Chapter 515

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

"Reply telegram... reply telegram has arrived!"

Kunming Garrison Official Residence, Dai Li held a telegram and came before the haggard old man.

The old man stood up: "Whose telegram?"

Dai Li handed the telegram to the old man: "Commander Lu, it's Commander Lu's reply telegram!"

The old man glanced at the telegram paper, seeing only one character: "Approved."

"Approved?" the old man said aloud, his expression puzzled.

Dai Li explained: "It means Commander Lu has agreed to rescue the Expeditionary Force! According to reports from my agents on the border, the Youth Army paratroopers' transport aircraft have flown out of the country, and the Youth Army's vanguard has already parachuted into Lashio!"

The old man laughed with relief, looking at the telegram paper in his hand that had only one character.

"Ai ya, this kid Lv Weiyue is arrogant enough, but fortunately he still has some righteousness in his heart and hasn't abandoned me!"

"Tell Du Yuming and Luo Zhuoying, my Expeditionary Force troops are absolutely not allowed to follow the British to India."

"Bring them all back to me, I won't swallow the British people's humiliation!"

Dai Li then remembered: "On the British side, they strictly forbid the Youth Army from entering Burma."

The British once said that once the Youth Army enters Burma, it is an invasion of Britain."

The old man didn't care about these: "What invasion! Have the British forgotten how they entered Burma themselves?"

"Even stepping back, now the British have handed Burma over to the Japanese, do the British still have the face to claim sovereignty over Burma?"

"Stepping back again, what Youth Army, I insist they are Central Army troops airdropped into Lashio."

"Stepping back again, the Expeditionary Force has come to this point today, and it's inseparable from the British!"

"If the British dare to come to our door to demand accountability, I'll beat their messenger out with sticks!"

——————

At this time in Lashio City, besides the Youth Army paratroopers and several hundred Expeditionary Force men from Xia Guo, an armed force of over a thousand had also appeared.

"Commander! Over a thousand people have come down from the mountains and forests to the west, like local natives!" a staff officer reported to Zhang Zhen, commander of the 66th Army.

Zhang Zhen's heart jolted—could these over a thousand people be "Burmese traitors"!

Xia Guo had Han traitors helping the Japanese, and Burma naturally had Burmese traitors helping the Japanese.

"Are they coming to attack us?"

The staff officer shook his head: "Although they carry weapons, they haven't launched an attack on us, and they've even sent us an envoy. The Special Service Battalion is bringing their envoy over!"

After a while, a Burmese monk wearing a dark-red monk's robe was brought before Zhang Zhen.

The monk was bald, had received precepts on his head, wrapped in a dark-red monk's robe, with a kind face, but his attire was truly strange.

He originally had a Lee-Enfield Rifle and two Hand Grenades as weapons, but these weapons had been temporarily confiscated by the Special Service Battalion's soldiers.

"Greetings, Commander." The monk put his palms together and spoke somewhat unfluent Chinese.

Zhang Zhen was stunned—at this critical moment, a Burmese monk who could speak Chinese had appeared leading troops.

"Who are you? Why have you come here?" Zhang Zhen asked vigilantly.

The monk smiled slightly and introduced himself: "I am a poor monk with the Dharma Name Sada, come here by the Buddha's will."

Zhang Zhen was displeased: "Just what organization are you from? I've never seen a monk carrying hand grenades and rifles."

The Burmese monk with the Dharma Name Sada frankly said: "We are the armed force of the Unity Party Burma Branch, Shan State Guerrilla Third Battalion."

Zhang Zhen frowned, his face full of doubt: "Unity Party? What Unity Party?"

The staff officer beside him leaned into Zhang Zhen's ear and whispered a reminder:

"Commander, it's the Unity Party from Zhongnan State. This party has many followers throughout Southeast Asia."

Zhang Zhen suddenly understood—so it was related to Zhongnan State, and Zhongnan State had countless connections with Lv Muzhi and the Youth Army!

He looked at the monk's robe and still felt awkward: "You monks also join guerrillas?"

The monk said solemnly: "The Buddha's Dharma is boundless, but it cannot save demons and monsters. The Japanese Invaders are demons, and the British Devils are monsters."

"This poor monk has received orders from the superior organization to immediately coordinate with the Xia Expeditionary Force to annihilate the Japanese Army invading Northern Burma."

Of course, Monk Sada did not say everything:

The Unity Party's guerrillas in Burma needed to rely on the Xia Expeditionary Force's strength to resist the Japanese Army, while also beating the British drowning dogs, and conveniently cleaning up the remaining British forces within their jurisdiction.

Zhang Zhen finally understood—no wonder the British couldn't catch the Unity Party cleanly; they used Buddhism's status in Burma to infiltrate, and the British probably couldn't catch them clean even if they searched the mountains for ten years.

Now the British Army had been driven away by the Japanese Army, and the Unity Party's guerrillas were still doing well.

The two sides quickly reached an agreement to jointly defend Lashio and avoid friendly fire in the upcoming mixed combat.

Not only did the Unity Party guerrillas in the Lashio area begin to act, but the Unity Party guerrillas in central and southern Burma and the Northwest also launched attacks, though their main target was British forces.

The Unity Party guerrillas took advantage of the chaos to attack British supply warehouses and ambush British transport convoys fleeing to India.

The seized British supplies were quickly packed and continuously transported to bases deep in the mountains, as reserves for future strikes against the Japanese Army.

——————

Meanwhile, the vanguard detachment of the Matsumoto Regiment of the Japanese Army's 56th Division was wearily traveling along the mountain path.

On the mountainside was a temple, and the Japanese squad leader signaled the troops to stop advancing: "Numata! Take the translator into the temple to gather some intelligence!"

"Hai!"

Japanese Sergeant Numata led a thirteen-man detachment, guided by the translator, climbed up the mountainside, and entered the temple trying to put on a kind and amiable face.

There were over thirty monks in the temple, each wrapped in red long robes, with wooden expressions watching the dozen or so Japanese entering the temple.

The Elder Monk sat with eyes closed chanting sutras in the Main Hall, ignoring the Japanese soldiers who entered.

Sergeant Numata politely asked: "Excuse me, Elder, how many Xia Kingdom troops remain in Lashio City?"

The Burmese local translator translated it, but the Elder Monk refused to speak.

Sergeant Numata asked again.

The Elder Monk shook his head: "The Buddha said it cannot be spoken... cannot be spoken..."

The translator faithfully translated the Elder's words.

Hearing this, Sergeant Numata flew into a rage and drew his pistol: "Do you not want to say, or do you not know?!"

At that moment, a young monk came from the Rear Courtyard, palms together, bowing respectfully to the Japanese: "I know!"

Seeing this, Sergeant Numata smiled: "It seems this monk understands reason."

As he spoke, Sergeant Numata instinctively returned the bow politely.

But in the instant he lowered his head, the young monk's gaze changed: "Elder, why waste words with them!"

"Nani?" Sergeant Numata looked at the translator with a puzzled face.

Without waiting for the translator to answer.

The young monk drew a Siden Submachine Gun from under his wide Monk's Robe.

Rat-tat-tat! Rat-tat-tat!

Dense bullets like a sudden storm at close range turned Sergeant Numata and the translator into sieves.

At the same time, the monks in the courtyard drew Bolt-action Rifles from under their Monk's Robes.

Several monks rushed out from the Rear Courtyard, holding long spears, Crazy Shooting at the remaining Japanese.

The dozen or so Japanese who came to gather Intelligence just died at the hands of these monks.

Only then did the Elder Monk open his eyes, saying to the monks: "Aiyah! Let them go to the Western Paradise Pure Land..."

Rat-tat-tat!

The main Japanese force at the Mountain Foot came to the door.

The monks no longer bothered to exorcise these devils; the Elder led the monks, carrying weapons and ammunition, and all withdrew through the Secret Passage behind the Buddha statue, leaving only over a dozen Japanese corpses and an empty temple.

Such scenes kept unfolding along the Matsumoto Regiment's march route.

Countless Unity Party Guerrillas, whether monks or farmers, kept launching ambushes against the Japanese along the way.

When the Matsumoto Regiment finally arrived in a sorry state at the Outer Perimeter of Lashio City, the true nightmare began.

"Open Fire!"

With a command from the Commander of Youth Army Paratroopers, bright tongues of fire spat out from the hillsides on both sides of the Jungle.

The Youth Army Paratrooper Unit had long set an ambush on the vital route to Lashio, constructing a Curtain of Fire.

The crisp shooting of the Garand Rifle accompanied the dull Roar of the M1919A4 Machine Gun.

The Thompson Submachine Gun and M3 Grease Gun poured out. 45 Caliber Bullet Rain.

"Yaga! This firepower is wrong!"

"This is not the British, nor the Xia Expeditionary Force!"

The ambushed devils lost their bearings, not understanding why the enemy before them had such fierce firepower.

Some Japanese Veterans, hearing the special sound of the Garand, recalled the Youth Army on the Xia Kingdom Battlefield.

"It seems the Youth Army has come; weren't they banned from entering the Land of Burma?!"

"Retreat to the rear! Wait for reinforcements!"

Regiment Commander of Matsumoto Regiment at the Regimental Headquarters in the Rear watched his scouting squads fleeing back in a sorry state from the Frontline, and suddenly felt great trouble was at hand.

The sound of airplane engines Boomed from the distant sky, and Regiment Commander of Matsumoto Regiment's gaze could not penetrate the obstruction of the Dense Forest.

In the distance unseen by the Matsumoto Regiment, a second wave of C47 Transport Aircraft and Fighter Aircraft flew over Lashio Sky again.

Parachutes once again covered the Sky, dropping nearly eight hundred Youth Army Paratroopers.

The number of Youth Army Paratroopers in Cheng Nei had already approached sixteen hundred.

Plus Commander Ji Jun Zhang Zhang Zhen's direct troops, and over a thousand elusive Unity Party Guerrillas.

The Armed Forces around Lashio had already reached over three thousand.

Matsumoto looked back toward the Rear; he was waiting for Regiment Commander of Ise Jingxiu to lead troops to reinforce from not far away.

But less than one hundred kilometers behind Regiment Commander of Ise Jingxiu, Dai Anlan led the 200 Division in Pursuit.

Behind the 200 Division was Du Yuming leading the main force of the Fifth Army following up.

Behind Du Yuming's Fifth Army, a large number of Japanese 56th Division tanks and Xian Bing followed...

Layer upon layer, appearing very Chaotic, but all heading toward Lashio.

Commander Iida Shojiro of the Fifteenth Army heard that the 56th Division's attack on Lashio had been frustrated, and was utterly baffled.

According to his Intelligence, the Xia Expeditionary Force had almost no troops available around Lashio; which unit had arrived at Lashio to provide support?

When Regiment Commander of Matsumoto Regiment discovered the traces of the Youth Army Paratrooper Unit on the Frontline, Commander Iida Shojiro finally understood.

It turned out the Youth Army had arrived!

But Commander Iida Shojiro fell into doubt again:

"That shouldn't be... the Xia Expeditionary Force was about to be annihilated, yet Lv Muzhi acted at this critical moment..."

"Wasn't it said Lv Muzhi had conflicts with the Central Government? There were even rumors Lv Muzhi wanted to declare himself king."

"Such a great opportunity; shouldn't Lv Muzhi sit by and watch the Central Government's Armed Forces be annihilated?"

The Imperial General Headquarters integrated a series of Intelligence and analyzed Lv Muzhi, believing Lv Muzhi was already a Local power figure of immense energy, in an opposing contradiction with the Central Government, the two being irreconcilable.

Plus the British banned the Youth Army from entering Burma, so the Japanese initially never thought they would encounter the Youth Army in Burma.

Their guard against Lv Muzhi was mainly to guard against Zhongnan State in the Thailand direction.

Thinking of this, Iida Shojiro sent a telegram to the Japanese commanders in various regions within Xia Guo, asking about the movements of the Youth Army in their respective territories.

The information received was that the main force of the Youth Army within Xia Guo had not made any major movements.

Meanwhile, the Youth Army within Zhongnan State was being watched by two divisions under Yamashita Tomonobu within Thailand.

From this, Iida Shojiro could tell that the Youth Army could only reinforce Lashio in time with paratroopers, and could not quickly transfer other troops to Lashio.

Regarding the Youth Army's paratroopers, the Japanese knew their establishment was now a brigade, with over five thousand paratroopers.

"The paratrooper unit lacks heavy weapons; if I send tanks via road to Lashio, perhaps I can take Lashio and completely rout the Youth Army paratroopers and Du Yuming's Fifth Army!"

Thus, Commander Iida Shojiro sent a telegram to Southern Army General Commander General Terauchi Hisaichi, reporting in detail the changes in enemy situation on the Lashio front.

General Terauchi Hisaichi was stationed in Bangkok, sitting beside him was Lieutenant General Yamashita Tomonobu, known as the "Malayan Tiger."

"Lieutenant General Yamashita, Lv Muzhi's relationship with the Central Government is truly too complex; the Youth Army's paratroopers have fought in Lashio, Burma. Do you think the Zhongnan State Youth Expeditionary Army will sortie?"

Facing General Terauchi Hisaichi's question, Yamashita Tomonobu found it hard to make a decision: "Once Zhongnan State and the Youth Expeditionary Army sortie, their attack target must be Thailand."

"I cannot predict whether Lv Muzhi and Zhongnan State will attack Thailand, but I can guarantee that with my Fifth Division and Imperial Guard 2nd Division under my command, I can definitely defend Thailand's safety."

General Terauchi Hisaichi was very satisfied: "Good! Very good!"

"Since you can keep Zhongnan State and the Youth Expeditionary Army in check, I will let Iida Shojiro's Fifteenth Army have a free hand in Burma!"

"This time we must not only rout the Central Government's Expeditionary Force of Xia Guo, but also achieve a major victory against the Youth Army!"

Within Burma, Iida Shojiro commanded the Japanese 15th Army, presenting a posture of troops advancing in three routes.

The Western Route 33rd Division pursued the British Army fleeing to India, while the Center Route 18th Division pursued the Sixth Army led by Luo Zhuoying retreating to Myitkyina.

And on the Eastern Route, it was the fiercest route of this battle; the 56th Division targeted Lashio, intending to rout the Youth Army paratrooper unit and Du Yuming's Fifth Army on this route, and the 55th Division was also on its way to reinforce.

——————

At the moment when the Japanese Army launched a large-scale pursuit.

Above Kunming, a transport aircraft was slowly descending.

A man walked off the plane; this man was not ordinary.

The men waiting below to receive him were also not ordinary.

The old man was also among those receiving him; anyone who could make him personally receive them could be said to have a great background.

The old man stood at the foot of the aircraft stairs, watching Lv Muzhi disembark, his face full of grateful tears, stepping forward to take his hand: "Wei Yue, you finally... finally came!"

Lv Muzhi nodded: "There are so many Whampoa classmates and junior schoolmates in the Expeditionary Force; how could I watch them be humiliated by the British and wiped out by the Japanese?"

After saying this, Lv Muzhi looked toward the group of officials below and said loudly: "Many people think I want to struggle for power with the Central Government and carve out a separate domain, and will surely sit by and watch the Central Government's Expeditionary Force be wiped out."

"But actually, I have not the slightest intention of carving out a separate domain in the Central Plains; the world has all misjudged me, Lv Muzhi."

"The Expeditionary Force is the Central Government's most elite anti-Japanese force; I will definitely not stand by and watch them die without saving them!"