afterglow

Chapter 577: Fourteen Days in Purgatory; The Ice Is Impenetrable—The First Frustration So Far

"Yes, if the enemy knows that we are going to run away, they will definitely find a way to stop us. That will be difficult. We have to find a way to deceive them." Yao Liangchuan said thoughtfully.

Zhu Lizhuo suddenly thought of something and blurted out: "How about a strategy of 'adding more troops and reducing the number of enemies'?"

Doesn’t that lure the enemy deeper? Is that the opposite?
The generals present were stunned for a moment and did not react.

Xie Wancheng asked in confusion: "Are you... telling the opposite of what you said?"

"Hey, that's what it means. Just do the opposite and let those Americans think that we are still increasing our troops."

"It's indeed a good strategy. They probably think we can't bear to give up like this."

"Yes, after more than two thousand years, let's recreate the war example of our ancestors in reverse, 'reduce troops and increase firepower'." Zhou Changfeng crossed his arms and stared at the map, then picked up a blue pencil on it. Draw a circle.

The Navy took the time to discuss countermeasures. At the same time, the Air Force organized a large-scale airdrop of supplies to Molokai Island in accordance with Zhou Changfeng's instructions.

For two consecutive days, a total of more than 100 aircraft carried out airdrop missions. In addition to transport aircraft, some torpedo bombers also temporarily participated in this work.

"Give up the attack and retreat from here." Zhao Hanfeng pointed to his feet.

However, now that his troops have suffered setbacks and defeats for the first time, it is extremely humiliating.

Zheng Shiquan can also be regarded as a descendant of Zheng Chenggong, but he has gradually become a side branch since his great-grandfather's generation.

When he was about to move on, he encountered a late greeter - the communications staff officer of the 14th Division.

They greedily took a deep breath after another. The Supervisor breathed a sigh of relief and sighed with satisfaction: "This taste is just like becoming an immortal."

The airdrop supplies are undoubtedly mainly critical food and ammunition, and contain very few cigarettes. The more than 10,000 people in the 14th Division may not be able to get together ten cigarettes now.

Zhou Changfeng still decided to go to Molokai Island in person. He believed that as the supreme commander, it was extremely irresponsible not to conduct a personal inspection, and there was a possibility of omissions.

But this high-profile action convinced the U.S. military that the Ming army did not intend to evacuate, so they did not dare to slack off at all and were ready to prepare.

A few moments.

The general arrangement of this plan is:

"Yes." Zhao Hanfeng shook his head and said: "But he will not come here to chew hard bones little by little without having control of the sea and air."

"If you go the wrong way at the beginning, you will only go further and further away." Zhao Hanfeng said solemnly with firm eyes: "No matter what, we must leave. This is a military order, and the DPRK and China have also instructed that we must evacuate in an organized manner."

Zhao Hanfeng's arrival boosted their spirits a little. He thought for a while, took out a pack of Jinshi brand cigarettes and distributed them to everyone.

First, the 14th Infantry Division will shrink its defense line depending on the situation and make various preparations for evacuation. However, it must be careful to prevent the enemy from discovering our army's intentions, and it should deliberately make signs of offensive reconnaissance activities to confuse the enemy.

Forced by helplessness, Zhou Changfeng could only assign Zhao Hanfeng to visit the island on his behalf. The latter set out in a torpedo boat at night and approached Molokai at midnight.

On November 11, the Hawaii Garrison Fleet General Office completed the formulation of an evacuation action plan, with the action codename: Fuling.

"Really want to retreat? Our unit has lost more than 3,000 soldiers. To withdraw is equivalent to sacrifice in vain." Lei Fu, the chief of staff next to him, shouted excitedly: "We are not retreating steadily! Holding the position is not a problem now!"

This intensity of shelling has lasted for eight days and seven nights. The real scene on land is exactly the same as the "roughs and pits like the surface of the moon" seen in aerial photos, which makes Zhao Hanfeng feel terrible.

Soldiers continued to dig communication trenches, connect some well-placed bomb craters together, and expand them into shelters based on them.

"Brother Zhao took the risk to come here. Has the court already made up its mind? What should we do next?" Zheng Shiquan raised his eyes and asked.

After speaking, he handed over the written documents of Operation Poria.

Fourth, the Hawaiian aviation group should increase the scale of its attacks, suppress enemy aviation as much as possible, and create suitable conditions for evacuation operations.

Second, before the operation is launched, supplies should be transported to the island through airdrops by aircraft, sea transportation by speedboats, etc. to support the troops, and by the way, the seriously injured should be taken away when returning.

"It's unsustainable. We can't annihilate the enemy's main force. If we continue to stay here, we will be consumed bit by bit by enemy artillery fire."

Since the beginning of the war, the Ming army has been invincible on the Pacific battlefield, sweeping thousands of miles. Even the island of Oahu, which is recognized as indestructible, was successfully captured after three months of hard work.

It was clearly midnight, but Molokai was as bright as evening.

Due to the continuous shelling and air raids by the US military, it has become very difficult for the Ming army to recover airdrop boxes. A considerable number of airdrop boxes were destroyed by artillery fire before they could be reached.

Everyone thanked them repeatedly, the sounds of matches and lighters were clicking one after another, and the headquarters was filled with smoke for a while.

Fifth, in order to avoid attracting enemy forces to block it, the evacuation operation must be kept strictly confidential. Related words are not allowed to appear in all telecommunications. "tactical transfer" is used instead of "retreat."

Third, the Hawaii Garrison Fleet needs to patrol the waters near Molokai and Lanai Islands and make every effort to block possible enemy fleets. The evacuation operation was undertaken by selected landing ships, minesweepers, submarine hunters, and destroyers, and the troops on the island were evacuated batch by batch within three days.

As he walked through the winding traffic trenches, there were constant messengers shouting "get out of the way" running towards him, and people in groups of two carrying the wounded on stretchers.

Everyone objected, even the usual yes-men remained silent.

Everyone was silent.

Division Commander Zheng Shiquan said in a serious tone: "I understand, my department will act according to the order."

"As long as we have backup, we can continue to fight and clear out the stubborn enemies. There are ravines over there, which are easy to defend and difficult to attack. The enemy's strong fortifications are intertwined. Even if we wait for the imperial edict to come in another week, we can still only eat it slowly."

Under his guidance, Zhao Hanfeng continued to walk through the maze-like traffic trench. After walking an unknown distance, he finally arrived at the division headquarters.

In fact, from a distance, one could see flashes of light on the land, continuous artillery fire dyed the sky red, and the roar of explosions rolled in like thunder.

The atmosphere here is heavy, with dim kerosene lamps emitting a faint yellow light. The disheveled officers looked at the map in a daze. Division Commander Zheng Shiquan sat on an empty ammunition box and leaned in front of the artillery mirror, not knowing what he was looking at.

When passing by a shelter that was used as a branch of a field hospital, he was shocked by what he saw - it was crowded with sick and wounded, the smell of blood filled his nostrils, the number of camp beds was limited, and only empty ammunition boxes could be used. It was put together into a bed, but it was still not enough, and many people could only sit on the floor.

The latter apologized with clasped fists: "When we came here, some trenches were blown down, so we were delayed."

Zhu Lingjing knew very well that Zhou liked to "run around", so she gave special instructions. So the Ministry of War sent a telegram signed by the Minister of National Defense, strictly ordering Mr. Zhou not to put himself in danger, and all officers must stop him.

Starting from 11:26 in the morning on November 3, the 30th Division began to prepare for evacuation operations in the manner required by the action plan.

The process of issuing orders is extremely difficult. It is not like a war game where you can push it into place, and it is not like a game where you can click the mouse.

The U.S. artillery continued to block and impede shooting. The telephone lines connecting the frontline units were disconnected for four-fifths of the day. The most exaggerated record was that they were disconnected within four minutes of being connected. .

Radio equipment was scarce and easily damaged, and many radios could not be repaired because they had run out of spare parts. Military orders have returned to the original method. If you are lucky, you can ride a motorcycle or a bicycle, but in some areas you can only rely on two legs.

In the southeast corner of the Ming army's defense line, on a highland with an altitude of 107, 79 officers and soldiers of the 11st Battalion and 20rd Team of the th Regiment have been isolated since November .

That day, after the friendly forces on both wings were forced to retreat, their position became a veritable salient.

Communication has long been interrupted and can only be conveyed through messengers. Moreover, it is very dangerous to cross the enemy's artillery blockage line halfway.

It was now the fifth day of isolation. During this period, the US military did not launch an attack and only made a few tentative reconnaissances. Therefore, the ammunition on the highlands was still sufficient, but food and drinking water were completely exhausted.

The water bottles collected from the enemy soldiers who were shot were already empty. Some people shouted to the sky, hoping that God would bring rain.

As a result, dark clouds gathered at noon, and after a "bang" of thunder, heavy rain poured down, but it lasted only a short time, and soon turned into a light drizzle.

The soldiers huddled in the trenches took off their helmets to catch the rain, and drank every bit of water that accumulated.

The team deputy once again proposed a breakout, but the team leader also refused again - the order received three days ago was still to stand still, and no follow-up order has been received so far, so no decision can be made without authorization.

The unwilling teammate gave up some more persuasion, and this time it worked. The team leader agreed to send someone to the rear regiment headquarters to ask for instructions.

In the afternoon, the two selected soldiers set out in the rain with their rifles.

The land had been blown loose by artillery fire, and now that it had rained, it was so muddy that it could reach your ankles if you stepped on it.

Everyone waited patiently, looking forward to instructions from the regiment headquarters.

At dusk, everyone did not wait for the two comrades, but instead waited for the messenger sent by the regiment headquarters.

浑身泥泞的传令兵告知了命令——继续坚守107高地，直至11月28日傍晚18：00，期间自主尝试一两次火力侦察。

"Poke Damu Niang! When will the food be delivered? How many days has it been!"

"Hey, have you seen the two people who went to the regiment headquarters this afternoon to report? Why haven't they come back yet?"

The soldiers asked more questions, but the messenger could not answer any of these questions.

In the middle of the night, the supplies that had been suspended for five days were finally delivered. They were more than twenty boxes of Type 3 and Type 4 field rations. If you save some food, you can last for three days.

The two soldiers who went to the regiment headquarters to inquire were missing. In fact, they had died one after another while crossing the artillery barrage line...

In order to ensure the smooth evacuation of the 14th Division, Zhou Changfeng tried his best to coordinate the army, navy and air force to efficiently execute Operation Poria.

On November 11, under the command of Jiang Xuan, the Air Force combat unit carried out five air strikes on Kahului Airport and Lanai Airport in one day and two nights, mainly at night and supplemented by day.

Because the opponent had radar warning, the Air Force only destroyed 16 US aircraft and lost 14 of its own in five air strikes. Although the effect was average, it created an illusion for the US military that "the Ming army still wanted to attack."

On November 11, the Ming Dynasty Air Force organized a large-scale air attack, involving a total of 27 Type 26 light bombers and 19 Type 62 dive bombers. They were escorted by Type fighter jets against the eastern beach of Molokai Island. The US military dock there was bombed.

Hundreds of aerial bombs exploded countless water jets into the sky, and the beach was filled with smoke and dust. The bombed trucks and supplies ignited raging fires, and several large pontoons were also sunk.

美军有陆军航空队和海军陆战队航空队的77架P-40、P-43、F4F战斗机迎战，明军损失轰炸机8架和战斗机7架，美军损失战斗机10架。

On November 11, following Zhou’s instructions, the Air Force continuously dispatched multiple reconnaissance type 28 heavy-duty fighter jets to conduct aerial reconnaissance on Lanai Island.

At the same time, Zhou Changfeng required all units of the Hawaiian Expeditionary Force to conduct extensive meaningless radio communications, mixed with erroneous communications, to conduct radio feints.

Several naval minesweepers and hydrographic survey boats arrived at Lanai Island and wandered around for half a day, only to return after being attacked by air attacks.

The 1st Marine Brigade was also ordered to conduct an honest exercise at Pearl Harbor. More than a dozen landing ships and cargo ships were parked at the pier, assuming a posture of landing on Lanai Island.

It can be said that this series of abnormal measures have achieved remarkable results. The high-profile Ming army seems to be determined not to give up, and seems to be landing on Lanai Island even if the war on Molokai Island has not ended.

Both the U.S. 25th Division and the Hawaii Island Command fell into the trap, mistakenly believing that the vicious enemy was preparing for a more massive offensive.

The 25th Division reported multiple times in the past two days that it had been actively attacked by small groups of Ming troops, and its reconnaissance operations were more active than in the previous days.

The 40th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army stationed on Lanai Island was on high alert, fearfully guarding against the Ming army that seemed to be coming—it was said to be the frightening st Marine Brigade.

The time has come to the last day of this month, which is also the first day of Operation Poria.

On that day, the Ming Dynasty Air Force organized the largest airdrop operation in half a month. The American soldiers holding cigarettes could see the sky in the west filled with white dandelions.

That night, more than a dozen destroyers, minesweepers, submarine hunters, and landing ships appeared like ghosts in the offshore waters of Molokai.

At the end of the month and the beginning of the month, these days are moonless nights, and the dark night sky is only dotted with bright stars.

"Quick, quick! Don't dawdle!"

"If you're walking too slowly, just don't leave!"

"Hold the stretcher!"

A large number of speedboats and landing craft approached the beach, and soldiers lined up and ran toward them.

The first batch of evacuated officers and soldiers were mainly the sick and wounded and service personnel. A considerable number of the sick and wounded were carried on stretchers onto the small boats.

Under the vast darkness, no one expected what was happening here. Not even the frontline officers and soldiers knew that an orderly evacuation was taking place in the rear.

Speedboats and landing craft carried people back to the warships anchored offshore. Rope nets had been thrown down the sides of the warships. Soon these rope nets were filled with climbing figures, which looked a bit like crabs clinging to fishing nets from a distance.

Many sick and wounded patients were unable to climb on their own and had to rely on sailors to carry them onto the ship or pull them up through a hanging basket.

"How's it going? Is there anything unexpected?"

At the headquarters of the Hawaiian Expeditionary Force in Pearl Harbor, Zhou Changfeng asked others.

"So far everything is going well." Zhao Hanfeng's tone trembled slightly, obviously very worried.

"It's been almost two years from February 1939 to December this year. Is this the first time you've suffered a setback?"

"Uh...yes."

"I hope it's just this once." Zhou Changfeng turned around and looked at the nervous and anxious people behind him.

(End of this chapter)