Chapter 531: Republic of China: Starting from the First Class of Whampoa Chapter 541 The Campaign Is About to End, and the British Ar

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

On both sides of the jungle road leading to Tangji, dense canopies blotted out the sky.

The Youth 13th Division's units advanced southward in marching formation, with the reconnaissance detachment's half-track armored vehicles leading the way, towing a 75mm infantry gun at the rear.

Soldiers of the vanguard platoon held Garand rifles, stepping on the soft humus soil on both sides of the road, their eyes fixed on the depths of the dense forest.

"Stop!"

The platoon leader raised his hand in a fist, and the entire platoon squatted down instantly, muzzles pointing toward their respective alert directions.

The Japanese 56th Division's attempt to outflank had long been discovered, and other units of the Youth 13th Division had already exchanged fire with the Japanese army.

Therefore, both the Youth Army and the Japanese army were extremely vigilant, with ambushes and counter-ambushes, encirclements and counter-encirclements unfolding everywhere.

A search detachment of the Japanese 56th Division also passed through this place.

The vanguards of both sides discovered their opponents almost simultaneously.

Tat-tat-tat!

The Japanese light machine gun opened fire, bullets striking tree trunks and splintering wood chips.

The Youth Army's vanguard platoon quickly dispersed to both sides, and Garand rifles began to return fire.

Semi-automatic fire swept over, and the Japanese machine gunners immediately shrank behind tree roots.

The 60mm mortar team set up their mortar in the rear, with the observer extending his thumb to estimate distance.

The Japanese Type 97 mortar also launched an attack, shells falling one after another on both sides of the road.

Gravel and dirt flew, clanging against the armored vehicle's hull......

Battles like this unfolded everywhere across the vast jungles and roads west of Mandalay and north of Tangji.

Two outflanking detachments of the Youth Army and the Japanese army collided, destined to fight to the bitter end.

Xie Jinyuan was in the rear command headquarters, with maps covered in dense markings before him, staff officers making numerous marks on them.

"Large numbers of encounter battles are occurring in the jungle; Watanabe's 56th Division seems unwilling to give up until they hit the Yellow River, wanting to fight us to the death," Xie Jinyuan analyzed.

His Chief of Staff interjected: "The Japanese army has no other choice in this battle; unless they surrender, they can only fight desperately."

"Besides the Youth 13th Division fighting the Japanese 56th Division in the jungle, we still have the Youth 15th Division that has not been committed."

"I think we can commit all our troops to form an overwhelming superiority against the 56th Division."

Xie Jinyuan nodded, turning to ask: "Have the Unity Party Guerrillas arrived?"

A staff officer answered: "Their representative is already waiting outside the command headquarters."

Xie Jinyuan raised his head: "Let them in."

Entering was Ge Danwei, representative of the local Unity Party Guerrillas, followed by two guerrillas carrying captured Type 38 rifles.

Ge Danwei walked into the command headquarters without ceremony: "The Unity Party Guerrillas have come to assist in battle!"

Xie Jinyuan had long prepared to cooperate with the Unity Party Guerrillas, and therefore specially assigned a local translator.

Xie Jinyuan conveyed his demands to each unit, while the translator translated.

Ge Danwei nodded: "Commander Xie, our guerrillas are very familiar with this area."

"There are many abandoned logging roads in the jungle that even the Japanese don't know about; we can serve as guides to help you eliminate the Japanese army."

Xie Jinyuan's eyes narrowed: "Can you get behind them?"

"Yes, we came through the Japanese army's sphere of influence."

Xie Jinyuan glanced at the Chief of Staff, who had already picked up the telephone.

"Connect to the Youth 15th Division headquarters."

"Immediately connect with the Unity Party Guerrillas' guides, conduct penetrating outflanking against the 56th Division's defensive line, and help the Youth 13th Division break through the 56th Division's defensive line as soon as possible!"

Ge Danwei nodded and turned to arrange manpower.

Less than half an hour after the order was issued, the vanguard units of the Youth 15th Division moved out.

T26 and T Light Tanks drove out one after another, with infantry following the guerrillas' pace, infiltrating southward along the logging roads.

At the same time, the Youth 13th Division facing the Japanese front began to exert force.

Three Sherman Tanks lined up abreast, directly crushing into the dense forest on the eastern side of the road.

The crackling of bowl-thick trees being snapped never ceased, as the 75mm main guns targeted Japanese firepower points in the jungle, one shot per target.

Infantry following behind the tanks advanced by squad, with submachine gunners clearing trenches and riflemen suppressing Japanese snipers in the canopy.

The Japanese returned fire madly, but the Youth Army soon suppressed them with several times the firepower density.

Watanabe Masao's division headquarters was in an old tea plantation, and his Communications Staff Officer reported anxiously:

"Division Commander! A large number of enemy troops have appeared on the left wing of the command headquarters!"

Watanabe Masao had no time to be surprised before a phone call came in.

"Report! Large numbers of Unity Party Guerrilla activities have been discovered; the guerrillas are frequently raiding rear transport convoys and warehouses!"

Watanabe Masao had just hung up the phone when a telegraph operator took off his headphones and said loudly:

"Division Commander! The outflanking Third Battalion has lost contact!"

Watanabe Masao felt something was amiss and asked: "When was the last time you contacted them?"

The telegraph operator answered: "An hour ago, the Third Battalion claimed they were attacked by the Youth Army 13th Division's tanks; you dispatched anti-tank guns to them for a counterattack, and they have been out of contact ever since!"

Watanabe Masao stood before the map and quickly reached a conclusion: the Third Battalion must have been encircled, part of his defensive line had been penetrated, and the Youth Army was using superior forces to constantly divide and encircle him.

Countless guerrillas fired guns everywhere in the mountains, with communication lines being cut one after another.

His current situation was like that of a blindfolded man, with fists coming from all directions, yet not knowing which direction held the truly fatal blow.

"Our situation is now extremely dangerous; to avoid being encircled and annihilated, all units are to immediately retreat southward from their respective defensive lines."

"We will retreat to Tangji, consolidate our forces, and redeploy our defensive lines."

Watanabe Masao issued the order to retreat; he had already abandoned the idea of an outflanking attack, instead wanting to withdraw to Tangji to hold the line and secure Mandalay's rear.

However, the light tank detachment dispatched by Xie Jinyuan had already begun a rapid assault along the highway.

Several Japanese motor convoys retreating along the highway were quickly caught up to by Xie Jinyuan's tank detachment.

Several trucks at Watanabe Masao's divisional headquarters were blown up by tanks, and the infantry of the Youth 15th Division pressed out from the dense forests on both flanks, opening fire with strafing sweeps at the Japanese motor convoy.

Watanabe Masao himself was the first to withdraw; he arranged for the Rear Guard Regiment to organize a blocking action.

But the Rear Guard Regiment did not play much of a role.

The Youth Army's tank detachment launched a breakthrough against the Japanese left behind to block, while the infantry, led by the Unity Party guerrillas, bypassed the Japanese blocking lines and continued pursuit in the direction of Watanabe Masao's withdrawal.

The Japanese force of over eight thousand men marched dispersed in the dense forest, and its organization quickly collapsed.

Regiments could not find battalions, battalions could not find companies; groups of soldiers wandered aimlessly in the woods, almost losing their bearings.

The Unity Party guerrillas, however, were very familiar with these mountains and forests; over the past several months, they had received armed assistance from the Youth Army.

In the Burma counteroffensive, the Unity Party guerrillas played a huge role.

They split into over a hundred small teams, carrying guns and cannons, appearing and disappearing unpredictably in the dense forest.

Some climbed trees to snipe, some laid mines in the jungle, some used grenade launchers to harass.

When Watanabe Masao finally led his remnants out of the dense forest and arrived at Tangji, he was instantly dumbstruck.

Watanabe Masao had originally intended to hold fast at Tangji, preventing Xie Jinyuan's two divisions from outflanking to Mandalay's rear.

But at this very moment, Tangji had already been taken by the Unity Party guerrillas.

On the Burma front, the Unity Party guerrillas' supreme commander, the Sada Monk, had long since issued the order for a general counteroffensive.

Taking advantage of the ongoing Battle of Mandalay, the Unity Party guerrillas dispatched armed forces to continuously attack towns within the Japanese sphere of control.

Tangji was naturally also an important target for the guerrillas.

When the 56th Division was engaged with Xie Jinyuan, the garrison inside the city consisted of only one understrength company and several hundred Burmese puppet troops.

Under the fierce assault of two thousand Unity Party guerrillas, the Japanese and puppet troops defending Tangji held out for less than half a day before being totally annihilated.

Watanabe Masao's last lifeline was thus severed.

Behind him, Xie Jinyuan led his troops in relentless pursuit; ahead, the flags on Tangji's city walls had changed; to the left and right, the dense forests were full of guerrilla cold shots.

Watanabe Masao looked at the exhausted soldiers around him, knew the game was up, and finally gave the order: abandon heavy baggage, continue retreating south, withdraw to Rangoon on the southern coast!

The 56th Division blew up the barrels of all its cannons; Watanabe Masao led his remnants in withdrawing to the southern coast, signaling the 56th Division's withdrawal from the Battle of Mandalay.

Xie Jinyuan sent the battle report to Lashio; at the China-Burma Theater Headquarters, Stilwell held the telegram and read it through twice before putting it down.

"Xie Jinyuan repelled a division in six days, forcing the 56th Division to withdraw from the Battle of Mandalay and flee to the southern coast of Burma."

Stilwell looked at Lv Muzhi, his face beaming with delight.

Lv Muzhi reminded him: "On the surface it appears Xie Jinyuan drove out the 56th Division in six days, but in reality the Unity Party guerrillas played an equally major role in this."

Stilwell smiled and nodded, expressing agreement.

Lv Muzhi stood before the sand table, his gaze falling on Tangji to the southwest of Mandalay, inserting a small blue flag into Tangji's position on the map.

On the sand table, the situation around Mandalay was already very clear.

Commander Iida Shojiro was holding fast at Mandalay.

Du Yuming's Fifth Army in eastern Mandalay would soon break through the Nauku Defense Line set up by the 33rd Division there.

Xie Jinyuan occupied Tangji, able at any time to seal off the Japanese retreat route south from Mandalay.

Just then, the Communications Staff Officer stood up to report.

"Sixth Army Commander Gan Lichu reports by telephone: his Vanguard Regiment has advanced to fifty kilometers north of Mandalay and has already made contact with the blocking force dispatched by the Japanese 55th Division!"

Lv Muzhi was very satisfied: "Commander Gan's Sixth Army finally didn't drop the chain; whether rushing fast or slow, they made it to the battlefield in time after all."

Right now, to the east of Mandalay is Du Yuming's Fifth Army, to the south Xie Jinyuan's two divisions, to the north Gan Lichu's Sixth Army.

"Only the British Army on the west hasn't gotten into position yet!" Stilwell shook his head, exclaiming in dissatisfaction.

Lv Muzhi asked: "What position has Mountbatten's British Army reached?"

The staff officer flipped through the folder: "The British vanguard is about two hundred kilometers from Mandalay; the specific arrival time is still unclear!"

Stilwell frowned: "Should we wait for General Mountbatten?"

Lv Muzhi tapped the winding river on the west side of Mandalay on the sand table.

The city of Mandalay has the Irrawaddy River pressing close against its west side.

The Irrawaddy River is Burma's "Mother River"; this stretch of river by Mandalay has an average width exceeding one kilometer.

"The Irrawaddy River on Mandalay's west, deep and wide, just happens to block the Japanese road of escape to the west."

"A great river like this, I reckon can serve just as well as three British divisions."

Lv Muzhi raised his head to look at Stilwell, and continued:

"So, we won't wait for the British Army."

"Fifth Army on the east, Sixth Army on the north, Youth Army on the south, the Irrawaddy River natural moat on the west."

"Mandalay is in fact already encircled on four sides; the Japanese cannot escape even with wings."

Stilwell looked at Mandalay squeezed from four sides on the sand table, and slowly nodded.

He said jokingly: "I see the Irrawaddy River on the west is indeed more useful than three British divisions; I agree to launch a full-scale counteroffensive against Mandalay ahead of schedule!"

Lv Muzhi looked at the Communications Staff Officer:

"Tell Du Yuming, I'll give him another 24 hours to completely take the Nauku Defense Line, then advance at full speed toward Mandalay's eastern suburbs."

"Gan Lichu's Sixth Army is to launch an attack on the Japanese from northern Mandalay before dawn tomorrow."

"Xie Jinyuan's unit consolidated Tangji on one hand, guarding against Japanese reinforcements from the southern coast, while on the other hand dispatching troops to advance toward southern Mandalay."

"All units contract the encirclement circle, surround Iida Shojiro and his Fifteenth Army to death inside Mandalay City."

——————

At this time in the western Burmese jungle, Mountbatten's mood was terrible.

Three British divisions formed a broken, intermittent long line in the dense forest, trucks stuck in mud pits, soldiers' curses while pushing vehicles rising and falling in succession.

Among the three route armies, the British Army's supply lines were the most complex and difficult.

The Eastern Route Army was closest to Mandalay, with the ready-made Burma Road, and Lv Muzhi had even widened and renovated some important sections of the Burma Road.

The Central Route Army's Sixth Army set out from Myitkyina, which had a railway leading directly to Mandalay; although locomotives were lacking, marching along the railroad, the Sixth Army's speed was not slow either.

The Western Route Army's British Army had it wretched, coming out of India, crossing rainforests and rivers, road conditions poor, terrain complex, and Japanese bombing transportation on top of that.

Plus the British Army brought considerable equipment this time, wanting to show their prowess on the Burma battlefield, marching speed inevitably low.

Right now a bridge ahead of the British Army had been blown up by the Japanese again, engineer troops have been fussing until now still not repaired.

The convoy lined up three kilometers long on the riverbank, Mountbatten waited anxiously.

A communication officer rode a motorcycle catching up from the rear.

"General, telegram from China-Burma Theater Command."

Mountbatten took the telegram paper, glanced at it, complexion changed immediately.

The telegram was sent by War Zone Chief of Staff Stilwell, content very short, making Mountbatten extremely furious.

"General offensive? Mandalay already surrounded on four sides?"

"The Great British Empire's army hasn't arrived yet, how is Mandalay surrounded on four sides, not afraid the Japanese will run away?"

Mountbatten's adjutant leaned over and said quietly: "My friend at headquarters sent a telegram, told the inside story..."

"What inside story?"

Adjutant answered: "Commander-in-Chief Lv Muzhi and Chief of Staff Stilwell believe the Irrawaddy River can substitute for the British Army's three divisions, hold Mandalay's western front."