Chapter 295 Because you are their biggest supporter! (Second update!) The Nanyang Task Force was expanded on the basis of the task force. Of course, the main reason for this idea is based on the current strength of the Japanese army in Nanyang. The telegram clearly stated that the Japanese Southern Army had more than 400,000 troops in Nanyang. It is impossible to completely defeat the Japanese army in Southeast Asia with just their tens of thousands of troops from the Sichuan Army. Therefore, the content of Cun Yunsheng's telegram elaborated that in order to completely defeat the Japanese army in Southeast Asia, the task force must be expanded. However, the Sichuan Army was short of major generals, and he himself was not qualified enough, so he believed that a senior general should be selected as the commander of the Nanyang Task Force. After reading the telegram, Stilwell was silent for a long time. In fact, he has regretted it and should not serve as the chief of staff of this Southeast Asian theater. I originally thought that I would make great achievements here and become a famous general.
The result? Now he regrets it. This broken place was really a quagmire, and he was completely trapped here. If it hadn't been for a coincidence to accept the Sichuan Army and rely on the other party to create a situation in Indochina, I'm afraid I would have gone back in despair. But the subsequent offensive has basically been contained. If you want to expand the offensive, you may really have to follow Cun Yunsheng's proposal, which requires at least 200,000 elites. But with the current size of the Sichuan Army, 200,000 people? Don’t even think about it! "What do you think?" After thinking for a while, Stilwell didn't come up with any good ideas, so he simply asked the question to his adjutant. The adjutant was not a fool, and he obviously knew that Stilwell was hesitant. The reason for the hesitation was simply the consideration that many places in Southeast Asia were colonies of the British army. Admiral Wavell's attitude has softened a lot recently, so much so that Stilwell is in a much better mood. Now Cun Yunsheng proposed to expand the size of the task force, which meant that the British army would be offended. "General Stilwell, what are we here for?" the adjutant asked instead of answering directly. Hearing this, Stilwell was stunned, and then remembered the oath he had made in the White House. That is to slow down the Japanese offensive in the Southeast Asian theater. Looking back now, I didn't have any control at all in the early stage. The British army didn't take him seriously at all. Later, it was the appearance of the Sichuan Army that saved him. "In order to delay the Japanese army's actions, but obviously we failed." In front of his adjutant, Stilwell still had a very good temper and said helplessly.
"Yes, we failed, General Stilwell. These days I am summarizing why I failed. It is because we are too concerned about the emotions of the British. Many plans require the consent of the British before we can implement them. " "You are worried that the establishment of the Nanyang Task Force will anger the British, but now the British need our support in many places to survive." The adjutant looked puzzled at first, and then expressed his confusion. . Hearing this, Stilwell thought back to his original oath, and then thought about what he was doing now. "I understand. Send a fighter plane and the clouds will rise... No, I will go to Hanoi myself." Originally, Stilwell thought about asking Cun Yunsheng to come to Imphal, but after thinking about it, he decided to go there himself, just to show his sincerity and to learn about the Nanyang Task Force, its specific establishment and personnel, etc. "Yes." The adjutant was stunned. He didn't expect that Stilwell would go there in person. It seemed that what he said really touched the other person's heart. … In Qiongzhou, Lieutenant Colonel Cun Xingxing looked at the latest telegram and his lips blossomed with joy. Unexpectedly, the navy actually sank the Japanese reinforcements. In other words, in a short period of time, the Japanese army in Haikou would not have any reinforcements. This is good news. "Regiment seat, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions have occupied most of Qiongzhou and are currently resting in place, waiting for your orders." The combat staff came in with a telegram and reported quickly. Upon hearing this, Lieutenant Colonel Cun Xingxing immediately issued the order without saying a word. "Stop resting and recuperating, everyone immediately heads towards Haikou. We must arrive at Haikou within two days and capture Haikou within three days. We are only given five days to reach the peak, so we must speed up the pace." "Yes, but when the Second Battalion was attacking, it encountered a local guerrilla group. He didn't know how to deal with it, so he sent a telegram asking how to deal with this guerrilla group?" The combat staff nodded, and then He also talked about the problems encountered by the second battalion. Hearing this, Lieutenant Colonel Cun Xingxing was stunned. Encountered a guerrilla? Are there still guerrillas on Qiongzhou Island? It’s really rare. "It's not easy for them to send some of the captured Japanese weapons to them. Since the fall of Qiongzhou, I didn't expect that there are still people who insist on resisting Japan. Their spirit is worth learning from." After thinking about it, Lieutenant Colonel Cun Xingxing decided to send some of the unwanted Japanese weapons. equipment to them. They were all equipped with beautiful equipment and looked down upon these Japanese equipment at all. "Yes." The combat staff nodded. As a result, this goodwill received unexpected surprises during the subsequent operation to capture Haikou. "In addition, send a telegram to Shangfeng and ask if the troops in the fourth theater have set off." Lieutenant Colonel Cun Xingxing thought for a while and asked again. After all, before setting off, Cun Yunsheng told him that the fourth theater would send a force to feint attack. The result? So far there has been no movement. This made him a little annoyed. Can't these people be more reliable? "Yes." The combat staff nodded again. The new second regiment's offensive here was swift and fierce, while Isotani Rensuke from Xiangjiang slapped the table angrily.
"Baga, idiots, idiots, a bunch of idiots." A destroyer, a coastal defense ship, and three gunboats were sunk, and the soldiers on the transport ships were also buried in the sea. Faced with such a huge loss, how could Isotani Rensuke not be angry? This meant that he was completely eliminated from the competition for the commander of the Southern Army. The most depressing person should belong to Lieutenant General Fujita Reutaro, the commander of the naval fleet in Hong Kong. He only has two destroyers in his hands. Now that one has been sunk, only one destroyer is left to support the scene. As for the remaining coastal defense ships and gunboats, they are of no use at all. In particular, the soldiers who escaped reported that there was a cruiser on the opposite side. Even if it's just a light cruiser, it's still a battleship close to 10,000 tons. It's not something that the thousand-ton destroyer in his hands can handle. Not to mention the Thonburi coastal defense ship. The opponent is equipped with a 203mm naval gun. The naval guns were sold by them, but as for their power, he didn't know much about them. After combining the strengths of both sides, Lieutenant General Fujita Reutaro knew that the remaining fleet in his hands could not be the opponent's opponent at all. Unless Yamamoto Isoroku is willing to dispatch the main fleet now, otherwise, it would be good to keep Xiangjiang. But is it possible? Not realistic at all! Now on the Guadalcanal side, it has reached a critical moment. Once the main fleet is deployed, it is simply courting death. Thinking of this, Lieutenant General Fujita Reitaro completely pretended to be dead. Send troops? They won't send troops even if they are beaten to death. "Fujita Rei-kun, Haikou must not be lost. Can you ask Yamamoto-kun to mobilize a fleet?" Before Isotani Rensuke could finish his words, he was interrupted by Lieutenant General Fujita Retaro. "Your Majesty the Governor, I'm sorry, this is unrealistic. Why don't you seek help from the base camp? I believe they will not watch Qiongzhou being lost." What a joke! If he dared to send this telegram, he would definitely be scolded by Yamamoto Isoroku. Compared with a fleet of old warships or the main fleet of the US military, which one is more important? Anyone who is not a fool can tell the difference clearly. Sure enough, when he heard this, Isotani Rensuke's face turned gloomy instantly, and he didn't know what he was thinking.
"I see." After saying that, he no longer talked to the other party, but quietly thought about how to solve this mess next. … On the other side, when Cun Yunsheng learned that Stilwell was coming to Hanoi, he was stunned for a long time. This little old man actually came to see him in person? Could it be that the contents of his telegram were too shocking? It shouldn’t be! I had thought about it for a long time and stayed up several nights to get it done. "Sir, the little old man Stilwell came to Hanoi in person, isn't he trying to seize power?" Meng Fangli guessed. Hearing this, Cun Yunsheng glared angrily. "He is a lieutenant general of the Allied Forces and has a large amount of supplies. How can he like me?" "Then why is he here? It's not for inspection, right?" Meng Fanglia asked in confusion. "It should be about that telegram." Cun Yunsheng thought about it and came up with this one thing. "Sir, what on earth did you write?" Meng Fanliao was very curious as to what content it was that actually made Stilwell come over in person. Who knows that Cun Yunsheng did not answer, but asked Meng Fanglia to arrange the pick-up work, and also asked Xue Tian's guard battalion to transfer a company to form a parade formation. At the airport in Hanoi, Cun Yunsheng looked at the slowly landing transport plane and immediately led people forward to salute Stilwell who had just stepped down the ladder. "General Stilwell, welcome to Hanoi." Seeing Cun Yunsheng in front of him wearing an American military uniform with the rank of brigadier general, Stilwell couldn't help but pat him on the shoulder. "Dear Cun, I haven't seen you for a long time. I didn't expect you to be much stronger again." "Thank you for your praise." Cun Yunsheng said with a smile. "Is this your army? They are all a group of good guys, not bad." Looking at the troops standing still not far away, Stilwell suddenly became interested. To be honest, he was also very curious about the combat effectiveness of the Sichuan Army. When he saw the entire company of soldiers standing still, he knew that Cun Yunsheng was indeed very good at leading troops. Afterwards, Cun Yunsheng took Stilwell on a brief tour of Hanoi. Hanoi was not very prosperous at this time, just because of the Governor's Palace. Otherwise, it would not be as good as Saigon. When he came to the Governor's Mansion, Stilwell began to appreciate the unique French romantic architectural style. After all, this style is what suits Stilwell’s appreciation. "Cun, I came to Hanoi this time mainly because of the plan you sent about the establishment of the Nanyang Task Force. I would like to hear your opinion." In the conference room, Stilwell asked straight to the point. Cun Yunsheng had long been accustomed to Stilwell's way of speaking.
When he heard this, Cun Yunsheng couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief. It was indeed about the telegram. "Before answering this question, I would like to ask General Stilwell, are you satisfied with the situation in the Southeast Asian theater?" Cun Yunsheng did not answer immediately, but asked. Hearing this, Stilwell looked a little unhappy. Although he had a bad temper, he was still very tolerant of the officers he valued. "Not satisfied." Stilwell admitted frankly. "If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I would have to hide in Imphal and then fall into a situation of arguing with the British army." Hearing this, Cun Yunsheng was stunned. This Stilwell really knew himself. In fact, if it weren't for his appearance, Stilwell might still be arguing with the British army at this time. "Thank you General Stilwell for your compliment. I always think you are an excellent military strategist." A tall hat was thrown over, and the smile on Stilwell's face became much brighter. "But the development of the situation in the Southeast Asian theater is not worthy of your military rank." Cun Yunsheng continued. "I always believe that if the Japanese troops in the Southeast Asian theater can be completely eliminated, you will definitely become the first five-star general." The adjutant next to him was stunned. He had no idea that Cun Yunsheng could say such a thing. I originally thought he would be a four-star general at most. result? Just get a five-star general? His courage is really extraordinary. And Stilwell didn't get angry, but felt that what the other party said made sense. If he can really defeat the Japanese army in the Southeast Asian theater, becoming a mere five-star general will not be a problem. "But there are currently too many Japanese troops in the Southeast Asian theater. I am really weak. My prestige and qualifications are nothing to those in the mountain city. Everything is restricted in recruiting troops." Only then did Cun Yunsheng bitterly express his grievances. "So you propose to form the Nanyang Task Force? Incorporate all the Sichuan Army, Yunnan Army, Guangxi Army, and Guangdong Army? Isn't this just some miscellaneous army?" Stilwell said without thinking after obviously reading the entire report. . "Yes, these miscellaneous troops are of no importance to the mountain city. Even if they are all consumed, it will be nothing." Cun Yunsheng explained. "Because they have poor combat effectiveness and are cannon fodder. They are not taken seriously by those in the mountain city at all." "But my Sichuan Army was once a group of cannon fodder. After being trained and equipped with excellent equipment, their combat effectiveness far exceeded that of the Japanese army. Therefore, I always believed that as long as these miscellaneous troops were trained and equipped with American equipment, they would be able to completely defeat the Southern Army. " "Another point is that these miscellaneous troops are not loved by grandma or loved by uncle. They have no backers and no supplies. They will not refuse to carry out your orders like the direct troops. I think you should have done the same for the previous expeditionary troops. I know, you are obviously the commander of the expeditionary force, but as a result, your orders cannot be carried out at all. " "This is also the reason why I suggest that the Nanyang Task Force should be formed by these motley crews. Because you are their biggest backer, your orders will be carried out without compromise." No broken promises!
(End of chapter)