Chapter 533: Republic of China: Starting from Whampoa Class One Chapter 543 The British Are Busy, I'll Move Into Mandalay First!

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

On the broad surface of the Irrawaddy River, hundreds of vessels large and small shuttled back and forth.

Every boat was crammed with Japanese Army baggage and equipment; the Japanese soldiers rowing were drenched in sweat, pulling the oars desperately.

Two pontoon bridges spanned mid-river, their decks packed tight — soldiers and mules jammed together — officers screaming themselves hoarse to keep order, but no one was listening.

A low boom came from the sky.

A Japanese soldier looked up; more than twenty P-47 Thunderbolts emerged from beneath the cloud layer.

Bombs and rocket shells hung under the fighters' wings; they were diving straight at the river surface.

"Enemy aircraft!"

The warning spread, and the first wave of bombs had already dropped.

Five-hundred-pound aerial bombs slammed into the river, throwing water columns ten-odd meters high.

Two ferries were flipped outright by the water columns; the soldiers aboard tumbled into the river like dumplings.

Immediately afterward rocket shells trailing white smoke plunged down; one P-47 after another took turns diving, rockets striking the pontoon bridges, blasting the decks into several sections, planks and ropes flying into the air amid firelight.

Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

The twelve. 50-caliber Browning heavy machine guns in the P-47s' noses opened fire; the fighters strafed in their dives, Japanese soldiers blown to pieces and blasted into the river.

The river surface was littered with burning ferry wreckage; soldiers who had fallen in struggled and cried for help in the swift current, but the turbulent flow soon swept them away.

Iida Shojiro had already crossed to the west bank; from a high ground he witnessed all of this with his own eyes, his heart still feeling as if carved by a knife.

"Where is our aviation?"

Iida Shojiro asked his Chief of Staff urgently.

The Chief of Staff shook his head: "After the retreat order was issued, the aviation units withdrew from Mandalay a step ahead to avoid having their fighters captured by the Xia Guo people."

"Therefore, we temporarily have no air support!"

Iida Shojiro watched his own soldiers bombed like target practice without any cover, anger and helplessness churning in his heart.

The bombing over the river continued; P-47 Thunderbolts wildly hugged the deck until all ammunition was expended.

Only then did the Youth Army pilots pull up their noses and fly off swaggering, fully satisfied, having encountered absolutely no resistance.

On this side of the west bank, the Japanese troops who had luckily crossed the river were in a shambles on the shore.

Most of the baggage failed to keep up; a few captured ammunition boxes and dry-ration bags lay piled on the bank, a pitifully small quantity.

55th Division Commander Takeuchi Hiroshi approached Iida Shojiro and said: "Commander, Araki's 33rd Division is still covering on the opposite bank; he has bought us enough time."

Iida Shojiro nodded; he knew the 33rd Division could not make it across — Division Commander Araki and his remnants could only live or die with Mandalay City.

Takeuchi Hiroshi continued: "Cavalry reconnaissance detected British Army units approaching from the northwest; it should be Mountbatten's vanguard."

"Commander, we must withdraw."

"One day, we will certainly fight our way back!"

Iida Shojiro looked at his earnest expression and finally only said: "Let's hope so."

He turned to the Chief of Staff and issued the order: "The whole army will move south along the west bank of the Irrawaddy River, target Rangoon, advance at full speed."

Then he told Takeuchi Hiroshi: "Arrange a rearguard; do not let the British Army easily bite onto us."

Takeuchi Hiroshi acknowledged the order and left.

Over ten thousand Japanese soldiers on the west bank formed a long marching column; these soldiers came mainly from the 55th Division, plus the Japanese Fifteenth Army's directly subordinate units.

The column stretched very long; the front had already walked several li, while the rear had not yet finished assembling on the shore.

No vehicles, only a small number of mules; heavy equipment had almost all been abandoned on the east bank.

The Japanese soldiers shouldered rifles and machine guns, treading the soft mud of the riverbank, walking south in silence.

At this moment Mountbatten was in the British Army command post studying a map; a staff officer delivered a piece of intelligence.

"General, Commander Lu has sent aerial reconnaissance intelligence."

"Approximately ten thousand Japanese troops are fleeing south from the west bank of the Irrawaddy River; current position about forty kilometers to the southeast of our forces."

The corner of Mountbatten's mouth curled up.

Ten thousand fleeing Japanese troops, escaping across the river, carrying no heavy equipment — isn't this a fat piece of meat delivered right to our lips!

Although we couldn't catch the Battle of Mandalay, if we can annihilate these ten thousand Japanese troops, that would also be a magnificent achievement.

This is an annihilation battle completed by the British Army alone; when writing the report afterward we can claim all the credit exclusively.

"Have Colonel Patterson come see me."

Colonel Patterson is a regiment commander of the British Indian 17th Division, deeply trusted by General Mountbatten.

Patterson arrived at the command post shortly; Mountbatten didn't waste words with him.

"Colonel Patterson, I have a task for you."

"Lead your regiment as the whole army's vanguard, pursue along the Japanese retreat route."

"You must hang on to them; don't let them get away."

"I will lead the main force and catch up quickly; you must do your utmost, absolutely do not let the Japanese Army get far."

Patterson snapped to attention and saluted: "Yes! Sir!"

Mountbatten patted his shoulder: "Let the Xia Guo people see how the British Army fights."

Patterson's regiment completed light-equipment preparation and, at the fastest speed, pursued south along the west bank of the river.

Along the way, Colonel Patterson could see ammunition boxes and dry-ration bags discarded by the Japanese Army.

These traces indicated that the Japanese Army's condition was very poor.

The more Patterson pursued, the more confident he became, even beginning to calculate how to strike the Japanese Army once he caught up.

At this time, the Japanese Army, after several days of marching, although intermittently bombed by Youth Army aircraft, still stubbornly marched nearly one hundred kilometers.

After completing this one hundred kilometers, the Japanese Army had no choice but to temporarily halt their steps.

Following the Irrawaddy River, another great river lay stretched before Iida Shojiro.

It was the Chindwin River.

The Chindwin River is a tributary of the Irrawaddy River, similarly deep and swift, fundamentally impossible to cross easily.

To continue southbound, they had to once again gather ferry boats and organize the Engineer Regiment for a second river crossing.

Iida Shojiro looked at the turbid Chindwin River water before him and took a deep breath.

The engineer troops were busy without a moment's rest; three days ago they built a floating bridge on the Irrawaddy River, and after three days of continuous forced march, now they had to build another on the Chindwin River.

The woods by the river were cut bare by the Japanese engineers, all tree trunks dragged away for bridge-building.

The ferry boats of the riverside fishing villages were seized empty by the Japanese Army.

Just then, a cavalryman arrived before Iida Shojiro.

"Report to the Commander! British troops discovered in the rear, approximately one regiment's strength, less than ten kilometers from our rearguard!"

Iida Shojiro flew into a rage: "No end to it!"

"Takeuchi-kun, you personally go set up an ambush, hit them hard, give the British Army a taste of their own medicine!"

Takeuchi immediately deployed two battalions to set up ambush positions in several woods.

Several Type 92 Heavy Machine Guns were positioned in concealed locations within the woods, the mortar team hidden behind the forest.

Patterson's British regiment pursued all the way, smooth sailing, feeling extremely excited.

At this time they also completely failed to perceive the ambush's existence, believing the Japanese Army was busy crossing the Chindwin River.

When Patterson's regiment walked into the kill zone, the Type 92 Heavy Machine Guns inside the woods opened fire first.

The British soldiers at the very front were caught off guard, falling in swathes.

Dense bullets fired out from within the woods, hitting the defenseless British soldiers into scattering in all directions.

Immediately after, mortar shells fell, exploding one after another within the British formation.

50mm high-explosive shells fired from grenade launchers followed, explosion points everywhere in the British column.

Patterson was caught completely by surprise; he shouted for his soldiers to disperse and find cover.

But on this alluvial plain, places to hide a person were pitifully few.

British soldiers could only lie in shallow grass clumps, listening to machine gun bullets flying over their heads.

The dazed Colonel Patterson organized several counterattacks, attempting to charge into the woods and annihilate the Japanese Army that ambushed them.

But the combat lasted one hour, the British counterattacks only adding casualties without achieving any progress.

Just then, a booming sound came from the sky.

Over twenty P-47 Thunderbolt fighters flew from the direction of Mandalay; that was precisely the fighter unit dispatched by Lv Muzhi.

The British soldiers lying on the ground all raised their heads; someone shouted excitedly: "Our reinforcements have arrived!"

Patterson also breathed a sigh of relief.

With air support, perhaps he could drive away the Japanese Army before him.

However, the P-47 formation in the air flew straight over the British soldiers' heads, completely without any intention of providing support.

The British soldiers looked up, watching that group of planes fly south without looking back.

"What are they doing? Didn't they see us?"

Someone couldn't help cursing aloud.

In reality, the P-47 pilots in the air saw the ground situation clearly.

The British soldiers lying on the ground, the Japanese soldiers in the woods — they saw them all.

A wingman pilot called over the radio: "Battalion Commander, there are British troops under attack below, should we go support them?"

The Battalion Commander's answer was crisp: "Our task is to stop the Japanese Army from crossing the Chindwin River, save the ammunition, don't waste it here!"

"Then what about the British Army?"

"They have legs of their own; if they can't beat them, can't they run?"

"Our ammunition is for bombing the Japanese Army on the Chindwin River, continue flying south!"

Lv Muzhi regarded the P-47 fighter as a sharp weapon for ground attack, with powerful firepower.

Each P47D fighter has eight. 50 caliber M2 Browning Heavy Machine Guns on its wings, each heavy machine gun carrying about 400 rounds, able to spray bullets to its heart's content.

Besides the powerful heavy machine gun firepower, this fighter can also carry bombs and rocket shells.

Executing this ground attack mission, the P-47 formation carried one 500-pound aerial bomb each under the fuselage and both wings, three 500-pound bombs total.

Under both wings, they also mounted four 5-inch rocket shells that did not occupy bomb racks.

When the P-47 fighter formation, fully loaded with bombs, arrived over the Chindwin River,

the Japanese Army's floating bridge had just been completed, and the river crossing was underway.

Hundreds of soldiers crowded on the bridge deck, long queues lined the riverbank waiting to board.

Ferry boats and rafts loaded with ammunition boxes and baggage; the devils rowed with double oars, wanting to transport supplies to the opposite bank.

The P-47 formation began to dive, first dropping bombs, then firing rocket shells.

Bombs fell on the middle of the floating bridge, blowing the newly repaired bridge deck apart again.

Timber and ropes burst apart in the firelight; soldiers on the bridge were thrown into the river by the blast wave.

The devils gathered on the riverbank waiting to cross were packed in a heap; they had only dispersed halfway when they suffered the P-47 fighters' rocket shell strikes.

Although rocket shells have low accuracy, the P-47 fighter as a heavy fighter has thick armor; pilots boldly carried out dive attacks, launching rocket shells at close range.

The riverbank was dense with Japanese devils, and the rocket explosions blew the Japanese Army into blood and flesh flying everywhere.

After the bombs and rockets finished projecting, the P-47 Fighters began using the eight. 50 caliber Browning machine guns on their wings to strafe the ground, making repeated deck-level attacks.

The. 50 caliber bullets smashed the ferrying wooden boats into debris; the Japanese Army on the boats either fell directly into the Chindwin River or were shot to pieces and fell into the Chindwin River.

The Chindwin River's current was swift.

Those Japanese soldiers blown into the water could not steady their bodies at all in the rapids; many had no chance to struggle before the river swept them away.

A rough tally: the Japanese soldiers washed away by the Chindwin River exceeded five hundred men, plus the P-47 Fighters' killing, Japanese Army casualties on the Chindwin riverbank exceeded one thousand men.

The pontoon bridge was destroyed, the ferries bombed, the Japanese Army's entire river-crossing operation completely fell into stagnation.

In the China-Burma Theater Command, Lv Muzhi had just received two battle reports.

One was an aerial reconnaissance report: the Japanese Army was crossing the Chindwin River, the P-47 Formation had destroyed the pontoon bridge, inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese Army, the Japanese river crossing was blocked.

The other came from the British Army: Colonel Patterson's unit encountered a Japanese ambush during pursuit, suffered over eight hundred casualties, broke out desperately, the British Army had currently already disengaged from the Japanese Army.

Du Yuming stood by the sand table, finished reading the battle reports, and clicked his tongue: "This British regiment runs pretty fast, avoided even greater losses."

Lv Muzhi did not comment on the British Army's performance, merely said to the Communications Staff Officer:

"Dispatch Mountbatten."

"The Japanese Army's pontoon bridge on the Chindwin River has been temporarily destroyed, your unit immediately advance at full speed in pursuit."

"Seize the opportunity, annihilate this batch of Japanese routed troops on the Chindwin River's north bank."

Stilwell asked: "Commander Lv, do you judge the British Army can completely annihilate Iida Shojiro's ten thousand plus men?"

Lv Muzhi shook his head: "Hard to say."

He stood up and walked to the sand table: "But one thing is certain, under the British Army's pursuit, the Japanese Army will certainly suffer further heavy blows."

"Even if Iida Shojiro leads his troops across the Chindwin River, he cannot escape the fate of being completely annihilated."

Lv Muzhi's finger tapped two locations in southern Burma.

"Reniangqiang, and Pyinmana."

Stilwell's gaze followed, immediately understood Lv Muzhi's intent.

"I already had Xie Jinyuan recapture these two cities ahead of time."

"If Iida Shojiro escapes from the British Army, he must pass through the two major cities Reniangqiang and Pyinmana, these two cities are now in my hands."

"Each city is garrisoned by a Youth Army regiment, plus Unity Party Guerrillas coordinating in combat."

"The Japanese Army walks a route and gets beaten a route, consecutively crosses two major rivers, equipment and supply train will certainly be lost completely."

"Behind the Japanese Army the British Army tails in pursuit, ahead Xie Jinyuan's troops and guerrillas block and intercept."

"Plus non-combat attrition, wounded and sick, stragglers, starvation..."

"These ten thousand plus Japanese Army cannot reach Rangoon alive."

At this moment, a Staff Officer walked over.

"Report to Commander Lu, the 200th Division has already entered Mandalay!"

"The 33rd Division Commander Lieutenant General Araki Shinji garrisoned there has already committed seppuku!"

Lv Muzhi was very satisfied, said to Stilwell: "Since General Mountbatten is busy pursuing the Japanese Army, unable to witness this important moment, then my and Du Yuming's troops will first garrison Mandalay City."

Du Yuming nodded: "That's the reasoning, no need to wait for the British Army to come over, we'll advance into Mandalay first."

Lv Muzhi added: "I want to move the China-Burma Theater Command into Mandalay as well, to coordinate the Burma and Thailand theaters."