Chapter 517: Republic of China: Starting from the First Class of Whampoa Chapter 527: The Republic of China Declares War

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

Kunming Headquarters, the old man had long since established a Joint Command with Lv Muzhi.

Du Yuming's telegram arrived, everyone's eyes lit up, and hope suddenly rose in their hearts.

As long as the combat was conducted properly, Du Yuming blocked the main force of the Japanese Army's pursuit, and the Youth Army paratroopers and Dai Anlan cleared out the two Japanese regiments that had infiltrated Lashio, then the Expeditionary Force's battle situation would very likely be revived.

"If the plan succeeds, Lashio will be firmly held by our army, using the Northern Burma region including Lashio as a buffer zone to prevent the Japanese Army from invading the Yunnan region!" the old man analyzed thus.

All the officers nodded in unison.

As long as Du Yuming, Dai Anlan, Lv Ziqing, and others fulfilled their duties, waiting for Xia Guo's main force to advance and support, they could then block the enemy in Northern Burma.

Using Lashio in Northern Burma as a buffer zone, able to attack when advancing and defend when retreating, completely reversing the rout situation!

"Oh my, the war situation looks promising! The British and Americans can't be relied on; we still have to rely on me, Lu Shangjiang!" the old man held Lv Muzhi's hand, acting very affectionately.

This left Lv Muzhi quite speechless; the old man truly knew how to bend and stretch!

Previously they had fallen out with the old man, but now it was as if nothing had happened.

The old man's mouth never stopped praising Lv Muzhi, fearing Lv Muzhi would directly withdraw his troops and run away.

"The current battle situation is still unstable. The troops Du Yuming can utilize include two divisions of the Fifth Army, plus a New 28th Division from the incorporated 66th Army. Whether they can block the Japanese 56th Division's mechanized unit is a major question," Lv Muzhi said with concern.

The old man thought for a while: "I believe in Du Yuming's fighting will. Our Expeditionary Force soldiers have suffered so much grievance in Burma and were finally forced onto the path of retreat.

Now the war situation finally has a turning point; surely everyone will fight to the death. Have you not heard that a grieving army must win?"

Lv Muzhi felt they couldn't rely entirely on Du Yuming holding out at the front.

If the Japanese tanks broke through the defensive line and entered Lashio, the situation would become very chaotic.

"I still have more than two thousand paratroopers who haven't been airdropped into Lashio. Simply airdrop these two thousand paratroopers to Du Yuming, and at the same time airdrop more of the heavy weapons I've stockpiled in Kunming to Du Yuming.

Help him strengthen the defensive line, block the 56th Division's mechanized unit, and buy time for the complete annihilation of the enemy army on the Lashio front."

The old man grabbed Lv Muzhi's wrist: "Wei Yue, you've helped me out big again!"

Lv Muzhi broke free from the old man's hand: "I just can't stand to see the Expeditionary Force bullied by the British and massacred by the Japanese..."

——————

Du Yuming established the Fifth Army Command at Xipu, concentrating three divisions of troops under his command.

They were the 96th Division, the New 22nd Division, and the New 28th Division incorporated from the 66th Army along the way.

To Du Yuming's north, the Youth Army paratroopers were pincer-attacking the Japanese Matsumoto Regiment and Jingxiu Regiment with Dai Anlan's 200th Division front and rear.

To Du Yuming's south, a mechanized unit composed of an infantry regiment and a tank battalion of the Japanese 56th Division was assaulting toward them.

Behind the Japanese mechanized unit, the Japanese 18th Division followed, also advancing toward the Lashio direction.

The 55th Division pursued Luo Zhuoying and the Sixth Army retreating to Myitkyina.

The 33rd Division pursued the British retreating to India.

Du Yuming's troops stopped retreating at Xipu and prepared to block the Japanese on the spot.

One reason was to buy time for Dai Anlan and Lv Ziqing to pincer-attack the two lightly equipped Japanese regiments.

Another reason was that the Fifth Army had some heavy equipment; besides some T26 tanks, there were also mountain guns and field guns, which were too slow to drag along, so it was better to fight the Japanese here.

Du Yuming soon received the paratrooper unit airdropped by Lv Muzhi.

The paratroopers descended from the sky, greatly shocking Du Yuming's subordinates and greatly inspiring them at the same time.

In the command post, Du Yuming met a Youth Army lieutenant colonel.

"You mean Commander Lu will airdrop two thousand four hundred paratroopers to me, and airdrop weapons such as rocket launchers and heavy machine guns to me?" Du Yuming asked.

"Yes! Commander Lu instructs you to properly use the personnel and equipment, display the prestige of the Fifth Army at Kunlun Pass, and curb the Japanese advance!"

Du Yuming clenched his fist: "Great! Fortunately, I previously wrote a letter to Commander Lu asking for a plan, so I received instructions to lead the Fifth Army to march toward Lashio!

Thanks to Commander Lu's favor, I, Du Yuming, will definitely not let a single devil run to Lashio!"

——————

At this moment, the Matsumoto Regiment and Jingxiu Regiment near Lashio were in trouble.

These two regiments had set out from Chiang Mai, Thailand, crossed mountains and rivers westward, and secretly assaulted the Expeditionary Force's rear flank.

This also meant these two Japanese regiments had not carried heavy weapons, let alone automobiles.

The troops only brought some horses and bicycles, carrying some infantry guns and light equipment as they forcibly infiltrated.

Such an operation could be called very bold, a risky move, quite embodying the Japanese adventurous spirit.

According to the original plan:

The Matsumoto Regiment and Jingxiu Regiment should capture the weakly defended Lashio, waiting for the 56th Division commander to send an infantry regiment along with attached automobiles, tanks, and cannons to Lashio.

At that point, the Expeditionary Force would discover Lashio had fallen, the Mandalay campaign would miscarry, and Expeditionary Force troops would retreat into India or return home from Myitkyina.

Afterward, the Japanese 56th Division would fully enter Lashio, with tanks and personnel all in place.

Part of the 56th Division would invade Yunnan, attempting to cross the Nujiang and attack Xia Guo's southwest;

another part would diagonally insert into Myitkyina to block a large number of Expeditionary Forces wanting to return to Xia Guo.

Even if part of the Expeditionary Force could return home smoothly via Myitkyina, the Japanese could still use the 56th Division as a surprise force to intercept and kill a large number of Expeditionary Forces.

But now, the situation did not develop in the direction the Japanese expected.

Du Yuming did not follow the British to run to India, nor did he follow Luo Zhuoying to return to Myitkyina where no Japanese had appeared.

Instead, he turned his army back to Lashio, rushing wherever there were Japanese!

He used Dai Anlan's 200th Division to bite the tails of the Matsumoto and Jingxiu Regiments, while he himself led the main force of the Fifth Army to block the mechanized unit sent by the 56th Division for support.

Plus Lv Muzhi's paratroopers sticking their noses in, it's truly a headache!

"Regiment Commander Matsumoto, doing it this way, does it really still have meaning?"

In the dense forest, Regiment Commander Jingxiu and Regiment Commander Matsumoto sat facing each other, with a map between them.

Facing Regiment Commander Jingxiu's question, Regiment Commander Matsumoto answered firmly: "Attacking Lashio now is unrealistic; what we need to do is preserve ourselves."

"We hold our position and wait for reinforcements, pinning down the Youth Army paratroopers and Dai Anlan's 200th Division."

"Wait for our tank forces to break through Du Yuming's defensive line and come to support us!"

Regiment Commander Jingxiu sighed deeply: "This was originally a great adventure; perhaps we misjudged the situation."

"The Xia Expeditionary Force's command is sometimes muddled, sometimes wise, sometimes indecisive, sometimes radical and adventurous, greatly affecting our judgment."

"I sense that the Xia Expeditionary Force's command system must have changed!"

Regiment Commander Matsumoto closed the map and ordered someone to put it away.

"No matter what, hold firm, and there will be a turning point!"

"Colonel Excellency! The enemy has begun attacking!" A Japanese Army Lieutenant came to report.

Regiment Commander Matsumoto looked toward Regiment Commander Jingxiu: "I guard the northern front, blocking the Youth Army paratroopers."

"You guard the South Side, blocking the 200th Division; remember my words, hold firm!"

——————

Boom boom boom!

The Xia State Army's attack has arrived; everyone has made up their minds to wipe out these two reckless Japanese Army regiments.

Especially Dai Anlan's 200th Division; throughout the entire expeditionary combat, the 200th Division was a jack-of-all-trades, running here and there, performing outstandingly.

It can be said that the 200th Division did not suffer a major defeat, but instead achieved a series of victories.

However, with defeat coming like a collapsing mountain, although the 200th Division itself did not fail, the entire expeditionary combat collapsed directly.

Now that the Japanese Army's two regiments have been caught at Lashio, wiping them out would reverse the battlefield's decline; how could the soldiers not feel elated?

The officers and men of the 200th Division could not wait for their own mountain guns to arrive, so they seized the time to launch attacks on the Japanese Army positions occupying the hills and dense forests.

The Youth Army paratroopers' mortar positions had also been arranged.

Most of the mortars were Xia State-produced 82mm mortars stockpiled by the Expeditionary Force at Lashio, but the mortar shells were not ordinary.

Transport aircraft airdropped a large batch of special mortar shells to Lv Ziqing.

The mortar shells fired by the Youth Army at the Japanese Army's Matsumoto Regiment included not only high-explosive shells, but also a large number of Louis Poison Gas shells.

This kind of Louis Poison Gas shell had been used on the Xia Kingdom Battlefield for equal retaliation against Japanese Army poison gas, and its caliber was exactly suitable for the 82mm mortars commonly equipped by Xia State.

The Japanese Army advanced rapidly in Southeast Asia, naturally with the assistance of poison gas shells.

This time the Youth Army used the enemy's own methods against them, and it could be said that evil has its own "evil" to grind it!

In the early morning of Northern Burma, the mist was extremely thick.

Poison gas mixed within, like ghosts, quickly drifting toward the positions of part of the Japanese Army's Matsumoto Regiment.

The Japanese Army organizing defense fell into chaos, with screams rising and falling in the dense forest.

"Eight Serpent! The Xia people actually used special shells! This is a war crime!"

A Japanese Army Second Lieutenant covered his red, swollen eyes, roaring angrily in the poison smoke.

A Japanese Army Battalion Commander beside him put on a gas mask, his voice muffled: "Only the loser is a war criminal; hold the positions!"

The positions of the Matsumoto Regiment suffered a fierce strike.

The Youth Army used the mortar fire originally stockpiled at Lashio, coordinating with Louis Poison Gas to carry out a covering bombardment.

This caused many Japanese soldiers of the Matsumoto Regiment to complain bitterly, experiencing being bombed by poison gas shells for the first time.

At the same time, Regiment Commander Jingxiu's regiment on the southern front suffered a powerful strike from Dai Anlan's 200th Division.

Dai Anlan waited two hours, and his own mountain guns finally arrived at the frontline.

The 75mm mountain guns arrived at the designated gun positions and opened covering fire on Regiment Commander Jingxiu's positions.

Boom boom boom!

Dense shells exploded under Regiment Commander Jingxiu's feet, snapping big trees in half at the waist.

The devils could only endure as much as possible, while praying that the main force tank unit of the division would arrive quickly.

But they did not know that the reinforcements they expected were also deeply stuck in a mud pit at this moment.

Du Yuming's Fifth Army used every trick in the book to block a mechanized unit of the Fifty-sixth Division led by Division Commander Watanabe.

More than ten T26 tanks emitted a rumbling boom.

This was the Expeditionary Force's most precious Armored Corps, directly under the Fifth Army, and a strong opponent of the Japanese Army's light tanks.

Not only that, a large number of parachute clusters appeared in the sky again, with huge supply boxes hanging under the parachutes.

The Youth Army paratroopers received the airdropped supply boxes, taking out bazookas,. 50 caliber heavy machine guns,. 45 caliber submachine guns,. 30 caliber light machine guns, and matching ammunition......

These weapons and equipment were handed over to the paratroopers for concentrated use, and the paratroopers were divided into firepower groups, assigned to Du Yuming's various battalions and companies to strengthen firepower.

A reconnaissance squad sent out by the mechanized unit of the Japanese Army's 56th Division was assaulting along the road.

Their two Type 95 tanks led the way, followed by soldiers riding in armored vehicles, trucks, and bicycles.

More than fifty devils formed a column on the Burma Road, quickly rushing toward the battlefield.

However, the Fifth Army soldiers and Youth Army guarding both sides of the road had long been waiting.

"Enemy tanks spotted! Type 95 light tanks!"

"Take him out!" a Youth Army Second Lieutenant ordered.

Whoosh—hiss!

A Youth Army rocket launcher operator fired a rocket shell at the Japanese tank.

The rocket shell trailing a tail flame hit the side armor of the Japanese Army's Type 95 light tank.

The Imperial Japanese Army's Type 95 Light Tanks turned into burning iron coffins.

Immediately, machine-gun fire erupted from hidden positions everywhere, the M2 Browning Heavy Machine Guns clattering nonstop, and the. 50-caliber bullets even penetrated the Imperial Japanese Army's armored vehicles.

The Imperial Japanese Army's so-called "mechanized units" were dealt a heavy blow by the Fifth Army and the Youth Army.

Watanabe, division commander of the 56th Division, received one report after another of armored squads being ambushed, and finally recognized Du Yuming's determination to block him and his formidable combat power.

"Tell the 18th Division to converge on me as soon as possible; the enemy situation has undergone a major change!"

——————

In Kunming, inside the Joint Command, staff officers came and went, and the ticking of the radios rang nonstop.

"Du Yuming's Fifth Army has officially deployed and has already fought several small-scale battles with the Imperial Japanese Army!"

"The defensive line behind the Matsumoto Regiment at Lashio has retreated one kilometer, to this position......"

"Brigade Commander Lv Ziqing reports annihilating three hundred enemies, and the paratrooper units are advancing southward."

"Dai Anlan forced the Jingxiu Regiment to retreat two kilometers with artillery superiority, and the 200th Division is advancing northward......"

Battle reports came one after another, the staff officers speaking one sentence each, adjusting the front lines on the sand table in the command headquarters.

The survival space of the Matsumoto Regiment and the Jingxiu Regiment was further compressed, and Lv Ziqing and Dai Anlan would completely devour them in the near future.

Du Yuming directly confronted the mechanized units of the 56th Division, and the 18th Division would also join the attack targeting Du Yuming.

Lv Muzhi thought that to completely reverse the war situation in the Burma Border, a strong medicine was still needed to put more pressure on the Imperial Japanese Army!

——————

"Imperialism bullies my country, occupies my land."

"Tramples my people, extorts my wealth......"

Radios throughout the Zhongnan State broadcast the voice of Prime Minister Fan Jing.

He was declaring to all citizens of the Zhongnan State via the radio station.

"Once again, Japanese invaders are launching expeditions everywhere, countries in Southeast Asia have fallen, and only the Zhongnan State has temporarily escaped disaster."

"But the Japanese invaders are powerful; the republic will perish one day!"

"Rather than survive in humiliation, it is better to fight with all our might."

"The Zhongnan Republic will stand on the same front as the Allied Forces, striving for the freedom of our country and nation."

"I, the Prime Minister, solemnly declare: declare war on the State of Japan!"

"Declare war on the Kingdom of Italy!"

"Declare war on the Hans State!"

"Declare war on the State of France (Vichy)!"

"Declare war on the puppet Thailand......"

Fan Jing made a solemn declaration to all citizens inside the Central Broadcasting Building in Hanoi.

Sun Liren stood behind him, quietly listening to all of this.

This declaration officially indicated that the Zhongnan State voluntarily joined the Allied camp.

Fan Jing walked up to Sun Liren, and looked again at the group of local and Youth Army commanders behind Sun Liren: "Expel the British, strike the Japanese, unify the Indochina Peninsula—it all depends on you!"

"I want the foreigners dead!"