Chapter 520

·

·

·

Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

When the 36th Division's reinforcements arrived at the Fifth Army's defensive line, they found the Japanese launching a fierce offensive.

Du Yuming's Fifth Army was defending the key transportation route to Lashio.

If the Japanese wanted to go to Lashio, or even enter Southwest Xia Guo, they mainly relied on the Burma Road for maneuvering.

The small town of Xibo on this Burma Road was extremely important; it was a necessary route for the Japanese, and was now being heavily defended by Du Yuming.

Xia Guo's reinforcements were continuously rushing from the domestic interior; as long as the Expeditionary Force could hold its ground within Burma, the Japanese could not achieve a complete victory in Burma.

The Japanese had to guard against both the Xia Expeditionary Force within Burma and the Zhongnan State National Defense Army and Youth Expeditionary Army within Zhongnan State.

As long as this situation was maintained, the Japanese would be in a very passive position.

The Japanese now wanted to first crush the Xia Expeditionary Force within Burma, so they dispatched mechanized units from the 18th Division and the 56th Division to attack in turns.

Du Yuming did not submit; relying on paratroopers and weapon aid airdropped by Lv Muzhi, he launched a tenacious resistance against the invading Japanese.

"Positions everywhere are under fierce attack by the Japanese; the enemy has launched a combined infantry-artillery-tank offensive!"

A staff officer reported this emergency situation urgently to Du Yuming.

Du Yuming looked at the map: "Send the Armored Corps up; have the reinforcements of the 36th Division already gotten into position?"

The staff officer nodded: "Yes! The 36th Division reinforcements dispatched by Song Official have already reached over five thousand men, and are standing by!"

Du Yuming became even more confident: "Reinforce the support toward Xibo with the reinforcements; we must hold on, our reinforcements will keep increasing."

"The Japanese will soon realize that because of our existence, they will be unable to achieve victory in Burma!"

At the Xibo position of the Fifth Army, three regiments of the Fifth Army's New 22nd Division were dispersed and garrisoned; two regiments each defended the left and right wings, and one regiment served as the reserve.

The New 22nd Division was not fighting alone; they had the Armored Corps and Artillery Regiment main force directly under the Fifth Army headquarters cooperating in combat.

Du Yuming's Fifth Army was the best-equipped army in Xia Guo's Central Army; the Fifth Army's Armored Corps mainly consisted of over eighty T26 Light Tanks provided by the Soviet Union a few years ago.

However, considering the terrain, and that such precious equipment also needed to be kept domestically to deal with the Japanese, the number of T26 tanks brought to Burma for combat was limited, mostly being armored vehicles.

The Fifth Army's Artillery Regiment was equipped with 36 mountain guns and field guns of various models with 75mm caliber.

Before entering Burma for combat, the old man even transferred one battalion each from the Tenth and Eighteenth Regiments of the Central Direct Artillery Regiment to strengthen Du Yuming's Fifth Army.

With such powerful firepower equipment, the old man was preparing for the Expeditionary Force to launch a major decisive battle in Burma.

However, the British collapsed at the first blow, with improper coordination among various units; before the decisive battle was fought, these firepower had not yet played much role before the Expeditionary Force was almost outflanked by the Japanese.

It can be said that if the old man lost the Fifth Army, the Central Army's combat power would be greatly reduced; this was also an important reason why he actively requested Lv Muzhi to lend a hand.

Besides these powerful artillery and tank units, about one thousand Youth Army paratroopers received heavy firepower airdropped by Lv Muzhi, cooperating with the New 22nd Division to resist the attack of the Japanese 18th Division at Xibo.

The combat power of the Japanese 18th Division was also very strong.

The 18th Division was now one of the few four-unit divisions of the Japanese, possessing four infantry groups.

In terms of artillery, there were also three heavy artillery groups and one mountain artillery group assisting in combat, equipped with dozens of 150mm howitzers, such powerful artillery pieces.

In terms of tanks, it possessed two tank groups, totaling over one hundred tanks.

Such powerful firepower was the confidence with which General Terauchi Hisaichi demanded that the Burma war be resolved within five days.

Terauchi Hisaichi could hardly wait; he wanted to quickly deploy these powerful weapons into combat against Zhongnan State.

In Mandalay, a key town in Burma, Commander Iida Shojiro of the 15th Army issued a death order to Division Commander Kumada of the 18th Division: "Move fast, move ruthless!"

"General Terauchi demands that the Burma war be settled within five days; are you confident?"

Division Commander Kumada puffed out his chest: "Hai! I guarantee to crush Du Yuming's Fifth Army in three days, capture Lashio in four days, advance to Xia Guo's southwestern border in five days, and completely pacify Burma!"

Commander Iida Shojiro was very satisfied with this answer: "Very good! Lieutenant General Yamashita Tomonobu defeated the British and earned the title of Malayan Tiger."

"In my opinion, Du Yuming's Fifth Army is still harder to deal with."

"Defeat the Fifth Army, and you will be the Dragon of Burma!"

Although Division Commander Kumada was in the rear at Mandalay, the attacks on the frontline had long been arranged.

The Japanese 150mm heavy guns launched a fierce strike against the position of the 64th Regiment of the New 22nd Division at Xibo.

Boom—

The earth trembled, and the jungle outside Xibo Town seemed to be experiencing a world-ending earthquake.

The 150mm heavy howitzer groups of the Japanese 18th Division were roaring madly; heavy guns of this caliber were simply a destructive existence on the Burma Front.

Every shell that fell could snap a tree as thick as a bowl's mouth at the waist, and charred soil was thrown high into the air.

The position of the 64th Regiment was almost completely submerged by firelight, with thick smoke billowing.

The Expeditionary Force soldiers huddled in the anti-artillery caves, feeling the violent vibrations transmitted from the ground.

Soil kept falling from above their heads; everyone tightly gripped their rifles, letting fine dirt slide down their collars into their clothing.

Du Yuming stood on a highland in the rear, holding binoculars, his expression somewhat grim.

His field of vision was full of flying earth and smoke and dust; beside his ears were the booming and vibrations caused by the Japanese heavy guns.

"So many guns... Iida Shojiro has probably moved all the old bottom of the 15th Army here." Du Yuming sighed softly.

With Du Yuming's artillery strength, a bombardment of this scale simply could not be effectively countered.

The Fifth Army's artillery power was unrivaled in the Central Army, but paled in comparison before the Japanese heavy guns.

Du Yuming understood very well that limited firepower could only be used when the Japanese launched a charge.

"Connect me to the 64th Regiment!" Du Yuming shouted to his staff officer without turning back.

After the phone connected, chaotic noise and violent explosion sounds came from inside.

"Liu Jianzhang? This is Du Yuming!"

"Commander! I'm here!" On the other end of the phone, Liu Jianzhang, commander of the Sixty-Fourth Regiment, sounded somewhat hoarse.

Du Yuming asked, "How is the situation on your end? Can you hold out?"

Liu Jianzhang was stunned for a moment: "The devils' artillery fire is fierce, and our troops have suffered casualties, but please rest assured, Commander, the brothers of the Sixty-Fourth Regiment can hold out!"

Du Yuming gripped the phone receiver tightly: "Good! Listen clearly to me, the troops must not fall into disorder, hide all your firepower points!"

"You must hold your ground. When the Japanese army attacks, I will use artillery to support you! Reinforcements from the Thirty-Sixth Division will arrive soon!"

"Yes! I guarantee the completion of the mission!" Liu Jianzhang's answer was decisive.

Hanging up the phone, Liu Jianzhang wiped the loose soil from his face and looked toward a Youth Army paratrooper lieutenant colonel beside him.

Inside the Sixty-Fourth Regiment Headquarters, the two men looked at each other.

The Japanese artillery fire was too fierce, and many wounded had already been brought back from the frontline.

Regiment Commander Liu Jianzhang spoke first: "No matter how fierce the Japanese artillery fire is, many of us can still survive!"

"What I worry about most is the tank force of the Eighteenth Division. If the Japanese tanks break through the defensive line and we reach the point of bayonet fighting, the situation will be troublesome."

The Youth Army paratrooper lieutenant colonel thought for a moment and analyzed: "Here there are hills and forests everywhere, and there is only one main road. All passages are under our control."

"Although the devils have many tanks, they cannot deploy their formations at all. Unlike in plain regions, their tanks cannot exert their full power."

"Restricted by the terrain, their attack front is only so wide. The number of infantry and tanks attacking each time is limited."

"You have anti-tank guns in your hands, and we have bazookas and machine guns in ours."

"Who will win the deer is still unknown!"

At this time, the roar of the Japanese artillery gradually subsided.

Liu Jianzhang quickly picked up his binoculars and pressed them against the observation port to look forward.

Only to see on the horizon in the distance, Japanese tanks and armored vehicles were slowly emerging, about a dozen or so.

A large number of Japanese soldiers wearing khaki uniforms, bending their waists and carrying guns, followed behind the tanks.

Liu Jianzhang lowered his voice and issued the pre-battle directive: "Pass the order down, all personnel enter combat positions! No one is allowed to open fire, wait for my signal!"

The order was issued, and a series of heavy weapons were pushed out from the anti-artillery caves in various places and placed in predetermined positions.

——————

At the same time, inside the command headquarters of Kohisa's Regiment of the Japanese Eighteenth Division.

Colonel Kohisa was holding binoculars to observe the front, with an arrogant expression.

"Under the heavy artillery of our Imperial Army, the positions of the Xia Expeditionary Force have already become ruins."

"My First Battalion, with the help of tanks, will soon be able to break through the enemy's positions!"

In his view, the positions opposite had already collapsed, and breaking through this defensive line was only a matter of time.

He had even begun to fantasize: "Breaking through the defensive line in front of us, we will rush to Lashio to rescue Matsumoto's two regiments and Jingxiu's regiment."

"After that, the Eighteenth Division will advance north along the Burma Road, kill into the southwest region of Xia Guo, and occupy Kunming in one month."

Colonel Kohisa laughed loudly to the adjutant beside him, and the adjutant also laughed and nodded.

The Japanese attack column ahead.

The Type 97 Medium Tank spat out black smoke, and the roar of the engine grew louder and louder.

Boom—a loud bang.

The lead Type 97 Medium Tank seemed to have been struck by a giant's hammer.

The entire turret tilted, followed by an internal ammunition explosion, and a black-red fireball directly flipped open the top hatch; the tank was knocked out instantly.

"Open fire!"

In an instant, the originally silent positions of the Sixty-Fourth Regiment opened fire with full force.

Countless tongues of flame, as if resurrected from the dead, grew out of the ruins-like positions.

Bullets spewed out, forming an impenetrable curtain of fire.

"Contact the Artillery Position! Coordinates Zone Three, request firepower strike! The devils are attacking!"

Liu Jianzhang grabbed the phone and shouted into the mouthpiece.

The concealed Artillery Position far in the rear received the order.

Mountain guns and field guns roared simultaneously, and the whistling of shells tearing through the Long Sky echoed through the valley.

Shells fell among the Japanese skirmish line and tank columns attacking.

Every shell that exploded could clear Japanese infantry in an area, with severed arms and limbs flying everywhere.

On the position of the Sixty-Fourth Regiment, a Xia Expeditionary Force anti-tank gunner was sweating profusely, skillfully operating a thirty-seven millimeter anti-tank gun.

A Japanese Type 95 Light Tank was advancing, but was hit head-on by a shell.

This Japanese light tank with extremely poor protection was practically made of paper in front of the anti-tank gun.

Like chopsticks poking tofu, it directly penetrated the entire vehicle body.

Although the shell passed through, it still caused injuries to the Japanese tank crew.

Miserable screams came from inside the Type 95 Light Tank; the chest of the Japanese tank crew member was blown open by the shell of the anti-tank gun, his viscera exposed, the scene extremely bloody......

On the position, Youth Army paratroopers operated heavy firepower weapons.

Thanks to Lv Muzhi's earlier no-cost airdrops, the bazookas here had almost been distributed to infantry squads.

Soldiers in the trenches could see a green rocket launcher every two steps.

Crate after crate of olive-green rocket shells were carried out from the anti-artillery caves and quickly transported and distributed by logistics soldiers in the crisscrossing trenches.

Whoosh—hiss!

A Youth Army soldier poked half his body out from a concealed trench, aimed at a Japanese Type 97 Medium Tank, and a white smoke spurted from the bazooka on his shoulder.

The rocket shell trailed a long tail flame, its trajectory wavering up and down, and it passed by the Japanese tank without hitting.

The tank commander of the Type 97 Medium Tank saw that the Youth Army's bazooka had missed him and sneered.

"Hmph! A measly rocket launcher can hurt me?"

"Speed up, assault! Assault!"

"Too far away and they can't hit us; too close, and as long as they dare show their heads, we'll wipe them out with machine guns and tank cannons!"

Hardly had the words fallen when another rocket shell flew in from the distance.

"Huh? There's still more!"

But it was another near miss, and the Imperial Japanese Army Type 97 Medium Tank suffered no damage.

Clearly, the Bazooka's accuracy was poor at long range, making it hard to hit anything beyond a hundred meters.

The Imperial Japanese Army tank commander scoffed at this: "This thing isn't as good as our Spike Mine! Full speed ahead, machine gun suppression!"

But the Type 97 Medium Tank had barely moved forward for a few seconds when, in the tank commander's pupils, seven or eight points of light suddenly lit up!

In an instant, seven or eight rocket launchers were actually aimed at this Imperial Japanese Army Type 97 Medium Tank at the very front, and they fired!

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Several rocket shells were fired in a salvo from the rocket launchers.

"Nani?!"

The Imperial Japanese Army tank commander was startled; they were actually using firepower density to make up for accuracy—were these rocket shells free?!

The rocket shells' trajectories were curved and winding, many missing the target, but two rocket shells still accurately hit the Imperial Japanese Army's Type 97 Medium Tank.

Boom!

"Ah~" the Imperial Japanese Army tank commander screamed.

The violent explosion directly turned this tank weighing several tons and its internal members into a ball of flame.

At the same time, the M1919A4 Light Machine Gun and the M2 Browning Heavy Machine Gun formed crossfire.

The M2 Browning Heavy Machine Gun's. 50 caliber powerful bullets swept wildly, and the Imperial Japanese Army infantry charging had nowhere to hide at all.

Dense bullets hitting human bodies directly brought up large patches of blood mist and minced flesh, and the Imperial Japanese Army's limbs flew through the air.

Several Imperial Japanese Army armored vehicles tried to cover the infantry but were hit consecutively by the M2 Heavy Machine Gun.

Thin armor was pierced in strings by powerful bullets, and the devils inside were turned into sieves.

Kohisa Regiment Commander watched from behind with eyes about to split.

He found that, constrained by the rugged hill terrain, his tanks could not use their mobility to outflank, but were more like lining up to send heads.

Most importantly, the enemy's firepower was far stronger than imagined, especially that kind of individual-carried anti-tank firepower, simply the nemesis of Japanese tanks.

Not to mention the weak protection of Imperial Japanese Army tanks; as an armored unit, Imperial Japanese Army tanks simply could not cover the infantry.

The infantry charged under the cover of tanks, but as a result, the tanks were turned into burning coffins, instead becoming a burden to the infantry.

Seeing that a battalion's strength had already lost more than half, Kohisa's heart was dripping blood.

If they continued fighting, his regiment would probably be finished in this nameless hill.

"Retreat! Retreat immediately!"

Kohisa gritted his teeth and issued this retreat order that made him feel a great shame.

On the position of the Sixty-Fourth Regiment, the soldiers saw the Imperial Japanese Army infantry retreating and immediately began organizing the transport of the wounded.

The soldiers organized heavy weapons, retained necessary firepower for vigilance, and stored surplus firepower in anti-artillery caves, in case Imperial Japanese Army heavy artillery bombardment damaged the heavy weapons.

The vanguard troops of the Thirty-Sixth Division entered the Sixty-Fourth Regiment's position to provide support at this time, only to find that the Imperial Japanese Army had already been temporarily repelled.

Although the reinforcements were temporarily not used, at least the Xia Expeditionary Force's frontline strength was constantly increasing, which would make the Imperial Japanese Army more fearful when attacking.

At this time, inside the Kunming Command Headquarters, Du Yuming's battle report arrived.

General Stilwell, seeing that Du Yuming had truly blocked the Imperial Japanese Army's attack, was overjoyed.

"Great! I said Xia Guo's troops deserve better equipment, and this view will not change."

"Expelling the Imperial Japanese Army from Burma cannot be done without Xia Guo's help! Governor Smith, what do you say?"

Governor Smith, hearing General Stilwell's question, after several months of fighting, had already seen the fighting power of the Xia Guo people.

If Burma could be retaken from the Imperial Japanese Army, that would naturally be excellent.

As for whether Xia Guo's troops would expand their influence in Burma? After thinking it over, it was still much better than Burma being completely occupied by the Japanese!

"I agree. In the coming days, we should maintain communication."

"By then, British troops will sortie from India, Xia Guo troops will sortie from Lashio and Yunnan, and Zhongnan State can also coordinate an attack; the Japanese's doom is not far off!"

Lv Muzhi looked at Du Yuming's battle report and nodded with satisfaction: "General Stilwell, I said before that we lack sufficient air support, and I hope to further strengthen our air power."

General Stilwell asked: "Are you not too satisfied with the one hundred P40 Fighter Planes we provided before?"

Lv Muzhi spoke frankly: "Your P40 Fighter Planes cannot form an advantage against the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force's Type 1 Fighter Planes, and are sometimes even at a disadvantage."

"And although my BF109 Fighter Planes have decent performance, their range is too short; they can't fly far."

"As the battlefield expands more and more, my BF109 Fighter Planes can gradually only undertake some defense missions and find it hard to handle attack missions."

"You know, the Imperial Japanese Army on the Indochina Peninsula has several hundred planes."

"So far, we do not have the capacity to launch a deep area offensive, precisely because we lack sufficient air cover."

General Stilwell was somewhat embarrassed: "We have a large stock of P40 Fighter Planes; it's a pity you don't think highly of them. As for other fighter planes..."

Before General Stilwell could finish, the old man spoke: "What... he doesn't think highly of them, but I do!"

General Stilwell glanced at the old man and continued answering Lv Muzhi's question: "The P51 Mustang Fighter is being tested on the European battlefield; many problems have been found, and it is being improved..."

Lv Muzhi directly asked: "As far as I know, the P47D Fighter began mass production in February this year, with several thousand in number!"

"If we are to accelerate the demise of the Imperial Japanese Army Southern Army, I must have more advanced fighter planes to assist in battle."

General Stilwell was stunned: "General Lu, your news is truly well-informed!"

The old man licked his lips, thinking in his heart: Those who see it get a share; Wei Yue surely can't swallow it all alone, can he?