Age of Rebirth

Chapter [-] First Battle of Myitkyina

Myitkyina is not only an important town in northern Myanmar, but also the only traffic artery connecting Myanmar to Imphal and Sadia in eastern India. Shouyi's occupation of Myitkyina cut off the land connection between the British army in Myanmar and the British army in India. If the army wants to withdraw to India, this is the only way to go. {""}

Tang Qiuli will enter Myanmar for the first battle, and choose Myitkyina based on the situation around Mandalay. He made a judgment. More than 50 Japanese troops gathered around Mandalay. He will not be so stupid as to devote all his strength to head-on They went to war with the Japanese army and used the lives of the soldiers of the Japanese Army Division to open the way for the British.

In choosing Myitkyina, in addition to the above considerations, there was also Tang Qiuli's intention to attack the weak Japanese army and reduce casualties. In the eyes of the British, the remnant army left by Shouichi in Terauchi was an obstacle to their westward retreat to India. From Tang Qiuli's point of view, Shou Yilai in the temple has become a de facto solitary army in northern Myanmar.

He was able to escape from Savage Mountain because Tang Qiuli deliberately released this exhausted wolf to bite the British and block the British army in Burma. Now, the situation in Burma has changed fundamentally. Shouyi in the temple has lost its usable value, and if it is necessary to exist, if he stays in northern Myanmar, he is looking for a dead end, and the emperor can't save him. [

Tang Qiuli had to remove this nail for the British. In fact, the troops participating in the Burma operation were all the troops directly under it, plus part of the Tang Qiusheng Corps. The British army in Mandalay was encircled by the Japanese army. God, and the Japanese army did not launch an attack for a long time. Obviously, the supreme commander of the Japanese army, Ito Yansaburo, who commanded this battle, was a guy who was very proficient in Chinese military art.

The army is overwhelmed and surrounded by more than [-] British and Burmese troops. Mandalay is short of supplies and foreign reinforcements. The besieged British army has only two ways to go. One is to fight to the death and live and die with Mandalay, and the other is to choose to surrender. , and according to Ito Yanzaburo's understanding of the British, the British don't have the guts, let alone the fighting spirit, to stick to a deadly battle.

Surrender is very possible, so Yanzaburo Ito besieged Mandalay without attacking, constantly creating fear and panic, slowly consuming the morale and resistance awareness of the British soldiers, Yanzaburo Ito had a bold, but very An easy-to-achieve goal, creating a miracle in the history of the Japanese Empire's foreign wars. In World War I, four 10,000+ enemy soldiers were captured, while their own casualties were negligible.

He thought this way, and he also did so. Several 10 troops of the Japanese army dug up three blockade lines around Mandalay, densely covered with bunkers and fortifications, and surrounded Mandalay like an iron barrel. Ito Genzaburo firmly believed that Well, in less than two weeks, the British army in Mandalay City will completely collapse due to lack of food. He just waits to accept the surrender of the Supreme Commander of the British Army in Mandalay City.

In the city of Mandalay, because the Japanese army sent troops to Burma to break the siege of Mandalay, subtle changes occurred in the psychology of the British soldiers in the city. Francis, the British chief of staff who received the telegram from Alexander, wept with joy, The exhausted heart was finally able to relax. Next, he should do something to give hope to the soldiers waiting to die.

Through the broadcast in the city, Francis made the following emotional and provocative speech to all British soldiers, "Soldiers of the British Empire, although we are now surrounded by enemies, God and country are not Abandon us, just today, Commander-in-Chief Alexander, good news comes from Tengchong."

"Our ally, the troops of General Tang Qiuli of China, with more than 60 troops, entered Myanmar last night and are rushing to Mandalay day and night. We are saved. Soldiers, as soldiers, cannot fight It is a pity to die on the battlefield, but it is even more disgraceful for an ally to surrender to the enemy after a battle."

"I order all the soldiers to cheer up immediately. With the cooperation of the squadron, they will completely break the siege of the Japanese army on Mandalay, and then withdraw to India in victory. Do you want to go to Ramgarh? Do you want to go to Imphal? ? Do you want mellow Scotch whiskey? Do you want comfortable sunshine and a warm bed? Do you want a beautiful and enthusiastic Indian girl? Follow our Commander-in-Chief Alexander, let’s go to India together! Our compatriots in India are ready to return everything , just waiting for our arrival!"

It should be admitted that Francis's speech was extremely beautiful, and he aroused the soldiers' hope and yearning for a better life. Whenever possible, which soldier would be willing to be a prisoner until he was desperate and desperate?Leaving personality aside, there are not many British soldiers and officers willing to be captured by the Japanese based on General Francis's good description of India.

Among them, including the part of the officers who secretly joined forces and prepared to surrender to the Japanese army. If they had hope, they would not surrender. The Japanese detachment surrounded them with great suspicion, but the British soldiers and officers who were transferred to the north and fought against the Japanese division had no doubts about it.

After seeing the notification, they were still skeptical and hesitant. This part of the people was anxious, and they came forward to speak out, boasting the combat effectiveness, weapons and equipment of the soldiers of the Grand Division as if they were enemies in the world. The British soldiers and officers who came and went, hesitated and doubted I believed it, and waited wholeheartedly for the Chinese soldiers to come to the rescue.

When Yansaburo Ito was dreaming his own dreams outside Mandalay, the morale of the British soldiers in Mandalay changed fundamentally. This is what Tang Qiuli hoped, to give the British the opportunity to fight. Confidence and hope, and the determination to compete with the Japanese.

Get rid of the remnants of Kotobuichi in the temple, occupy Myitkyina, open the passage to India, let the British see the hope of retreating to India, and the British army will desperately break through. If you don't want to fight, you can't do it. One wants to run, and the other refuses to let go. When the two collide, even if it is wet firewood, sparks will appear.

Therefore, Myitkyina is the key point that triggers a series of reactions. The troops of the three brigades directly under the Corps, after entering Nankan, Myanmar, turned around and headed straight for Myitkyina. The other seven brigades rushed towards Mikyina. In the area east of China, at the same time, Tang Qiuli ordered Tang Qiusheng's corps to advance westward from Lawu with eight brigades.

With Yu Guanghan, chief of staff of the corps, as the commander, on both sides of the main road from Mandalay to Myitkyina, there are multiple preset ambush positions. Yu Guanghan has two tasks. On the Endo line, the Japanese army under Kotobuichi Terauchi launched an attack. If the Japanese army under Yanzaburo Ito, who encircled Mandalay, sent troops to reinforce Myitkyina.

Yu Guanghan's troops adopted the method of blocking every step of the way, delaying the speed of the Japanese reinforcements' northward advance. This rhythm was controlled by Yu Guanghan himself, and the principle was to ensure that the corps directly under him completed the campaign mission. Hit me, Tang Qiuli, and don't interfere. Anyway, Japanese reinforcements are not allowed to appear behind the corps directly under the attack on Myitkyina.

The second task, if the British army can really break out of Mandalay, Yu Guanghan's headquarters, hide on the spot, do not attack the pursuing Japanese army, and do not extend a hand to the pursued British army, Tang In the order, Qiuli emphasized this point. He was worried that Yu Guanghan would not be able to hold back his anger when he saw the Japanese, and that would be a great help to the British.

Tang Qiuli estimated that it was unlikely that the Japanese army would send reinforcements north to Myitkyina. After all, Ito Gensaburo held more than 40 British and Burmese soldiers in his hands. Relatively speaking, his strength was not sufficient. In Myitkyina, there is a possibility that the British army will break through the encirclement. Ito is not a fool, so he should not take such a risky move.

The British will inevitably break through and open the passage to India. It is a sweet cake, and it is also Alexander's unswerving plan. Therefore, the British army that breaks out of the encirclement is most likely to be chased by the Japanese army all the way. When they run to Myitkyina , how many people are left, the result can be predicted, when the duck flies to the mouth, Ito Gensaburo will definitely chase after him. [

Yu Guanghan's troops, after the remnants of the British army retreated into India, suddenly broke out on the Japanese flanks, intercepting them layer by layer. In the future, the Japanese army will retreat along the narrow strip of the Malay Peninsula until they are driven out of the Indochina Peninsula. This is Tang Qiuli's strategy in Southeast Asia.

Tang Qiuli issued extremely strict orders to all the troops participating in the Battle of Myitkyina. The troops must march in concealment and contact the enemy in concealment. , for large forces approaching Myitkyina, remove unsafe factors in advance.

The covert work of the units directly under the corps is extremely well done. 10,000+ troops have entered Myanmar for more than a day. From Myitkyina to the Hukang River Valley, the Japanese troops of Shouyi in the temple lined up in a row did not notice it at all. ,

Gensaburo Ito, the commander-in-chief of the Japanese Southeast Asian Expeditionary Force that encircled Mandalay, had enough patience to cook more than 40 British and Burmese troops. After a few days of siege, there was not a single British soldier or officer. Surrendering to himself outside the city, Ito resisted the urge to attack, but got a piece of news that made him feel uneasy.

The three countries of China, Britain and the United States signed a military alliance agreement in Tengchong, a small border town in Yunnan. Yanzaburo Ito was taken aback. For the Great Japanese Empire, this is by no means good news. It means that the British and American countries in Southeast Asia and the Chinese people have joined forces The first thing he thought of was Tang Qiuli's army division, which made the imperial army fear and fear it.

Ito's branch has never fought against Tang Qiuli, but it doesn't mean that he can underestimate it. This branch has caused many heroes and veterans of the empire to suffer defeats and cost the lives of nearly a million soldiers of the empire. Therefore, one When he learned that China, Britain and the United States had formed an alliance, the first thing he thought of was that the Army Division troops stationed in the border area of ​​China were very likely to send troops to Burma.

(To be continued)