Chapter 131 The slap in the face came too fast! “Assign the 33rd Division to Mutaguchi-kun and let him be responsible for commanding the Battle of Imphal.” After pondering for a long time, Kawabe Shozo felt that this plan was very successful. If it is possible to forcefully land more than 100,000 British troops in Imphal, then there will be no more wars in almost the entire eastern India region. Relying on the resistance forces in India, they can sweep through most of India. Able to completely cut off the Allied forces' supply to the mountain city. Even able to completely force the mountain city to surrender. The material blockade in recent years has brought the mountain city to a precarious situation. So, if Imphal is lost, it may become more difficult to transport supplies. As for Myitkyina, which was in serious trouble, Kawabe Shozo could only let Takeuchi Regiment stabilize the defense line. It is impossible to mobilize more troops now, and the base camp has been asking for various supplies to be transported back.
The next situation is all about stabilizing the existing defense line while searching for various supplies, such as oil, food, gold, silver, iron ore, etc. The navy’s gold-eating behemoth requires a lot of steel. But without the scrap steel from rice livestock, their local steel production has continued to decrease. So, they frantically searched for various resources such as iron ore in each occupied area. "Huh? Hand over the 33rd Division to Mutaguchi-kun?" The chief of staff was stunned, wondering if this was too abrupt. Hearing this, Kawabe Shozo knew what the other party was thinking, glanced at him and said calmly. “Mudaguchi-kun’s military merit is enough to serve as the commander of the 15th Army. Commanding an additional 33rd Division is nothing.” Hearing this, what else could the chief of staff say, except to express his understanding. In fact, since the forced landing of more than 100,000 British troops, Mutaguchi Lianye's military exploits were enough to be promoted to general. However, some people in the base camp suspended the promotion order due to the urgency of the war. But this time in the Burma Campaign, the 18th Division's performance was average. The main reason is that the British army collapsed at the first touch and had no chance to perform. So I didn’t get promoted. But this time is different, if you can beat Imphal. Then he will definitely serve as the commander of the 15th Army. This is the reason why Kawabe Shozo was willing to assign the 33rd Division to his command. With the support of one division after another, Mutaguchi Lian directly asked the 33rd Division to dispatch two infantry regiments, carrying twenty days of rations, directly through the road to the rear of Imphal. On the frontal battlefield, the servant army still consumes the ammunition on the opposite side. At the same time, Mutaguchi Lian also received support from the aviation force and began to bombard Imphal indiscriminately.
For a time, the battle in Imphal was very fierce. The newly formed Thirty-Eighth Division also began to demonstrate the combat effectiveness of an elite force. Repelled more than ten enemy attacks, including several Japanese attacks. Killed thousands of people, mostly servants. Even so, the British and Indian troops in Imphal were impressed. Even General Wavell spoke much more politely to Sun Liren after learning about the achievements of the newly formed Thirty-Eighth Division. Of course it’s just polite. After all, after Cun Yunsheng deceived him about the fighter plane in his hand, he didn't have much favorable impression of these expeditionary forces. Even now, those fighter planes have not been delivered, citing the stalemate in the war. Stilwell's intervention was of no avail, saying that fighter planes needed to be allocated and that it would take time. This made Stilwell very angry. Had it not been for Chennault's Flying Tigers needing to transport supplies, he would have been ready to deploy fighter planes directly from the Flying Tigers. “Master, something is wrong.” On the front line, where the newly formed 38th Division was, Deputy Division Commander Tang Shouzhi frowned slightly as he looked at the Japanese troops that had just been repulsed. As a veteran who has been on the battlefield for many years, his sense of smell on the battlefield is still very sensitive. He could tell at a glance that something was wrong. In the past, the Japanese army was always howling and would not retreat without paying a certain amount of casualties. And what about the Japanese army in front of us? Before the fighting started, they started to withdraw. Seems to be absent-minded and not thinking about attacking at all. "What's wrong?" Sun Liren looked at the other party and asked casually without paying attention. "The Japanese army's fighting will is not tenacious. It seems to be for someone to see." Tang Shouzhi said. Hearing this, Sun Liren was stunned for a moment, then picked up his telescope and found that the Japanese troops on the opposite side were retreating very quickly. Looking back at the previous battle, the battle was not very intense. If you think about it this way, it does seem like acting. “That’s true.” Sun Liren frowned slightly. “Master, is it possible that the little devil has any conspiracy?” Tang Shouzhi asked speculatively. "Conspiracy? What other conspiracy can there be? There are more than 100,000 British troops in Imphal and countless supplies. The Japanese army wants to attack this city unless they outflank us and cut off our logistical supplies." Sun Liren said casually. But as he spoke, he felt something was wrong.
No way? Really outflanking? For a moment, Sun Liren broke into a cold sweat. Seeing Sun Liren's expression, Tang Shouzhi immediately understood that the Japs might be outflanking him. This is the special skill of the Japanese army. “Master, is this really a roundabout way of outflanking us?” Tang Shouzhi also said with some uncertainty. “Map, map.” Sun Liren didn’t care much and directly called the combat staff to open the map. Looking at the map, Sun Liren kept gesticulating on the map, his brows furrowing even more. Humbling even more in his mouth. “Probably not!” "What can't you do?" Tang Shouzhi was confused and didn't quite understand what he meant. "In a roundabout way, there is only one 18th Division and tens of thousands of servants in the front. However, thousands have been killed during this period. The morale must be extremely low. If we want to attack again, we will only force them to rebel." Sun Liren's words made Tang Tang Shouji nodded subconsciously. But what does this have to do with outflanking? Tang Shouzhi still doesn’t quite understand. “Do you suspect that the 18th Division has already divided its forces and surrounded the rear?” "There is a possibility. If it's just a small force, don't worry too much." Sun Liren nodded, then looked at the map and said. "I'm afraid it's just a regiment. I'm afraid it will be in trouble by then. You have to know that the British army's combat effectiveness is not as powerful as imagined." "What about reporting this quickly?" Tang Shouzhi quickly urged. "Well, we should indeed report it, but we should also make some preparations to see if the Japanese army is preparing to outflank." Sun Liren stared at the Japanese position in the distance. "You mean, we want to launch a counterattack?" Tang Shouzhi also followed his gaze, looked over, and asked subconsciously. "Well, we can't always defend. We have to fight back to let the little devils know how powerful our new Thirty-Eighth Division is." Sun Liren said solemnly and confidently. “It can’t be possible. Our earliest art regiment is worse than a ragtag army?” Hearing this, Tang Shouzhi also had a firm look in his eyes. That’s right! They newly formed the Thirty-Eighth Division. Although the designation is new, its predecessor was the Tax Police Corps. It was the first fine art regiment, so how could it be worse than a miscellaneous army. When Sun Liren's telegram was sent to the Allied headquarters, Stilwell was quite serious, and only General Wavell looked disdainful. He feels that the so-called analysis is nonsense. The Japanese army outflanked Imphal? First of all, let’s not mention the problem of roads, but how to solve the problem of supplies?
If you take too little, I'm afraid it will collapse before you get even halfway. If you bring too many, the Air Force will definitely find out. Hence, General Wavell believed that the Thirty-Eighth Division should be newly formed, and he wanted to use this excuse to ask for more supplies. Who gave Cun Yunsheng a bad start and made Admiral Wavell disgusted. Even with that, he doesn’t have a good look towards the expeditionary force. "General Wavell, the Japanese army is indeed good at outflanking. If they do outflank, then we must pay attention to it." Stilwell said seriously. Hearing this, Admiral Wavell still looked disdainful. "Outflank? On the road from Chittagong to Imphal, I have deployed five military stations. In addition to a regiment of soldiers stationed inside, there are also a large number of supplies. If we really encounter the Japanese army, as long as we hold on, the Japanese army will It will destroy itself without attacking, this is a tropical rainforest, General Stilwell." Admiral Wavell showed a sarcastic expression at the end. This is the reason for his confidence. He believed that those military stations were enough to block the Japanese attack. As mentioned before, if you don’t bring much supplies, the Japanese army won’t be able to hold on for long and will have to retreat. Coupled with the tropical rain forest and all kinds of snakes, insects, rats, and ants, I am afraid that not many people can retreat. After hearing what Admiral Wavell said, Stilwell also felt that it made sense. “Is there really no problem?” Stilwell asked still worriedly. If something happens, it will have a huge impact. It will even affect the war situation in the entire Southeast Asia. “Don’t worry, General Stilwell, there will definitely be no problems. There are more than 100,000 British troops here, and troops can be mobilized for reinforcements at any time.” Admiral Wavell said confidently. Seeing this, Stilwell didn't say anything. At this time, the communications staff hurried in with a telegram, his face pale, Stilwell's heart skipped a beat, what could happen, right? “Sir, something happened.” The communications staff officer said hurriedly. "What happened?" Stilwell took a deep breath and asked. “Japanese troops appeared in Chittagong.” "What?" The words of the communications staff officer were like a thunder, making everyone in the entire headquarters dizzy. Especially Stilwell looked at each other in disbelief. It seems to be true or false? Admiral Wavell even opened his mouth, not knowing what to say. The slap in the face came so quickly.
So much so that he couldn't feel his own heartbeat. Have you really been guessed by those **** yellow-skinned monkeys? **** it! This is impossible! Absolutely impossible! It must be fake! Admiral Wavell roared crazily in his heart. “A telegram has just been sent from Chittagong. Japanese troops have been found outside the port. About a regiment of Japanese troops are advancing towards Chittagong.” The communications staff repeated it again. This time, neither Stilwell nor Admiral Wavell knew what to say. The Japanese army did not outflank, but went straight to Chittagong. If there is a problem in Chittagong, the aid supplies will be completely gone. So what should we do if more than 100,000 people in Imphal eat horse chews? Transported from the rear? In that case, the loss rate will be very alarming. "Admiral Wavell, we need to send a support force to support Chittagong." Stilwell was the first to say, unable to bear it any longer. "But currently there are only two under-manned divisions in the Imphal area, the 17th Anglo-Indian Division and the 20th Anglo-Indian Division of the 4th Army commanded by Lieutenant General Skunas." General Wavell frowned and said helplessly. . “????” Stilwell looked at the other party blankly. Didn’t you tell me that there are more than 100,000 British troops in Imphal? Why are there only two dissatisfied editors now? Are you kidding me? "There are not more than 100,000 British troops? How come there are only two dissatisfied divisions? Where are the rest of the troops?" Stilwell asked in a bad tone. “The rest of the troops are arriving and it’s expected to take another three weeks.” “The main force of the Fifteenth Army is still three hundred miles away and will take at least three weeks to arrive.” General Wavell explained. "In other words, there are more than 100,000 troops in Imphal on the surface? At this moment, there are only tens of thousands of them?" Stilwell finally understood that the more than 100,000 troops had always been the more than 100,000 troops on paper. "Yes, if the United States can provide transport planes, the troops can be transported to the front line quickly." General Wavell looked at the other party with an almost pleading expression. In fact, there are still some troops in Imphal, namely the British and Burmese troops, but they have been frightened by the Japanese army and have no will to fight. There is also the British-Indian army composed of indigenous people, whose combat effectiveness is very low, so it is still possible to let them garrison. Such a rush for reinforcements, and facing the Japanese elite troops, only the elite troops can deal with it.
“You know that the Hump Route is at a critical moment.” Stilwell frowned. Diploying transport aircraft will delay the reorganization speed of the troops stationed in India. "I know, but if Chittagong is lost, the transport planes will have no supplies to transport." Admiral Wavell also said fiercely. Hearing this, Stilwell weighed it and finally agreed to his request. Prepare to deploy four to fifty transport aircraft to help transport the British army. It can still be seen here that Stilwell still loves the British army in his heart. Had he dispatched the transport plane earlier, I am afraid that the equipment needed by the Sichuan Army would have arrived long ago. Unfortunately, the development of the war situation far exceeded Stilwell's imagination. When Mutaguchi Renya learned that the British army had begun to mobilize troops, he knew the time had come. Immediately let the two regiments that were already in position carry twenty days' rations and use the designated path to outflank Imphal in a roundabout way. If the intelligence is correct, there will be a large amount of supplies here. And Mutaguchi Lianye also specially told them to prevent the British army from burning those supplies. That is their life-saving material. If it is burned, the plan will be completely ruined. Hearing this, Lieutenant General Sakurai Shosan, who was leading the team, looked at Mutaguchi Renye seriously. “Mutaguchi-kun, please rest assured, I will definitely complete the mission.” He is still very convinced of Mutaguchi Lianye. After all, his impressive record has proven his excellent commanding ability. "Yoshi, let's meet in Imphal." Mutaguchi Lianya patted the other party's shoulder and said in a serious tone. “Hai.” Lieutenant General Sakurai Shosan also nodded, and then waved his hand to signal his men to set off. There is one more chapter. If you don’t like the big chapter, then make it a small chapter with 4,000 words!
(End of this chapter)