Chapter 138: Report! The British Are Encircled Again

At this point the Expeditionary Force's combat objectives have essentially been concluded, and it can be said that they ended in failure.

Because of the British Army's lack of cooperation, the American Army's aid supplies never arrived, forcing the Expeditionary Force to fight alone.

Deploying to fight in Myanmar, from initial confidence to a disappointing return, one can imagine how great a blow this was to the Expeditionary Force from top to bottom.

Preparations for the Expeditionary Force began last year, but only after the Japanese began invading Myanmar were they allowed to enter, and before fortifications could even be built they were already fighting the Japanese.

One hundred thousand troops of the Expeditionary Force entered Myanmar, shedding blood on the battlefield, suffering losses of nearly twelve thousand, if—if only.

The Expeditionary Force possessed British weapons, ammunition, and artillery; even without tanks or aircraft, they could at least hold Tonggu and wage a protracted battle there against the Japanese. The British and the Americans were also willing to cooperate with the Expeditionary Force.

Then the whole situation might have turned; Tonggu would not fall easily, and the Expeditionary Force could have bought more time for fortifications. Even if they could not completely drive back the Japanese, they could still gain strategic depth for later forces and reduce unnecessary casualties. Unfortunately, all of this remained hypothetical; in reality they fought alone, supplies were cut off, and they were forced to retreat, leaving countless British souls buried in foreign lands.

The Expeditionary Force's strongest units—the fearsome 200th Division, Sun Liren's newly formed 38th Division, and Liao Yaoxiang's newly formed 22nd Division—were hard‑pressed throughout the Myanmar Campaign. Yet this scramble was not to strike the Japanese invaders, but to clean up after those damned British!

The British were constantly pursued and surrounded by the Japanese like a flock of ducks, even shamelessly falsifying reports just to force the Expeditionary Force's soldiers to protect their retreat.

Such behavior was unprecedented. In the original Dunkirk, the British did not hesitate to abandon the French, and in Myanmar they betrayed their allies once again.

The British retreat was not an orderly pre‑planned move but a desperate "flight at the last moment." Even after they had entered the positions and the enemy had already opened fire, they suddenly told you, "We are withdrawing."

As a result, the positions were instantly vacated, giving the enemy a sudden opening. The cost and sacrifice required to retake those lost positions could be many times greater.

Originally, the Myanmar battlefield could have seen a splendid defensive counterattack with ample time to set up positions, but the British government never approved the Expeditionary Force's entry, forcing a rushed incursion.

The reason the Japanese dared to move on Southeast Asia boiled down to one word: "speed." They gambled that the Allied Forces would not react in time.

Once the war turned into a stalemate defensive fight, it would be a total disaster for resource‑starved Japan.

Because even if Japan seized Southeast Asia, it would need a great deal of time to "digest" the territory, plunder resources, and maintain order. Yet would the Americans grant Japan that time? Clearly not.

If the Expeditionary Force could hold the Japanese in Myanmar for two months, the rainy season would arrive. Once the rains began, both sides could only adopt defensive postures, precluding any large‑scale battles. Although the Dian‑Mian Highway was cut, after enduring that period, when the United States opened the India air route, transport aircraft would no longer need to brave the dangerous Hump Route; they could simply fly to Mandalay. After securing resources, the Chinese Army could launch the next decisive battle.

But now that strategy has completely collapsed.

Because of those pig‑like British.

The British forces retreating to Kalewa were once again tightly blocked by the Japanese 33rd Division—this time, a solid blockade.

The British withdrawal route was originally from Kalewa to the Indian port Yingpar, but their marching speed was far too slow. The column included not only soldiers but also a large group of wealthy men with their delicate belongings—and even odd furniture and pets—causing the whole force to stall at Kalewa.

Yalishanda, the general who once performed a "miracle" at Dunkirk, now mingles within this ragged British retreat.

During the retreat, Yalishanda said, "I will return to India together with the brave warriors!"

As if they were victors!

Now, Myanmar has no English Channel to block the German forces; what blocks the British is a raging river, the Qin Dun River.

Japanese bombers circled like vultures and had already demolished the bridges over the river. This left the British without a retreat route, so the massive column remained stalled at Kalewa for a full five days.

Indeed, a full five days.

During those five days, the British did nothing but wait, as if awaiting divine redemption or another Dunkirk miracle.

No one even considered seeking boats or a narrower crossing point for a forced crossing.

At this life‑or‑death moment, they could have abandoned heavy equipment—tanks and transport vehicles could be discarded to preserve the living force—but Yalishanda naïvely thought this was Dunkirk and that rescue would arrive.

Perhaps the earlier Ren'ankiang battle gave these British a fatal illusion: that the Chinese would always be their fire‑rescue team.

The Expeditionary Force's newly formed 38th Division and the newly formed 22nd Division indeed came to rescue the British again. Sun Liren and Liao Yaoxiang led their troops, racing desperately toward Kalewa.

But trust is like a mirror; once shattered it cannot be pieced back together. The two armies that have lost trust, the so‑called allied friendship, is now worthless.

Today Sun Liren has no intention of rescuing the British again. After the Ren'ankiang battle he was badly scared. Subsequently, the British repeatedly sent false orders, causing the Expeditionary Force to run east and west, wasting precious time and allowing the Japanese to tighten their grip step by step.

As for Liao Yaoxiang, he is even less inclined to rescue the British; his anger has become uncontainable.

The crucial factor was Jiang Anguo's three Brocade Bags; from initially, like Dai Anlan, doubting the young man, to later events that unfolded exactly as written on the bags, convincing Liao Yaoxiang that everything was true—that the British could not be friends.

During the march, Sun Liren and Liao Yaoxiang had privately agreed: take the Yingdu route, cross the Minjin Mountains, and head straight for Yingpar.

Among the Expeditionary Force's retreat routes, there was originally a plan to withdraw to India via Yingdu. Stilwell also proposed a retreat to India through Yingpar, but most of the Expeditionary Force's commanders rejected it—who would want to leave home for India?

Now there is no way out; the road home has been cut by the Japanese. Sun Liren only knows that Bamo was seized by the Japanese, unaware that within a few dozen hours Bamo had returned to the Expeditionary Force's control.

But their retreat has been blocked, with the Japanese 18th Division's pursuit forces behind them.

Sun Liren and Liao Yaoxiang were forced into this perilous path through primeval forest.

And indeed, as Sun Liren and Liao Yaoxiang feared, the worst case occurred: the British surrendered.

The British are born to be surrounded!