Age of Rebirth

In the dark night, the No. 14 Japanese army, divided into several routes, rushed towards Manila like a torrent in the dark night. Such a blatant large-scale march was naturally unable to deceive the US reconnaissance troops.

A piece of information flew to MacArthur's headquarters like a snowflake. Every US reconnaissance unit made a report exaggerating the facts based on what they had witnessed. Colonel Kleist, the acting chief of staff of the US headquarters, read the staff The figures of the Japanese troops sent by the War Department were so frightened that they almost fell backwards and fell from the chair.

It was too scary. According to the summary of intelligence, the number of Japanese troops rushing towards Manila reached a staggering 30. Colonel Kleist’s first judgment was that the Japanese troops from several other directions joined Luzon Island. The battlefield, otherwise, where would there be three 10,000+ Japanese soldiers?

This can't be blamed on the reconnaissance troops of the U.S. military. They can only see all the roads, whether they are highways or small roads, full of the footsteps of Japanese soldiers marching in a hurry, the Japanese officers shouting orders in a low voice, and the artillery carts dragging the artillery. , Trucks full of soldiers, tanks rumbling past, and the US reconnaissance troops did not dare to approach for reconnaissance, and of course they did not have the guts.

With the principle of saying more than underestimating, the number of reported Japanese military strength has increased several times out of thin air. How can it not be an astonishing number when all the increased numbers of the US reconnaissance troops are added up. [

Colonel Kleist did not dare to delay, his ass was on fire.He rushed out of the staff headquarters and quickly ran to the office of Commander-in-Chief MacArthur.That panicked posture caused a wave of panic speculation in the US military headquarters.

The situation was urgent, and Colonel Kleist, ignoring etiquette, slammed his head into the door with a "bang", and was concentrating on General MacArthur, who was looking at the map.He was taken aback, and glared angrily at the already pale chief of staff, angrily scolded: "As a soldier, how can you be so panic-stricken?"

Kleist, chief of staff, didn't bother to explain.He hurriedly yelled: "Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, the situation is urgent. After receiving a report from the reconnaissance force, there are about [-] Japanese troops rushing towards Manila. It is estimated that it will be around three in the morning. The Japanese forward troops, You can meet our army!"

"What?" General MacArthur exclaimed, the sweat on his forehead immediately came down, and his heart trembled wildly.My God, there are more than 30 Japanese soldiers with high morale and strong morale.Like a turbulent wave, his Manila defense line would collapse in an instant. With trembling hands, he took the statistical form in Colonel Kleist's hand, and looked at it quickly.

Looking at it, his brows stretched out, and then, with a burst of uncontrollable anger, he slammed the statistics table on the face of his chief of staff, and roared: "Idiot! Long brains, such statistics Biao, you also believe that on the battlefield of Luzon Island, the total strength of the Japanese army is only about 16, how can there be more than 30, it is nonsense, Kleist, I am very disappointed in your performance!"

Ignoring the dumbfounded Colonel Kleist, General MacArthur continued to roar: "What the hell is this reconnaissance intelligence? The numbers of the incoming Japanese troops, their weapons and equipment, are divided into several groups. What is the most prominent direction and how many troops are there?" , Nothing at all, this is also called reconnaissance intelligence, hell, tell those bastards in the reconnaissance team to find out the details of the Japanese for me!"

Colonel Kleist was tongue-tied, but he didn't care about the insults from His Excellency Commander-in-Chief. As for those few pages, hitting his face was equivalent to a massage. Instead, he was worried that he underestimated the enemy and jumped at the Japanese soldiers in Manila according to his own judgment. There must be more than 30 troops if there is no 20. He said eagerly: "Commander-in-Chief, you must not underestimate the enemy. Even if the intelligence of the reconnaissance troops is wrong, if you discount it in half, there are still 15 Japanese troops!"

General MacArthur, with light blue eyes, wandered around a few times, and already had a rough judgment in his heart. According to the report of the reconnaissance troops, the battle in the Calais Mountains was still going on, and the Third Army had not yet been defeated by the Japanese. They were all wiped out. The Japanese troops who came to attack Manila would not exceed 10, or perhaps even fewer. He said to the anxious Colonel Kleist: "Immediately notify the commanders of the various troops and go to the headquarters for a meeting to discuss Countermeasures!"

The commanders of the various U.S. troops quickly gathered at the headquarters. General MacArthur was not polite and reported the situation again. Of course, the strength of the Japanese troops attacking Manila was based on his own judgment, which was about 9 to 30. , instead of the astonishing over [-] in the previous statistics, if that is the case, I am afraid that several people will faint on the spot.

After reporting the information, General MacArthur asked: "Everyone, the Manila defense battle will officially start from tonight to tomorrow morning. This is our first confrontation with the Japanese army in Manila. I want to hear your opinions!"

Brigadier General Jonathan, commander of the 9th Mechanized Infantry Division, was the first to stand up and said: "Commander-in-Chief, based on the intelligence, we can draw the following conclusions. The Japanese troops attacking Manila have a strength of around [-] to [-]. It is divided into more than eight groups, and the strength of each group is no more than [-]. Moreover, the speed of the Japanese troops in each group is not the same, and there is a certain distance between the intervals."

"Therefore, I suggest that we dispatch all our forces, target one or several lines of the Japanese troops that are more prominent, and use the absolute superiority of troops and firepower to carry out a sudden attack on them. We don't seek complete annihilation, but only serious damage, and fight quickly. Make a quick decision, and then quickly retreat to the defense line. In this way, it can not only hit the spirit of the Japanese army, but also kill a large number of the Japanese army's vital forces. My Seventh Mechanized Division is willing to be the vanguard of one of the roads and surprise the Japanese army!"

It should be said that Brigadier General Jonathan's suggestion is in line with the actual situation on the battlefield and has great maneuverability. The Japanese No. 14 Army marched in multiple directions, like a slap in the face, and sent out all the troops on the Manila defense line, cutting off a finger or It is the number of fingers, it can definitely be done, especially if you don't seek complete annihilation, but only seek heavy damage, and a quick victory, the essence of this battle is exhausted in one sentence.

Brigadier General Jonathan's suggestion resonated among the US generals present at the meeting. Since the outbreak of the Pacific War, the US troops have been defeated repeatedly and beaten to the brim by the Japanese. In important areas, it would be unfair to say that these American generals are not holding their breath in their hearts, but the situation is stronger than others. U.S. military generals can only do nothing!

Several U.S. generals who were eager to turn around also spoke, "Commander-in-Chief, Jonathan's suggestion is also an urgent thought in our hearts. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Add more favorable conditions to the defense of Manila, Commander-in-Chief, I hope you can approve the plan of Commander Jonathan, our troops are ready to go, and we are waiting for your order!"

Several U.S. generals, seeing the fleeting opportunity, expressed their opinions freely and focused on fighting, but they didn't notice that the face of Commander-in-Chief MacArthur became more and more gloomy and ugly. , and later, almost on the verge of going berserk.

With a muffled sound of "snap!", Commander-in-Chief MacArthur slapped the table fiercely, causing several US generals who were having fun to look at each other. Only then did they notice that the commander-in-chief's expression had changed It was as red as the color of a pig's liver.

MacArthur's sharp eyes flashed, and he tried his best to suppress his furious emotions, and said grimly: "Enough talking, confused! Childish! You only saw the so-called fighter plane, but didn't see it. It seems that behind the fighter plane, there is hidden Dangerous, quick battle, easy to say, put all our troops into the battle to attack the Japanese army, and the Manila defense line guards, have you thought about the consequences?"

"Once a quick battle is not possible, all the troops will be entangled by the Japanese army. They will not be able to quickly inflict heavy damage on the Japanese army, nor will they be able to leave the battlefield. The follow-up troops of the Japanese army that have ended the battle in the Calais mountains will catch up. What will be waiting for us? Once again The entire army was wiped out or suffered heavy losses? Have you considered it?" [

"Leaving the solid fortifications to rely on and destroying the enemy in the wild is an adventure in itself. We have only one purpose. We will never take the initiative to attack. We will rely on the existing fortifications and wait for the arrival of reinforcements. After returning, we will fully guard against them. Those who speak lightly, you know the consequences, the meeting will be adjourned!" This was not just an objection, but a blatant threat.

After finishing speaking, leaving the generals in the room looking at each other, General MacArthur turned and left angrily. Brigadier General Jonathan and several American generals who were in charge of the battle could only smile helplessly and lament in their hearts, "It's over, a great opportunity , just lost like this, hey, there is no way, who made this old guy the commander-in-chief!"

It is true that if Brigadier General Jonathan's plan is followed, it is impossible for the No.14 Japanese army to be wiped out, but it will definitely suffer the greatest loss. It is normal to lose tens of thousands of people. Therefore, Commander Haruta Yoshihiko made the right bet. Maybe, This Japanese general, who was eager to fight, saw through MacArthur's weak nature, so he dared to adopt such an offensive method.

At about 14 o'clock in the morning on August [-], most of the leading brigade of the [-]rd Division, one of the No. [-] Army of the Japanese Army, finally arrived at the outskirts of the US Manila defense line. Tongue out and out of breath.

Before he could catch his breath, the Japanese commander swung his saber and ordered, "Target, the U.S. defense line, give me the killing opportunity!"

(To be continued) (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to the starting point () to vote, monthly pass, your support is my biggest motivation.)