My Head of the Huaxia Expeditionary Force

Chapter 297 (Two more in one)

"Mingyu is here too?" Wei Lihuang glanced at Liao Mingyu at the door, and stood up with a smile: "Let me introduce you, this is Gao Ji, the commander of the 200th Division."

Liao Mingyu hurried forward and politely extended his right hand: "Mr. Gao, it's the first time we meet, please take care of me."

"Oh, hello, I also heard from the commander-in-chief that it is not easy for you to honor the third division. There is no one who is from Huangpu."

The burly, square-faced Gaoji also reached out to shake hands with him, and greeted him politely in Shaanxi dialect.

"Hehe, the senior is absurd."

Liao Mingyu was a little relieved. It seemed that this teacher Gao had a good attitude towards him. After that, he had to cooperate with him to fight, and he had to lay a solid foundation of relationship first.

Gao Jiren is a student of the fourth period of the Whampoa Military Academy and a graduate of the third period of the Higher Education Class of the Central Military Academy. His qualifications are considered relatively old.

Moreover, most of the early 200th division officers from the division, regiment level to company platoon officers were graduates after the second phase of Whampoa, which is why Gaoji people have a certain fondness for Liao Mingyu.

Although Wei Lihuang handed over the command of the 200th Division to Liao Mingyu, the latter didn't dare to expect that all the troops would listen to him. As long as the other party didn't get in the way and could cooperate well with the combat operations, then thank God.

"Okay, don't talk about the polite words, Mr. Gao, you can introduce the basic situation of the 200th division first." Wei Lihuang, who is pragmatic and first, waved his hand to interrupt their greetings.

"Yes!"

The Gaoji people immediately replied seriously: "At present, the 200th Division has undergone a year of supplementary training, and has reorganized tank regiments, chariot regiments, and mechanized infantry regiments, plus a light infantry regiment, totaling more than 1.

"There are 26 T12 tanks, 6 American Sherman tanks, 6 Soviet-made BA-33 armored vehicles, and 50 trucks. Due to time constraints, heavy firepower has not been supplemented. Now the whole division has only one anti-aircraft artillery battalion. 37 24-caliber anti-aircraft guns."

Speaking of this, the Gaoji people feel a little ashamed. At its peak, the whole division had nearly 300 tanks and armored vehicles of various types, and there were even heavy weapons such as 150mm and 122mm howitzers. Now the division's weapons and equipment are really shabby.

Today's 200th Division is not an armored division, but a mechanized infantry division equipped with tanks and chariots. The armor ratio of the entire unit is too low.

Liao Mingyu also sighed secretly, the situation is basically in line with history, after the defeat of the first Burma campaign in 42, the 200th division that was hit hard was kept in the snow until 44 years, and the above did not give too much supplement for various reasons , just kept a shelf of armored units.

After the reorganization of the 5th Army, most of the armored units of the 200th Division became units directly under the army. The division was reorganized into the 200th Brigade and became a light infantry brigade with American weapons. Annihilating...

But fortunately, the 200th division still has its airs and a certain degree of mechanization. The most important thing is that the more than 600 experienced battlefield veterans who returned from Myanmar are still in the team.

Even though most of the division is now recruits and there are not many armored forces, the combat experience and individual quality of the more than 2000 veterans should not be underestimated. This is what Liao Mingyu values ​​most.

"Well, originally, Chief Qiu didn't agree with dispatching, but now the situation is special, and it's a helpless move to ensure the smooth progress of Bao Tengchong's counterattack."

Wei Lihuang glanced at the two people in front of him, and said solemnly in a louder voice: "The task of stopping the 18th Division is arduous, you two must cooperate sincerely, and you must not be inseparable, and let the enemy take advantage of the loopholes!"

"Yes!"

"understand!"

Wei Lihuang hummed, but the brows still did not relax. He was a little worried that the young and energetic Liao Mingyu would not be able to hold down the mature Gaoji.

"Commander Gao may not know that just two days ago, the armored battalion under the Third Honor Division successfully captured Mangshi with the cooperation of an infantry regiment, wiped out more than 900 Japanese troops, and lost less than a company. "

"Oh? Brother Liao is also so good at commanding armored troops?"

The Gaoji people were shocked, he knew that Wei Lihuang had always kept his word and never adulterated it, and the news he heard from the latter was highly credible.

In addition, during this period of time, the "popular" Liao Mingyu was in the limelight, and almost all military operations in western Yunnan were related to him, and his record was so strong.

The straightforward and sturdy Gaoji people have always admired those who can fight, and when they heard this, they immediately respected them.

"Hehe, it's all the brothers under his command who are capable. Speaking of which, Yuan Li, the battalion commander of my chariot battalion, used to be the battalion commander of the 200nd Regiment of the 1152th Division. I don't know if Brother Gao remembers him." Liao Mingyu replied with a smile.

"Yuan Li...that young boy from the 1152nd regiment?" Gao Ji exclaimed, staring at Liao Mingyu in disbelief, and hurriedly asked, "Is he still alive?"

"Well, he is indeed still alive..." Liao Mingyu slowly told what happened to Yuan Li and the others.

When the 200th Division retreated from Yeren Mountain, the division commander, General Dai, was seriously injured and died. The deputy division commander, Gao Jiren, succeeded the division commander and led the remaining troops to continue to retreat, but was caught up by the Japanese army when they passed the border Wanding.

The demoralized remnants of the 200th Division had no guns, no guns, and most of their weapons and equipment were completely lost, so they could only continue to flee eastward in suspense.

But the Japanese who were chasing after them clung to the tail of the troops like a dog's skin plaster, and rushed over to take a bite from time to time.Yuan Li and his party were ordered to attack the Japanese army with the few remaining guns to cover the safe evacuation of large troops.

The Gaoji people had a profound influence on the stubborn and brave young battalion commander. If it weren't for their sacrifice, more officers and soldiers of the 200th division would have been bitten to death by the little devils.

"Bao Shuo, Master 200 owes you a favor! I thank you on behalf of my idiots!"

Gao Jiren said proudly that he was going to bow deeply to Liao Mingyu as a gesture, and the latter hurried forward to support him.

"Oh, Mr. Gao can't do it! We don't like this in our team."

"Huh? Brother Liao is right! There are military rules in our army." After speaking, Gao Ji took two steps back and stood up straight, and solemnly saluted Liao Mingyu.

"This…"

Liao Mingyu couldn't laugh or cry, but his affection for this fast-talking, straightforward and straightforward man from the Northwest increased greatly.

"Haha, good man, you are still so reckless." Wei Lihuang was also amused by his behavior, and couldn't help smiling.

"Commander, one yard counts for one yard. He saved the people of the 200th Division. He is the benefactor of my 200th Division. I didn't say anything. This time on the battlefield, Gao will never say a word."

Hearing his statement, Wei Lihuang nodded in satisfaction, and immediately ordered seriously:
"Okay, you are familiar with it and you are almost familiar with it, and you have to sum up the following combat strategies."

"This blocking battle is of great importance. I decided to form the Longling Defense Corps. In addition to your two troops, there will also be a supplementary brigade of 5000 people. There will be a total of more than [-] people. Liao Mingyu will be in command temporarily. All support troops are not allowed to retreat half a step west of Longling, do you hear me clearly!?"

"Understood!" The two replied in unison.

Liao Mingyu's heart was shocked. He was very grateful for Wei Lihuang's trust. It was impossible for him to say that he was not excited when he commanded so many people to fight for the first time, but no matter what, this time he could finally throw off his arms and fight hard. up.

……

Two days later, Liao Mingyu returned to Longling to take charge of the overall situation, and the final adjustment of the troops came to an end.

In addition to the original establishment of the three major regiments, an artillery battalion and a supply battalion were added, which made the firepower and logistical support of each unit even higher.

At the same time, the divisional artillery regiment has also been strengthened, and Li Jie's anti-aircraft artillery battalion has also been incorporated into it.

The caliber is justice, the firepower ratio of 24 105 howitzers and 12 155 howitzers is very terrifying, plus 16 Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft guns with an astonishing rate of fire, which can shoot directly or flat, in terms of division-level heavy firepower , the little devil is beyond his reach.

Even if the Artillery Wing of the 18th Division came here, they would only be beaten. Liao Mingyu wanted to know what kind of expression and mentality they would have when they were baptized with justice by the Artillery Regiment.Hehe, it's really exciting.

In a flash of time, it came to September 9th, one day before the expeditionary force's full-scale counterattack, and all the troops had basically moved to their corresponding positions, waiting for Wei Lihuang's order.

According to the pre-plan, Liao Mingyu arranged the main battlefield in Mangshi, and the flat terrain allowed the huge troops of the Third Honor Division to fully deploy.

Even the later Gaoji people were full of praise after seeing the terrain here. This is an ideal battlefield tailored for armored forces.

From the map, there are three roads to enter Mangshi Plain from the west, but there is only one way to go east to Longling through Mangshi, and that is to take the Burma Highway along the way, otherwise you have to climb those mountains like a monkey Jungle detour.

Obviously, it is impossible for little devils to be monkeys, and they also have a lot of heavy equipment, so they cannot march flexibly unless they abandon a large amount of supplies and make a surprise attack with light equipment.

But it is not realistic to do so. They are not familiar with the place where they are born. They dare not underestimate the enemy. After all, several Japanese troops in western Yunnan have been completely wiped out by the Chinese. Take it seriously.

Liao Mingyu gave up his plan to establish a defense line at the three intersections entering Mangshi. He arranged the main position on a high ground near the east, where Xing Fuquan's second main force was stationed.

All the heavy artillery of the Artillery Regiment are placed 2 kilometers behind the high ground, and the wide field of vision allows them to cover any corner of the battlefield with firepower anytime, anywhere.

The main position is spread out in a semi-circle to the west along the highland. On one side of the highland is a steep mountain, and on the other side is a lush forest.

If the Japanese army wanted to attack, they had to come forward, or go around through the woods on the left, or go around under the mountain on the right regardless of the defenders on the high ground.

However, Chen Jize's Third Regiment and Chariot Battalion were defending at the edge of the forest, while Long Wenwen's First Regiment was placed behind the Second Regiment, acting as a reserve team, and at the same time supporting the right wing at any time.

There is no position built in the open area at the foot of the mountain on the right, because the terrain here is very flat and unobstructed, and it is completely exposed to the enemy's firepower.

However, it is not easy for the little devil to use this place to break through the defense line. This place is only about one kilometer away from the high ground defended by the second regiment. It is completely exposed to the firepower of the highland defenders, and the first regiment can also surround it from behind at any time.

Perhaps this place will become the object of frantic competition between the two sides, but how could Liao Mingyu create trouble for himself for no reason?
This open land looks like a loophole in the entire defense line, but it is very likely to be the key to victory in this battle. It just depends on whether the Japanese will get into this hole...

At present, the 18th, 55th and 56th Wings of the 165th Division of the Japanese Army have rushed to the outskirts of Mangshi.

In addition to these three infantry regiments, there are also the 18th regiment of the Mountain Artillery, the 13th Battalion of the Independent Rapid Fire Artillery, and the 21st Battalion of the Heavy Artillery, plus a huge logistics force, the entire division has more than [-] people. out.

"ばかづら! Did Huaxia Pig set up the defense line so quickly? It's really hard work."

In front of the crowded Japanese army camp, Shinichi Tanaka, with a face full of flesh, was holding up binoculars cursingly, observing the enemy camp a few kilometers away.

At this time, Major General Ushishima, the chief of staff of the division, hurried over and reported to him: "Your Excellency, division commander, all the troops have arrived at the designated positions at present, but the 165th Regiment has suffered some minor casualties..."

"Nani? Did you encounter an ambush by the Chinese?" Shinichi Tanaka asked doubtfully.

"No, it was a grenadier squad soldier who pulled out the fuse of the grenade by mistake, dropped it on the ground and knocked off the safety...caused a false explosion..."

"Baga! What else can these stupid pigs do!? They should all be sent to Malaysia to grow sugar cane!"

Tanaka Shinichi roared angrily, obviously the stupid behavior of this army has not happened once or twice.

The 18th Regiment, which originally belonged to the 114th Division, was wiped out by Liao Mingyu during the counterattack against Nantianmen. Tanaka Shinichi had to accept the 165th Regiment, which was supplemented from the mainland.

Although the establishment of the division has been improved, the situation of this new army is astonishing. Most of the entire army is composed of students under the age of 20 and middle-aged people who are too old. After simple training, he was pulled to the battlefield, and his combat effectiveness can be imagined, and some ridiculous things often happened.

For this reason, Tanaka Shinichi yelled at the top management for being unkind on the spot, and even gave him such a rubbish team just to be perfunctory.

"It's time for the headquarters to do a good job of self-reflection. They sent such goods to the battlefield. I think those red deer should be court-martialed!" the extremely poisonous Tanaka was still yelling angrily.

"Master, please be careful..."

Ushishima hurriedly reminded Tanaka to be careful with his words, after all, the reason why this guy came to Burma to suffer is because of his broken mouth.

Shinichi Tanaka was originally the Chief of Operations Section of the Ministry of the Army, and concurrently served as the Chief of Operations of the General Staff Headquarters. He was the most active of the leftists who supported the expansion of the empire's war.

It’s just that the good times didn’t last long. At the end of 1942, because the supply of Guadalcanal Island was cut off, this naughty guy scolded the Prime Minister and Minister of the Army Tojo Hideki as a bastard and was driven to the 18th Division of Myanmar as the division commander. From then on, he went to a road of no return. ...

(End of this chapter)