Chapter 494: Republic of China: Starting from the First Class of Whampoa Chapter 504 Royal War Elephant Corps

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

Major General Phraya stood in the headquarters.

As far as the eye could see, it was full of defeated stragglers retreating.

Originally, a Thai regiment sent to seize the enemy position was now in utter disarray.

Fortunately, the Thai First Division, as a square division of two brigades and four regiments, plus the Japanese holding the line, losing one regiment did not mean the entire division would collapse.

"Where do those mud-legged sons of Zhongnan State get such powerful firepower? It must be the Youth Army!"

That dense rocket barrage was definitely not a rhythm any local army in Southeast Asia could produce.

Over twenty strangely painted fighter planes flickered in and out of the clouds, their flanks bearing the North Star emblem representing Zhongnan State.

Any Japanese veteran who saw this would immediately understand: those were the Youth Army's Bf 109 fighters.

"Quick! Machine guns, fire at the air!"

Major General Phraya shouted, and the Thai soldiers outside the headquarters scrambled in confusion.

They clumsily set up the imported Hatchkiss heavy machine guns and swept the sky, trying to drive away the fighters overhead.

Colonel Hira-o stood to the side, gritting his teeth, staring fixedly at the fighters in the sky.

"The pilots opposite must be the Youth Army's elites."

"The Youth Army—it seems they are unwilling to give up Zhongnan State and have finally intervened!"

Just as the Thai position was being struck by aerial firepower, several black spots appeared on the horizon to the southwest.

Those were Thai air reinforcements, rushing here specifically to assist in battle.

The Thai planes rushing to assist were mainly Hawk III fighters.

This biplane had been the mainstay of the Chinese Air Force a few years ago, but under the skies of 1941, this aircraft was already a shambling old veteran.

Compared to the Bf 109 fighters painted with the North Star, the Hawk III was like poultry meeting an eagle.

The twenty-plus Bf 109s dispatched by Lv Muzhi instantly scattered to engage them.

Colonel Hira-o and Major General Phraya looked up at the sky from the ground.

In the sky, the Bf 109s gave them no chance for close-quarters dogfighting, but instead dive after dive, shooting, climbing.

Rat-tat-tat-tat!

The tongues of cannon fire traced streaks of firelight across the sky.

One Hawk III was torn apart directly in midair, sparks scattering across the heavens.

Major General Phraya stared dumbfounded; that gap in equipment inferiority filled him with deep despair.

"Colonel Hira-o, we need stronger air support!"

Colonel Hira-o nodded; if the Japanese did not increase support, the Thai army would be defeated once again.

He immediately summoned the signaller and sent a telegram to Lieutenant General Nakamura Akito, Fifth Division Commander, far away in Saigon.

"The Youth Army has intervened in the war; the enemy's air superiority is overwhelming. Request the navy dispatch Zero fighters to directly participate in combat!"

The radio waves crossed jungle and river, swiftly flying toward the Fifth Division's garrison in Saigon.

Fifth Division Commander Lieutenant General Nakamura Akito received Colonel Hira-o's plea for aid.

"Lv Muzhi has indeed acted; it seems he regards this land as an inseparable part of himself."

"Zhongnan State and the Youth Army are now tightly bound together; there are Americans in this too—truly troublesome!"

Nakamura Akito muttered to himself.

The Chief of Staff urged him somewhat anxiously from the side:

"Division Commander, the Thais are now our friends; if we stand by idly, their First Division will probably fall in Yi'an Province."

"Should we immediately contact the navy and have their fighters take off from aircraft carriers to help them?"

"Zhongnan State is under American protection and recognition; we cannot conveniently intervene, and still must rely on the Thai army to charge ahead!"

Nakamura Akito raised his head and asked, "Friends?"

He recalled the Imperial General Headquarters' resolution on organizing the Southern Army.

Emperor Chuo would exhaust all national strength to launch a final dance (truly the final dance now QVQ).

The army was successively organizing new divisions to form the Southern Army.

The navy was also expanding its fleet, preparing to conquer lands beyond Xia Guo with powerful naval strength.

All preparations would be complete within the next few months.

By then, the Southern Army, together with the powerful fleet, would come to Southeast Asia and conquer everything here—where could there be any friends!

Nakamura Akito did not want to help the Thais.

Since Zhongnan State and the Youth Army were tightly bound, they had become a hard bone, truly difficult to gnaw.

If Zhongnan State could not be swallowed, swallowing Thailand was also fine—after all, Thailand would sooner or later be prey!

"If we go head-to-head with the Youth Army, even if we win, it will be a pyrrhic victory, with no meaning at all."

"One must still pick soft persimmons to squeeze; I think swallowing unprepared Thailand would also be excellent!"

"We should not go to rescue them; let the Thai army be worn to death on Zhongnan State's territory. The more who die, the more weapons are lost, and the less retreat they have."

"By then, besides kneeling beneath the feet of the Great Japanese Empire to beg for aid, who else can Marshal La Wen turn to?"

The Chief of Staff finally understood: this was to use the Youth Army's knife to bleed the Thais.

After the Thai army suffered a great defeat, to prevent Zhongnan State's revenge, they would surely actively seek Japanese aid.

By then, Japan would not need overly harsh measures to reduce Thailand entirely to a vassal.

Even if they directly occupied Thailand, the Japanese Army could do so without breaking a sweat, directly occupying Thailand, which had lost a large portion of its military strength.

"Division Commander is clever. Once the Thais' family assets are exhausted, we can take advantage of their weakness and even seize direct command of Thailand."

Thailand's rubber and rice—truly inexhaustible!

Once in Thailand, Lv Muzhi and the Youth Army shouldn't be able to interfere anymore, right?"

Nakamura Akito laughed heartily: "Exactly. I recently learned a new term—this is called 'seizing the house' Thailand!"

"Send a telegram to Colonel Hira-o. Tell him the Thai First Division continues its offensive, and the Japanese Empire's support will arrive shortly!"

Nakamura Akito's ill intentions were soon transmitted via telegram into Colonel Hira-o's hands.

Colonel Hira-o also sucked in a breath of cold air: Black! Damn, so black!

Looks like this operation won't lose money no matter what!

If the Thai army overthrows Zhongnan State, Japan and Thailand will divide Zhongnan State's land.

If the Thai army fails, Japan will swallow Thailand!

Major General Phraya ran into Colonel Hira-o's command headquarters at this time.

His face covered in dust, he grabbed Colonel Hira-o's arm and roared loudly.

"Your Excellency! Has General Nakamura replied? We need reinforcements."

"If all else fails, let's retreat first!"

Colonel Hira-o swallowed, nodded: "Reinforcements will arrive shortly... no need to retreat! Continue the offensive, we'll fight all the way to their capital together!"

Major General Phraya asked doubtfully: "How long is 'hold on for a while'? The Youth Army won't launch a counterattack, will they? We won't be totally annihilated, will we?"

Colonel Hira-o thought for a moment and answered: "Rest assured. Your First Division has over ten thousand men—even if they were ten thousand pigs, it would take ten days or half a month to round them up."

"Here I have my tanks and cannons holding the line, Division Commander Nakamura will send more reinforcements, and the Navy's Zero Fighters have already taken off. Rest assured."

Major General Phraya, as if he had taken a reassurance pill: "Since that's the case, I will send out our Thai kingdom's great weapon of state to fight!"

"Royal War Elephant Corps! All prepare for combat!"

Woo~~~! Ah woo~~~!

Over fifty elephants of the Thai Royal War Elephant Corps roared in unison.

The elephants' roaring was deafening, startling flocks of birds in the nearby jungle and various beasts in the thickets, all scattering to make way.

Pictures seen online of mounting machine guns on war elephants (feeling something is missing, seems like there should be elephant saddles on the elephants' backs)

Soldiers of the Thai Royal War Elephant Corps climbed one by one onto the elephants' broad backs and set up machine guns on the elephants' backs.

The Japanese armored troops on the scene were dumbfounded, looking up at this group of giant beasts.

The war elephants of the Royal War Elephant Corps were generally over three meters tall, taller than all of the Japanese tanks.

Image and text unrelated; the tank behind is the American Sherman, but the elephants are still very tall.

Such enormous giants, plus the terrifying elephant cries, truly made one tremble with fear!