Age of Rebirth

~- -~Chapter 220 and five possible Yangon battlefields

Tang Qiuli didn't know what the specific purpose of MacArthur's sudden arrival was, but he also guessed that the current situation caused by his series of military operations in Burma made this old and cunning American feel uneasy. MacArthur came to supervise the war, and used various methods to promote himself to kill all the Japanese.

However, because there was an agreement first, MacArthur could not take the tiger skin of the first deputy commander-in-chief of the Allied China and Southeast Asia Theater to issue orders blatantly, and he did not dare to do so, so he changed it. The method, perhaps, will be some kind of compromise in exchange for his own military action, but this kind of compromise cannot meet his requirements no matter what, so this Yankee is doomed to waste his efforts.

Thinking of MacArthur's arrogance and arrogance when he went to Manila, Tang Qiuli couldn't help laughing secretly. This guy is really a character. From the Chinese point of view, "has the potential of a hero, can bend and stretch, a little It means to achieve the goal by any means.” If he hadn’t asked for something, he would never have lowered his status. He was in a plane and a car, and ran all the way from Manila to Yangdong, a small town in southern Myanmar, to meet the person he hates. people, to meet.

Regardless of MacArthur, he just accepted the move. Since he received the notification from the Allied Army Headquarters that this Yankee who made things difficult for the division commander in Manila was coming, the opinions of the independent division generals were surprisingly unanimous, "Ignore him, division commander , you simply avoid it, just like how you dealt with that Englishman Alexander, even if he is full of tricks, there is nothing he can do." [

Even Tang Qiusheng, who has always been prudent, did not agree to meet with MacArthur immediately. Tang Qiuli smiled and took out the top-secret telegram from the Allied Army Headquarters, and said: "From this telegram, you can see the mystery. The telegram has repeatedly emphasized that , Allied special envoys and field observers, this trip must be kept absolutely confidential, and the identities and tasks of all members will not be disclosed to the public, the reason is grand, for the sake of safety."

"But the meaning behind it is worthy of our deep thinking. According to the report of Yu Deshui's intelligence office, some time ago, a senior Japanese general met with MacArthur in Manila. The specific content is still known from sources. However, there is nothing in the end. It’s a good thing, MacArthur is stepping on two boats, playing with both sides to gain benefits, then let’s make him not a human being inside and out, so he can’t just hang out.”

Tang Qiuli already has a way to deal with it. Since MacArthur is secretive, he will simply make it public. No matter how smooth he is with the Japanese, he will not be able to change the fact that he is on the front line. Let MacArthur worry about the headache. Well, before that, he had ordered Shen Jun's investigation office to be responsible for this matter, and to disclose the news that MacArthur had arrived at the front line in Yangon by leaking secrets. The specific operation plan was decided by Shen Jun himself.

Watching MacArthur struggling to get out of the car, Tang Qiuli did not move. According to the convention and etiquette, it was already rude for him to do so. MacArthur is a guest, and his position in the Allied Army Headquarters should be ranked ahead of him. Anyway, he could afford Tang Qiuli to take a few steps forward to greet him. He wanted to see what kind of attitude this American would take to deal with his arrogance.

A trace of displeasure flashed across MacArthur's face, "This nasty Chinese is too arrogant. Is it just to retaliate against him for neglecting him in Manila? If that's the case, it's easy to deal with," MacArthur has to admit. The potential of an actor and the talent of a politician are far away, and he smiles all over his face and stretches out his hands.

Walking towards Tang Qiuli quickly, he said enthusiastically: "Dear General Tang, we haven't seen each other for several months since we left Manila. The general's demeanor is even better than before. We are old friends. See you again. You, I'm very happy!" As he said, he gave Tang Qiuli a big bear hug, and Tang Qiuli also hugged MacArthur back with great sincerity.

This scene was really touching. People who didn’t know the inside story were moved by the intimacy between these two heavyweights of the Allied Forces. They thought they had witnessed the moving scene of the friendship between China and the United States, and MacArthur felt in his heart Darkly: "Damn and disgusting Chinese, my hug is for the benefit of the United States of America, not you greedy and polite Chinese."

Tang Qiuli laughed inwardly, "I can bear this kind of playful ability. This Yankee really has a lot of tricks. How should I put it? I'll do it myself." Just when everyone was paying attention to the scene where the two embraced each other, In some corners, three cameras took pictures of this moving scene from different angles.

After the false politeness was over, Tang Qiuli was about to ask Yang Ketian to send the Americans to rest. MacArthur was a little impatient and said, "General Tang, shall we go to the forward position immediately to watch your brave and fearful soldiers, yes The Rangoon attack was, of course, the only mission of the Allied Field Observer Mission."

Tang Qiuli secretly said: "The meat is coming." He smiled slightly, shook his head and replied: "General MacArthur, this is very inappropriate, because the order given to us by the Allied Forces Headquarters is that the trip to Yangdong, General , keep it strictly confidential, besides, our army is fighting fiercely with the Japanese army, if something happens to you, general, or one of the other members of the observation team, I can't explain to the Allied Army Headquarters, so I will arrange appropriate Time to fulfill the general's wishes."

MacArthur was out of power at that time, and his eyes were straightened with anger, "It's a trick to deceive ghosts. If it is a fierce battle, how can you not hear the sound of guns? The whole front is as quiet as a tomb. This is obviously an excuse," but he himself In the telegram sent in the name of the Allied Army Headquarters, there was indeed a request for secrecy. What is self-binding?

MacArthur's face was ugly. To be honest, he wished to see the end of the Burma campaign immediately so that he could return to Manila as soon as possible, so as not to deal with this difficult and annoying Chinese. Tang Qiuli continued: "Your Excellency, the journey is exhausting, Let’s rest first, at night, I will entertain the general and all members of the observation team.”

Watching the American convoy leave, the generals of the independent division laughed. Returning to the headquarters, Tang Qiuli looked around the generals and said, "The Battle of Yangon must end as soon as possible. The Indochina Peninsula should also do something for us. Now, after the Japanese army has been driven away, it will enter a period of recovery and construction, and everyone should be somewhat prepared.”

"As for the Battle of Yangon, let Brother Qiusheng take full command. The troops are your corps. No. 20 Ninth Corps, Jiwu's corps. This is a tough battle. We can't turn Yangon into ruins, it will be a city street battle , Therefore, heavy equipment such as tanks and heavy artillery should not be used lightly, this is a new test for the main corps who are accustomed to using heavy artillery and tanks to open the way."

Feng Jiwu smiled and said, "Master, are you overly worried? How did we get started? Didn't we fight with rifles and machine guns against Kwantung Army planes and cannons for several years in the deep mountains and dense forests of the Northeast? It’s our old business, that is, after entering the customs, the equipment has been improved to the current level, so there shouldn’t be any problems!”

Except for Tang Qiusheng, everyone nodded in agreement and agreed with Feng Jiwu's statement. Tang Qiuli shook his head and said, "I'm worried about this. From North China to Burma, our equipment is better than the Japanese army. I'm used to it." Large corps, mechanized combat, whether troops can adapt to urban street fighting, this is a question that needs to be tested."

"Therefore, my approach is that the corps participating in the Burma campaign should not rush into the battlefield. They can take advantage of the opportunity to compete with the Japanese army in the outskirts of Yangon to exercise their street fighting capabilities. Also, our purpose is not to wipe out how many Japanese troops , but forced Ito and his remnants out of Rangoon, and then retreated to the southernmost tip of the Malay Peninsula, and retreated to a place close to the sphere of influence of the Americans. Only in this way can the purpose of the campaign be achieved.”

All the generals stopped talking. The difficulty of this battle can be imagined. It is impossible to destroy Yangon into ruins, and it is impossible to wipe out Ito and his more than 20 troops, and to force the Japanese away. With three conditions, Tang Qiusheng raised his head and asked, "If this happens, the Japanese army under Ito will not retreat in Yangon, how should we deal with it?"

Tang Qiusheng's problem was not targeted. Ito retreated to Yangon. Judging from the situation, there was no retreat. Behind Yangon was the Andaman Sea. The five corps of the Independent Division, from Bagu to Adu, Arranged in a line from east to west, in fact, the triangular area of ​​Yangon has been separated from the Indochina Peninsula. There is a large army in front of the border, and there is a vast sea in the back. Ito is retreating and fighting desperately , is also expected. [

Tang Qiuli nodded and said, "It's very possible. The so-called trapped beast is still fighting, Chief of Staff, tell everyone about our solution and the overall deployment of the Yangon campaign."

The eyes of everyone were a little surprised. It turned out that the teacher had already known it well. Chang Feng said: "According to the teacher's judgment, facing our pressure, Ito has the following options. First, retreat by sea, which requires a lot of transportation. Ships, within a short period of time, the Japanese army can do it. [-]. Retreat by land, pass through Bago, Hpa An, and Mawlamyine in the east of Yangon, and retreat to the Malay Peninsula. This route is the route Ito is least willing to choose , the battle of Mandalay was repeated for fear of our interception in the middle."

"The third option is that Ito will stand firm in Yangon and wait for reinforcements in Japan. If so, Ito will fight fiercely with us in Yangon to buy time. The fourth option is that within a short time, Japan The local reinforcements will not arrive, and the Japanese base camp will order Ito to defend Rangoon, and the situation described by Deputy Commander Tang will appear, and this will be a vicious battle."

No one said anything, no matter what choice Ito made, it was a situation of fighting to the death in Yangon, but the commander's purpose of the battle was not like this. Is there a solution to this problem?

(To be continued)

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