Chapter 529: Republic of China: Starting from Whampoa Class One Chapter 539 The Dragging British, I'll Move First!

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

Seeing Lv Muzhi actually be this unyielding, Mountbatten didn't know what to say for a moment.

He originally wanted to knock the Xia Guo people's prestige down a peg, but Lv Muzhi instead proposed having Mountbatten take the British Army back to India.

This was absolutely unacceptable to Mountbatten; Burma was a British colony, and this war had to have British participation.

Otherwise, the Unity Party and the Xia Guo people might pull off a change of dynasty in the Burma colony.

"On what grounds do you say this, cancel the Great British Empire's combat qualifications? I don't accept!" Mountbatten's neck flushed red with anger.

Lv Muzhi let out a cold snort and asked, "So you're saying the British Army is going to participate in the Burma counteroffensive?"

Mountbatten replied loudly, "Of course! The British Army is going to Burma to recover lost territory!"

"Good!" Lv Muzhi spoke:

"As Supreme Commander of the China-Burma Theater, I have the qualifications to command the British Army coming from India."

"I don't require the British Army to play any major role, only one condition: reach the battlefield and fight at the fastest speed, don't casually cause trouble for me."

"Otherwise, I won't have the leisure to rescue you."

Mountbatten was furious; this was implying the British Army would be beaten into a rout by the Japanese Army again like before?

Seeing Mountbatten somewhat unable to get off the stage, Chief of Staff Stilwell hurriedly smoothed things over: "Alright, alright..."

"Commander Lu is just giving the British Army a piece of advice; Xia Guo has a saying: good medicine tastes bitter."

"Though it sounds unpleasant, if you think about it carefully it's still useful."

Put this way, Mountbatten felt even worse; wasn't this indirectly admitting Lv Muzhi was right!

Du Yuming, Dai Anlan and the others sat in their seats, chests puffed out, chins raised, eyes narrowed as they watched Mountbatten's embarrassed state.

While the China-Burma Theater Command was verbally torturing the British Army here, the Japanese Fifteenth Army Command in Mandalay had already blown its top.

Fifteenth Army Commander Iida Shojiro summoned his three division commanders, who were respectively:

Thirty-Third Division Commander Araki Shinji;

Fifty-Fifth Division Commander Takeuchi Hiroshi;

Fifty-Sixth Division Commander Kanetsune Tsudaguchi.

"The enemy is advancing on Mandalay via three routes — Western, Central, and Eastern — and we happen to have three divisions. I think we still have a chance to disintegrate the enemy's offensive!" Commander Iida Shojiro analyzed:

"Judging from force distribution, the Dong Lu Army has the strongest strength, possessing two elite army-level units: Du Yuming's Fifth Army and Xie Jinyuan's Sixth Youth Army."

"Moreover, the Dong Lu Army is closest to Mandalay, straight-line distance only 200 kilometers; they will launch the attack on Mandalay first, and this enemy force needs priority handling."

"The Center Army is the Xia Guo Central Army's Sixth Army, a general-purpose unit; they are farther from Mandalay, and their handling priority is below the Dong Lu Army."

"The Western Route Army is the three divisions of the British Army stationed in India; they depart from India, are farthest from us, and must traverse jungles and rivers en route; they will be the latest to arrive at the battlefield."

"Western Route Army combat power assessment... based on our previous experience fighting the British Army, the Western Route Army's combat power is not strong, plus they have to march long distance; against the British Army on the Western Route we can commit the least resources, and try to put limited support into dealing with the Dong Lu Army."

After Commander Iida Shojiro finished speaking, the three division commanders looked at each other and nodded repeatedly.

"Du Yuming's Fifth Army and Xie Jinyuan's Sixth Youth Army on the Dong Lu have considerably formidable combat power."

"In my view, even if we commit all three divisions to the Dong Lu, it might still be enough to secure victory..." Thirty-Third Division Commander Lieutenant General Araki said pessimistically.

Ordinarily, spreading such pessimistic talk inside the Japanese Army would absolutely draw universal condemnation.

But Lieutenant General Araki expressed his view based on reality; with this stark reality laid bare before them, the Japanese Army had no capital for blind confidence.

Lieutenant General Iida Shojiro was also a clever housewife who can't cook without rice.

Three divisions in Burma, three divisions in Thailand — on the Indochina Peninsula the Japanese Army had concentrated a total of six divisions; it was very difficult for the Japanese Army to pull out sufficient troops for reinforcement.

"I have an idea." Iida Shojiro said; he had a bold plan in his mind.

"Whether from troop strength or firepower, we have no obvious advantage."

"Based on my many years of war experience, I think we should fight a mobile war with the enemy, using our maneuverability to defeat them piecemeal."

The three division commanders below all looked at Iida Shojiro; they knew their commander was taking a desperate gamble — not taking a risky move meant this war couldn't be won.

"Because the enemy's three forces depart from three locations, the Dong Lu Army will be the first to make contact with us, followed by the Center Army, and finally the Western Route Army."

"There will be two time gaps between the three route armies' arrival at the battlefield."

"If we utilize the time gaps properly, shortly after war breaks out we will concentrate all our strength, broadly employ infiltration tactics, first deal a heavy blow to the Dong Lu Army, forcing the Dong Lu Army's strong enemy to turn back."

"After gaining the advantage on the Dong Lu, we then turn back to deal with the relatively weaker Center Army and Western Route Army, thereby winning this war's victory."

Iida Shojiro's idea was very bold; fighting this battle down, even if the Japanese Army disintegrated the Allied Forces' offensive, their strength would certainly be greatly reduced, and in the not-too-distant future they would still inevitably head toward destruction.

Fifty-Fifth Division Commander Takeuchi Hiroshi raised an objection: "What if the three enemy forces control their speed, arrive at Mandalay simultaneously, and simultaneously attack Mandalay?"

Iida Shojiro shook his head: "Shouldn't happen!"

"The reason is simple: the opposing commander is Lv Muzhi, and the Dong Lu Army is already strong enough; I believe he can't wait any longer."

"Also, his enemy isn't just our Imperial Army; even the British Army is Lv Muzhi's hidden enemy."

"Lv Muzhi treats this war as a banquet; he's unwilling to wait for the British to arrive before picking up his chopsticks; given his intricate connections with the Unity Party, he will absolutely pick up his chopsticks first."

"I judge that Lv Muzhi will employ the Dong Lu Army first, gain the advantage, and before the British arrive, continuously expand the Youth Army and Unity Party's power in Burma."

"Lv Muzhi not only wants to drive us out, he also wants to drive the British out."

"We must seize the contradiction between Lv Muzhi and the British, exploit Lv Muzhi's psychology of wanting to be first, and first crush the strongest Dong Lu Army!"

Fifty-Sixth Division Commander Kanetsune Tsudaguchi nodded; he stood up, pointed at the map and said: "We have set up two defensive lines at Meimiu and Naukhau east of Mandalay, of which the Naukhau Defense Line is the most solid, serving as a barrier against the Dong Lu Army while simultaneously drawing the Dong Lu Army's main force."

"On this basis, it's still the old method: dispatch troops to boldly infiltrate!"

"Departing from Tangji, raid the Dong Lu Army's flank, at the fastest speed deal a heavy blow to the Dong Lu Army, forcing them to retreat back to Lashio."

Iida Shojiro was very satisfied; this was exactly his plan.

"Not only that, send out the Army Aviation Unit again to bomb the roads and bridges leading to Mandalay for the Western Route Army and the Center Army, delaying their speed of arrival at Mandalay."

"Force Lv Muzhi to engage us first through the Dong Lu Army!"

Division Commander Araki Shinji exhaled through his nose: "After repelling the enemy? We will certainly suffer severe damage; what do we do after that?"

Commander Iida Shojiro did not reprimand Division Commander Araki Shinji's pessimistic tone; he sometimes thought that perhaps this war was wrong from the very beginning, one mistake after another, errors accumulating three or five times over, leading to today's irretrievable situation.

——————

Boom boom boom!!!

The next day, Iida Shojiro dispatched all Army Aviation Units on hand, fully loaded with bombs, to set off.

The Japanese Army Aviation Units were executing the task of cutting off enemy transportation lines; they used planes to blow up the bridges the Western Route British Army used to cross the river, and bombed the Center Sixth Army's roads into potholes.

Everything done was to slow the marching speed of the Western and Central Routes, making them arrive at Mandalay later, so the devils could concentrate forces to deal with the powerful enemy on the Dong Lu.

Lv Muzhi, in the command post, received complaints from the British Army side.

"Mountbatten flew back yesterday; today he sent a telegram claiming his transportation lines were bombed by the Japanese Army, estimating arrival at the battlefield half a month later than originally planned; he requests postponing the general offensive on Mandalay plan!" Chief of Staff Smith reported.

At these words, Du Yuming clicked his tongue and kept shaking his head.

Xie Jinyuan was also quite helpless, leaning back in his chair looking at the ceiling.

Lv Muzhi observed his subordinates' expressions and said to Smith: "One drum raises morale, the second flags, the third exhausts."

"It was agreed long ago to fight; we cannot keep postponing."

"The British's actions are completely unpredictable to me; I fear even after another month they still won't make it to the battlefield."

"Since the British cannot arrive on time, and to avoid being led by the nose by the British, the Dong Lu Army — with Du Yuming's Fifth Army and Xie Jinyuan's Sixth Youth Army as the main force — will launch the Battle of Mandalay first!"

Stilwell thought for a moment and said: "Good; Thailand has already started fighting, we cannot fall behind here, we must launch an offensive."

"The progress of the China-Burma Theater war cannot be delayed because of the British's lateness; I agree to the Dong Lu Army launching the battle first!"

"I agree!"

"I agree too!" Du Yuming and Xie Jinyuan successively stated their positions.

Lv Muzhi summoned the Communications Staff Officer: "Tell the Center Army's Sixth Army that I'm assigning them air support; the British are dragging their feet and I can't control that, but if the Sixth Army dares to be late, I'll behead its Army Commander!"

Stilwell was startled, then said with a smile: "The Sixth Army is the old man's Central Army; if you behead its Army Commander, the old man will go frantic."

Lv Muzhi waved his hand: "Delaying the fighter opportunity, behead without hesitation; the old man can't interfere either!"

After that, Lv Muzhi ordered an artillery strike on Naukhau, Mandalay's first barrier, with the Dong Lu Army launching the attack first.

Forty 105mm howitzers roared in unison.

107mm rocket artillery opened full fire; dense tail flames left trails of white smoke in the air.

Even mountain guns and infantry guns launched a combined strike against the Japanese Army's Naukhau positions.

Shells and rocket shells fell into the Japanese Army's Naukhau positions at an astonishing speed, almost merging into a sea of fire.

The Japanese Army's Naukhau positions consisted of a narrow, elongated hill, also the first lock the Japanese Army placed at Mandalay's East Gate, defended by the 33rd Division.

The Japanese Army's 33rd Division had already operated here for over three months.

In those three months, Division Commander Lieutenant General Araki Shinji not only constructed complex trench fortifications at the mountain foot, but also mobilized engineers and tens of thousands of Burmese laborers, hollowing out almost the entire mountain body.

Inside the mountain, crisscrossing tunnels connected countless concealed embrasures and ammunition depots.

This was no longer a simple position, but a massive mountain fortress lying across the Allied Forces' front.

The artillery cover had already lasted half an hour; sparks from shells bursting were everywhere on Naukhau's summit and foot, charred soil and snapped trees rolling wildly.

After the artillery strike ended, Lv Muzhi ordered Du Yuming's Fifth Army and Xie Jinyuan's Sixth Youth Army to each send out a division, attacking the Japanese Army's Naukhau positions from left and right.

Two elite troops, one left one right, like two iron pincers, clamped hard toward the Naukhau positions.

The offensive surged like a tide; soldiers gripped rifles with bayonets fixed, charging toward the mountain foot under cover of smoke and tanks.

At this moment, deep inside the Naukhau mountain body, the Japanese Army 33rd Division command post.

Division Commander Lieutenant General Araki Shinji felt the mountain body trembling from Lv Muzhi's fierce artillery fire.

"The Chinese people's artillery fire is fierce; fortunately we have this hollowed-out mountain body as cover."

"Since they've started charging, I order everyone to withdraw from the mountain foot positions."

"All hands retreat into the caves; use heavy firepower to blockade!"

Following his order, the surviving Japanese troops withdrew from the mountain foot positions one after another, entering the mountain interior through various caves to defend.

On the right wing of the Japanese Army's Naukhau defense line, a battalion of the 200th Division had already charged to the Japanese Army's mountain foot positions.

However, the trenches held nothing but shattered ammunition boxes and some corpses mangled into blood and flesh by artillery fire — not a soul in sight.

On the left wing of the Naukhau defense line, a battalion of the Youth 13th Division also smoothly captured the Japanese Army's mountain foot positions.

Only now did the Japanese Army begin to counterattack; the quiet Naukhau mountain body suddenly came alive.

Countless concealed camouflaged cave mouths spat out scorching tongues of fire.

The Type 92 Heavy Machine Guns, Type 97 Light Machine Guns, and Type 100 Submachine Guns deployed by the Japanese Army exerted full firepower.

Dense bullet rain poured down, instantly pinning the 200th Division battalion that had just charged onto the positions inside the trenches.

The freshly captured positions couldn't be held at all; the Japanese Army's strategy was to hide in the hollowed mountain body, use firepower to draw the main force, then dispatch troops to outflank from the wings and annihilate the Dong Lu Army in one stroke.

Inside this hollowed mountain body, 33rd Division Commander Araki Shinji had even stuffed tanks into the caves.

Several Japanese Army Type 97 Medium Tanks slowly emerged from cave mouths, tank cannon barrels extending outside the caves.

These tanks did not charge out; instead they halted right at the cave mouths, serving as fixed firepower points.

Tank cannons fired at Dong Lu Army soldiers on the slope; every shell exploding took several soldiers' lives.

The 200th Division's Assault Battalion was caught completely off guard; the attack rhythm was instantly severed.

The Youth 13th Division's Assault Battalion fared equally badly; helpless, all troops immediately withdrew from the just-captured Japanese positions.

Du Yuming and Xie Jinyuan immediately reported the situation to Lv Muzhi.

"Since the Japanese Army has hollowed out the mountain, you must fully leverage your equipment advantage, choose assault and penetration tactics, coordinate with a frontal strong attack, and advance step by step."

"Furthermore, the Japanese Army likes flank maneuvers; I don't even need to think to know they will dispatch troops to outflank from the Tangji direction."

"Xie Jinyuan, you immediately dispatch a division's troops to outflank toward the Tangji direction."

"After capturing Tangji with a division's strength, continue southbound, cut off the Mandalay Japanese Army's retreat route!"

Xie Jinyuan nodded: "Good! The Japanese Army outflanks, I also outflank!"

"I dispatch the elite Youth Thirteenth Division to outflank toward the Tangji direction; on the road we will definitely encounter the Japanese Army troops outflanking over, give them a resounding blow first!"

Lv Muzhi looked at Du Yuming: "You and Xie Jinyuan draw suicide squads from your own troops, I will assign you heavy firepower; at dawn, the suicide squads will assault into the caves, stir up the Japanese Army's innards for me!"

——————

In the night, Du Yuming and Xie Jinyuan selected elite soldiers from their respective troops, forming an elite suicide squad of over eight hundred men.

Over seventy percent of the suicide squad soldiers were equipped with submachine guns, mainly Sten submachine guns, M3 submachine guns, and Thompson submachine guns, some even holding shotguns.

There were also not few combat engineers, carrying flamethrowers filled with fuel on their backs.

At dawn, this suicide squad will receive fire support.

Ten Sherman medium tanks and ten T26 light tanks will escort the suicide squad members, breach a cave entrance of the Nauku Defense Line, and send the eight hundred plus suicide squad members into the mountain body!