. on the 22nd, Cheng Jiaji flew to Yangon Airport on a medium-sized far-spanning aircraft sponsored by the Royal Air Force.
"Commander, how far is the Japanese Second Division from Tonggu? Where has our army advanced to the nearby troops of Tonggu? Will there be any new instructions from the Military Commission? Where is the Japanese follow-up troops?" At this moment, Cheng Jiaji, who was worried, didn't even respect the superiority of the upper and lower levels. As soon as he got off the plane, he didn't even respect the courtesy, so he asked Lieutenant General Luo who came to greet him in person.
Fortunately, Lieutenant General Luo, who was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, had no intention of paying attention to these details: "The vanguard of the Japanese Second Division had already broken into the far suburbs of Tonggu. I have ordered Lu Fengyun to shrink all the troops that had previously extended to the suburbs to defend the dead. Haoran, you know that the closest to Tonggu is the 58th Division of the 74th Army, which Zhang Yuling, was part-time commander of the division. The division was ordered to rush to Tonggu day and night, and it will arrive tomorrow night. But just one of them is a drop in the fight. So, I urgently transferred a total of six divisions from the troops stationed in Mandalay and Yangon to move to Tonggu urgently. But what's tricky is that the Japanese spies have destroyed many Yangman Railway to speed up the movement of the troops.
The degree was greatly affected. If there was no time, it would be a big deal. In addition, the Military Commission ordered us to defend Tonggu and lose Tonggu. Relevant people, regardless of their status and responsibilities, would be engaged in military law." Lieutenant General Luo lowered his voice and continued: "Mr. Ci called and said that the Military Commission had secretly ordered the New Twenty-Seventh Army to withdraw from the Central Plains battlefield to Sichuan to rest and recuperate. The Second Army advanced rapidly toward Yunnan." Cheng Jiaji understood as soon as he heard that the Military Commission made preparations for the failure of the war. It seemed that the Supreme Government had no troops in his hands. Otherwise, the Second Army, which belonged to the central government's direct line, would not have the chance to appear abroad.
"Seat. The Japanese army gathered in Chiang Mai and had just entered the country. It is estimated that they should have arrived at the foot of Tonggu City the evening after tomorrow." Deputy Director Chen followed Lieutenant General Luo with a look of shame and added. He could not stand out, and Cheng Jiaji couldn't remember him for a moment. This time he came out, and was scolded.
"Yifu, you are also a veteran in field work and sabotage. What happened this time? Let others quietly blow up the Yangman Railway?"
"If you are a low-level position, you will lose your duties and you will be punished. But..." Deputy Director Chen blushed and determined.
Cheng Jiaji waved his hand to stop Deputy Director Chen, who seemed to have hidden feelings: "Things are already like this. Is it a matter of pursuing responsibility after the war? Should I think about how to remedy it now?" He turned his head and asked Lieutenant General Luo for instructions: "Commander Commander. I suggest forming a detachment behind enemy lines immediately. Taking advantage of the Japanese army's rapid advancement and neglecting the defense in the rear to sneak into Thailand. It also causes some trouble for the Japanese. What do you think?"
After seeing Cheng Jiaji with a deep sense, Lieutenant General Luo followed suit and gave his chief of staff a favor: "It is a good idea to give him the way he is to do it. Since Deputy Foreign Minister Chen is an expert in this fly, let him take this lead."
"Thank you, Chief Luo, Cheng Shen, for his position, I will do my best to make meritorious service in order to save the crime!" For the kindness of Cheng Jiajidi, he almost didn't understand the business at all for the Director Luo, but he wanted to intervene in the information department. As the scapegoat Deputy Director Shen, he was grateful.
"Haoran, let's go back to the headquarters first. Ci Gongzheng is waiting to talk to you." He was already accommodating to Cheng Jiaji, and finally couldn't help but urge him.
"Qinggong, is Keyonggang Airport still in the hands of the 93rd Division? If it is there, I would like to wait until the plane has refueled, and then fly directly to the ancient people." Cheng Jiaji's answer made Chief Luo stunned.
"Report to participate in the seat. A battalion of the 279th Regiment guarding the airport has not yet retreated into the city. Everything is normal near the airport. However, a Japanese aircraft formation has appeared in the sky in Tonggu early this morning. Your landline has no fighter planes, so it is too dangerous to go there alone. Please think twice." Lieutenant General Luo's adjutant came forward and answered.
"It only appeared once, and it was not blocked tightly, and it was not inconvenient. Commander asked you to say goodbye. I went to Tonggu to experience it. Did the Second Division, which made the Japanese so amazing, have three heads and six arms? Sorry, I'm young and irresponsible, so I'll leave first. Even if this battle failed, the board of the Military Commission could not hit my butt!" The determination to survive and die with Tonggu in Cheng Jiaji's carefree words not only made the generals present sour, but also blew a little unhappiness that had accumulated in General Luo's heart, and replaced it with a touch that had not been in my heart for many years.
In fact, Lieutenant General Luo, who had been in the army for a long time, had the idea of sending a senior commander to take charge of Tong Gu as soon as he learned that the Japanese army had entered the country. This move has an inappropriate effect on inspiring the morale of the 93rd Division and coordinating the combat movements of the participating troops. But the problem is that this requires not only considerable military command capabilities, enough to resist the prestige and status of the arrogant generals of the Expeditionary Army, but also the awareness of the battle to death in the Lone City. It is not impossible to find, but it is difficult to send. You must know that in the Expeditionary Army, most of which meet these three conditions are from Minister He. Not to mention the far-reaching force, Mr. Du can be counted as one. But if he really wants to throw Mr. Du into the ancient city of danger, he will definitely be regarded as him, Luo, who is using a knife to kill people and eliminate the differences. It is precisely because of these concerns that he has always cherished his reputation and is unwilling to take the initiative to intensify the conflict between the two major factions in the expeditionary army that can work together so far, was forced to give up this idea. But the more this is, Cheng Jiaji, who could have reasonably avoided this responsibility, came from a thousand miles to voluntarily invite Ying, and became more heroic and outstanding.
"Haoran, you are the chief of staff of the Expeditionary Force, and you are a strategic talent who is highly valued by Mr. Ci. I cannot be without your help. You should stay in Yangon!" It is no secret that General Luo's words account for at least half of the kindness contained in his words, but it is rare to be a bit sincere to him, like him, who has been politicized to a large extent.
"Qing Gong, the military situation is like fire, I am arbitrarily. If you offend me, you will apologize in person after the war." At this time, the plane had already refueled. Cheng Jiaji, who had already flew to the ancient Cheng Jiaji, no longer chatted with everyone. After singing a promise and giving a salute, he hurried to the plane parked on the runway.
Chapter completed!