Chapter 575: Thailand Campaign (2)

The collapse of the Southeast Asian theater unfolded like a chain of falling dominoes; within just two months, the Japanese Army suffered successive heavy blows, and two Lieutenant General commanders were taken captive.

Lieutenant General Fan Tian Xiang Erlang, commander of the 15th Army, was captured alive by the Expeditionary Force on the Myanmar front, and Lieutenant General Xia Shan Feng Wen, commander of the 25th Army, surrendered after Singapore fell.

Only the Southern Fleet commander Xiao Ze Zhi Sanlang remains missing, his fate unknown.

In fact, Xiao Ze Zhi Sanlang has already been captured by Jiang Anguo.

This series of defeats, like a heavy shackle, presses the Japanese Army Southern Army headquarters to the point of suffocation.

Xia Shan Feng Wen was once heavily praised within the Japanese Army, hailed as the "Imperial Future Star."

He rode a bicycle at breakneck speed during the Malaya campaign, becoming a legend within the Japanese Army, yet no one foresaw that this seemingly brilliant star would vanish as swiftly as a meteor.

Rising from the jungles of Malaya, he ultimately fell upon the ruins of Singapore.

Countless Japanese officers and soldiers were filled with doubt and resentment: Singapore, a strategically fortified stronghold of the Japanese Army with solid defenses and a certain garrison, how could it be captured so quickly by Nanko and the Expeditionary Force working together?

What further astonished the Japanese high command was that most of the Malay Peninsula remained under Japanese control; Nanko and the Expeditionary Force did not advance overland but, relying on overwhelming naval power, transported troops to land directly on Singapore, breaching the choke‑point city that guards the Malajia haixia.

This ocean‑crossing amphibious capability far exceeded Japanese expectations and left the Southern Army commander Terauchi Hisaichi standing before the command map, lost in prolonged contemplation.

When did a fleet this powerful appear in the Indian Ocean, the British Z Fleet, which had long since sunk in Singapore waters.

The British home fleet has also been blockading Italy's navy near the Mediterranean.

Terauchi Hisaichi clasped his hands behind his back, furrowed his brows, stared intently at the Southeast Asian map, his tone full of incredulous doubt and resentment, murmuring low, "When did the Chinese become so capable of fighting!"

Previously, it was believed that a single Japanese division could chase down ten Chinese infantry divisions; Chinese forces, with inferior equipment and weak combat power, were always regarded by the Japanese as a "weak force."

But since August, on the soil of Southeast Asia, every front has begun to collapse; the Japanese‑crafted defensive system appears utterly fragile and vulnerable under the assault of Nanko and the Expeditionary Force.

Amid the steady retreat on the Southeast Asian front, the Japanese Combined Fleet had already, per earlier plans, drawn down some forces to prepare an amphibious assault on Brisbane, Australia.

At this point, the Japanese found themselves in a dilemma; the collapse in Southeast Asia forced them to divert resources to respond.

If the plan to invade Australia were abandoned, all prior preparations would be wasted, and they would lose their foothold in the South Pacific entirely.

At that time, the United States had already been put on the defensive by successive defeats in the Pacific Theater; all aircraft carriers were lost, its strength severely reduced, and the planned August Guadalcanal campaign was forced to be shelved due to insufficient troops and equipment shortages.

The American troops retreating to Australia received a single order: to fight with all their might to defend Australia.

This is their last foothold in the South Pacific, and the final defensive line against the Japanese southward advance.

And Brisbane, as a strategic point on Australia's east coast, is the core of the American defense.

It is not only the location of the American Army Southwest Pacific Command, but also General Douglas MacArthur's headquarters.

This American general, who retreated in disgrace from the Philippines to Australia, now feels filled with humiliation and resolve.

When the Japanese launched a massive offensive on the Philippines, he was forced to withdraw, leaving the vow, "I will return," and now, retreating to Brisbane, he has no way back.

If Brisbane falls and Australia is conquered, his reputation will be utterly ruined; awaiting him will be no sympathy or understanding, but a cold military tribunal, possibly even execution.

President Roosevelt's patience has run out; if MacArthur cannot block the Japanese at Brisbane, the gift Roosevelt gave him is more than just a steadfast telegram.

There is also a silver M1911; when MacArthur received this pistol, it was clear it was not meant for retreat.

Therefore, the defense of Brisbane is, for MacArthur, a fight with his back to the river—a life‑or‑death battle; he must win, and can only win.

Long before the Combined Fleet set out from Morseby Port, the American Army's intelligence department, using advanced code‑breaking technology, intercepted intelligence that the Japanese Army planned to launch a landing assault on Brisbane.

When this intelligence reached MacArthur, he showed no panic at all; instead, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes,

It was his chance for revenge and his chance to preserve his honor. He immediately summoned the Senior Officers of the American Army Southwest Pacific Command, convened an emergency operations meeting, and deployed Brisbane's defensive works.

"The Combined Fleet is about to strike, its target is Brisbane; they intend to seize this place and then occupy all of Australia!"

MacArthur stood before the map, his tone heavy yet firm, "I don't need you to tell me how difficult this is; I only need you to remember that this is our last retreat, there is no retreat, no defense to fall back to, we can only fight to the death!"

His gaze swept over every officer present.

"Send the orders down, mobilize all available forces, and on Brisbane's coastline construct three solid Defensive Lines, install heavy artillery, lay Landmines, dig Trench, so that each step the Little Devil takes will cost a grievous price!"

The officers responded in chorus and immediately went down to deploy.

In an instant, the Brisbane coastline was filled with a clamor of voices; American Army soldiers each performed their duties, building the defenses in a tense yet orderly manner.

Heavy anti‑aircraft guns were continuously shipped to the coastal front, their barrels pointing straight at the sea, ever ready to counter the Japanese Army's aerial attacks.

The soldiers swung Iron Shovels, excavating a network of intersecting Trench; within the Trench were filled with Machine Gun Positions, each fire point staffed by elite soldiers.

Along the coastline, countless Landmines were buried, forming an invisible death barrier. The rear supply depot also ran at full speed, ammunition, food and medicine being continuously shipped to the Front, providing ample preparation for the defensive battle.

MacArthur personally went to inspect the coastal defense line; watching the soldiers' high morale, his confidence grew ever stronger.

At this point, Brisbane had been turned by him into a fortress as solid as gold, with tens of thousands of elite American Army troops stationed there, equipped with ample weaponry, ready for a life‑or‑death fight with the Japanese Army.

He knew the Combined Fleet was powerful and experienced in amphibious assaults, but he trusted even more that the American Army soldiers fighting with their backs to the water would unleash astonishing combat power.