Chapter 560: Andaman Islands (3)

On the sea surface, the sea wind still howls, the smell of gunpowder in the air remains strong, the destroyer's propellers churn the water, raising layers of ripples that reflect the burning wreckage in the harbor, forming a bleak post‑war scene.

For a full two hours, the two destroyers completed a comprehensive patrol of Bulaier Port and the surrounding waters, clearing several suspected Japanese Army positions at fixed points, confirming that no large‑scale Japanese remnants remained in the harbor, and finding no Japanese submarines or reinforcement vessels in the adjacent sea.

Afterwards, the captains of the two destroyers each reported the situation to Jiang Zhiyuan.

"Report, Commander Jiang, Coastal 001 has completed the Bulaier Port patrol mission, cleared three suspected Japanese Army positions, found no large‑scale Japanese remnants, the port and surrounding waters are safe!"

"Coastal 002 patrol complete, no Japanese reinforcement forces detected, sea area confirmed safe, ready to execute subsequent landing mission!"

Jiang Zhiyuan listened to the report, nodded slightly, a calm smile appearing on his face; without any hesitation, he immediately issued the landing order: "Relay my command, Whale-class 001 transport ship, proceed to the shallow‑water area south of Bulaier Port, prepare to conduct the landing! Note, stay alert during the landing and strictly guard against Japanese lurking units ambushing!"

It turned out Jiang Zhiyuan had not intended to land directly from Bulaier Port's pier; before departure, Jiang Anguo had repeatedly instructed him: "The landing operation must be cautious; better take a longer route than force a direct landing at Bulaier Port's pier. The Little Devil is very cunning and may be hiding in underground works along the shore, waiting to catch us off guard!"

Jiang Zhiyuan kept Jiang Anguo's admonition in mind, so after confirming the port was safe, he chose a shallow beach south of Bulaier Port as the landing point.

The terrain here is gentle, the view open, making ambushes hard to hide, and it is not far from the port, allowing rapid advance after landing to seize control of the entire Bulaier Port.

After receiving the order, the Whale-class 001 transport ship immediately altered course and sped toward the shallow beach south of Bulaier Port.

On the transport ship, the soldiers of the Second Regiment of the st Division had long been ready for the landing; although the earlier seasickness fatigue had not fully faded, each of them now stood spirited, rifle in hand, eyes resolute, ready at any moment to conduct the landing operation and capture Bulaier Port.

In fact, all combat‑capable soldiers had been loaded onto Transport Ship 001.

Ships 002 and 003 have already turned back the same way to Yangon.

Hu Dali stood on the transport ship's deck and said in a deep voice to the soldiers: "Brothers, after the landing you must stay vigilant, obey orders, and strictly guard against Little Devil ambushes. We must secure the landing point smoothly to lay the groundwork for the advance of follow‑up forces!"

"Yes! Regiment Commander!" the soldiers answered in unison, their voices loud, dispelling all fatigue.

Soon, the Whale-class 001 transport ship reached the shallow‑water area, the hull gently moored at the shore, the landing craft were lowered one by one, and the soldiers boarded the craft in order, heading toward the coast.

The water over the shallow beach was not deep; after the landing craft touched shore, the soldiers quickly leapt out, wading through the water, rushing up the bank to seize advantageous ground while scanning the surroundings vigilantly.

After confirming no Japanese lurking forces, they immediately erected a temporary defensive position to cover the subsequent soldiers' landing.

Jiang Zhiyuan stood in the command cabin of the Zhenhai, closely monitoring the Whale-class 001 transport ship's landing through a telescope, his expression steady.

He knew the landing was only the first step; next, they would have to completely eradicate the Japanese remnants hiding in the mountains and fully control the Andaman Islands.

At this moment, the soldiers of the Whale-class 001 transport ship had already successfully landed on the shallow beach and were steadily advancing toward Bulaier Port.

The Whale-class 001 transport ship's soldiers smoothly landed on the shallow beach, marched steadily toward Bulaier Port, and Jiang Zhiyuan also rode a landing craft onto this land that had just endured battle.

Standing on the shallow beach, the sea breeze brushed the face; in the distance the sea was a deep blue, the shore was dense tropical jungle, sunlight filtered through the leaves, illuminating the island's original appearance.

If there were no war, this would be a coveted tourist spot, with turquoise sea, blue sky, coconut‑tree shadows, and picturesque scenery.

The local customs are simple, bearing the islanders' peaceful life.

That does not exist; you expect the Indian people to be simple‑hearted, which is clearly impossible!

Yet the scene before us clashes starkly with that ideal.

Advancing inland from the shallow beach, abandoned houses, dried bloodstains and scattered clothing were everywhere; besides the smell of gunpowder, a faint whiff of blood lingered in the air, a trace of Japanese atrocities.

Hu Dali, with several soldiers, discovered surviving islanders in an abandoned village.

They were ragged, pale and gaunt, their eyes filled with fear and numbness.

When they saw the Nanko soldiers, they first fled in panic, but after confirming no hostility, they slowly emerged, hope flashing in their eyes.

"Are you... here to rescue us?" an elderly islander asked tremblingly, his voice hoarse, eyes full of expectation.

The old man was actually speaking English.

Hu Dali hurried forward, having the interpreter say: "Sir, don't be afraid, we are the Nanko Expeditionary Force, here to drive out the Japanese and rescue you."

Hearing this, the elderly islander could not hold back tears, choking as he recounted the Japanese atrocities.

According to him, the Andaman Islands originally had over forty thousand locals who had lived there for generations, subsisting on fishing and farming, leading a peaceful, tranquil life.

But since the Japanese occupied the island, that peace was shattered, and a horrific, inhumane massacre fell upon the land.

"When the Japanese arrived, they gathered us together, saying we must obey or they would kill us."

The old man wiped his tears, his voice trembling, "On such a small island, probably about two thousand were stationed."

Obviously, two thousand people managing such a large island is difficult.

With over forty thousand inhabitants, if they rebel, the Japanese could not control them and would face massive chaos.

Thus the Japanese began killing indiscriminately—men, women, children—slaughtering anyone they saw, for three full days and nights; corpses littered everywhere, blood flowing like rivers.

In fact, few women were killed, because the Japanese were beasts who still needed to vent on women, even though these Indian women were rather ordinary in appearance.

Hu Dali and the soldiers around him listened, each burning with anger, fists clenched tightly.

Of course, because this is not on the mainland and the victims are not Chinese, the reaction to the massacre is far less than that seen domestically.

They followed the direction indicated by the elder and saw a large open area outside the village piled with countless skeletons—some elderly, some children, some still in tattered clothing—a scene too horrific to behold.