Fifth Unit

Chapter 184 One Hundred Thousand Army Souls

General Stilwell, still with the wildness and energy of a cowboy in the American West, after the failure of the battle with the ancient city, the three-star lieutenant general re-planned the Mandalay battle, planning to gather 25 Chinese and British troops to Relying on the city of Mandalay, it fought a decisive battle with the main force of the Japanese army.The British army is still looking listless, it is still defeated at the slightest contact with the enemy, and it is still providing the Chinese allies with a plot that will only make people more confused; the Chinese army is still deploying defenses layer by layer; Masao Watanabe and The 56th division he led, in this area where the Allied forces had lost their air supremacy and could no longer use reconnaissance planes to conduct large-scale searches, remained quietly hidden under the black mist.

And Dai Anlan, Gao Jiren, and Zhou Zhizai, the three core senior officers of the 56th Division, spent more and more time facing the map every day.None of them said anything, but these professional soldiers who had experienced many battles could see deep worry on each other's faces.Because they all understand that the mysteriously missing [-]th Division is a sword of Damocles that may have quietly moved over their heads!

In the past few days, the Japanese army has been uncharacteristically calm, which made Dai Anlan and the senior officers who were already vigilant feel the most terrifying calm before the rain is about to come.Zhou Zhizai, the chief of staff, even sighed the voice of all of them when he watched the sky at night: "It's really the sky that is about to shine, and the darkness is so strong!"

Out of the excellent soldier's keen sense of danger and out of absolute loyalty to the army and the country, the last 56 divisions still sent a telegram to Chiang Kai-shek who had already flown to Miaomei and commanded the expeditionary force to fight in Burma... Beware of the enemy's [-]th division Sneak attack on Lashio!

Lashio is not only the most important arms storage base and transfer station behind the expeditionary force, it is not only the gateway to the Burma Highway, but also the only way for their [-] expeditionary force to return to China!It is almost impossible for an expeditionary force of only [-] to defeat the enemy's four divisions without British "friendly forces" fully participating in the battle, but no matter how the situation in Myanmar develops, as long as they If Lashio can be firmly protected, the entire expeditionary force will be able to withdraw to China even at the worst!

Seeing the telegram sent by Dai Anlan, Chiang Kai-shek, who came to the Burmese theater in person as the head of state, smiled, "This Anlan, he will focus all his attention on the enemy when he starts a war. He is a rare general." But if you focus too much on the local battlefield, you will often lose the overall view. Now that An Lan can give me advice on defending Lashio carefully, I have made great progress!"

In fact, Chiang Kai-shek, as a head of state who has experienced many battles and finally reached the peak of power step by step, and made his fortune by relying on the army, as the founder and principal of the Whampoa Military Academy, he has long seen the importance of Lashio City to the expeditionary force. importance, and ordered Gan Lichu, commander of the Sixth Army who is responsible for defending Lashio, the life and death gate of the expeditionary army, to ensure the safety of Lashio!

Those who also saw the urgency of the situation and smelled danger, and Stilwell!

Stilwell miscalculated the strength of both sides, and made a battle plan that might not be implemented in reality. This was because the Chinese command had given him wrong information that "three Chinese divisions can deal with one Japanese division." .In my heart, aside from the misjudgment caused by the misinformation, this American three-star lieutenant general definitely has the most outstanding military ability.

In other words, this three-star general who is qualified to become the "Deputy Commander of the Asian Theater", if he is given accurate information and complete command authority, he is really qualified to win this war!

On April 21, the Japanese 56th Division suddenly moved eastward and captured Le Kecheng. The 55th Division of the Sixth Army, which was in charge of defense, retreated across the board, causing a huge gap in the eastern theater. After receiving the news, Stilwell, Looking at the map in silence for only an hour, I suddenly drove to Lashio overnight.

Stilwell went there with a lot of dust all over his body, and when he arrived at the headquarters of the Sixth Army, the commander Gan Lichu was not at the headquarters. When Stilwell found the commander under the leadership of his adjutant, he looked at the room Stilwell, who had not slept for more than 30 hours and was running back and forth on the battlefield, suddenly changed his expression.Stilwell was silent for a long time, then pointed at Gan Lichu, and said, "You are so busy!"

As the commander of the Sixth Army, as the commander who defended Lashio and guarded the main artery of life and death for the expeditionary force, he was indeed very busy.But his busyness is not the same as that of Commander Dai Anlan and Commander Du Yuming who fought bloody battles on the front line. Gan Lichu is now wearing a comfortable pajamas, with a cigarette imported from the United States in his mouth, busy playing with several subordinates. Mahjong.Facing General Stilwell who suddenly appeared in front of him, seeing his ashen complexion, Gan Lichu reacted quickly after a moment of astonishment, and gave the several subordinates sitting in front of him a wink. Jiuqiao, marching formation may be mediocre, flattering the boss to look at the appearance and doing what he likes, but all of them are expert subordinates, so they all stood up and left the room immediately.

"Isn't this General Stilwell? Why didn't you notify the officer in advance when you were going to Lashio? Please forgive me for not greeting you well!"

Listening to Gan Lichu's words, looking at his face with the most "sincere" smile, Stilwell's finger stretched out in mid-air began to tremble, "Announcement? Don't tell me, you don't even have 55 The division commander Chen Mianwu retreated without authorization, and he didn't even know that he lost Le Kecheng!"

Commander Gan Lichu was stunned. Although it had been a day, he really didn't know that his confidant general, Chen Mianwu, faced the enemy's all-out attack without receiving orders, and retreated without authorization before the battle. General Le Ke The city was handed over to the enemy.If he knew, even if the city of Lashio he was stationed in was in the rear and would not be attacked by the enemy, he would have made preparations in advance and assumed the posture of a loyal and patriotic general. How could it be possible for Stilwell to see him in pajamas? , the picture of playing mahjong with his subordinates?
Gan Lichu's lips twitched for a while, and before he could find a reason to explain his dereliction of duty in his head, Stilwell had already slammed the door out.

"Handing over the strategic city of Lashio to someone like Gan Lichu is like putting your own neck in a noose. I order the Sixth Army to investigate Gan Lichu immediately, and choose someone who is truly promising to take his place. For the sake of the army, shoot him Facing the battle, I led my subordinates to retreat, and exposed the back area of ​​the battlefield on the east side to the enemy, Chen Mianwu, the commander of the Fifth Division!"

After all, Stilwell was only a three-star lieutenant general of the Americans, not the Chinese.Although he issued this order with a strong attitude, but this order was passed to Chiang Kai-shek, and after the instruction of the supreme commander who really controlled the expeditionary force, it was executed at a discount. Gan Chuli, the commander of the Sixth Army, was reprimanded. I sincerely criticized myself and made an exception. As for Chen Mianwu, who was timid before the battle, withdrew from the position without authorization, handed over the city to the enemy, and opened a door for the enemy to break in from the east. The division commander, on the other hand, was ordered to commit crimes and make meritorious deeds, and lead the troops back to recapture the fallen Le Ke City!
Facing such a situation, Stilwell could only shake his head again and again. This three-star lieutenant general, who was full of western adventurous spirit and possessed a strategic vision, couldn't help feeling a sense of powerlessness in his heart.

It was also on this day that the British army once again retreated from the frontal battlefield without informing the friendly forces, exposing the flanks of the Chinese army to the enemy.Not to mention, when the British army retreated, they even installed explosives on the Mandalay Bridge. Once they detonated the explosives and blew up the bridge, according to General Stilwell's request, they were displayed nearby, ready to fight China in the Battle of Mandalay The army will lose the channel to retreat.

Facing the actions of the Chinese army and the British army, Stilwell really had nothing to say.On this evening, Stilwell wrote a report to the President of the United States.This three-star lieutenant general with good vision, and because of the relationship between age and experience, stands taller and farther than Lei Zhen, Dai Anlan, Zhou Zhizai, and Gao Jiren, explained the situation on the Burmese battlefield in one sentence. Stakes: "As a British colony, Myanmar has no special geographical value, and there are no precious resources that must be desperately protected. In this land, the British only have three divisions to defend. The British are unwilling and will not They will fight to the death with the Japanese here. They actually wiped out the Burmese colony on the map long ago. So nodding in agreement, I just hope that the Chinese army can take over their line of defense, so that they can withdraw from Myanmar and enter India more safely."

"The British have no intention of fighting at all. In order to preserve their strength, they are defeated at the touch of the enemy. The reason why the Chinese expedition to Burma is to protect the Burma Road, so that they can pass this road every month. The [-] tons of aid materials provided by countries headed by the United States are nothing more than that. It is impossible for them to fight desperately on the battlefield in Burma for the benefit of the United Kingdom. was not held accountable.”

Written here, the three-star lieutenant general made a final judgment on the Burmese battlefield: "The matter has come to this point, no matter how hard I try, the complete failure of the Burmese battlefield is inevitable!"

And on April 28, Stilwell's judgment received the most effective response!
It was on this day that the 56th Division, which had been missing for more than ten days on the Allied territory, suddenly appeared in Nanpao Valley, [-] kilometers north of Lashio!This well-known "Dragon Division" who is good at creating miracles on the battlefield, under the leadership of their commander Masao Watanabe, who is proficient in jungle and mountain warfare, broke away from the logistics supply line, and the Arc Army went deep and broke through more than a dozen checkpoints in succession. A strategic interspersion of [-] kilometers at a time.In the end, the surprise soldiers stood out, and with the momentum of lightning, with the tank troops as the vanguard, they launched a surprise attack on Lashio City!
His subordinates lost a strategically important place. After a full day, they still don’t know. Gan Lichu, the commander of the Sixth Army who was still wearing pajamas and playing mahjong with his subordinates, was reprimanded and punished. What kind of soldiers can he bring out? What kind of troops?
Facing the fierce artillery fire from the Japanese Heavy Artillery Regiment, they were caught off guard. I don't know how many soldiers fell into a pool of blood before they could figure out what was going on.Most of the soldiers didn't even put on their military uniforms. They heard the sound of shelling and the shouts of the enemy's group charge on the city. The most intuitive thing they did was not to pick up their weapons and immediately throw them into the battlefield, but to stumble Run backwards, no matter what, behind them is the gate of the country, as long as they escape into the jungle and deep mountains, and flee eastward all the way, they can always return to China!

Only a very small number of soldiers rose up to resist under the leadership of low-level officers, but there was no unified command, and no senior officers were in charge of the overall situation. With the charge of the Japanese tank regiment, the gunshots of these partial resistance were quickly suppressed.

As for the commander Gan Chuli who was calm in the face of a big battle and played mahjong to show off his demeanor as a famous general, he fled to Wanding the first time he was attacked in Lashio, and then this commander showed that soldiers are not afraid With the characteristics of not being afraid of tiredness, and taking an armored vehicle that is absolutely not comfortable in pajamas, he retreated [-] kilometers without stopping, and fled directly to Baoshan in China.It is estimated that no matter how good the Japanese army is at fighting, it is impossible to reach this position in a short time. Commander Gan Chuli finally stopped his desperate expedition.

Facing such an enemy commander, it took only a few hours for Masao Watanabe to lead his "Dragon Division", which is good at creating miracles on the battlefield, to break through the defense of the Sixth Army, and raise a plastered national flag to Lashio City over the sky.

When Masao Watanabe transmitted the news of victory to the headquarters by radio, the Japanese army, which had been calm for several days, launched a fierce attack on the Chinese Expeditionary Force almost at the same time.

The Chinese Expeditionary Force has fallen into the most terrifying situation where it is unable to conquer a powerful enemy, and even retreating and withdrawing to China have been cut off!At this point, the Allied forces surrounded on three sides had only one last way left, which was to withdraw into India from the only west side that was not surrounded by the Japanese army.

Facing the situation where the rear route was cut off, the supplies were interrupted, surrounded by the enemy on three sides, and unable to return to heaven, the Chinese Expeditionary Force, the British military, and General Stilwell, the titular commander, had to sit down no matter what and had a good time. Let's talk about it.

Until this time, Alexander, the commander of the British army, revealed their trump cards: "Now that the Japanese army has captured Lashio, and the Allied forces are facing enemies from three sides, my government of the British Empire, out of humanitarian considerations, allows the Chinese army to carry weapons and equipment. Retreat to India for refuge!"

Commander Du Yuming, who was present at what might be the last coalition meeting, finally understood what Commander Alexander said through an interpreter. The experienced soldier was stunned. He was really stunned.

humane? !
refuge? !
Their expedition to foreign lands was to help the British army fight against the invasion of powerful enemies in their colonies. For this goal, they endured the treachery and treachery of the British "allies" again and again. They fought against the ancient city for [-] days, and they counterattacked Tangji, they resisted the enemy's violent bombing and used the lives of their soldiers to suppress the enemy's attack again and again. When the battle finally returned to absolute passiveness due to various reasons, as an ally, as an ally, The natural retreat was included in the category of asylum? !
What a joke that makes people unable to laugh at all, and what irony!

But Commander Alexander hadn't finished speaking. He squinted at Du Yuming, first took a sip of the Cuban cigar in his mouth with the most gentlemanly attitude, and after elegantly puffing out a smoke ring, he continued: "But I must Apply in advance, according to international practice, and also out of safety considerations, before your army enters India, you must first declare your refugee status in accordance with the troop establishment, and then you can be accommodated after being reviewed and approved by the British Empire government. And you must be in a place designated by our government , to accept centralized management. If you have any comments or suggestions, Mr. Du Yuming, you can put them to me."

Got it, got it all!
Du Yuming really wanted to laugh out loud now. If he wasn't the commander of the Fifth Army and didn't have to be responsible for the lives of tens of thousands of brothers in the whole division, he would really pull out his own gun without hesitation and kill them with one shot. Alexander in this ally, this ally!
It’s no wonder that the British army would be on the verge of collapsing with the enemy on the battlefield, embarrassing their Great Britain Empire; no wonder they kept sending false information to Chinese military friends; With a smile all over his face, with elegance all over his body, he can still be well-dressed in a gentleman's gown, and he can still mutter an expensive Cuban cigar in his mouth!
It turned out that the British army had long been preparing to abandon Burma. They let the Chinese expeditionary force enter Burma, not just to help them take over the defense, so that their entire division can safely withdraw to India.

Don't look at the fact that the British army is always on the verge of collapse, but they have always guarded the last line of defense, guarding the last retreat route that even the Chinese army has not guarded. Doesn't this explain the problem?Not only do they want the Chinese army to enter Burma as their shield, but they also want to use a gentleman's attitude and a humane standpoint to "welcome" the Japanese army that has been advancing steadily, and their British "friends" layer by layer Under the design, the [-] Chinese troops, already besieged and helpless, withdrew into India as "refugees", stationed at the location they ordered, and accepted their management.

Facing Alexander's eyes of winning, and looking at General Stilwell who sat there silently but secretly shaking his head and sighing, Du Yuming stood up proudly and said, "Thank you General Alexander for your kindness, but we are the Chinese army. We come from China, we will go back to China! We have our own motherland, our own homeland, we don’t need to go to India to be refugees!”

Alexander smiled and reminded: "Commander Du, don't forget that on your way home, there is a whole division of enemies waiting for you and blocking your way home. It is very difficult to break through the enemy's defense line before the enemy's entire army encircles them."

Du Yuming looked back at Alexander, who had been working tirelessly in order to revitalize the Fifth Army, and made the Fifth Army the commander of the national army training Kaimo for several consecutive years. A bayonet-like light suddenly rose in his eyes. Straightening out his chest, he said word by word in a deep voice: "If you can't break through, you have to attack!"

Alexander laughed. He knew that Du Yuming, as a bloody soldier, would naturally react so violently. He waved his right hand, made a tolerant gesture, and said in a tolerant manner: "I can understand Du Yuming's reaction." Commander Du's feelings, and respect for Commander Du's bravery, if you can change the meaning, Commander Du, I, Alexander himself and the British government, welcome you all to visit us at any time."

Alexander really has the chance to win. Now that the Allied forces are surrounded on three sides, the return of the Chinese expeditionary force has been blocked by the 56th Division, a powerful force known as the "Dragon Division". In a short period of time, it is absolutely impossible to break through the army supported by tank regiments, automobile regiments, heavy artillery regiments, and aviation troops. With the current morale of the Chinese army, it is absolutely impossible.

Even if Du Yuming refused, according to Alexander's judgment, those politicians in the Chinese government would still nod in agreement. Even if these tens of thousands of Chinese soldiers were evacuated to India as refugees and accepted the management of their British government, it would be better than being evacuated in Burma. The Japanese army wiped out, right?

Besides, when did the weak Chinese government stand up straight in the face of their British Empire?
Attending this military meeting with Du Yuming was also Luo Zhuoying, who was sent by Chiang Kai-shek to Burma as the commander-in-chief of the Chinese Expeditionary Force in order to mediate the conflicts between the Chinese, British and American coalition forces.Luo Zhuoying quietly pulled Du Yuming, and said in a low voice: "It is about the life and death of tens of thousands of brothers in the expeditionary force. We should report it to Chongqing first, and wait for Chairman Jiang to make a decision..."

Looking at Luo Zhuoying's small movements in private, although he couldn't hear clearly or understand what he was whispering, the smile on Alexander's face became stronger.See, he guessed right, right? Through the bloody battle in Burma, Alexander agreed that there are brave warriors in the Chinese army, but as usual, among the Chinese, there is no shortage of timid and fearful cowards!
"Decision? What is there to decide?"

Du Yuming turned his head and looked at the man sitting next to him with a strange look, the potbellied man who didn't have the bearing and strength of a soldier, but was able to be reused by Chiang Kai-shek.Looking at Luo Zhuoying's face full of begging and eagerness, the astonishment on Du Yuming's face was slowly replaced by thick scruples.

"Respected Commander Luo Zhuoying, I don't think you will forget Xie Jinyuan and his eight hundred warriors? At that time, our gentleman's British ally, our noble and humane British ally, also persuaded Xie Jinyuan to lead in the Sixing Warehouse. Eight hundred warriors retreated through their British Concession, what happened?"

Facing Du Yuming's question, Luo Zhuoying was really stunned.The story of Xie Jinyuan and the [-] warriors not only once made the headlines of the newspaper, but was also filmed on TV and made into a drama, which was widely circulated in the land of China. How could he not know the experience of this hero? , Know the ending of this hero?

"I respect Xie Jinyuan's strength of character and his tenacity and unyielding spirit. I even sigh that such a soldier died not on the battlefield, but under the captivity and custody of his allies. Whenever I think of this man, think of About him, I often think in my heart, if I, Du Yuming, encountered such a situation, what would I do?"

Under the eyes of everyone, Du Yuming straightened his waist, an unyielding aura that could only belong to an iron-blooded soldier, and a fierce murderous aura like Jing Ke's assassination of Qin, which stung Alexander's eyes in an instant.

The calm smile on Alexander's face finally disappeared.He can become the commander of the British Army stationed in Burma, of course he has considerable vision, of course he should understand that the man in front of him is a sword, a sword that would rather bend than bend, a sword that is stronger, sharper, and sharper than Xie Jinyuan. A sword that cannot be underestimated!

Du Yuming looked directly at Alexander, and said in a deep voice, "By putting on a net, we can break the game with death!"

At this point, the negotiation between Du Yuming and Alexander has officially broken down. With contemptuous eyes, Du Yuming glanced at Luo Zhuoying, who was full of frustration and filled with dissatisfaction, and said, "If you think, you should ask Chongqing for instructions. It is your freedom to ask Generalissimo Jiang for instructions. But I, Du Yuming, will never change my mind unless I am no longer the commander of the Fifth Army!"

After saying these words, Du Yuming grabbed his military cap and gave Stilwell a military salute seriously.With so many people present, only this three-star lieutenant general, who has no soldiers and power but is working hard, is entitled to his respect.

Looking at the iron-clad soldier in front of him, who vividly interpreted China's character of "knowing that there are tigers in the mountains, but preferring to go to the mountains", and feeling the firm and impeccable will deep in his heart, Stilwell suddenly smiled, "Although we lost this time, I think that as long as there are soldiers like you, we will come back soon!"

After listening to the translated words, Du Yuming nodded slightly to Stilwell, then straightened his military cap, and strode out of this place where the ugliness of politics was brought into full play, which made him, a professional soldier, feel too depressed.Looking at the setting sun that is sinking in the west, but still exuding the last light and heat, looking at this piece of empty blue sky and land, looking at the endless silent mountains in the distance, a kind of indescribable loneliness With helplessness, Du Yuming was suddenly surrounded.

"Can I really bring these tens of thousands of brothers back to China safely? Is it really right for me to reject Alexander's proposal?"

Without being in Du Yuming's position, one would never understand, let alone understand his feelings.It is a kind of situation that is surrounded by enemies, walking on thin ice, and the whole army will be wiped out if you are not careful. You have to be responsible for tens of thousands of subordinates, and you have to bear a heavy burden!
In any case, from this moment on, the Chinese Expeditionary Force will fight for its own destiny.

(End of this chapter)